I'm sorry for not updating in such a long time, as usual life has caught up in the form of finals and trying to memorize months worth of information once again for a test. I don't want to promise of course to do better with summer courses coming up (and everyone says those are hard) but I really will try to do better. Thank you everyone for reading.


I startled awaked with the sound of shouting and metal clanging filling morning silence. Beside me Edmund jumped up and looked around along with Susan and Trumpkin."Where's Peter and Lucy?" I asked as I realized the sound of clanging metal was swords. Without anymore hesitation we all jumped up and raced towards the sounds.

"No stop!" I heard Lucy cry, and all of us pushed harder up a hill.

"Peter!" Susan shouted worriedly as we all slowed beside Lucy. In amazement, I looked around and spotted Narnians, a lot of Narnians surrounding Peter and a boy around his age with dark hair and armor. Obviously a Telmarine but with all these Narnian's around him it could only be one, Prince Caspain.

Caspian looked down at the sword he was holding, Rhindon and more specifically the golden lion head on the hilt. "High King Peter."

"I believe you called," Peter responded, with a restrained amused smile.

"Well, yes, but..." His eyes scanned over all of us before landing back on Peter. "I thought you'd be older."

"If you like, we could come back in a few years..." Peter offered, making to step away from him.

"No. No, that's all right. You're just...You're not exactly what I expected." He looked over us all once more before his eyes landed on Susan, a smile quirking at the corner of his lips.

"Neither are you," Edmund replied skeptically and I glanced up at him to see him watching the minotaur's.

"A common enemy unites even the oldest of foes," A badger spoke in defense of him.

Suddenly a mouse, with a red feather came through some plants to Peter's feet. "We have anxiously awaited your return, my liege. Our hearts and sword are at your service."

I restrained my little squeal of delight as he bowed. "Oh, my gosh, he is so cute," Lucy whispered to Susan and I.

"Who said that?" He drew his sword pointing at us.

"Sorry," Lucy apologized sheepishly.

"Oh, Your Majesty, with the greatest respect," He pulled back his sword and bent into another bow. "I do believe 'courageous,' 'courteous,' or 'chivalrous' might more befit a knight of Narnia."

"Well, at least we know some of you can handle a blade," Peter gave a small dig to the Prince.

"Yes, indeed. And I have recently put it to good use, securing weapons for your army, sire."

"Good," Pete turned back to Caspian, "Because we're going to need every sword we can get."

"Well, then, you will probably be wanting yours back," Caspian gave his own little dig as he held out Rhindon. Just like a spoiled teenager, Peter took it and put it back into the sheath before turning and walking along the trail. Smiling, I looked up at Edmund as he raised an eyebrow restraining his own smile then shook his head slightly before stepped down and wrapping an arm around my shoulders as we continued forward, now with the other Narnians.

"So? What are they like?" I heard Trufflehunter, the badger, ask from behind me after a bit of walking.

"Malcontents, complainers, stubborn as mules in the morning." Trumpkin answered sourly and I glanced over, narrowing my eyes slightly.

"So you like them, then," Nikabrik, a black dwarf, asked.

"Well enough," He answered.

"Wait a second," I paused, almost recognizing the land. "Where are we going?"

"I thought you would know Your Majesty," Reepicheep spoke as we broke through the forest to the clearing.

"They finished," I smiled looking on at the thing I had just drawn up plans for but never had begun to build.

"It may not be what you're used to be its defensible," Caspian spoke and I let out a bigger smile before starting forward, the others following closely behind me.

Centaurs lined the walk way into The How which was overgrown and in some areas crumbling from age but overall it was just how I had imagined. In a line we walked up to the entrance with Lucy, and I on the outside then Susan, Peter, and Edmund in the middle. We all paused as the Centaurs drew their blades and then formed an archway. For the first time since I had become Queen I finally had my King beside me as the five of us walked forward with smiles.

As we moved into the actual How the sounds of hammering echoed off the walls and we looked around at even more Narnians forming and moving weaponry and armor around.

"Come on," I took Lucy and Susan's hands continue to walk forward wanting them to show what I had hoped had been finished.

I took a torch off the wall illuminating, the stories of the Golden Age, from beginning to end. Susan moved back out into the main area. And as Peter, Edmund and Caspian entered I passed the torch to Peter happily as they all looked over the carvings.

"It's us," Susan spoke softly as I nodded.

"What is this place?" Lucy turned and looked at me and Caspian. With a shrug he gestured for me to explain and I looked over the carving again. Moving my fingertips over, Tumnus at Lantern Waste, "Come on," I nodded and took another torch. We continued on, looking over the continuing pictures until we got to the stairs and picking up my skirts I stepped down followed by the others closely.

As I got to the room I moved over to the side and placed the torch in the oil quickly lighting the trail. It moved around the sides, illuminating the sculptures before going across the center and lighting the large sculpted motif of Aslan that was visible right through the pillars of the stone table.

I saw that there was no need to say anything else as all their eyes locked on it, then slowly Lucy walked forward. The others took a couple steps forward as I hung back with Caspian. "He must know what he's doing," She turned to Su. I looked up to the sculpture and knew that he must, because otherwise how did he know Edmund would be there to wake me.

