Special features
As promised, this is the section where you can see some of the goings on behind 'Ironic Synchronicity'. I've put together all the little things which I discarded, as well as some reflections on the actual process.
Enjoy!
Deleted scenes:
Chapter thirteen, original beginning:
My computer randomly contracted a terrible virus, and I was forced to revert to laptop use for a couple of days. Of course, I couldn't stop updating, but nor could I retrieve the lost data of chapter thirteen. And thus, this was what was later recovered when the computer became resurrected:
"He's not dead, you know. Not yet."
Edmund slowly raised his head, to look at Cifel, who leant casually against the further wall. He felt his fear contort, and anger reared in its place, overbearing, powerful.
"You."
Edmund would have leapt across the room and locked both hands firmly around the other boy's throat, had he not been so reluctant to leave Peter's side. He felt that, somehow, if he were to let go of his brother's shoulder…he may simply disappear. It was a foolish, childish notion, but it seemed a very real fear to Edmund at that moment.
"What…what did you do to my brother?"
Edmund felt his anger quelled with a fresh, cold wave of despair. Cifel seemed almost to sense this, and suddenly became far more tense.
"Please…"
Cifel sighed, relented, and came to stand beside Edmund. He glanced at Peter for a moment, taking in his now pale features, recalling the boy when he had left him in the crypt so many days ago. He shuddered.
"As I said, he is alive…" He said carefully, as Edmund slumped against the dais in relief "…but barely."
The forgotten scene:
A completely random fluff scene written off the top of my head in the back of my Maths book at school. I completely forgot about it until yesterday, when my teacher asked me what it was (mega cringe). I lied, pretended it was creative English coursework, and ripped it out to hastily type it up; and here it lies:
"ED!"
Peter burst out, allowing his head to drop into his hands, exasperated. Edmund pulled an innocent expression onto his face, and sheepishly fixed his gaze upon his feet.
"Will you please…"
"…do as I'm told? Never, dear brother mine."
Peter let out a weary sigh, and pulled the broken strap upon the pack towards him, studying the ripped seam with a petulant frown.
"You're impossible."
Edmund's face split into a wide grin as he handed the ripped overlap material to his brother, kneeling down beside the fallen log which Peter sat on.
"Nope. Just improbable."
Peter groaned as he pulled the fragments of the strap together, tying a tight knot in the threaded string about it. Edmund watched in mild disinterest, revelling in the fresh morning breeze which whipped through the trees.
"I do hate it so when you're like this. You remind me of-"
Peter broke off abruptly, and shook his head, a troubled expression clouding his features. Edmund felt suddenly cold.
"Don't…don't ever say that you…hate. It's not true. And…Dad…he wouldn't…"
He swallowed dryly, as Peter placed the pack carefully on the ground in order to free his hands. Edmund frowned in confusion, as his brother leant forwards to wrap his arms gently around his own shoulders.
"Peter? What-"
"Don't ever think like that again; we'll make it back, we'll see him again. I swear we will."
But Edmund could tell from the slight tremor in Peter's voice, that he didn't fully believe in what he was saying.
Nothing was certain; not anymore.
Just what happened to Toll:
This scene never quite fitted in between Susan and Lucy going to war and the whole chaos with the witch and the boys. It broke the pace, somewhat. It gives insight into the development of Lucy, growing up etc. So instead, I have placed it here for all to see:
Lucy capped her vial with the stopper shaped in the likeness of a roaring lion, pursing her lips. Susan had reluctantly left to alert the rest of the camp to the disturbance, and possible need for modifications to the battle strategy.
"Lady…Lucy?"
Lucy glanced down, to meet the teary gaze of the small, broken flower spirit. Toll's petalled form was now crumpled and torn, rather like a gale force wind had ripped her to shreds.
Lucy managed a small, encouraging smile as the spirit's eyes swam with unshed of tears.
"Oh miss, I'm so sorry! I couldn't…I was so cold, and I was…afraid…please, my lady, punish me for my weakness!"
Toll seemed desperate to pay penance for her crime; but if, as Lucy had suspected, she had not been acting of her own accord, it was not her blame to bear.
