Lucy sat on the edge of the stone table with Alida at her feet. Neither of the girls had said a word since the others left, they had been completely consumed with their worry and fear. Lucy sat with her cordial in her hand, slowly turning it over as her mind raced with thoughts about her siblings. Alida was staring at the stone picture of Aslan on the far wall. She nervously twirled her hair around her finger as she prayed that her cousin and the others would return safely.

A loud horn ripped through the air, breaking the two girls' thoughts. They shared a worried look before they rushed out of the How at each others side.

Alida smiled brightly when she saw Caspian walking forward. She ran to him and locked her arms around his neck in a fierce hug, determined to never let him go again. Caspian returned her hug though with less of a grip. Alida could tell that he was tired and worn from the battle and the following journey.

"What happened?" she heard Lucy ask from behind her. It was then that Alida took a step back to survey her cousin fully and everyone around him. She saw the anger on Caspian's face and wondered for herself what was wrong. She looked to the golden haired King, Peter and saw the same anger on his face and he was glaring daggers at Caspian.

"Ask him," he said through his teeth, looking in Caspian's direction.

"Peter," Susan spoke a gentle warning from Aubrey's side. Alida noticed that the other girl looked weary and that she was holding her arm. Susan seemed to be helping her to stand.

"What do you mean me?" Caspian asked angrily, turning to face Peter. "You could have called it off! There was still time!"

"Not thanks to you!" Their shouts echoed off the trees in the distant. If Alida wasn't so shocked, she would have been impressed with the level of their voices. "If you had just kept to the plan, those soldiers might still be alive!" Peter raised an armored hand and pointed to the forest. Alida guessed he was pointing to the castle. It was only then she realized that half of the army they had taken with them was missing. Alida's eyes filled with tears at the thought of their fallen soldiers. She wondered how many families had been torn apart because of her father.

"And if you had listened to me in the beginning, they definitely would be!" Caspian yelled back.

"You called us for help, remember!"

"Yeah," Caspian practically hissed. "My first mistake." Alida saw the dark look that quickly passed across Susan's face. She stared at the girl curiously.

"No, thinking you could lead these people was your first mistake," Peter said as he walked past Caspian for the entrance of the How.

"Hey!" Caspian yelled as loudly as he could. He stepped away from Alida and followed Peter, his face was as red as an apple with anger. "I am not the one who abandoned Narnia!" Alida stepped back and stood next to Lucy. She exchanged worried glances with the youngest Queen, neither of them knowing what they could do. Peter stopped and turned around to glare at Caspian once more.

"No. You invaded Narnia. You have no more right to it than Miraz does! You, him, your father . . . Narnia's better off with out the lot of you!" Alida couldn't help but feel a little stung at his harsh words and she could tell that Caspian was beyond furious. At the same time, Caspian and Peter drew their swords on one another pointing them at the others' throat.

"Stop it!" Edmund yelled. Caspian and Peter turned to stare at him.

It was the first time that Alida had noticed the dark haired King. He looked worn like the rest of them and she could see that he had a small cut on his lip. In his hands, he carried a small bundle of something. Alida heard Lucy gasp from next to her and the young Queen ran forward. Edmund put the bundle on the ground and Alida noticed it was the dwarf Trumpkin. He had a nasty looking gash on his head and was covered in blood. Lucy knelt down next to him and quickly dropped some of her cordial into his mouth. They all waited on baited breath for him to stir. Alida let loose a breath she did not realize she was holding when she saw the dwarf move.

Alida turned to look at Caspian and noticed that he was gone. Peter stood in the same spot with his sword hanging lazily at his side and his head bowed. Alida watched as Aubrey walked up to him and placed a gentle hand on his arm. Peter looked up to her and said something quietly to which Aubrey nodded. Peter took her hand and led her to a spot on the How. He set her down and began examining her injured arm. Alida turned away from them, feeling like she was intruding on a private moment. Susan and Lucy were standing with Trumpkin still. By the looks on their faces, Susan was telling Lucy everything that had happened. Edmund was standing off to the side, watching the scene before him much like Alida was doing. She could see that he looked sad. She couldn't take much more of the desperation outside. There were so many tears and worried looks and she couldn't stand it. She wanted to find Caspian and have him tell her that everything was going to be alright, so she ran into the How to find him.

