Author's Note: Please enjoy this new chapter! Read and review!

She abandoned herself to the dark abyss, drifting in the nothingness. There was no space, no time. She was floating in unchartered waters with no thoughts and no pain. There was nothing but unending darkness. Was she alive? Was she dead? Was she in the place between two lives? She did not know. She simply floated. And like a floating log in the ocean, the waves slowly pushed her to the shore. She was on the edge of consciousness. She had moments of absolute clarity, like pockets of air in the sea, short moments of having her head above the waves before they pulled her in again.

The darkness still enveloped her, but her senses returned to her gradually. She felt the cool soft sheets beneath her fingers and warmth tickling her skin. She smelled the fragrant wood with each even breath she took, accompanied by varied scents. She tasted thee dry, bitter taste in her mouth, her lips painfully cracked at the slight movement of her tongue. She was coming around gradually, the waves pushing her up to consciousness. But the ocean ended where the sky began. Then, she broke the surface.

Avalon opened her eyes gently, her eyelids painfully ripped apart after a long slumber. The light flooded her sight. Unmoving, her gaze travelled the room and surveyed her surroundings. The glass windows were open, the white curtain blowing in with the breeze. It was bright outside, the sounds of the waves below Cair Paravel travelled to her like music.

Even after being gone for months, she recognized her room without difficulty. She found herself staring at her ceiling. The fiery scarlet and golden lion blazed in front of her eyes, almost whispering "Welcome back." Avalon gingerly twisted from side to side. She heard someone shuffling on the side of the room. She whipped her head quickly, too quickly that she groaned with pain, to see him standing there.

"Hello, Avalon." His back was pressed against the wall, one leg bent to it and the other stretched out. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he was staring at her tenderly, his eyes peering at her from beneath his outgrown hair. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he pushed off the wall and made his way to her. Though her body felt like a million boulders had fallen over her, she willed her arms to reach up to him.

"You're back." He whispered. Edmund gently wrapped her in his arms, obviously avoiding the injured parts of her body, but Avalon clung to him for dear life. There was once a time she feared she would never see him again, and yet he was there, his breath on her neck, his tunic clutched in her fists, the heat of his chest radiating towards her. He was everywhere and Avalon felt the abyss in her chest fill with light.

Too soon, he pulled away to hold her face between his hands. It was the first time he's done that, but his hands felt familiar to her nonetheless. They were gentler than usual; as if he was afraid that this was just a dream and if he pressed too hard, she would shatter and he would wake. His eyes never left hers and she did not look away, unsure if this was truly a reality. It had been so long since the dark of his met the green of hers. The silence surrounded them like a comfortable blanket, protecting them from any reality that awaited them with words.

"I have to call the others." He said, unable to say anything else. Almost instinctively, she gripped his wrist tight.

"Don't leave me alone." She attempted to say, but a sharp pain exploded in her throat. Avalon hissed and her free hand flew to the bandage around her neck. Edmund soothed her and easily pried her fingers from his wrist. The last time he left her alone was vividly burned in his mind, but the others needed to know she was awake.

"They're nearby so it won't take long." He whispered, pressing her back down on the sheets. She glared at him. "You can count till thirty and if I'm not back by then…." His eyes surveyed the room, thinking. "You can throw the lamp." Ed pointed at the lamp on her bedside table. Her lack of reaction was his cue to run out of the room.

One…two…three...four….five…

Avalon stared at her body. It was disfigured enough that it looked alien to her, but the bandages were a familiar sight. She wondered how bad her injuries were.

Six…seven…eight…nine…ten…

"How much has changed since I was taken?" She wondered. "What happens next?"

Eleven…twelve…thirteen…fourteen…fifteen…

Avalon reached out and wrapped her fingers around the lamp on her bedside table, ready to toss it. Sixteen…

The door flew open. Susan and Lucy rushed in, carrying their skirts, with Peter, Caspian and Edmund at their heels.

"Avalon!" The two women launched themselves at Avalon, who locked her jaw to keep from letting out the pain that erupted in her torso from being hugged. But a hiss managed to escape from her lips without consent, causing the two women to spring away from her.

"We feared you would never open your eyes again. You were unconscious for days!" Susan pressed a palm to Avalon's bruised cheek. "You were so badly injured when they brought you home."

Home. Avalon's heart swelled upon hearing the word. She was here, truly here, with the people she once thought she would never see again.

"How bad am I?" she whispered, glancing down at her obviously mangled body. She expected an answer from Susan or Lucy, but their darting looks made her regret asking in the first place. Caspian replied instead.

"You have four broken ribs, a sprained ankle, countless lacerations and bruises all over your body. Admittedly, you're in far better shape than we expected to find you. You must have had a guardian with you." His reassuring tone coerced a smile from her. Her thoughts flew to Trina. She must ask about her later. Avalon reached out a hand towards him and he took it. "You'll be in perfect condition in no time."

A reply was on her lips when Peter held up his hand and stopped her. "Don't speak!" He pointed at his throat and Avalon touched her own. She was reminded of the mesh-like cloth was covering her neck. "When you defended yourself against Marcus, he cut you across the throat. We were afraid the injury would kill you, but fortunately, the cut was not deep enough to damage your windpipe. It still did minimal damage though, so refrain from speaking too much for the time being. We don't want to aggravate the wound."

Avalon simply nodded her head, silently thanking Aslan and whatever power saved her from the claws of death. In the hours that followed, the Pevensies and Caspian did not leave her bed side. Their presence was her shield from the pain of her battered body. They told her of stories that she missed, both the good and the bad. And all the while, Edmund stood away from his family. It was a small distance; no one else could have or would have noticed. But Avalon did. She tried to tell herself it was nothing to worry about, but she didn't believe it.

The nightmares pulled her from her slumber. As soon as the light filled her eyes, the darkness of her dreams started to fade. Avalon did not know how long she slept, but the terrors of her mind filled her with fatigue and numbness. She shifted around, attempting to shake off the stress, but she couldn't move her hand. It was weighed down. Only then did she notice the bowed head of the dark-haired boy who held her hand.

He was fast asleep on a wooden chair by the head of her bed, his hair falling over his face. His back was slumped low and his hand was outstretched to grasp hers. He looked quite uncomfortable and for certain, his neck would ache greatly when he stirred. She squeezed the hand that held hers and reached over with the other to push the hair away from his face. His cheek bones were more prominent than ever, and unflattering dark circles appeared under his eyes. His usually pale skin looked chalky and translucent, he seemed to fade away. His wrist, pressed against hers, was frail and nearly as thin as hers.

"Difference is I've been starved and beaten." She thought as she traced a pattern over the pulse point of his wrist and travelled her fingers up his arm, curled at his shoulder and cupped his cheek. "What happened to you, Ed?"