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PETER'S FIRST BATTLE:
WHILE the dwarf and the White Witch were saying this, miles away the Beavers
and the children were walking on hour after hour into what seemed a delicious
dream. Long ago they had left the coats behind them. And by now they had even
stopped saying to one another, "Look! there's a kingfisher," or "I say,
bluebells!" or "What was that lovely smell?" or "Just listen to that thrush!"
They walked on in silence drinking it all in, passing through patches of warm
sunlight into cool, green thickets and out again into wide mossy glades where
tall elms raised the leafy roof far overhead, and then into dense masses of
flowering currant and among hawthorn bushes where the sweet smell was almost
overpowering.
They had been just as surprised as Edmund when they saw the winter vanishing and
the whole wood passing in a few hours or so from January to May. They hadn't
even known for certain (as the Witch did) that this was what would happen when
Aslan came to Narnia. But they all knew that it was her spells which had
produced the endless winter; and therefore they all knew when this magic spring
began that something had gone wrong, and badly wrong, with the Witch's schemes.
And after the thaw had been going on for some time they all realized that the
Witch would no longer be able to use her sledge. After that they didn't hurry so
much and they allowed themselves more rests and longer ones. They were pretty
tired by now of course; but not what I'd call bitterly tired - only slow and
feeling very dreamy and quiet inside as one does when one is coming to the end
of a long day in the open. Susan had a slight blister on one heel.
They had left the course of the big river some time ago; for one had to turn a
little to the right (that meant a little to the south) to reach the place of the
Stone Table. Even if this had not been their way they couldn't have kept to the
river valley once the thaw began, for with all that melting snow the river was
soon in flood - a wonderful, roaring, thundering yellow flood - and their path
would have been under water.
And now the sun got low and the light got redder and the shadows got longer and
the flowers began to think about closing.
"Not long now," said Mr Beaver, and began leading them uphill across some very
deep, springy moss (it felt nice under their tired feet) in a place where only
tall trees grew, very wide apart. The climb, coming at the end of the long day,
made them all pant and blow. And just as Lucy was wondering whether she could
really get to the top without another long rest, suddenly they were at the top.
And this is what they saw.
They were on a green open space from which you could look down on the forest
spreading as far as one could see in every direction - except right ahead.
There, far to the East, was something twinkling and moving. "By gum!" whispered
Peter to Susan, "the sea!" In the very middle of this open hill-top was the
Stone Table. It was a great grim slab of grey stone supported on four upright
stones. It looked very old; and it was cut all over with strange lines and
figures that might be the letters of an unknown language. They gave you a
curious feeling when you looked at them. The next thing they saw was a pavilion
pitched on one side of the open place. A wonderful pavilion it was - and
especially now when the light of the setting sun fell upon it - with sides of
what looked like yellow silk and cords of crimson and tent-pegs of ivory; and
high above it on a pole a banner which bore a red rampant lion fluttering in the
breeze which was blowing in their faces from the far-off sea. While they were
looking at this they heard a sound of music on their right; and turning in that
direction they saw what they had come to see.
Aslan stood in the centre of a crowd of creatures who had grouped themselves
round him in the shape of a half-moon. There were Tree-Women there and
Well-Women (Dryads and Naiads as they used to be called in our world) who had
stringed instruments; it was they who had made the music. There were four great
centaurs. The horse part of them was like huge English farm horses, and the man
part was like stern but beautiful giants. There was also a unicorn, and a bull
with the head of a man, and a pelican, and an eagle, and a great Dog. And next
to Aslan stood two leopards of whom one carried his crown and the other his
standard.
But as for Aslan himself, the Beavers and the children didn't know what to do or
say when they saw him. People who have not been in Narnia sometimes think that a
thing cannot be good and terrible at the same time. If the children had ever
thought so, they were cured of it now. For when they tried to look at Aslan's
face they just caught a glimpse of the golden mane and the great, royal, solemn,
overwhelming eyes; and then they found they couldn't look at him and went all
trembly.
"Go on," whispered Mr Beaver.
"No," whispered Peter, "you first."
"No, Sons of Adam before animals," whispered Mr Beaver back again.
"Susan," whispered Peter, "What about you? Ladies first."
"No, you're the eldest," whispered Susan. And of course the longer they went on
doing this the more awkward they felt. Then at last Peter realized that it was
up to him. He drew his sword and raised it to the salute and hastily saying to
the others "Come on. Pull yourselves together," he advanced to the Lion and
said:
"We have come - Aslan."
"Welcome, Peter, Son of Adam," said Aslan. "Welcome, Susan and Lucy, Daughters
of Eve. Welcome He-Beaver and She-Beaver."
His voice was deep and rich and somehow took the fidgets out of them. They now
felt glad and quiet and it didn't seem awkward to them to stand and say nothing.
"But where is the fourth?" asked Aslan.
"He has tried to betray them and joined the White Witch, O Aslan," said Mr
Beaver. And then something made Peter say,
"That was partly my fault, Aslan. I was angry with him and I think that helped
him to go wrong."
And Aslan said nothing either to excuse Peter or to blame him but merely stood
looking at him with his great unchanging eyes. And it seemed to all of them that
there was nothing to be said.
"Please - Aslan," said Lucy, "can anything be done to save Edmund?"
"All shall be done," said Aslan. "But it may be harder than you think." And then
he was silent again for some time. Up to that moment Lucy had been thinking how
royal and strong and peaceful his face looked; now it suddenly came into her
head that he looked sad as well. But next minute that expression was quite gone.