She was already suffering so terribly, after all.
"Nonsense, Toll. It was not your fault. Any one of us could have been in just the same position of you. Would you have condemned an innocent party of a crime not of their own creation?"
Toll hesitated, realising she had been cornered. No matter what she answered, she would be at fault. She smiled weakly as Lucy clasped the spirit's torn hand in her own.
"Don't worry; you'll be alright. And nobody was harmed. It's all over now."
It felt very strange to be the one giving comfort and advice, when she was so often upon the receiving end of such things. Lucy didn't feel so small when she held the power over life or death in her hands; and yet it still frightened her.
Responsibility and power came with a heavy price.
Rabadash: His true nature
Again, this scene was discarded due to the fact it broke the pace. It was a wrench removing it, as it answers a few questions concerning our dwarf. I eventually rewrote the chapter it was from by allowing the witch to leave almost immediatly after Peter had stabbed himself. Originally, she flees on foot and Rabadash follows:
The witch spun around with a whirl and clink of chainmail, eyes wild and narrowed as she stared the ridiculous creature down. The dwarf hefted his axe high, raising it in a defensive position before him.
The witch laughed mockingly.
"Foolish dwarf! You really believe yourself a match for me?"
Rabadash moved to an offensive stance, cheeks flushing with anger as he surveyed possible flaws in the witch's armour.
"Yer a heartless monster, you! Ye do realise the boy meant ye no harm? All the poor littluns ever wanted was to get 'ome!"
The witch's eyes flashed in anger as she raised her sword, gathering the currents of magic within her and sending tentative pulses through the earth. Meanwhile, she distracted the creature with a counter to his statement:
"Those 'littluns' are treacherous outlanders, with absolutely no claim to the throne! You expect me to stand idly by while the entirety of my realm is forced under their reign?"
"T'was never yer realm, and never will be!"
Rabadash threw his axe with all of his strength, the force of his swing sending it flying through the air at deadly speed. The witch, however, deflected it with a single blow of her own blade, sneering.
"The prophesy is countered; your precious 'High King' dead. There is no salvation left for this world."
She towered over him as he stood his ground, a flicker of uncertainty entering his previously fiery gaze. The witch smirked, and stimulated the tendrils of icy cold to hover just below his ankles, ready to ensnare him within her power.
"Be glad, that you will not live to see your kingdom fall."
And she struck.
So, Rabadash was not acting of his own accord when he attacked Lucy. I hope that cleared up a few things which have been troubling you concerning the dwarf.
I will only say this: I had my reasons.
Random paragraph I wrote for my English class, concerning Narnia:
The concept of human's ruling Narnia is based on religious connotations. The Bible states that God made humans for the specific purpose of ruling over the animal kingdom. However, now we are about half a century on from CS Lewis, this is less the case.
The right to be free is one of the main structural pillars which shape societal conventions today. There are two views you could take on this Bible passage; either that humans were born to rule, or that humans were born to watch over. As the creatures in Narnia are, in some ways, of just a high a status as the human characters, it seems strange that they cannot rule their own destiny.
In the book 'Prince Caspian' all Narnia creatures are suppressed by the totalitarian rule of a group of humans, who were not intended to ever enter the realm. This suggests that humanity corruption.
Discarded plot ideas:
I did actually consider killing off Cifel, along with Peter, and Mrs Pevensie. However, obviously I couldn't quite bear to kill Peter (he is my favourite character, after all) and Cifel became so popular I could hardly just get rid of him.
As for Mrs Pevensie…well, after I killed off Mr Pevensie I couldn't do both parents…however, I have a few concepts in mind for possible further developments in this line. You'll just have to wait and see!
Originally the journey of Peter and Edmund was supposed to last only three chapters. This just goes to show how wrong an authoress can be…it just seemed rushed to simply write it off within a few chapters.
I was going to have Lucy kill the witch, as this was a slightly different take. However, it seemed implausible. No offence to Lucy, but she just doesn't have the stature to carry out such a task!
