~Caspian~

Much to my relief, the meeting Edmund had planned without anybody's knowledge was not scheduled for another week. This gave me the needed time to prepare and to alert those that had come with me. Neither had been impressed. Although, Toma's reaction had brightened it slightly. At first, he was furious that I had done so, but then he seemed to remember it was me- and proceeded to make a quip that I seem to always go where trouble lies. I had only scowled at him, but I couldn't form a decent argument back because I am someone who always seems to get themselves into trouble whether intentionally or unintentionally.

It was something I've had numerous people try to knock out of me, but neither have succeeded to date. Whether it was me finding trouble or if it was trouble finding me- no matter what, I always end up roped into one situation or another. Normally, those around me just chuckle in fondness, but here they could not do that. Neither of us had heard of Wembley beforehand, and we had taken a lot of time memorising every faction in London. Not necessarily the locations of each, but the names of them.

I shivered as I remembered the younger Kings words, when he confirmed that two of their somewhat alliances had backstabbed them and joined with the enemy. It left us in a very vulnerable state strategically. Both Barnet and Harrow were on the border, they were keys to the outside and the way we communicated back and forth. Therefore, those on the outside that were helping no longer could. Florent and Rincon will be worried sick when they realise- as will Digory. I know the elderly man considers the Pevensie's to be the children he never had, and I can see they consider him to be a second father figure.

Something needs to be done, and it needs to be done within a few days. There is no way the people in Finchley will survive unless they evacuate otherwise. But people are stubborn- there is no doubt about that. If they were faced with the thought of either dying or leaving their home for good- I'd take a guess and say roughly half would choose death. The future is extremely uncertain, but in one way or another this must end. If it doesn't then eventually it will spread outside of the city as they will no longer be able to attack. It will only put the whole country into another war which I know most do not want to happen.

This was another reason this meeting was needed, but I kept having this niggling feeling that I was missing a possible key. A key that was dangling in front of me yet just out of reach. Something about the puzzle that would open another wave strategically. I scoured the map I had in my assigned room. It took me a solid twenty minutes before I found Wembley. It was in the faction of Brent, very nearby where we were. It seemed to be a building of some sort. The location however scared me slightly- it was the faction that neighboured both Kensington and Westminster.

Why were the leaders of Croydon coming so far North? To get here they would need to go through a ring of Citizens, then cross the river, through another ring of Citizens, and finally go around the most feared faction. Why were we not meeting halfway? That would be considerably fairer to everyone. Unless there was an agreement already going on. This led to me going around to Thero's room. Out all of us who had come- there was no doubt he was the most tactful out of us. I would've asked the sibling's, but all were occupied in trainings and meetings. But whilst this is fresh in my mind, I need to get an opinion on it. He listened intentively to my ranting but paused me when he spotted a potential loophole;

"Your- Caspian, Croydon are a bordering faction, they do not need to go that way. I mean, they might- but we have no way to say this is indeed the case. But if they go about it smartly which I'd imagine they would do as a faction that is considered the leader of the entire South is not going to do something stupid- they will go around the border. They'll probably come in via Hillingdon like we did when we got in. That faction is abandoned, or at least assumed to be due to them being inactive, then there is only Ealing separating them."

I almost kicked myself at hearing this. I hadn't even considered that option. But now that I was thinking about it- it was obviously the route they were going to take. Edmund hates having innocents die and putting them into more threatening situations- so he probably mapped this out with them to help them get in safely. So, if this wasn't the thing that was making me hurt my brain trying to piece it together- what was it? It must be something in plain sight. I continued staring at the map we had between us, trying to find out what it was. Thero caught on and asked me;

"I don't know what it is, I've got this weird feeling that I'm missing something big. I've got a niggling feeling it's to do with locations, but I cannot put my finger on it."

He frowned deeply at my words before looking to the map in more detail. It was rare I had gut feelings. But when I did, they always turned out to be correct. I'm not as inquisitive as Susan, not as hopeful as Lucy, not as tactful as Edmund, and not as good a leader as Peter; but it doesn't mean I'm bad. I'd like to think I'm a little bit of them all, but it does leave numerous headaches in its wing that I'm like this. Without thinking, I grabbed a spare pen that he had on the floor and traced out all the factions in the North. Perhaps this will let me see better. What in Aslan's country is my subconscious trying to warn me of? Once I'd finished doing so (glad that the maps had capital letters separating which faction was which), it struck me. I let my finger trail along them all and the connection was made.

