A/N: Hey all. So, this is the beginning of the massive upload that I talked about earlier. Woot! :)

Disclaimer: These characters I own not. (Think YODA! Oops. I don't own him, either.)

The blades of rich green grass were soft against his tired body. His dark eyes combed the bright stars, subconsciously naming off all of the constellations he could remember off the top of his head.

His limbs ached, as he lay in a clearing near his castle. Turning his head to his right, the king could see the soft, amber glow of his palace-a beacon in the dark. His flag was just visible, rippling gently in the soft summer breeze.

For some odd reason, Caspian felt more tired than he ever had before. His eyelids felt as though they weighed the world, and then some. His energy was running dangerously low, and for a few seconds, he wondered if he would even be able to make it up to the castle. He hoped that there was a guard on border duty tonight; he would be patrolling the top of the castle, and would be easy to call to.

With a groan, he flipped over onto his stomach, and, using up more of his waning strength, pushed himself up to a standing position. From there, he ran -like a dying drunk, might I add- back to the magnificent front gates of his palace.

A palace guard, muttering about how he was so 'fortunate' to have the night watch, patrolled the walkway from the west to east sides of the castle, the walkway that went straight over the mighty front doors.

Caspian could see the lone guard's shined helmet reflecting the light of the moon, making him a visible sign of aid. He breathed a soft sigh of relief…his guards were doing their job wonderfully, even in his absence. He was now in close enough proximity to call out to the older guard, who was returning to the middle of the walk, just above the doors.

"Soldier!" The king called, every muscle in his body hurting, his mind fighting against the irresistible urge to collapse on the spot. He watched as the guard robotically whipped his head around to look at him, and then do a double take.

"Identify yourself, stranger," the guard called back, though he had a feeling that the straggler was someone that everyone in the kingdom knew very well. It was protocol, however.

"The king," was all Caspian was able to get out of his royal mouth, before succumbing to the soft clouds of sleep.


"My friends, I thank you that you were able to join me in celebration of our great victory tonight. Now, my servants will show you to your chambers. If you should need anything, please don't hesitate to ask."

Dinner had concluded about an hour or so ago, and the past hour had been spent with the drinks. Every thief lord had enough to make any man embarrassingly drunk, but surprisingly, most showed very little sign of it. These were men that could truly hold their liquor.

Susan hadn't eaten much. She had poked at the turkey a bit, taken a nibble out of her slice of bread, and may have popped a grape or two into her mouth. Needless to say, the small amount of food did little for her hunger. Her stomach was ravenous for food, but there was no way that she would be eating anything here.

She watched, out of the corner of her eye, as the lords exited the room slowly, each going to his room. Soon, it was just her, Scara, and Torin still sitting at the table.

"Look at me, Queen Susan," she could hear the velvety voice of the king thief echo in the now empty dining hall. Slowly, she lifted her head so that she was looking into the stormy blue eyes of Torin. He said nothing for a long while, and just looked her over. It took everything in the queen to not break his gaze, but she managed, nonetheless. Finally, he spoke.

"Questioning tomorrow, I think…you look like you could use a decent night of rest, my lady." Susan knew that he was using the formal terms, like 'my lady', as mockery to her and her position as queen. But now, she was too tired and devastated to do anything about it.

"You look very nice tonight," he added, trying to make small conversation with her. All she could do was nod at his compliment.

She then saw him whisper something into Scara's ear, to which she nodded, and got up from the table. She walked elegantly over to Susan, and instructed her to get up. The queen did as she was told, and walked with the knight out of the hall, back to her cell.


The torches were still lit when Scara opened the heavy cell door, bathing the dark hallway outside in an amber glow.

Apparently, Scara didn't feel like tying Susan to the pole tonight, as she just stood in the doorway as the queen reluctantly went inside. Once she was sure that Susan was well situated, the knight called to a servant, who came inside the cell with a bowl of hot soup, and half a loaf of bread.

"I noticed that you didn't eat very much at dinner tonight. Eat this if you want it-I promise it's not poisoned."

"Oh, thank you, that's so comforting."

"I thought that you would want to know that we're not trying to kill you."

"Right."

"Well…just in case you finally realize that you're starving, you've got the soup and bread."

Susan, slightly shocked by Scara's sudden act of kindness, decided that now would be the right time to ask the question that had been bothering her since she was being held captive in the warehouse. Just as Scara was about to shut the door, Susan piped up.

"Scara, wait."

The knight looked at her, a curious expression painted onto her face. "What?"

"I have a question to ask you…it's a bit personal, so I can understand if you don't want to answer it, but I wish you would, so that I can get an idea of who exactly you…are."

