Chapter Twenty Five
The Deal
Elizabeth stood tall alongside Aslan on top the rock where Aslan's tent was located and Peter, Susan, and Lucy had first met them. The Pevensie's stood nearest to Elizabeth and Aslan along the far side of the aisles that were made for Jadis to make her way through the crowd. Mummers went through the crowd as Jadis made her way through but Elizabeth stood with her hands in front of her as before in silence along with Aslan. The two just watched as Jadis approached. Elizabeth didn't show it, but she was trembling on the inside.
"Jadis, the Queen of Narnia!" Ginarrbrik chanted through the crowds as he walked in front of Jadis seated high up on a throne that she was making ogres carry. "Empress of the Lone Islands!" he continued to chant as he was greeted with shouts and yells from Aslan's camp in disagreement. The titles the dwarf was giving to Jadis was Elizabeth, their rightful Queen's titles as well as the Pevensie siblings. Jadis was not their Queen and they were making sure she knew that she was not welcomed here.
The Pevensie's watched in horror as Jadis approached and when Edmund turned to Elizabeth to see how she was taking this, he was surprised to see how strong and regal she appeared. Not a lick of fear was plastered across her face, she looked as if she was ready to take Jadis down now in front of everyone. He didn't know how she could do it. He envied her courage and admired her for it.
Once Jadis was near the rock, Aslan let out a low growl that was loud enough for Elizabeth to hear. In response, she held her head up high and the pair turned their noses up towards Jadis as the ogres placed her throne on the ground. Jadis' eyes were big as she stared at Elizabeth. She pushed herself out of her chair and squinted at Elizabeth. Then she turned to look at Edmund standing with his siblings. Edmund's heart beat faster and he started breathing faster as Jadis stared at him.
Jadis then turned from Edmund back to facing Aslan as she paused and stared at the two. "You have a traitor in your midst Aslan, and—" she started as she turned to face Elizabeth and narrowed her eyes. "Daughter of Aslan."
Elizabeth let out a deep breath as she watched Jadis and people in the crowd started talking furiously at Jadis' words. A traitor?! The siblings looked at Edmund for a moment and Lucy grabbed his arm for reassurance before turning back to the conversation in front of them.
"His offense was not against you," Elizabeth said with a slight snarl at Jadis and narrowing her eyes at the Witch.
Jadis let out a slight smirk as she turned to Aslan, ignoring Elizabeth. "Have you forgotten the laws upon which Narnia was built?"
Aslan let out a roar at her out of the disrespect she showed towards Elizabeth and her audacity to speak to him as she did. "Do not cite the Deep Magic to me Witch. I was there when it was written," he snarled with his eyes turning into slits.
Jadis paused for a moment as she watched the two before continuing. "Then you'll remember well that every traitor belongs to me. His blood is my property. Elizabeth will do well to remember," Jadis said with a smirk and Elizabeth's lips turned into a tight line as she inhaled deeply.
"Try to take him then," Peter challenged as he ripped his sword from his holster and holding it out towards Jadis.
Jadis didn't even flinch. She just raised an eyebrow and gave a small laugh at the boy. "Do you really think that mere force will deny me my right . . . little King?" She smirked at him before turning back towards Aslan. "Aslan and his daughter know that unless I have blood, as the law demands, all of Narnia will be overturned and perish in fire and water."
Aslan hung his head low and Elizabeth bit her lip knowing that Jadis was right. As far as she was concerned, there was really nothing they could do. Jadis raised her finger and pointed it at Edmund as she raised her voice. "That boy will die on the Stone Table . . . as is tradition," she said as the camp gasped and Edmund's siblings looked terrified and turned to their brother. Elizabeth gave Edmund a look of regret and heart-break.
Jadis turned back towards Aslan with an evil grin. "You dare not refuse me," she challenged.
"Enough," Aslan called out and the camp went back to silence. "I shall talk to you alone," he said in a quieter tone.
