A/N: Here's another one. I totally rewrote this whole chapter because I wanted some suspense and curve balls, drama and emotion pouring out of this. So with that, I hope you enjoy and if I don't end up updating soon I am just very busy. Happy Reading.

Chapter Twenty: The Voyage Home

The Calormenian air was thick as Kristen and the rest of the company hid in the bushes near the courtyard gate. Kristen looked to Demetri and then stealthily made her way over to where he knelt with Susan. She took a breath and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Don't think any less of me for what I'm about to ask of you. We need your help, lifting the gate so we can escape."

"Tell me what I have to do. I'll do it. You saved my life, and gave me one for the better. I owe you." he said confidently and Kristen nodded as she plucked a dagger from her boot and handed it to him.

"You don't use this unless you need to, and if under any circumstances someone comes at you, I want you to run...you understand me?"

"Yes ma'am." he nodded as he slipped the dagger into his little leather belt and Kristen looked to Susan who had worry written all over her face.

"Worry not, Sue, we'll be out soon. As soon as the gate is opened, Tumnus will lead you out first and Edmund and the boys will follow."

"I thought you were coming with me?" Susan's eyes widened and Kristen nodded.

"I know, I lied. I'm heading up the rear. Just to make sure you'll all get out alright. I promised Peter, I would let anything happen to any of you and that's what I'm going to do. No arguments."

Susan made to protest but Kristen stood up and with her new-found agility ran towards the gate and with Demetri behind her the both of them jumped up and grasped onto the iron bars. Together they scaled up it until they hit the turrets on either side. The two disappeared for a few moments and the next the gate was being opened. Susan picked up her skirts, giving the turret one last look before she was whisked away by horseback with a guard and Mr. Tumnus at her heels.

Edmund waited at the base of the gate as Demetri climbed down and Edmund looked up at the other expecting to see Kristen. Edmund whirled around to look at Demetri and the boy pressed a finger to his lips to indicate silence.

"She'll be along. She told me to tell you not to ruin the plans...sorry." Demetri whispered as he tugged on Edmund's sleeve.

"She's ruining the plans." Edmund scoffed with a whisper as he climbed onto Philip's saddle and pulled Demetri up in front of him as he set off after Susan with the rest of the guard.

Moment's later Kristen scaled back down the open gate door and landed on the ground. A faun and a soldier waited for her as she nodded to them and pulled the scarf around her head and made way after the quiet Narnia party whom were trying to flee the city without causing a scene.

The city was quiet, and to the naked eye scanning overhead you would think it dead. But as Kristen made it by foot she was trying desperately to evade around guards that were crawling about the place, waiting to strike at anyone that dare be up at this hour. Her back was pressed against the wall and she looked to her two soldiers and nodded to them as she turned around a corner and up a ladder that led to the rooftops. Once safely up higher where they had the advantage, Kristen peered over the edge and saw a huddled group of Calormenian soldiers sitting about a fire.

It was a station, all of them huddled together and talking amongst themselves. Kristen looked back at her guard and then pointed to the adjacent building that was only a leap away. The housings were so close that you could easily jump from one to the other all the way to the North gate...and that's what Kristen was going to do. She stood up quietly, her feet padding along gently as her legs carried her at a speed and with a leap she landed on the rooftop and motioned for her fellows to follow.

The faun had no trouble, and neither did the human soldier and with that expectation the three of them made their came to a large structure that was several feet down, but easy enough to jump and Kristen went first, then the faun and next was the remaining soldier. He prepared himself but as he jumped, he made it short and his foot slipped on the stone. Kristen reached out grasping his arm and pulling him up. It would have been okay if it weren't for the fact that a giant pottery plant fell to the street below, just as a guard was passing by.

"Stop in the name of the Tisroc (may he live forever)!" the guard shouted as he pointed up at them which alerted the others and a horn sounded in the distance.

"Well that's a mouthful." Kristen said as she ran along the rooftops. Suddenly they ran out of rooftops to jump to and Kristen, frenzied looked around for something, anything to get them out of this situation. "We're going to have to go by ground."

