Even a traitor may mend || The chronicles of narnia

In the dungeons

Edmund had no idea how long he'd been sat there, it felt like minutes but hours at the same time.
He was absolutely freezing by this point, his teeth chattering. His face had gone paper white, and his ankles were starting to ache from where the shackles were.
Not to mention how hungry he was.
He hesitantly glanced down at the plate of.... food? beside him, swallowing hard.
He'd been trying his hardest to ignore it, having no idea what it was.
In all honesty it looked absolutely disgusting, but he was so hungry that he thought it was worth a try.
Taking a deep breath Edmund picked up the, what looked like rock.
It obviously wasn't a rock, but it did look like it.
Hesitating just slightly he bit into it, and immediately wished he didn't.
It tasted horrible, and when he swallowed it scratched his throat, causing him to let out a couple of harsh coughs.
He reached for the cup and went to take a drink, only to find the water was completely frozen.
Sighing slightly, Edmund dumped the cup back down on the ground, once again curling in on himself to try and keep warm.
"If - If you're not going to eat that?"
Edmund's head snapped up, and he spotted someone huddled up in the cell next to his.
How had he not noticed him before?
It took a moment, but eventually Edmund realised that the person was asking for the food... he must be starving if he actually wanted to eat that.
Shaking his head a little, Edmund grabbed the food and shuffled over, noticing that whoever it was definitely wasn't human.
"I'd get up-" It explained. "But with my legs..."
Edmund glanced down after he'd given him the food, finally seeing that the person was a faun... a faun?
"Mr.Tumnus?" Edmund asked hesitantly.
The faun stopped eating for a moment. "What's left of him." He murmered.
Edmund stared at him for a moment before swallowing hard and looking away.
"You're Lucy Pevensie's brother?"
Edmund looked up again at this, tears for some reason filling his eyes. He quickly blinked them away though, taking a deep breath. "I'm Edmund." He mumbled quietly.
"You - You have the same nose." Mr.Tumnus commented.
Edmund swallowed thickly and rubbed lightly at his nose, avoiding eye contact with the faun.
"Is your sister alright?"
Edmund couldn't help but look up at this question, his heart skipping a beat... the faun really did care a lot about Lucy.
"Is she safe?"
Edmund was silent for a moment before his head snapped up at the sound of growling. "I-" He swallowed hard again. "I don't know."
There was silence for a while before the sound of keys in a lock could be heard.
Edmund's head snapped up when the iron doors burst open loudly, quickly shuffling over to where he'd previously been sat, and seeing Mr.Tumnus hastily turn away.
"My Police, tore that dam apart." The witch announced as she strolled over and stood in front of Edmund.
Edmund's heart stopped and his breathing stopped with it. No, no, no, no please, no, please-
"Your little family-" The witch paused for a little while before continuing. "Are no where to he found."
Edmund let out a sigh of relief, but also couldn't help the small frown that crossed his face, where had they gone?
He had no more time to think about this though, cause all of a sudden the witch leant down and grabbed Edmund's collar, yanking him off the floor so that his legs dangled above the ground.
"Where did they go!" She quite literally growled.
Edmund's eyes were wide as he tried to catch his breath. "I don't know!" He choked, sounding desperate.
The witch glared at him before eventually speaking again. "Then you are of no further use to me." She spat, before throwing him back to the ground.
Edmund winced at the pain, but his eyes went wide when the witch raised her wand.
Before he could even stop it, Edmund opened his mouth. "Wait!" He shouted. "The beaver said something about Aslan!"
The whole room went completely silent, Edmund's heart pounding as he stared at the witch.
The witch, after a moment or two, slowly lowered her wand. "Aslan?" She questioned, and Edmund was shocked to hear a hint of panick in her voice. "Where?"
Edmund swallowed hard, maybe he could lie? "I-" But before he could say anything, Mr.Tumnus cut in, causing everyone to turn and face him. "He's a stranger here your majesty." He stammered. "He can't be expected to know anything."
Edmund flinched when Ginnabrik hit the faun with the end of the axe, causing Mr.Tumnus to let out a quiet cry and turn away.
"I said-" The witch continued, turning back to Edmund. "Where is Aslan?"
Edmund glanced over and Mr.Tumnus, who was now staring at him with a pleading look in his eyes, shaking his head back and forth.
"I- I don't know." Edmund choked, turning back to face the witch. "I left before they said anything."
The witch did not look at all happy about this.
"I wanted to see you!" Edmund tried, sitting up straight and wincing at the desperation in his own voice.
The witch scowled and swung around to face the door. "Guard!" She screamed, making Edmund jump slightly.
Two seconds later, a huge ogre stomped into the room, causing Edmund to take a deep breath and shuffle backwards a bit.
"Release the faun." The witch said casually.
Edmund watched, heart pounding as Mr.Tumnus was dragged over and placed at the witches feet, groaning in pain.
"Do you know why you're here faun?" She asked, glaring down at him.
Mr.Tumnus took a deep breath. "Because I believe in a free Narnia." He answered confidently.
The witch smirked. "You're here, because he-" Edmund took a deep breath when she pointed the wand at him. "Turned you in, for sweeties."
Edmund's eyes slipped shut in guilt for a moment, and when he opened them he made eye contact with Mr.Tumnus, who looked so shocked and betrayed that it caused Edmund to look away.
"Take him upstairs." The witch said. "And ready my sleigh."
Edmund glanced up as Mr.Tumnus was pulled from the room.
"Edmund misses his family."
Edmund looked down again, hardly even noticing the witch leaving the room. He immediately brought his knees up to his chest, hugging his legs close to him and trying to keep warm... and keep back his tears.
