We ended up rushing out of the door, with Mr. Beaver, looking for Edmund. Lucy tripped and fell. I helped her up.
"Hurry!" Peter yelled. I decided it would be easier to carry Lucy, so I put her on my back, wincing from the cut still on my back, and continued on. We approached an incline. With the extra weight of Lucy, we were the last ones to make it and what we saw made me want to cry out in terror. A huge palace that looked like icicles took up much of the colossal ravine. I set Lucy down.
"Holy shit."
I squinted and saw Edmund, approaching the door of the palace.
"EDMUND!" Lucy screamed. I slapped my hand over her mouth.
"Shh, they'll hear you!" Mr. Beaver hissed. Peter launched forward, trying to get Edmund, but I tackled him.
"Logan, Peter! Are you ok?" I looked up and saw Mr. Beaver peering down at us. Peter and I scrambled to stand
"Yeah, we're fine," I muttered. Mr. Beaver looked at Peter.
"You're playing into her hands!"
"We can't just let him go!" Susan exclaimed
"He's our brother!" Lucy hissed.
"He's the bait! The Witch wants all four of you!" Mr. Beaver bellowed.
"Why?" I asked.
"To stop the prophecy from coming true. To kill you!"
I stared worriedly at the palace. Even if Edmund was a dick to me and his whole family, I had promised Mrs. Pevensie to keep him safe.
"This is all your fault!" Susan said, reeling on Peter.
"My fault?" He exclaimed
"None of this would have happened if you had just listened to me in the first place!" Susan yelled.
"Oh so you knew this would happen?"
Susan sighed loudly, glaring daggers at Peter.
"I didn't know what would happen. Which is why we should have left while we still could!
"Shut up both of you!" I yelled.
"None of your arguments is going to save Edmund's sorry ass. And don't look at me like that Peter, we are in a perfect situation where I can swear!"
"She's right," Mr. Beaver said.
"Only Aslan can help your brother now."
I turned calmly to the beaver.
"Then take us to him."
Then I heard a wolf howl.
"Holy Aslan, we've got to run!" Mr. Beaver exclaimed. We ran back to the den where Mrs. Beaver was.
"Hurry momma, they're onto us!" he said.
"Oh right then!" Mrs. Beaver said, bustling around the room, gathering supplies.
"What is she doing?" I asked, annoyed. She smiled at me.
"Oh, you'll be thanking me later. It's a long journey and Beaver gets pretty cranky when he's hungry."
"I'm cranky now!"
"Do you think we need jam?" Susan asked. I rolled my eyes.
"Only if the Witch serves toast!"
Then I heard the barking right outside of the den. The wolves started tearing apart the Beavers' lovely home.
"Fucking god!"
I grabbed Lucy's hand, dragging her through a door Mrs. Beaver had ushered us towards. Everyone else followed.
"Badger and me dug this. Comes right near his place." Mr. Beaver said, taking the lead.
"You told me it led to your mum's!" Mrs. Beaver said disapprovingly. Just then, the barking echoed through the tunnel.
"They're in the tunnel!" Lucy whispered loudly.
"Quick this way!"
Lucy kept on tripping over tree roots, her coat, and herself, so I picked her up, hugged her close and started running. We came to a wall with a very narrow whole on the ceiling.
"You should have brought the map!" Mrs. Beaver scolded.
"There wasn't room next to the jam!"
I pushed Peter forward after the beavers climbed up.
"I'll hand Lu to you!" I threw her up the hole and climbed up after, helping Susan too. After Susan scrambled out, I shoved a barrel against the hole with Peter and Mr. Beaver. Mr. Beaver turned around and his face fell when he looked at what was behind Lucy. A bunch of stone animals... a badger being among them. Mr. Beaver trodded slowly toward it.
"I'm so sorry dear," Mrs. Beaver murmured.
"He was my best mate."
I covered my mouth with my hand. Mr. Beaver's best friend had been turned to stone.
"What happened here?" I asked shakily.
"This is what becomes of those who cross the Witch."