Jadis raised an eyebrow and with her head held high took a step towards the two but Aslan gave a small growl of warning. "If you so much as lay a hand on Elizabeth—"
"—Understood," Jadis said with an annoyed look on her face as she finished for him. The three then went into Aslan's tent. Elizabeth first with Aslan behind her and then Jadis.
There was no telling how long they were in the tent talking, perhaps an hour when there was shouting heard from inside the tent. They couldn't tell what was being said but the shouting was clearly coming from Elizabeth and the Witch. Elizabeth sounded angry and hurt while Jadis sounded unrelenting and demanding. The shouting sounds went on for a few more seconds before there was a loud roar, no doubt coming from Aslan, and a few seconds later the front of the tent was ripped open and Elizabeth stormed out. Edmund watched her standing on top of the rock as she breathed heavy and her face was a bright red and her eyes looked puffy. Almost as if she'd been crying. When Edmund raised an eyebrow towards her as if to ask her if she was okay, Elizabeth just shook her head at him before she made a pouting face and ran off into the grassy field away from everyone. She needed to be alone to herself to think.
Edmund jumped to his feet ready to go after but Susan placed her hand on his arm. "Let her go," she said softly. "She probably needs a moment to herself."
Edmund looked down at his sister before taking another look in the direction Elizabeth had left in. He couldn't see her anymore and Susan was probably right. So he took his seat once more and waited for Aslan and Jadis to leave the tent. The crowd was quiet in waiting for another good thirty minutes and Lucy started pulling grass from the ground out of boredom. It seemed that Aslan and Jadis were never going to leave the tent.
Then a faun suddenly stood up along with countless others on the side of the tent claiming they were coming out. The Pevensie's stood to their feet as well and just as they did so, Jadis ripped the tent doors open just as Elizabeth had done earlier and paused. She seemed to actually be looking for Elizabeth. Slowly she walked out of the tent and not able to find Elizabeth, let her eyes rest on Edmund. Jadis watched Edmund as she walked along the rock and Edmund's heart seemed to skip a beat.
Jadis then looked away from Edmund and continued walking towards her throne in the grass. Aslan then emerged from the tent and standing on top the rock everyone turned to him with gasps to see what the outcome was. Edmund and Aslan stared at one another for a moment and Edmund's heart raced. Did the Witch change her mind? Was she going to set him free? Aslan's eyes gave nothing away as he looked at Edmund. Edmund felt like he couldn't breathe.
Aslan then turned to the crowd like a judge reading the accused sentence. "She has renounced her claim on the Son of Adam's blood."
There were collective sighs of relief echoing throughout the crowd and cheers of rejoicing for Edmund's grace. The Pevensies yelled out of joy and hugged their brother and held him close thankful that he was saved.
"How do I know your promise will be kept?" Jadis asked as she spun on her heel and broke the cheers as she stood on her throne.
Aslan gave her a furious look before he bared his fangs and roared so loud that Jadis sat quickly in her chair out of fear. Aslan stood tall where he was and watched her leave as the camp erupted into louder cheers. Lucy grabbed Edmund into a tight hug and Susan and Peter hugged out of the celebration. Looks like they were safe after all, at least for the time being.
Edmund then turned to Aslan to give him a nod of thanks but noticed that Aslan was hanging his head low to the ground. The smile on Edmund's face started to fade as he watched Aslan. He looked quite pitiful, Edmund wondered what was the matter. Aslan's eyes looked up and met Edmund's with a sad look on his face, a look of pain and hurt. Edmund frowned as he watched Aslan. What could be the matter? Aslan then hung his head once more and turned around and started walking off into the field where Edmund had seen Elizabeth walk away earlier.
Elizabeth! He had completely forgotten. Edmund excused himself from his siblings and then took off in the direction he had watched Elizabeth go in earlier. She couldn't have gone too far right?
Edmund found himself going down a steep slope of grass and then into trees. He was in a forest now and had no idea where he was. As he walked through the forest, he heard the clashing sounds of what seemed like rocks and the sound of cries and frustration. Walking in the direction of the noise, he came upon a creek, the same creek where Elizabeth was practicing her magic and the fight with Maugrim had been a few days ago.