Scara's face darkened a bit, but she was still open to the question. "Shoot."

"Why did you become one of them? Why did you become a thief lord?"

For a moment, Scara's face changed, softened a bit. "That's it? I became a lord because I wanted to. The pay is wonderful, when you get lucky." She replied, and then turned her back to leave.

"I know that's not why you did. From the moment that we met, I could tell that you weren't here originally. I could tell that your heart hasn't always been stone. Tell me why you're here."

At this, Scara stopped cold.

"How do you know such things?" She whispered, her back still turned towards the queen.

"I've seen a lot of different people in my lifetime, knight. After a while, you learn to pick out the characteristics of individuals. I ask you as a queen now, tell me your purpose for becoming someone that you quite obviously were not before."

For some strange reason, Scara was taken aback. She could practically feel the regality running through her prisoner's veins…something as pure as a dove. Looking into Susan's face, she could almost see the gold crown, with its leaves gracefully twisting around her head.

Shaking her head to clear the images from view, Scara pulled a bench from the outside hallway into the cell, and sat down.

"Caspian the ninth. You're beloved's father. That's where it all started," Scara began, not believing that she was actually telling this story to her prisoner, "The last year of his rule was when the man that I had been seeing for quite some time proposed to me. Naturally, I said yes. He was part of the king's board of advisors. It was a very stressful job for him, but he loved every minute of it.

And then, one day, out of the blue, the king had him removed from his job-the job that he cherished with his life. To make matters entirely worse, Caspian appointed Sebastian, a man that my fiancée had some sort of competition with. Riktor had always wanted to do better than Sebastian…he simply wasn't satisfied if he didn't. He was finally at the point in his life where he thought that he had finally triumphed over Sebastian. He had a job that he loved, and a fiancée that he loved even more. And suddenly, he lost one of the things that he was most proud of to his rival.

The sudden loss of one of his favorite things in life-to his nemesis, no less-caused Riktor to spiral into a phase where he was always upset, and could no longer find pleasure in the things that he loved most. Every day, he got a little worse, and eventually, it got so bad, that he didn't want to go outside anymore. I kept him company all the time, until the very end.

I had gone out early that morning to go to the market, as we were in desperate need of food. I came back just a few hours later, with enough food to supply us for another week. I expected him to be sitting at the kitchen table, ready for me to make him his breakfast, but he wasn't there. I looked everywhere for him, and finally I walked into our bedroom. And," she said, her voice cracking, "there he was. Lying on the floor, the sword that the king had issued him piercing his heart."

A single tear fell from her right eye, and made the slow trek to her cheekbone, where she promptly brushed it away.

"There was indeed a time in my life when I thought those who opposed the king were crazy. But it was that day that changed my opinion forever. I left the house, and burned it, in search of the Underground, and the one that they called Torin. When I finally found him, the Underground was still in its baby stages, and he took me in, no questions asked. Though he was just a few years older than myself at the time, he took wonderful care of me, and raised me to be what I am today-his right hand. And there is no place that I would rather be. "

Unknowingly, Susan had been crying. She could tell now, as she reached up to her face, and felt that her cheeks were wet.

"Scara…I'm so sorry. I had no idea…"

"It's been five years. I've moved on, Queen Susan. There will always be a small place in my heart for Riktor, but lately, it's been overpowered by something else."

She stood up, and stretched.

"I do believe that it's time for me to retire for the night. You better eat that soup; by the way…I did have some heated up just for you."

And with that, she walked out of the cell, to her chambers, the heavy door closing behind her.


A knock resounded in Scara's quiet bedchambers. She was seated, in her night dress, at her magnificent vanity, brushing out her long, silver hair.

"Who is it?"

"Lysa, my lady," came the voice of one of Torin's maids from the outer corridor.

"You may come in."

The head of a young woman popped into Scara's room, her short blonde hair flipping every direction as she did so.

"The master would like to see you in his chambers in five minutes, my lady."

"Very well, thank you." The knight watched as the maid vanished, and then turned back to her vanity. She was in no shape to go to Torin's room. Her skimpy, silk nightgown didn't provide for nearly enough coverage, and her hair was just hanging limply down from her head. She didn't really care, however. She simply grabbed her long robe, put it on, and walked out of her room, and went to Torin's.

The cave's corridors were damp and cool, a wonderful feeling in the summer's heat. Small torches flickered from their places on the walls, spread out about every ten feet or so.

Scara slipped in and out of the shadows cast by the torches, trying to comprehend what had happened with Susan. She couldn't explain it. Maybe it was the fancy dress. Maybe she knew something that Scara didn't. Whatever the reason, the knight couldn't put her finger on how the queen had somehow emerged from her shell.