Finchley was surrounded from all sides. We currently have a hostage from Redbridge which we can potentially use to our advantage as they are also a bordering faction. If the questioning is played right, we have an ally we can use to contact outsiders. But there was one thing in the way- that being Walthamstow. This was a faction to the East, a faction that bordered Finchley. Either the raiders risked going through there- or there was an agreement. If there is an agreement, we can also use that to our advantage. This will open two border factions and from the parts I'd sketched out- they were relatively large factions.

I turned the map over and quickly wrote this down, ignoring the look Thero was giving me. He'd clearly figured out that I had put the pieces together that was bugging me beforehand. Once I had done this, I flipped it back around to study the map in more detail. If we do not play it right, we have enemies to the East with both of those. We have enemies to the South with Kensington, Chelsea, and Westminster. We have enemies to the North from Barnet and Harrow. This only leaves West, but there is a circle of Citizens there which is not the wisest group of people to meet.

"Shit."

There was no other word that could describe this. I could feel my heart beginning to pound hard in my chest. How had nobody put this together beforehand? This is not good, not good at all. I thought I'd dealt with bad odds at Beruna- but this was something else entirely. This only solidified that we need this alliance with Croydon even more so. It really is the only chance we have at coming out of this mess alive. The only potential saving grace other than this is if the big factions in the North go for Camden or Brent first as they were in our direct path. Finally, the seriousness of the situation hit me with full force.

"We're not walking out of this world alive, are we?"

I wish I could say the answer was 'no'. But now, I honestly do not know.

~Caspian, two days later~

Not once since coming to my damning conclusion had I thought of a single way this could turn in our favour. So much so I had kept the map in my room, adding bits to my notes as I went. I never was someone who was able to draw out perfect battle plans- always relying on others to help me out in that realm. Right now, as I continued in writing little details down, I realised just how much I have learned in the last five years. Without meaning to, I had picked up little bits and pieces that now that I was putting my mind to it, was putting together a plan. Of course, I'll need to run it past Finchley's leaders.

I was doing so in secret too apart from Thero as I was with him when the penny dropped in my brain. Currently, Finchley is simply surviving. But this is not sustainable anymore. In order to keep surviving in a warzone is to be a couple of steps ahead of everyone else. It was a tactic the Pevensie's had told me, one they used to garner the Golden Age. At times I wish I could've seen them when Narnia was under their rule- but this cannot happen as it was 1,300 years prior to me even being born. But with two potential alliances falling through in such a way… we were now multiple steps behind.

And it is no secret that it is those in weaker positions that are taken out first.

I caught Peter eye me oddly from the side of the room. Since I had excelled more under his training style compared to his sisters, I had requested to be switched. Susan had simply rolled her eyes in annoyance when I done so, but I need to get better quickly. In the last two days I had finally managed to master hitting the bullseye consecutively with a bullet on the chest (even with the moving targets), and I was successfully hitting at least the inner ring that surrounded the bullseye where a head would be. It was an area that could kill, but it was not a guaranteed kill. The eldest clearly spotted I was not in the correct mindset and I knew he was going to corner me afterwards if his schedule permitted him doing so.

"What's bothering you, Caspian? Is it nerves over going to Wembley to meet with the leaders of Croydon or something else?"

I knew it. As soon as everyone else had filed out and the door had been closed, the words fell from his lips immediately. I shuffled awkwardly before asking if he had spare time as I would need to show him what I'd found. He confirmed he was indeed finished for the day and followed me with a stern glare. I couldn't deny the look being directed at me made me feel like a ten-year-old being yelled at by their parents.

"I spotted it a couple of days ago, but I didn't say anything as I was trying to find a way around it."

I handed him the map which he looked at inquisitively. He proceeded to spread it on the floor and sitting down beside me on the mattress. He took a quick glance at the notes I'd made and within seconds his face went completely sheet white.

"This must be why Edmund went out of his way to arrange this meeting. He's trying to find ways around it."