Sure enough, Elizabeth was standing on the creek bed picking up rock after rock and throwing it at the trees on the other end of the creek. Each time the rocks would hit the tree trucks, with surprising accuracy, Elizabeth would let out a loud grunt and cry of frustration as she did so. She looked furious. She had tears streaming down her face and her teeth were grit. Letting out a loud "argh" sound she picked up another rock and threw it at the tree her shoulders shaking out of rage. Then she started kicking the rocks around her, which was a lot considering she was in a creek bed of rocks, before giving up and falling on the ground with her knees pulled up to her chest and sobbed. Her shoulders shook as she buried her head in her knees with her arms wrapped around her legs pulling her body tight in a ball. She couldn't let anyone see her like this. She was supposed to be strong and fearless, not weak and defenseless. But she couldn't help it. What Aslan was planning to do, what he was going to do, it was breaking her. And nothing she could say or do would change his mind.
Edmund cleared his throat as he walked beside Elizabeth and stood next to her. A light blush appeared on her face as she looked up at him, quite embarrassed since she knew he had just seen her in her rage and now as she was crying her eyes out. She didn't respond instead moved her head away from him. "Go away," she said with a frustrated tone. "I want to be alone."
"Elizabeth," Edmund said softly as he sat beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. "I just wanted to see if you were okay."
"Yeah well I'm not obviously," she said rolling her eyes and burying her face back in her knees.
"If you don't want to talk about it, I understand. I just wanted you to know that I'm here if you do."
Elizabeth stopped sobbing so heavily and placed her chin on her knees as silent tears slowly slid down her face. The two sat quietly for a moment while Elizabeth's breathing returned to normal. "I'm sorry, I'm usually not like that."
Edmund just shrugged his shoulders. "I don't mind. It must have been troubling to see the Witch again."
Elizabeth gave a small smirk. "Tell me about it," she mumbled as she watched the waves ripple in the creek.
The two sat in silence for a moment as they both just observes the water in the creek. Elizabeth had stopped crying and had now calmed down. Neither one made an effort to say anything, just respected the other's boundaries.
"My brother Cedric was the eldest of the four of us," Elizabeth said quietly breaking the silence. Edmund looked up confused from the water and turned to face Elizabeth while she continued to watch the water. "He was nothing like your older brother Peter who looks out for you guys and protects you. Cedric was independent and narcissistic. He didn't care about anyone other than himself. No one's opinion made any difference towards him unless it was his own.
"Cedric was good with mind tricks. He had a way of convincing you he was going to help you or benefit you when in reality he was only taking advantage of you. Cedric was cold and cruel. My brother Digory and I never got along with him. My sister, Sybil, rarely did but because they were so close in age they were often associated with one another. My sister and father were the only ones that Cedric would actually listen to on occasion."
"Why are you telling me all of this?" Edmund asked confused.
"Because my brother betrayed us," she said softly as she turned to Edmund before turning back to the water.
"I was the first one to find Narnia out of my siblings. I actually found it because Cedric got mad at me for stealing some of his sweets," Elizabeth said with a soft laugh and a small smile popped up on her face before quickly fading. "He locked me in the wardrobe and I stumbled across Narnia. Of course, when I came back none of my siblings believed me. About the fifth time returning to Narnia, I convinced my siblings to go with me. We were there for about a day and lost Cedric during that time for about an hour. Turns out he had stumbled across Jadis during that time and struck a deal with her.
"Upon his return, he convinced all of us to go to her Ice Castle between the mountains. Not knowing any better, the rest of us agreed and followed him. Sure enough, Cedric thought that by bringing us that Jadis would just imprison us. Of course, that wasn't her plan, though. She thought that we were the four Sons of Adams and Daughters of Eve spoken in the prophecy to defeat her, so she tried to have us killed. My sister was the first of us to be killed, Jadis killed her herself with her staff. Only, unlike all the others where she turns them into stone, she stabbed my sister. Sybil died instantly.
