Ciao belle! Sorry about the wait. I actually wrote about seven pages more than this, but then I decided to separate the ending into two chapters so that you wouldn't have to wait for the whole thing and you'd have something to read while I finish up the rest! This chapter's got some friendship, romance, and a little Aslan. Enjoy!

Chapter Twelve: So Much to Talk About

Darkness is an interesting thing. It gets so many different mixed reactions. Some creatures thrive in it while others perish. Some people paint their windows black while others sleep with night-lights. It can thrill, frighten, comfort. Darkness is a cradle, or a nightmare. It shows you everything you ever wanted or everything you ever feared. It can fill any amount of space. Caves, tunnels, holes, hearts. They can all become shrouded in darkness. I'm one of the lucky ones who are friendly with darkness. We enjoy each other's company. In the dark I can pretend that everything is perfect. In the dark I'm normal, happy, carefree, and sane. In the dark I can't see the evidence of my past on my arms. In the dark I am safe.

I felt like Juliet, wrapped in her sleep of death. Such beautiful dreams she must have had, of running away with her Romeo. That was the only difference. I had no beautiful dreams, only darkness, silence. There was nothing to disturb me in my sanctuary. I was free to drift in nothingness until it decided to swallow me up or that I was no longer worthy of its quiet peace. This time it was the latter.

When I first woke, I was unwilling to surface completely. I didn't want to leave the tranquility of my blank mind yet. I kept my eyes closed and didn't move, but regardless of my efforts my body was coming back to life. My joints were waking up whether I wanted them to or not, but I could still force them to remain still. So I did. However, I wasn't fully awake until I heard the voices. Hushed, careful voices.

"Are you sure you gave her enough, Lu?"

"For the tenth time, yes! One drop can heal anything."

"Then why has she been out for so long?"

"I don't know."

There was a short pause, in which my brains connected the voices to people I remembered- Peter…and Lucy. The events of the battle came rushing back. I wish they hadn't. I would have liked to forget the way I felt while fighting, and the argument I'd had with…myself.

"Are you sure there is nothing else we can do?" Caspian. My heart hurt.

"Yes. As far as I can tell, she is merely sleeping." An older man's voice that I didn't recognize.

"She's been "sleeping" for two days." Edmund. Two days? How could I have been out for that long? "At this rate she'll never wake up."

"Perhaps she is closer to waking than she appears." I know that voice from somewhere… Oh! Aslan. But, still, I feel like I've heard it before… "Your Highness?" Nobody answered. Was he talking to me? Wha- Oh! I forgot. He made me a queen. OH! He knows I'm awake. So much for catching a few more winks.

"Yes?" I answered without opening my eyes. There were a few sharp intakes of breath and some shuffling footsteps.

"I think it is time you eased the worries of your friends."

Reluctantly, I opened one eye, then the other. I blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of the blur of faces standing over me in a row. As they came into focus, I saw Caspian first. He was the closest to me, followed by Edmund, Lucy, Peter, Susan, and, at the foot of what I realized was a bed, the round bearded man I had seen Caspian with once. "What's up?" I asked casually as I sat up and propped myself against the headboard. Aslan, I saw with a weird, affectionate kind of surprise, was lounging across the end of the bed- which was huge.

Susan was the first to speak. "You are, finally," she said with a smile.

"Sorry about that," I replied. "I must've been really tired. What happened?"

Caspian looked pained. "You had a nasty wound on your side," he answered. "The chain mail must have been broken. It was cut right through."

"Oh man." I twisted awkwardly and lifted the shirt I was wearing so I could look at my side. Caspian coughed and looked away, Peter and Edmund following his lead. The other man wasn't standing at an angle where he could see anything, so he just stood there with a pleasant smile on his face while I investigated my skin. I was surprised. The only evidence that I had been hurt was a thin, white, slightly raised scar about six inches long curving around my waist. There was also a little bruising around the area, but it was minimal. I let the shirt, which I realized was not the one I had been wearing for the last week, fall and looked up. "Wow. That's some amazing stuff you have there, Lu."

Lucy smiled and hopped up onto the bed beside me. "We were worried it wasn't working because you took so long to wake up."

"I think that had more to do with exhaustion or uh…" I paused, raising an eyebrow at Edmund. "Keeping my sanity." His brow furrowed in concern, but I shrugged and smiled. Caspian noticed our exchange, but said nothing, his expression blank. "Hey!" I said suddenly, grabbing a handful of my surprisingly soft hair and bringing it to my nose. It smelled…clean. "Why don't I smell like a man anymore?" Peter rolled his eyes but Edmund just smirked.

