Title: Magic of the Deep

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Summary: AU, during LWW. What if Edmund hadn't been reunited with his siblings?

Prologue: Here Comes the Sun

Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
and I say it's all right
It's all right

-- The Beatles 'Here Comes the Sun'

The White Witch's Castle…

Edmund watched as the Witch dragged the faun out of the ice prison. His heart ached with regret, and try and he might, he couldn't quite push the sight of the faun's face, the anger, the pain of betrayal, the loathing, from his mind. He slumped back against the cold wall, tears pricking at his eyes. He had been a fool to trust this Witch, to believe that she was truly good. Oh, he had been such a fool.

And yet, despite all that, another feeling battled for a place in his heart. A cold and vindictive emotion. Yes, he wanted his siblings' forgiveness, but that wasn't enough. He wanted to enjoy betraying them as well. How could he explain the way he felt around them, the pain that pierced his heart every time he was compared to Peter, every time he was lectured by Susan, every time he was told to be nice to darling Lucy? How could he make them understand that when he was around them, he never felt good enough? And that for one brief moment, the White Witch had made him feel important?

How could he explain that even if she was evil, she had given him the one thing he had always wanted, the one thing they had never been able to give?

Edmund sighed and shook his head. It didn't matter anymore. None of it mattered, because his siblings would never trust him again. They would look at him with disgust and fury, and they would silently wonder, over and over, how he could do this to them.

He paused suddenly, paling as he heard the sound of footsteps on the hall outside his cell. He held his breath, praying that it was not the Witch, that it was just a guard coming by to make sure he hadn't escaped.

But luck was not with him that night.

The Witch was accompanied by an ogre. She gestured imperiously to her servant, and Ginarrbrik shoved the cell door open. He marched over to Edmund and snapped the chains that held him to the wall. Grabbing Edmund roughly by the collar of his shirt, he pulled the boy to his feet and pushed him towards the exit.

"Come, young Prince," the Witch said softly, her quiet voice laced with mocking. "It is time we took you to your family."

Edmund felt a chill run up his spine at her words, but he stumbled obediently after her through the ice palace to the courtyard. The Witch swept quickly in front of him and settled herself on her sleigh, wrapping her furs tightly around her pale skin. She watched impassively as Edmund stopped in front of the newest statue in her courtyard and stared at Tumnus' stone face in horror. "When you are ready, Son of Adam," she smirked at last, and Edmund turned to face her. Something hit him from behind, and he realized that Ginarrbrik had thrust him forward. He collapsed, exhausted, onto the floor of the sleigh, pain shooting up his side, indicating how hurt he truly was. Then the ogre leapt to his platform in the front and whipped the Reindeer mercilessly. The Animals jumped forward, and the sleigh lurched after them.

The Western Wood, same day…

The Witch's sleigh suddenly jerked to the side as a thin piece of frozen leather from one of the reindeer's tethers snapped in two. The reindeer, finding itself suddenly free, reared up on its hind legs, spun around, and smashed its antlers into the front of the sleigh, causing it to tip precariously to one side, and Edmund came rolling out onto the snow.

The other reindeer began to dance nervously, pulling at their own tethers in the hopes of breaking free. Ginarbrrik snarled, pulling back his whip, and attacking the freed reindeer. The Witch was forced to hold tight to the sleigh to keep from falling out as it was jolted back and forth, but she freed one hand and reached for her magic wand. Lifting it in the air, she pointed it at the freed reindeer, and a moment later he was turned to stone where he stood, a great statue reared back on its hind legs, antlers forward and ready to attack.

At the sight of their fallen comrade, the other reindeer's instantly stopped the fight, turning docile and harmless once more. Their fear was evident in their eyes as they swung their great heads slowly back and forth, praying silently that they would not be next.

Ginarbrrik jumped from the sleigh and pulled out his knife. Slicing through the broken tether, he threw the worn leather carelessly to the ground. Then he undid the remaining reins and refashioned the tethers so that the weight of the sleigh was equally divided among the reindeer. As he worked, he glanced down at the slush under his feet. If the snow continued to melt this quickly, it would not be long before the runners of the sleigh would get caught in the mud, and then the sleigh would be useless.

The Witch watched Ginarbrrik's progress with satisfaction, then turned to the spot where Edmund had fallen, and her eyes narrowed in anger.

Edmund was gone.

"Fool!" she hissed. "Does he really think he can escape us?" She stared at the tracks in the snow, the footprints that clearly marked the path Edmund had taken. She turned to Ginarbrrik and ordered, "Follow those tracks."

Ginarbrrik jumped back into the sleigh and lashed at the reindeer. They took off instantly, leaving their stone friend behind as they pressed deep into the woods. But soon the trees grew too thickly together for the sleigh to pass through, and the ogre was forced to bring the sleigh to a stop. He glanced back at the Witch, waiting for her decision.

"Well, the Son of Adam is clever," the Witch mused, her voice low and shaking with barely constrained fury. "But if he thinks he can lose me in this forest…"

She stepped out of the sleigh and stood on the snow for a moment, weighing her options. She didn't know where Aslan's camp was, the boy had not revealed that to her. But she was confident that her Wolves would be able to follow the children and either kill them, or at least discover the location of Aslan's army. Edmund was her leverage, her bait, and she needed him back.