To her, Susan had always been a prisoner. Someone that she shoved around, until she got what she needed. Never before had Susan ever crossed her mind as a queen. True, she was one of the most famous queens in all of Narnia. She was the high queen of old.

Regardless, she had somehow overpowered Scara, and made her divulge one of her more confidential secrets. The knight just couldn't get her mind around the fact that she had somehow been beaten by her own prisoner.

Eventually, large wooden doors appeared on the right side of the corridor. Careful, swirling designs were carved into the door, which stood five or six feet over her head. Grabbing a hold of the massive, silver knocker, she rapped on the door.

"You may come in," Torin's smooth voice came from inside. With his permission now given, Scara pushed the right door open.

(This whole next part is basically describing his room, you can skip if you would like. :) )

If there was ever a room fit for God himself, it was Torin's. The room was large, with an incredibly high ceiling. Illuminating the whole room was a giant crystal chandelier, about the same size as the ones in the dining hall. The walls were bare stone, with the occasional fancy torch here and there. Lavish tapestries hung on the west and east walls, his bed occupied the north, and a tall waterfall cascaded into a small pool in the south.

His bed was an ornate four poster canopy bed, with sheets of the absolute finest quality, and pillows stuffed with goose down.

In front of the waterfall's pool sat a wooden coffee table, with a beautiful couch and two high-end chairs.

A majestic looking desk rested against the east wall, its top covered with documents, maps, and candles.

(End of describing stuff. W00T!)

This was where Scara found the king thief when she walked into his chambers. He was sitting, his back hunched over a map of Narnia. There were random notes to him scrawled onto the aging map in ink, masking some of the content. He was planning something.

"You called for me, my lord?" Scara asked, awkwardly standing near the closed door.

"I did," Torin agreed, placing his quill onto his desk. He then stood from his seat, and turned so that he could see his right hand knight, who kneeled as soon as he stood.

With a smile, he walked over to her.

"It's after hours, Scara. There is no need to be formal," he said with a small laugh, reaching his hand down for her to take. She grinned at him, and put her small hand in his. He gently pulled her up from where she was kneeling, but instead of letting her hand go once she was standing, he brought it up to his lips, and kissed it softly.

Once he let go of her hand, she let her boundaries drop, and ran into his waiting arms. She tangled her arms around his neck, burying her head into his shoulder. He pulled her close to him, wanting to never let her go.

"I'm so glad that you're back, sweetheart. I've missed you," Scara could hear Torin whisper through a curtain of her silver hair.

She pulled back for a moment, smiling at her lover. His long blonde tresses were pulled back into a ponytail, a short wavy lock hanging down on his face. He wore a deep red night shirt and black pajama pants, his feet bare. He stood just a bit taller than she did, and as he looked down into her eyes with his striking blue ones, he lowered his head down just enough so that their lips were almost touching.

Scara responded to his gesture by sweetly pressing her mouth against his, her arms back around his neck. He put his hands on her waist, and locked his body into place against hers. He could feel Scara reach up to his ponytail, and carefully remove the band from his hair. Blonde waves fell carelessly in every direction, as the knight began to tangle her fingers in his tresses.

Suddenly, Torin broke off, and ran over to his desk. Scara stood in the middle of the room, not exactly what had just happened.

"Torin," she began, a questioning tone settling in her voice.

"I just remembered something," he answered back, now rummaging through his desk's drawers, "I remember why I called you to me tonight."

Finally, after moments of awkward silence, Torin walked back over to Scara, a smile on his face. He gently took her hand.

"Close your eyes, my lady, if you please," he said, the grin on his face practically audible. He was still holding her hand.

She did as she was told, a small smile beginning to tug at the corners of her mouth.

"Alright. You may open them now," he said after a short time.

Scara opened her eyes, and couldn't believe what she saw.

Torin, still holding her hand, was down on one knee on the ground, holding an open box in the either. With a closer look, Scara saw that inside the box was a beautiful ring. It was a plain silver band, with five diamonds of different color placed on the top.

"Scara, we've been together for three years now, and we've known each other for five. In that time, you have proven yourself to be the heart of the Underground, a fearsome warrior, and an excellent thief lord. But most of all, you have proven to me that you are a wonderful friend, a brilliant young woman, and the love of my life. I honestly have no idea where I would be today if you hadn't shown up in my life. I love you more than anything, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you, Scara Leon, make me the richest man in the world, and marry me?"


He awoke to the sound of soft music twinkling in the night. A small candle was lit on his nightstand, illuminating the silhouette of an ornate music box. A soft, sweet tune played from the box, a majestic lion spinning around in slow circles.