He only had ten minutes to himself before he heard the doors open again, causing his head to snap up and to wipe viciously at the tears that, despite his efforts to keep them back, had slipped down his cheeks.
His heart began pounding again when he saw the witch and Ginnabrik walk in and stand once again in front of him.
"I have a feeling you've lied to me." The witch said, placing one hand on her hip - the other hand holding her wand.
Edmund swallowed hard, trying to still his trembling... or was that shivering?
"I warned you that lying to me doesn't end well, didn't I?" The witch said, something of a smirk on her face.
Edmund said nothing, he was too scared to open his mouth.
"So-" The witch said. "With that little reminder, where is Aslan?"
Edmund again said nothing, causing the witch to kneel down in front of him. "Where are your siblings going Edmund?"
"I-" Edmund licked his lips, trying his hardest to keep back the panick he was feeling. "I don't know." He choked eventually.
The witch raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?" She asked, her voice sickly sweet.
Edmund slowly nodded his head. He couldn't actually believe that he was lying to her, but he knew he couldn't tell her where his siblings were, not after everything he'd already done. "I'm sure." He whispered, his voice cracking.
The witch seemed to think for a moment before she raised her hand.
Edmund hardly had time to brace himself before there was a loud crack and his head was flung to the side, pain exploding in his cheek.
"Consider that as punishment for trying to escape." The witch spat, a scowl on her face.
Edmund's eyes were wide as he placed his hand over his stinging cheek, tears filling his eyes at the pain, but he forced them back... he would not cry.
"Anyway." The witch said. "I'm gonna ask you one more time, and then things are gonna get ugly."
Edmund slowly turned his head to face her again, wincing a little as he did.
"Where are your siblings Edmund?" She asked. "Where is Aslan?"
"I said I don't know." Edmund choked in reply, his breathing slightly uneven - what did she mean by things would get ugly?
The witch stared at him. "I have a way of getting people to talk you know." She said, so casually you'd think she was just commenting about the weather. "And it involves a lot of pain."
Edmund felt on the edge of a panick attack, but he somehow managed to keep himself somewhat calm, staring up at the witch as she slowly stood.
"So are you sure you don't know where they are?" She asked even as she turned to face Ginnabrik.
"I'm sure." Edmund said hesitantly.
"Well I guess-" The witch said, still not facing Edmund. "I'm gonna have to force the information out of you."
Edmund's breathing stopped when the witch turned back around, a smirk on her face and, what looked like a whip in her hands. She was going to whip him??
"Take off your jumper." She said firmly, glaring at Edmund.
Edmund swallowed hard, shaking his head slowly back and forth.
"Either take off your jumper, or tell me where your siblings are." The witch said, laughing slightly.
Edmund swallowed hard, before (much to the witches annoyance) he slowly slipped his jumper over his head, shivering slightly as he did. He was only wearing a short sleeved t-shirt, and it was cold enough with his jumper on.
Placing the jumper beside him he slowly glanced up, the look on the witches face causing him to shudder.
"Last chance." The witch said, walking around Edmund and standing behind him, still gripping the whip.
Edmund squeezed his eyes shut. "I don't know where they are." He choked, a dry, panicked sob escaping him.
He really, really did not want her to do this, but he did not want his siblings found... no matter what she did to him, he would not tell her.
The witch smirked slowly before raising the whip above her head, two seconds later bringing it down on Edmund's back.
Edmund's eyes snapped open as he let out a quiet whimper, forcing himself not to scream even as the whip tore through his shirt and then his skin.
"You tell me where they are and I'll stop." The witch said as she brought the whip down again.
Edmund gasped when it hit his back, moving to sit on his knees and dig his fingernails into the floor... not that it helped much.
"So?" The witch pushed.
"I - I don't know." Edmund whispered, and sure enough, two seconds later the whip hit him again, tearing a quiet cry from his throat.
After five more lashes, Edmund couldn't help but let out a scream, the pain was just too much, and on top of that his head was pounding.
"Where are they!" The witch literally screamed, bringing down the whip again.
Edmund screamed, before shaking his head. "I don't know!" He sobbed, not even noticing the tears that were rolling down his cheeks.
"Yes you do!" The witch shouted, bringing the whip down again... as hard as she could.
The second it hit Edmund's already shredded back, his eyes went wide. He was in too much pain to even think straight, and before he knew it, he'd opened his mouth. "Peter!" He cried out desperately.
The witch laughed. "He's not here." She spat. "He's gone, you'll never see him again. He's never going to help you, why would he anyway? You're a traitor!"
She brought the whip down again, getting another agonising scream from Edmund.
Edmund knelt there, his breathing deep and uneven, feeling the blood trickling down his back, making him feel well and truly sick. "I don't know where they are!" He sobbed. "Please, stop."
The witch brought the whip down one more time, before handing it back to Ginnabrik, who'd been standing to the side the whole time, the smirk never leaving his face.
She marched around and knelt in front of Edmund, grabbing a fistful of his hair and yanking his head up.
"I'm gonna be back down here in around an hour." She whispered. "And I suggest you think about telling me where your siblings are."
Edmund stared at her, eyes half shut and back on fire.
The witch didn't wait for an answer, she just let his hair go, and marched from the room, Ginnabrik hurrying quickly after her.
Edmund took a deep breath, laying his head on the floor the second the doors closed.
He didn't want her to come back, he really, really didn't want her too.
But no matter what, he would never tell her where his siblings were.

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This chapter was way too hard to write 🥺🤧