There was going to be a whole extra section within the journey, in which Peter and Edmund are capture by a group of outlawed mountain dwarfs. This was quite an amusing arc, but didn't quite fit in straight after the battle with the wolves. They were originally supposed to meet Rabadash here, with the Thistlekin tribe.
An extra note of amusement on this…Rabadash was disowned by his tribe due to the fact he accidentally insulted the chief's beard in a drunken stupor; the most heinous insult which can be delivered to a dwarf.
Finally, and quite possibly the strangest…I was going to involve Mr Tumnus somehow, but…(cringes) completely forgot. I am not at all proud of it, and will have to find a way to pop him in the sequel instead...
The development of Cifel:
Cifel began as a mere plot device. I needed a sort of messenger between the witch and Edmund, to guide him. I originally intended to kill him off, allowing him to die holding the witch off while Edmund escapes. However, I soon discovered he was very useful for informing the boys how to go about their escape, so I kept him on for a little while.
And then, I began to think. It was a little shallow to simply leave him as a device, as he had some quite extraordinary powers. There had to be a story behind him, some sort of past which makes him so bitter and detached.
So I devised the concept of a guardian, from the biblical context behind the chronicles. I figured that there was God, Jesus, but what of the angels? And so, I developed the idea of having a guardian angel for each land. Ironically (of course) I had named him after an angel: Lucifel, the fallen angel Lucifer's original title.
And so our little guardian grew. Soon, I came up with the idea of a past relationship with Aslan which could allow me to explore the past, and present, formation and workings of Narnia. He simply grew and grew, developing from emotion to emotion and from demeanour to demeanour.
Quite late, I realised I could reflect his own loss of hope with the boys. It allows an outsiders view of their relationship, and I have to say, I've grown very fond of him. He's come a very long way, and I think I could even include him in the sequels…what do you think?
Is there a yet more adventurous future, not to mention past, which I could reveal about Cifel, guardian of the realm?
The (very brief) development of Toll:
Ah, Toll. She really was just a plot device, to be honest. She quite literally started as just a flower and…well…I guess she still is just a flower, if an unwillingly traitorous one. That's all there is to say, really…she sort of represents tainted innocence, but that's only really as an afterthought.
The (brief) development of Rabadash (whose true identity has yet to be revealed):
Hmmmmm…yes, I'll have to be careful on this one. Rabadash, formerly of the Thistlekin tribe, was supposedly thrown out because during a drunken stupor, he inadvertently insulted the chief's beard.
And thus, he ended up as an outcast in the woods surrounding the mountains. However, he may (or may not) have been recruited into the service of a certain person in a high place. And with that, I'll lead you to ponder his possible significance.
Special thanks:
To the wonderful cast and crew who made the movie of the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (not that they'd ever be seen dead here, but still) and to, of course, CS Lewis, who started this whole thing!
Reviewer rewards:
Most devoted: Capegio. Reviewed almost every chapter, I think! And always with an unorthodox comment or two. Thank you!
Most constructive: Kelsey Estel. Your advice was very useful, even if I didn't follow all of it (sorry, but the other reviewers protested!)
Most encouraging: Shauna. Always with the longest, most encouraging reviews (you made me blush…) thanks so much, honey!
Most amusing: coolmarauders. You made me laugh, and you seemed really involved in the story. Not to mention, my first ever Cifel fan!
Most supportive: Sentimental Star, who not only reviewed every chapter with unfailing loyalty, but also agreed to write a one-shot which I myself was incapable of finishing. THANKS SO MUCH!
And all the rest, thank you all SO SO SO much! You have NO idea how much all your support helped me continue on, regardless of any doubts I may have had along the way! You guys are the BEST!
Character songs:
These are just a few songs which I've heard which are totally perfect for some of the characters; I just thought you might like to see them! I was listening to 'Within temptation' while writing the last few chapters…
Cifel's song: 'I'd give my heart'
I've been dreaming for so long, Will I always, will you always I'd give my heart, I'd give my soul
To find a meaning to understand.
The secret of life,
Why am I here to try again?
See the truth when it stares you in the face?
