(Image not mine)
Y/N'S POV
(I really recommend watching the Kingdom Dance scene from Tangled for the dancing scene, it's basically the same thing and will make it easier to understand)
The Witch had left and Aslan's camp was full of celebrations. Narnians filled the center of the camp, dancing, and drinking and stuffing their faces with dessert. There were circles of creatures dancing together to the fauns' music, laughing and bumping into each other. I smiled and watched them while I ate the Narnian version chocolate ice cream next to Susan. We were both in our festival dresses, cream-colored long skirts that swished around when we walked and matching tops. We also preferred to go barefoot since our leather boots were too hot and the grass was soft enough to walk on.
Something suddenly being placed on my head startled me and I turned around, "Lucy!"
The young girl giggled before placing another flower crown on Susan's head. "Now we all match." She pointed to the small pink flowers on her head. "Peter and Edmund refused to wear them."
"Such party poopers," I pouted, then set my ice cream down and pointed at the circle of dancers, "Would you like to dance, Lucy?"
"Actually," I swiveled around to see Peter walking towards us. He wore his festival clothes which consisted of brown pants, a creme shirt, and laced up leather gauntlets. "Lucy and I were about to dance." He grinned and held his hand out to Lucy.
Lucy grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the dancing, "Sorry, Y/n! I'll dance with you next!" She yelled over her shoulder.
I laughed and waved at her then turned to Susan, "I don't feel like waiting for the next dance. You coming?" I held out my hand.
She smiled and set down her empty cup of ice cream before standing and grabbing my hand. We ran over to the people bouncing and dancing around, energetic flute and drum music filling my ears as we entered the circle. I joined hands with a faun on my left, still holding Susan's hand while her other held onto a dwarf's hand. We quickly skipped to the right, spinning the outer circle of dancers around the smaller circle. I saw Lucy and Peter in the small circle, skipping in the opposite direction with their group and smiling broadly. While we spun I caught sight of familiar dark hair standing at the edge of the dancing area with a bunch of other Narnians.
I hooked arms with someone from the inner circle and spun around with them, smiling as an idea came to mind. Just as we were about to grab onto the next partner in the dance, I grasped the arm of an unsuspecting faun who was watching and pulled him in. I swung him in front of my next partner and leaped out of the circle to face Edmund.
"Come on!" I held my hand out to him.
He waved his hands in front of him, "No, no I can't dance."
I sighed and grabbed his hand, tugging him into the dance. He yelped and tried to go back but two fauns already had a steel rip on his hands and were tugging him along, forcing him to skip around with the circle. I laughed and jumped into the inner circle, just so happening to link hands with Lucy and the dwarf that was next to her.
"I can't believe you go Ed to join!" She shouted over the loud music. We were facing outwards so she was able to see that Edmund was dancing now too, or at least trying to.
I grinned, "He didn't exactly have much of a choice!"
She laughed and we leaped out, grabbing our partner's hand from the outer circle and spinning around. I spotted Edmund a few people down. The people from the inner circle swung to the left and the outer circle swung to the right, both meeting each other to find another partner to swing around. I linked arms with the faun who was my partner and we twirled before everyone jumped into the air in unison. Then the partners switched again and this time I linked arms with Edmund.
"How are you liking it?" I shouted.
He spun me around, "I have no idea what I'm doing but it's not horrible."
I laughed and grinned at him, "You're actually not bad!"
The music came to a dramatic halt as the song ended and we stopped in front of each other. I curtsied dramatically and he answered with an equally dramatic bow. If this is what Aslan meant by being supportive then I should be getting an A-plus.
"Edmund!" Susan ran over to us, "I didn't think you would dance. Thank goodness Y/n is so stubborn."
We laughed and Edmund smiled slightly before we made our way over to the table Peter and Lucy were sitting at. By now it was getting dark so there were lanterns and candles placed on all the tables. I sat down next to Lucy and plucked a grape from her plate to pop in my mouth.