"The maids bathed you when we got you here," Susan explained. "They seemed reluctant to let you smell up their sheets." She smiled and I knew she was teasing.

"The maids…bathed me?" I wondered aloud. "Well I'm glad I was passed out because that would've been an incredibly uncomfortable experience." Lucy giggled when I made a face at the idea.

Aslan, who had been silently surveying the exchange with his wise blue eyes, spoke up. "Now that you know she is all right, I would like to speak with Isabella alone." I was a little unnerved by this, but there was nothing in his expression to suggest I should worry. He was still lying across the bed comfortably.

"Okay," Lucy said. She leaned over to hug me before bounding off the bed and following her siblings towards the door. "See you later!" I waved as the other three mumbled their farewells. Caspian hesitated at my side. His reluctance to leave made me sad for some reason. I remembered the last words we'd shared before the battle and a pang of guilt twisted in my stomach.

"Go on, I'm fine," I assured him. "We can talk later. Promise. Scouts honor!" I held up the three-finger salute of the Girl Scouts, even though he didn't know what I was talking about.

Caspian held me in his intense gaze for a moment, then leaned down to brush his lips against my forehead. The skin he touched tingled and burned…in a good way. "I am glad that you are well," he said softly, and then turned and walked out of the room, followed by the bearded man. I looked to Aslan. His eyes followed Caspian out of the room and did not return to my face until the door had closed behind them. I was suddenly nervous as he studied me, and a little embarrassed by Caspian's affectionate gesture.

"What was it you wanted to talk to me about?" I asked meekly.

Aslan shifted, curving his body so that his head was closer to me where I sat. "Tomorrow, I shall open a door back into your world," he said. "Your time in Narnia is drawing to a close." I looked down sadly. The tugging sensation was stronger today.

"I knew that," I sighed. "I can feel it."

"It saddens you," Aslan perceived. "Do you not miss your friends and family?"

"I do!" I looked up again. "It's just…I've made so many friends here. Edmund and Lucy and Susan. Peter, sometimes." I shrugged at the Lion's knowing look. "I've grown so attached to everyone here. I love Narnia."

"Narnia is not the only thing you have come to love." Aslan's eyes continued to study me as he said this, so he saw the flush that rushed to my cheeks.

"I suppose…maybe…not in so many words…" I mumbled. There was a long pause, like he was waiting for something more. I figured I knew what it was. "I don't want to leave him," I confessed. "It's impossible, I know. I've only known him for, like, a week. I don't understand." I hung my head in my hands.

"Some things are not meant to be understood, dear one, they are simply meant to be," Aslan replied. Suddenly, I remembered where I'd heard his voice before.

"It was you!" I exclaimed, my head snapping up. "In my dream! And in my closet the night I fell through! You brought me here!" The excitement from my discovery faded quickly. "Why did you bring me here?"

Aslan chuckled. "I was wondering when you would recognize me," he said. "I brought you here because you wanted to come."

"But I never even heard of Narnia before," I argued.

"That may be true, but did you not find here what it was you sought in your own world?"

"I…" I had to think about that one. Did I find something in Narnia that was missing back home? I thought about all of the friends I had made and all the experiences I'd had in my short time in this amazing world. I thought about Caspian. "Yes. Yes, I did." I looked down. "But I can't stay."

"No. You must take what you have learned here and apply it in your own world."

"Will I ever come back again?"

"That remains to be seen."

Hardly able to voice my next question, I settled for a whisper. "Will I ever see him again?"

"You may," Aslan replied. "But you must know that the way you entered Narnia this time will not work again."

"Why not?" I asked, thinking of how convenient it would be to have my own personal portal to Narnia so I could visit whenever I pleased.

"Things never happen the same way twice, dear heart."

I looked up quickly. "Lucy said that to me once."

Aslan smiled fondly. "She is very wise."

"Very," I agreed.

"Now," Aslan said, standing and stretching in a surprisingly catlike manner, "I believe there is a young prince who awaits your council." He jumped down off of the bed gracefully. "You had best go and speak with him now. There will not be time later tonight."

As I threw the covers back and hopped to the floor, I gave the Lion a curious look. "Why?"