All I could do was nod. I knew it was rare that the Just King spoke about why he took the actions he did, this being one of them. He played it off that it was his plan all along. Perhaps it was, but not to the extent he had done so. When he did explain he said his goal was to find out if Croydon were the main leader in the South- but nothing else. Which meant he thought up the meeting after he had heard the news of Harrow and Barnet.

"You missed something, though."

I frowned and eyed him with a curious expression. What had I missed that the High King spotted in a matter of minutes? He doodled a little on the map and when I did notice, I mentally kicked myself.

"Enfield are in an alliance with Redbridge, Caspian. And since Walthamstow is in between them, there is an agreement to not attack one another. This means- "

He cut off and eyed me, clearly wanting me to finish off the sentence;

"It means we have an upper hand in it after all. We have a hostage from Redbridge. Play it correctly, and we broker three alliances. All before the meeting with Croydon's leaders."

He smiled proudly at me at these words. When we first met, I was incredibly naïve and didn't understand war tactics that well. By me putting all this together on my own, he knew I had learned. I was far from perfect as that one simple flaw in my assessment showed, but it was an awful lot more than it had been previously.

"I'll go and round up my siblings, and then we will run it by Finchley's leaders. I doubt they will say no to it as there's no denying it is a very good strategy, but for protocol we need to do so. And I want you to be there when Edmund and Lucy do the questioning. I believe you would benefit in picking up a few pointers."

With that, he left the room in search of I'm assuming the leaders or his siblings. A part of me felt awkward that he had not pieced it together- but then I remembered he has not needed to do anything like this for years. He was clearly rusty. But as soon as I had dangled the key in front of him, something in his demeanour switched. One second I was looking at a twenty-two-year-old man, the next second I was looking at a thirty-seven-year-old High King. It's rare that they show their past lives, and it always made me smile when they did so. It's obvious they've learned to separate themselves from their Narnian titles, but as Aslan would say it- once a King or Queen in Narnia, always a King or Queen.

No, neither of them was actively ruling anymore and have not been doing so for many years. But looking close enough to their mannerisms and it is not difficult to picture them with elaborate crowns on their heads and wearing the best clothing on the market. It does suck at times that their crowns were never found. Everything else had been, but four circlets never were. We knew what they looked like though and to preserve their memory replicas were made- but replicas are not the real thing no matter how convincing.

I snapped out of my thoughts and made my way towards where Liam was stationed to see if I could take anything else to add into my schedule. I probably have a good couple of hours to myself as it will take time for Peter to run this past their leaders, and then they will need to get the hostage and make sure whoever is doing the questioning has free time. Much to my annoyance, there was nothing I could take. So, I asked if the training rooms were occupied. When he confirmed number three was not, I made my way there to get in some extra practise.

A good hour had passed before I finally left the room. There was no doubt that I was getting better with shooting and throwing- but I was still far from perfect. Then again, is there even such a thing as perfection? Ultimately there is always something to improve on. Without thinking much on it, I found myself heading towards the central room. I'd only been in there a couple of times, but there seemed to be a pull. Once I turned the corner to face it, I noticed there was a bit of a scuffle. I looked closer to it and without even thinking reached for my hip- then remembered I didn't have a sword here. There only were three swords in the faction- all Edmund had stolen on his way down to Croydon.

I remembered a few days ago, watching the ancient Kings spar again. It was obvious they were very out of practise, but after around ten minutes they seemed to remember their own specific tactics. Edmund being fast and light, then Peter being slower but more powerful. I snapped out of my reverie as I eyed who was involved in the scuffle. I spotted Lucy easily who appeared to be holding a rope, and someone I had only glanced at for a matter of moments almost three weeks prior. The hostage. They were going to do the questioning. With a small cry, the hostage fell to the ground and I noticed now Lucy was not holding a rope but instead tying one. It was knots I had not seen before, but even I could tell they were used to keep a person completely still. I made a mental note to ask her how she did so as that would be useful back home.

"Make sure he is seated, and his bonds stay taught. I'll go find Darren to take notes and I'll start the questioning."