From his place on the bed, Caspian watched as the gold lion passed in and out of the candle's light, making it glow slightly. After a few minutes, the music began to slow, the lion along with it. Eventually, the music tinkered off, leaving the silence of the night to creep in.

He looked around, now noticing that he was lying in his bed, in his room in the castle. They must have brought him in sometime in the past few hours.

The sheer curtains that opened up to his balcony swayed softly in the summer breeze, the moon making them glow a pearly white.

Quietly, he peeled the covers back, now noticing that they had also changed him into one of his night shirts and pajama pants. (This is Gabby…how awkward would that be if you woke up wearing a different set of clothes…and knowing that someone had changed you? It just kinda creeps me out. Anyways, back to the story.)

Setting his bare feet onto the rug covering the floor, Caspian stood up, and silently walked over to his balcony. Pushing the curtains away, he was greeted with a full moon, and glistening stars. He had forgotten how beautiful Narnia was, after being in England.

As he looked out over the tops of trees and into the horizon, he realized that somewhere, in this huge land called Narnia, Susan Pevensie was in the hands of the Underground. Somewhere, the high queen of old was potentially being mistreated by Torin, Scara, and their misfits.

The thought of her, his queen, being hurt in any way made his blood boil. How could anyone even begin to think of hurting something so beautiful and soft? He knew that he wanted nothing more than to find her, and bring her back to the castle, where she would be safe.

The only problem was, however, he had no idea where she was. She could be anywhere-back by the Eastern Ocean and Cair Paravel, or by the Western Woods, perhaps. There were so many places to look, and no where near enough time. He knew that every moment that she was with the Underground was one more moment closer to her death.

Aslan…I need help. You know where Susan is, I do not. Please, show me the way to her…I fear for her, my lord. Please let her not be harmed by any of the Underground members. Also, please let her know that I think of her every day, and that I love her very much. Tell her to stay strong, and that help is coming.


Susan woke from her slumber, nearly falling off the bench that she was lying on in the process.

She didn't know if it was day or night-she had lost track of the days since she had gotten captured. The only thing that she knew for certain was that she was in a cell, in the Underground complex. She was still wearing the beautiful dress from dinner last night, in which the full skirt made an excellent blanket for sleeping.

Her hair was beginning to fall out of the ringlets that it was in, and the flower tucked behind her ear was starting to die.

Looking around, she saw that there was literally nothing to do in this cell. The door remained shut, and the only things in the cell were a bench, torches, a few pebbles here and there, and an empty plate from her dinner last night.

Reaching over from her place on the bench, Susan grabbed a small pebble. Getting down of the floor with the pebble in her hand, she scratched the surface of the cell floor with the rock.

Squinting in the light of the torches, she could see a small white line where her rock had scraped the surface of the floor.

She then took the same pebble, and proceeded to carefully scratch out the letter C. Then, an A.

Soon, she put the pebble down, and smiled. Standing up so that she could see the entirety of her handiwork, she sighed. There, glowing lightly in the torch light was a single word.

Caspian.

The name sounded so warm, soft and comforting to her. Oh, how she missed him. His adorable smile, light laugh, flippy hair, and most of all, his unwavering love for her. It felt like years since she had seen him last. And now, he was dead.

Determined to not let Caspian's or her brother's death get the best of her, she tried to think of her happiest memories of Caspian. The best ones were usually when they were alone, like when he had laced up her wrist guards, or when they were debating whether or not to go back to battle. Some of them weren't though…like when Aslan had told him that he was a king.

"Rise, kings and queens of Narnia."

The four Pevensie children stood, while Caspian remained kneeling.

"All of you," came the rich voice of the lion.

Caspian looked up, a bit confused. From where she was standing, Susan could see Aslan give the Telmarine prince a small smile, and nod.

"I do not think I am ready." Caspian confessed, lowering his head.

"It is for that reason," Aslan said with a grin, "that I know you are."

Slowly, Caspian stood, greeted by a hand shake from Edmund, a high five from Lucy, and an approving look from Peter. Eagerly, he looked over to Susan, who beamed radiantly at him.

Today was a good day.

The last of Miraz's soldiers were turning their weapons in, and most of Aslan's army was already making the long trek back to New Telmar-the only people left were the kings and queens, Caspian, the DLF, and a few soldiers.

Caspian stood along the bank of the ford, amazed at the events that had happened that day. He had saved the high queen, gotten a hug from her, fought alongside the greatest kings and queen in all of history, spared his uncle's life, met Aslan, became a king, and was now watching his uncle's army surrender to him.

