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"I can stay?" Diana asked Aslan. She had changed into a dress that was the farthest color from blue she could find. It was pale orange and the fabric wasn't as thick, so she wasn't sweating like she'd been before.
"You can stay." He confirmed. She laughed before throwing her arms around his neck.
"Thank you!" She nearly cried. She hadn't realized until just then how miserable she had been living with her mother. No one was ever kind to her. Her mother would threaten her with freezing her skin, which scared her more than anything.
When the queen had turned the fox into stone, Diana knew how it felt, to be frozen, to not be able to move. She hadn't realized until she witnessed her mother kill the fox just how much she hated her. How much she feared her.
Aslan chuckled. "You're welcome, my child. You'll be safe here at the camp. But know that no one will treat you like royalty here. The White Witch is not our queen, meaning you are not our princess."
Diana nodded. "That's quite alright. I didn't like it much anyway." She shrugged and pulled back. There were tears in his eyes. "I'm very grateful that you have expelled such kindness."
Aslan's eyes softened as she wiped her cheeks. He knew how terrible the White Witch could be and he didn't think Diana's childhood had been an easy one.
"Will you let me fight her?" She asked suddenly, fiddling with the edge of her orange sleeve nervously. "When we go to war, which we will, can I fight?"
Aslan thought for a moment.
"Please let me. I want to help you."
"I'm not sure you know what such a war will entail. If we succeed it would end in your mother's death." Aslan said gently. Diana's hopeful smile fell and she took a step back.
"Oh." She said quietly. Jadis was all Diana had ever known. She was the only family she'd ever had. She certainly didn't like her mother, but she didn't think she wanted her dead either. "We couldn't just lock her up?" She asked hopefully.
Aslan shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry, but she's much too dangerous. If you want to fight for the good of Narnia, you must make the sacrifices that are needed for us to win."
Diana nodded. After a long moment, she raised her head again to look at the lion.
"Alright." She whispered. She nodded again, looking more confident now. "I still want to help you. Whatever it takes for the good of Narnia."
()()()()
When Diana left Aslan's tent, it felt like a rather large weight had been placed on her shoulders all over again. She looked up and stopped abruptly to see a blonde boy with blue eyes in front of her.
"Oh, hello." She said to him. He gave her a thin smile.
"Hi." He said in response. She went to step around him. "Wait."