With those simple words, the youngest Queen flounced off in search of the person in question. But then her final words came into consideration, and my eyes momentarily widened in alarm. Lucy? Doing the questioning? She's much too joyful to be serious! Then I remembered we were in a warzone, and in warzones everyone automatically becomes serious. I would've expected Edmund to do the questioning, and I jumped when I heard him speak from behind me;

"Lucy is the best bet to do so. Here, women are mostly seen as property to a man, so chances are he will likely talk down on her. Therefore, she can play it to her advantage by seeming like an inquisitive little girl wanting to know information. But her training in both Narnia for trade deals etcetera and with her gaining respect and authority here- she'll know how to spin it in our favour. I'm known for how careful and borderline smartass I can be with my choice of words, but I don't have the advantage of underdog that Lucy does. You've seen yourself just how persuasive and snarky she can be."

I'd experienced anger a lot in my short eighteen years of life, but this was never in conjunction with humiliation. Neither me nor Peter were speaking (or even looking at one another) as we heard the death toll. Our numbers were already very low, but this made them worse. My face was burning red in embarrassment and in failure. Telmarine culture laughed down on people who had failed, and in my head, I could hear the sharp crack that came with a whip when this happened. It had only happened twice- but it had a psychological effect on me. And as much as I hated to admit to it- I was just as much at fault as Peter was.

The plan was incredibly risky to begin with, but it was a plan. It had been mapped out to absolute perfection and if we had stuck to it down to the dirtiest part, there was no doubt it would've been successful. Peter, Edmund, and Glenstorm had mapped it out after all. Two Kings, both of whom were literal legends and had mapped out battles that had all been victorious and remembered more than a thousand years later. And centaurs were some of the most loyal and observant creatures to exist. It was going just as planned until I diverted and went in search of Cornelius. Then I was told the truth of my father's death and in a moment's stupidity (perhaps vengeance), went after Miraz himself at the same moment Susan and Peter were questioning him. This then caused Peter to panic as the gatehouse was not opened on time which knocked off the schedule and a new plan had to be formulated instantly that we had no time to alert anyone of- causing the raid to fail.

I had caused it, and as Peter was leading it- he was getting the blame for it. Hence, he was furious at me and disgusted he was being held accountable for something out of his control.

"What happened?"

Those two words that came out of the youngest Queen's mouth was laced with nothing but curiosity and worry. I glanced to her for a second before looking to the ground at the stern glare she was directing my way. Her tone of voice did not match the expression she was wearing. It becoming clear she was holding in anger as she knew hostility within an army only makes matters worse. I tried my best to ignore the sharp comment the slightly younger King made in response to his little sister, but I couldn't stop myself in time before I retorted back. This was broken by Susan muttering just under her breath but loud enough that we could all hear that this was a conversation that needed to happen in solitude. Grudgingly I followed the monarchs into a secluded room, and in a second sweet little innocent Lucy turned to look at us with utmost fury.

"I don't know what happened, but that little spat out there was not ok! I can see it went wrong, but we will not get to the bottom of it and think of a new plan in time before the Telmarine's get here. Now, you will sit down and explain what in the blazes happened."

For a moment, I didn't see a thirteen-year-old. In fact, I can quite honestly say this is the first time I have had someone so young put people in their place. Peter opened his mouth to say something but with a furious look from Susan, he decided to remain quiet. Over the next five minutes, both Susan and Edmund recounted everything that happened to Lucy. I watched as her mouth twitched and I jumped a little when she shot me another look. She doesn't seem like someone who can do such a thing, seems like the picture-perfect of absolute innocence. However, it was now clear she was not. Queen Lucy the Valiant. Once the pair had finished, she raised her fingers to her temples and massaged them hard, trying to think of a response.

"Caspian, why did you divert from the plan?"

Four pairs of eyes were now trained on me which already made me feel incredibly small, but the fact it was Kings and Queens only made me feel smaller.

"I couldn't leave him. Once I heard in passing that he was still alive, I knew he would be tortured if he were left and I was not going to have that on my conscience. They would've used him to get more information out regarding me. Then when I got there after a quick arrangement was set up so I would have time to get him- he told me I had to get out as Miraz would kill me like he did my father. I wasn't thinking at all and I went after my uncle, forgetting I was meant to be at the gate house to let our troops out safely. I should not have done it, at all. And I can assure you your Majesties I regret it massively."