"Hey there," a quiet voice came up along side him, breaking him of his thoughts. He looked over to see Susan, smiling up at him. To this, he couldn't help but grin back to her.

"Congratulations, Caspian. You deserve today…more than anyone." She said, her crystal blue eyes penetrating the darkness of his own.

"Thank you, but it was your victory as well, Queen Susan." He said with a small nudge to her arm, flirting with her as much as possible.

"It was everyone's, King Caspian." She smiled, hoping that he wouldn't mind being called something other than 'prince'.

"Yes. But," he began, now looking down at the rushing water of the ford, "now that it's all over, what's going to happen?"

"That's easy. You're going to be the greatest king that Narnia has seen since Peter and Edmund. They can give you tips, if you'd like."

"Yes, I would like that. But…what I meant to say, is…what's going to happen to you and your family now?"

To this, Susan's smile lessened, and she broke her gaze to look out at the forest surrounding the ford.

"I'm not sure. But," she turned back to him, "let's not worry about that just yet, alright?"

Caspian looked at her, and realized that she was pleading. He could feel his heart hurt for her, and simply reached down to take her hand.

"We don't have to worry about anything, if you don't wish to, my queen." He smiled, using his free hand to brush a stray lock of hair from her face.

Susan looked at him, trying desperately not to give in to the irresistible urge to hug him. Maintaining her air, she simply held on to his hand gently, never wanting to let go.

"Susan! Susan, where are you?" Edmund's voice was barely audible over the rushing water, but both of them could hear it.

"Come on. They're looking for us." She said, tugging on his arm playfully. To this, he pulled her arm so that she flew backwards, eventually coming to a stop on his chest. Laughing, he put his arms around her, making their arms a tangled mess. She laughed along with him, helpless to do anything.

"I surrender!" She cried, among gasps for air. He laughed, and gently let her go.

"Susan!" Edmund's voice could be heard again, before he appeared around the corner of some tall pine trees. When he saw his older sister and the new king, all he could do was chuckle.

"Really guys? You two need to get a room." He laughed, leading the other two out to were the rest of the troops were getting ready to leave.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone yelling. It was coming from the outside of her cell door, and growing closer every second. She could tell that it was none other than the knight, Scara.

The door suddenly slammed open, and a fuming Scara walked into the room.

"I think you'll be pleased to know that our plan failed." She said, fire scorched into her voice.

"Excuse me?"

"The warehouse. Something malfunctioned with the dynamite."

"How do you know?"

"Because," Scara said, her voice becoming dangerously angry, "a scout of mine has seen your beloved. Here, in Narnia."

The news didn't seem to register with her at first, so she just sat there, looking at her captor. And then, it hit her.

"Oh my god! You mean…you mean that he's alive? He's here!" That was all that she was able to get out before she lost all sense of propriety, and began to scream and cry with sheer joy.

"ENOUGH."

Through her celebrating, Susan could hear the word slither out of Scara's mouth, like a snake about to strike its prey. Immediatley, she quieted.

"Torin and I have decided that, in honor of this special occasion, that you and the Underground council will be taking a trip to meet him. We will meet on neutral ground-the battlefield in which the first battle for Narnia was fought. I've just dispatched my messenger, so we best get you ready to go."

"Ready to go? Am I not decent now?" Susan asked, watching Scara circle the room.

"No, you aren't." With that, she clapped her hands. A maid then came in, carrying Susan's pink formal gown.

"Put it on."

Susan did what she was told, sad to part with Scara's dress. She carefully put on the pink dress, which was now completely soiled, with dirt, ash, and blood stains all over it. As she slipped the top part of the dress over her body, she realized that something wasn't right.

Someone had cut the sleeves of the dress off, and then proceeded to make hundreds more incisions, all over the dress. She looked like a beggar.

"What have you done? I'm dressed like a queen to meet a thief, but like trash to meet a king? How dare you disrespect not only me, but the king as well?"

"First, you know that I hold no respect for the king, so it doesn't matter. Second, I have no respect for you, so it also doesn't matter. Are we all good here?"

With a smile, Scara then pulled out a long strip of fabric.

"Open up," she said with a laugh, gagging the queen. And then, for an added bonus, she proceeded to pull out a silk bag, which then went over Susan's face. Before she pulled the bag all the way down, however, she smiled.

"Don't worry. It'll be fun."

The queen glared back at her, with everything that she had in her.

Scara just laughed some more, and pulled the rest of the bag over her victim's face…but not before the queen noticed something that hadn't been there before.

A glittering diamond ring on Scara's left hand.


"A meeting with the Underground?" Caspian asked, in total disbelief.

