This is gonna be a really sappy chapter,
Ye being warn'd!

and major, major, major thanks to the reviewers!

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xx.

Numerous thoughts ran through Peter Pevensie's head as he leaned against the broken stone table, watching the bright orange flames lick the bottom of Aslan's wall carving. Peter's fists were clenched on his side, as he continued staring at the image of Aslan, hoping and hoping that something will show; something that could tell Peter what to do.

He needed some guidance from the great King of Narnia, but Aslan just wasn't here to advice him like how he used to when Peter first stepped foot into Narnia.

He couldn't figure out why his siblings and him were once again, pulled back into the magical world of Narnia. Was his purpose here to save the people? Or was it simply because Aslan was fulfilling his want of coming back to the land to be away from the cruelty of Earth? Peter did not know. He was too blinded with being the High King and wanting to lead that he had not thought of what his purpose here was. Simply put, Peter was just being an arrogant, self-centered King who doesn't listen to others because he thought he was right; he was always right.

Peter's fists slackened when the image of Claire's disappointed face flashed across his mind, forcing him to reel at the sadness behind the beautiful deep blue shade of her eyes. He had failed the Narnians, his siblings. But most importantly, to Peter, he had failed Claire. For what reason he did not know, but he just failed like he had disappointed her like how he had let the whole of Narnia down.

A set of light footsteps echoed through the vast silence of the cavern and Peter did not have to look up to know that it was Lucy. Her footsteps were always light, unlike Peter, whose footsteps are much heavier.

He felt Lucy took a place beside him quietly. "How can you know?"

Lucy turned to him and frowned lightly in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You've seen him," Peter said. "I wish he'd just give us some sort of proof."

"Maybe we're the ones who have to open ourselves to him." Lucy said and patted her brother on the arm lightly, comfortingly.

Another set of footsteps came trotting into the cavern as Edmund came into sight with a flustered face. "Pete?" Peter and Lucy turned to him and immediately, they knew something was wrong by the look on Edmund's face. "You better come quickly."

The three made for a jog stone platform that overlooked the whole How and found Claire, Susan, Caspian, Trumpkin, Glenstorm and Doctor Cornelius gathered there already. The Narnian beasts were gathered at the front of the How, watching on in horror, like their leaders.

There, right in the distant forests of Aslan's How were the Telmarine troops, marching in unison towards the How. Peter's heart raced. It was time.

For war.

Claire looked on at the nearing troops and noticed the way in which they moved so harmoniously and couldn't help but think what will happen if she had pelted on of them with a stone.

"Guys," Claire said, catching the immediate attention of Peter since he was standing dangerously close to her. "Not trying to spoil the mood or anything, but what do you think will happen if I stone one of the idiots?"

Edmund smirked. "You can try."

"Alright then." Claire bent down and picked up a rock from the ground before spreading her legs a little wider, preparing to aim at a soldier in the middle of the metal pack like how she did when she was playing baseball with her father.

"I don't think that's a very good idea." Susan said, afraid of what the Telmarines will do if they had hurt one of their soldiers.

"I'll just hit one. You never know if you never try." Claire said as she reached back and threw the stone towards one of the soldiers in which she had her aim on, with all her might.

Clunk!

The soldier who was pelted on the head by the rock fell down in pain, and was stampeded by the rest of the troops as they continued marching towards the How, obviously not distracted by the slight interruption.

Claire winced at the thought of being stepped over a million metal boots. "Oops! I'm sorry!" She then turned to Lucy who was giggling at the sight and smiled brightly. "Well, at least we know the Telmarines aren't that easily distracted."

Without a word, Peter turned and left, leading the whole group towards a much smaller cavern where they could figure out a plan to tackle the urging matter at hand.

--

"-That's your next big plan?" Trumpkin said in disbelief. "Sending a little girl into the darkest parts of the forest? Alone?"

Claire stood beside the Bulgy Bear that was now sucking his paw while listening in on the plan. If the situation wasn't that serious, she could have burst out laughing at the irony that a scary looking bear was actually sucking his paw like a toddler.

Peter scowled. "It's our only chance."

"And she won't be alone." Susan said, catching the attention of Caspian as the Prince's head shot to her immediately.

Trumpkin walked up to Lucy with an anguish look marring his face. "Haven't enough of us died already?"

"Nikabrik was my friend too." Trufflehunter said from his spot in front of Edmund. "But he lost hope. Queen Lucy hasn't. And neither have I."