"I think it's up to us now," Peter murmured and sadly I turned my eyes to him, knowing that if that's how this was supposed to be I didn't imagine us getting that far.

oOo

I walked around, just looking at this amazing structure I had only dreamed up when I saw Edmund looking at something on the wall and I could tell just by the way he was standing that it wasn't a good thing.

"What's the matter?" I asked moving toward him with a smile. He didn't say anything and just turned looking at me with a pained face. Curious, I hurried my steps slightly to see what had caused it and then I saw that they had added a few things to the carvings.

Along the wall was my story, starting with my coronation. It was quite amazing that they had captured the loneliness of that day with just simple colors and rudimentary shapes. Then again I might have been reading more into it because it seemed to bring back those feelings, as I looked at myself, standing there alone in front of a throne.

"It wasn't the joyous day I thought it would be," I murmured.

"What happened?" He whispered, talking about more than that day.

"Well, Phillip came back with the other horses and just as I was about to send out a search party Aslan came and told us what had happened. Two days later I was crowned.

"Two days," He whispered, "when we were supposed to be…"

"Yeah," I cut him off not wanting to hear it as I brought my hand up and touching the ring. "It wasn't my finest moment," I murmured remembering that whole day. I don't think I smiled once, I definitely didn't dance at the party. That night hadn't been on my top ten. "But, Peridan and even Corin came over and helped me for a while, until I got everything down." I smiled up at him, "it turned out fine in the end."

He wasn't as all comforted by that as he continued through the story in the wall, and specifically ran his hand over the banner that wound around the base of some stairs, reminding me of the name I was mostly know by, "The Lonely Queen," he read out. Biting the inside of my lip, I couldn't help the slight lump in my throat as I looked to the series of proposals they had depicted, earning me the nickname. "You never…" He trailed off and incredibly I could hear the relief in his voice.

"Of course not," I whispered and got to the picture of the first battle and if the others made me seem lonely this made me look fierce as I lead the charge, sword out. "For Aslan," I breathed out with a smile as I remembered that day and his fingers moved over the drawing.

"You lived a life without me," he murmured sadly, "and I just lived a year. Just one year and I thought it was bad."

"The first year was the worst," I whispered as I glanced back to him. "And even though I never forgot you, and this might sound horrible, it got better." I tried to comfort him and reached back taking his hand, though tears came to my eyes as I thought about going through all that again. Just then he paused and maneuvered me around to look at him and I saw the pain on his face increase as he wiped at my cheeks.

"I don't know what to say, Erie," he choked out and I shook my head slightly.

"It's alright now," I gave a halfhearted smile as we continued down the corridor until I sat an area to sit and lead him over there, jumping up onto the ledge. Hopping up to sit beside me, he immediately took my hand again and lifted it up, placing a soft kiss on my inner wrist. "Tell me about there," I asked softly and leaned my head over on his shoulder.

"Well, there's a lot people, crowded, and it's like Anvard but more so. Buildings are taller, streets are paved with solid stone. Instead of horses we use cars, which are kind of like carriages I guess." Unsure completely of what I thought of this place, I raised an eyebrow, glancing over to him and he gave a small chuckle. "And really fire isn't used much, we have electricity, like the electric torch."

"What about trees and magic, things like that?" I asked as I flipped over his hand and started to trace the lines on his palm which was so different than how I remembered: uncalloused from not having years of handling a sword which slightly amazed me because he evidentially hadn't forgotten how to.

"Well there are trees, but they're small and planted to line the streets, no forests and…umm…we don't have magic," he answered.

"It sounds like a wonderful place," I tried to say sincerely but by the chuckle I could tell that he didn't believe it.

"It's so much better here, for many reasons," He answered and placed a kiss on the top of my head. "How did you end up in the treasure room exactly?" he asked after a few moments and I looked across from us to see the last panel of the closed treasure chest and golden statue.

"Umm," I murmured and I leaned up and then looked back down at the ground. "I was 30 and…like I told you I had been sick for a very long time. I had watched the troops leave that morning from my bedroom window, and went back to bed because I was tired all the time." Giving a sigh, I hopped down and walked over to the panel and heard him come up behind me. "When I woke back up Aslan was there, and I'm not sure if I was truly alive or not, but I actually had the energy to walk down to the Treasury with him." I paused in my story and licked over my lips before looking back at him. I could see the pain on his face once again and moved forward putting my arms around his waist as I looked up into his eyes. "He gave me two options: come back to you or to go with him, either way my time there was over, and that's how I got to you." I finished, deciding to leaving out the part of having to go through the pain again because I didn't want him to go through anymore.

"I'm so sorry for leaving you," He kept apologizing.

"Stop," I demanded softly, "you didn't mean to leave. I understand now, so just kiss me because it's been a lot longer for me, and I think I deserve it." He smiled and leaned down, pulling me into a small, soft loving kiss. After a long moment, we both pulled back just looking up at each other when footsteps started echoing down the tunnel towards us.

"A scout's been spotted, we're all meeting at the Table," Lucy called.