{ chapter six ~ merry christmas }
The scenery from there on out was mainly rocks and trees and lots and lots of snow. So much snow, Mila was beginning to grow tired of it. Although, Peter did share his coat with her, which made the trip a whole lot better. She stumbled slightly as the group came to a stop, but due to her closeness with Peter, he stopped her from falling completely. In any other situation the landscape would have pleased Mila, she would have been pretty happy to let her eyes dance along such a beautiful view, but now wasn't the time to sit and stare at the horizon over the frozen river. It wasn't the time to think about that river melting to bring back summer as she used too many years ago. It just wasn't the time.
"Aslan's camp is near the stone table just across the frozen river." Mr. Beaver pointed out the location they were heading to. Peter looked around. "River?" He questioned. Mila nodded, "The rivers have been frozen for over a hundred years." Mrs. Beaver told him. "It's beautiful when it's flowing though." Mila butted in, the thoughts she had pushed aside coming to her. "From what I remember anyways." Peter smiled, he saw the light dance in Mila's eyes, he liked how happy she looked thinking about her past. She looked happy when she thought about Narnia before the White Witch. "It's so far." Peter sighed. "That's the world dear. Did you expect it to be small?" Mrs Beaver said from beside Lucy. "SmallER." Susan complained. Mila chuckled, she had thought the same many years ago. "Well come on. We have to start somewhere." Mr. Beaver told them before walking ahead with a silent Susan.
"Tell me about it," Lucy said to Mila as she walked in front of the Princess and her brother. "About what?" She turned to the girl. "The river, when it flows." Mila let out a small chuckle. "I was four the last time I saw it, but I'll try and remember." She told her before attempting to vividly picture it in her head. "Okay, so." She said to the girl, now Susan had begun walking with them. "There's this big waterfall, and when the sun hit it on a really hot day it tended to make the water look like sparkling crystals. Flowers of all sorts of colours, I only remember the beautiful yellow ones, as I used to match all of my dresses to them." She giggled as she walked into a daze of her imagination. "The grass! Oh the grass, Lucy! It was so soft between your feet and it was greener than an emerald!" Mila could tell Lucy was imagining it too. My father and I used to have a picnic there every Sunday. We loved the sound of the rushing water. It was always a calm break away from the castle! The trees surrounding it used to dance and sing with the wind! It was truly wonderful!" She opened her eyes again to see the smiling faces of the three Pevensies. "It sounds beautiful." Susan smiled. "Where you close with your father?" Mila nodded, "Very." Susan grinned, "He gave me a necklace for my third birthday." She chuckled, "He said he was going to keep it for my 16th but he was too impatient." She put her hand around her neck as if to feel something that wasn't there. "But it's in Cair Paravel. Hopefully. I left most of my things there. I left my life there in fact." She shook her head. "Less of that. Tell me about Fin-ch-ly." She sounded out. "Finchley." Peter corrected before Susan could. "It's pretty boring really. The war is stopping us from describing any decent scenery." Mila nodded. "There are pretty flowers though!" Lucy excitedly told her. "Oh and trains and cars." Mila's face grew twisted with confusion. "What is trains and cars?" She questioned them. Susan laughed before smiling at the girl, "They'd be pretty easy to understand if you'd actually gotten the chance to see one." Mila listened eagerly as Peter, Susan, and Lucy told her about the wonders of their home. Finchley, England was a lot different from Narnia. But different intrigued her.
The walk soon grew boring. Each child grew tired meaning less chatter inflicted between them. "Come on humans." Mr. Beaver called back. While we're still young." Mila shook her head and rolled her eyes as she waited for Lucy. "He's getting on my right nerves," Mila whispered causing Lucy to laugh. "If he tells us to hurry one more time." Peter began as Mila and Susan helped Lucy onto Peter's back. "I'm going to turn him into a big fluffy hat." Susan and Mila grinned at one another before laughing about the boy's statement. "Tell me more about cars," Mila said in awe. She couldn't wrap her head around it. "Hurry up come on!" Mr. Beaver shouted back before Susan could get started. "He is getting a little bossy," Lucy said from Peter's back. "A little?" Mila almost shouted. "No behind you! It's her!" Mrs. Beaver shouted causing the Pevensies and Mila to look back. "Run!" Mr. Beaver called. Running in the snow was a struggle. Especially since Mila and Peter continuously checked on Lucy. Mila didn't care that she had to take herself from Peter's coat so they could run. The panic of being caught by the White Witch blocked out the harsh cold she was feeling. Mila turned her head around quickly at the sound of the sleigh getting closer. "Hurry!" Peter called before diving into a small rock cave the Beavers had found. "Quick! Duck!" Mr. Beaver told them.