"Yes, sire. They say…they say that they have the High Queen Susan in their custody."

Caspian stood in his study, listening to a message his servant brought from an Underground messenger. He was at a loss for what to do. He didn't doubt that they had Susan. But, they weren't going to just give her to him. They were going to want something from him in return.

"Torin and Scara wish to meet at the battlefield, today, at noon. How do you wish to respond, my king?"

Pacing his study, the only answer that Caspian could justify was 'no'. But the only way that he could make sure that they did have Susan was if he went. The only way that he could find out what the Underground wanted with him and his people was if he went.

"Sire?"

Finding no other way to respond, Caspian finally decided.

"Saddle my horse, and get four of my council members together. We'll ride in an hour."


Susan sat, gagged and with a bag over her face, on a horse tied to another soldier's. Torin and Scara rode ahead on separate horses, but still very close together. Scara's new ring shone in the sunlight, causing little dots of color to appear on her and Torin's armor.

She wore her slim armor today, the snake around the triangle engraved into the full front breastplate. She wore wrist guards, boots, pants, and light chainmail. In her boot was her beloved dagger, and on her belt, her sword in its sheath.

Alongside her was her new fiancée, Torin. Today, like all days, he looked undeniably attractive, even to those who hated the Underground the most (Susan). His deep blonde hair cascaded down his face in waves, steadily becoming more blonde from the sunlight.

With Susan, Torin and Scara brought along four soldiers, just so that, if things got ugly, they would all be prepared.

Finally, the party found themselves on the edges of the battlefield. In the distance, Scara could see a single white horse with a rider. And then, four black ones.

"Caspian is here." She whispered to her partner.

"Thank you, Scara," Torin said, turning his horse so that he could talk with his men, "As of right now, I'm not expecting anything funny to go on. It appears as if the king has only brought advisors, not ones who wield a sword on a regular basis. What I want you to do is hide the girl, and don't let him or any of his party see her until I say so. Do you understand?" Nods from his soldiers, "Scara and I will go in first, and then you four will follow with the queen."

He then turned around, nodded to Scara, and then galloped, full speed, into the center of the battlefield, his partner just a few seconds behind him.

Caspian could see the six black horses in the distance, and immediately wished that he had brought more men. Too late for anything now.

To his dismay, he couldn't see Susan anywhere. Maybe they had left her at their headquarters, and had just sent the two leaders? Regardless, it didn't put him in a very good mood at all.

Once the Underground members began their descent into the valley, Caspian followed suit, meeting them in the middle. The first person that he saw was a strikingly young man-just a bit older than him, perhaps-with long, golden hair get off of his horse. The same man then went over to the horse beside him, and offered a hand to the woman sitting there. The lady was also young, with a mane of long silver hair pulled into a magnificent ponytail. This, Caspian concluded, was Torin and Scara.

Caspian got off his own horse, and instructed his council members to do the same. Slowly, he and his party walked over to where Torin and Scara stood. An awkward silence followed, until Torin spoke up.

"Well. I'm sure there's no need for introductions, but I am Torin, and this is my right hand, Scara. We all know your names already, so there's really no reason for you all to tell us them. We've come so that we may make an exchange."

"Name your terms," Caspian said slowly, trying his hardest to make his voice sound intimidating.

"The Underground works either for or against the persons in power. I'm sorry, Caspian, but your uncle gained more respect from us than you ever will. With that being said, our proposition is simple. We want your position as king and all of your council positions." Scara said coolly, in a deadly stare with Caspian.

"In exchange for what?" Councilman De La Moreno piped up from behind the king.

"In exchange for an item that holds great history," Scara began, looking over her nails, "for she was there when some of the first history books were being written."

Caspian could feel his heart thump against his chest uncontrollably. He tried to remain calm and collected, for the sake of his entire kingdom.

"So, Caspian. Our offer to you is as follows. Your position, and all of your council positions, in exchange for Queen Susan the Gentle, High Queen of Old." Scara said, a pleased look on her face.

"How do I know that you're not bluffing? I want to see her before I make any sort of decisions." Caspian declared, hoping that he had brought the discussion to an end. He hadn't.

The king watched as Torin turned around toward his soldiers, and clapped his hands. Suddenly, the mob of soldiers cleared, and there she was. Her hands were bound, and her head was covered with what looked like a sheet. Caspian could feel his heart jump into his throat as he looked at her. The image before him was not one of regality, but one of pity.

One of the soldiers on a horse grabbed the queen's neck, threw her off of her horse, and onto the ground at Torin's feet.

"Stop," Caspian could hear himself say. He was numb. This was the first time that he was seeing his queen in years, and to see her like this-treated like this-made him feel sick.