At that she jumped from the rooftop towards the ground and rolled to decrease the impact of her landing. Her soldiers followed as they ran through the empty marketplace, diving over barrels and rounding about carts to evade their pursuers and the flaming arrows that were being sent their way. As Kristen made to turn a corner she ran head first into a rather large soldier. He grabbed her and picked her up, but didn't have a good grip on her due to her struggling. Her feet kicked and her body thrashed as he tried to subdue her but as he pushed her against the wall she kicked off and thrust him back. He made to do it again but this time Kristen flipped off the wall and landed behind her attacker and with a swift, sharp kick to the back of the knee he fell. Kristen then picked up another pottery plant and smashed it against his back and he fell forward, and was out like a light.

Running back towards her guard she saw that a Calormen soldier was engaged in battle with the faun. Taking a dagger from her boot she took it in hand and with a skill only Edmund could have ever taught her she threw the dagger. The small blade lodged itself into the flesh of the Calormenian and he fell with a groan and a thud in the dirt street beneath him.

"Come on, we have no time to lose!" Kristen called as they sprinted off towards the North gate.

They arrived, to see that the gate was open...a product of their were twenty feet away from it when it started to close and Kristen looked up at the wall to see that it was lined with soldiers, and now torches lit she saw them standing in front of the gate.

They were trapped.

"By the order of the Tisroc (may he live forever) you are under arrest, charged with high treason." a guard said and Kristen came to a halt. She unsheathed her sword as it glinted in the light and she held her ground.

"Three against a hundred, milady?" the faun whispered to her and she licked her lips and shook her head.

"We're not getting out this way. But we can give the others enough time to get back to the ship. It's a fifty mile journey, as long as they think that they haven't left yet...they're safe." Kristen whispered back.

"We're with you." said the other soldier. "To the end."

"The end's not here. I said we're not getting out this way, not that we weren't getting out at all. Demetri told me, if we didn't make it out the North Gate in time, theirs a old tunnel that leads out of the city through the Catacombs and into the desert."

"How will we get there."

"Leave it to me." Just as a soldier was approaching her, rope in hand to detain her she looked up at him. He caught her gaze and his brow furrowed and she smirked as she whispered in the tongue of the elves, slowly, fluidly, like a mother would a child to coax them to sleep. The guard froze, as did the others, completely enchanted and then turned and engaged their fellow soldiers in battle.

Kristen didn't tell anyone but her time with Aven had taught her a form of mind control or suggestion using a far older language that Quenya. A dialect so rare, it was virtually forbidden. But this situation was dire, and they were in need of a way out.

Turning on heel, using the distraction Kristen ran to the left and using the wall as a guide they made their way to the Catacombs of the city. They were being followed however, and running out of options and escape routs.

"I see them in the distance milady!" the human soldier said at her side as he pointed.

"Run, keep running!" Kristen pushed them along, trying to evade around the shots of arrows that whizzed past them into the night. Then the sounds of horse hooves were being heard and Kristen looked back and found to her astonishment that it was Edmund. In fear of her life, and in fear of the situation she pushed her anger at him to the side as he held the reigns of Susan's horse, making it gallop next to him.

He let go of the reigns as the human soldier of Kristen's guard caught them, and hoisted himself on the horse and the faun with one leap jumped on skillfully. They darted ahead of Kristen as she took Edmund's hand and he hoisted her up behind him. Wrapping her arms tight around him, they fled through the Catacombs of the city, to leave Tashbaan far behind.

They kept riding, sending the horses one, driving them to keep galloping fast. Kristen looked at Edmund's back as she burried her face between his shoulder blades.

"You came for me?" she asked and his answer was hard, but full of intent.

"Yes, stupid, I came for you. And truth be told, I am very livid with you right now."

Kristen let out an uneasy breath and nodded.

"Thank you, Ed."

"Course." was his softer answer.

Once back at the port, everyone could breath a little easier, but that didn't mean they were out of danger. As soon as Edmund rode up the gangplank with Kristen the ship was ready and set to sail. Kristen was now currently tucking Demetri and Corin in when there was a soft knock at the door and Kristen looked over her shoulder to see Edmund standing there.

He didn't look pleased.

He nodded his head out and Kristen stood up as she walked out and gently closed the door behind her. Kristen followed Edmund until they reached his private quarters and the Just King opened the door gesturing inside. Kristen looked at him hardly and then walked in without a second look.

Once she was inside the door slammed behind her and she turned around to meet a livid Edmund.

"Are you insane!" came the rise of Edmund's voice and Kristen stood her ground and folded her arms. "You could have died, gotten yourself killed...d-do you have a death wish!"

"No."

"No what!"

