Heart and Home~ Edmund Pevensie

Chapter 18: Darkest of Times

Next to her, Edmund also pointed his sword forward as a back-up signal. The griffins all soared above them, carrying rocks and boulders heavy enough to crush a young giant. The air attack dropped their weights on the beasts below, crushing some and trapping others, but not stopping the attack entirely. Some griffins were shot down by the ground archers, causing Amelia's heart to ache slightly. War will always be war.

Down below, Peter's horse reared up as he shouted so loud that they could hear from atop the mountain, "For Narnia and for Aslan!"

Without wasting a second the entire army charged forward with a roar, sending Amelia into a wave of pride. Amelia and the other archers stood, ready to draw their bows and knock their arrows at a moment's notice. Amelia watched as the army below ran in a triangle formation, the centaurs holding shields formed a wall between the Narnians and the beasts. Only the cheetahs, Peter and Oreius ran ahead of the wall. As they neared the enemy, they all lowered their spears, ready to pierce the first creature they come into contact with. Amelia took another deep breath, everything was going as planned. It seemed that there was no sound for the few seconds before the clash. All of it in slow motion as the horses and centaurs galloped. All quiet before the two armies meshed into one. All she could hear was the shouts and the crash of swords echoing from the attack below.

As the army fought, Amelia focused on the Witch. Her fur coat was so golden... so familiar. Then the thought hit her and Amelia gasped, placing a head in front of her mouth.

"What? What is it?" Edmund asked, slightly frantic.

"It's... It's Aslan's fur." She stated in shock. She couldn't believe it. First the Witch killed him, now she wore his pelt like a trophy. Had she not disgraced him enough already?

"Where?" Edmund asked, "Where?"

"The Witch, it's around her neck!" Amelia explained hurriedly and angrily, "That...Tha-that evil woman!"

Amelia could feel the wind pick up around her the more she let her anger accumulate. Edmund quickly surpassed his shock and grabbed Amelia's hand, "Calm down, okay? Save it for when we're up close. Don't waste your energy now when you won't even reach her."

Amelia sighed irritably but nodded in agreement. She knew the Witch was her mother, but the reluctance to kill Jadis was becoming less and less. She had crossed a line. Amelia knew that if it came down it, she would kill her. With hesitation, yes, but she would do it. For Narnia and for Aslan.

Suddenly, the Witch's carriage started inching forward, the rest of her army behind her. Amelia immediately called to the centaur beside her, "Fire!"

The centaur released a flaming arrow that transformed into a black bird – a phoenix – in mid-air. As the bird soared down to the battlefield, it slowly started to catch on fire. The bird flew between the two opposing sides, causing a wall of fire to erupt between the two armies. The Narnians cheered, proud that they had delayed the Witch a little longer.

"Yes!" Mr Beaver cheered from next to Edmund.

The happiness was short lived as the Witch blasted through the fire using her ice power. Amelia sighed in irritation. She felt her heart beating fiercly out of fear for Peter, he had to get out of there. They were vastly outnumbered.

Amelia watched as Peter's white unicorn turned around, the rest of the army following. A horn blew, signalling the draw to the rocks.

"Come on!" Mr Beaver called, "That's the signal!"

The archers all ran to their positions on the nearby rock face, Edmund and Amelia at the head. Silently, they all watched as Peter and the remaining Narnians drew the Witch's army closer and closer to them. At Edmund's signal they all knocked their bows, including Amelia. Her hold was a bit shaky, but she felt like she was doing it mostly right. Amelia waited for Edmund to give the firing signal, taking the time to find her aim. She saw a single giant in the mass of beasts and pointed her arrow at its head.