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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."
charning
jackfrostbite
—but she doesn't need it; he is already checking himself, giving Bella no more than a venomous glare that smooths into calm a moment later.
"Speak that name to me again and we will have a problem, you and I," he says flatly. "I am Eternal Winter. You'd best remember it."
He sheathes his sword.
"Speak that name to me again and we will have a problem, you and I," he says flatly. "I am Eternal Winter. You'd best remember it."
He sheathes his sword.
"There is no dispute about names for the time being," says Aslan, glancing at Bella. "Tell your mistress, lost Son of Adam, that I grant her safe conduct on the condition that she leaves her wand behind her at that great oak."
Aslan assigns two leopards, including the original one Winter met on the way in, to go with him and see that the wand is left as required. The leopards do not seem easy about this task - indeed, their fur is standing on end all along their spines - but they go.
jackfrostbite
"Lovely morning, isn't it?" he says conversationally as he leads them back to his queen. "Not that it wouldn't be prettier with some snow."
"I thought he was some kind of magically animated ice creature," one leopard mutters to the other. "Lost Son of Adam? How?"
"I heard a rumor about it," mutters the second. "I couldn't tell you any more though."
"I heard a rumor about it," mutters the second. "I couldn't tell you any more though."
jackfrostbite
"Are you going to be like this the whole way?" he inquires, not particularly expecting an answer.
jackfrostbite
"It'll be a lonely trip, then," he says. "Lucky for me it's not much longer."
And there, indeed, is the castle. Not far to go.
And there, indeed, is the castle. Not far to go.
charning
But that doesn't matter, because she strides out to meet them. She looks expectantly at Winter.
jackfrostbite
He bows to her.
"Your majesty, the lion grants you safe conduct on the condition that you leave your wand behind at the great oak that stands between here and the Table, and he has sent these two easily intimidated leopards to watch and be sure that you do."
"Your majesty, the lion grants you safe conduct on the condition that you leave your wand behind at the great oak that stands between here and the Table, and he has sent these two easily intimidated leopards to watch and be sure that you do."
charning
...The leopards shift but don't say anything.
"Very well," says the queen, and she calls out a few servants who she will trust to guard her wand, scritches Winter's hair, and proceeds towards the hill. She sheds both wand and servants at the oak in question, and proceeds, with Winter and leopards, to the Stone Table.
"Very well," says the queen, and she calls out a few servants who she will trust to guard her wand, scritches Winter's hair, and proceeds towards the hill. She sheds both wand and servants at the oak in question, and proceeds, with Winter and leopards, to the Stone Table.
neverbeatme
Meanwhile, back at the Table—
"Delaney Hammond, huh?" says James, sheathing her sword, as soon as she judges Winter well out of earshot. "Makes sense."
"Delaney Hammond, huh?" says James, sheathing her sword, as soon as she judges Winter well out of earshot. "Makes sense."
deepest_magic
"I guess if you aren't going to come back out again time has to keep going without you," muses Bella. "I wonder what happened to him, though?"
neverbeatme
"I'll just bet he came in and met the witch queen," says James. "And didn't have any friends for her to entice. So she did - that to him, instead."