HEART | Caspian X [2]

The White Witch's Return

*Annabelle's P.O.V.*
    I closed my eyes in order to not allow the tears in my eyes to fall. I can't believe that my brother just said those horrible things to me, but at the same time... I expected him or one of my other siblings to say that eventually. Ever since I learned about my powers, I knew that something horrible regarding them would happen. I was always afraid of what my siblings would think of me. I always feared that they wouldn't accept me. But after the battle against the White Witch, I slowly started to grow confidence that they would never do anything to hurt me, seeing as they accepted my magical talents once I told them the truth. And that was my mistake.
    I should never have pushed that fear tot he back of my mind. I should have always been aware that, one day, one of my siblings will be disgusted to call me their sister. But  was foolish enough to believe that I am going to find happiness. I didn't want that hope to go away, even though I should have been the one to destroy it. Then, maybe, Peter's words wouldn't hurt as much as they do now.
"Anna?!" I heard my younger brother's voice, and I quickly wiped away a tear that slid down my cheek, just as Edmund ran into the small 'room' in Aslan's How.
    Once my younger brother saw me, he stopped and stood by the entrance, with Susan and Lucy running in and stopping on either sides of him a few seconds later.
"We were looking everywhere for you." Susan said, and I gave her a strained smile.
"Sorry." I apologized. "I just needed to be alone for a while." She nodded understandingly, and Lucy slowly walked over to me, as if worried that any sudden movement would make me run away, before wrapping her arms around my neck as soon as she was close enough to do so. I sighed as tears built up in my eyes again, but I held them back as I wrapped my arms around her tightly, letting her sit down on my lap as she always used to when she was younger. Susan must have took me and Lucy hugging as a good sign, because not a second after she walked over to us and sat on my left, hugging both me and Lucy tightly.
    After a minute or two of us hugging, my sisters eventually pulled away from me, but Lucy stayed on my lap while Susan held my left hand.
"I know that, under the circumstances, it's the worst question I can ask, but... Are you alright?" Edmund asked with concern lacing his voice as he walked over to sit on my other side.
"Not really, but I guess I should have expected that to happen one day." I answered honestly.
"Anna, don't say that-"
"It's true." I cut Susan off, knowing that she was about to defend Peter.
"No, it's not." Edmund said, gripping my arm. "Peter was angry. He didn't know what he way saying. You saw the shock in his eyes after he realized what he said to you. He didn't mean a word of it." I sighed, knowing that I won't win this argument, but I still didn't believe what my younger brother said. Maybe, deep down, I did, but right now... All I could think about was what Peter said to me.
    Suddenly, I gasped in pain and surprise as I felt a cold sensation in my chest.
'Anna?" I heard Lucy ask worriedly as she got off my lap, but I was too busy concentrating on the pain in my chest to answer her. It was almost as if ice started to slowly cover my heart. And then I realized that my heart is the exact place where...
"Oh my God." I breathed out before quickly getting up and running out of the room, grabbing a sword that was lying by a wall in the process.
"Annabelle?!"
"Your Majesty?!" I heard Peter and Trumpkin call after me, but I ignored them and continued running towards where I felt the magic coming from. There was only one thought in my mind.
She's back.
*Third Person's P.O.V.*
    As Prince Caspian slowly held out his bloody hand to the White Witch, who was trapped in a wall of ice, Jadis's head snapped towards the entrance to the room that held the Stone Table when she heard an all too familiar voice.
"STOP!!" High Queen Annabelle yelled, and not a second after she, High King Peter, and Trumpkin ran in, all with swords in their hands.
    The hag that used the White Witch's broken wand to bring Jadis back immediately ran towards the High King, the werewolf that drew the magic circle for Caspian to stand in the middle of ran towards the High Queen, while Nikabrik ran towards Trumpkin. The werewolf leaped off of the Stone Table and jumped over Annabelle's head, before facing her as Annabelle pointed her sword at it. Trumpkin and Nikabrik clashed swords, while Peter attacked the hag. However, the hag quickly threw the High King's sword out of his hand, before punching him in the stomach hard enough to slam him down to the ground. Annabelle managed to dodge the werewolf's sharp teeth, and flipped in the air, slicing its leg with her sword in the process.
