❉━━━━━━❈✾❈━━━━━━❉

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐘 𝐃𝐎𝐎𝐑𝐒 opening, caused a tense silence to fall over the frost-covered courtyard. Those beyond the great hall didn't dare to move or breathe; not the group of Hogwarts' students waiting outside the gate, not Ella and Vittoria whose bows rested meaningless in their hands, not even Darkan who awaited Malanix' orders and the Archenlander seemed as frozen as Mina upon the balcony.

Malanix' gaze moved between Caspian and the quaint sight below her as Peter, Caolán and Lucy struggled to get Aslan down the stairs and out of Cair Paravel. One strong gust of wind and they would collapse under the lion's weight.

'I must admit,' the Winter Lady began, her voice slithering like an ice snake through the still air while a smirk played around her lips. 'I did not expect Aslan's rescue to look like this.'

'Neither did we,' Edmund commented, eyeing his siblings and Caolán shuffling towards them. They had been supposed to leave the same way they had sneaked into the castle, and Phoenix, Giulia and Elodie were nowhere in sight. He wanted to rush to Peter's side, to help them with carrying Aslan, but although Darkan allowed the trio and lion to move, his unnatural blue eyes trailed in a menacing manner over Edmund.

Caspian strengthened and loosened his grip around the hilt of his sword, shifting uneasy from one side to another. Their plan was definitely not going as they had intended. However, his attention shot back to Malanix when she laughed shortly.

'Then, you confess this was part of your scheme all along. Treachery and deceptions, I am offended. You dare to come to my doorstep, to challenge me to a single combat while you're conspiring to sneak the great lion behind my back. Tell me, little Kings,' Malanix said as she raised her arms above her head and a whirlwind of ice and snow appeared around her.

The whirlwind transformed into dozens of sharp icicles and hovered behind her body in a gruesome form of a halo. With a flick of her hand, the pointed ends of the icicles turned towards those below on the courtyard and beyond the gate. The icicles were translucent against the sky, almost like glass.

'Tell me,' Malanix repeated, 'why shouldn't I impale you all where you're standing?'

'No, you can't!' Ella blurted out, pushing Oliver's shield away to look at the Winter Lady ─ if Malanix decided to unleash the icicles, Ella bet not even the shield could stop it. With the adrenaline rushing through her veins, though, Ella's mind worked faster than ever.

'You said you brought us to Narnia,' Ella said, remembering Malanix' words from before. 'You must have had a reason, and whatever that may have been, we will be no use to you if we are dead.' Ella's eyes flickered towards Peter when he was merely a couple of feet away from them, she wished she could silently ask him where her best friend was, but droplets of sweat streamed down his face as he, Lucy and Caolán heaved the great lion's body with them. Peter needed all of his concentration to not topple over and he ignored her stare.

'I reckon you have a point,' Malanix said, and seemingly without a command, one of the icicles floated forward until it hovered above her blue coloured fingertips. The Winter Lady tilted her head a bit as she observed her own reflection in the ice. She grinned when she saw the balcony doors swinging open behind her and three more prisoners were brought to her ─ while below on the courtyard, Ella's breath hitched in her throat when she recognised Elodie, Phoenix and Giulia.

'You see, Ella dear,' Malanix started, focussing her gaze back upon the Hufflepuff. 'Mina's magic gave me more power than I imagined, and now I even have two more witches and one wizard. I no longer have need for you or the others.'

The trio got roughly pushed on their knees by their captors, and Elodie's painful grunt shot far through the air; the sound snapping Peter out of his concentration. His heart ached as he suddenly realised the meaning of Malanix' words, and he tried to look past Aslan's mane, towards the balcony.

With that little movement, though, and as his emotions tumbled through his body, Peter lost the last of his strength. His legs trembled uncontrollably until his knees gave in and he collapsed onto the frozen stones of the courtyard. Aslan slipped away from his grip and Lucy yelped when he fell sideways, right upon her and she got buried beneath the death-like weight of the unconscious lion.

'Lucy!' Caolán screamed. He quickly sprinted towards the front of the lion and he grabbed her wrists, pulling her away from underneath Aslan. Lucy panted heavily, gasping for air while Caolán helped her back on her feet.