Silence followed soon after. The eldest was still seething whereas Susan and Edmund appeared to be remaining neutral in it all.

"There's no denying you screwed up massively, Caspian. But you are not entirely at fault."

I frowned at this before she eyed her eldest brother with a look almost full of hatred.

"You knew I had a bad feeling about this, and you ignored it. I know you're impatient and you want this to be over with as soon as possible- heck! We all do! But doing so with little to no preparation- with half the army!"

I expected a response from the High King, I did not expect his head to drop down in absolute shame. Something tells me this is not the first time he's been chewed out by his youngest sister. And from the stalwart expressions of the other two confirmed they were probably used to these outbursts.

"Whether you like it or not- even if I must force it, you will listen to me Peter Alexander Pevensie. So, open your ears and do not speak down on me. I might be thirteen in physical age, but I can assure you I am very much still twenty-eight. We need allies, we need more troops, we need more help. Edmund has already sent a letter to whoever is ruling in Archenland right now as we have found out they are still Narnia's ally. They might not receive it in time but at least it is something. They might not respond, but if they do, we are stronger. We need to go around every ounce of forest, cave, and rivers to look for other Narnian's to join in. And you know damn well what I mean by we need more help."

"Lu, no one has seen or heard from him since- "

"She's right Peter. You've lost some of your faith, but Lucy has not. And I will stand by her until I die because I will not have it on my conscience a memory of what happened last time that I discredited Lucy."

With that, Edmund stormed out the room. All I could do was bite my lip as I realised what he was talking about. It could only be about his capture by the White Witch. It was obviously a sore topic for them all and Susan left the room- presumably in search for her little brother.

"Caspian, what ways are traditional for Telmarine's to stall battle? If what Trumpkin heard whilst spying is correct, they will be here tomorrow afternoon. We need as much time as possible, and we need a diversion that will allow me to get through the army in search of Aslan"

Peter opened his mouth to say something, but she simply shot him a glare again which immediately caused him to back down. It being clearly obvious she was not taking no for an answer and this was not a request. This was an 'I will be doing this whether you like it or not' types of things.

"There's the obvious ones of course such as one-on-one talks to try and strike a truce, then there is hiding and stalling the battle as a result. But honestly, the best bet is combat. We have a tradition that someone of a high rank cannot refuse a challenge to a duel or shooting contest in front of other people of high rank. Miraz will be there, as will his most respected lords and generals. If played correctly, you can get him to agree."

Silence shrouded the room at my words, not quite understanding where she was going with this. But when I looked to Peter- I knew immediately. I sighed heavily as she asked how much time this would buy. I had to think on it for a few seconds before I responded with a straight couple of hours. This seemed to be enough for her as she left the room. Leaving a further humiliated High King and me very confused.

A sharp snapping noise broke me from my memories. I turned around expecting to see Edmund, but I was left genuinely surprised at seeing the eldest Queen who began laughing merrily in victory at scaring me. I looked around me and paused in alarm at seeing everyone who was high up in the faction situated in a large circle surrounding Lucy and the unnamed hostage. Someone was sitting down with a notepad and I realised this must be Darren and he was taking notes. This was not a treaty; this was an interrogation. But the Pevensie's know how to play into both, therefore they will all know how to spin it to be the opposite.

Step one- tell it as is. Step two- tell what the goal is. Step three- allow those being interrogating to speak. Step four- play into their hands. Step five- pretend you've forgotten how to approach. Step six- slowly weave back into conversation what you're here to do. And Lastly- set the trap. These were words that were drummed into me from a very young age. Whether they will stick to a similar strategy I will soon find out.

"Who ordered the raid on us? Because clearly, they are dumb to do so. Two raids just over three weeks apart?"

The man tied down to the chair was furious- that much was obvious. But he kept his mouth shut. He's going to be a touch nut to crack. But Lucy is incredibly patient, so she'll sit and spin words all day if she must. She went in with a goal, and she was not leaving without achieving said goal.