Mila struggled to control her breathing due to being squashed between the body of Mr. Beaver and Peter. Her eyes widened as the sled seemed to come to a halt right above them. The stopping of the jingling bells caused the silence to take over. A deep silence that would have terrified Mila if she was hiding in the dark. Mila felt Mr. Beaver's paw pull her backward as snow began to fall from overhead. A hefty shadow shortly appeared on the snow mound in front of their hiding place. Mila placed a finger to her lips as she turned to Lucy. The Princess grabbed the small girl's hand in order to keep her protected and less worried.
Just as fast as the shadow came, it vanished. "Maybe she's gone," Lucy whispered. Mila shook her head, the White Witch always had a few tricks up her sleeve. "I suppose I'll go look," Peter whispered in response. Mila turned her head, shaking his vigorously. "No, your worth nothing to Narnia dead. Mr. Beaver said before turning to leave their small place of refuge. "Well, neither are you beaver." Mr. Beaver turned to his wife. "Thanks, sweetheart." He whispered as he took his hand and gave her a sympathetic look before turning to check out their surroundings.
The wait for Beaver to come back was almost agonising. Mila always thought of the worst. "Come out!" Mr. Beaver shouted as his head popped out from above causing Lucy to scream. "Come out! I hope you've all been good 'cause there's someone here to see ya!"
It took them a few moments to climb out of their hiding spot. Mila gasped in awe as a man in a red suit stood before them. He wasn't the White Witch at all. The old man chuckled at the smiling and shocked faces of the four children who stood before him. "Merry Christmas Sir," Lucy said with a beaming smile on her face. "It certainly is Lucy." Father Christmas agreed. "Especially since you have arrived." Susan turned to protest about him. "We thought you were the witch." Peter gave a shy smile as he stepped forward. "Yes, sorry about that. But in my defense, I've been driving one of these things a lot longer!" Mila chuckled before making her way toward the reindeer. "I thought there was no Christmas in Narnia," Susan questioned as she walked to join her siblings. "There hasn't been for a long time." Father Christmas told her before handing Mila a carrot to feed the reindeer. "The hope you have brought Your Majesties. It is finally starting to weaken the witch's power." Mila turned almost instantly. "Well, I guess, you could do with these." Mila giggled at the smile Lucy wore. "Presents!" She shouted before running to look at the toys inside the sack.
Mila remained near the reindeer as Father Christmas handed out the Pevensies their presents. "Princess Mila." The man in red said, finally. "I don't have that white pony you asked for all those years ago." Mila chuckled. "You remembered?" He nodded, "I remember everything every child has ever wanted." He said as he beckoned her to him. "But I do have something for you." He told her as he turned back to his sack. Mila looked astonished at the deep navy and silver sheath. But what she noticed was the words engraved. "It's what's inside that makes the warrior. Not the blade they hold." She smiled at that. "Is that?" Father Christmas nodded. "Your father's." He finished as he carefully passed it to her. He glanced at the sky before glancing down at Mila. "He and your family will be proud of how far you've come, Your Majesty." She smiled. "Thank you, Sir." She beamed. Father Christmas nodded, "Well then. I should be off. Winter is almost over and things pile up when you've been gone a hundred years." He chuckled before climbing back into his sleigh. "Long live Aslan! And Merry Christmas!" Mila waved and called after the man as he rode off. She glanced back down at the sword she held in her hand. "Don't worry." She mumbled as she closed her eyes. "I'll be careful Dad." She opened her eyes again. "He said winter was almost over." Peter pondered. "You know what that means!" He suddenly broke out. Mila gasped. "Oh, my god." She whispered knowing where he was heading. "No more ice."
Mila held her breath as she looked at the half-frozen, half-melted river. "We need to cross!" She spoke the obvious. "Like now."
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Edited 19/04/2023