I whipped around, shoving Lucy behind me. On top of a house, stood a fox.
"You take one more step, traitor and I'll chew you to splinters!" Mr. Beaver yelled.
"Relax, I'm one of the good guys!" the fox said, slinking down from the house.
"Yeah? Well you look an awful lot like one of the bad ones."
The fox rolled his eyes.
"An unfortunate family resemblance. But we can argue breeding later. Right now we've got to move."
He was right. Judging by the wolves' barking, they were almost upon us.
"What did you have in mind?" Peter asked. The fox grinned.
We ended up in a tree. Along with loud noises, I hated heights. Susan put an arm around my shaking form. She hated seeing me so weak.
"Greetings gents," The fox down below said smoothly as the wolves surrounded him.
"Lost something, have we?"
"Don't patronise me!" One of the wolves snarled.
"I know where your allegiance lies. We're looking for some humans."
The fox chuckled.
"Humans? Here in Narnia? That's a valuable bit of information, don't you think?"
I would have screamed if Susan hadn't clapped a hand over my mouth. Another wolf lunged forward and grabbed the fox in his teeth. The fox was whimpering and I squeezed Susan's hand for support.
"Your reward is your life, It's not much. But still," The wolf growled.
"Where are the fugitives?"
The fox whimpered again.
"North. They ran north." he panted. The wolf gestured to his pack.
"Smell them out."
The pack moved out and the fox was thrown onto the ground.
We ended up starting a fire while Mrs. Beaver and I tended to the foxes' wounds.
"They were helping Tumnus," the fox said.
"The Witch got here before I did. OW!"
He winced as I dabbed his back.
"Are you all right?" Lucy asked worriedly. The fox laughed.
"Well, I wish I could say their bark was worse than their bite. OW!"
"Stop squirming!" Mrs. Beaver scolded.
"You're worse than Beaver on bath day!"
Mr. Beaver shuddered.
"Worst day of the year."
I smiled. Before I could say anything, the fox struggled to stand.
"Thank you for your kindness, but I'm afraid that's all the cure I have for time."
"You're leaving?" I demanded.
"Yeah you're leaving?" Lucy repeated.
"It has been an honor my General and my Queen," he said, turning to me, then Lucy.
"And an honor, but time is short and Aslan himself has asked me to gather more troops."
Mrs. Beaver gasped while Mr. Beaver stood up.
"You've seen Aslan?" he demanded
"What's he like?" Mrs. Beaver asked.
"Like everything we've ever heard. You'll be glad to have him by your side in the battle against the Witch."
"But we're not planning on fighting any witch," Susan said.
The fox looked surprised.
"But surely, King Peter, the prophecy!"
Mr. Beaver looked sadly at Peter.
"We can't go to war without you."
Susan, Peter, and I exchanged looks.
"We just want our brother back," he admitted.
When morning came, we started making our way across the frozen river. I held tightly onto Susan. After what must have been hours of walking, Mr. Beaver turned to look at us for what must have been the 1000th time.
"Come on humans! While we're still young."
I rolled my eyes.
"If he frea-if he tells us to hurry one more time, I'm going to turn him into a big fluffy hat and give it to Lucy." I grumbled, refraining from swearing. Peter picked Lucy up.
"Hurry up, come on!"
Mr. Beaver hissed.
"He is getting a little bossy," Lucy commented.
"NO! Behind you, it's her!" Mrs. Beaver screamed suddenly. I turned around briefly and saw a sleigh, racing across the river, bells ringing. Peter put Lucy down and we started running at top speed after the beavers.
"Shit!' I yelled, tripping over my feet. We neared the end of the river and dashed into the forest.
"Hurry!" I yelled at Lucy and Peter, who were falling behind.
"Inside!" Mr. Beaver yelled, pushing me into a crevice.
"DIVE! DIVE!"
We all sat there, huddled together. I squeezed Susan's hand.
