#Maugrim

[whats-in-a-sentence]

Across the threshold lay a great wolf.

"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" - C. S. Lewis

[werelycanthrope]

Commission for Maugrim and Sandi

thank you for commissionning me 🤍

[queenlucythevaliant]

So I've heard people give other etymologies for the name "Maugrim" in LWW, but to me it seems clear that it's derived from Managarm, the wolf who eats the moon in Norse mythology. My reasons for this are (a) Lewis was a noted Norse mythology enjoyer and also friends with Beowulf translator JRR Tolkien and (b) he had the name changed to Fenris Ulf in the American version.

Fenris Ulf is the name of Managarm's much more famous brother/father (?) in Norse mythology. So my theory is that this is basically a Philosopher's Stone situation in which Jack didn't think his American readers would get his obscure Norse mythology reference and thus replaced it with a more mainstream one. I am not an expert and could very easily be wrong about this, but as far as I am aware from reading Lewis's letters and stuff, no one can disprove me.

[anantplayingdnd]

RIP to the three winter wolves I threw at my party only for them to immediately levitate out of danger and reshape the mountain so they couldn’t be followed. the wolves didn’t didn’t die they’ll just never be seen again

Frostbite, Windhowl, Snowfall, you will be missed 🫡

[cicelythereaper]

mannnnnn going into the bbc narnia tag (such as it is) makes me really kind of sad like. the number of people (okay, it's a small number because it's a small tag) who are either complaining about or making fun of the special effects or acting or who are essentially apologising for liking it because of these things

what's wrong with you! it's a low-budget bbc children's show from the late 80s, it was never meant to have "money" or "convincing special effects"! i bet you think doctor who should have a budget (derogatory)!

"that lion was so fake" do you think the audience is expected to believe that the puppet lion and the people in beaver suits and the 2d-animated pegasus are real? this is about CREATIVITY it's about HEART it's about SINCERITY and BAD ACCENTS. that is the source of the magic! that's the point! do you go to a stage play and point out that the set is made of wood?

[elijones94]

🐺 One of my favorite dramatic scenes from “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe” 🦁

[creepypriestdocumentknowledge]

The signs were there, but it was still heartbreaking to see. Her story reminds me of Anakin's. They both struggled to be the good guys but one thing led to another and once their loved ones were no more, all their emotions turned to hatred.

[bosspigeon]

pick three oc's to assign to book shop owner, cafe owner, flower shop owner! tell us about their shops!

ooough this is cute hdkjshg

Feli would be the book shop owner! there's a local shop in my town that has cats, and that would absolutely be Feli. in some universes, he's got just the Ugliest Smush-Faced Rescue named Lyonette, and she rules the roost and demands tithe from visitors (lots of scritches while she purrs so loudly she drools) and will also fall asleep on the card reader (which has happened to me before Mr. Eliot sir, pls move) but it's fine bc she is very loveable <3 The shop would be very cozy and full of antique furniture and carefully organized sections, and he would absolutely regularly hold book clubs with tea and snacks!

hilariously, i actually have a MOTW character who owns a cafe! his name is Maugrim, and he's a middle-aged werewolf with a trouble past who got through it with baking! he opens up a couple of his own cafes, and usually employs other troubled young supernatural folks trying to get by. his main location he's left in the hands of a protege so he can move to a small town to take better care of his little sister, Wylie, who, uh... found out she had an older brother, hunted him down, and broke into his home. She's like 7 and kind of terrifying but he loves her very much and he gives her plenty of say in the layout and helping out! The cafe has that excellent vibe of tons of incredibly comfy mismatched vintage chairs and tables, a wide selection of tea, and local artists' work hanging everywhere! the music is usually chosen by the teenage supernaturals he tends to employ, so it can vary wildly from day to day

Flower shop owner is YUSHA! <3 Big boye loves flowers and gardening. Less so socializing, so he probably has a small staff of folks he trusts and keeps behind the scenes. He absolutely has a pretty nice indoor/outdoor space bc it's probably a combination flower shop/nursery, and the indoors definitely looks just as wild and overgrown as the outside! Ivy and pothos climbing the walls and shelves, some fountains and big glass windows to offer as much sun as possible. If you DO manage to get this huge, terrifying man hiding in the greenhouse to talk to you, he'll go on an hour-long tangent about whatever crossbreeding project he's working on, or a lecture about the best ways to care for your plants

[bloodybigwardrobe]

Susan did not see Peter in battle for years—arriving to his stand against Jadis almost too late, catching up while he picked himself up from the torn earth, on the other side of the conflict when the remnants of Jadis’ army tried their luck at the Cair. Sure, she knew he fought and killed, just as she did, just as Edmund and Lucy did—and oh, how Susan loathes that last part, but Lucy had been the one to find the first assassin in their halls and there was nothing to be done about it now. There was entirely too much death in their first year, Susan thinks, the fairytale shine of Narnia soon breaking apart and leaving a country and people in desperate need of rest and time behind. It took her days to get the blood out underneath her and Lucy’s fingernails, and she knew Peter had just as bad a time with Edmund next door. With a lump in her throat, Susan wondered often if this was to be the rest of their lives: washing themselves clean of battles that were forced upon them by a world far too big for their hands to hold. But even then, with the bloodied waters between them all, she never truly saw Peter in battle. A slain Maugrim who had about as much a part in his own death as Peter’s shaking sword did, a witch that Susan never saw die, assassins that ended up on the moth-eaten carpets she had found in old storage rooms; things that should give her pause but she simply couldn’t consider for long with all there was to do. They had killed to end up where they were, and Susan knew deep down that they would have to kill to stay, too. Now, standing with her bow held tight and a quiver empty of arrows, a sword at her side she has yet to finish learning how to swing, Susan finds herself in a pocket of tar-slow time. Here, she stands with a muddied hemline and their castle once more under siege—unknown foes, but foes all the same—and there, across the way, with his hair longer than Susan has ever known him to have, Peter lets out a roaring laugh. Rhindon is far out of sight, a glaive taking its place in Peter’s steady hands. Even from afar, Susan feels it in her bones when Peter’s swing launches an enemy’s torn body across the field. There are bodies, horror-frozen faces, the stench of blood and bile. The steps to the Cair will perhaps forever bear the stain of this assault. They have lost people they held dear. Susan has wept enough to fill an ocean. And Peter laughs. With storm-eyes, bloodied tongue, and bared teeth, her older brother wages joyous war.

[raven-dor]

say yes to heaven

In which peter pevensie wishes he wasn't such an oblivious nitwit

PAIRING: peter pevensie x reader, susan pevensie x PLATONIC!reader, edmund pevensie x PLATONIC!reader, lucy pevensie x PLATONIC!reader

WARNINGS: SET DURING THE GOLDEN AGE, established relationship, angst, old friends, banter, arguing (not actual arguing, just reader knowing her worth, peter just stands there), ANGST AGAIN

WORD COUNT: 2,963

🎶 : say yes to heaven - lana del rey

AN: ♥️ - this is an excerpt from my fanfic on wattpad!! if you want to read the whole book (tltwtw-the last battle) it's on there (raven-dor)! ALSO there will be a part two to this, so keep your eyes peeled<3

say yes to me

Edmund and Peter burst through the dining room doors, covered in snow. The girls laughed at their pink faces.

Lucy smirked. "Have fun, did you?"

Edmund laughed. "I did." He shoved his brother before sitting down. "Not so sure about Peter. He was complaining the whole time."

Peter murmured into his stew. "I did not."

Y/N giggled. "I find that hard to believe. You've always been a big baby."

"I have not-"

Susan rolled her eyes. "I seem to remember shivering while walking down the halls only two days ago."