The door swung open of its own accord, making me jump. Aslan smiled. "Tonight is the Coronation Ball. We have a new King and Queen who must be formally introduced to their people." I blanched at the thought of me trying to rule a kingdom. Maybe it was a good thing I wasn't staying long. Aslan seemed to guess my train of thought. "You will be a good queen," he said, and disappeared out the door.

I stared after him. Did he say, "will"? Why would he say that when I'm leaving tomorrow? I'm hardly going to have time to do any queen-y stuff! I sighed and looked down at my new threads- a loose fitting, long-sleeved shirt and a brown pair of trousers that were once again way too long. I bent over to roll them up. I'm clumsy enough without any added obstacles. As I followed Aslan's route into the hall, I thought about what I should say to Caspian. First, I planned to apologize for being such a royal (literally…now) bitch, and make sure he knew I wasn't myself. Beyond that, I had no idea what to say. Should I tell him I'm leaving? No, that was a bad idea. He would only make it harder; probably try to make me stay. It would only hurt more in the end. Telling him how I felt was also out of the question. If he knew, watching me leave, how attached to him I really was, it would definitely hurt more.

So what could I tell him?

This was the question I was trying to answer when I walked out into the courtyard and saw Caspian with his back to me, leaning on the stone wall and looking out over the town and, in the distance, Shuddering Wood (the forest I originally fell into- I learned the name sometime during our hike to the How). I approached him slowly, considering the amount of time I'd actually been in Narnia. In reality, it was only a week, give or take a day or two, but in my mind it felt like months. I also noted that I still had the uncanny ability of finding him even when I had no idea where he was or how to navigate my surroundings. We were like…magnets or something. So weird.

Caspian didn't notice me when I first came up behind him. My bare feet made no sound on the stone floor. I stood just off his left shoulder for a while, trying to delay the inevitable, before I spoke. "So how's it feel?"

He gave a start and then turned, smiling when he saw it was me. "How does what feel?"

I stepped up to lean on the wall and looked out over everything as he had just been doing. It was strange how small the wood looked from here. It feels like it goes on forever when you're in it. "Looking at all of this. Knowing it's your kingdom." I paused, then added, "Finally."

Caspian went back to leaning against the wall, but his head was angled towards me. "Why don't you tell me? It's your kingdom too."

I fought the urge to flinch at the stab of guilt his words caused. Of course, he didn't suspect I'd be leaving. Of course, this was going to be harder than I thought. "I don't know. It doesn't really feel any different for me. I guess I'm a little worried, though. Can you imagine me trying to run a country? You're going to have to do all the…everything." He laughed.

"I am sure you will make a wonderful queen," he said. I wish he would stop that. My heart was already aching enough. Every cell in my body wanted to touch him- his hands, face, mouth, hair. I longed to lean into his embrace and feel the warmth coming off of his skin. I was afraid it would only make things worse.

"I doubt it," I muttered.

Caspian swiveled towards me. "You will. Aslan was right. Your heart is warm, and kind." I scoffed. "I mean underneath that attitude." He caught me unprepared when he tucked my hair behind my ear. I leaned into his touch. "There is more to you than a tough exterior. I know. I've seen it." His thumb brushed against my cheek. "I've seen you."

Which is why this is so hard. "A tough exterior and a warm inside," I mused to cover up the sadness. "You're making sound like a s'more, chief." He cocked an eyebrow at me and my twisted heart lurched. I had to look away. "Never mind."

"Querida," he said softly. It made me want to scream. It made me want to cry. I did neither. "Querida, look at me." I barely had time to force a blank expression onto my face before he reached out and cupped my cheek to gently turn my head. "What's wrong?"

Damn it to hell. It's cool that he can see me and all, but does he have to see me that well? "Nothing's wrong," I lied.

"I don't believe you," Caspian said. "You're acting strange."

"I am strange," I pointed out.

"Okay," he relented, "stranger." I cracked a small smile.

"I'm just a little out of it. You know, recovery and stuff. I'm fine." I hate lying. Lying is what Lex does and I am not Lex. But if it spares him a few hours of hurt, I'll have to deal with it.

Caspian didn't seem entirely convinced, but he let it drop. Good. He didn't want to know. His expression shifted from doubt to something else. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" I asked.

"I lost you…in the battle. If I had been there I could have-"

"Don't say it, please," I groaned. "This wasn't your fault. Don't try to make it your fault." I took the hand on my cheek into mine. "Look at you. You're ridiculous. You're blaming yourself for something that was completely out of both of our control. And if anyone should be apologizing it's me."