Edmund and Caspian wanted to close the last remaining distance between them, but they got cut short in their tracks by Darkan. The sharp edge of the longsword was tightly pressed against Edmund's throat, and both Kings didn't dare to move as a droplet of blood slid down Edmund's neck.

Malanix laughed evilly, raising her hands once again above her head and the icicle shot back towards its previous place in the circle. The halo of icicles behind her started spinning faster and faster until it looked like a shimmering circle of glass. It was as if she had been waiting for Aslan's fall as suddenly the other doors towards the courtyard swung open and an army of enchanted ice creatures streamed outside.

'I have no need for prisoners. Kill them all,' Malanix ordered her army, and the fast spinning icicles rose above her head.

With a deadly speed, the icicles shot towards the Narnians, witches and wizards, and Kings and Queens. The chaos of a battle broke loose immediately as both screams of bloodlust and terror filled the air.

Caspian pulled Edmund away from Darkan's sword while swinging his own to the Archenlander's unprotected side, but he reacted fast and the metallic clang of their swords colliding rang through their ears. The three of them were immediately caught in a fierce sword fight, deadly even as Darkan fought without holding back, but Edmund and Caspian tried their best to not hurt him too badly.

Peter rolled just in time out of the way of a rocketing icicle and with a harsh breaking sound, it embedded itself into the stone and not far away from Aslan. Peter's chest still heaved from exhaustion and though he desperately wanted to help his brother, he couldn't find the strength yet to get back on his feet.

Vittoria shrieked when an icicle soared right at her and George, and George brought up his shield to deflect the sharp ice. However, the metal was not made to withstand this brute force, and George hissed in pain when the pointy end shot right through the shield; even this small part of the icicle sliced through his chainmail and the skin of his under arm.

Ella and Oliver didn't try deflecting the icicle aiming for them with the shield, and both spun out of the course of the ice with the grace of Quidditch players, almost like a dance. The ice shattered on the courtyard and sharp pieces flew through the air by the impact, soaring down again on the pair in a painful rain.

Ella covered her head with her arms, quick to drop her bow on the ground, but she still felt some slivers of ice carving small wounds on her face. Oliver, though, was less lucky and he howled in agony when the minuscule pieces of ice landed in one of his eyes. His vision disappeared instantly at his left side and the warm blood trickled over his face.

Caolán still stood at Lucy's side, both their gazes turned skyward, but Caolán saw no other option when an icicle made its way right towards Aslan. They weren't strong or fast enough to pull the lion away in time, and Caolán jumped in front of Aslan before Lucy could try and stop him. Time seemed to slow down until every second felt like an hour when a shallow thud echoed over the courtyard and the icicle pierced Caolán's lower abdomen, the sharp point coming out of his lower back as well.

Lucy screamed his name, and Caolán staggered a few paces to turn halfway around. He pressed his hands tightly around the icicle and though his blood flowed between his fingers, the Narnian young man had a peaceful look on his face. The great lion was unharmed and that was what mattered. Tears streamed down Lucy's face and she screamed again after Caolán gave her one last smile before he sank onto the ground and with every strained breath he took, his life slipped further and further away from him.

'No, no, no,' Lucy cried as she ran towards Caolán and fell on her knees at his side. She pressed her hands on his wound as well, but Caolán barely responded, the colour of his face ghostly pale and his breathing shallow.

'Please, Cae,' Lucy pleaded between her sorrowful sobs. 'Stay with me, don't leave me.'

But, by the time the last icicle had shot out of the gruesome halo and embedded itself into the courtyard, Caolan's chest moved no longer.

The army of ice creatures moved closer, but Lucy sat unmovingly at Caolán's side, staring at his glazed over eyes, his once beautiful blue eyes. The Valiant Queen had seen many battles, but never one as hopeless as this one. She saw no victory in their future, not anymore. Aslan hadn't brought them together, Malanix had called the witches and wizards to Narnia; maybe it was their destiny that the Winter Lady won.

Lucy, however, snapped out of her dark thoughts when Peter jumped in front of her, his sword drawn and fighting off the bewitched minotaurus that had been coming for her. Her oldest brother grunted in pain when the flat side of the axe swung against his chest, and he stumbled a few paces backwards while bending over in pain. He almost tripped over Lucy and they crossed eyes ─ his filled with pain and hers with tears.

'Don't give up hope just yet, Lu,' Peter managed to bring out before charging at the minotaurus again with a roar.

