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Narnia Chapter 11-17
Narnia Chapter 11-17
Edmund is surprised when the Witch does not fulfill any of the promises she made to him
before. She doesn't give him any Turkish Delight, and when he asks about it she orders the
Dwarf to bring him something to eat.
The Dwarf brings Edmund some bread and water. He objects, but the Witch is so angry and
frightening that he starts eating the dry bread.
While Edmund eats, the Dwarf prepares the Witch's sledge. When it's ready, the Witch
orders Edmund to come with her.
Before they leave, the Witch orders Fenris Ulf to take some wolves to the Beavers' house
and kill anyone he finds there. (Luckily, as we know from Chapter Ten, the Beavers and the
children have already left the house, and the falling snow has covered their tracks.)
The Witch and Edmund ride on the sledge and the Dwarf drives it. Edmund has a terrible
time; he is extremely cold and wet without his coat, and he feels miserable because it's
obvious now that the Witch is evil.
They drive all night and into the morning. Suddenly the Witch orders the sledge to stop.
At the foot of the tree, they see a group of animals and creatures, including a family of
squirrels, satyrs, a dwarf, and a fox, eating a delicious-smelling meal. The Fox is standing
up, about to propose a toast. When they see the Witch in her sledge they are terrified.
The Witch demands to know what's going on and where they got the feast from. The Fox
admits that they received the meal as a gift from Father Christmas.
The Witch is enraged by the mention of Father Christmas and insists that the Fox admit he
is lying. One of the young squirrels cries out that Father Christmas has been here.
Furious, the Witch waves her wand and turns the entire group into stone. Edmund begs her
not to, but the Witch simply hits him in the face and orders the Dwarf to continue driving.
For the first time, Edmund feels sorry for someone other than himself as he thinks about the
friendly creatures eating their feast, now cold stone forever.
As the sledge continues racing forward, Edmund notices that the snow is wetter and the air
is warmer and foggy. The sledge begins to have trouble moving; it hits rocks, skids around,
and eventually gets completely stuck.
When the sledge stops, Edmund realizes that he can hear running water. He is excited to
discover that the frost is ending; all around him, snow is melting, revealing green trees and
grass.
The Witch forces Edmund to help the Dwarf push the sledge out of the mud. They continue
driving, but then the sledge gets stuck again.
The Dwarf tells the Witch that the sledge is unusable. The Witch says they must walk. She
has the Dwarf tie Edmund's hands behind him and lead him on a rope, using a whip to keep
him going quickly.
The snow continues to melt, revealing a lush, green countryside around them. The sun
shines down on beautiful wildflowers. Birds begin to sing.
The Witch urges them to move faster. As the landscape becomes even more beautiful, the
Dwarf says aloud that spring has come and it must be because of Aslan.
The Witch says that if either of them mentions Aslan again, she will kill him.