Peter glared at his sister. "Whose side are you on here?"

Susan ignored her brother and looked at Y/N teasingly. "Lord Eluna asked about you again."

Her face turned red. "Really?"

Susan nodded. "I was walking to my morning meeting, and he stopped me in the hall to ask where you were."

Lucy laughed. "Someone's got a secret admirer."

Edmund murmured. "It's not exactly a secret Lu-"

Peter looked up from his food. "So, Lord Eluna?"

Y/N nodded. "He's sweet."

He smirked. "He's not the best swordsman."

She sighed. "I don't measure a man's worth by his swordsmanship."

He looked across the table, his eyes full of curiosity. "So what do you measure a man's worth by?"

Susan looked at Edmund, and rolled her eyes, murmuring. "Here we go."

Y/N glared at the eldest Pevensie. "Do you really want to know?"

He nodded. "Yes, that is why I asked."

She smirked. "Well they have to be extremely tall, an amazing ruler, and hmm what else..." She returned to her earlier glare. "Not you."

He slapped his hand to his heart. "You wound me, Y/N."

She rolled her eyes. "I don't need to lay out my requirements for you, thank you very much."

Lucy huffed. "Can we talk about something else please?"

Y/N nodded. "I'd be glad to, Lu." She smiled at the young girl. "How was tutoring today?"

Lucy smirked and went on and on about how she had pranked the mean tutor, Y/N and her siblings listening intently. Well, all of them besides Peter. He was staring at her, trying to figure out how to finally woo her.

He had been planning on courting her for a while. At the beginning of their reign, they had a flirtatious relationship, but it never went anything beyond that. And a year ago, when the new young lords came in, he thought he had lost her to Lord Eluna.

Stupid Lord Eluna.

He didn't know what her favorite color was, or her favorite song. He didn't know how she liked her eggs, or how she preferred blueberries to strawberries. How she took care of his siblings when he couldn't, treating them as if they were her own.

Even when they had left London, she had picked up Lucy without a second thought and made sure she got to see her mother one last time. She helped Edmund and always empathized with him, even when he had unknowingly betrayed them.

She understood Susan and became her close friend. His eldest sister had always had a tough time making friends, but Y/N brought out the best in Susan.

And she always helped him. She was at his side during the Battle of Beruna when Aslan had fallen. She was at his side when Maugrim attacked, and she was there when they ran across the ice field away from what they thought was the White Witch.

She had been a constant in his life from the age of eight, and you really couldn't blame him for being infatuated with her. He stared at her once again, and he spoke before he could think. "Can I speak to you in private, Y/N?"

The table quieted, but they kept talking, seemingly trying to ignore his misstep. He cleared his throat, and spoke louder, making sure they listened to him. That she listened to him.

"Y/N, may I talk to you in private?"

The table hushed, and she looked back down the table at the grumpy blonde. She smiled icily. "Exactly why would I do that?"

He stood up and glared at her. "Y/N/N-"

Edmund cleared his throat. "Maybe we should-"

She stood up, glaring right back at the giant oaf. "No need. I'm leaving. I have to meet with Lord Eluna anyway." She smiled quickly at the three neutral Pevensies. "I'll see you all later."

She walked out of the room, her dress flowing behind her as she left. Peter stalked after her, not even bothering to say farewell to his siblings. She ignored his calls, and that only made him angrier. Turning the corner, she was basically tackled into the library.

She gasped, hissing at the High King. "What in the world is your problem?"

He looked down at her, his face full of confusion. No words left his mouth, he simply stared down at the flustered and frustrated girl.

This in turn only made her more frustrated. She shook against his hold. "Speak you- you oaf!"

"I know you."

She sighed, her glare wavering. "What does that have to-"

He shook his head. "I know you, and I know Lord Eluna. And while I do agree that Lord Eluna is a good man, a great man even..." She stared into her soul. "He is not what you want."

She laughed. "You do not know what I want."

He scoffed. "For god's sake Y/N, we grew up together. We have seen each other every single day for the past ten years."

She pulled herself out of his grip. "I've grown Peter. I've realized that waiting around for fantasies helps no one." He seemed to stop breathing, and she huffed. "I'm being practical."

"You have never been one for being practical. You do what you believe is right." He whispered, curious to hear her answer. "What do you think is right?"

She hugged herself. "I think whatever benefits Narnia the most is what is right."

He nodded, walking out of the library without another word. She sighed, yelling out to him. "Peter-"

He stopped instantly, whipping around. "Yes?"

"I-" She stopped herself, her face dropping. "Nevermind."

Y/N put in her last earring and inspected herself in the mirror. Aslan, she loved this dress, and thankfully she wouldn't be too cold thanks to the long sleeves. She opened her door and immediately saw Peter.

And by immediately, she opened her door and he was outside it with his fist up, preparing to knock. He stepped back and grinned.

"You- You-"

She smiled, patting him on the arm. "Shall we go?"

He nodded, looping his arm through hers. They walked the halls leisurely. Besides, events couldn't formally start without one of them present, so they were never late. Technically speaking that is. "You look beautiful Y/N/N." He smiled down at her. "Truly."

She smiled softly. "Thank you, Peter." She nudged him. "All the ladies won't be able to take their eyes off of you."

He murmured. "I don't want all the ladies to look at me."

She tilted her head. "What was that?"

"I said I don't flaunt all the tapestries." He cleared his throat. "It's something I say every time I enter an event. Calms the nerves."

She laughed. "Are you sure you're alright?"

They turned the corner, and the ballroom doors stood, proud as ever with garlands and ornaments hanging elaborately. She grinned. "Susan has outdone herself."

"She has. Though I'm not surprised. She's a perfectionist."

Y/N smacked him lightly. "Be nice."

Peter removed his arm from hers and bowed. "I shall see you soon, my lady." The great doors opened and Peter stood tall, walking out with his head held high.

It was a few minutes later when the doors began to open. She took a deep breath, and the herald began the introduction.

"Her Imperial Highness, The Noble Seer of Old, High Queen Y/N, the Passionate."

She stepped out and descended the steps slowly. The royals were standing at the base of their thrones, Peter grinning widely from across the room.

The crowd parted, and she made her way to the platform before sitting down on her throne. Smiling at the nobles and subjects below her, she looked at Susan, nodding.

Susan cleared her throat, clapping her hands. "Let the festivities begin!"

Lucy spoke to Edmund in a hushed tone, careful not to have nosy bureaucrats butt into their conversation. "Where's Su and Y/N?"

Edmund held back a smirk as he pointed to the small crowd of young lords, who seemed rather entranced by the two queens. "Over there." 

Lucy, unlike her brother, held back no signs of amusement. She laughed, nudging her brother. "Oh my. Those lords think they actually have a chance." 

Edmund laughed with her, shocked at what his little sister had just said. "Why, Lu, I think that might be the meanest thing you've ever said."

Y/N couldn't remember how many times she had danced in the past two hours or how many times she had talked to the noblewomen about talking down to the Cair Paravel servants. She was currently escaping the crowd of young men for a moment, finding the balcony a nice place to relax.

Or at least it had been relaxing. A voice broke through her short-lived peace. "Hello, Your Majesty."

She turned around, smiling gently. "Hello, Lord Eluna."

He gestured to the sea below them. "It is beautiful, is it not?"

"Very. I never tire of this view, I can assure you."

He nodded. "Quite." They stood there for a moment in silence, before he spoke again. "I wanted to ask you something."

Her heart dropped, but she nodded. "Yes, my lord?"

He gulped. "We are- we are fond of each other, no?"