"No to all of it." Kristen said calmly. "If I hadn't stayed behind, no one would have made it out the gate in time. We all knew that it wasn't going to be easy."

"My word woman!" he said exasperated as he sat down on the end of his bed and placed his face in his hands as he lent over his knees. "You don't realize," he said a tad calmer, but the edge was still in his tone. "how much my heart almost died when I realized you were not behind us."

"You should have gone."

"And leave you here!"

"Yes! I would have found a way home."

"You know maybe teaching you all of this swordplay and fighting has gone to your head Kristen. You are still small and a woman and very much in danger...do you realize that?" Edmund looked up at her and Kristen rolled her eyes and shook her head and Edmund stood up as he looked at her eyes wide and wild. "Dammit woman I love you and you are killing me here."

Kristen looked up at him her eyes as equally wide as his and Edmund closed his eyes and his mouth tugged into a sad frown. He opened them and Kristen saw how tired he was. His shoulder were slumped as he looked like everything had come crashing down in a moment.

"Kristen." he said softly. "I love you. And even if you don't feel the same way...don't do that to me again. Promise you will be a little selfish for once. Promise me that if it came down to it and you had the chance to run you'd do it."

"I'm not gonna run away anymore. I can't promise that."

"Then at least, don't go where I can't follow." Kristen watched as Edmund's eyes started to gloss over and suddenly the King before her was just a seventeen year old boy, scared, and afraid. Edmund dropped to his knees before her, tears streaming out of his eyes and she caught him the best she could as she sank to the ground with him. She held him, the shock wading through her like the tide against the hull of the ship. The fabric of Edmund's composure faded and he let out all the hurt, pain and frustration he had pent up in the last few years.

"Edmund...I won't leave you. I promise."

The next morning was a tiring one as the course was set back to Cair Paravel's port. Kristen was sitting in the King's Study with Demetri trying to teach him the basics of elvish. She was tired, and had stayed up most of the night coaxing Edmund to sleep. Finally once the Just King had drifted off, she exited the chambers and told no one to enter until the King was well rested. To occupy herself, she took Demetri aside and was now attempting to educate him.

Demetri looked up from his book and writing to see Kristen leaning back in a chair on the other side of the table, glancing out the window. His face furrowed in thought and he set his quill down and sat up straight.

"Miss Kristen...why did you take me from Calormen?"

Kristen's eyes turned to him and she smiled a bit and shrugged.

"I guess, because it was done for me."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not from here...Narnia, I mean. I come from a place very far away and the Kings and Queens took pity on me and gave me a home. However temporary this home is, it's still home. I have never felt more loved, than I do when I am with Peter, Susan, Lucy and Ed."

"Would I have that feeling, when I come to Narnia?"

"In time. We all need to feel love. And I can assure you that even though we have just met, I will do my best to love you, and take care of you."

Demetri nodded and he took a deep breath and fiddled with the quill in front of him, his thoughts agitating him a bit.

"My parents were killed by the Tisroc when I was five. I lived with my uncle for a while in a fishing port a few miles south of Tashbaan. I ran away when I was old enough, because, he was cruel and mean. I thought it'd be best to be on my own. I see now, that if I hadn't left, I would have met you Miss Kirsten. Is this what Aslan wanted?"

"You know of Aslan?"

"Sure, the great Lion from across the sea. Legends in Calmormen, but truth in Narnia. Miss Susan told me was real and that one day I might meet him."

"Someday you might."

"Have you met, Aslan?"

"No, not face to face at least. But I have seen him in my dreams, and he has guided me to where I need to be. He's helped me become a better person."

"I don't believe you could ever be less than a better person, Miss Kristen. At least, King Edmund see's that in you."

"What?"

"Well, he loves you."

Kristen looked at him shocked and Demetri smiled a bit and looked about the room before settling on looking back at his notes.

"And what gave you that impression?" Kristen lent on the table and Demetri shrugged.

"He looks at you, like how I remember my father looked at my mother. I was only five, but I remember. You kind of look like my mother. Except her hair was light brown, and her eyes were just green. She was very pretty. What does your mother look like?"

"Me. She looks like me."

"Do you miss her, wherever she is?"

"Yeah, I do. I miss my dad too." Kristen said sadly as she turned again to look out the window. "Go ahead and finish off the rest of your notes, and you can head to the galley with Corin for lunch."

"Yes, Miss Kristen." was Demetri's simple reply and the sounds of scribbling and silence filled the room once more.