"Why would you need to apologize?"

"Before I ran off, the things I said to you, they w-" I broke off because Caspian was smiling and shaking his head. "What?"

"That was Lex. I know," he said.

"What the hell?" I closed my eyes. "Stop knowing me so well."

"I can't help it."

I sighed and dropped his hand so I could rub my temples. "You could try."

"I don't want to try. I want to know you." He grabbed my hands and pulled me closer to him, his eyes burning with familiar intensity. This is bad. Very bad. Need to pull away. Need to not melt into his warmth.

Too late. My body surrendered to Caspian's touch despite my mind's argument. I stared up at him, overwhelmed, my body and hands resting against his chest. His arms wound around me in an intimate embrace. His eyes, dark and smoldering, held mine. "I wish you didn't," I murmured.

"Why?" he asked, ducking his head a few inches so I could feel his breath on my mouth as he said the word.

I swallowed hard. "I'm not worth knowing." I'm not worth loving.

"Querida, you are worth a lot more than that," Caspian replied.

"But I'm not good enough for you." But I'm leaving you.

He sighed. "Isabella."

"It's true," I mumbled.

"For someone who isn't crazy, you sure say a lot of crazy things."

My knees buckled, but I was supported by his embrace. Once again I felt the urge to scream, cry, run. I did none of them. "Stop it," I whimpered.

"Stop what?"

"Being so wonderful."

Caspian brought his lips so close to mine that I could feel them move around his next word. "No." He silenced any protests with his mouth on mine. Any self-control I may have held onto disappeared. My fingers traced the familiar path into his hair while the rest of me seemed to be trying to get closer to him than was actually possible. I gasped softly as his lips moved against mine. I heard his breathing hitch. One of us sighed, I don't know who. Every sound melded together in my ears. My senses couldn't decipher any individual thing. It was all just Caspian.

He tasted like the snowflakes you catch on your tongue and the rain that trickles into your mouth while you're dancing in it. He tasted like the air in the beginning of spring and the first strawberry of the season. He tasted like sunshine and hope.

He tasted like dreams and stardust.

I had to force myself to break away, pressing my face into the fancy fabric of his shirt to hide the tears that were threatening to spill over. He wasn't making this any easier. I wonder, would he forgive me for leaving? Would he remember me when I was gone?

Caspian ran his fingers through my hair absentmindedly and rested his chin in the top of my head, oblivious to my inner battle. A better question was, would I forgive myself for leaving? Would I be able to forget all this and move on with my life? I knew the answer to those questions. No and no.

"You should go and get ready," he murmured. "The coronation is in an hour."

"I'm going to look ridiculous in these clothes," I mumbled. My voice was muffled by his shirt, but I could tell her understood me because he laughed.

"Susan left you one of her dresses. It's hanging in the wardrobe in your room." Great. Another wardrobe.

"She's taller than me."

"It's an old dress from when she was younger. It should fit you." Caspian took my shoulders and pushed me back a step so he could look in my eyes. I forced a smile. "Don't look so unhappy. It won't take long. Everyone will love you. The Narnians already do."

"That's what I'm worried about," I mumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"There will be dancing. You love dancing." He was trying hard to cheer me up. It made me feel worse.

"When I'm not falling."

"I won't let you fall."

I took a few steps back, out of his reach. "I'm going to go get ready," I said.

"All right." Caspian was giving me a look that said he was trying to figure something out. I couldn't let him guess what was going on. I wanted to spare him as long as possible.

"Okay. See you in a bit." I waved and turned around, trying hard to keep myself from running all the way back to my room. I settled for a fast-paced walk. He didn't follow, but I couldn't let myself have the necessary sigh of relief until I'd safely closed the bedroom door behind me.

Now, "bedroom" is probably not the right word to use when describing my temporary place of residence. "Bedchambers" would be more accurate, as there was a little sitting room connected to the sleeping quarters. Why did he feel the need to give so much when I had nothing to give in return? It was driving me crazy. Damn him for being so perfect.

I crossed to the wardrobe on the other side of the room and noticed for the first time the glass door behind the gauzy curtains that lead to a balcony. Obviously not a guest room. I forced my eyes away and wrenched open the wardrobe doors. Inside, a single gown hung. I reached in to pull it out and hold it up to study. It was dark green and off the shoulder, with silver flowers embroidered around the hem. The torso was corseted, accented with silver as well. Even the stays were silver. It was very beautiful, and the dark color would keep my plain brown boots from clashing or being too noticeable. I made a mental note to thank Susan the next time I saw her.

