Chronicles of Narnia: The Warrior of Narnia (Completed)

Chapter Three: Aslan's Camp

As the sun started to rise, it had caught the colors of a blazing, aflame ember as it rise in the east. The faint outline of the moon was in a pale circle of silver, glowing faintly in the dawning sky. But back in the cave, Nora had woken up from her slumber next to Amaya's flank. She quietly gotten up and hid herself in the shadows of the cave, near the entrance and making sure the wolves hadn't found them. Nora sighed in relief, glad to see that none of the wolves had found them. She soon returned to Amaya and gently woke her up for their journey ahead.
The farther she rode, the more Nora felt it like she was traveling out of time, away from the modern world to a mystical place where anything was possible. Then again, she is. But she's still unsure how this has happened. Despite the prophecy, Narnia and a Talking Mare, Nora admires the beauty of it as well as wary of it. But Amaya was very careful about stepping on the solid snow instead of the soft snow to avoid making tracks as well as making sure the Secret Police won't find them again.
"Where exactly are we going?" Nora asked.
"We're going to see Aslan," Amaya explained patiently.
"Who's he?" asked Nora.
"Aslan is the Great Lion of Narnia," Amaya told her. "The one, true King, and the one with the power to defeat the White Witch."
"Would you tell me about her?" Nora asked, after they'd ridden in silence for several long minutes. "The White Witch, I mean."
"One hundred years ago," Amaya began quietly, as they journeyed along the river's edge. "An evil witch named Jadis began terrorizing innocent Narnians. She used her dark magic to turn anyone who opposed her into stone, and she longs to either rule from or destroy Cair Paravel, the Golden Palace. She rules from a fortress of ice and stone, between the two peaks, and has declared herself the Queen of Narnia. None dared to stand against her, then, at least, not openly, and so her influence over Narnia grew, unchecked. At the height of her power, the Eternal Winter started. And Narnia has been frozen ever since."
"But why is that changing now?" Nora asked. "I mean, the river had thawed earlier, but now it's frozen again. Why is it doing that?"
"The Eternal Winter is worst when the White Witch is strongest," Amaya explained. "When it thaws temporarily, like it did, it means that Aslan has gained some small measure of power."
"So, if the river is frozen now, does that mean that the Witch has gotten stronger?" asked Nora, summarizing what the Mare had said.
"I'm afraid so," Amaya stated sadly.
Disconcerted by all that she'd learned, Nora lapsed into a thoughtful silence. The mare and the girl rode swiftly and quietly through the quiet woods, Amaya keeping a wary eye out for the predators since she knew to be stalking them. Once they were in the clearing from any sort of enemies or predators, Amaya soon broke into a trot, a canter, and a gallop. It wasn't too long, though, before she was slowing down again to a hill with wavy green-yellow grass was underneath them with a few wildflowers blooming constantly.
"What's wrong?" Nora asked, looking around nervously.
"Nothing is wrong," replied Amaya. "We're here."
Nora's careful study of their surroundings turned from fear to amazement as she truly saw Aslan's camp for the first time. She saw more than a dozen of tents and pavilions pitched all over the place in the valley. The pavilions all have sides with yellow-golden silks, cords of crimson, tent-pegs made of ivory; and high on the tent and pavilion poles were small flags of a red rampant lion fluttering in the morning breeze. She soon heard a horn from the top of a hill, which sounded very clear, sharp, and valiant to her.
She looked down at Amaya, who gave her a reassuring smile. All around them were all manner of creatures, talking, laughing, and working. A pair of young Fox kits scampered in front of Amaya's hooves, a Cheetah cub in playful pursuit, barely causing a disturbance for either party. As they walked on the main path towards Aslan's tent, Nora noticed that Talking Beasts, Centaurs, Fauns, Dwarves, and more than enough Narnians noticed them and started following them silently to Aslan's pavilion and his stage.
Then everyone fell silent and started bowing before the Great Lion's stage. Nora dismounted the mare and started to join in on the bowing. She had silently caught the eye of a strong black male Centaur as she bowed down next to the Talking Horse. She felt a warm tear ran down her cheek and fell into the grass. She watched speechlessly as the Great Lion, Aslan, slowly and majestically walked out of his pavilion. Aslan's face showed greatness, royalty, and wisdom.
His mane caught the morning light and his brilliant amber eyes sparkling like the golden sun of the rising golden dawn and held many secrets than any animal ever had. One look from his face and she'll know that the Lion could speak and with the wisest knowledge of any animal.
"Welcome Nora Archer, Daughter of Eve." The Great Lion's voice was deep, strong, and filled with love and wisdom. His voice shooed away any of Nora's fears, but she nodded a silent gratitude to the Great Lion. "And welcome Amaya. You have my thanks." The mare seemed to have smiled at him, but she remained next to Nora.
Aslan nodded to the nearby Centaur who encouraged to take their leave. They watched as the crowd of Narnians dispersed to give their newest guest some space and speak to Aslan in private. The only ones who stood behind was the Centaur and the Mare. But Amaya soon rejoined the Cimarron Herd out in the grasslands. The two friends exchanged a knowing look, but they both went their separate ways.
"Walk with me," Aslan commanded.
Nora fell into step beside him as naturally as if she'd always done so. The two of them both walked towards the field that's dotted with moss-covered boulders. Aslan jumped to the top of the flat boulder while she carefully joined him.
"You are wondering why you are here," Aslan stated.
"I— You could say that." Nora stared at him in astonishment, wondering if he could secretly read minds. "But I'm nothing special. I just work at a stable with my aunt and I just like any sort of book that I could find."
"You do matter young one," replied Aslan gently.
She gazed at him meekly. "You don't even know me."
"You are called Nora Archer." The Great Lion's voice shook with a gentle rumble. "You are loyal to your family and friends. When you fall, you know how to stand up. You have been wounded by the cruelty of your world, but you have not let it make you cruel." Nora was surprised and a little confused. How does he know that? "You know what is right, and you will fight for it. You wish to heal your world, so do all of us here."
Nora blinked back her tears and smiled at Aslan, feeling herself heal from his firm and yet comforting words. She had made up her mind, she's going to stay here and help in anyway she can.