"Cut the reindeer free and leave the sleigh," she ordered at last. They would proceed on foot.

The Mountains beyond the Western Wood, same day…

Edmund looked around warily. The minute he had fallen from the sleigh, he had jumped to his feet. Realizing that the Witch was otherwise occupied at the time, he had turned and dashed into the trees. It was a reckless move on his part, he knew that, but he felt that he needed to at least try to escape. Weaving his way through the forest, he had headed towards the areas where the trees were closer together, hoping it would prevent the sleigh from getting through.

He paused now, and shivered slightly against the wind. He was so tired, and so numb from pain and cold, it was hard just to continue walking. But every time he wanted to stop, he thought of the Witch, and his siblings lives in danger, and everyone he had betrayed, and he hurried on.

And then, quite suddenly, he was out of the woods. In front of him was a steep ravine that plummeted down, so far down he couldn't see the bottom. Behind him, the trees faded away into an ice wall that rose smooth and straight up towards the sky.

How long since he had left the Witch? It seemed like hours, although he knew it couldn't have been more than half and hour. Had she followed him? Was she close behind?

He couldn't go back, and the ravine in front of him prevented him from going forward, so he turned left and began his trek that way. He moved quickly, but his feet continually sank deeper and deeper into the thawing snow, making it difficult to walk. Once or twice he stumbled, and barely managed to catch himself before he rolled over the side of the cliff.

After a few moments, he paused and took a breath, leaning against the ice wall. He closed his eyes and felt the icy air rush into his lungs. Shaking his head, he opened his eyes again.

And bit back the urge to scream.

Standing in front of his was a large Wolf.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" the Wolf said mockingly, snapping its jaws as it approached the terrified human. Edmund backed away until he was firmly pressed against the ice wall, and the Wolf continued advancing.

"So you're the human that the Witch captured?" he sneered. "Welcome to Narnia, little king." The Wolf was only a few feet away from him now, and Edmund could feel its hot breath. "The rest of my pack has gone after your siblings," the Wolf continued, watching Edmund closely, "but imagine my luck. Instead of having to chase the humans with them, one came and found me."

In the distance, Edmund heard the sudden howl of another Wolf. A few more howls joined that one, and the air was filled with the sound of approaching danger.

The Wolf turned and looked in that direction, before letting out its own howl. Then it turned back to Edmund and said jeeringly, "A few of us who did not accompany Maugrim are coming. They will be so pleased to see you."

And Edmund did the only thing he could think of. He turned and ran.

But the Wolf simply launched itself forward, pinning Edmund to the ground with its front paws and snarling at him. Edmund twisted, trying to break free, and managed to somehow throw the Wolf away from him. He pulled himself to his hands and knees just as the Wolf righted itself and growled. Acting on instinct, Edmund thrust his legs out, catching the Wolf directly in the chest. The Wolf howled again, this time in shock, and fell backward over the side of the cliff and out of sight.

Edmund stared in horror, realizing that he had just killed another living creature. His mouth opened in dismay, but no sound came out, and he sat there on his hands and knees in shock.

Then he heard the sound of Wolves not too far behind and remembered the Witch. He scrambled to his feet and raced along the side of the steep ravine. The half-thawed ice cracked under his feet as he ran, causing him to stumble several times. He would have slowed and run more carefully if he thought he could chance it, but behind him he heard the distinct howls of the Wolves. So he continued running until he thought his legs would no longer support him, and his lungs ached from lack of oxygen. The cold bit deep into his skin, slicing through to his bone, and he shivered uncontrollably as he ran.

Then, quite suddenly, he was brought up against a tall rocky cliff. Behind him, he could hear the Wolves getting closer, to his right was the steep raving, to his left the great ice wall. The path in front of him was blocked by the rising rocks, but he had no choice but to try and scale them.

He grabbed onto the first crevice in the rocks and pulled himself up. He stuck his feet into the cracks and small ledges, and frantically sought out another handhold. Hand over hand, foot over foot, he steadily climbed. Once of twice the rocks gave way and he would slide backwards, flailing his arms as he tried to grab onto anything that would support him.

The howls sounded right below him, and he chanced a look down.

The Wolves were at the foot of the cliff.

He was suddenly overcome with dizziness, and his hands slipped again. He stumbled and fell at an angle, towards the ravine on his right. Reaching out with one hand he caught the tiny jutting ledge of a rock, and felt the stone pierce his skin. The snow around his hand turned red with blood, and below him the Wolves waited for him to fall.

He tried to move his feet, but fear had him rooted to the spot. He shoved his other hand up, trying to find a handhold, but the surface was too smooth, too slippery. The bruises on his body began to ache with a throbbing intensity, and the wounds the Witch had inflicted reopened, spilling more red onto the snow.

The dizziness came again, this time with a pounding headache, and suddenly his grip on the rock came loose. He reached out, clawing frantically against the rocks, but his fingers couldn't find traction on the smooth ice. He fell, tumbling away from the Wolves, towards the great expanse of empty air over the deep ravine.

And then the ground had given way beneath him, and the floor of the ravine soared up towards him at a terrifyingly rapid pace. He was falling…

…falling…

…falling…