Torin then grabbed the rope that bound his prisoner's hands and dragged her over to about ten feet in front of the king.

"Stop."

Finally, Torin reached up to the top of the bag, and ripped the silk covering off of her face. What Caspian saw put him on the verge of tears. Susan's face was covered in cuts and bruises, a gag tied tightly around her mouth. Her brilliant blue eyes glistened from the tears that were pouring from them. Her dirty cheeks were streaked with tears, and her chapped lips in pain from the gag.

"I'll let you two have a moment if it influences your decision at all, Caspian." Torin said with a smirk. He then grabbed Scara's arm, and went to go and sit with their soldiers, who were about twenty meters away.

Immediately, Caspian flew to her side, trying desperately to get the gag and the rope around her hands off of her. He was trying his hardest to keep the tears from falling, but when he saw her right arm, there was no holding back. There, a huge gash lay, covering a good portion of her arm (from where Scara pushed her against the dresser).

"Oh, my darling," he breathed through the tears now falling freely from his eyes, "what have they done to you?"

The second that he got both the gag and the bind off of the broken queen, she crawled into his arms, and sobbed. He cried along with her, his head resting on hers, his strong arms holding her as tight as he could without hurting her.

It took only a few seconds for her to quiet down, at which point, she looked up at him with eyes the color of tinted glass.

"You're alive," she whispered, feeling tears of joy beginning to form in her eyes.

He smiled down at her, his own eyes shining with tears.

"Yes," he said, with a quiet, relieved laugh, "we are very fortunate."

"We?"

"Both Edmund and Peter survived as well. Aside from Ed's broken ankle, everyone is alright."

To this, Susan smiled, practically glowing through all of her cuts and bruises. She held on to him tighter, like a drowning victim, clinging for dear life. He followed suit, holding her closely, lightly kissing her head.

"Excuse me, Sire. What exactly do you want to do about this proposition? I think they're waiting." De La Moreno asked, looking at his king.

"There's no way that you can accept it, my lord. It would be foolish beyond all reckoning." Another councilman came in.

"I agree. True, the queen is important, but King Caspian…this is the future of your kingdom." The third one stated his opinion.

"What proposition did they make to you, Caspian?" Susan asked weakly from her place in his arms.

He looked down at her, his heart heavier than a lead weight. Aside from being king, Susan Pevensie was really the second most important thing in Caspian's life. He thought about her constantly, and always played the grueling 'what if' scenarios over and over in his mind. But, his council members were right. This was his kingdom. There was no way that he could just give up everything that he had worked for to his enemies. They could make the Telmarine rulers *all* like Miraz, and in no way did Caspian want that to happen. He was stuck.

"They want my crown and all of my council positions, in exchange for you, my queen."

Susan closed her eyes, hoping that she hadn't heard right. She had.

"Caspian…you and I both know what you have to chose here. I am nowhere near as important as your kingdom-your dynasty. Let them have me, Caspian. Everything will be fine," she said, bringing a small hand up to cup his cheek.

"Susan," he said, pushing a strand of hair out of her face, "you know that I can't do that. I would never, ever, be able to forgive myself."

"I know," she lamented, her fingers now gently twirling his hair, "but you can't just put all of Narnia-thousands of lives-in danger for one person. It just doesn't make sense. Let me go back with them. I promise that everything will be okay." She tried to smile, to cover up the fact that she was absolutely terrified to go back to the caves with Scara and Torin. She wanted nothing more than to just lie here, in the king's arms, forever.

"Beg your pardon, majesties. But…I think I may have an idea." The third councilman said thoughtfully, looking at the king and queen.

The couple on the ground looked up at him with curious faces, hoping for some kind of resolution.

"Let her go back with them, Caspian," the middle aged man said. He could see the young king begin to object, so he continued. "Let her go back with them, and then have one of our people follow close behind, so that at least one of your men knows where the Underground complex is. Then, tonight, we can go to the complex, sneak in, grab the queen, and be on our way."

Caspian looked as Susan, who was obviously thinking the same thing: Why didn't I think of that earlier?

"Who would be willing to take on the dangerous mission of following them?" Caspian asked, unsure if anyone would step up.

"I will, sire," came the voice of Councilman De La Moreno, who stepped toward the king and queen.

"Moreno, you are aware of the dangers that come with this quest?" Inquired Caspian, still cradling the queen in his arms.

"I am. And I am willing to accept them. Are you two alright with it?"

"I'm happy if the queen is," Caspian stated quietly, looking down at Susan.