Lucy wiped away her tears, a look of determination growing on her face. Peter was right. Caolán wouldn't have given his life in vain, and she crawled towards Aslan's head. The lion's eyelids were still closed, and Lucy laid her bloodstained hand on his ice cold snout.

'Please, Aslan,' Lucy said, redirecting her plea towards him. 'Wake up, we need you. We cannot do this without you.'

A ray of sunshine broke through the white winter's sky, the golden beam burning right through the layer of clouds and it shone down on Aslan's head. The frost seemed to melt out of his mane and his fur coat warmed up, as if the ray of sunshine brought new life back into him.

Lucy's heart skipped a beat from joy when the great lion started to move and his eyes shot open; the amber colour sparkling like a newborn sun and his gaze landed upon Lucy. With much effort, Aslan rose back on his legs and when he shook his mane, the air all around them started to feel warmer again.

'No!' Malanix screamed furiously, her long fingernails clawing in the frost of the railing as she clasped it tight. The fighting beneath her, though, ceased as Aslan's energy and presence grew stronger, and her enchantment started to slowly wear off.

The snow and ice thawed but before Aslan could bare his teeth, Malanix reached blindly behind her and grabbed Elodie who was closest to her. In an iron grip, Malanix closed her hand around Elodie's throat and forced her to lean backwards over the railing in a dangerous angle.

'Don't make another move, Aslan, or this poor girl will fall to her death,' Malanix threatened while Elodie tried to fight her way out of her grip, but Malanix was too strong and black dots started to dance in front of Elodie's eyesight as she ran out of oxygen.

Giulia and Phoenix had shaken their captors off them but they didn't dare to approach Malanix as her grip was the only thing keeping Elodie on the balcony as well. Time started to run out, though, and they feared Elodie would die one way or another.

Peter held his breath, anxiety rising in his chest as he saw Elodie's movements growing weaker. Aslan, standing in front of him with Lucy at his side, didn't move as he tentatively stared at Malanix, but Caspian took a small step forward ─ causing Malanix to turn her attention to him.

'You have lost, Malanix,' Caspian said. 'The Narnians are no longer under your spell. Don't make this worse for yourself and I might allow you to live as an outcast.'

'How very generous of you, little King,' Malanix sneered, but just when Elodie thought she was going to pass out because of oxygen deficiency, she heard a deep, calm and soothing voice in her mind, and she just knew it was Aslan's voice.

'Elodie, child,' he said, 'your and your friends' magic still works in this world. Just let it go, don't try to force it through your wand. The piece of tree is magicless in Narnia. Let your magic flow without boundaries.'

Elodie faintly clawed at Malanix' iron grip, darkness loomed at the edge of her vision, and she tried to follow Aslan's words. She tried finding the source of magic within her, the raging energy she had learned to control and focus with a wand, but now, she set it loose. With the strength of a tidal wave, the magic surged out of Elodie and the red beam of energy crackled violently as it crashed with Malanix.

The Winter Lady flew backwards, soaring high over Giulia's and Phoenix' heads and crashing right through the glass balcony doors. Malanix couldn't move, stunned by Elodie's paralyzing spell.

Elodie herself, however, fell backwards over the railing when Malanix no longer held her in place and because of the sudden burst of energy. For a moment, Elodie felt as if she was flying, but the stones of the courtyard came closer and closer at a terrifying speed. Her auburn hair danced around her head, moving along with the current of the wind, and she closed her eyes while trying to free her magic once more.

With only a few yards until a deadly and bloody impact, Elodie came to a gentle stop; her levitating spell coming to life in an even more natural way than breathing. She opened her eyes again and slowly lowered herself to the courtyard as she breathed in relief, but it was almost crushed out of her again when Ella flung her arms around her.

'How did you do that?' Ella sobbed between heavy breaths, squeezing her best friend even tighter. 'I thought you were going to die.'

Elodie chuckled and returned the hug before wiggling out of her crushing grip. 'I'm alright. Aslan helped me,' she said, and Ella gave the lion a curious look.

'The wands work as a restriction in this world,' Aslan explained. 'You were all trying to force a waterfall through a straw, so to speak. I told Elodie to set her magic loose, as I am now telling you all as well. Don't think, just act.'

