Lifeline ⤞ Peter Pevensie [Chronicles of Narnia]

xii

"She's right."

Peter's words brought nothing but dread to Edmund and Oreius as they watched the Prince walk out of the tent, a somber expression on his face.

"He's gone." Peter choked out his next words, the ones that nearly brought him to tears. "And so is she."

Oreius and Edmund shared a look, challenging to other to speak.

"Then you'll have to lead us," the younger Pevensie said, knowing the centaur wouldn't.

When his brother didn't say anything, Edmund tried again. "Peter, there's an army out there, and it's ready to follow you."

"I can't," Peter retorted, his voice cracking at his next words. "It was supposed to be Fallon."

"Aslan believed you could," the raven interrupted. "And so did Fallon." He paused before adding quietly. "And so do I."

The two looked at each other for a moment, the centaur's words being what broke them out of their trance.

"The Witch's army is nearing, sire. What are your orders?"

§

"Lucy, that isn't going to work," Susan said, watching as her little sister kept chanting the brunette's name.

What they'd witnessed, was something both of them knew wasn't what was supposed to happen, even though they didn't know what the original plan was.

Fallon hadn't struck Aslan. She'd plunged the knife into herself.

She'd thought that by killing herself, the Witch would be satisfied with letting the lion die on the Stone Table with time, tied up, suffering. She'd thought that once the dagger was in her abdomen, Jadis would leave Aslan alone. She'd known the two girls had followed them, and that they were hiding behind some trees, far from the crowd, but close enough to see what she did. She'd thought that they would be able to help Aslan once everyone left. But she was wrong. And now two lives were taken, instead of her taking the lion's. But she knew that she had much rather dug the blade into herself than she would have the King's.

Susan was clinging onto her friend's hand, and Lucy was crying in Aslan's mane.

"We should go," the older Pevensie whispered, but didn't let go Fallon's hand, her palm cold and limp, until after a few more seconds.

"I'm so cold..." Lucy commented, wrapping her cloak further around herself, letting Susan lead her away from their friend and the lion.

They both looked back at the Great Lion and the Huntress, wondering how they would go on without their leader and their friend, and bid them both a farewell with dry eyes, for all the tears had been cried during the hours they had spent hoping, praying, that either of them would open their eyes, and tell them it was all a dream within a dream, and that they would wake up from this nightmare before it became reality. Then they turned, and walked away.
They didn't make it very far, though, because when they placed their feet on the steps, the entire world seemed to tremble, and the two lost their footing for a few moments, Lucy letting out a scream and clinging onto her sister. Lucy turned around for a moment, wanting to make sure Aslan's body hadn't shifted during the supposed earthquake, but her eyes widened when she found the lion wasn't the only thing that had moved.

"Susan!" She called, making her sister turn around, a horrified expression on her face. "Where's Aslan?"

"What have they done?" Susan, asked no one in particular, as she watched her friend's body still on the Stone Table, which now had a split through the middle, making it look even more threatening than before.