Heart and Home~ Edmund Pevensie

Chapter 7: The Beaver's house

Then she heard it. A loud bark that echoed throughout the stone courtyard. Edmund.

Amelia ran towards the sound, her heart thumping in her ears, threatening her. Her legs ached, her body was cold, her mind was tired; but she kept going. As she got nearer to the entrance of the palace, she heard the voices. She ducked behind the nearest statue, a wailing phoenix, and she listened.

"Be still stranger, or you'll never move again!" a dark voice threatened. Amelia could hear frantic pants and gasps, and she dared to take a look. She peeked around the phoenix's wings and her eyes widenened at the sight before her.

"Who are you?" The wolf asked as he firmly pushed Edmund into the ground, sealing off any escape.

"I'm Edmund!" His voice nervously cried out, "I met the queen in the woods, she told me to come back here!" Amelia was brought back to when she first came to Narnia and how she and Lucy found Edmund wondering in the road, seemingly surprised and lost in thought, "I'm a son of Adam!"

Amelia leered back in confusion. Son of Adam? Like... Adam and Eve? She shook her head, turning her attention back to Edmund and the wolf.

"Oh," The wolf stepped off the younger Pevensie, "My apologies, fortunate favourite of the queen. Or else... not so fortunate."

The wolf lead Edmund through the large, iron doors and they disappeared from Amelia's sight. Amelia gasped as a sudden wave of exhaustion passed over her, threatening to make her collapse. She grabbed onto the phoenix, panting as she focused all her energy on staying up. Her eyes felt droopy - she could feel how badly they wanted to close. Amelia's heart seemed to want to give up, but she didn't let it. There was still hope for Edmund, she had to find him. With that thought in mind, she pushed off from the stone cold creature and stumbled through the doors, her steps making more noise than she would've liked.

She followed the sound of voices that echoed throughout the palace, dragging her feet behind her. She constantly grabbed onto the walls to breathe for a few seconds before continuing with her quest. She followed a long passage and she noticed that the veins in the ice seemed to crawl towards her. They only magnified the evil aura. Around the bend she went before coming up to a large set of stairs. The sound of voices flowing down the icy blue structure told her that she was exactly where she needed to be. He's upstairs. Slowly, step by step, she climbed up while trying to make as little noise as possible. The higher she got, the harder it became.

Amelia was starting to panic. Her mind was frazzled with confusion. Why was this happening to her? Why was she so weak? Was the witch doing this to her? Amelia knew magic existed in Narnia, but she didn't truly believe it until now. With every step her muscles screamed, but she continued until she reached the top,before pausing outside the door to what seemed to be the throne room.

Cautiously, Amelia peeked inside. She immediately spotted the dull clothes covering Edmund's back as he stood in front of the throne, talking to someone who Amelia couldn't see.

"Tell me Edmund," a cold, glacial voice asked him. Amelia yearned to see her face, the face of the white witch herself, but Edmund stood in front of the woman, blocking her from view, "Are your sisters deaf?"

"No," Edmund replied, his voice surprisingly not filled with fear like Amelia expected, but then a thought occurred to her. He's met her before! He abandoned everyone to see her! The White Witch! The woman who took Mr Tumnus! He lied to us... Amelia felt angry and betrayed, but deep down, she knew she couldn't leave him to suffer by hand of the witch for his mistake. She would gladly let Peter and the rest handle his punishment, so long as they were far away from the evil being sitting only a few feet away.

"And the other girl, Amelia you said her name was, is she dead? Is that why she's not here?" Shivers travelled down Amelia's spine as the woman's voice spoke her name. Amelia felt like more energy was drawn from her already tired figure. She needed to get Edmund, fast. Before it was too late. Although, she feared it already was.

"Ummm, no. She's with everyone else. I do sometimes wish she was dead, though. She can be quite annoying." Amelia's heart broke slightly. Did Edmund really think so low of her? Was she so harsh to him that he wished she was dead? She knew she was only rude to him because of his uncanny attitude towards almost everything in life, but she felt that that did not justify her actions. Amelia was suddenly overwhelmed with a deep guilt.

"Mhm, and what about your brother? Is he... unintelligent?" She asked with annoyance laced in her voice. Amelia's heart started racing. Something bad was going to come out of this.

"Well, I think so," Edmund replied, half-nonchalantly. Of course you do, "But mum says-"

"THEN HOW DARE YOU COME ALONE!" The witch stood up and Amelia could see her face from over Edmund's head. The ice crown that lay on top of her head reached into the sky, like stalagmites ready to take away a living soul. Amelia could feel how cold her gaze was from across the room. The sight of the witch sent a small burning sensation that coursed through every vein in Amelia's body. She whipped her head back and leaned against the door as she grabbed her middle, trying to keep her gasping as quiet as possible. She closed her eyes in pain.

"Edmund I asked so little of you."

"Th-They just don't listen to me."

"You couldn't even do that."

"I-I-I did bring them halfway!"

Amelia's eyes snapped open. Don't do it Ed...

To her dismay, he continued, "They're in a little house at the dam, with the beavers!"

Fear struck Amelia's heart. She had to get out. She had to warn the others.

"Well," Her sinister voice echoed, "I suppose you're not a total loss then, are you?"

"We-well I was wondering-" before Edmund could continue, Amelia was shoved forward into the room and her gasp bounced off the walls. She could hear Edmund's breath clog in his throat as he caught sight of her and she could feel the cold gaze of the witch as she glared at her.

"Found her snooping outside your door, your majesty," it was the same wolf who brought Edmund inside, "Another daughter of Eve?"

Amelia slowly glanced up and she caught sight of the witch. The same aching pain she felt moments ago coursed through her once more, only it burned a sensational pain that caused Amelia to cry out as she curled into a ball- wanting the pain to leave her. The witch smirked, almost as if she knew something the rest of them didn't, "Not this one, Maugrim. You will find she is far too... Narnian to be a daughter of Eve."

Edmund was frozen in his place, shocked at the new revelation. Had Amelia followed him? Why did she come for him? Why didn't she leave when she saw him go into the castle?

The witch seemed to revel in the silence, her eyes gleaming nastily as she stared at Amelia, causing the ache to intensify.

"Please..." Amelia begged, "Stop."

Edmund suddenly seemed to wake up as he noticed what was happening, "Stop! Please!" he called out "You're hurting her!"

The Witch only spared him a small glance before she spoke, "You will find, Edmund, that when it comes to me, what doesn't kill you makes you wish it did."

She removed her gaze and Amelia gasped and panted as she lay on the cold floor, the exhaustion slowly taking over.

"Maugrim," she heard the Queen call out, "You know what to do."

A loud howl sounded from the wolf's mouth, Maugrim, the one who pushed her. Amelia tried to fight it, but she could feel her eyes grow heavier.

A loud chorus of barks sounded, accompanied by the rushing steps of a whole pack of wolves.

"No," Amelia managed to whisper, before her eyes closed completely.