APRICITY • e. pevensie

Chapter Nine

I get woken up by Lucy shaking me and calling my name. I sit up and look around, Susan's awake too.

"What's going on?" I ask. They put their cloaks on and I do the same thing, "Where are we going?"

They 'shh' me and I shut my mouth. We walk out of our tent and follow Aslan up the hill. We stay behind and follow him through the woods. Aslan stops,

"Shouldn't you three be in bed?" He asks. We walk to him.

"We couldn't sleep." Lucy tells him.

"Please Aslan," Susan says, "Couldn't we come with you?"

"I would be glad for some company for a while." He says, "Thank you."

I touch his mane and we start walking again. We make it out of the forest and Aslan stops again.

"It is time." He tells us. Time for what? He turns to us, " I must go on alone."

"But Aslan" He cuts me off.

"You have to trust me. For this must be done. Thank you Susan, thank you Anna, thank you Lucy, and farewell." He walks away. Susan puts her hand on Lucy's shoulder and walks the other direction. I sigh and we follow her. We walk through the woods, following Aslan. We end up at the stone table. The witch is there and her people are holding torches. Aslan walks between them and to the witch. What is he doing? Is he doing what I think he's doing? Aslan gets to the witch,

"Behold, the great lion." She says and they cheer. He growls and a minotaur pushes him to the ground. Lucy gasps. They start to taunt him.

"Why doesn't he fight back?" Lucy asks.

"Bind him!" The witch orders. They attack him and tie him down, "Wait." They stop, "Let him first be shaved." They cheer again and a dwarf waddles up to him and takes out his dagger. He grabs a hand full of Aslans hair and cuts it off, holding it into the air everyone cheers. The other creatures join in on cutting Aslan's mane and I feel tears come to my eyes.

"Bring him to me." The witch orders. A few of them drag Aslan up the stairs and drop him in front of her. She holds up her staff and the commotion stops. Everyone starts to tap their torches on the ground. She bends down next to Aslan, "Now Aslan, I am very disappointed in you. You are giving up your blood for the traitor. You are giving up your life and saving no one. So much for love." She stands up, "Tonight, the deep magic will be at peace." They cheer, "But tomorrow we will take Narnia forever!" She drags out and the tap their torches faster, "That knowledge and power," She holds up a dagger, "AND DIE!"

Aslan and I make eye contact and a tear falls from my eye. The witch stabs Aslan with the dagger and I cover my mouth to keep from screaming. His eyes close and Lucy and Susan share a hug. I pull my knees up to my chest and sob. Once everyone is gone I rush down to Aslan hug him around his neck. Lucy gets out her bottle of fire flower juice and starts to uncap it.

"It's too late Lu." I tell her sadly and another tear falls, "He's gone."

Susan walks over to Lucy and sits beside her, "He must have known what he was doing." She says. Lucy touches his face and starts to cry again. Susan and I cry and hug Aslan as well. I start to hear squeaking and biting. I look down at the binds that hold Aslan. Rats are chewing the rope off.

"Get away! Get away all of you!" Susan exclaims.

"No wait." Lucy says. The rats cut through the rope with their teeth and I remove the ropes.

"We have to tell the others." I say looking down.

"We can't just leave him." Lucy protests.

"Lucy, there's no time." Susan argues, "They need to know."