Well, chapter ten is here! A nice long one for you. Thank you to all my reviewers, keep them coming! I do not own anything except my own characters and my own love for the wonderful imagination of our C.S. Lewis and those kind people who brought Narnia to our screens once more.

Enjoy!

Chapter Ten

Aurelia's eyes were wide as she sat upon the river bank, deep in thought. Everyone else was still celebrating their young king's freedom. Aurelia had joined in the gaiety for a while, but she hadn't been able to fully smile, or call up enough energy to dance. She'd skipped her dinner, much to Adane's annoyance and had slowly distanced herself from the Narnian's, choosing instead to stare out over the water. The moon was high that night and the air felt cold on Aurelia's skin, an odd thing for the weather had been uncommonly warm the past few days. The night spoke of sinister things to happen, things that sent a chill up Aurelia's spine. Aurelia felt a presence beside her and looked up to see Edmund smiling widely at her. She grinned back at him and accepted the cup he offered her.

"Thank you," Aurelia took a sip, the warm tea filling her and making her feel slightly better.

"Peter thought you might need it," Edmund said softly. Aurelia turned to see Peter by the fire, watching them. Aurelia smiled and raised her cup to him, before turning back to Edmund. His eyes still held sadness in them and Aurelia put a hand on his back and leaned over to him.

"You should be celebrating,"

"I still feel like a traitor, no matter what Aslan says," Edmund sighed. Aurelia chuckled and Edmund looked at her in confusion. "I don't see anything funny."

"You're funny. Ed, you are no traitor. If you were you wouldn't feel so remorseful for what you did. But you regret it, which shows you have a conscience. It shows you're a good person who feels, knows when he is doing wrong. You're not the first to be enchanted by the witch's promises," Aurelia's voice was soft, soothing.

"Like your father?"

"Yes, like my father,"

"Then you don't believe the witch? You think she put him under her spell?"

Aurelia laughed mirthlessly, "You've been talking to your brother. Truthfully, I don't know. I loved him, more than anything in the world, but he's gone and I'll never know if he was under a spell or if he was acting of his own accord," Aurelia's eyes filled with tears but she hurriedly wiped them away and looked back at Edmund.

"Enough of this, tell me something that will make me smile," Aurelia linked her arm through Edmunds.

"My brother is in love with you," Edmund blurted out. Aurelia started in surprise.

"Edmund! What gives you such an idea?"

"I know my brother, Aurelia and the way he looks at you, the way he acts when you are around, the way he says your name. He cares for you deeply,"

"I care for him deeply as well,"

"He cares for you as he would care for someone he loves. A different love to the one he feels for my sisters and I, but love nonetheless," Edmund turned to look Aurelia straight in the eyes. "And you love him."

"I've not known him a fortnight," Aurelia tried to sound convincing, but her voice dripped with confused feelings. "You can't love someone after so little time."

"But how do you know? Do you not feel anything for him?"

"Of course I feel something, how can I not?"

"Then how do you know that you can't love someone after so little time?"

"I… I don't… well, I…" Aurelia stammered but couldn't find the words. Edmund looked triumphant.

"Exactly,"

Aurelia turned to Edmund and punched him lightly in the arm. He flinched, but smiled at her all the same. He leaned over and lightly kissed her on the cheek.

"No matter how you feel, I know how my brother feels. And I don't want to see him hurt. If you don't feel the same, you'd best make your feelings known," Edmund stood and with one last look towards the moon, smiled at Aurelia and left her deep in thought.

Aurelia had never known love, only the love she felt for her family. Her mother used to read her fairytales of knights and ladies who courted and met secretly under the stars. Men and women who stole a look, a touch and a kiss with one another. Men and women who would sacrifice their lives for one another. The love her mother used to read to her about was a love that twisted ones stomach, made nonsense in their thoughts and hurt their heart. A never ending spiral of feelings that turned the victim crazy. But was this what Aurelia felt now. She felt passion for Peter, a lust for him, but surely these feelings were simply physical and there to tempt good people into throwing away their virtue. Aurelia stood and brushed her dress, staring once more at the moon before turning and strolling back to her tent. She would sleep on her confusion and decide how to address them when Narnia was no longer in peril.

