ROYAL WEAPON ◇ NARNIA

Chapter 9

"Are you okay, Riona?"

"I think so." She mumbles, slightly groaning in pain.

"What was that?!" Caspian yells to the person who just hit her head.

"Is this how you fight to win your throne?" Nikabrik's voice fills the silence. "She will be fine. She cannot be killed easily."

"Are you so glad of that magic horn now, boy? The kings and queens have failed us. The Royal Weapon was at our side all this time and look what happened at the last. Your army is half dead. And those that aren't will be soon enough." Nikabrik says to Caspian.

"What do you want? Congratulations?" Caspian asks as Riona's eyes start to give her clear vision little by little.

"You want your uncle's blood. So do we. You want his throne. We can get it for you." Nikabrik says and walks away. Caspian looks at the raven haired girl.

"What is he up to?" Riona asks him, ignoring the fact that they made out like hell a few minutes ago. Her mind is still screaming loudly, begging her to kiss him once again.

"Why don't we go and find it?" He says as he puts his sword back to his scabbard making her shrug.

Riona stands with the help of Caspian and follows the path where Nikabrik disappeared. They enter the Stone Table room.

"You tried one ancient power. It failed. But there is still power greater still. One that kept even Aslan at bay for near a hundred years." Nikabrik says and they start to hear something. Caspian draws his sword, and steps forward. A cloaked figure steps out of the shadows and starts slowly walking towards them.

"Who's there?" Caspian questions.

"I am hunger, I am thirst. I can fast a hundred years and not die. I can lie a hundred nights on the ice and not freeze. I can drink a river of blood and not burst. Show... me... your enemies!" An unfamiliar voice which belongs to the stranger says. It comes closer and closer to them as Caspian covers the raven haired girl from it.

The stranger throws off his hood to reveal a werewolf. And at the same moment a hag approaches.

"And you can guarantee Miraz' death?" Caspian asks.

"And more." The hag answers. What does it mean by more?

Caspian puts away his sword, and then looks back at Nikabrik which the dwarf nods in return. The Prince helps the Royal Weapon to sit on the floor. She's still out of control with her balance because of Nikabrik's faults. Damn him.

"Are you sure about this?" Riona asks him.

"I don't have a choice. Do I?" He asks and looks back at Nikabrik before walking forward.

"Let the circle be drawn." The Hag says and begins saying strange words. The werewolf draws a circle on the ground around Caspian. The hag pulls out the White Witch's wand(that's what Riona assumes it to be according to the Pevensie siblings' explanation about her cruel mother), and sticks it into the ground. Ice grows up, covering the image of Aslan.

Within the ice wall, a blonde woman who is wearing all white appears. Her skin is ice white. If Riona is not mistaken, she's the White Witch. That means her mother.

The white witch still hasn't noticed the girl's appearance because of the stone table. Even if the stone table never existed, she doubts that her mother will ever notice her. The woman abandoned her. The same woman never cared about her.

"Wait... this isn't what I wanted!" Caspian yells.

"One drop of Adam's blood and you free me. Then I am yours, my king." White witch says.

"No!" Caspian steps back but the werewolf grabs his hand, and the hag cuts it. The White Witch sticks her hand out of the ice and smiles. Caspian looks at the Witch... and then seems to stop resisting. What the hell?

This is not good. Riona definitely needs to do something. But it's impossible with her condition. She slowly tries to drag herself towards Caspian when she hears Peter's voice booming through the cave making her sigh in relief for a second.

"Stop!"

Peter, Edmund, and Trumpkin run into the room and draw their swords. The werewolf crawls over the Stone Table and attacks. Nikabrik and Trumpkin sword fight.

The hag knocks Peter's sword out of his hand. Edmund swings at the werewolf. The werewolf howls.

Nikabrik stands over Trumpkin, but Lucy comes up and puts her dagger to Nikabrik's throat. Nikabrik twists Lucy's arm around and throws her to the floor. Peter kicks the hag into a pillar and she falls.

Edmund runs away, turns back, and hits the werewolf. Nikabrik looks at Lucy and hesitates, and then Trumpkin stabs him in the back.

The Witch keeps reaching towards Caspian. "Come on..."

Riona finally gets on her feet with the help of the stone table and makes her way to Caspian before pushing him away. The white witch takes her gaze off Caspian who falls to the floor and looks at her.

She smiles at the girl as she realises her identity. "My little daughter. Aren't you all grown up?"

Riona just stares at her with pure disgust before she screams at the top of her lungs dramatically, letting out her anger. "You abandon your own daughter! Because of you, I became an orphan! I was bullied by those bullies every single day like a piece of shit! It was all your fault! I'm not your daughter! I never will be!"

"I'm not the only one who abandoned you, dear. You forgot that your father did that too." The white witch reasons and she's right.

"You killed him." Riona spits at her.

"We can live together as a family. The family that you never had. Help your mother." The woman says and Riona finds herself falling for the woman's trap and giving in.

"Get away from her!" Peter steps in, covering the girl and points his sword at the Witch.

The White Witch falls back a little. "Peter dear... I have missed you. Come, just one drop."

The Witch reaches towards Peter. "You know you can't do this alone. I will help you to get everything you want."

"Even the things you can't win from wars." She adds.

"What do you mean?" Peter confusedly asks.

"You know what I mean, dear Peter." She smiles.

Peter looks like he realises something. He slowly turns his gaze to the raven haired girl and back at the witch.

Riona looks at Peter and the white witch in complete confusion. What are they talking about?

Peter hesitates, and then lowers his sword a little.

Then the Witch groans, and the ice wall shatters.

Edmund stands behind with his sword still drawn. "I know. You had it sorted." Edmund walks away.

Peter looks at the carving of Aslan. He seems to be in thoughts.

"Peter?" Riona calls out to him, making him look at the raven haired girl.

"Hmm?"

"What was that?" Riona asks him as Caspian grabs her waist pulling her into him like he's protecting me from Peter. Okay. That's something she never expected but she let him do it because at least he cares. She feels something for him like she feels for Peter. But she's still confused about her feelings.

"What was what?" Peter asks rudely. His blue eyes are set on Caspian and they are full of fire.

"The things you can't win from war?" Riona asks, carefully observing him.

He moves his eyes to her and sighs. "I don't know."

She looks at Caspian who is watching at Peter who is now walking away.