Edmund now finds to his horror that the White Witch was evil, and would give anything to be with his brother and sisters. The White Witch's sledge eventually stops as the snow melts (another sign of the witch's crumbling power), so they have to continue their journey on foot. They stop in a wooded valley, where the Witch prepares to kill Edmund, on account of his betraying her. She ties Edmund to a tree and takes out a dagger, but a rescue party sent by Aslan arrives, frees him and brings him to his siblings and the rest of Aslan's troop. Edmund becomes fully sorry after a long talk with Aslan who afterward commands the Pevensies to agree the matter of their brother's misdeeds forgotten. The next day, the Witch claims that Edmund's life is hers. She and Aslan work out an agreement that Aslan will die in Edmund's place (though the other Narnians do not know this), but unknown to her, the magical nature of this agreement allows Aslan to be brought back to life. Susan and Lucy witnessed Aslan's resurrection.