"You can get your own plate you know," Peter chuckled. I shrugged and plucked another grape. Peter continued, "We'd best be getting some sleep. We want to be prepared for tomorrow."
Susan nodded and stood up, "Come on, Lucy, Y/n."
I stood up and said goodnight to Edmund and Peter before entering the tent Susan, Lucy, and I shared. We threw off of festival dresses and pulled on our normal dresses. The one thing they forgot in our trunks was pajamas so we had to wear these. I bid goodnight to the two girls and fell into bed, tired from the night's festivities.
---
LUCY'S POV
I couldn't sleep, I kept thinking about Aslan's face when he announced that the Witch had spared Edmund. Unlike everyone else he actually looked sad and lonely. I knew something was wrong.
I tossed around in my bed, trying to find a comfortable position when a large shadow traveled across the wall of the tent. That was definitely a lion's silhouette.
"Susan!" I whispered. I didn't want to wake Y/n up, she needed to be well-rested for tomorrow.
Susan groaned and looked at me. I swung myself out of bed and grabbed my cloak and belt with the gifts from Father Christmas hanging on them. Her eyes widened and she quickly snatched up her cloak and bow, following me out of the tent. We crept around the side to see Aslan walking up a hill and disappearing into the trees.
I looked at her quizzically before moving to follow him, hiding behind trees as we went. We were already pretty far down a path when Aslan stopped.
"Shouldn't you both be in bed?" He spoke softly.
We stepped out from behind a tree, "We couldn't sleep."
"Please, Aslan," Susan spoke, "Couldn't we come with you?"
He turned his head towards us, "I would be glad of the company for a while. Thank you."
Susan and I stood on either side of Aslan and pet his fluffy mane as we walked. A long time passed and tiny hints of bluer sky showed through the leaves by the time Aslan stopped.
"It is time. From here, I must go alone."
"But Aslan..."
"You have to trust me. For this must be done." He said solemnly, "Thank you, Susan. Thank you, Lucy. And farewell."
He walked away and Susan put her hand on my shoulder before beckoning me to follow her into some nearby bushes. We followed Aslan while making sure we were hidden but stopped behind the foliage when we heard squealing. It sounded like an angry boar was screaming. Peering around the bushes, we saw a hill covered in the Witch's army. The ugly things hoisted torches into the night sky, illuminating the stairs leading up to a stone archway and table. As Aslan climbed, demonic creatures howled and screeched at him, taunting him, hoping he would give them a reason to attack. Nevertheless, he calmly walked and met the Witch at the top. She stood on the stone table in a black dress and held a knife in front of her stomach.
"Behold. The great lion." The creatures laughed and jeered at him. My stomach twisted, suddenly knowing what they were going to do.
A black minotaur stepped forward, carrying an ax while the other creatures pressed in on Aslan, keeping him from moving too much. The minotaur looked back at the Witch and she nodded in approval, so he swung the handle of his ax to knock Aslan onto the ground. Demons yelled and cheered as Aslan roared. I gasped a little at the sight of the majestic lion being taken down so easily, it's like he was letting it happen.
"Do you want some milk?" Ginarrbrik sneered. Aslan stayed on the ground.
"Why doesn't he fight back?" I hissed.
The Witch pointed her knife at him, "Bind him." She commanded.
Pig and bug-like creatures swarmed around Aslan shouting various things like "Tie him up!" and "Get him!", wrapping his legs and mouth together with rope.
"Wait." The Witch shouted, "Let him first be shaved."
The crowd cheered and took turns hacking off his mane, chunk by chunk. Aslan groaned beneath them but still didn't resist. I knew he could kill them all if he really wanted to, so why didn't he?
"Bring him to me."
After they hauled him up onto the table, the Witch silenced the crowd with a swish of her arm. I watched in horror as six hags began to rhythmically bang their torches on the ground, the others quickly joining them. The Witch bent down to Aslan's ear and said something that I couldn't hear, but I didn't like Aslan's reaction. His eyes widened in sorrow and when he looked in our direction I could see the pain in his eyes.