She smiled, nodding. Maybe if she laid out her next words carefully, she would be able to get out of this mess. "I always rely on you for counsel, yes."

He nodded. "Yes, yes." He stared back out at the sea again, fidgeting with a box. She wanted to melt into the ground. He turned back to her, grabbing one of her hands. "I have been infatuated with you ever since my father sent me here, and you have shown me nothing but kindness. I-" He began to kneel. "You are a wonderful beauty, and I would like to ask you-" He was on his knee, and the box opened. She tried not to laugh. "I would like to ask you to marry me."

She knew it. Aslan, she hated being right. She smiled gently down at him. "Lord Eluna-"

He shook his head. "Please, call me Timin-"

"Lord Eluna, I'm sorry."

His face dropped. "Whatever for, my lady?"

"I- I cannot marry you."

He stood up, closing the box. His eyes were no longer sparkling with excitement. "May I ask why?"

There's what had Y/N stumped. He was a nice man, who always had a kind word to say. He held the door open for her whenever he saw her nearby.

But that's not what she wanted. Who she wanted.

A cough broke the awkward silence, and Lord Eluna fell into a deep bow. "Your Majesty."

Peter nodded. "Lord Eluna." He smiled at Y/N. "My lady."

"My King."

He looked in between her and the young Lord. "Did I interrupt something?"

Lord Eluna shook his head. "Not at all my lord. I was just leaving." He looked at her once more, murmuring. "Please reconsider."

She smiled, nodding. "Good night, Lord Eluna."

The young lord walked off the balcony, leaving the King and Queen alone. She turned back around, not wanting to look at Peter for the moment.

He huffed. "What did he do?"

"I came out here to relax, you know."

"What did he do Y/N?"

Y/N laughed. "What didn't he do, more like."

Peter's heart dropped. "What?"

She rolled her eyes. "Not like that you numbskull." She turned around, a ghost of a smile on her face. "He proposed to me."

The High King stared at her, his eyes growing wider by the millisecond. "He did what?"

"You know. When a man gets on one knee and then he-"

Peter glared at her. "Yes, yes. I know." He walked closer to her. "Did you say yes?"

She sighed. "Well, that's complicated."

"I hardly see how that is a complicated question. Did you say yes or no?"

She glared at him. "At first I said no-" He smiled before she realized she had said at first.

"At first?" He stood directly in front of her. "And what about now?"

"Well, I'm reconsidering his proposal."

Peter's heart dropped again. She looked at the ground. "He comes from a good family. He's a very good man, a nice man, and he would be able to provide for me. Of course, I'd have to move to Archenland, but I can still visit." She looked up at Peter slowly. "It would be good for the kingdom, to have that firm of an alliance with the Archenland and it's territories."

Peter just stared at her while she continued her nervous rambling. "I'm sure he'd love me enough, I'd learn to tolerate him with time. I hear he has horses, which is good, I can still go on rides. I could even bring Penelope. And apparently, Archeland has amazing tutors, so our children would not be inept-"

Peter stopped her. "You're not seriously thinking of marrying him?"

Her eyes were full of uncertainty as she finally looked up at the eldest Pevensie. "He's a good choice."

"But you don't love him."

"Well it's not like I have anyone else interested in me, do I?" 

He laughed, as if she hadn't just been surrounded by at least twenty or so young lords. She tried not to huff in annoyance. 

"I meant that I don't have any serious choices. Those men just ogle and stare, like I'm a prize to be won." She stared up at him, and their eyes connected, making her feel five times smaller. "At least he looks at me like I'm a person." Peter held their stare, like he was trying to pierce into her soul. "He's a good man."

"You keep saying that."

"Is there a reason that I should turn him down?" She moved closer to him. "One that I'm not aware of?"

His breath hitched. "I-"

She backed away, nodding. "That's what I thought." She bowed quickly. "I'll see you inside."

Peter took a deep breath and whispered. "Don't marry him."

She stopped. "What?"

"Don't marry him. Don't marry any of those lords."

She scoffed, whipping back around. "Peter, you're being mean." He walked up to her, and she pushed him away. "You're being mean, stop it."

"How am I being mean-"

"You have never admitted that you love me. All you do is act overprotective when I want to fight, or when a lord speaks disrespectfully. You flirt with me constantly, you're complimenting me and calling me beautiful, but you never say anything that will really affect our relationship. And now that a nice man, a good honest man that is very forthright with what he wants asks me to marry him, you simply say no and I have to listen?" Her eyes were watering. "You do not get to dictate my life."

He sighed. "Y/N/N I-"

She shook her head. "And I don't want to hear it now. I don't want you to say anything now, because now it feels forced, especially after I've told you all of that. Because I-" She smiled at his through her tears. "I have cared for you ever since I've known you, ever since I moved next door when we were 9, and you just treat me like a toy. You only entertain your feelings with me when you're bored. And I am sick of it."

"Y/N/N, that is not true-"

"No, I'm leaving you now. Don't follow me." She wiped away her tears and straightened her posture. 

She strolled into the ballroom, stopping beside Susan. "Your brother-" Susan rolled her eyes. "What has he done now?"

"Where do I begin-"

Susan groaned. "You might want to wait to tell me." She nudged her side. "He's coming over here."

Peter was making his way across the ballroom, his eyes on her form.

She huffed. "If he thinks he can talk to me by dancing-"

Susan laughed. "That's exactly what he thinks." She took a sip of her champagne. "He's a simple-minded creature."

Edmund and Lucy appeared behind them. "What's going on?" Lucy looked up at her with big eyes. "Are you okay, Y/N/N?"

She nodded, smiling gently down at the young girl. "I'm fine, Lu. Just tired, is all."

Edmund laughed, murmuring under his breath. "Tired of Peter, more like."

She glared at the young king. "Edmund-"

He hooked his arm through hers and pulled her away from his sisters for a moment. "You and I both know that my brother loves you. I don't think you should deny his declaration of love because you are scared of backlash."

She huffed. "Edmund, that's not why I denied his-"

Edmund rolled his eyes. "I can't imagine how difficult it is to be in your position, but I just want you to think with your heart for a moment and not with your head." He sighed. "You've been disconnected the past few years, and it's scaring us."

Her eyes watered again as she looked at her friend. "Ed-" 

He smiled. "It's alright. We've all been there, Y/N/N. Just don't leave us in the dark." He whispered to himself, but she heard him still. "Don't do what I did."  

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[ghost-writes00]

im working on a casmund smut fic and i may have gone a little insane about the world building that will not be explored at all.

so I'm going talk about it here lol.

Edmund was kidnapped from the human world when he was very young by the white witch and raised as her son to try and stop the prophecy. she was still a horrible person to him, basically having her servants raise him and then abusing him one he was old enough to hold a sword.

one day she's about turn a narnian to stone (mr fox) and demands Edmund to give her the wand, Edmund instead turns her into stone. Ginarrbrik trys to attack him but maugrim and the wolf pack defend him and kill the dwarf.

the wolves see Edmund as one of their own and a few even helped raise him. Edmund becomes king of narnia, he unfortunately can't lift the curse on narnia, and while he's not 100% good he's not evil, very morally gray and willing to manipulate people to get what he wants. he is however trying to take care of narnia and her people as best as he can.

because being turned to stone doesn't really kill someone, he doesn't single handedly fulfill the prophecy. his siblings still eventually come to narnia, although he's a man while they're still kids. but all that's not as thought out lol.

also Caspian is here because after his uncle's failed assassination attempt, he gets some slave traders to kidnap him and take him to the white witch assuming that she'll kill him, but she's been turned to to stone by the time they get there.

Edmund decides to keep Caspian, although he's a companion and not a slave but Edmund might also be low key putting spells on him to make him want to say with him.

yeah...