As Alida walked through the dark halls, she could hear eerie whispering around her. She wished she had remembered to grab a torch before entering this far. She rubbed her arms, trying to shake off the cold that seemed to be lingering. As she rounded the next corner, the whispers became louder. She could see an eerie light up ahead and snuck forward as quietly as she could. She poked her head around the corner and saw four figures standing around the stone table, facing the stone picture of Aslan. Two were cloaked, one was the dwarf Nikabrik and the other was Caspian. As one of the figures lowered it's hood, she saw the furry face and sharp teeth of a werewolf. Alida gasped softly then covered her mouth, worried she had been heard. When no one moved, she relaxed. She knew werewolves were Dark Narnians, having sided with the White Witch thirteen hundred years ago. And according to the professor, none had renounced their dark ways after her fall, not like the dwarves and Minotaurs and others had. Quickly she turned and ran for the entrance of the tunnel, she needed to get help. She saw light from the entrance up ahead and doubled her speed. She was almost there when she tripped and fell. She let out a scream as she felt something twist in her foot and fell to the ground with a loud THUMP!

She heard quick footsteps and saw Edmund, Peter, Trumpkin and Lucy enter the How. Aubrey, with the help of Susan, wasn't far behind. Edmund reached her first and knelt down at her side. He gently removed her hand from her ankle and began examining it. Alida shook her head, trying to form words.

"I'm fine," she said breathlessly. Edmund looked at her skeptically. "Really," she insisted. "It's Caspian." She saw Susan freeze and look down the hallway worriedly. "Nikabrik and a werewolf and another hooded creature were with him. There's something wrong happening down there." Edmund looked up to Peter worriedly.

"Susan, Lucy, stay with Aubrey and Alida, make sure they're okay," Peter told them. Susan nodded her head reluctantly and leaned Aubrey against the wall. She took Edmund's vacated spot next to Alida and watched as her brothers and Trumpkin ran down the hall. With a determined look, Lucy followed after them.

"Lucy!" Susan yelled, but the girl didn't turn, she just kept running. Susan sighed and Alida could tell she was worried.

"Did you hear what they were saying?" Aubrey asked breathlessly from her spot against the wall. Alida shook her head sadly. Susan looked down at Alida's ankle and pressed on it lightly. Alida winced and Susan smiled at her apologetically.

"It's definitely sprained and possibly broken. Edmund is better than me at telling this sort of thing," she said. Alida nodded her head. Susan glanced down the tunnel worriedly.

"Go," Alida said gently. Susan looked up at her confused.

"See what's going on and if you can help."

"What about you . . . and Aubrey?" she asked, looking up at the older girl.

"Well be fine," Aubrey said gently. Susan nodded her head and hurried off. Aubrey slid down the wall into a sitting position on the floor. She laid her head back against the cool rock and closed her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Alida asked worriedly. Aubrey opened her eyes and stared at Alida's chocolate brown ones with her own bright green. She slowly nodded her head.

"I'm just tired and this wound on my shoulder is throbbing," she explained. "Nothing really, I've had worse," she said with a wry smile. Alida saw her eyes quickly glance at her abdomen. She wondered what had happened to the girl but thought that was a story best saved for later.

"What happened last night?" Alida asked quietly. Seeing the anger between Caspian and Peter, Susan's sad looks and Aubrey's hurt figure, she wondered to herself if she really wanted to know.

"A lot," she said sadly. "Susan, Peter and I were supposed to," she paused for a minute, staring at Alida. She looked like she was trying to find the right words, "see, your father while Caspian helped with the bridge, but something went wrong. When we got to their chamber, Caspian was already there and arguing with them. There were a lot of things said, something about your father killing Caspian's and during a slight skirmish we had, your father slipped out a side door." Alida nodded her head, listening to the story. She could already see the direction it was heading in.