"Are your leaders suicidal? Because if they are ordering these raids, they clearly do not have a single diplomatic bone in their body. Anyone who had at least a basic knowledge on political strategy would find this absurd. Which, I do, I honestly find it completely idiotic they are risking their faction's population in doing so."

These words confirmed she was not using the same approach that I was brought up learning. But it didn't take me long to figure out the route she was going. She was deliberately talking down on him, on their leaders, on their faction. She was deliberately speaking like she was a teacher correcting a toddler. She was deliberately using a tone that insinuated idiocy. She was riling him up, making him look like nothing but an idiot. And people don't like to be made out to be fools. I allowed my eyes to widen a little, but I stopped a second later- not wanting to draw attention to myself.

"What would a little girl know about politics and war tactics?"

"More than you clearly. Considering you're the one tied to a chair with a knot I put in place."

His face got even redder as now she was insinuating that he was lower than a teenage girl. It was very difficult not to smirk in amusement. I think it was because I knew the underlying reason that she was doing this and why she had been chosen to do so.

"Either way you look like a fool, so you may as well try to save face. Go to Redbridge and you'll be laughed off or singled out like you are here for questioning. Try and justify whoever is ordering so many dumb moves and you'll look like a moron. So, take your pick. Refuse to cooperate and be called every variation of idiot one can think of or cooperate and help us put an end to this damn madness. It's your decision, make it."

She shrugged her shoulders at this, and I had to fight myself to not drop my jaw in amazement. With a few careful words she had made him be in a position where either way he will always be looked down on and cast to the side. I wonder if this was the same tactic Edmund had used when he convinced my uncle to the duel. It wouldn't surprise me. And if he did, I now knew why Miraz could not disagree to it. The man thought for a few minutes about the ultimatum faced his way. Defend his honour and betray his people or lose his honour and defend his people. Either one was bad, there was no denying that. But in certain cases, one is better- this being one of those cases.

"Our leaders told us to do it. They typically have us go in a cycle of factions to raid. Some have figured it out, but they refuse to change it, therefore we are losing a lot of people. This is making them increase their volume of raids. If the same plan is being stuck to, Redbridge will likely raid again within the week, but I cannot give an exact date."

"That means you guys have a large storage of supplies."

The man sighed heavily before nodding towards the seventeen-year-old. Darren was scribbling away furiously onto the notepad as the young Queen thought of her next step.

"I'll make you aware of something my brother overheard on a raid recently which got confirmed recently. Harrow and Barnet have signed an official alliance with Kensington. Last I checked you guys and Walthamstow have a shaky alliance where the main term is to not attack or raid one another. What factions do you border as well?"

He stopped at this and eyed her incredulously- clearly not believing the words that had come out of her mouth. She had already riled him up, made him look stupid, and had now spun it in a way he has to give her information. Very clever strategy. One that is clearly successful, and she has probably used it a few times- possibly hundreds of times in the past.

"You're joking."

"Afraid not. It stabbed us in the back because we had a similar alliance with them like you do with Walthamstow. I'm not saying history will repeat itself here, but the possibility is there. For survival, we need to team up and stop fighting one another. It's the only way anyone in the city is making it out of this mess alive."

I eyed her now in surprise that she had let slip to their previous agreement with the bordering factions. Why did she tell him that? There was clearly a motive behind it, and somehow, I don't think it was solely down to negotiation reasons.

"How do I know you're being serious?"

"You can't. You've just got to think outside the box and decide yourself. I have not proven myself to you nor have you proven yourself to me. We don't trust one another- but trust and belief are two different things. But think about it politically- why would I lie to you about something like this?"

And she had set the trap. Although in a very different way to how I would've done so. With a few simple words she had completely twisted everything on its axis so that he was forced to think outside of his own faction's safety. She had just told him (if you read in between the lines), she does not want to fight with them. She wants them to band together and fight as one.

"We have a population that is now around five hundred. Last I heard Redbridge has a population of around three thousand, and Walthamstow a similar amount. You can easily wipe us out, yet you haven't. I think deep down those who are ordering the raids want this to come to an end as well- but aren't going about it in a smart way. I've no need to lie."

I had to bite the insides of my cheeks, because she had done just that. She had downplayed the population of Finchley. Always remain a step ahead. By her doing so, if the people ordering the raids in Redbridge come to us to annihilate us- they will not send many people. Therefore, the odds will turn in our favour. It's not guaranteed to win, but it was a lot better than nothing.

