"Edmund!" Lucy screamed.

"Shhhh, they'll hear ya!" Mr. Beaver warned frantically.

Peter took off sprinting. Mr. Beaver grabbed his coat in desperation, but Peter kicked him away. "Get off me!"

"No! You're playing into her hands!"

"We can't just let him go!" Susan yelled.

"He's our brother," Lucy said, her voice fragile.

"He's the bait! The Witch wants all four o' ya!"

"Why?"

"Just to- agh to keep the prophecy from coming true. To kill ya."

A heavy silence hung over the group. I stared long and hard at the castle, my heart pounding wildly. Not from the run. Not from fear. From the knowledge of what I had to do.

"This is all your fault," Susan snapped. I kept my eyes glued to the castle, scanning the entrance.

"My fault?" Peter asked.

"None of this would have happened if you had just listened to me in the first place!" I spotted the gate.

"Oh, so you knew this would happen."

"I didn't know what would happen. Which is why we should have left while we still could-"

"Stop it!" Lucy shrieked. "This isn't going to help Edmund," she added in a softer voice.

"She's right," Mr. Beaver agreed. "Only-"

"I could help him," I suggested, turning away from the castle and looking around at the group. "I can see the gate from here. If I can get in, the least I could do is distract the Witch long enough to help him escape."

"Ruth, that's ridiculous. Why would you sacrifice yourself like that?" Susan asked with a bewildered look.

"I'm not the important one here. She wants the four of you. She doesn't know me. It's risky, but... we have to try it."

"Then I'm going with you," Peter said.

I shook my head. "No, Peter. You need to lead your sisters, not to mention the army Aslan is preparing for you."

"But, Ruth, you can't just-"

"I can do anything with Aslan on my side," I said, trying to appear confident. Peter's blue eyes penetrated through my defenses and left me feeling vulnerable. I wanted to throw my arms around him and cry and go back home. But Edmund was in danger, and I could do something about it. If only I weren't so terrified.

Lucy looked up at me with tears in her eyes and threw her arms around my waist. "Wait, what's that?" she asked, tapping my pocket.

"Oh..." I gingerly took the journal out of my pocket, got down to her eye level, and handed it to her. "Hey, you think you can keep this safe for me? I don't want to risk losing it here. Can you give it back when we're together again at the Stone Table?"

She nodded fervently, her tears evaporating. "I'll do my best. So, we'll see you again?"

I hugged her close. "I'm sure of it."

I rose shakily to my feet, adjusting my beanie again. I looked into Susan's eyes, which were beginning to swim with tears too. I hugged her as well.

"Don't worry about me," I said encouragingly. "Just keep this guy in check!" I joked, poking Peter's arm. He smiled a handsome half-smile that made me feel weak in the pit of my stomach.

"Don't worry about me, either. See you later, Ruth." With that, he pulled me into a bear hug. It was just what I needed... and what I had needed since my family died. I had no one to hold me and tell me everything would be okay. Father was gone. I had no family around. And the professor was sweet and all, but a hug? The hug from Peter... it gave me strength.

Mr. Beaver placed a small hand on my knee. I had nearly forgotten he was there. I knelt down in front of him and studied his face. His eyes, too, shone with tears.

"I... I have a bad feeling about this... but... I suppose it is what you need to do, so... go do it. But, before you go, remember your prophecy."

I took a deep breath in and looked into his eyes. "I've not stopped thinking about it. I guess it's just time to prove it true."

"Farewell, Ruth."

"Ah ah ah," I said disapprovingly. "It's 'see you later.'"

With that, I rose to my feet, gave them all one last, big, brave, confident smile, and ran down the hill into darkness.