𝐈𝐍 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐂𝐇
⸻ Cordelia Winterbourne's ordinary life with her mother was shattered by the onset of war, prompting Cordelia's mother to make a gut-wrenching decision by sending her daughter away for a while to keep her safe.
However, fate had a di...
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We took off our coats, feeling the warmth of the small hut, although I kept my hat on. The three Pevensies settled at the table with the female beaver and her husband, leaving me with no choice but to perch on the small stairs alongside Edmund since the table was already occupied.
"Isn't there anything we can do to help Tumnus?" Peter inquired.
"They'll have taken him to the Witch's. You know what they say," the beaver explained, sensing Edmund tensed beside me. "There's a few that go through the gates that come out again."
As they carried on with their conversation, I caught Edmund whispering beside me.
"Hey," he murmured, prompting me to turn my head toward him, acknowledging that I was listening.
Before Edmund could continue, the beaver's urgent proclamation interrupted, "Aslan is on the move."
For a brief moment, silence enveloped us until Edmund broke it.
"Who's Aslan?" Edmund's voice carried a blend of curiosity and bewilderment as he rose from beside me, his initial intent to speak to me seemingly forgotten.
The beaver chuckled heartily, as though Edmund had cracked a delightful jest, but halted abruptly at his wife's gentle nudge. She noticed our confusion and seriousness, causing me to exhale wearily and rise from my seat. I positioned myself beside the brunette boy, folding my arms across my chest.
"You don't know, do you?" the beaver inquired, now serious in tone.
"Well, we haven't exactly been here long," Peter responded.
"Well, he's only the king of the whole wood," the beaver explained. "The true sovereign of Narnia."
"Wait, then why does Jadis claim herself as Narnia's queen?" I interjected, but instead of receiving an answer, the beavers regarded me with surprise.
"Dear, would you mind removing your hat?" the female beaver requested gently.
"Why's that?" I questioned, mirroring the confusion evident on the faces of the Pevensie siblings.
"Because your face bears an uncanny resemblance to someone," the beaver explained. Reluctantly, I slowly removed my hat, prompting a gasp from them as my locks were now exposed.
"Oh my," the female beaver whispered.
"What's the matter?" Lucy inquired.
"She's back... She's back!" the beaver exclaimed with enthusiasm.
"What do you mean by 'I'm back'?" I furrowed my brow, still perplexed.
The beavers exchanged a furtive glance, their expressions a mix of excitement and astonishment. "You bear a striking resemblance to someone," the beaver remarked cryptically.
Confusion swirled within me. "Who exactly?" I pressed, trying to make sense of their reactions.
"It's quite remarkable, you see," the beaver began, but his words were swiftly halted by his wife's cautious touch on his arm. Her eyes held a silent warning, urging restraint.
"Forgive us," the female beaver interjected gently. "Your appearance bears a striking resemblance to someone associated with ambitions for Narnia's throne."
"I'm afraid we cannot divulge more at this moment," the beaver added a hint of caution in his voice. "But it's an occurrence of utmost importance."
My brow furrowed further, perplexed by their cryptic words. Lucy and her siblings exchanged bewildered glances, clearly unable to decipher the unfolding mystery.
"Who exactly are you referring to?" Edmund asked, his curiosity piqued by the beavers' cryptic insinuations.
"We've said too much already," the female beaver intervened gently yet firmly, her eyes conveying a sense of secrecy. "Perhaps in time, all will become clear."
The room was filled with an air of mystery, a sense of revelation hovering just beyond reach. I couldn't shake off the feeling of being tangled in a story larger than myself, with fragments of an unknown past hovering at the edge of my consciousness. But for now, the beavers' cryptic words and reluctance to disclose more left us suspended in uncertainty, yearning for answers that remained just out of reach.
The beavers then steered the conversation back to Aslan's return.
"He's been gone a proper while," the female beaver remarked, followed by her husband.
"But he's just come back! And she's back too!" he exclaimed, gesturing his hands toward me. "He's waiting for you near the Stone Table!"
"He's waiting for us?" Lucy questioned.
"You're blooming joking!" the frustrated beaver exclaimed. "They don't even know about the prophecy!"
"But as Pete said, we've only just arrived!" I added.
Beaver let out a sigh before explaining, "Aslan's return, Tumnus' arrest, the secret police—it's all happening because of you!"
"You're blaming us?" Susan spoke up, her tone slightly offended.
"No! Not blaming. Thanking you," the female beaver corrected gently.
"There's a prophecy. 'When Adam's flesh and Adam's bone sits at Cair Paravel on the throne, the evil time will be over and done,'" the beaver elaborated, but we were still befuddled.
"That doesn't quite rhyme," Susan observed.
"I know it doesn't. You're sort of missing the point!" the beaver said, clearly frustrated.
"This is really confusin' me," I muttered, letting out a heavy sigh.
The female beaver gently rubbed her husband's arm to calm him before explaining. "It's been foretold that two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve, along with The Protector of the Realm, will take down the White Witch and bring peace back to Narnia."
We stayed silent for a moment until Peter spoke up, "And you think we're the ones?"
"You better be 'cause Aslan's already fitted out your army!" the beaver exclaimed.
"Our army?" Lucy exclaimed with a hint of panic in her voice.
"Yeah, so it's all a bit useless that our parents sent us away to avoid the war, and now you're sayin' there's an army waitin' for us out there?" I said, my brows furrowing in concern.
"She's right, Pete," Susan agreed. Peter, looking a bit stressed, spoke up. "I think you've made a mistake. We're not heroes."
"We're from Finchley!" Susan added. The beavers exchanged confused glances at the mention of Pevensie's hometown.
"Thanks for your hospitality. But we really must be goin'," Susan stood up from her chair.
"No, you can't just up and leave! Especially you!" the beaver gestured to me as he said the last bit.
I let out a sigh, then turned around, furrowing my brows as I noticed someone missing.
Edmund.
Without a second thought, I dashed out of the makeshift small hut without anyone noticing. The outside was dark and cold, the snow thickening.
I scoured the area, searching for any sign of the boy, but to my dismay, found none in the deepening darkness. With a rising panic, I bolted back inside the small hut.
"Guys!" I exclaimed, seizing everyone's attention.