"By that time, everyone in the castle knew we were there. The army was assembled and we had to flee. At the gate, Peter decided that we should stay and fight. After some arguing, we all agreed. The fight wasn't good. We took down as many as we but more just appeared. They started lowering the gate, to trap us inside, but a Minotaur ran forward and held it up for us. Glenstorm grabbed Susan and escaped with her while Peter and I sounded the retreat. Caspian showed up with your professor and horses. We jumped on and ran. Just after Peter and I cleared the gate, your father shot down the Minotaur, trapping half of our army down there. He gave the order, and they were all shot." Aubrey lowered her head as the tears began to fall. Alida grabbed the older girls hand and squeezed it comfortingly. If she hadn't hated her father before, she did now. He killed those Narnians unfairly, not even giving them a chance to fight back. Her blood boiled when she thought of it.

There were shuffled footsteps and Alida and Aubrey looked up to see Susan walking quickly past. She had tears in her eyes and she looked angry. Aubrey groaned. She knew that it usually took a lot to make Susan that angry. Not long after her, Lucy appeared. She looked at Aubrey and Alida and shook her head, she then followed her sister. Edmund came next, with Caspian just behind him. Caspian looked at Aubrey and she could see pain and sorrow in his eyes. He quickly glanced out the entranceway where Susan could just be seen.

"Where is Peter?" Aubrey asked, slightly worried.

"At the Stone Table," Edmund told her. She nodded her head and stood up. She was shaky, but she could walk. Caspian and Edmund regarded her with wary eyes.

"I'm fine. I can walk," she reassured them. Slowly, and using the wall for support, Aubrey walked down the pathway and deep into the How. Caspian, Edmund and Alida watched her go until she was swallowed up by the shadows.

Edmund quickly bent down once more and examined Alida's ankle. Caspian watched with worried eyes.

"It appears to be sprained," he told her. "You're lucky you didn't break it." Alida nodded her head. Once Caspian knew she was okay, he left. Alida followed him with sad eyes.

"Don't blame him," Edmund told her. She looked into his shinning hazel eyes.

"Blame him?" She asked confused.

"For leaving," he clarified. "He has a lot on his mind right now. I think he just needs to sort through it all." Alida smiled understandingly.

"What happened back there?" She asked as Edmund helped her to stand. She placed an arm around his neck for support as his wrapped around her side. She winced again when she put the faintest bit of pressure on her ankle.

"Nikabrik, the werewolf and a hag tried convincing Caspian to bring the White Witch back." Alida gasped at that. Why would they want to do thing like that?

"Why?" She asked horrified.

"To end this war," he said.

"Just to start another?" Edmund smiled at her. She felt her stomach flutter and blamed it on the pain in her ankle.

"Yes well, some believe she could do a better job," he said. She could hear an edge to his voice. It was only then that she remembered from stories the professor told her and Caspian that Edmund had once followed the Witch.

"Well in my opinion, no one is better for the job than you four." Edmund smiled thankfully at her and helped her to the entrance.

"So did you stop her?" Alida asked.

"Well Peter shoved Caspian out of the way only to be caught under her spell. I bet he feels real bad that he almost brought her back. Anyway, she almost had Peter convinced but I came up and stabbed her from behind," he said happily. Alida could tell that he was proud he was able to take revenge on the Witch. His smile was contagious and she found herself smiling with him.

When they got outside, the remaining Narnians were gathering and practicing for another battle. They all knew Miraz would be on his way with his armies, he would want revenge for the attack on the castle. When they were outside, Edmund walked Alida to the side of the How by the archery range. They could see Caspian and Susan in the distance talking.

"What is wrong with Peter?" Alida asked quietly. Edmund looked sadly at the ground.

"During the final battle of the first war, Aubrey was wounded pretty badly by the Witch. We weren't sure if she would survive. She sacrificed herself for Peter, to make sure he would live. And now Peter is feeling guilty for almost brining the person who almost killed her back to life." Alida nodded surprised. She couldn't even imagine how she would feel if she were in Peter's shoes. Edmund ran off to find Lucy so that Alida could take some cordial. The two of them returned and in no time, Alida's ankle was healed. Though a bit stiff, she was still able to fight. The three of them decided to head down to the practice area to get some training in, while they still had time.

