"We need to cross," Peter says, looking out at the river of ice that is breaking apart faster by the second.
"Now!"
"Don't beavers make dams?" Lucy says.
I smile down at her, amused.
"I'm not that fast, dear!"
Peter takes Lucy's arm and pulls her forwards as we start our descent down to the river.
"Wait! We need to just think about this for a minute!" Susan yells.
"We don't have a minute!" Peter yells back.
"I'm just trying to be realistic." She says, slightly offended.
"No, you're trying to be smart," He says. "As usual."
Wolves howl from behind us and I try to quicken my pace, but when I nearly slip on a rock I decide that it is better if I try to make it to the river alive and then I'll worry about the rest later.
The ice is obviously not stable enough to hold us up, but Peter begins to step out onto it.
"Wait," Beaver says. "Maybe I should go first."
"Maybe you should." Peter replies looking down at the ice.
Beaver begins to carefully walk out onto the ice and slaps his tail against it. Part of it cracks beneath him and his wife shouts, "You've been sneaking second helpings, haven't you?"
"Well, you never know which meal's gonna be your last. Especially with your cooking."
I bite back a small grin and carefully step forward onto the ice. As it cracks under my feet I quickly jump to another spot on the ice.
One more step, my foot lands on the ice.
My feet dance across the cobblestone road.
My feet quickly slide to a more secure ice patch.
I tilt my head back and laugh as the accordion plays.
I put a hand up to shield my eyes from the sun and nearly lose my balance when my foot hits a slippery spot.
My eyes glaze over as I spin around. I see candlelights, people dancing and laughing, others are cheering as we dance.
I stamp my foot down on the ice before carefully walking out father.
I stamp my foot down and clap my hands as the song continues.
A small hand takes mine and I look down to see Violet with her hair pulled into two braids. She and I both laugh and continue dancing.
"Oh no!" Lucy cries out.
I look up and see wolves crossing the large ice glacier before jumping down quickly and standing in front of us, their jaws snapping menacingly.
The music begins to grow quieter, but Violet and I continue to dance. People begin to back into the shops.
"Verbrenne die läden. Nehmen sie alle leute, die sie können, in gewahrsam." A German soldier speaks out.
I stop spinning and pull Violet closer to me.
Three German soldiers approach our small crowd.
Beaver jumps out and sticks up a paw at the wolves, but ends up with his head in a locked position as a wolf bites down on his neck.
Peter pulls out his sword and points it at the wolves.
"Put that away, Son of Adam," A wolf laughs as it slowly walks towards us. "Someone could get hurt."
One of the soldiers takes a torch and throws it into the shops and it explodes into flames in a matter of seconds.
The man who owned the shop runs inside screaming and tries to get as many goods out as he can. One of the soldiers goes in after him and drags the man out.
"Bring ihn zu den lastwagen. Der rest muss hinterfragt werden." The biggest soldier says.
The man is pulled away screaming as he holds onto what little he managed to save from his shop.
The third soldier reaches out and grabs Violet's arm.
She kicks and screams, but he won't let go of her.
"Lâchez-la!" I cry out, beating the soldiers arms. He swings me aside and I crash into a vender's stand. Turning, I grab onto Violet as the man pulls her forward. Violet bites the man's hand and he lets go, crying out.
"Sors d'ici! Courez Violet!" I scream.
"Leave now, while you can." The wolf says, sniggering as it gets closer to us. "And your brother leaves with you."
Peter does not put away his sword. Lucy comes to me and wraps her arms around my waist.
"Stop, Peter! Maybe we should listen to him!" Susan shouts.
The wolf chuckles.
"Smart girl."
Violet turns and runs down an alley and one of the soldiers chases after her. I begin screaming at them, but a hand wraps around my mouth and my voice is muffled.
I kick and try to scream out, but they do not let go.
I turn down, crying out in panic, and see blood pouring down my captor's hand, where Violet bit him.
"Tu!" The soldier snaps in a thick German accent. "Tu! Idiote!"
"Look! Just because some man in a red coat hands you a sword doesn't make you a hero!" Susan continues shouting at her brother.
"Just drop it!"
Peter only looks at her and turns his attention back to the wolf.
"What's it gonna be, Son of Adam?" The wolf continues. "I won't wait forever. And neither will the river."
At that moment, the glacier begins to burst and water spews out from it.
"Hold onto me!" Peter shouts as he plunges his sword into the ice.
Ice falls around us and a large wave of water crashes over us and we are pulled underneath.
"Vous n'avez aucun respect pour les soldats allemands."
He hits me over the head with his gun and I can feel blood trickling down from the side of my face and into my hair. My vision is weak and my skull throbs.