Reepicheep drew his sword regally and placed it over his brought it over his heart. "For Aslan."

Claire watched in surprise as the kind bear removed his paw from his mouth and placed it over his heart like how Reepicheep had done with his rapier and declared in a low and gruffly voice. "For Aslan." She smiled at the creature's loyalty and turned to Peter as they made a brief eye contact, sending numbing waves through the veins of both.

Trumpkin look at Lucy and said in a determined tone. "And I'm going with you."

Lucy shook her head and placed one of her hands on Trumpkin's shoulder lightly, smiling at the concerned dwarf. "No. They need you here."

"We have to hold them off until Lucy and Susan gets back." Peter said, looking at anyone for suggestion. Anyone except Claire.

"If I may." Caspian announced and turned to his professor for his approval before standing up and walking towards Peter. "Miraz, maybe be a tyrant and a murderer,"

"Not to mention, a complete pain in our asses." Claire muttered quietly as she watched Caspian walk into the bright light supported by the torches on the wall.

"But as king, he is subject to the traditions and expectations of his people." Caspian looked at Susan's worried face and back at Peter. "There is one in particular that may buy us some time."

The Narnian creatures remained quietly, knowing what the only way was while Lucy spoke up, apparently knowing nothing of the Telmarine culture. "What is it?"

"A duel." Caspian said. "To death."

"You're crazy!" Susan exclaimed, walking up to the center table. "It's far too dangerous, I won't allow it!"

Peter shot the Narnian Queen a look and nodded at Caspian's suggestion. "If it can help stall the time until they get back, I'll do it."

Susan shook her head. "No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"I said no, Peter!" Susan yelled; banging her hand on the stone made table in frustration, allowing the sound to reverberate through the silent room like a crack in the night. Queen Susan the Gentle was no longer in her gentle nature, but in a state of worry for her family.

"You're going to get killed! Haven't you known that Miraz will stop at nothing to get us dead?" Unshed tears glistened in Susan's blue eyes as she looked at her older brother in nothing but love for her family.

Claire, having heard enough of their banter stood up, took a deep breath and raises her hand. "I'll go."

Trufflehunter stepped up to her. "What?"

"I said, I'll go." Claire repeated, putting her hand back to her side as she walked up to the center table too. "Fight Miraz in that duel thing, I mean."

A blanket of silence covered the whole cavern as everyone looked at Claire in surprise. She brushed her bangs away from her eyes and sighed. "I'm not as important as you guys in this war." She looked down at the table and up at Peter. "Peter, Edmund and Caspian have battle experiences so they can lead the armies, I don't. Lucy and Susan will be going into the forest for Aslan, but I'm not. So apart from everyone else, I'm the only one available who isn't important for leading the war but has the status that allows me to kick Miraz's butt in the duel."

She turned to everyone in the room and shrugged. "I can hold him off by making him run around if he so happens to knock the sword out of my hands. I'm sure he'll be tired somehow, he's old."

A tense silence hung over the entire gathering like a dark cloud when no one laughed at the pathetic joke Claire had come up with to lessen the tension in the air. It was then at the point when Claire was about to ask for a response when Peter had chosen to speak. "No."

Claire turned her head sharply to Peter and scowled. "Don't get me started like how Susan did. I'm going and that's that."

Peter shook his head and replied in a firm and determined tone. "You're not going, and that's final."

Anger reared its ugly head inside Claire's blues eyes as she narrowed her eyes at Peter. "What makes you think what you're saying is final?"

Peter took a step forward and clenched his jaw tightly. "I am the High King of Narnia and you're just a Queen in this land. In all due situations, everyone have to listen to me, including you, even if you don't want to."

Claire refused to back down, even though his sharp words were cutting into her heart like a knife. "Well then, as the High King, I suppose you'd have thought that you are needed to lead your people in this battle, not get chopped up by some crazy King." Claire spat out. "You can't get killed. If you died in this stupid Telmarine tradition, who else is going to lead the Narnians? I doubt Edmund and Caspian can do it without you. You're just making the wrong decisions, Pevensie."

"Then, if you think I'm making the wrong decisions, you are free to leave." Peter gritted out, staring at Claire's eyes with a hard look. Lucy gasped at Peter's harsh words as Claire took a step back with a blank look. Her nose soured at the disdainful tone in Peter's voice and felt her vision blur up at the increasing build-up of tears.