The Lion shook his mane and clapped his paws together ("Terrible paws," thought
Lucy, "if he didn't know how to velvet them!") and said,
"Meanwhile, let the feast be prepared. Ladies, take these Daughters of Eve to
the pavilion and minister to them."
When the girls had gone Aslan laid his paw - and though it was velveted it was
very heavy - on Peter's shoulder and said, "Come, Son of Adam, and I will show
you a far-off sight of the castle where you are to be King."
And Peter with his sword still drawn in his hand went with the Lion to the
eastern edge of the hilltop. There a beautiful sight met their eyes. The sun was
setting behind their backs. That meant that the whole country below them lay in
the evening light - forest and hills and valleys and, winding away like a silver
snake, the lower part of the great river. And beyond all this, miles away, was
the sea, and beyond the sea the sky, full of clouds which were just turning rose
colour with the reflection of the sunset. But just where the land of Narnia met
the sea - in fact, at the mouth of the great river - there was something on a
little hill, shining. It was shining because it was a castle and of course the
sunlight was reflected from all the windows which looked towards Peter and the
sunset; but to Peter it looked like a great star resting on the seashore.
"That, O Man," said Aslan, "is Cair Paravel of the four thrones, in one of which
you must sit as King. I show it to you because you are the first-born and you
will be High King over all the rest."
And once more Peter said nothing, for at that moment a strange noise woke the
silence suddenly. It was like a bugle, but richer.
"It is your sister's horn," said Aslan to Peter in a low voice; so low as to be
almost a purr, if it is not disrespectful to think of a Lion purring.
For a moment Peter did not understand. Then, when he saw all the other creatures
start forward and heard Aslan say with a wave of his paw, "Back! Let the Prince
win his spurs," he did understand, and set off running as hard as he could to
the pavilion. And there he saw a dreadful sight.
The Naiads and Dryads were scattering in every direction. Lucy was running
towards him as fast as her short legs would carry her and her face was as white
as paper. Then he saw Susan make a dash for a tree, and swing herself up,
followed by a huge grey beast. At first Peter thought it was a bear. Then he saw
that it looked like an Alsatian, though it was far too big to be a dog. Then he
realized that it was a wolf - a wolf standing on its hind legs, with its front
paws against the tree-trunk, snapping and snarling. All the hair on its back
stood up on end. Susan had not been able to get higher than the second big
branch. One of her legs hung down so that her foot was only an inch or two above
the snapping teeth. Peter wondered why she did not get higher or at least take a
better grip; then he realized that she was just going to faint and that if she
fainted she would fall off.
Peter did not feel very brave; indeed, he felt he was going to be sick. But that
made no difference to what he had to do. He rushed straight up to the monster
and aimed a slash of his sword at its side. That stroke never reached the Wolf.
Quick as lightning it turned round, its eyes flaming, and its mouth wide open in
a howl of anger. If it had not been so angry that it simply had to howl it would
have got him by the throat at once. As it was - though all this happened too
quickly for Peter to think at all - he had just time to duck down and plunge his
sword, as hard as he could, between the brute's forelegs into its heart. Then
came a horrible, confused moment like something in a nightmare. He was tugging
and pulling and the Wolf seemed neither alive nor dead, and its bared teeth
knocked against his forehead, and everything was blood and heat and hair. A
moment later he found that the monster lay dead and he had drawn his sword out
of it and was straightening his back and rubbing the sweat off his face and out
of his eyes. He felt tired all over.
Then, after a bit, Susan came down the tree. She and Peter felt pretty shaky
when they met and I won't say there wasn't kissing and crying on both sides. But
in Narnia no one thinks any the worse of you for that.
"Quick! Quick!" shouted the voice of Aslan. "Centaurs! Eagles! I see another
wolf in the thickets. There - behind you. He has just darted away. After him,
all of you. He will be going to his mistress. Now is your chance to find the
Witch and rescue the fourth Son of Adam." And instantly with a thunder of hoofs
and beating of wings a dozen or so of the swiftest creatures disappeared into
the gathering darkness.
Peter, still out of breath, turned and saw Aslan close at hand.
"You have forgotten to clean your sword," said Aslan.
It was true. Peter blushed when he looked at the bright blade and saw it all
smeared with the Wolf's hair and blood. He stooped down and wiped it quite clean
on the grass, and then wiped it quite dry on his coat.
"Hand it to me and kneel, Son of Adam," said Aslan. And when Peter had done so
he struck him with the flat of the blade and said, "Rise up, Sir Peter
Wolf's-Bane. And, whatever happens, never forget to wipe your sword."
Now we must get back to Edmund. When he had been made to walk far further than
he had ever known that anybody could walk, the Witch at last halted in a dark
valley all overshadowed with fir trees and yew trees. Edmund simply sank down
and lay on his face doing nothing at all and not even caring what was going to
happen next provided they would let him lie still. He was too tired even to
notice how hungry and thirsty he was. The Witch and the dwarf were talking close
beside him in low tones.
"No," said the dwarf, "it is no use now, O Queen. They must have reached the
Stone Table by now."
"Perhaps the Wolf will smell us out and bring us news," said the Witch.
"It cannot be good news if he does," said the dwarf.
"Four thrones in Cair Paravel," said the Witch. "How if only three were filled?
That would not fulfil the prophecy."
"What difference would that make now that He is here?" said the dwarf. He did
not dare, even now, to mention the name of Aslan to his mistress.
"He may not stay long. And then - we would fall upon the three at Cair."
"Yet it might be better," said the dwarf, "to keep this one" (here he kicked
Edmund) "for bargaining with."