"The idea of getting out of those caves is more attractive than you can imagine. I think that this is a wonderful idea. The caves are confusing, though. You wouldn't happen to have a floor plan would you?" Susan said, half sarcastically.

"Actually," one of the councilmen piped up, "we captured an Underground scout a while back. We let him go, but we kept all of his belongings. With him, he had some sort of map. We didn't have any idea what it was, but now that I think about it, there are very high chances that it was a floor plan."

"I was actually kidding," Susan explained with a tired laugh, "but that will work out wonderfully."

They all stood (and sat) there for a while, before Caspian said, "Gentlemen, do you think you could give the queen and I a moment?"

They bowed to both of them, got on their horses, and went to converse on the far side of the field.

"I'm sorry you have to see me like this, Caspian," Susan said, looking down at her soiled gown, "I'm a mess."

"Which is funny, because I still think that you're the most beautiful person I've ever seen. Messy looks good on you, Susan." Caspian said sweetly, making the queen turn a soft shade of rose.

"This is a rather unfortunate way to reunite, isn't it?" Susan laughed. Caspian just smiled sadly.

"Now that I've actually seen you…I don't think that I can let you go," Caspian sighed, the Spanish accent in his voice melting her heart like butter.

"It's only for a couple of hours, Caspian," Susan said with a smile.

"I know. It's just…" he gazed at her, adoration in his eyes, "I had forgotten how much I really, um…"

She grinned, hoping that he would understand that she felt the exact same way.

"How long do you think it will take to get back to your palace?" Susan asked, taking his hand in her own.

"About a day, going at a leisurely pace. If you were going fast though, you could probably get there in a few hours. Why do you ask?" He replied, trying to savor every moment that he got to hold her in his arms.

"We'll have a solid day to catch up with one another. I want to hear everything that you have to tell me."

"That sounds wonderful," he smiled. She gave him butterflies whenever she was curious as to what was going on in his life.

"Lovebirds!" Torin called with a smirk, "Have an answer for us yet?"

"Yes," came Caspian's answer, the anger beginning to seep into his tone.

Torin and Scara both walked over to them as Caspian helped Susan to stand.

"No." Was all the king said, holding onto the queen's hand.

Both of the Underground leaders shared equally confused looks.

"No?" Torin asked, already forming a new plan in his mind.

"No."

"Fine, then. You'll have to be giving that back to us then," Scara proclaimed, grabbing Susan by her arm, and yanking her over to her.

"Be careful with her," Caspian said dangerously, "She's worth more than all of the goods that you could ever buy or steal combined."

"I seriously doubt that," Scara sneered.

Susan could see Caspian make a small move towards the hilt of his sword. She caught his gaze, and gave a small shake of her head. Casually, he moved his hand back.

"Well. I think that this meeting is over. Thank you for your time, Caspian. It means…so much." Torin said, making it clear that he was unhappy.

"Bring me a horse and some rope for our prisoner," Torin called to one of his soldiers, who obliged. The thief king then bound her hands, tightly. Caspian winced at how constricting the bonds were, against her raw wrists.

He then roughly flung her onto a horse, which was then tied to a soldier's horse.

"We'll skip the gag this time, my lady…but should you make so much as a peep during the ride back, I'll see to it that you are gagged so tightly that your pretty little face will have marks from it…permanently."

"Don't talk to her like that, Torin," Caspian warned hotly.

"I'll talk to my prisoner however the hell I want to, Caspian. Don't try and tell me what I can and cannot do."

He then walked past Scara, who had gotten onto her horse already, and then mounted his own.

"Have a wonderful day," Torin announced before leading his party to the northern end of the field, and onto the horizon.

Caspian watched, as Susan's silhouette disappeared over the hill. With that, he turned to De La Moreno, who took off in pursuit.

After a few minutes, he went and mounted his own horse.

"Time to go. We have to get ready…tonight we save her."

And with that, he spurred his horse, and rode with the three councilmen back to his palace.

Tonight was going to be interesting.

A/N: Woohoo for updating less than a month apart! Go me! Haha. So. Hey guys! How did you like this chapter? It was a long one…took up 20 pages in Word. :) I kind of feel bad for the lovers…I mad their reunion kind of really crappy. Boo to that. Anywho, if you could read and review, I would love you. Because I love getting reviews. It's kinda like Christmas. You see the email, and you're like, "OOH! REVIEW!" Yeah. Or, that might just be me. Whatever. Ha. So, um, I'm just kind of ranting right now, so I'm gonna go and watch a movie. Yeah. Thanks for reading!

~Gabby

Ps. Review? Pwetty pwease? (Haha. You really don't have to review, you would just earn cool points from me.)