queen of narnia

[charning]

Jadis is enraged. Aslan, back! Confirmed by the deputy of her own Maugrim, who died on the sword of the very child she thought she'd caught! Maugrim, dead. She paces. She comes too close to Winter for her liking on one of her passes through her throne room and rather than turn an instant before she means to she backhands him out of her way into the nearest wall. She paces and fumes and roars.

Finally she spins on her toe to face Winter, who may still be on the floor in his careless way but has surely recovered from the blow by now. "You," she says, "must go to the lion, and tell him that I desire safe conduct to treat with him on a matter of as much importance to him as to me. Go peacefully, I do not mind if you alarm the pitiful creatures who side with him but do not harm them while I seek parley. Do you understand, my Winter?" She bends to crook her first two fingers under his chin to turn his head up for frigid eye contact, inspecting him, thinking furious thoughts to which he's only an accessory. "I think the lion may be unnerved to see you. We will see."

Comments

[alicornucopia]

"It is," repeats Aslan, "a tenuous accusation."

There is a heavy silence.

"Fall back, all of you," he says, "and I will talk to the Witch alone."

[deepest_magic]

Bella clings to her scepter with one hand and the cordial in her pocket with the other, and backs away, sticking quite close to James.

"This is the most stupid nonsense - if Aslan doesn't find a way to fix it -" she mutters.

[neverbeatme]

"I know," James murmurs back, "I know - but if there really isn't anything he can do - better me than a whole country, or a whole world."

[deepest_magic]

"She's cheating. If whoever the Emperor is that Aslan's so keen on cooperating with made rules that let her kill you when she magicked Tumnus's identity out of you in the first place I am so much less impressed."

[neverbeatme]

"Of course she's cheating. I'm not that impressed that he ever put someone like that in charge of something like that at all," says James. "But it wasn't necessarily a free choice. Maybe she cheated then too."

[deepest_magic]

"Yeah, maybe. Or maybe she used to be different?" hazards Bella. "Eternal Winter used to be a human. Now he's - not."

[neverbeatme]

"Yeah, but I mean - why have a rule that says so-and-so gets to kill anyone who ever betrays anyone or the world ends, why do that in the first place unless so-and-so has something on you and you can't get around it? I wouldn't set up a position like that for the nicest most straightforward loyal responsible person in the world. I wouldn't set it up for you. The premise itself is flawed, and it's flawed in a way that says to me that somebody like Jadis had a hand in designing it."

[deepest_magic]

...Aww, is Bella the nicest most straightforward loyal responsible person in the world?

"Yeah. I don't get what's going on but it seems like Aslan does. Maybe he's going to cheat back. Or maybe he knows more rules. I don't think he wants you to die."

[neverbeatme]

"I don't think so either. I guess we'll see."

[deepest_magic]

"Maybe he will just eat her. She did have to ask for safe passage, whatever that thing about not denying her her rights by force meant."

[neverbeatme]

"I admit it would be pretty satisfying if he ate her," muses James.

[deepest_magic]

"Of course, he went and actually promised her safe passage. Still."

[neverbeatme]

"Yeah. I don't know."

[alicornucopia]

After a long conversation with the White Witch, Aslan turns back to his people and calls, "You can all come back. I have settled the matter. She has renounced the claim on James's blood."

Creatures everywhere make a sound as though they had been holding their breaths.

[charning]

"How do I know, though," says the Witch daringly, "that the promise will be kept?"

[alicornucopia]

[charning]

The Witch picks up her skirts and bolts.

[jackfrostbite]

Her servant has a moment of visible terror at the lion's roar, too—but he still laughs as he turns away, not tarrying but not fleeing either.

[alicornucopia]

As soon as they are gone, Aslan says, "We must move from this place at once. It will be wanted for other purposes. We shall encamp tonight at the Fords of Beruna."

[deepest_magic]

"What did -" But there is an atmosphere suggesting that this would somehow be a deeply personal question to ask of Aslan. She swallows it after those two words, and goes unanswered.

[neverbeatme]

James silently echoes Bella's curiosity, and similarly restrains herself.

[alicornucopia]

Various creatures lay out brunch, taken as a picnic on the hilltop, and then the pavilion is taken down and everything is packed up and the party is on its way to the Fords at an easy pace.

Aslan walks besides the girls. And begins to outline the likely military campaign.

[deepest_magic]

Bella fills in her current best map when he mentions places, and takes notes as they walk - it turns out her staff still works tucked in her elbow even if she doesn't touch it to the ground step by step, so she has a hand for the notebook and a hand for the pen - but asks: "Aren't you going to be there to lead everyone? Are we going to be handling detachments and need to coordinate?"

[neverbeatme]

As soon as Bella asks the question, James suspects she knows the answer. But she waits for Aslan to speak.

[alicornucopia]

"I can give you no promise of my presence," says Aslan.