Ella frowned, but then she closed her hand and when she opened her fist again, a small ball of light hovered above her hand. 'Oh that is so cool.' Ella whisked around, running back to Oliver to cast a healing spell over his blinded eye while Vittoria took care of George's arm wound.

Lucy, though, kneeled next to Caolán's body again and she took a few trembling breaths. 'It is too late for Cae, is it not?'

Aslan looked down upon her with an emphatic look. 'I am afraid so, dear one.'

Still upon the balcony, Giulia and Phoenix tried to unfreeze Mina's body while casting several spells, but nothing happened. 'We cannot bring back Mina,' Giulia said, leaning a bit over the railing to look at those on the courtyard.

Aslan hummed, his deep voice vibrating like buzzing bees through the ever warmer growing air. 'Malanix' power is stronger than that of her sister. Only her death can bring back those who are frozen with the stillness of winter. Bring them to me.'

Phoenix' eyes shot between the frozen Mina and the paralyzed Malanix lying in the room beyond the balcony doors, but then he did as Aslan had asked. Malanix didn't deserve their mercy; Noelle's and Caolán's death was at her hands.

Giulia and Phoenix made their way to the courtyard, both Malanix and Mina floating behind them on an invisible cloud of magic. At the courtyard, Aslan asked Elodie to lift her paralyzing spell, but the Hufflepuff held her in a kneeling position in case the Winter Lady wanted to make a run for it. Before Aslan could cast his sentence, Darkan stepped forward. A dangerous glint shimmered in his eyes and he dragged his longsword in a menacing manner over the courtyard behind him, the iron scraping over the stones.

'Please, Aslan, King of Kings, allow me to take Malanix' life.'

Phoenix stared at the Archelander in shock, but Darkan ignored him, turning his intense gaze towards the great lion.

'She forced me to kill my oldest friend, to abduct and hurt the woman I like. I need to be the one to bring Malanix to justice, please.'

Aslan looked at him, but Darkan did not waver under the stare. 'Doing this will not bring you peace,' the lion spoke.

Darkan shrugged. 'I didn't ask for peace of mind, I asked for justice.'

A silence lingered in the still air for a moment, but then with a small nod of his majestic head, Aslan allowed Darkan to step forth.

'At least grant me a quick death, a soldier's death,' Malanix said, raising her chin proudly in the air, and Darkan switched his grip on his sword: turning it from swinging it down in a cleave to resting the sharp tip high between her shoulder blades. He didn't mind how she died, as long as she died.

Malanix' eyes wandered to Caspian and a shiver ran down his spine when she smiled evilly. 'I must warn you, little King: Jinns never really die. My sister and I will come back to haunt you, I promise.' Her voice got cut off though when Darkan pressed his sword downwards, slicing through muscle and bone as if it was nothing.

Her body moved in spasms for a few seconds until it suddenly stopped, and as Darkan pulled back his sword, her dead body fell with a muted thud on the courtyard. A puddle of blood appeared around it and grew wider and bigger like the blooming petals of a rose while Mina's frozen body coloured with life once again.

They had been victorious, but it didn't feel like a triumph and they knew the night to come would be as silent as a non beating heart. . .

❉━━━━━━❈✾❈━━━━━━❉

𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓:

𝑬𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒂𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒉 𝑹𝒐𝒔𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒈 𝒃𝒚 -MoonlightRose-
𝑽𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒂 𝑭𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆 𝒃𝒚 gracelikeaWave-
𝑫𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒂𝒏 𝑬𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒚 @ 𝒎𝒆
𝑴𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒌𝒔𝒉𝒊 𝑩𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒂𝒍𝒆 (𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚) 𝒃𝒚 RockingGirl06
𝑪𝒂𝒐𝒍𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒚 inej-ghafas
𝑷𝒉𝒐𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒙 𝑻𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒐𝒓 𝒃𝒚 Avengers14
𝑮𝒊𝒖𝒍𝒊𝒂 𝑨𝒃𝒂𝒓𝒂 𝒃𝒚 GwynethStarks
𝒂𝒏𝒅
𝑬𝒍𝒐𝒅𝒊𝒆 𝑩𝒆𝒍𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒕 𝒃𝒚 @ 𝒎𝒆

❈✾❈

𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒑𝒊𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒖𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒇𝒕, 𝒚'𝒂𝒍𝒍! 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒖𝒏𝒆𝒅, 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒐𝒏.

❉━━━━━━❈✾❈━━━━━━❉