"And what if we were to annihilate you? If we weren't, what can you help us with?"

Now, it was difficult to not let my eyes bug out of their sockets. He'd fallen for the bait. It will take a serious screw up for this to not work now. I glanced around the room and I let a tiny snort leave upon seeing the proud smirks on her siblings and parents faces. They've likely not seen her do this in a long time, it's probably a very welcome sight to see deep down she is still in there. Narnia is very much still a massive part of her.

"Fighting wise, for one. We've always been a relatively small faction, never been more than two thousand since this all started. Some people have escaped, I'll be honest. But we are proud people, we will not leave our home unless we have no other choice. We don't care about segregation between males and females. A small demonstration."

She reached to her hip, removed a knife, and asked him to pick a target, just not a person. Her eyed her incredulously, not expecting this tiny thing was serious. Therefore, he picked one of the furthest away targets he could. For those of us who had seen Lucy throw, we knew it was easy for her- but he didn't. Now, I was heavily impressed. She was now making him feel like an idiot again whilst also remaining a peg ahead. She knows how to play at interrogating, very well at that. A mere two seconds passed before she flicked her wrist and one of her beloved knives was imbedded in the centre of the target. I couldn't hold in the massive smile at the mans face. Even he knew from that she was an expert. Lucy got down on her knees and leaned in towards him;

"Would you rather keep following the same regimen when it has been proven numerous times to be futile, or would you rather conjoin as one. We have fighting prowess, and we have much better political knowledge and how to play everything in our favour. If we didn't, we would've been like Hillingdon long ago. You have a lot of supplies from constant raids. If we band together, we have a much better chance of survival than we would if we were remaining to ourselves. You have the freedom to deny the request. But if you do, I'll just let you know we are on the verge of a breakthrough in signing an alliance with a faction in the South. And as I'm sure you know; the South have an official alliance with everyone there."

She stood up again, and I analysed her words a little more. Once again, she had downplayed it by not saying exactly what faction it was. If she told him it was Croydon, there was no way he would agree to this. He thought carefully into it, clearly still unnerved by the young girl's knife throwing skills. He was eyeing the other knives she had strapped to her hip with trepidation. He now knew she was incredibly dangerous and that she could easily kill him if she felt like it. By her holding back, she was showing him she did not want to do so at all. Silence shrouded us for what seemed like hours before he sighed dejectedly and nodded lightly. He had agreed. It wasn't going to sign an alliance, but it meant we now had another step towards coming out of this alive. She nodded to a few people behind him who immediately untied her knots and proceeded to tie a rope loosely around his wrists, so he had freedom to move.

"When can we expect to set up a meeting? Can we do so this week?"

"Possibly, but I cannot confirm. You'll need to hand me over to them so I can help convince."

She simply nodded before signalling those who had tied the ropes to take him somewhere. Slowly, everyone who were watching the exchange filed out of the room until it was only myself, Mikian, Thero, Glenstorm, her siblings, and their parents left. The latter pair looking to their daughter oddly, probably wondering where she learned how to do that. I don't know if their parents know anything of Narnia, but if they don't then their expressions make a lot of sense. Edmund simply scuffled her hair which caused her to elbow him hard in the gut- along with an angry retort from their mother. This was when we all gave up on holding in laughter. She stated she had to go to a meeting with Mikian, but she needed to talk to me for a moment in solitude. I eyed my friend oddly, knowing he had grown fond of the young Queen, but then I remembered she also was one of the head designers. Once it was just us, she came up to me and whispered a few choice words into my ear. Words only I could hear.

"Let me give you some advice when it comes to becoming a good negotiator when settling alliances or setting traps, Caspian. Laying everything out on the table makes you weaker. This is because if there were to be a breach which would sever the alliance, you're open for the taking. Whereas- like I just did- giving minute detail out. Just enough. This means there is always an element of surprise. Say rhetorically something did sever it, there is still an upper hand no matter what you do. Always stay a step ahead, even if there is peace."

With that, she began skipping to where she needed to be, leaving me completely stunned into silence.