A Daughter of Aslan

XXVI : Aslan's Sacrifice

"Please Aslan, couldn't we come with you?" Susan asked gently as the girls both stood on the opposite side of where Elizabeth stood beside Aslan. Once the girls had reached Aslan and had gotten closer to Elizabeth, they noticed that Elizabeth's eyes were red and puffy, as if she had been crying for a long time. Elizabeth bit her lip before turning her face away from the girls and Lucy and Susan didn't comment on it sensing that Elizabeth didn't want to talk about it and respecting her privacy.

"I would be glad of your company for a while," Aslan told them but the tone in his voice was unmistakable. Something was clearly bothering both Aslan and Elizabeth, it felt like there was an elephant in the room. Lucy and Susan also took a hold of Aslan's mane as if to comfort him as they walked beside him. "Thank you," he said softly as he gave the girls soft smiles before they all continued through the forest.

They walked in silence through the woods. Not a word was spoken, just the company was enough to somewhat lift the mood. But there was an eerie feeling of dread and sadness that everyone felt. Each step through the woods kept getting harder and harder for some reason, everyone could sense the bad omen as they walked through.

After walking a good distance in the forest, Aslan abruptly stopped, causing the sisters to frown. "It is time," Aslan stated as he turned to look at the girls. "From here, I must go on alone," Aslan said as his voice began to get quieter and quieter.

"But Aslan—" Elizabeth whispered in a pleading tone and the sisters could see the tears visibly welling up in the blonde's eyes but Aslan cut her off.

"You have to trust me," he explained to all of them, not just Elizabeth. "For this must be done. Thank you, Susan. Thank you, Lucy," he nodded towards the sisters. "And farewell."

Elizabeth bit her lip as she tried to bite back the tears threatening to fall again. She had promised herself she wouldn't cry anymore in front of Aslan, that was the last thing he needed right now. "Are you sure there isn't another way?" Elizabeth asked quietly.

Aslan gave Elizabeth a soft smile as he nuzzled her close and she clung to his neck for a moment. "Be brave dear one," Aslan whispered to her before he turned on his paws and left the three of them there.

The girls watched Aslan leave for a little bit and they all stood in silence no one dared to say a word. Elizabeth then started to stand a little taller, a new feeling overwhelming her. She didn't come this far just to leave, she was going to stay no matter what anyone told her otherwise. She laid a comforting hand on Lucy's shoulder and gave Susan a small smile before she then started walking another direction into the woods. Lucy and Susan watched confused as Elizabeth was not going in the direction back to camp but not in the direction that Aslan went in either. After exchanging looks of agreements, they followed after Elizabeth.

Elizabeth didn't tell them to leave, just waited for the two to catch up with her before continuing. She leads the sisters down a strange path until they were getting close and Elizabeth turned to the sisters. "No matter what happens, we can't make a sound," she told the girls and they nodded their understanding before continuing. Elizabeth ran up behind three large boulders, hiding behind the one in the middle that was tall enough to conceal the girls, but small enough that they could see what was happening. Elizabeth bit her lip at the sight and the sisters both gasped.

The Stone Table, what Elizabeth had been trying to avoid since arriving in Narnia, but now she found herself a few feet from the stone and couldn't hide the discomfort. There were terrible squealing sounds and howling coming from the scene below. Torches were lit and it looked like the entire army of the Witch's had come to witness the event. The girls watched in horror as a path was made down the center and Aslan walked through up the stairs towards Jadis. It was amazing to see that even though Aslan was not doing anything threatening, the creatures would start to come close to the lion before jumping back in fear when they were within about a foot of him. He maintained his regal composure as he ascended the staircase. Elizabeth watched as Jadis walked on top the stone table with a dagger in her hands as she stared at Aslan with hunger in her eyes. Elizabeth clenched her fists from where they sat, Jadis had been waiting for this moment for and Aslan was practically handing it over to her.