The Trials We Face | E. Pevensie

Chap. 9

Edmund

The stranger, who introduced himself as Corakin, led us into his mansion which had...magically, I guess...appeared.  Inside, the crew members cleared off a large wooden dining table, laying Y/N's body onto the surface.  She was so pale, much whiter than I'd ever seen her.

I swear to Aslan if she dies I would never forgive him.

Corakin wasted no time in helping Y/N.  He pulled open cabinets and drawers, running from room to room. He came back to us with fresh gauze, a needle and thread, some whitish liquid, black paste, and bandages.

"Who is this child?" He asked urgently, cutting off Y/N's shirt, leaving her in nothing but her black corset that ended just below her ribs, and her brown leather pants.

"Her name is Y/N, she's my sister," Caspian explained through breathy words.  He was visibly shaking and his brow was wet with sweat. "...She's my sister, please, help her."

Corakin nodded thoughtfully. "She's lost a lot of blood.  I need someone to put pressure on the wound, and another one of you; take these cloths and soak up the blood."

I shoved forward and grabbed a clean cloth, holding pressure on the gaping hole in Y/N's side.  It looked deep and jagged, like something with a makeshift spear had attacked her.

Jacobi and Caspian soaked up the blood with cloths covered in the white liquid.  Corakin threaded the needle and turned to Lucy. "My dear, get a handkerchief and soak it in cool water, place it on Miss Y/N's forehead."  Lucy was very slow to comply, but I brushed off her odd behavior.

Y/N's blood was all over my hands, but I kept steady pressure.  The blood around the wound was cleaned, and Corakin quickly set to work, threading the needle and piercing the surrounding edge of the wound with it.

Suddenly Y/N awoke and let out a strangled cry, the needle causing obvious pain.  She lurched forward and punched Corakin in the jaw, making him lose his grip, the needle stabbing some other part of Y/N's skin.

"Hold her down!" He ordered, getting the needle back into position. "You, there," he said to Jacobi, "this paste, put it on the wound every so often to cleanse it.  It'll hurt the girl but I need you to not stop, no matter what she says."

"It will hurt?" I asked urgently. "She's in enough pain already!"

Corakin shushed me with a look. "It's a healing paste.  The pain is almost unbearable - almost.  But it will speed up the healing and it's the only option to save her." He paused and bit his lip, looking over Y/N with a gaze of sympathy. "This is going to be..." He cleared his throat, uncomfotably, "...torturous.  I'm sorry, my dear."

Jacobi nodded grimly and grabbed container of black paste, though his hands shook just slightly.

Lucy returned with a cool cloth and the remaining crew members held Y/N down by her arms, shoulders, legs, and feet.  She looked very confused and very scared.  She was sweating and doing her best not to cry.  Lucy, for some odd reason, placed the cloth over Y/N's eyes so she couldn't see.

I abandoned my post as pressure-holder and ran to Y/N's head to calm her down, maybe speak to her softly to relax her.

"Ready, men.  Keep her still," Corakin muttered, his tone incredibly pitying towards Y/N.  He didn't want to cause more pain.

When Corakin started stitching the wound again, Y/N tensed. She was asking for us to stop, her breathing almost inhumanly fast and I couldn't even get a word in, I was too shocked.  I held her hand as she squeezed it tightly.

It was the worst when Jacobi had to use the black healing paste.  Y/N's whole body would convulse and she'd wriggle around, shrieking from the pain.  My stomach turned as I heard her animalistic screams.  It was enough to make anyone uncomfortable and it made me extremely nauseous; seeing her in so much discomfort and unable to do anything about it.