[caelestisregina]

Starter for @iustusrex takes place during lww

The young queen had taken on the task that both the Beavers had advised against but once word of humans other than her had entered Narnia got to Jadis and her army, war would surely ensue. She became a double agent for Aslan, working in the lie that the Narnians weren't treating her the way she should be treated, since becoming queen. Not heeding her warnings when it came to changes in the night sky. Which in the beginning, she and Orieus didn't always see head to head. So there had been some truth.

Diane tilted her head when she saw the boy get tossed into the cell next to her. The girl's hair disheveled and out of the plait from earlier that day when everything changed for her. Maugrim had sniffed her out and called her bluff. Which landed in a slap from Jadis herself, her ring leaving a cut on her lower lip. She was shivering, the coat she was given had been taken away as part of her punishment.

[werelycanthrope]

inktober 2021: day 14 - Maugrim

[art-of-tek]

Felt like doing this meme! Lotsa doggos and a bloke.

Characters:

Current: Hugo (Villa Volta) Comfort: Kaala (The Wolf Chronicles) Design: Maugrim (The Chronicles of Narnia) Plot: Kyoshiro (Ginga) Guilty: Yak (Balto) Fave: Nava (Balto)

[bingusrhombus]

NARNIA BREAKING NEWS:

Greta Gerwig announces that Maugrim will be played by this picture of Daniel Radcliffe

[reachforstars1]

seven devils / chapter seven

✧ pairing : edmund pevensie x original female character (but not in this first book y’all, they are 11, i need y’all to be so serious rn)

✧ opening song : the train by james newton howard

✧ summary : things take a turn for the worse when edmund and elaine finally reunite with their beloved queen.

✧ word count : 7.9k

✧ rating : 18+ for entire series, teen and up for seven devils

✧ SERIOUS chapter specific tags : slight gore (like so slight), blood, sensory overload, canon-typical violence, physical illness (still no actual throwing up though), canon-typical manipulation, slight meltdown on elaine's end

✧ a/n : y'all better still have your hands and feet inside the ride because it's about to start getting pretty bumpy. also introduction to my sweet, sweet maugrim (he's not sweet right now ik but still, i love him).

♡ao3♡. wattpad♡

♡playlist♡. pinterest♡. series masterlist♡.

after god knows how long they spent trudging through the ever thickening snow, they finally reached the palace steps– which were a bit slippery from the ice coating them, but with how slow elaine was moving anyways, edmund figured it wouldn't be too much of a problem.

but suddenly, what sounded like their names being screamed from somewhere off in the distance, edmund froze right as they reached the castle doors. his siblings had definitely noticed their disappearance and followed them, but he couldn't see anything as he looked out into the long snowy stretch of land– it was far too dark.

"let's just go, ed. i'm sorry, but i don't think i can last much longer out here." elaine whispered, pushing him forward a bit.

he looked back at her and winced at how deathly pale her skin had turned in just the few short minutes it took them to get up the steps.

she let out a small cough as he closed the tall palace door behind them, hoping to shut out some of the cold.

he found his efforts were futile, though, as they found themselves in a room full of extremely detailed stone animal statues– completely covered in ice– but edmund didn't have much time to marvel at their dark beauty because before he knew it, elaine was falling to her knees in front of him, a coughing fit taking over her shivering body.

he quickly dropped down next to her, gently rubbing circles into her back. he could feel her sickness coming on in his own body, but he desperately tried to block the feeling out.

the queen would help elaine, he knew it. if only they could find her.

she slowly stood back up once the coughing fit finally passed, and edmund was quick to hold her up once more as they traversed the statue room.

just as he was about to step forward to bring them closer to a seemingly endless set of stairs, elaine dug her nails into his shoulder in a desperate attempt to keep him in place.

"wait!" she hissed painfully, her lungs wheezing with each breath she took.

he had assumed she just needed a moment to catch her breath, but he followed her hesitant gaze to a beautiful grey wolf sleeping peacefully in front of the icy staircase.

elaine tugged him down as she sank to the ground in front of the unconscious creature.

when she was seven, she had learned the hard way not to abruptly wake a sleeping dog. she and her parents were at their grandmother's for christmas, and her cousin had abruptly woken the family dog from its deep slumber causing it to lunge up and bite the boy. the rest of the holiday turned rather unpleasant then, and he even had to get stitches– it was an ugly bite. elaine couldn't help but grimace at the memory of his bloodied face.

she lightly cleared her throat to hopefully wake the wolf without scaring it, but it was to no avail as the creature sprang to life, angrily baring its teeth at edmund and elaine with a vicious growl.

elaine quickly ducked her head down, and edmund followed her lead.

"forgive us for waking you, but we are looking for the queen." elaine whispered, her legs feeling as if they were beginning to freeze against the stone below.

"who are you?" the wolf snarled, his voice deep and bitter.

"we are sons of adam and daughters of eve!" edmund all but shouted, his nerves quickly taking over him.

he didn't understand how elaine had stayed so calm... to be completely fair though, she did look as if she were about to pass out.

the wolf seemed to smirk as he backed down.

"my apologies, fortunate favorites of the queen."

he seemed sarcastic as he muttered something else under his breath, but elaine and edmund couldn't quite make it out.

elaine assumed he was a guard and was likely just exhausted from keeping watch, so she didn't comment anything on it– however, her energy was essentially nonexistent at this point, and she needed help. she knew there was no way edmund was getting both of them up the steep staircase that stretched up ahead of them.

before the wolf could get too far from them, she reached out and lightly grasped his fur between her fingers. she could barely feel the wolf tense at her touch beneath her fingertips which had grown slightly numb from the cold. she knew she was being impolite, but she had no choice.

"please, i'm afraid i need your help to get up the stairs. edmund practically carried me here, and i don't think he can make it all the way up while supporting both of us."

edmund scoffed at elaine's words and snatched her hand away from the wolf right as it began to turn and snap at her.

"i am more than capable of helping you." edmund smarted off, but he shut his mouth as soon as he took in how pitiful she looked– even the wolf's eyes seemed to soften as he sighed.

the creature went against his better judgement and leaned forward to duck his head under the girl's arm. he allowed her to climb onto his back– the sensation feeling extremely foreign to the animal. he rationalized to himself that the girl would be of no use to the queen if she were dead– that is, if these children really were the bonded two he had heard of.

the trio set off up the stairs then with edmund staying annoyingly close to the wolf. the boy didn't trust the animal just yet, and he was still irrationally upset over the fact that elaine had chosen some random wolf's help over his own.

but the stairs were as steep, just as elaine had predicted– if not moreso– and she had to keep her arms laced rather tightly around the wolf's neck just to keep herself from falling back.

as they turned a corner to face even more stairs, another set of enormous ice doors finally came into view.

this time, both of the children did take the time to marvel at their surroundings as the wolf brought them into what appeared to be the throne room. there was an icy fog coating the floor, and bright blue shimmering icicles hanging from the ceiling.

it was still dark and a bit desolate despite the glowing icicles, causing a weary feeling to fill elaine's chest– it reminded her of her mother's house.

she didn't quite know what to make of that realization, but the queen was significantly nicer to elaine than her own mother was, so that had to count for something.

edmund glanced at elaine, concerned when the weariness spilled into his emotions as well. he was able to guess what she was thinking, knowing her like the back of his hand, but like elaine, he still decided to trust in the queen.

the wolf halted in front of the steps that laid before the throne, and elaine took his abrupt stop as a signal to get off.

she went to stand by edmund again, immediately wrapping her arm around his shoulders for support. she still felt far too weak to stand on her own.

the wolf shook out his fur and hesitantly glanced back at the two shivering children.