I laid the dress on the bed, which had miraculously been made, and started to pull my shirt over my head. That was when I noticed, with a start, that a very important article of clothing was missing beneath the thick white cotton. I did a frantic eye-scan of the room, hoping to see it discarded somewhere nearby. The maids, who I assumed had dressed me, had obviously never seen a bra before. They wouldn't have known how it worked or even what it was for. My cheeks grew hot as I recalled the intimate embrace I'd shared with Caspian- totally unsupported! The material of the shirt was thick and it was so baggy that I hadn't even noticed. I groaned inwardly. Hopefully he hadn't noticed either.

Resigned to the loss of my most comfortable undergarment, I continued changing. Apparently they had understood the purpose of my Scooby Doo undies, because they were right where they belonged. I wonder what they thought of them? Haha. Wish I could've seen their faces. I pulled the dress on, grateful for the corseted top, which provided the missing support. I wasn't grateful for long, though, because I soon discovered how difficult it was to maneuver the stays of a corset you're already wearing.

"Need some help?" Susan's voice made me jump. I twisted around to look at her from my position by the mirror, trying to see over my shoulder to pull the strings.

"Yes, please!" I accepted. She smiled and crossed the room, Lucy appearing in the door behind her. I noticed it was the door to the sitting room.

"Our room is connected to yours through there!" the younger sister chirped, pointing behind her. "Isn't it wonderful!"

"Yes," I agreed with a smile. Susan's fingers were much more used to tying corsets. She had the stays pulled to a comfortable fit and properly fastened in only a few minutes. "Thank you- for the dress and the help."

"You're welcome," she replied. "It's too small for me anyway."

"Either way, it's still beautiful. You could have had it altered."

Susan shook her head. "It suits you better. Brings out your eyes."

I blushed. "Thanks." I noticed the girls' appearance for the first time. Lucy was wearing a light green dress with long sleeves. The torso was decorated with a pale gold pattern and the hem of the skirt had the same. Susan was wearing a similar gown, except in a deep red color and off the shoulder like mine. "You both look gorgeous!" I exclaimed.

"Thank you," they chorused. I grinned, taking in their neatly combed hair. I tugged at my own tangles subconsciously.

"Oh, yes, I almost forgot!" Susan said. "We came to help you with your hair as well."

Lucy skipped forward, bearing a silver comb and several hairpins. "Sit down!" she requested excitedly, pointing to the small bench in front of the mirror.

"You don't have to do this," I argued. "It's okay. I can figure something out."

"Sit," Susan replied. She put her hands on my shoulders and forced me down. Lucy started to comb out my dark curls while Susan studied me contemplatively.

"Susan likes styling other peoples' hair," Lucy explained. "She's always experimenting on me. She can't wait to have a new head to work with."

"Oh, shut up, Lu. I do not experiment on you!"

Lucy leaned in so only I could hear. "Yes she does." I giggled as she finished combing out the last few tangles and surrendered my head to Susan. The elder girl started in right away, sweeping, brushing, twisting, and pinning away. I watched, but had trouble keeping up with her movements. When she was finished, she had somehow managed to tame my wild mane into a slightly messy bun on the top of my head. A few stray curls fell around my face and neck.

"What do you think?" Susan asked.

"I love it!" I replied with a grin. "I can never get my hair to do anything. You're a miracle worker! All hail Queen Susan!" She laughed with me as I stood up. "Seriously, though. Thank you. For everything." I was addressing both of them. "You've really helped me feel welcome in Narnia."

"Oh, don't be silly, Iz!" Lucy said, hugging me around the waist. "You're one of us now! A true Narnian."

"Yes, you certainly are," Susan agreed, joining the embrace. We all laughed, but my joy was short lived when I remembered what was happening tomorrow. I hid my distress by bending down to slide on my boots.

"Ready?" I asked as I straightened up.

"I think the better question is are you ready?" Susan replied.

"Not at all, but I'm never going to be so I might as well get it over with." I seized one of each of their hands. "Onwards!" My mock British accent elicited giggles from both of them as we left the room.

I was really going to miss this.

Okey dokey. The next chapter will wrap this up. I'd just like to say that I adore you all for reading my story. It makes me so happy to know that people enjoy my writing!

Lurve,

Gina