The Tragedy of Being

Tides Can Change

"We're losing all the ground we've gained." Peter said, the panic in his voice evident. Cass was leaning against a rock, breathing heavily. Orius was looking at a rhino, an understanding look passing between them.

If Cass had the lung capacity to speak, she would have protested their idea. She knew inherently what they wanted to do. 

Orius and the rhino charged at the unrelenting approaching army, not a single drop of fear in their system. 

Cass needed to help. She didn't know how, but she needed to help. The urgency was burning her. 

She grabbed her sword, staggering off behind them. Peter screamed at her, but his voice was muffled by the ringing in her ears. Was she dying? 

She had no idea what she'd do. She was incapacitated and wounded, and wouldn't be of much help. The world was slowing. A woman stood on a hill. Her dark curly hair was lose around her shoulders. She was wearing a black silk dress, with silver stitching in the pattern of an Egyptian symbol, the one Annubis, the god of death, was always wearing. Her sleeves were long, and her silver diadem gleamed in the sunlight. She had a marking drawn in her eyeliner, that little curl they always did in the hieroglyphics  under her right eye. Her face was serene, and she was looking directly at Cass. A strange sense of peace fell over her. The woman started walking towards the dead bodies on the battlefield, helping them up. 

That is Death, Cass realized. The peaceful feeling one gets when they die, it was because of her. So she was dying. 

Draw your sword. A deep voice rumbled in her mind. It was a voice unlike anything she'd ever heard before. Like the rolling of the waves, like thunder, like the voice that lulls you to sleep at night. The voice stilled her more than any presence of Death could. Every fiber of her being was relaxing, her pain long forgotten. Whatever was speaking to her, she liked. 

Cass held her sword in front of her, hoping that she'd be able to do something. She already felt more empowered, now, gripping her sword with both hands and standing on both of her feet. 

Stick it in the ground. The voice spoke again. She realized halfway through that the voice was what was making her calm, and allowing her to see Death. She didn't know how, or why, but she just knew. This voice was rich and powerful. 

Cass frowned. The weird ominous voice in her head was telling her to do some weird stuff, but she didn't think she had a chance otherwise. It made more sense than her plan of just standing there, anyway. 

Cass struck her sword into the ground. It went into the hard earth easily, cutting it away like butter. 

She wasn't expecting the crack the length of a football field and an earthquake to accompany her sticking her sword into the ground. She could feel the thrum under her fingertips. 

Okay. Cass thought. That wasn't what I was expecting. What now, voice in my head?

The enemy stopped approaching, everyone just looking at the crack in the soil. It was effective, even if that was all. But they'd find a way to cross the crack and kill them, or just make their way around it in no time. An ice cold wind was blowing up out of the crack. Cass could almost feel air being sucked into it to, like it was a living, breathing animal. 

Call it. The voice spoke. It was powerful and authoritative. 

Call what? Cass thought. Even she, would argue with that voice. She was good at arguing, but always at the wrong times. 

Call it. The voice affirmed its statement again. It made no sense, but at the same time, she knew exactly what to do. 

As strange as it felt, Cass allowed her instinct to take over, words she had never heard and definitely didn't understand crossing her lips. She had no idea what she was saying, but the tug she felt in her chest was undeniable at what she was saying. All of the hairs on her skin stood on end. The particles in the air was holding their breath. 

Everything was quiet. Orius and the rhinoceros were cut down by the approaching enemy army. All she could hear was her own breathing. 

Cass vaguely registered her sword floating around her, ignited with purple flames. It was circling her, with a mind of its own, like it was protecting her. 

The enemy was approaching. They had recovered from their shock about the crack, and were now starting to make their way around, or finding ways over. 

A hand came out of the trench, gripping onto the side. It was decayed and hideous, and gray. 

And then another one. And another one. 

An army was climbing out of the trench she made. That was awfully surprising. 

A fearsome gigantic black creature leapt from the trench, standing in front of her on the other side of the trench. Through its legs, she could see the terrified faces of the enemy army.

It was taking all of her willpower to not collapse. Everything hurt.

But they seemed to be changing the tides of the war. The voice, and it's effect on her, had left. 

A roar that sounded like thunder tore through the pounding in Cass' head.

Aslan stood on a hill, golden and perfectly alive.

They were going to be okay. Cass dropped to the ground, utterly exhausted. The dark creature before her ran into the enemy troops, tearing them apart, limb from limb. It was brutal and grim to watch, but Cass couldn't find herself looking away.

Aslan roared again, and leapt onto Jadis, delivering the death blow. It was done. The war was won. And she couldn't see Death anymore. 

Narnians streamed past in thousands, but Cass couldn't look away from Aslan. He was alive. 

He was alive. And Cass had never felt happier in a single moment in her entire life. 

Time seemed to slow. Aslan looked over at her, majestic, and glorious.

The giant black creature charged at the enemy, and Cass let herself slowly sink to the ground to lay down. She was so tired. The adrenaline was slowly seeping out of her system. 

The army was chasing the enemy all the way back to their camp. They were done. She didn't have to get up and fight anymore. Cass allowed the sunlight to dance on her face, and she gasped in broken breaths of air. 

Gypsy was at Cass' side, snuffling her armor. 

"Glad to see you too, girl." Cass murmured, raising her hand weakly to pet Gypsy. She probably looked as bad as she felt. 

Cass rolled onto her stomach, reaching for her sword. She wanted to go say hello to Aslan, more than anything else in that moment. More than she wanted to just lay there. 

Cass used her sword to drag herself to her feet. She needed to get to Aslan. The urge was inexplicable. 

Everything was burning. But Cass staggered forward towards Aslan.

He stood in all of his majesty, waiting for her.

Cass threw herself at Aslan' burring her face in his mane. "They killed you." Cass mumbled, feeling tears leak out of her eyes.

"There was deeper magic that even the witch didn't know about." Aslan laughed. "When innocent blood is spilled on the Stone Table, the balance will be restored and life will be given back to the innocent."

Cass laughed through her tears.

"Come, dearest. The Pevensies need us." Aslan spoke, his tone gentle.

He led her over to where Edmund was laying on the grass, Peter, Susan and Lucy huddled around him.

Susan was cradling his head in her lap, and Lucy dribbled her healing cordial into Edmund's mouth.

A tense beat of silence passed. A thought struck Cass, what if the cordial didn't work?  Then the witch won in the end, then, didn't she. 

Edmund gasped for breath, and everyone laughed in relief, Peter pulling Edmund to sit upright as he was coughing a little from the cordial.

The siblings lunged to hug Edmund, and Cass sat down hard, very tired.

Everything was fine, as it should be. And they won. They were done, once and for all.