"wait here."

edmund's gaze was drawn to the beautiful ice throne ahead of them as the wolf disappeared down a hallway to their right. there were sharp icicles sticking out of the top of the chair along with a few more hanging from the ceiling above it, and the queen's warm, white fur coat was draped delicately across the seat.

he took a glance all around him to see if anyone was watching them, but once again, they were completely alone– so he carefully helped elaine up the stairs and straight into the seat of the throne. she could warm up there while they waited, and the queen would help her more once she arrived.

elaine settled comfortably into the familiar plush coat before patting the space next to her. the throne had plenty of space for the both of them, so edmund took a seat next to her, wrapping his arm tightly around her shoulders as they waited.

the castle was eerily silent, putting them both slightly on edge. it was all still rather beautiful, but almost as if it were a dangerous kind of beauty– a beauty one should admire with extreme caution.

"do you think the others are alright? i do feel a bit bad for abandoning them like that." elaine whispered as she laid her head on edmund's shoulder.

slowly but surely, they were beginning to warm up.

"i'm sure they're fine... susan's smart– at some point, she'll realize they're on the wrong side of things and make their way to us."

elaine nodded, but they both still couldn't shake that uneasy feeling that was beginning to settle at the pit of their stomachs.

they sat in silence for the rest of the time they waited with both of them managing to drift off to sleep this time.

"like it?"

the voice edmund recognised all too well jolted him awake, and he swiftly jumped out of the throne, pulling elaine up with him.

she was slowly blinking her eyes, trying to adjust to yet another abrupt awakening as they tilted back slightly over the steps from the quickness they had stood with, but edmund was quick to pull them forward and upright, still keeping his grip tight around elaine's shoulders.

the poor girl was still struggling to get her brain moving, like she always did when she was first waking up. it didn't matter how long she had been asleep for, it never failed to be like this every time.

"yes, your majesty." edmund finally responded to the ice queen who was standing a bit stiffly next to the throne.

they were in trouble, he could tell that much.

elaine was finally processing what was going on around her, and her eyes widened at the queen's irritable stance in front of her. she immediately bowed her head in an attempt to portray her respect. she didn't really know how to address a queen correctly here in narnia, but she wanted her to know she was making an effort.

"i thought you might." the queen uttered, looking down on them as she went to sit on her throne.

elaine noticed ginarrbrik watching them from his place off to the side of the throne, and she took a hesitant step back, pulling edmund with her.

"no– come here, elaine."

the queen was in a no nonsense mood, but elaine made no movement towards her, instead choosing to look at edmund for guidance. he smiled at her, albeit a bit forced, but it was the best he could do to give her the reassurance she needed– truthfully, he was silently urging her to do what the queen asked so as to not upset her further.

so elaine took shaky steps towards the queen, almost mimicking a baby deer learning how to walk– elaine really didn't like the idea of being separated from edmund in such an uncertain moment. they were in a new place, with a woman they barely knew, elaine was beginning to realize, much to her dismay.

once elaine was within arms reach, the queen grabbed her by the arms and swiftly pulled her onto her lap. edmund could feel his own heart rate picking up, and he could even feel a slight sense of fear coming from elaine, but that fear began to subside as the queen began to dote on the small girl.

"oh my sweet child, you must be coming down with something– you're burning up." the queen whispered, the back of her frigid cold hand now pressed firmly against elaine's forehead.

her lungs were still wheezing with each breath she took, but the queen pressed a kiss to her head and she felt a touch calmer.

the woman turned her gaze back to edmund, an intense fire present in her dark brown eyes despite the gentle, caring nature she was showing to elaine.

"tell me, edmund,"

the young boy swallowed nervously.

"are your sisters deaf?"

he chuckled uncomfortably at the queen's question, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. he didn't understand exactly where this lecture was going, but he shook his head anyways.

"and your brother, is he-" she paused, her stare calculating, "unintelligent?"

elaine stirred anxiously in the woman's lap, not liking the tone she was using with edmund, but the queen simply tightened her hold on the girl, forcing her to sit still.

"well..." edmund was trying to make light of the situation, "i think so, but mum says-"

he didn't even get to finish his sentence. after all, the queen had no time for games.

"then how dare you two come alone!" her voice boomed over them.

elaine shut her eyes tight, trying to will away her tears as edmund took a fearful step back.

"we tried!" he cried in response, but the queen refused to hear him.

she rose to her full height, keeping her hand locked tightly around elaine's wrist, so the girl couldn't run off, but god, did elaine try. she pulled and pulled in hopes of running to edmund's side– where it was safe.

edmund could practically feel the queen's bruising grip on his own wrist, and the idea of elaine being in such pain was making him grow rather angry– losing his temper on the queen, however, wouldn't get them anywhere. his eyes flickered to elaine then, deeply worried for her as well as himself– he had to fix this.

"edmund, i asked so little of you." the queen sneered down at him, her height intimidating him as he took another shaky step back down the stairs.

"they just don't listen to me!"

"you couldn't even do that." the queen continued on, ironically not listening to the boy's pleas.

but he was desperate to get her to forgive them. they couldn't have traveled all this way for nothing– they risked so much to be here. where was the kind, gentle, loving woman they had met last night?

"i did bring them halfway!"

elaine went slack against the queen's grip at this admission. for some reason, edmund giving her this information made her stomach sink. she was growing wary of the queen– the woman's anger was something that scared her. neither of them realised how it important it was to listen to elaine's instincts in that moment.

edmund ignored her feelings of unease that were settling within him– far too determined to get them back on good footing with the magical lady that was admittedly beginning to scare him as well.

the queen raised a thin ice blonde eyebrow at him, waiting for him to continue now that he'd gotten her attention. her free fingers tapped quickly against the lace of her dress.

"they're at the little house at the dam with the beavers!" edmund let out, holding his breath then to see if she would finally go back to normal– back to being the motherly figure they were desperately hoping for.

ginarrbrik, who had slowly begun to take steps closer to the queen over the course of this altercation, looked up at his majesty with the silent question on his face of whether or not they could trust edmund's words.

the tapping of the queen's fingers increased in speed as she contemplated whether it would be a waste of resources to figure out if he was telling the truth.

after all, the only logical reason the boy was drawn to her was because he was capable of being very deceitful when tempted, even she knew that. aslan had made that much clear to his army. the trees had told her of the level of distrust aslan had for these two children, specifically.

crucial information which, in a shocking turn of events, had made it hard for her to trust them– even if they were her pawns.

elaine and edmund watched her anxiously, waiting with bated breaths for what she would say next. in order to calm herself, elaine had taken to fidgeting with her silver locket, popping it open and closed repeatedly.

finally the tapping stopped, and the queen lifted her chin.

"well... i suppose you're not a total loss then, are you?" the queen uttered to edmund, condescension dripping off her words.

the boy's body instantly tensed as he felt elaine's rage course through him. he flicked his eyes over to her, silently begging her to calm down. it didn't matter that the queen was still being rude to him. she would retrieve his siblings and cool down, quite literally, and everything would be fine! why couldn't elaine see that?

but elaine was frantic– pulling and pulling from the queen, again, no matter how much it hurt. she was terrified– something wasn't right.

the woman sharply turned back to ginarrbrik, pulling elaine along with her, but as she started to give orders to the dwarf, edmund just had to open his mouth again.

"i was wondering..."

both the queen and elaine snapped their heads back at his soft tone– both of them unbelievably frustrated. he sheepishly looked down at his brown oxfords, embarrassed by their glares.

