Floating ||Edmund Pevensie FanFiction||

||29||

"How bad was it?" Charlotte's curiosity got the better of her, unleashing all her queries. "How many times was she actually in Narnia? Was she there when these happened?"

"I think it's time I told you a story..." Aunt Jill suggested, "mind you, I may not be a compelling storyteller like she was."

Charlotte chuckled nervously, her features swimming in sheepishness, as she anticipated her guardian's truth.

"Why has Aslan chosen me?"

The adolescent Queen, Audrey, gripped her little sister's shoulders firmly. "You are Queen Jillian, the Tenacious, Protector of Narnia. Narnia will be in need of you, and I know you can do it when the time comes."

"But why can't we protect the tree together?"

"Like our friends, Simon and I have grown, Aslan won't allow us to return," Audrey reminded her. "This is a journey for you to continue on your own."

"He prophesied that I would set a cold, dark winter free..." Jillian lowered her head. "What would this mean for me?"

"You're forgetting the next part of the prophecy, Jill," Audrey tucked a few strands behind Jillian's ear, "it's meant to convey that even followers of Aslan may fail, but we'll surely find our way back to him, as long as we repent. He will give you a chance to right your wrongs, so you must look for that opportunity."

"Your mother overestimated me," Aunt Jill's chuckle was mixed with sentiment, as Charlotte listened to her recounts attentively. "Eventually, your parents married once they came of age, and I returned to Narnia alone — little did I know that I was there for the last time. The tree had weakened over time, and I grew so lonely, and desperate."

She met Charlotte's gaze, gathering her thoughts. "Tell me, Charlotte, have you ever been tempted?"

Charlotte nodded, her eyes conveying hope, "you're not the only one who's been led astray, Edmund knows all too well what it's like — he brought me back to my senses."

"Really? Well, that's fortunate, I didn't really have anyone holding me back," Aunt Jill shook her head, deplored of her memories, "the mists appeared because I sought answers with the darkest intentions to go through any means. I had no idea that it only paved the way for the White Witch's arrival."

Charlotte shielded her mouth agape in disbelief.

"I don't understand," Jillian's hand flew to her head, which had completely been coated with snow white, as she examined the tree and its barren state.

"You'd been gone for months, your Majesty," her general spoke worriedly, "Word spread that you were lost at sea."

"But I've returned!"

Ice began to spread upwards, freezing the branches of the tree. She glanced at her icy pale hands, wondering if she had been the cause of a catastrophe.

"Your Majesty... You've turned into a replica of the White Witch... She's the most cruel, merciless entity that Narnia has ever seen... What've you done?"

"No, no," Jillian insisted, "whatever she did, I swear on Aslan's name, I'm not like her!"

"Aslan's prophecy is unravelling," the centaur advised, "should we gather troops, your Majesty?"