The Secret Fifth

15: Aslan's Death

That night, Lucy could not sleep a wink. She tossed and turned on her small cot, before finally sitting up in defeat. Before she could make a decision on what she was going to do with her surely restless night, a large shadow fell over the tent. Lucy's jaw dropped as she watched the Lion pass her. She quickly stood and whispered into the night air, shaking her sister.

"Susan!" The brunette girl opens her eyes tiredly, just in time to see the last of Aslan's shadow fall over the curtains. She silently nodded to Lucy as they both gather their weapons and cloaks, then creep out of the tent. When they turn the corner of their tent, they see a golden back and tail enter the forest behind them. Susan takes hold of her little sister's hand and pulls her forward gently, silently following the creature. As they crept through the forest behind slan, they tried to stay hidden. They hopped between trees and avoided twigs on the ground, staying a few feet behind the King at all times. They both held their breath when He abruptly stopped.

"Shouldn't you two be in bed?" Aslan asked. Susan and Lucy stepped out from the tree, their heads bowed.

"We couldn't sleep." Lucy mumbled. Susan nodded and placed a hand on Lucy's shoulder.

"Please Aslan, couldn't we come with you?" She asked. The lion seemed to think for a moment, before nodding slowly.

"I would be glad of the company for a while. Thank you." He spoke. The girls walked forward on each side of Him, both tangling their fingers into His mane. He leaned into their touch slightly with closed eyes, and they began their walk again. It was silent, but a very comofrtable silence. Lucy smiled at the petals that would fly around the trio every once in a while. Susan barely noticed them. After about a meter or two, Aslan stopped again. "It is time. From here, I must go on alone." He said. Susan shared a concerned look with Lucy.

"But Aslan.." She whispered. Alsan walked forward, removing himself from the girls' grip and turned to look at them.

"You have to trust me. For this must be done. Thank you, Susan. Thank you, Lucy. And farewell." With a last nod, He kept walking until He was nearly swallowed in the darkness of the forest. Susan, with a determind face, gripped her sister's shoulder and kept walking on a path parallel to Aslan's that was hidden by the trees. Lucy crept alongside her. When the two girls finally reached a break in the trees and the two paths met, they raced behind a large rock as Aslan walked further away from them. They watched in confusion as He approached the Stone Table, which was surrounded by the Witch and her followers.

"Behold. The great lion." Jadis spoke as Aslan stopped in front of the table. He looked awfully sad. The crowd jeers, teasing and poking the Lion roughfully.

"Why doesn't He fight back?" Lucy whispered. Susan just shook her head and pulled the girl closer as they turned back. The Witch orders for Aslan to be bound, and Susan lets out a gasp as He's roughly shoved over by a Minotaur.

"Wait!" The Witch stopped all movements. She smirked. "Let him first be shaved." At this the dwarves, hags, cyclops, minotaurs, and every other horrid creatur lept on top of the Great Lion, weapons raised. A dwarf held Aslan's fur up in triumph. After a moment or two, they all stepped away. Aslan's mane was now matted, ripped and shredded from his face. Lucy and Susan decided that he didn't look any less magnificent.

"Bring him to me." The tight ropes wrapped around Aslan were tugged, and He was slowly dragged up the stairs, His head bouncing as it collided with the stone stairs. The Witch bent down to speak into Aslan's ear, and the girls could not hear what she said over the loud cheering of the crowd. She stood back up after a minute and begins to yell out. "Tonight, he Deep Magic will be appeased! But tomorrow, we will take Narnia forever! In that knowledge, despair..." Aslan moves his head slightly, His eyes travelling to the cowering girls behind the rock. Tear filled eyes met golden ones, and Aslan could not look at the girl as the Witch finished. "And die!" The black stone knife was plunged into Aslan's side, and the brilliant golden light slowly fled from His eyes. Susan and Lucy sobbed in one another's arms. They sobbed until each and every hideous creature had retreated from the table, then they approached it slowly.

"It's too late, He's gone." Susan stopped her sister as she pulled out her healing cordial. She forced a smile as she looked to the tattered face of Aslan. "He must have known what He was doing." Lucy buries her face into Aslan's side, and both of the girls succumb to their grief. They both look up at the high pitched sound of squeaking, and Susan is horrified to see mice crawling all over Aslan. "Get away! Get away, all of you!" She said, waving her hands over the brown animals. Lucy grabs her wrist.

"No, look." They both look more carefully over the mice, and observe as the ropes that were tied around the Lion begin to snap, and break away. They turn to assist the mice and push the rope off of Aslan's nose.

"We have to tell the others." Susan said sadly, beginning to stand. Lucy sits up with a frightful face.

'We can't just leave Him!" She cried. A few tears slipped from Susan's eyes as she looked at Lucy.

"Lucy, there's no time. They need to know." She reached to help her sister off the table, but the girl shook her head and looked around them.

"No. The trees." Both girls watched the air as petals swirled around them, some landing in Lucy's lap.

__

Peter moved his hand to touch his cheek, where he had just felt a tickle. Then he felt another on his forehead, and then his nose. He sat up with a start, drawing his sword and pointing it at the figure in his tent. Edmund woke at the sound. They both looked up in bewildermnt to see floating flower petals, clumped together to make the shape of a woman. The dryad held her hand out to Peter.

"Be still, my Princes. I bring grave news from your sisters." The voice spoke. Peter lowered his sword and nodded, urging the creature to continue. Edmund sat up and furrowed his eyebrows, taking in each loosely made feature of the dryad. "Aslan has perished. The Witch has plans of war, this very day. You must prepare." The voice spoke again. Edmund's eyes widened and he reached out a hand to the petals.

"Anne?" He whispered. Peter cocked his head in confusion, looking between his brother and the flowers. The dryad smiled and brushed a petalled hand against Edmund's cheek.

"Be brave, my Princes. For Narnia." The dryad whispered one last time, before floating away with the wind. Edmund stared at the petals it left behind on the floor tearfully.