Cassie continued to walk through the dense forest for a while, until she deemed herself far enough away from the Pevensies and the stress that they put upon her. With a large sigh she found a snow covered tree which she came to a stop at. Gently, she laid her hand against it and smiled as she felt the comforting presence of a friendly dryad. Contented that she was welcome there the guardian slid down the tree, landing in the cold, wet snow. Almost immediately, Cassie felt it soak through her clothes, but in her current state she couldn't bring herself to care.

If anyone had bothered to ask Cassie how long she stayed like that, her head resting against the tree with her eyes closed, she wouldn't be able to tell you, but in that moment she was happy to stay there for a very long time as the dryad from the tree whispered sweet nothings to her in an attempt to calm the poor girl. At some point, Cassie began to think (which was never the best idea) and for reasons unknown to her, four familiar faces were the only things that were currently stuck in her mind.

The first face was a young girl, smiling and cheerful: Lucy. Cassie had quickly connected to Lucy and from the beginning she could tell that she would one day be a great queen. The youngest Pevensie's heart was true and Cassie knew that Lucy would always find a way to bring out the best in people.

The second was another girl, calm and logical: Susan. Admittedly, Cassie hadn't gotten the best impression from Susan, but her obvious want to leave Narnia and ignore the prophecy didn't put them on good terms. Of course, Cassie knew that Susan only wanted to protect and do what's best for her family, something that the guardian could appreciate, and she regretted not attempting to be kinder to the girl.

The third was a boy this time, irritating and sassy: Edmund. Even his face made Cassie feel guilty, it was her fault for letting him wander off after all, but somehow Cassie couldn't hate Edmund Pevensie, even though he was with the White Witch. He was only a child, someone who didn't know better, how could you blame him if he never even knew what the witch was capable of? Sure, the only time that he and Cassie spoke was when he was insulting her, but that didn't mean that he couldn't learn from his mistakes and come out a better person.

She had mixed feelings about the final face, a boy, brave and determined: Peter. Anger swelled up in Cassie, but Peter was someone she couldn't help but admire. A young boy, filled with his own troubles, who chose to look after his three siblings and even put them before himself. At times, it was obvious that he cared about Cassie and she knew that if the pressure of ensuring his siblings safety did not weigh heavily on his mind, he would stay and help Narnia. Despite his protests though, the guardian knew that the oldest Pevensie would chose to do what was right, and one day would be worthy of the crown. Soon she may even call him 'King', but not before he proved himself to her and to Narnia.

Cassie was startled out of her thoughts at the sound of snow crunching and immediately she was up and ready for a fight, but when she saw who it was a large grin appeared on her tired face. With only a second of hesitation, she rushed forwards and crushed the figure in a long embrace, his thick fur surrounding her like a warm blanket. A few moments later, Cassie stepped back and smiled at the large, majestic creature that stood before her. Somehow, he seemed even more radiant than the last time she had seen him and his golden mane seemed to brighten the dark forest. Behind her, Cassie could hear her dryad chattering excitedly, repeating a single word, a single name, in awe.

Aslan.

Cassie quickly remembered herself and fell to one knee, bowing her head to the lion in respect.

"Rise, my child." Came the soothing voice of Aslan and as Cassie raised her eyes to meet his, an overwhelming feeling of guilt hit her as she saw the thinly veiled disappointment in his face.

"Aslan, I-" She began but her excuses died in her throat.

"Cassandra, I do not think I need to remind you of the prophecy, do I?"

"No."

"And I don't need to explain to you how importat the Pevensie children are?"

"No, but they will never fight in this war Aslan! Narnia is lost." Cassie said, tears threatening to spill over her cheeks.

"Now that is not the guardian I know." Aslan began. "That is not the girl who has trained her whole life for this moment. When did you give up hope?"

"I haven't given up, Aslan! But there must be another way, please... I need you to tell me what to do, the prophecy must be wrong!"

"Cassandra, the prophecy is never wrong. Now, look my in the eyes and tell me that there is no hope that Peter Pevensie will come through for Narnia."

"I can't do that." Cassie said, getting increasingly frustrated at the lion's refusal to answer her question.

"Why not?"

"Because my gut tells me that Peter Pevensie will pull through for Narnia, but at this current moment in time I am inclined to doubt that."

Aslan laughed, "Now Cassandra, tell me a time when your gut has ever been wrong."

Admittedly, Cassie could not, but that didn't stop her. "Aslan! Even if Peter does do what's right, I can't do this! I cannot protect these children through this war, and I don't want any more blood on my hands."

"Cassandra," Aslan said soothingly. "What happened to your family was not your fault, and neither is what happened to Edmund. The prophecy says the Pevensies will save Narnia, but it also says that they cannot do this on their own. You have been chosen for a reason, and if Narnia is to be saved then you are just as important as the sons of Adam and daughters of Eve. I must leave, for there are many things to be done, but I know you will do what is right, just as you know that Peter will do what is right."

"Aslan, please! I need to know what to do!"

"My child, you already know." Aslan said and he began to step towards her until his hot breath tickled her ear, he whispered something to her and Cassie froze.

Contented, Aslan turned and disappeared into the forest, leaving Cassie alone again with his last words to her echoing in her head.

"Do not doubt the Pevensies, child, and never doubt yourself."

She blinked owlishly, before her brain went into overdrive. Aslan may not have told her what she had to do but he was right, she already knew. These were just children but they were important. They would free Narnia, but not alone. They will do what is right, but not before they are helped to understand what that is. They needed her, just as Narnia needed them.

Cassie patted herself down, checking that everything was in order. She would have to track the Pevensies, but it definitely wouldn't be hard and Cassie made a quick mental note to teach the children how to hide their tracks. She thanked the kind dryad before readying herself to leave.

"These Pevensies will be the death of me." She sighed, and then the guardian began to run.