Chapter 7

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Blood trickled down skin. He was shaking, quite a lot, but he was angry. He didn't bother to stop, or take the sword away from the wolves throat. He had finally caught one, and he would get answers.
"Where is Evelyn?" Noah demanded. "TELL ME!".
"I...I don't know of an Evelyn." The wolf acted confident, but secretly, he was scared of this boy, for he held so much rage. The sword pressed harder.
"I-I swear! The only person we've imprisoned is the faun!" The sword came away, but the wolf was still held down.
"What faun?"
"The traitor of the Queen. The one that helped the humans!"
Mr. Tumnus. Noah's face paled, he had to help him, but not before he got an answer.
"What about the girl you took?" He pointed the sword at the wolf once more.

A low growl interrupted him.
"I wouldn't do that, boy." Noah spun to see the big grey wolf prowling behind him, the rest of the pack circling through the trees to surround the boy. Noah gulped. He was clearly outnumbered. Was this it?

--

"Why'd you try to kill me?"
"What are you doing in Narnia?"
"How did you know the wolves?"
"Who did you mean when you spoke of 'The Queen'?"
"Mr. Beaver, why'd you call her 'Princess'"
"Are those wolves? Are they yours?"
"Where's Noah?"
"What's with the bow and arrows?"
The questions kept coming and coming as Evelyn's mind began to wander.

For the good of Narnia? Why is Mother trying to kill children? They've done nothing wrong! An image of the beautiful tapestry tucked safely in her bag floated around her mind. Everyone looks so happy in it. But in winter, I barely see anyone, and no-one ever smiles. She turned creatures to stone, and is forcing her own soldiers, and daughter, to hunt children, and kill each other if they get in their way! If she acted for Narnia's own good, as she claimed, wouldn't she have tried to figure out a peace treaty, instead of declaring war and bloodshed? Evelyn remembered the look on her mother's face when Evelyn became master of sword. She had been proud of her, and her achievement. But her heart told her something else. She was proud of the monster she had created. Her daughter, the best sword fighter in the entire army, willing to kill innocent children for winter to live on. She wasn't proud of Evelyn. She was proud of herself, for making the monster she did.

But there was no turning back. She was the witch's daughter. If she switched sides, it would be a betrayal, and her head would lie on the stone table, her blood would water the grounds. And Noah....
He was her brother. She had to find him, to help him. Because, what if he was on the other side too?

And so she turned, stepping away from the unfreezing river.
"Go." Her voice was hoarse. She couldn't hurt the Pevensies, but she couldn't let them stay either. "Leave. Get out of Narnia, and don't come back." she began walking away. "Now."
"But you haven't told us-"
"Just go."

As she walked away, only looking ahead, she heard Susan's yell.
"PETER!" And Peters worried commands of "Hang on!" as a deafening crack split through the air.
Evelyn whipped around, seeing the Pevensies disappear below the water as half of the frozen waterfall crashed down. For a second, Evelyn froze. They couldn't be...could they? No.

She sighed in relief as the Pevensies resurfaced downstream, the two girls clinging to Peter, who had his sword lodged in a chunk of ice. They were safe. But then she noticed something. Peter was so focused on keeping his sword in the ice that he didn't feel Lucy slipping from his grasp. The current picked her up, and thrust her under again, and Evelyn knew that the little girl may very well die if she didn't do something. So she dived in.

The icy waters bit at her skin, and her lungs screamed at the sudden lack of air, but it didn't affect her. The cold was her friend, as it had always been. The waters around her seemed to calm, though they looked to be as rough as everywhere else. She glanced around when she resurfaced, just in time to see a tiny fist slip below the waves. And so she swam, grabbing Lucy and easily pushing them both to the other side.

"Evelyn?" Lucy chattered. "You...saved me?"
Evelyn gave Lucy the saddest smile that Lucy had ever seen.
"As much as my mother would have liked for me to let you drown, I couldn't. You were the first person that I have met since I can remember who has been kind to me, and I am very grateful. You are my friend."
"But then...why did you almost kill Susan?"
"I did not know it was her." Evelyn's voice shook. "I realise now that should not have threatened anyone's life, whether I knew them or not, and I regret everything I ever did that would hurt you. But I can't go back. I want to, but I can't."
"Why not?"
"I..."

"LUCY!"
"LU!"
"This is all your fault!"
"I'm over here!" Lucy called, and Susan and Peter raced over to them, followed by the beavers. "We're here! Were safe!"
Evelyn slowly backed away, trying to leave before the elder two Pevensies saw her, but it was too late.

"Evelyn?" Peter frowned.
"She saved me!" Lucy beamed.
"Why?" He asked. "I thought you wanted us to go!"
"Not like that!" Evelyn exclaimed. "I just..." She sighed. "I think it would be best if you left Narnia, that's all."
"Look, Eve," Susan pursed her lips. "As much as I agree with you, we can't." Evelyn frowned, confused.
"Ed's run away."

Of course. How hadn't she noticed? She knew there were supposed to be four of them, not three, but so much had happened she forgot to ask. Lucy stepped forwards, grabbing her hand.
"We have to stay, at least until we get him back." Her doll eyes met Evelyn's chocolate ones. "Please come with us, Evelyn." She pleaded, grabbing Evelyn's hand. "We're going to Aslan's camp. He can help you. You said you wanted to go back. Aslan can help you go back!" Evelyn glanced back at the woods.
"Luce, I don't think you understand." She whispered. "If I come with you, I'm betraying the Queen-"

"Witch." Susan walked up behind Lucy. "Not the Queen, the Witch. And maybe we don't understand, but you could try to explain." Evelyn looked up at her.

"Okay." She took a deep breath, and started to speak. "The first thing you should know, is that all traitors are sentenced to death on the stone table, so-"
"What's that?" Lucy asked, and Susan shushed her.
"If you're lucky, you'll never have to know. But as I was saying, I am part of the witches' army. I am a general, actually. If I come with you, I am betraying her. I will die, and if I somehow manage to escape her, my friend will die. She will not hesitate to kill him."

Peter felt weird when she said that. It felt like his heart was slowly being crushed, squeezing tighter and tighter together. He frowned. Him?

"Listen, Evie." Lucy grabbed her hand. "If the white witch wins this, hundreds of innocent beings will die. Narnia will be trapped in a forever winter. It won't be Narnia ever again. If you come with us, you can help to save it. To give people the freedom that they want. To make them happy again."

Evelyn felt her heart clench. She could help. She could make people happy. Never in her life had someone made her feel like she could do so much. The small tapestry in her pocket nudged her fingers, and she curled her hand around it. Lucy's hopeful eyes gazed up at her. They held so much light, and joy, and hope. Something she had not seen anywhere in her mother's army. Her mother. In that split second, with those words tearing at her heart, she made her decision.

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