A Daughter of Aslan

XVII : Ice Castles and Wolf Armies

Edmund just stared at the wolf as he sat up and the wolf begins to walk towards the gate opening it. Edmund then stood up and began to follow the wolf, sensing it was taking him to the Queen. The wolf lead him into a vast room through the gate and up a large steep ice staircase. "Right this way," The wolf said with a scratchy voice as it turned the corner. It then leads Edmund up another flight of ice stairs next to the other one and at the top was a big double door like the one outside the castle.

The door was already cracked open and inside was a vast room. The main floor was lower than the section surrounding it. Small flights of stairs covered the room with pillars of what appeared to be either rocks or ice around it. At the end of the hallway, there was a big ice throne, the main attraction of the room. The throne caught Edmund's eye immediately.

"Wait here," the wolf said in an authoritative tone before heading up one of the stairs and out of the room, leaving Edmund alone.

His attention quickly returned to the throne. On top, the seat was the Queen's big fur coat that she had been wearing the other day when Edmund had met her. He couldn't help but think about how warm and inviting the throne and the coat was to him with the cold chilly air all around him. Carefully, he turned from side to side making sure that no one else was in the room. Not seeing anyone, he climbed up the stairs and slowly sat upon the ice throne. He was right, the coat was cozy and inviting. As he smiled from his seat he looked around the large room in wonder. This place was unlike anything he had ever seen before.

Due to his current lack of awareness, Jadis and the dwarf, Ginarrbrik, waltzed into the room and saw Edmund sitting square on the throne not paying any attention to them. Jadis walked up to her throne next to Edmund watching him the entire time. Then placing one hand on the throne, the other gripped her wand tighter. "Like it?" She asked in a soft simple voice.

Edmund jumped at the sound of her voice, he thought he was completely alone. "Uh...Yes, Your Majesty," he stuttered out with a little look of shock and slight fear.

"I thought you might," she said staring down at him and walking to her throne.

"Tell me, Edmund," she started before looking at her seat and sitting down. She then set her staff or wand on the ground facing up so it made a loud clank when it hit the ground, echoing throughout the room. "Are your sisters deaf?" She asked squinting with her eyes and with a confused tone.

"No," Edmund said with a slight smile thinking the Queen was a little crazy for asking. What made her think his sisters were deaf? He never mentioned anything before that he could think of that would imply they were.
"And your brother," she continued. "Is he...unintelligent?" She asked with a slight twinkle in her eyes and a tilt of her head, her eyes seeming to grow darker to Edmund.

What was the Queen getting at? Edmund wasn't quite understanding. "Well, I think so. But mum says—" But the Queen was quick to cut him off.

"Then how dare you come alone?" Jadis screamed at him as she jumped out of her seat, causing Edmund to stumble backward down the steps out of fright.

"I tried!" He begged her with big eyes. The Queen had never acted like this before, what was going on?

"Edmund I asked so little of you," Jadis said in a condescending tone as she slit her eyes, they were now black as coal and quite terrifying.

"They just don't listen to me!" Edmund continued to try and explain as the Queen started walking closer towards him and him continuing to back further away.

"You couldn't even do that," she said with such disapproval on her face.

"I did bring them halfway," Edmund begged. "They're at the little house at the dam with the Beavers," he quickly stated. Ginarrbrik's eyes widened at this remark and Jadis paused wearing the same expression as earlier.