Claire sniffled, catching Peter's attention when he turned to look at her slowly and saw the lone tear falling from her eye and rolling down her cheek.

"Fine."

With that, Claire turned around and ran out of the little cavern, allowing the irrational side of her to overtake the rationality that she had always possess.

Caspian walked up to Peter soon after Claire ran out smacked him, on the back of his head, hard. "What're you waiting for? Go after her, idiot!"

Peter opened his mouth to retort Caspian when Edmund stepped out of the shadows and stopped him with his hand. "Don't try to deny, Pete. You know you're an idiot when it comes to girls." Edmund then gave Peter a shove out of the cavern. "Now go! Run after her!"

Peter turned to the rest for approval and only started down the hallway when everyone, including the Bulgy Bear (who had gone back to licking its paw) had nodded their heads.

Peter bolted through the numerous hallways of Aslan's How and asked every passing Narnian he could find, but it seems none of them had seen Claire. Being on the brink of giving up and returning to prepare the Narnian troops for the coming battle, he walked past the open stone platform, a place he had forgotten was Claire's favourite spot in the whole How and heard a faint sniffle. Peter stopped dead in his tracks, having a nagging hunch as to who the person might be and turned on his heels before walking back to the platform and feeling sick all over at the sight in front of him. Claire was crying, and he was the cause of it. It made Peter angry that he was the one to have hurt Claire so badly when he vowed to protect her.

Peter stepped onto the platform and stopped instantly when Claire broke into a fit of dry coughs, since she had just recovered from getting her windpipe crushed by Nikabrik. She continued coughing and soon started gasping for air when the aftermath of the crying session she was having and the injury she had suffered during the near resurrection of Jadis came together, worsening her condition.

Peter ran forward when he noticed Claire having trouble breathing and turned her to face him before patting her on the back lightly with his hand wrapped around her slender shoulders. Claire, on the other hand, struggled when she realized who was the one helping to calm her down.

The sixteen year old brunette pushed the young King away from her and managed a raspy, "L-leave me a-alone!"

"Come on, Claire." Peter pleaded, pushing himself from the dirty floor. He rushed towards her again and enveloped her petite body with his muscular arms, pulling her close to his chest as she sobbed and choked into his tunic. Claire struggled against him for a moment, until she realized she was never going to get out of his strong grip with the meager amount of strength she had had left from the crying she had done. She stayed in Peter's strong arms until she calmed down enough, apart from the tears that were still flowing from her eyes and seeping into Peter's tunic. She couldn't help that the anger she had towards Peter were slipping away slowly when she was in his arms, when she was held so close to the guy that infuriated her, made her smile and made her worry. She couldn't help but think that he was going to die in the battle and she could do nothing about it.

With a choked sob, Claire peeled away from Peter and looked into his light blue eyes, rending herself lost and vulnerable in it. "Don't do the duel, please."

Peter looked away sadly and shook his head as another sob escaped Claire. "I'm sorry." He turned back to look at Claire and brought his thumb up to brush away the tears on her cheeks. "I have to do it, for Narnia."

"For Narnia." She repeated with a bitter laugh. "What about me?" Claire whispered. "What am I going to do if you died?"

"Quit thinking that I will get killed, Claire!" Peter yelled and immediately softened up. "I won't. It's our only chance before Lucy and Susan gets back. I can't risk you dueling with Miraz either."

"Haven't you thought that maybe, maybe I don't want you to duel with Miraz because I don't want you to and that I was trying to protect you instead?" Claire said, as more tears poured down her cheeks, dripping onto her skirt, creating dark blobs on it. "That maybe I don't want you to get hurt because…" Claire stopped short and looked into Peter's eyes. "… I love you. I love you so much that I don't want to see you dead. That I'd rather be the one Miraz stab then see you get hurt."

The High King of Narnia widened his eyes at Claire's brave confession as his heart raced and his cheeks flushed red. He was so surprised, he couldn't say anything, apart from a weak, "What?"

Claire laughed bitterly at his response. "Funny how I thought your reaction would be bigger than this." She sniffled and continued. "Surprised huh? That I'd actually fall in love with you having hated you on the first day I met you."

Claire then stood up from the platform and turned around, not wanting to face Peter anymore. "The problem is, I'm sure you hate me now."

And with that, Claire turned and walked off to go check on the Narnian troops, leaving Peter to process everything that had just happened between them.

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