"could we maybe have some more turkish delights now? and some hot chocolate for elaine?"

he knew elaine had barely eaten at breakfast, and on top of her cold that was coming on... she really needed to eat something.

not to mention– he was starving, too, and turkish delights reminded him so much of his mother. mrs. pevensie used to make the rose-flavoured treats all the time before the war. he had countless memories of him and elaine attempting to help her bake them– only to end up with both of them being completely covered in powdered sugar. plus– edmund absolutely loved anything his mother made for them because he knew it was made with love.

elaine's heart warmed at his request– knowing it came from his worry for her and his longing for his mother. she missed mrs. pevensie, too– even if she was still a bit upset with her over the train station situation, but all of that felt so far away now. and that realization brought her back to the terrifying woman that was towering over her.

she watched as the queen raised an eyebrow at edmund before flicking her gaze back to ginarrbrik.

"our guest is hungry."

there it was again– the condescension. that damned condescension aimed at them just because they're children. it always drove elaine up the wall.

the queen suddenly whipped around again, making elaine stumble a bit as she was pulled alongside her. she yelped in shock as the woman pulled her back into her lap with her long ice staff placed across the front of them, effectively trapping elaine in place.

both elaine and edmund's heart rates rapidly increased at her ominous behavior.

before either of them could process what was going on, ginarrbrik had grabbed edmund's arm and twisted it painfully behind his back.

elaine cried out as she saw the glint of ginarrbrik's knife shining against the boy's back, forcing him towards one the cold blue hallways.

"maugrim!" the queen shouted, and elaine's fear deepened as the wolf from earlier appeared at their right.

edmund stopped at the hallway entrance, ignoring the sting of the knife cutting through his sweater and into his skin, ever so slightly.

elaine winced at the pain now present in her own back, green eyes snapping back over to edmund in concern. he met her frantic gaze with his own, and she felt a surge of energy run through her.

this was all too much– her brain was overloaded again, and she couldn't help but grow frustrated with herself. she felt like such a baby. what she needed to be focused on was getting them out of here, but all she could think about was how to keep herself from crying.

"you know what to do." the queen uttered to the wolf.

elaine quickly squeezed her eyes shut and threw her hands over her ears as the wolf began to howl loudly, the sound overwhelming her even more.

edmund watched in fear as wolves and huskies began to appear at the entrance to every corridor. what had he done?

elaine cautiously opened her eyes again to see the army of dogs sprinting out the giant glass doors at the opposite end of the throne room– their claws screeching unpleasantly against the ice flooring.

she tried to convince herself that they were just going to safely retrieve the rest of the pevensies– gently, like how maugrim had carried her up the stairs– but it was becoming increasingly more difficult to retain even a drop of hope. she feared they had gotten themselves into something far bigger than they originally had intended.

for a moment, she almost wished they had actually listened to susan for once and gone back through that stupid wardrobe. the macready didn't seem so scary now– not in comparison to the ice queen.

she briefly wondered if susan's words of reassurance would ring true now– after they've essentially sworn in the other pevensies' deaths. part of her doubted that susan's love for them was that strong.

her attention was drawn back to edmund once more as she felt the sting in her back worsen. ginarrbrik was trying to force him down the hallway again.

"where is he taking edmund?" she cried out to the queen.

they couldn't be separated– not again, not now.

the queen smiled at her, but it was devoid of any true care. another kiss was pressed against her head, but elaine could only manage to feel repulsed by it now.

"don't worry yourself about him, sweetheart. i'm going to take care of you now." a gentle whisper.

why was the queen being nice to her, but not to edmund? she didn't like it.

"elaine!" edmund cried out as he struggled against the dwarf, trying desperately to pull out of his grip, but it was no use– not with that knife in his back.

tears were gathering in his eyes, feeling both of their fear deep in the pit of his stomach.

elaine began to aggressively thrash against the witch again, screaming and demanding to be released– her head hitting against the frozen staff repeatedly. the pain didn't matter, her sickness didn't matter– getting to edmund was all that mattered.

but the witch just wrapped her arms tighter around the girl in a desperate attempt to force her to calm down. she didn't want to hurt her if she didn't have to.

the witch just didn't seem to understand– whatever torment she had planned for edmund, elaine would make sure that he would never go though it alone.

the woman's bony arms were criss-crossed over elaine's chest, still holding her tightly in place on her lap, but elaine didn't hesitate as she bit down as hard as she could onto the bicep lying across her right shoulder.

the witch screamed at the top of her lungs as the little girl's teeth broke into her skin, and elaine's surprisingly unrelenting grip made her drop her staff. edmund winced as it clattered to the ground in front of the throne.

tears were streaming down elaine's cheeks as the witch's bitter... slightly sticky blood bit back at her tastebuds. it seemed as though something practically possessed elaine as she all but pulled the disgusting liquid into her mouth.

another odd surge of energy flooded her body– making her feel... stronger, more powerful.

the witch shoved elaine off of her lap rather forcefully, grimacing as elaine's teeth ripped away from her bruised and bleeding skin.

the stairs hit elaine's back painfully as she collided into them, tumbling further down the steps.

edmund was screaming her name– feeling the pain racking her body all too well himself– but all she could think about was the mystical feeling pulsing through her, not even processing her pain.

"you insolent little creature!" the witch screamed down at her, rising to her full height again.

her left hand was tightly clutching her bicep as black blood trickled down. dark droplets fell onto her dress and stained it instantly– a stark contrast against the ivory lace.

elaine grinned at her with her blood stained teeth.

edmund's breath caught in his throat– he had never seen elaine like this. he almost didn't recognize this crazed version of the girl he grew up side by side with.

albeit a bit wobbly, elaine stood up from the steps– her dark green eyes ablaze with anger.

"wherever he goes, i go."

the witch took a step back at the eery tone seeping through elaine's voice. she sunk back into her throne and removed her blood covered hand from her arm to gesture towards edmund and ginarrbrik.

"be my guest then, sweetheart." poison laced within her words.

elaine shot another sarcastic smile at the evil woman before stomping over to edmund, quick to take his free hand into her own and squeezing it rather tightly.

ginarrbrik was still staring at the once seemingly fragile girl in shock, but elaine's eyebrows shot up at the dwarf with a deep scowl taking over her face. in that moment, she decided she was done being nice and letting people walk all over her.

"well? what are you waiting for, idiot? let's go."

ginarrbrik shook his head, dazed, but continued once more to push them both down the hallway.

the air grew more frigid as they walked further into the depths of the castle, the cold nipping painfully at their skin and seeping into their bones.

the glowing blue icicles added little light the further they went, seemingly growing darker with each doorway they passed.

but as long as they had each other, they knew they would be okay.

as they sat in their new cell, feet shackled to the floor, their breaths came out in puffs of white cold air, body temperatures steadily dropping– or at least edmund's was. because despite the cold, elaine was still burning up from her fever.

as they sat and waited for something, anything to happen, edmund began to notice beads of sweat gathering at her hairline. her cold was getting worse with each passing hour, and it was alarming him. if they didn't get her help soon... he didn't want to think about what could happen.

he did the only logical thing he could do in that moment. he shrugged off his brown sweater, leaving him in his white button-down undershirt. all she had on was that short sleeved white dress she had worn to cricket ball that morning.

once she realised what he was doing, elaine shook her head at him. she felt far too hot to put that on.

plus what good would it do if he gets sick, too?

"please, elaine, don't be stubborn right now– just take it. you need to sweat out your fever anyways." edmund trailed off with a slight red tint to his cheeks.

she sighed and gripped the knitted fabric in her hands. edmund couldn't help but feel a bit victorious as she pulled it over her shoulders.

"there– happy?" she grumbled as he grinned at her, wrapping an arm firmly around her shoulder again.