Aurelia had been lying awake all night, listening to Lucy also toss and turn. Susan cleared her throat and shifted her spot.

"Lucy, lie still or I swear I will…" Susan began but Lucy shushed her.

"Did you see that?"

Susan and Aurelia both sat up and looked in the direction that Lucy looked. The huge shadow of Aslan passed by their tent and the girls all held their breath, so as not to be heard. Lucy swung her legs over the bed and grabbed her cloak and dagger. She looked back at Aurelia and her sister.

"Coming?" she asked, before exiting the tent. Aurelia and Susan scrambled from bed, grabbing their cloaks as they went. Aurelia fastened her sword around her waist and the two rushed to follow Lucy. She was waiting for them outside.

"He's gone into the forest," she whispered. Susan looked at Aurelia.

"Do we follow?"

Aurelia shrugged and nodded her head, but grabbed Lucy's hand so she would not rush ahead. Susan linked her arm through Aurelia's other arm.

"Quietly now," Aurelia murmured. The three girls followed the lion deeper and deeper into the forest. After a while they saw him pause and they froze, waiting with baited breath.

"Shouldn't the three of you be in bed?" he said without turning. The girls approached him cautiously, but he just stared at them with his huge, kind eyes.

"We couldn't sleep," Susan said. Lucy reached out a hand to Aslan.

"Could we come with you?"

Aslan thought for a moment, before he looked to Aurelia.

"Yes, I will be glad of the company tonight. But when I tell you to stop, you must and you must let me go on alone. Aurelia, I trust you will take them to safety,"

Aurelia nodded and Susan and Lucy buried their hands in Aslan's mane, walking on either side of him. Aurelia kept a hold of Lucy's hand, not knowing who was squeezing tighter. They all walked like this for a while, before Aslan stopped, sighed and seemed to deflate before their very eyes.

"Aslan, what is it?" Lucy asked in concern.

"It is time. From here, I must go on alone. You have to trust me, for this must be done. Thank you, Susan. Thank you, Lucy. Aurelia, keep them safe. And farewell," Aslan turned from the girls and walked slowly away. Lucy looked at the other two, deep concern written all over her face.

"I don't want to leave him," she whispered. Susan and Aurelia exchanged a look, before Susan turned and dived straight into the bushes. Lucy and Aurelia followed her, and found that she had found a hidden path, so they could follow Aslan. Soon they found themselves on a small hill, overlooking the stone table and what was there made them all catch their breath. The witch and her followers had gathered at the stone table and were yelling and taunting Aslan as he approached them. He reached the witch and looked up at her.

"Behold, our great king. The lion," she spat. She nodded at her general, Otman and he knocked Aslan on the head with his stick. Aslan grunted and fell to the ground.

"What on earth…" Susan began but Aurelia shushed her and strained her ears to better hear what was going on.

"He should fight back," Lucy whispered, but Aurelia just shook her head and held a finger to her lips.

The witches creatures had begun to kick and yell horrid things at Aslan. One brought out a knife and began to cut away his mane, leaving him looking like a helpless overgrown cat. They brought out a rope and tied his legs together and by the end of this ordeal, the crowd was so riled up that it took a good five minutes for them to calm down. The witch nodded again and Otman picked Aslan up and threw him roughly down on the stone table. The witch leaned down to Aslan's ear and began to speak to him in a low voice that strangely carried through the air, so the girls could hear it.

"You know, Aslan, I'm a little disappointed in you. Did you honestly think by all this that you could save the human traitor? You are giving me your life and saving no one's. So much for love," the witch stroked his head and then stood and looked triumphantly at her followers. "Tonight, the Deep Magic will be appeased! But tomorrow...we will take Narnia...forever!"

The witch looked down at Aslan and drew a knife. Lucy flinched and the two girls had to hold her to keep her from running to Aslan. She raised the knife.

