𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕄𝕒𝕘𝕟𝕚𝕗𝕚𝕔𝕖𝕟𝕥 - ᵖᵉᵗᵉʳ ᵖᵉᵛᵉⁿˢⁱᵉ

꧁(Tʜᴇ Sᴀᴄʀɪғɪᴄᴇ)꧂

Lucy could not sleep, she had been tossing and turning for a while. Katherine still had not come back from her visit with Aslan. She glanced at the empty hammock before turning back towards the tent's canvas walls. Suddenly out of the corner of her eye she spotted a lion-shaped shadow passing the tent. It grew as it drew closer and she let out a whisper-yell.

"Susan!"  The older girl turned to see the shadow retreating as it moved further to the forest. They shared a look before getting out of their beds and creeping to the opening. Susan and Lucy both grabbed their gifts from Father Christmas and slipped out of the tent.

They watched as Aslan entered the forest's front line and left the camp. The girls exchanged another glance, this time worry etching their features before hurrying after his retreating figure as quietly as they could. For a while, they followed him quietly through the forest.

Darting behind trees if he turned back and moving swiftly and as softly as they could. Lucy felt that it was like an absurd game of hide and seek where the hiders chased the seekers instead. They thought they had been doing a good job of following him unnoticed until he stopped in a small clearing of the forest and turned to face the huge tree that they had quickly hidden behind.

The Lion heaved out a great sigh before speaking.

"Shouldn't you two both be in bed?"

The girls both stepped out sheepishly from behind the tree's trunk. They glanced at each other before turning back to Aslan as Lucy spoke up.

"We couldn't sleep"

The Lion looked down in an emotion they could not read, Susan probed further.

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

The Lion looked between the two girls before staring off into the distance as he caved in.

"I would be glad of the company for a while." He admitted.

The girls grabbed onto his mane, knotting their fingers into the silky fur as they continued their walk. They basked in the silence of the night as they walked together in a solemn silence. Once their paces had slowed down a bit and they seemed to have reached a clearing just before an edge of the forest that gave way to lush grass.

"It is time. From now on, I must go on alone." The Lion stopped them in their tracks.

"But Aslan-" Susan tried to protest but the Lion silenced her with a shake of his mane.

"You have to trust me." He told them, "For this must be done, thank you, Susan, thank you, Lucy. and farewell."

He began to walk away and Susan pulled Lucy around to a side of the forest where the Stone Table was in clear view. They half crawled half crept to the spot, hunching their backs in a hope of not getting spotted. Then they ducked behind a heavy branch and looked at the horrifying sight before them.

Thousands of fiery torches were ablaze and shrieks and wails of excitement coursed through the monstrous crowds. Black smoke smothered the sky like a deadly fog and the moon was hidden from view. Horrid creatures such as hags and werewolves and ogres and the poisonous spirits of deadly plants all crowded together. Many more creatures bunched together that Susan was sure she had read in one of Katherine's mythology books.

She would never try and describe the scene to anyone else as it was so chilling she could only hope these creatures did not find their way into her nightmares.

They watched as Aslan slowly prowled up the stone steps. The monsters parted for him and jeered as he continued his walk. Some snarled and snorted whilst others took a look and moved back in a fearing state. The awful faces all followed Aslan's climb to the top, watching his every step.