"very."

as happy as he could be at least, given their situation.

"there's food over to your left, can you hand it to me?"

edmund glanced down and saw a small stone plate with what looked like a croissant and a mug filled with some mystery liquid. he brought the plate closer to investigate the croissant that was unsurprisingly as firm as the stone plate it sat on. as a test, he hit it against the plate, wincing as his suspicions were confirmed. the mystery liquid was frozen solid as well.

"laine, i really don't think you should eat this. you especially can't drink whatever this is."

he flipped the mug upside down to prove his point.

elaine frowned as nothing came out and leaned her head back against the wall. all she wanted was to stop feeling sick. her anger at peter was returning because had he not separated her and edmund last night, she would've at least gotten some sleep and would've had it in her to eat breakfast that morning.

but then she remembered the fact that a pack of dogs were hunting the other pevensies down at this very moment while they were stuck here freezing to death, and suddenly, she felt guilty for every time she had ever gotten upset with peter.

and that last altercation...

that nauseating feeling returned, and edmund's hold around her tightened.

"you okay?" he whispered, and she rolled her head back to his shoulder in response.

he set the plate back down before kissing the top of her head, just like his siblings used to do– like their mothers used to.

"we have to get out of here, ed... we have to find them and get back to the wardrobe."

she could feel her tears welling up again, and her body tensed up in frustration with herself– but edmund just kept holding her, never letting go.

"we will... and laine?"

she sniffled quietly and nodded her head, urging him to go on.

"you're really brave, you know that? i know it really may not seem like it because well, you're a bit of a crybaby, but... the way you stood up to the witch just to keep us from being separated..." he paused to smile at the memory of her in the throne room just a couple hours ago, "it was really badass, you know?"

"you didn't have to call me a crybaby." she grumbled into his shoulder, but he still managed to catch her words and let out a quiet giggle.

really, she was just trying to avoid the compliment. she never really knew how to respond to kind words– other than crying, that is.

"but you are a crybaby! and that isn't always a bad thing." he reassured her as she hid her face further into his shoulder.

elaine didn't tell him then but his words meant the world to her. she always thought edmund was so much better than she was. sure, he could be a jerk, but he still just had so much more about him to admire– at least in her eyes, that is– so to know he felt the same way about her, well... she couldn't help but feel empowered by his admission.

a voice from the cell to their right brought their heart warming moment to an end, making both of them shift their heads to try and make out the figure lying on the other side of the broken iron bars.

"if you're not going to eat that..." the voice was a hoarse whisper, like they had been here for a long time.

elaine looked to edmund and shrugged her shoulders– they surely weren't going to eat the frozen food. how could they? there was no harm in sharing.

so edmund handed elaine the croissant, and with what little strength she had left, she pulled herself closer to the barrier.

edmund shifted slowly to follow her, not entirely trusting of the stranger they found themselves being held captive with, but as the creature got closer to them, groaning in pain, he caught sight of hooves shackled to the floor. the creature's upper half looked almost human...

"mr. tumnus?" edmund gasped at the realization.

enemy of the queen. although... he supposed they were enemies to her now, too.

the two children watched as the faun leaned against the ice-covered bars, munching dejectedly on the frozen bread.

"what's left of him."

elaine took notice of the swollen red welts on his face and turned away, barely able to stomach the torturous image coming to mind.

"you're lucy pevensie's brother." the faun noted, partly confused as to what he could possibly be doing here, but also in awe of the young boy who looked strikingly similar to his sweet sister.

"i'm edmund."

"yes... yes you have the same nose." tumnus pointed out, a weak smile on his face.

his gaze shifted to elaine, and the look on his face turned to one of distrust.

the sudden change in demeanour irritated elaine. what was his problem with her? she was the one who chose to share the food with him, not edmund.

"that must mean you're the third daughter of eve." condescension dripped from his words.

elaine was growing rather tired of it. first peter's constant condescension as of late, then the beaver's distrustful gaze, then the witch, and now the faun.

"it would appear so." elaine muttered.

but the faun had already lost interest in her, turning his attention back to edmund who had his knees brought up tightly against his chest and was pointedly looking away from the faun and elaine.

"is your sister alright?"

edmund jolted at this, his eyes flicking to the faun before looking away again uncomfortably.

truthfully, he was worried sick about the others at this point. his trust in the queen was long gone, but admitting that he had trusted her to begin with, and technically betrayed the faun, his family, and some lion named aslan... he wasn't ready to come to terms with all of that just yet.

he especially didn't need the faun's disappointed looks. he hadn't missed how the faun had stared at elaine, either– or how he hadn't asked about peter or susan. the fact that he seemingly only cared about lucy's well being made him uncomfortable.

but tumnus was growing impatient.

"is she safe?" he insisted, determined to get an answer out of the boy.

elaine shot the faun a dirty look, irritated with him for pushing edmund when he was clearly uncomfortable.

but tumnus either didn't notice her stare or simply didn't care because his harsh, impatient gaze continued to stay on edmund's shivering form.

the sounds of wolves barking and howling sounded off from somewhere in the distance, making edmund visibly flinch, and his arm immediately reached out to pull elaine close to him again.

the fear of being separated was far stronger now that they had found themselves in such a predicament. all he could do was hope that peter had gotten susan and lucy out of the beaver's house before the wolves could get to them.

elaine could feel how terrified and guilt-ridden edmund was, and it broke her heart into pieces. this burden was not just his to bear... she had made the mistake of trusting the witch as well.

"look, we don't know if our family is safe. clearly we're not with them right now, so we have no idea what exactly is going on out there." elaine snapped at the faun, making the injured creature flinch back further into his own cell.

she turned away, assuming the awkward conversation to finally be over.

edmund was still shivering– however elaine could tell it wasn't just the cold affecting him, so she wrapped her arms tightly around him in an attempt to provide at least a little bit of comfort to her friend.

she hated feeling so powerless. they found themselves in a world full of magic and somehow she still felt so inadequate.

a door opened somewhere nearby, and elaine quickly pulled away from edmund, shifting herself to be more in front of him. she had clearly rattled the queen earlier, and she hoped she would be able to do it again in order to protect edmund.

not to mention, another adrenaline rush would be greatly appreciated. her burning fever paired with her aching muscles was killing her.

"what are you doing?" edmund hissed under his breath.

her shielding him from peter was one thing, but from this clearly deranged woman? that cold must have truly made her lose her mind, he decided. it was the only logical explanation he could come up with.

he tried to move out from behind her, but her hand shot back and gripped his knee firmly to keep him in place. how she managed to have such an iron grip in her state was beyond him.

"elaine, you don't need to-"

"shut up." she was quick to cut him off, her gaze never leaving the iron gate at the front of their cell.

she had neither the time nor the patience to argue with him over such trivial matters.

he raised his eyebrows at the back of her head, completely stunned by her attitude. she rarely ever spoke to him so harshly.

but he didn't have time to think anymore on that because he could hear loud, angry footsteps sounding off the hallway floor outside.

elaine's body felt tenser than it had ever been when the witch slammed the gate open, but she was fiercely determined to not show any signs of fear.

if edmund wasn't terrified out of his mind, he would've been impressed that elaine hadn't even flinched at the loud sound.

the woman stormed over to them, one fist planted firmly on her hip while her other hand was firmly clenched around her ice staff. she glowered down at the pair, who were still seated on the floor with edmund peeking cautiously over elaine's shoulder.

the girl herself hadn't moved an inch, keeping her defensive stance in front of her best friend.

ginarrbrik fell into place slightly behind the witch holding an axe in his hands.

elaine's attention was swayed by a tapping sound, and she took a quick glance down to see the tip of the witch's staff stabbing into the ice repeatedly.

