The Chronicles Of Narnia : The High Queen

Chapter 11

The two glanced at Oreius as he brought down a minotaur before swinging his sword at Jadis.
He missed but before he could counter back, Jadis stabbed her wand at Oreius, the centaur turning into stone before their very eyes.

Aria gasped in horror, staggering in her steps as she drew her sword.

"She'll pay for it!", Aria shouted, charging into the angry crowd.

Peter fumbled to get a grip of her, but failed as he was dragged back by a centaur.
Peter met Edmund's eyes and knowing it was a losing battle, he called out to him, urging him to leave, along with his sisters.

Peter turned around, straining his neck to find Aria among the crowd.
He caught a glimpse of her black hair, as she fought off a minotaur, twice her size.

The girl drove her sword through the creature's chest before pulling it back out, her gaze shifting around her in a hurry.

Aria stumbled around in a haze, her eyes then landing on something behind Peter, her eyes widening.

"Edmund!".

Peter turned around to see the boy gripping his stomach, Jadis pulling out the wand she had stabbed him with.

"Ed!", Peter cried out, almost collapsing to his knees.
The boy roared angrily, charging the witch in a rage, her wielding his fallen brother's blade in tandem with her own.

Aria struggled to get to Peter, as creatures from Jadis' army attacked her with every step she took.

Aria breached the enemy line, coming onto a fallen Peter as Jadis raised her sword to strike.

"No!", Aria cried out desperately, swinging her sword to clash against Jadis'.
The witch froze momentarily, taking in the girl who held her sword directed at her.

Jadis sneered, standing straighter and twirling the sword in her hand.
The witch swung first, Aria's sword receiving the blow with the flat of her blade.

Peter scrambled to his feet. Picking up his sword, the boy moved to help the girl.
A wolf, however, jumped inbetween them, blocking him.
Peter sighed and glanced at Aria, praying that she would survive it.

Their blades bound together again.
Aria watched a wretched grin split the witch's lips as her blade shivered under the brutality of Jadis' compelling strength.

"You are quite a warrior," she throatily crooned, pressing closer to Aria's face.

Aria glared with sheer hatred.
She was tired, and was already hurt from several glancing blows.

The girl pushed Jadis back and swung her sword like mad.
She was no longer terrified. She was burning with rage.

All these victims, the war - all because of her.
And for what?
So that she might have power over Narnia, and the creatures in it, for whom she cared so little.

Aria cried out angrily and slashed down at Jadis' head.
The witch countered by raising her sword high and blocking it.
The girl swung her sword again and the tip of Aria's sword sliced cleanly across the witch's face.

Jadis gasped, clutching her face, her eyes growing black as she stared at the girl.

Aria impeded Jadis' sword arm, gripped her own sword halfway down the blade, and plunged it into Jadis' chest, barely missing her heart.

Jadis stopped.
She gasped, choked, and stared at Aria with a mix of surprise and malice.

Her eyes burned with hatred.
She pulled out the sword from her chest with barely a mournful cry.

Aria stumbled back. She thought she had ended it.

Jadis moved closer to her slowly, her palm pressed tightly to her wound. The red seeped into her dress, creating a stark contrast against her pale skin.

Aria's heart thumped loudly in her chest.

The witch raised her own sword menacingly above her head.

But a loud roar stopped her.

Aria's eyes darted to the lion, as it pounced on the witch.
The girl flinched and looked away.

Jadis was dead.

Aria collapsed to her knees.
She watched the lion look at her, smiling softly with a nod.

Aslan was alive.

The girl smiled back at Aslan but her gaze shifted to the Pevensies who surrounded the wounded boy.

The battlefield laid quiet, for it was now a land of the wounded and the dead. Their bodies lay among the buttercups and the forget-me-nots.

The sun still shone and the wind still blew, but the Narnians lay around her and Aria couldn't peel her eyes away from the boy she held dear.

Lucy held a cordial to his lips, and Aria watched, holding her breath, waiting for something- anything.

Edmund stopped moving momentarily before coughing, and Aria sighed in relief.

She rose to her feet and ran to the boy, enveloping him in a tight hug.

"Edmund! You flipping scared us all!", she held his shoulders.
"Don't ever do that again!".
She hugged the boy again.

Edmund chuckled, hugging the girl back. "I'm not counting on it".

The children laughed, embracing one another.
They turned to look at Aslan who restored a stone satyr beside him.

Lucy's eyes widened. She held her cordial in her hands, smiling widely.

The young one ran into the fields, along with Aslan hoping to restore the wounded and those turned to stone.

Aria stood up and looked to Peter, who wore a small grin.
There were no words needed to explain how grateful that they were alive.

Peter brushed his finger against a scar on Aria's cheek and Aria felt warmth at his touch.

She threw her arms around his neck, and embraced him.
Peter held on tightly, his arms around her back.

All was good.