"In that knowledge... despair... and DIE!" the witch screamed and drove the knife into Aslans heart. His eyes widened in pain, before they closed and his body fell limp. A great cheer rose from the crowd and the girl heard the witch cry, "The great cat is dead!" the witch looked over her followers and smiled hungrily.

"Now, we leave this place and fight this battle. However pitiful it may be," the witch sat on her throne and was carried away, pursued in reverence by her followers. The three girls huddled together in the grass until they were sure the witch was gone, before the rushed to the stone table. Once there, they froze not knowing how to take in the body of their beloved Aslan, lying lifeless in front of them. Lucy hurriedly unscrewed her cordial and kneeled down next to Aslan, but Aurelia kneeled next to her and stilled her hands.

"It's too late, he's gone,"

Susan sat with the girls and they held one another and cried for the tragic loss of their great king, a king who gave up his life, almost for nothing. Their heads shot up when they heard scuffling near Aslan and saw mice crawling all over his body. Susan gasped in disgust and began to wave them away, but Lucy stopped her and showed her that the mice were chewing at Aslan's binds. Aurelia pulled away the cords and stroked his legs.

"He's still warm," she mumbled. Susan put a hand on her back, her chest heaving with sobs. She paused and thought for a moment before pulling Aurelia to face her.

"Peter,"

"What about him,"

"They have to know," Susan looked at Lucy who shook her head.

"We can't leave him. I won't," Lucy put her hand on Aslan defiantly.

"Lucy, there's going to be a battle and they're going to be annihilated!" Susan exclaimed, but Aurelia put a calming hand on her arm.

"I'll go. I need to be there for Peter… for everyone," Aurelia shook her head as Susan opened her mouth to argue. "I told Aslan I would keep you safe. You're safest here. They won't come back now, their focus will be at Beruna."

Aurelia checked her sword was secure and looked back at the girls who had made her feel more part of a family than she'd felt in years. Lucy smiled at her and she leaned down and kissed Lucy on the cheek and hugged Susan tightly.

"Look after each other," she whispered and turned and ran away from the stone table, as fast as her legs would allow.

The sun was just peeking over the clouds when Aurelia finally arrived, and the camp was quiet. Everyone must still be asleep. Aurelia rushed to Peter's tent, throwing it open and shaking him awake. He jumped up, grabbing her, pushing her to the ground, his sword at her neck. Aurelia tried to push him away, but he was groggy and convinced she was trying to kill him.

"Peter you dolt, it's me!" Aurelia gasped. "It's… me!" she finally succeeded in pushing him off of her. Peter sat back and ran a hand through his hair.

"Aurelia?" he leaned forward and wiped the tears from her face. Aurelia realized then that she had been crying this whole time. Aurelia leaned into his hand and he cupped her face softly. "What is it?"

"Peter he's…" Aurelia began but she could only stare at him in despair. Edmund jolted awake.

"What's going on?" he exclaimed. Aurelia looked at the two. Soon she couldn't bear telling them, so she stood and hastened from the tent. Peter followed her grabbing her arm and pulling her into him. Aurelia thought for a moment of just accepting his comfort, but realized how weak she must seem. She pushed him away and wiped her tears from her eyes. Peter knew better than to try and touch her again and just waited patiently for her to speak. Aurelia took a shaky breath and finally spoke the words very softly.

"Aslan is dead,"

Peter paused for a moment before shaking his head.

"No… no. There must be some kind of mistake. He can't be… dead. He's not… no," Peter tried to deny it, but with one look at the sadness in Aurelia's eyes his shoulder hunched and he put his face in his hands. Aurelia's heat cried for him, and for them and she couldn't help herself. She pulled his hands away from his face and put her forehead against his.

"We will get through," she vowed. Peter sighed.

"How? We have no leader,"

"You must lead us," Edmund's voice came from behind them. Aurelia looked at him and then back at Peter. She nodded.

"Yes, you must,"

Peter straightened up and his hands tightened on Aurelia's arms. She looked into his eyes and finally saw the king that would, hopefully, bring Narnia home.