Won't be your Bagman!

Alicia 4

"No," Winifred says. "I don't think that it works like that."

She goes onto explain that indeed Aslan had been dead set, by all appearances, on having battle that would have ended with the Witch's death.

Besides, she asked the others, was there any way that the others could prove that killing the Witch was NOT the way to bring Aslan back to normal? To save him?

While they both argued back and forth, finally...

"And when he gets to Heaven," I interrupt,quoting from a saying that came from a world similar to the one that Edmund wich also had a "World War 2" happen to it. I say it because I rather not liking how things are going here. "To Saint Peter he will tell: one more soldier reporting sir-- I've served my time in Hell"

As Winifred and the others look at me, staring, I then explain.

"Winifred," I say softly (a low bear rumbling sliping into my voice). "I do not know about the others but I did not come here to play 'assasin' for you."

If, say, the Rules and Agents said that this Witch needed killing . . . assasinated. Then I shall do so with a smile on my face. Obviously they are instruments from on High and who am I to argue with His plans? However, anything LESS than that and I shall NOT do such things. I can and have kill others in the past. Self defense and in warm blood, when the situation called for such things. When it was justified.

And from what I was getting from my friends, empathically, is that they are also rather against being "bagmen" as well! They were just looking for an opportune, polite way of bowing out of such a task without totally alienating Winifred into making us have to take her along with us by force (if we can and if we must)!

However, I can tell (as I could have seen within Astra's heart she felt similarly) that the former was going to be impossible and the later soon the most likely outcome...

Sigh.

Might as well get it over with and be ready to make a mad dash for it. Greater good and all that. The Witch is either dead or gone so far away as to make no difference (as witness Spring). Franlky, I rather feel that Winifred is just grasping at straws, and ghostly ones at that! Do not really believe that...

"Assasination is not honorable," Fertal says from the side, a thought suddenly occuring to him. "It is NOT the way of the D'Honaire. 'If I do not live by honor I do not live at all', correct?"

The last is directed at Winifred, who's gone several shades of red and white (in that order) as she hears she matra she's lived by ever since childhood. The matra that all D'Honaires learn...

"Where did you....?" she finally begins to sputter. "Of coures I do, but where did you...?"

She's rather startled, if you must know.

The fact that she was a D'Honaire never came up (she never gave her family name). That and she NEVER mentioned that matra to anyone (even Aslan) since coming to Narnia...

"Nevermind where I learned," Fertal says, almost smugly. "I just know it and LIVE by it myself. But how about a compromise which will satisfy honor AND your needs, eh?"

Befuddled, Winifred listens as the elf proposes his compromise, which hinged on one particular thing. She still is rather put out by what Fertal said, but in the end the comporomise makes sense...

And actually, a trail (if all be it a trial by combat) did sound much . . . better to her sense of honor than an assasination. Yes, the combat will happen between Jadis and these Newcomers (which would/could work out the same way at the end), but at least it works well enough. Frankly, she had seen within the other's eyes that they were about to say "no", and hang whatever Winifred's reasons for not coming along with them.

IT could have been ugly, folks.

Something actually rather important needed to be determined, however, before any party went out to get Jadis.

Outside

The children are quietly waiting outside for the grownups to finish with whatever they were talking about. Edmund had mentioned in passing that these strangers had, when offered in passing by one of Aslan's quartermasters upon Edmund coming back into camp, refused (and refused strongly) an offer to get new (rather shiny) swords to replace the relatively mundane (if functional) ones the warrior types carried.

Astra had laughed a little, saying that the enchantments within those Narnian swords would hinder her fighting instead of helping. See, she was used to magic swords, yes. However, she wasn't used to swords that provided the skills to the user via it's own magic ability. She'd be fighting not only whatever enemy in a sword battle, but fighting against the impulses/skills the sword fed her.

Much different.

1. With that running through his head, he hears Winifred calling for him to speak with him. One of the mages needed his assistence...