Will I ever, will I never free myself
By breaking these chains?
I'd turn it back, it's my fault.
Your destiny is forlorn,
Have to live till it's undone.
I'd give my heart, I'd give my soul
I'd turn it back and then at last
I'll be on my way.
I've been living for so long, I've seen the horror, I've seen the wonders
Many seasons have passed me by.
I've seen kingdoms through the ages
Rise and fall, I've seen it all.
Happening just in front of my eyes.
Will I ever, will I never free myself
By making it right?
I'd give my heart, I'd give my soul
I'd turn it back, it's my fault.
Your destiny is forlorn,
Have to live till it's undone.
I'd give my heart, I'd give my soul
I'd turn it back and then at last
I'll be on my way.
Aslan our dream ended long ago. I'd give my heart, I'd give my soul
All our stories and all our glory I held so dear.
We won't be together
For ever and ever, no more tears.
I'll always be here until the end.
Aslan, no more tears...
Aslan, no more tears...
I'd turn it back, it's my fault.
Your destiny is forlorn,
Have to live till it's undone.
I'd give my heart, I'd give my soul
I'd turn it back and then at last I'll be
On my way.
Peter's song: 'Stand my ground'
I can see
When you stay low nothing happens
Does it feel right ?
Am I alright?
Late at night
Things I thought I put behind me
Haunt my mind
Is it alright?
I just know there's no escape Stand my ground, I won't give in
Not once it sets its eyes on you
But I won't run, have to stare it in the eye
No more denying, I got to face it
Won't close my eyes and hide the truth inside
If I don't make it, someone else will
I can make it alright It's all around
Stand my ground
Getting stronger, coming closer
Into my world
Will it be alright?
I can feel
That it's time for me to face it
Can I take it?
Can I make it alright?
Though this might just be the ending
Of the life I held so dear
But I won't run, there's no turning back from here
I must make it alright
Stand my ground, I won't give in
No more denying, I got to face it
Won't close my eyes and hide the truth inside
If I don't make it, someone else will
It will be alright
Stand my ground
All I know for sure is I'm trying
I will always stand my ground
Stand my ground
Stand my ground, I won't give in
I won't give up
No more denying, I got to face it
Won't close my eyes and hide the truth inside
If I don't make it, someone else will
Someone will make it alright
Stand my ground, I won't give in
No more denying, I got to face it
Won't close my eyes and hide the truth inside
If I don't make it, someone else will
Will you make it alright?
Stand my ground
Stand my ground…
Questions answered:
1. What happened to Cifel, in the past?
A: Well, the full story behind that is planned to be put in the sequel. You didn't think I'd leave Cifel behind, did you? You'll just have to wait and see.
2. Rabadash; was he good or bad?
A: Sorry, I didn't make that very clear...it was the witch's influence, as you can see from the deleted scene above. As for why I killed him off...I had my reasons. Again, you'll have to wait for the sequel.
3. When is Peter going to tell the others a: about what happened to he and Edmund and b: that their father is dead?
A: a: The concept is that whenever Susan and Lucy asked, the boys hastily changed the subject. However, they shall find out at some point... b: You'll have to wait and see.
4. Did you actually tell us what Rabadash's real name was?
A: No. Have patience.
5. (From coolmarauders) How did you get the nerve to kill off Peter, Cifel and Edmund all in the same story!
A: (Smug grin) Technically, Cifel belongs to me. Edmund never actually died, and Cifel is not really alive in the physical sense at all. Apart from that...lets just say I am either insane or very daring; make your own distinction between the two.
Summary: Yeah, any loose ends have been left for a reason. Never fear. I do, amazingly, know vaguely what I am doing.
Afterword from Authoress:
So there you have it. Ironic Synchronicity is finally over, for good. It's been a long, hard road, and I hope you've enjoyed reading just as much as I've enjoyed writing.
I'm not sure exactly when the first chapter of the sequel will be up; it could be any length of time from three weeks to two months. But keep your eyes peeled, and you may find a few little in-between projects of mine popping up!
Yours in conclusion,
ohcEEcho
Thanks for reading!