"my police tore that dam apart."

elaine brought her fiery stare back up to the woman. she heard edmund suck in a breath behind her.

"your little family are nowhere to be found."

the witch raised her eyebrows, waiting for their excuse.

"seems to me like your police just weren't fast enough." elaine smarted off, adding in a little shrug for good measure, "better luck next time, i suppose."

the witch was growing more than tired of the girl's snarky attitude, so she bent down to grab her by the neck of her sweater, lifting her up to eye level while the chains attached to elaine's shackles dangled beneath her.

edmund's heart came to a shuddering stop at the new predicament elaine was in.

she tried her hardest to ignore his panicked feelings attempting to invade her own, focused more on keeping her facial expression neutral despite the admittedly terrifying circumstances.

"where did they go?" the witch growled, her face inches from elaine's.

elaine couldn't help but notice how soulless her eyes looked now that she was able to get a good look at them. how had they been so naive?

"we don't know!" edmund shouted from below them. 

he had pulled himself to his feet to stand a bit behind elaine's lifted body. he was desperate to get her back down to him but also terrified of eliciting the witch's wrath. they still didn't know just what exactly she could do with that staff; one wrong move and they'd be in deep trouble.

the witch's eyes flicked from edmund to elaine, debating her next move.

"then you're of no further use to me."

it was a lie– she needed elaine, but they didn't know that.

the muscle in her jaw was twitching as she threw elaine down to the ice below, knocking edmund to the ground with her. the witch raised her staff up high, acting as if she were ready to strike the girl.

"wait!" edmund was quick to grab elaine and pull her into his chest, arms wrapped protectively around her while his heart was practically beating out of his rib cage.

although elaine's face had stayed the same, there were just the slightest bit of tears gathering in her eyes. edmund's hold on her had never felt as safe as it did in that moment.

"the beaver said something about aslan!" elaine relaxed into edmund just a touch as he went on with his revelations, hoping to get the woman to leave them alone.

in his opinion, giving aslan up didn't matter if it meant saving elaine. how on earth was he supposed to know that the witch had been bluffing?

the witch suddenly lowered her staff, demeanour changing completely at the mention of the lion. even tumnus turned his head to watch what was going down.

elaine noticed the faun had nothing to say, however, when she herself was seconds away from death.

"aslan?" the witch asked tentatively, her bottom lip quivering slightly as the name fell from her lips, "where?" she bit out, eyes wide.

elaine heard tumnus take in a shaky breath.

ginarrbrik watched the two children like a hawk, waiting anxiously for their answer.

edmund's hands tightened around elaine's arms, his knuckles turning white and causing himself to wince as he felt the nearly painful grip on his own arms, but her hands flew up to gently rest on top of his, assuring him she was okay.

"i-"

"he's a stranger here, your majesty!" tumnus cut edmund off, his voice shrill as he crawled closer to the broken iron bars separating them.

the witch snapped her head to the faun, deeply annoyed by his interruption.

"he can't be expected to know anything!"

the faun was trying to play his words off as though he were defending the boy, but elaine wasn't stupid. she knew he had no interest in protecting either of them– only in protecting that lion.

and lucy, she supposed.

ginarrbrik stepped forward and jabbed the blunt end of his axe at the top of tumnus's head, knocking him back down to the ground.

the witch returned her focus to the children who were watching her with bated breaths.

"i said, where is aslan?" her voice was stronger now, as if she had been recharged by the act of violence she had just witnessed.

edmund glanced over to tumnus who looked up at him with teary eyes. the boy was so far out of his depth, completely unsure of what to do. he turned his gaze back to the witch, hoping his face wouldn't betray him.

"i... i don't know. we left before they said anything."

a lie– what he was best at.

but he wasn't good enough to fool the witch. she glanced back over to tumnus in frustration and watched as the faun hung his head in relief.

"we wanted to see you!" edmund cried, the heartbreak making his voice crack.

they had trusted her. all they wanted was a mother, and instead, she had betrayed and manipulated them, showing that all she was capable of being was a vile... wicked woman.

the witch pursed her lips, inhaling sharply through her nose.

"guard!" she shouted, turning quickly to face the iron gates, the train of her dress swirling with her.

an ogre lumbered in at her call.

"release the faun."

a grunt sounded from the ogre before he went over and slammed his club against the shackles encasing tumnus's hooves, making the faun cry out in pain.

the witch turned to face edmund and elaine once more, swinging her staff up to rest on the top of her shoulders confidently while her arm stretched out to point at tumnus.

the ogre dropped the faun to the ground at her feet.

"do you know why you're here, faun?" her voice was sickly sweet.

tumnus looked up at her pridefully, a smirk somewhat evident on his features.

"because i believe in a free narnia."

the witch rolled her eyes, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly.

"no. you're here because he-" she paused to point her staff at edmund, who kicked his legs up against the ice flooring to push him and elaine further back, "turned you in."

she smiled at the children mockingly.

"for sweeties."

condescension.

elaine strained against edmund's hold in anger.

it wasn't for stupid treats!

they simply had been trying to find lucy and made the sorry mistake of trusting this disgusting woman.

"you– you lying-" elaine began to scream at the witch, but edmund quickly threw his hand over her mouth.

the staff was still pointed firmly in their direction. he didn't know what it did, but he had a feeling they didn't want to find out.

tumnus was watching the two with sad eyes– disappointment ringing through his expression.

the witch chuckled under her breath as she finally lowered her staff. it was clear edmund wasn't going to release elaine anytime soon, therefore shielding her from the small child's petulant anger.

the girl was still screaming countless insults, but the sounds were muffled by edmund's hand as she pulled tirelessly against his arms, more than ready to give the woman a piece of her mind while the adrenaline was rampantly coursing through her veins yet again.

"take the faun upstairs." the witch commanded to the ogre, her dark eyes still watching the two children curiously.

tumnus glared at them with disgust as the ogre dragged him out of sight.

"ready my sleigh," the witch's eyes narrowed at edmund and elaine, "the children miss their family."

and with that, the witch shot them one last glare before stalking out of the cell– new found purpose evident in her steps.

edmund finally let out the breath he hadn't realised he was holding and removed his hand from elaine's mouth.

the girl was still filled to the brim with anger, and it was exhausting him. he could feel her adrenaline painfully running through him, but his own brain was far too exhausted to do anything with it– he had almost lost his best friend to that terrifying woman. he was still struggling to process everything that had just unfolded.

elaine pushed his arms away from her in bitter frustration.

edmund scooted back then and pulled his legs up to his chest, resting his chin on top of his knees– wary of the meltdown he knew was about to unfold in front of him.

the frozen stone mug that they had left off to the side caught elaine's eye. without a second thought, she grabbed it and chucked it as hard as she could at the iron gates.

a frustrated, broken scream forced its way out of her throat as it shattered into a million little pieces all over the floor.

her small, trembling fists clutched tightly at her dress. her breathing was heavy. angry. distraught. she wanted out of here. she wanted peter, susan, and lucy. she wanted to go home. this wasn't her war.

none of this was fair.

"come here, elaine." edmund's voice was a soft murmur in contrast to the cacophony she had created.

elaine took a long, deep breath before pushing herself up against the wall with him– back where they started. he stretched his arm out over her shoulder, pulling her in close.

it wouldn't be long 'til the adrenaline wore off and made her fall victim to her cold again, so elaine gave in, resting her head on his shoulder just like she had earlier.

"we'll get out of this elaine, i promise."

he pressed another kiss to her tangled brown hair as they waited for whatever would come next for them.