"Tonight... the Deep Magic will be appeased!" The demons squealed and howled at the Witch's words, "But tomorrow, we will take Narnia forever!"
Even louder cheering erupted before she looked down at Aslan, "In that knowledge, despair..." I watched, horrified as she raised her knife above his chest. "...and die!"
Aslan looked up and met my eyes just as she struck him. A tear rolled down my eye as his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell, unmoving. I squeezed my eyes shut and sobbed. Susan pulled me into a hug and I felt her hot tears hit my shoulder. We held each other for a moment, both of us horrified by Aslan's death.
A minotaur roared and I looked up, seeing the demonic creatures file out of the area and down the hill. It only took them a moment to fully abandon the place so Susan and I walked out from our hiding place and towards Aslan. I stopped on top of the stairs and stared at his body, whimpering slightly. Quickly running to the table he was on I jumped up to sit next to him and gazed at his bound face, more tears running down. An idea struck and I pulled out the bottle Father Christmas gave me, it could heal any wound right?
"It's too late," Susan whispered, "He's gone."
She hoisted herself up next to him and I let out a sob. "He must've known what he was doing." She tried to comfort me, but it just made me feel worse. He knew he was walking towards his death just to save Edmund. Susan must have thought this as well as she sobbed into what was left of his mane.
Small squeaks caught my attention and I lifted my head up. Little mice were chewing away at the rope bindings around Aslan. "Get away!" Susan shooed, "Get away, all of you!"
"No." I whispered, "Look."
The bindings snapped under the sharp teeth of the mice one by one until Aslan was fully untied. I pushed the rope around his mouth off and gently placed my hand on his face.
"We have to tell the others," Susan said.
"We can't just leave him!"
"Lucy, there's no time. They need to know."
I looked at the forest from which we came and remembered something Mr. Tumnus told me. I turned to her, "The trees."
(NO ONE'S POV)
Leaves pulled themselves from the branches of the tall trees and soared into the air, flying along an invisible path. More and more leaves from many different trees joined in, whispering the news of the great Aslan. They dived and soared through the forest and floated across a small field to connect with a beautiful cherry blossom tree. Passing on the news, the old leaves fell to the ground and the cherry blossoms continued the journey into Aslan's camp. They weaved between tents until they swiftly dived under the door-flap of one of the largest, swirling into the form of a woman. A small petal brushed the cheek of the sleeping blond, starling him awake.
PETER'S POV
I squinted through my half-open eyelids and saw a flurry of pink petals swirling around the room, gathering to form a person. I hastily grabbed my sword and yanked it out of its sheath, pointing it at the cherry blossom woman. Next to me, Edmund raised his head in confusion.
The woman held her hand out, "Be still, my Princes."
Edmund and I shared a look before she spoke again, "I bring grave news from your sisters."
At the mention of my sisters, I lowered my sword.
---
Immediately after we received the message I sent Edmund to wake up Y/n while I let Oreius know. The sun hadn't even risen yet when I stepped out of Aslan's tent and faced them. "She's right." I leaned on the table outside. "He's gone."
Edmund looked at Y/n and Oreius then turned back to me, "Then you'll have to lead us."
I looked at him doubtfully.
"Peter," Y/n pressed, "there's an army out there and it's ready to follow you."
"I can't."
"Aslan believed you could," Edmund said. "And so do I."
I looked up at him and pursed my lips. He almost never took my side, so if he was now it meant he really had faith in me.
"The Witch's army is nearing, sire." Oreius warned, "What are your orders?"
My eyes fell down to the table that held a map and figurines representing our forces. I scoured the paper, my mind racing trying to figure out the best plan of action. I followed the path that we took to get here, past some mountains and over the Great River until I reached a large field with cliffs on one side. Perfect.
-This chapter was so long omg. I've had the dance idea stuck in my head for a while now and I'm so happy I finally got to write it down. I've also got some more bonding coming up so I'm waiting not so patiently for that. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!-
-Mocha