    Trumpkin found himself in a difficult position as he lied on the ground with Nikabrik standing above him, holding a sword. Just as the Black Dwarf was about to land a final blow, Queen Lucy ran behind him and used her dagger to throw his sword out of his hand, before putting her dagger to Nikabrik's neck. However, the Black Dwarf managed to grab her arm and twist it behind her back painfully, making the young Queen scream in pain before she was thrown to the ground.
    Annabelle, upon hearing her little sister's scream, tried to run over to help, but the werewolf, using the moment of her distraction, dug his sharp teeth into her arm, making her scream in pain as well. Seeing as her other arm was already weakened because of the wound caused by the arrow Miraz shot at her, she couldn't use her body to fight the creature off. Instead, her eyes flashed gold and the werewolf was thrown into the wall hard enough for its skull to crack upon the impact. However, the werewolf's teeth dug into Annabelle's skin pretty deep, so as the creature was thrown back, part of Annabelle's flesh was ripped off as well, making her scream in pain again before she looked down at her bloody arm, breathing heavily.
    Peter managed to, using his whole strength, throw the hag against a wall, making it fall dead to the ground as its skull cracked just like the werewolf's did. Lucy scooted back fearfully while still lying on the ground as Nikabrik stood above her with her dagger in his hand, but the black Dwarf suddenly gasped in pain before he fell to the ground with wide eyes, Trumpkin standing behind him with a sword in his hand.
"Come on!" The White Witch nearly begged Caspian as she saw her minions fall. "Come."
"Get away from him!!!" Peter yelled, pushing Caspian to the ground and standing in his place with his sword pointed at the White Witch, who drew her hand back and smiled at him.
"Peter, dear. I've missed you." She said sweetly, before reaching her hand through the ice wall once again. "Come. Just one drop. You know you can't do this alone." Peter slowly lowered his sword as he realized that the Witch is right. He completely forgot about what she did to his younger brother and sister. All that was on his mind was that she could help him defeat Miraz once and for all, and make him the victor of this war. She could make everyone bow to him instead of Annabelle.
    Suddenly, the White Witch gasped in pain as a sword pierced the ice wall from behind and a dagger embedded itself in her stomach from the front after whizzing by Peter's head. Caspian slowly stood up from where he was shoved to the ground by the High King, and the two men stared in confusion as the Witch started breathing heavily, staring at the two blades that pierced her in horror. However, Peter's eyes widened as well as he recognized the hilt of the dagger that pierced the ice wall  from the front. It was the dagger he gave Annabelle for her 20th birthday.
    The White Witch's eyes were wide as she stared at something (or someone) behind Peter with hatred before she tilted her head back, screaming in pain and rage as the ice wall shattered, making Caspian, Peter, and Annabelle cover their heads big chunks of ice exploded in all directions. Caspian and Annabelle both staggered backwards, Peter ducked to the ground, while Trumpkin positioned himself in front of Lucy to cover her from the ice as they both stared at the scene before them with wide eyes.
    The ice wall crumpled to the ground completely, revealing Edmund, who had his sword raised in both of his hands while his head was turned away as he covered his face from the ice. Caspian and Peter both stared at the Just King with wide eyes, but the youngest Pevensie boy just looked over at Peter with anger and disbelief in his eyes.
"I know." He nearly growled, furious with his older brother for almost bringing back the one person who has put him through hell and has killed their sister. "You had it sorted." He spat, before turning away and walking down the steps. However, his eyes widened as he saw the blood pouring out of Annabelle's fresh wound. "Anna?" He asked in alarm, which made Peter and Caspian, who were both staring at the carving of Aslan, turn around. Their eyes widened in horror as they saw Annabelle's arm, which was partly ripped up because of the werewolf's bite.
"I'm fine." She told Edmund weakly as Lucy ran over to her and grabbed her arm gently, making her hiss in pain, inspecting the horrible wound.
"What on Earth is going on in here?!" Someone exclaimed, and everyone turned around, only to see Susan running into the room. However, she froze as soon as her eyes fell on Annabelle's wound. "What happened?!" She exclaimed in alarm, and Annabelle sighed.
"Ask them." She spat, turning around to look at her older brother and the Telmarine Prince, who both held an immense amount of guilt in their eyes. Annabelle looked at them both in anger, disbelief, disgust, and pain, her eyes lingering on Caspian, before she simply shook her head and turned around to leave, her three siblings following her closely in order to help her with her flesh wound, leaving the two young men behind.
    The High King and the Prince looked at each other solemnly, both realizing their big mistake, as they also realized that they have just lost the one person they both care about.