Susan Was Always First

Human

When Edmund opened his eyes after the bright glow had died down, the physical form of the witch was before him. Her face was broken out into a sinister grin, and her white robes flowed around her. She was as beautiful and breathtaking as she was cruel, and in that moment Edmund couldn't help but think of a serial novel he had once read in his father's study with a woman much like Jadis. 

"Oh my dear Edmund, you are quite the little idiot, aren't you? Though, I suppose you are less little now than when I last saw you, as you look more a man than a sniveling child. Does that also mean you are greater idiot?" Jadis laughed happily, a cold and chilling sound. She grabbed Edmund and moved to lift the king up but stopped when the strength in her arms failed her. 

"What is this? Where is my strength?" The woman shouted, as Caspian and Peter watched the witch with slightly amused faces while Edmund sent a glance to them. Aslan had been right, as usual- He was never wrong, though sometimes purposefully vague. The witch had easily bought into their plan, though she truly had provoked them with her words when she taunted them with all that lay within their hearts, which had thrown them off slightly. 

"Oh, you didn't know?" Edmund titled his head to the side as he easily pushed the witch away from him. "You're human now, no longer Giant or Jinn, as you used Adam's blood to regain your body and not the blood of your people. You only have the abilities a human could learn should they wish to, no enhanced strength. Just you and magic, versus us and our battle prowess."

Jadis let out a hiss and summoned a sword to her hand. "You always were the cunning one, weren't you Edmund? My little Edmund... my how you have changed from the boy who would sell his family for some sweets. No matter. I will still beat you."

The witch swung the sword at Edmund, who dodged quickly. Peter saw an opportunity to lunge towards her, but the witch used her magic to knock his sword from his hand. The same happened to Caspian as he made an attempt. Grinning, the witch used her magic to summon some of her followers, those whose hearts she still held sway on. While the number was far smaller than it could have been, only about ten men, it was still ten men that should not have to be fought.

"You don't have to do this!" Peter tried to plead with those attacking them, but his words seemed as if they went unheard. The man who was quickly approaching him pulled a dagger and lunged, forcing Peter to react and stab the man. The man, as he died, seemed to come out a haze and looked to Peter with terror in his eyes. 

"Oh now," Jadis taunted, "what did that poor man ever do to you? Tsk tsk, Peter. Only someone as monstrous as you would kill a man with only a small dagger. He could't have injured you that severely. You've just made orphans of his two young children... Doesn't your youngest sister use a dagger? Tell me, would you ever use a blow like that against her?"

"Leave Lucy out of this!" Caspian swung to disarm a man as he spoke, wounding but not killing his attacker. "You're the monster, witch! Controlling these men to mindlessly obey you- their blood is on your hands, not ours." 

"But you are the one swinging the sword, are you not, boy? Tell me, what sort of lesson would your child learn watching you fight? You are the one who passes the s-"

The Witch winced in pain as Edmund landed a blow on her leg, causing her to stumble and for something to fall from her pocket. Edmund dove for it while the witch was distracted. However, before he could do anything with that item, Caspian let out a shout, and Edmund saw blood on his brother-in-law's upper thigh. Caspian stumbled, and the man before him raised his sword to bring it down on the king. Without thinking, Edmund pulled the dagger at his belt and threw it as he had seen both Lucy and Elda do many times. The blade sunk into the back of the man, who slumped to the ground as Caspian managed to dodge the falling sword. 

However, with Edmund distracted, a man managed to sneak up on the king. He would have landed a blow had Peter not seen his brother's attacker and been close enough to stab the man, another life on his hands. 

Elda had thrown a dagger at some point, Edmund noticed, as one of her blades had struck a man, not killing him but injuring him well enough he stopped attacking. Another of her blades neared the witch, but was stopped by her magic and clattered at Edmund's feet. 

"Regretting your decision yet, my dear Edmund?" The witch taunted, her sickly sweet and cruel smile on her face. "Feeling stupid for your actions? There was never a way you could-"

"Contrary to popular belief," Edmund spoke, interrupting the witch, "I'm not an idiot." He held up one of the witch's former tiaras, the item he had snatched from the ground, and on it a gem glowed. "You stored magic in this stone just as you did in your wand, correct? And now that you're mortal this one stone is all that is keeping your magic here since you never needed to train yourself how to summon it when you were half-Jinn?" 

The witch's eyes widened. "How did you get that?" She felt her pocket and snarled when she realized he truly held her tiara. "You little thief!"

Edmund shook his head. "You know, in England we have a saying called finders-keepers. The tiara fell from your pocket, and I found it and kept it. It is a pretty piece, but I'm not a fan of the stone on it. Since it's mine..." He locked eyes with the witch, and tugged the gem out right as she went to cast a spell, her eyes blazing with anger. The spell- cast in a hash and a flurry of emotions- grazed Edmund and he winced in pain, but it also hit the gem, shattering it. Those men who had been fighting for the witch appeared to come out of a trance, and looked terrified at the sight of the witch. They fled the room, running past what felt like a warm breeze as they did so. Edmund watched the seven men leave, then turned back to the witch, who was seething with anger. She raised her blade as Edmund spoke, sticking his blade to counter her blow. "Now that your magic is gone, I thought it would be fun to reacquaint you with an old friend of yours."

From the shadows near the entryway of the room, Aslan stepped forward and narrowed his eyes. "Servant of Tash, you are banished from these lands forever!" He roared loudly, and Jadis fell to the ground, her sword falling from her hands. Edmund grabbed her blade and tossed it aside, keeping his own blade trained on her. The entire room seemed as if a heavy weight had been lifted from it, as the magic of the witch was scattered to the winds. "High King Peter. King Edmund. King Caspian. This woman is set for execution. Do you wish to take the final blow, or allow me to?"

Neither Peter or Caspian moved, hearing the echoing voice of the witch in their minds calling them monsters. Both of them wanted nothing more than to end the woman who had caused them so much harm, yet neither could bring themselves to do so. The right would have been Susan's technically, as it was her life directly threatened, but the fact that Aslan did not offer her the right was not noted by the men, who still had yet to realize the women had left before the fight broke out.  

Edmund, before more than a few seconds had passed, stepped forward after waiting long enough for his elder brother and brother-in-law to speak up. He drew his sword, a sword he had used so long ago to strike the witch's wand, and looked to her. "You have taunted my family, hurt us, for far too long. You turned me against my family years ago, and tempted my brothers to almost revive you before we were restored to the throne, and now you have tried to use my sister to be reborn. I know I am no monster- I am nothing like you- and I do not doubt my value as a human for the act I am about to take. You will no longer have hold over us!"

Edmund swung his blade, and the witch's scream died in her throat as she herself died. 

"It is over now, Dear Ones." Aslan said softly. "You are freed."

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A.N. One main chapter left, and then just an epilogue chapter after that to introduce the sequel!