Aubrey walked slowly down the tunnel. By the time she reached the Stone Table, she was tired and out of breath. She saw Peter in front of her, sitting on the edge of the stone table. She smiled when she saw that his head was slightly tilted to one side, a sure indication that he was thinking hard.

"It wasn't hard to find you," she said with a smile. He turned when she started speaking. "I just had to follow the smell of smoke." He smiled at her comment. He stood up and walked to stand in front of her.

"You should be resting," he told her sternly as he slipped his arm around her waist. She placed her arm around his neck and he walked her to where he was previously sitting.

"I was worried about you," she told him as she sat down. He sat down next to her and she laid her head on his shoulder. "What happened Petey?" she asked gently. Peter sighed.

"Caspian almost brought back the White Witch," he said. He felt her body tense up. Like her, he was remembering the battle that for them was only one year ago.

"It was a dark magic and all she needed was one drop of blood to be freed from her ice prison. Caspian was just about to oblige when I pushed him out of the way." He fell silent, causing Aubrey to turn her head and look at him.

"Well it's a good thing you were there," she told him. In the reflection of the firelight, she saw a tear fall down his cheek. She reached up with her good hand and wiped it away.

"Peter, it's okay," she told him gently. "She's gone now. Why are you crying?"

"I'm sorry, Susan was so angry, I could tell. And I-I was so ashamed." Aubrey stared at him curiously. "I fell under her spell, and if it weren't for Edmund . . . she would be back." He bowed his head sadly, afraid to look at her. Aubrey let his words soak into her mind. She wasn't angry at Peter, she was just surprised by the whole situation. Looking back at Peter, Aubrey placed her finger under his chin, causing him to look up at her.

"It's not your fault," she told him firmly. She knew it was important that he understood that, otherwise he would continue blaming himself. "The Witch's magic is strong. I don't blame you."

Peter looked hard into her eyes and leaned forward, closing the space between them. His lips met hers in a gentle kiss which she happily returned. After a few minutes, he pulled away. They stared at each other before Aubrey reached forward and pulled his face to hers. Peter's hands automatically went to her waist and pulled her closer. The kiss lasted longer than the first, but once again they pulled away. Aubrey smiled at him and once more leaned her head on his shoulder. Peter had a smile to match as he snuggled closer to her.

"I've been wanting to do that for a while now," he whispered into the quiet.

"Me too," she said. Peter could hear the smile in her voice.

They sat together in the room with the Stone Table until Peter could hear heavy breathing from Aubrey. He looked down and noticed she was sleeping. It was only then he realized how exhausted he was. Gently, he eased Aubrey off of himself and laid her against the cool stone. He stood up and stretched. He looked down at Aubrey, she was so beautiful when she slept with her strawberry blonde hair fanned out across her shoulders. With a smile, he bent down and picked her up. He gently cradled her in his arms, being wary of her wounded shoulder, and carried her to the part of the How where they all slept. He gently laid her down on the bedroll next to Susan. He could see a small smile on her face and hoped she was having pleasant dreams. He bent down and brushed a piece of her hair that had fallen into her eyes and kissed her forehead gently. With a large smile on his face and butterflies dancing happily around in his stomach, he laid down in his spot next to Edmund. In the midst of all the sadness they had faced in the last twenty four hours, Peter was happy that something good had finally happened.

A/N: Ahhhhhhhh. I know it's kind of a terrible ending, but I've been staring at this page for the past two days and could not come up with anything, so I hope this was okay.

So Peter and Aubrey finally had their uninterrupted moment! Yayyyy! I hope you guys all enjoyed it, because I know I did. I've been so excited to write this part since I started this story, actually since I started 'Through the Door'. Lol.

Well I'm tired (as it's 2:30 am) and I'm going to end it here. Please review and tell me what you think. Likes? Dislikes? Changes? Add-on's? Anything you desire! =)