"If we die, it's all Edmund's fault," I grumbled. Then the sound of bells from the sleigh stopped. Footsteps approached and snow fell in front of us as the person was standing right on top of our hiding place. Then the person walked away. Mr. Beaver sniffed the air.
"Maybe she's gone." Lucy whispered.
"I suppose I'll go look," I murmured.
"NO!" Mr. Beaver hissed.
"You're worth nothing to Narnia dead."
"Well, neither are you Beaver!" Mrs. Beaver hissed.
"Thanks sweetheart."
Mr. Beaver then walked out of the hiding spot.
After a few seconds, he popped back in, making Lucy shriek.
"Come out! Come out!" he yelled.
"I hope you've all been good 'cause there's someone here to see you!"
I slowly helped Lucy stand and we tentatively stepped out. I gasped. There was a rather hefty man with a long white beard and a sleigh with reindeer.
"Oh my lord," I whispered. Lucy stepped forward.
"Merry Christmas, sir."
"It certainly is Lucy, since you have arrived." Father Christmas said.
"Look, I've put up with a lot since I got here, but this..."
I turned to Father Christmas.
"We thought you were the Witch,"
"Yes, yes, I'm sorry about that," The man said.
"But in my defense, I have been driving one of these longer than the Witch," He said, gesturing to his sleigh.
"I thought there was no Christmas in Narnia," Susan commented.
"No. Not for a long time. But the hope you have brought, Your Majesties and my Great General, is finally starting to weaken the Witch's power." he said. I cocked my head.
"Why am I different from Susan, Peter, and Lucy? First the fox called me General, then you Sir."
Father Christmas smiled.
"You see, there can only be two sons of Adam on the throne, and two daughters of Eve. However, the Great General is supposed to rise above the Queens and Kings and serve the Narnian people to the best of their ability and lead them to victory."
I sighed.
"So basically, I'm a freak."
Father Christmas laughed.
"No, Logan, you are in fact the opposite of that. Oh look at me, I've forgotten the real reason I am here," he chuckled, changing the subject.
"I think you could use these."
He pulled a huge sack from his sleigh.
"Presents!" Lucy exclaimed, rushing forward. First, Father Christmas pulled out a flask from one of the numerous pockets and handed it to Lucy.
"The juice of the fire-flower. One drop will cure any injury."
Lucy looked down at it.
"Though I hope you will never have to use this," he said, handing Lucy a dagger.
"Thank you sir, but I think I could be brave enough," She murmured.
"I'm sure you could," he answered.
"But battles are ugly affairs."
Lucy smiled at the old man and he smiled back. She ran back toward me for a hug. Next, He pulled out a beautiful quiver of arrows and a bow, handing it to Susan.
"Susan," he said. She stepped forward.
"Trust in this bow and it will not easily miss."
Susan took them, but looked up at Father Christmas.
"What happened to 'battles are ugly affairs'?"
He started laughing.
"Well, you don't seem to have a problem with making yourself heard."
He handed her another item, a horn, shaped as a lion.
"Blow on this and wherever you are, help will come."
Susan looked up slowly.
"Thanks."
Father Christmas stepped back to look in his bag.
"Peter," he said. Peter walked forward.
"The time to use this may be near at hand," the old man said, handing Peter a sword and a shield. Peter unsheathed the blade.
"Thank you sir."
"Logan, come here, child," Father Christmas murmured. He handed me a necklace with a small stone in the center that glowed a soft amber color.
"This necklace glows brighter when hope is strong and glows dimmer the less hope there is." he said.
"The light will only go out if there is no more hope."
I put the necklace on my neck. Next, he handed me two twin blades, both curved.
"These are to keep your new family safe," he said. He pulled the end of one of the swords to reveal a compartment holding a map.
"This map will show you any place as long as you say it's name."
He replaced it and stepped back.
"These are tools, not toys," He said, telling all of us.
"Bear them well and wisely. Now, I must be off. Winter is almost over and things do pile up when you've been gone a hundred years."
He tossed his sack back into the sleigh.
"Long live Aslan!"
He got into the sleigh.
"And Merry Christmas!"