"I guess what I'm trying to say is that even though Cedric was always cold towards us and never showed any compassion towards us, he surprised us in the end. Cedric was killed by Jadis for trying to protect Digory and I. We made it out alive because Cedric sacrificed himself for us. If you had asked before then I would have never thought Cedric would be capable of such a thing. I guess family really does surprise you, though.
"I still have nightmares about it sometimes. I lost my two older siblings in the incident and lost Digory shortly after. From what Susan's told me it sounds like he's still alive and fairing well," Elizabeth said starting to trail off.
"He's a professor now, really nice too. He misses you, though," Edmund informed Elizabeth and she gave him a small smile in return as she turned to face him.
She didn't realize how close Edmund was to her until she turned to look at him and realized his face was only a few inches from her own. A bit of heat raised to her cheeks and she backed up from him a little. She didn't really pay as much attention before, but his eyes were a slight green. She used to think they were a dark brown like his hair but now that she was up close she could see they were certainly green. "You have Susan's eyes," she said quietly.
"And you have your brothers," Edmund said with a slight smile.
Elizabeth frowned when she took more notice to the cut on his lip and the bruise beside his eye. The bruise was a nasty yellow and purple on her face and Elizabeth knew he must have been beaten bad to get a nasty bruise such as this. She also took notice to a slight incision on his eyebrow as well.
She started to raise her hand towards his face but then quickly pulled back realizing how rude or weird that was. "Do you mind?" She asked him gently and he shook his head.
Elizabeth pulled her hand back up and gently placed the palm of her hand on the side of Edmund's face where the damage was. With a blink of her eyes, they turned a bright yellow and her palm began to glow yellow on Edmund's face. Edmund's face began to burn where Elizabeth's hand was but not a painful burn, a good burn, like the pain from the side of his face was being sucked out of him. When Elizabeth took her hand away and batted her eyes, her eyes were back to normal and Edmund's face was healed.
"Better?" She asked with a gentle smile and Edmund felt the side of his face with big eyes.
Edmund looked at his reflection in the water and was shocked to find the cuts and bruises had all but vanished. He looked back at Elizabeth with a big smile on his face. "How did you do that?"
"Magic, I learned it since coming here," she replied.
Edmund turned to face Elizabeth while she continued to watch the water. "What happened in the tent that got you and Jadis so riled up in there if you guys ended up succeeding in saving me?"
Elizabeth was quiet for a moment and had to turn away from Edmund not able to face him. "I'm not allowed to talk about it," she said quietly.
"Oh," Edmund mumbled as he looked at the rocks he was sitting on.
"Aslan just had to make a deal with Jadis to change her mind." Elizabeth started continuing the conversation and turning back to the water. "I'm just not allowed to say what the deal was. I didn't agree with it but there's nothing I can do about it. Aslan's not going to change his mind." Edmund remained quiet and Elizabeth turned to face him. "He really cares about you you know. He cares about all of your siblings too. Aslan would do anything for you guys, just like he would for me. I may not agree with his methods but he'd do anything to keep us safe."
Edmund frowned slightly as he faced Elizabeth. "Are you saying he made a deal with Jadis at his own expense?"
"You could say that," Elizabeth exclaimed painfully. "All I know is that if you know what he plans on doing, you wouldn't like it either."
Edmund thought through what Elizabeth had been telling him. If Aslan had made a deal with the Witch to make sure Edmund had survived, to what extent would Aslan make a deal? From what Elizabeth was making it sound like, it was a deal that wasn't going to end well for the rest of them.
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A/N:
Man poor Elizabeth, she is so torn up :( Even though y'all probably know why, poor Edmund still has no idea why.
Buuuuuut, things are certainly heating up for Elizamund 😏😏😏
What do you think their couple name should be???
I ship it so hard I just want them to get together!!!!
Vote if you agree!!!