My grip on Peter slips and I am pulled deeper into the water.
I thrash around, desperately trying to reach the surface.
I am thrown to the ground.
"Et pour cela," The soldier continues pulling a gun out from its holster. "Tu dois mourir."
My lungs feel as if they are going to burst.
My eyes close shut as I pray that I don't accidentally suck in water.
People behind me scream and cry.
I shut my eyes as I hear the click of the gun and soon after that the loud crack as it shoots out a bullet.
My head breaks through the surface of the water and I gulp in air.
I hear a loud thud and look to my side to see a man staring back at me, his eyes empty and lifeless.
Blood falls from his head and I realize that he jumped in front of the bullet, saving me from death.
I scream out and try to kick out my legs, my arms flailing around.
"Please!" I cry out.
I don't want to die.
I didn't want him to die. Not for me.
I am in shock and I try to scramble away from his dead body. I begin coughing hysterically and turn to throw up.
I am so exhausted.
I can feel myself sinking underneath the water, and I don't try to push back to the surface.
I give in to the feeling of the cold water.
"Aller," I can hear a woman's voice say.
I turn around and wipe the side of my mouth.
"Va chercher ton petit ami." She says.
I nod my head, dizzy, and stumble around trying to find the alley she ran down.
I can feel myself being lifted to the surface.
I try to open my eyes under the water.
I catch a glimpse of black hair.
My hand reaches out and grabs a small handful of it. I smile slightly as a hand reaches out and takes mine in theirs.
"Violet?" I say, bubbles leaving my mouth and up to the surface of the water.
"You're safe, Elaine." She says to me. Violet looks down at me, she looks so calm.
Suddenly her face twists and she shouts under the water.
"Breathe, Elaine!" Bubbles fly from her mouth and engulf my face. "Elaine! You have to breathe!"
Turning the corner, I bolt down the road, nearly tripping over a barrel that rats have swarmed around.
"Finde das mädchen! Lass sie nicht entkommen!" One of the soldiers yells from far behind me.
I skid around a building, silently praying that I don't find Violet lying dead on the road.
I turn onto my side and throw up.
Gasping for air I turn and see the Beavers.
"You're alright, dear," Mrs. Beaver says. "You're alright."
"Gave us a right scare, you did!" Mr. Beaver says.
I laugh a bit and then scrunch up my eyes.
"I thought I was going to die."
"Not on our watch!" Mr. Beaver says with his paws placed on his small hips.
"Thank you," I say.
I spot the Pevensies on the bank of the river.
The Beavers help me off the ice block we were floating on and I turn to see only Susan and Peter.
"Where's Lucy?" I say, panicked.
"Violet!" I scream out.
What if I never see her again?
What if she is dead?
She's only seven!
"Oh mon Dieu, s'il te plaît, ne laisse pas Violet mourir!"
"Lucy!" I scream out, looking at the river, desperate to see a small, freckled girl, her head bobbing on the water.
Nothing.
"What have you done?" Susan screams at Peter.
"Lucy!" I cry out again.
My breathing becomes unsteady.
"Lucy!" I scream with every last breath I have in my lungs.
"Violet!" I cry once more, before stopping.
I let out a sob and my hands immediately go to my hair.
I fall to my knees.
She's dead.
They got her.
She's dead.
"Elaine?"
"Elaine?"
I turn my head and see a small, soaking wet Lucy Pevensie who is frantically trying to wrap her wet shawl around herself.
"Has anyone seen my coat?" She asks, nonchalantly.
The small girl comes up and wraps her arms around me and I continue to cry as I hug her back.
"Je suis là. C'est bon. Nous sommes en sécurité maintenant." Violet says.
I let out another sob and pull her closer to me.
"Tu m'as tellement fait peur!" I say, shakily.
She holds my face in her small hands and gives me a reassuring smile before wiping a bit of blood away from my face.
"Je les ai trompés avec une pièce de monnaie. Je l'ai jeté dans la direction opposée pour qu'ils suivent le son!" She says. She looks so proud.
"Allons, ils nous cherchent toujours." I say.
Violet takes my hand in hers and we run through the streets of France.
Peter goes to Lucy and wraps the wet fur coat around her.
Lucy runs to me and wraps her arms around my sides.
"You nearly drowned!" She cries out.
I sink to my knees and hug her back.
"But I didn't," I say, trying to comfort her.
"We're all here," Peter says.
"And I don't think you'll be needing those coats much longer." Mrs. Beaver says.
I look to where her eyes are staring and see a small tree with its leaves beginning to bloom despite the cold snow.