~By the Lion's Mane~ >A Narnian Fanfiction<

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

As I tried to make my way to Edmund, I spotted Peter getting up from where he had fallen after his mount had been shot out from under him too. He cried, "Stop!" and I turned to see Oreius and a Rhinoceros charging towards the Witch.

The Rhino knocked and trampled everyone in her way, clearing a path for Oreius to Jadis. But she went down in front of him with a bellow, and he soared over her fallen body and continued his charge.

The Minotaur general lumbered at him, jumping onto Oreius and hanging onto his back. They fought as the Centaur continued to gallop forward, despite the Minotaur slamming him into the rocks. Oreius finally managed to thrust his swords through the Minotaurs back, and the monster fell with a roar.

Oreius drew his last weapon, a sword that reached nearly three feet in length, and launched himself over the Witch, slashing to decapitate her, but she ducked. He landed and scrambled around to jump over her again, bringing his sword down as she brought her stone wand up to stab through his armor.

I looked away as Oreius fell to the ground, frozen in stone.

I had to find Edmund, because the last I'd seen him, he wasn't retreating like Peter had ordered.

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Edmund was fighting even though Peter had told everyone to go back. Stubborn fool as always. His opponent fell to his feet before him, and he jumped over it and ran on to meet the next one. I heard the sound of crashing rock and turned to look behind me. The Witch was there, using her wand to turn a griffon to stone in mid-flight, and his frozen body crashed into the cliff beyond, shattering. Edmund spotted it and took off in her direction.

"Edmund!! Come back!" I screamed.

He was going to die. The Witch turned and looked at him calmly. Edmund raised his sword over his head and jumped down from the shelf of rock he was on, slicing his sword down where her body had just been. She blocked every blow with ease and coolness, her face now an expression of controlled joy as she'd finally get to kill him.

I had to tear my eyes away when a White Tiger flung its striped body at me with a wild roar. After killing it, I began trying to get to Edmund again. He was still locked in battle with the Witch, and he didn't seem to be getting anywhere. But then, when I had almost reached them, he brought his sword down again to strike the long, silver wand, shattering it with a bright flash of blue light.

The Witch's face twisted into shock and then pure fury as she bared her teeth like an animal. Then everything seemed to happen in slow motion. I felt as if I were moving through molasses as with one sword, she twisted Edmund's weapon away from him and thrust her pale arm with the jagged silver stick clenched in her hand. She thrust the point right through Edmund's mail, and he doubled over, clutching his stomach with a gasp, his face twisting into pain. He fell backwards as she pulled the bloodied weapon back out with a savage jerk and a satisfied look.

A scream ripped from my body, and I was shocked at how powerful it was. I hacked at her, fighting her off of Edmund. Peter appeared next to me, and took up the fight. I didn't know where he had come from, but I was suddenly knocked from his side by another Minotaur. I blocked his blows, rolling from under him and jumping to my feet before he could turn around and thrusting my blade through his back. He roared and fell face forward into the grass. When I looked up, I couldn't find Peter or Jadis anywhere, but heard a groan and saw Edmund.

He was sprawled across the grass, gasping for breath. His face was pale; his eyes squeezed shut against the pain. Every few breaths he would let out a deep, ragged groan. Blood poured from his wound. I cursed again, and knelt by his side. I tried to speak to him, to comfort him, but I don't think he could even hear me in his state.

My eyes were filled with tears which began to spill over, dripping off of my face. I put my hand over his wound, trying to staunch the blood, but it was no use. Edmund would die, I would die, and Peter was probably already dead. We would all die at the hands of the Witch and her army. The field was strewn with corpses and statues. There wasn't anything else we could do.

The noises of the battle were suddenly drowned out by a deafening roar. It felt like my eardrums were about to burst. I looked up at the cliff. I gasped, unable to comprehend it for a moment. Standing on the edge, shining golden in the sun, was Aslan himself.  He sprang down, leaping from ledge to ledge until he reached the grass and then began bounding with the speed of a Thoroughbred toward Peter and the White Witch, who I could see now through the fighting around me. The Lion was followed by about a hundred fresh troops, from where I didn't know.

Peter had been distracted by Aslan's roar, and the Witch took advantage of it by catching his boot with her blade and flipping him onto his back. Then she stabbed down with her other sword, piercing his right arm and pinning it to the ground. She began raining blows down at his head, and he desperately blocked them with his shield. I was glued to where I knelt, mouth agape in horror as I watched it all unfold.

Just as she spun her blade around and aimed it for him one last time, Aslan leaped at her, claws unsheathed and teeth gleaming, knocking her back onto the ground. I looked away as he put an end to her. I had seen enough blood today.

Peter managed to pull the Witch's blade from his arm and got to his feet as Aslan approached him.

"This is finished," he declared softly.

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I turned my attention back to Edmund as he continued to draw ragged breaths. I could see that he was growing weaker. His eyes opened for a moment and he asked quietly, "Peter?"

I tried to smile as I answered. "Peter's fine. Aslan's here. Everything's all right now. We've won. You're going to be all right."

His eyes closed again and he slipped back into unconsciousness. I gently stroked his head, hoping that what I had said was true, but I wasn't so sure help would come in time.

I knelt beside him for what felt like hours as the noises of the battle slowly grew quiet. Then I heard the cries of Lucy and Susan. I looked up and saw them racing towards us with Peter. Finally he might get some help. If it's not too late .

Lucy dropped to her knees and started sobbing. "Edmund!" Susan and Peter reached us next.

"Edmund? Lucy, get your cordial," Peter commanded.

Lucy fumbled for her little crystal flask that contained the healing elixir from Father Christmas. She held it to Edmund's lips and let a few drops fall into his mouth. For a moment nothing happened. Then Edmund began to choke and his brown eyes opened again. All our faces broke into relieved, teary grins as he struggled to raise himself up into a sitting position. Lucy and Susan hugged him tightly and Peter pleadingly, but with a smile, "Why can't you just do as you're told?"

I sat back on my heels and smiled, but looked up as shadow loomed over us. We looked up into Aslan's golden eyes.

"Lucy," he spoke as he looked over the field of bodies. She jumped to her feet and ran to the nearest one, kneeling by it as she gave a few drops of the healing juice. Aslan went from statue to statue, breathing them back to life. The day wasn't quite over yet, I thought as I wearily climbed to my feet, lending Edmund a hand to help him up.