Before them, a giant hill made of stone rose from the ground. It was unlike any structure Lucy had ever laid eyes upon before. It looked daunting, as though it was trespassing to be even across the field from it. Powerful. Magical. The closer the party got, the more Narnians emerged from within. Centaurs stood at attention in a way akin to how their own armies had back during the Golden Age of Narnia, swords raised in the air in regal salute. And in the entrance, a cloaked form stood, as though waiting for them.

Edmund immediately understood what Trufflehunter had meant. Though he could not smell it, he could feel it. Magic surrounded them, old and worn. Protective. Familiar. Pale, bony hands lifted to undo the clasp of the cloak. It fell to the ground. There was no fanfare, no grand sparks of magic. Just a light breeze.

"It can't be," Susan breathed.

Pale and skeletal had, in the blink of an eye, become sun-kissed and slim. Darkness gave way, revealing golden eyes and a mischievous quirk of lips that those who knew it recognised as a smile.

Lucy was the first to shake off her shock, running to greet her old friend. Even though it was common knowledge back in their day that Adeline did not like being touched, Lucy was far beyond caring. She threw her arms around the blonde, squeezing her tight as tears sprung forth. "I can't believe it's you," she whispered reverently, crying harder when hesitant arms wrapped around her. She could not even, in her joy, be bothered when Adeline chuckled slightly and ruffled her hair. Edmund may have been the Commander's favourite, but Lucy was content with the knowledge that she was second.

When it became apparent that it was indeed their old friend and not a ghost, Susan and Peter rushed forward as well. Like their sister, they ignored the discomfort on Adeline's face in favour of embracing her. Their eyes shone with tears and joy as they pulled away. "You have no idea how good it is to see you," Peter murmured, giving her one last squeeze before he took a step back. Adeline smiled back weakly before looking past the eldest Pevensie sibling to lay eyes on his brother.

Only Edmund remained still. He was not entirely sure why. Perhaps his mind had not quite reconciled what it had been told with what his heart knew and his eyes saw. It was, without a shadow of a doubt, his best friend. Who was supposed to be dead, according to Trumpkin and the known history of Narnia. Alive. Alive. It clicked then for him. Adeline was alive.

Not wasting another second, Edmund ran to her, picking her up in a bone-crushing embrace. His face disappeared into her hair as her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. "You were dead," he whispered reverently. The warmth of her breath against his neck filled him with relief and he felt as though he could breathe for the first time since their arrival in Narnia.

"So were you," Adeline replied, voice hoarse. "We searched for years."

At that, Edmund pulled away. "What happened when we left?"

"Forgive me, but there are others who have questions, Your Majesty," Trufflehunter said, respect and devotion filling him. "Perhaps we should take this inside, where we are not quite so vulnerable?"

Adeline's expression was a mask of careful indifference as they entered the makeshift forge in the first chamber. While it was a safe place, protected by magics as old as the Commander herself and then some, it made her deeply uncomfortable. The New Narnians, they did not know. It was a story to them, one that only half of them barely believed. To Adeline, it was a reminder of deep losses and heart-wrenching pain. Her gaze shifted nervously. She could not help but wish for the comfort provided by the deep, dark forests.

"It may not be what you are used to, but it is defensible," Caspian stated, looking between the Kings of Narnia and the girl who had hidden beneath the cloak for the entirety of their acquaintanceship. He had so much he wanted to know, about Old Narnia and their disappearance and reappearance. What could they teach him to make him a better leader for his people?

"Peter, you may want to see this."

The kings and the prince followed Susan, who headed back down a tunnel almost as quickly as she had appeared from it. Peter looked around curiously, surrendering to awe when the flames of their torches lit up walls covered with carved images. The farther in they got, the more clear it became to Peter that the story depicted was theirs. Their entrance from the wardrobe, the lamppost in the Lantern Waste. The Beavers and Tumnus. The girls' trip with Aslan to the Witch's castle, the coronation once the war was over.

"What is this place?" Lucy looked at Caspian imploringly, wondering where he had taken them. The pictures on the walls were simple and beautiful, but lacking. They told the story but… without any real emotion. While there certainly was sentiment behind the making of them, they seemed empty. Perhaps because their story was not over just yet.

Caspian was surprised by the question. Aslan's How was an old structure, raised around the most important magical point in Narnia. Surely they must have had it constructed. It was not something that could or should be done without permission from the throne. "You truly don't know," he asked, frowning. "I thought…" He trailed off. Better to just show them. He was not very well versed in Narnian history, for fairly obvious reasons, but he had been told by the girl in the cloak that it was a place of great meaning to the Narnians. Caspian took a torch of his own from the wall, leading them deeper into the How.

The deeper into the darkness they delved, the more familiar it felt. Not so much their surroundings as the vague thrill of magic that settled over their skin. It vibrated softly, repressed and waiting to be tapped into by those who knew its use. Lucy could hear when they entered another chamber more than she could see it. Though it was partially lit by their torches, it only revealed parts of columns and a flagstone floor. Caspian veered off to the side, lowering the fire to set ablaze something else, allowing orange flames to reveal the chamber to them. Lucy's heart skipped a beat. In the middle of the room, surrounded by the columns and entryways that had likely been part of a temple once, lay the Stone Table. Cracked in half by the willing sacrifice that saved their brother and, for a brief period, cost their closest friend her father.

Edmund caught Susan's gaze, then Lucy's. "Adeline…" He turned to face her, to offer her some sort of comfort, only to find that she was not with them. Immediately, the siblings hurried out of the chamber to find her.

"Is something the matter," Caspian asked, following them. "I'm sorry if I have offended you."

"Believe me, we're the least of your worries," Susan replied, looking around as they entered the forge again. Adeline was nowhere to be seen. If she had disappeared off on one of her secret trips around Narnia again, without telling them… what did that mean for their chances against the Telmarines? She found Trufflehunter, who was being fitted for a breastplate. "Have you seen her?"

Trufflehunter sniffed the air. "She went in that direction," he said, pointing to a tunnel leading to a larger cavity under the ground. "The young centaurs are practising their swordplay there." He quickly shrugged off the breastplate, giving it back to the satyr to adjust, before he guided the kings and queens to the designated training space. In the beginning, they had thought it a fine idea to simply practice outside, until the stranger had told them that it was best to remain hidden. "A bit forceful, that one," he commented idly. "Seems well-versed in the arts of war, but with little respect for her superiors."

"Adeline doesn't have superiors," Lucy replied, giving a nervous giggle, "She's… well, she has always been one to follow only those who have earned her respect and loyalty."

They heard her before they saw her. Adeline's strong voice echoed in the tunnel as they turned the final corner. She was berating a young centaur, barely taller than herself. "Goodness, child, enough with the flailing about, you're going to take someone's tail off." Grasping the broadsword with both hands, holding it out in front of her as she waited for the centaur to do the same. "There you go," she praised. "Now, many of your adversaries will be quite a bit shorter than you so you must remember to protect your sides." She made a few slow lashes at him, allowing him time to learn. "Precisely so, well done!"

"Adeline," Peter said, gaining her attention. "A word if you please."

By the time questioning could commence, their group had grown quite a bit as they gathered in a sole chamber deep beneath the ground. Glenstorm had left one of his own sons in charge of the foals so he could be present, and Reepicheep was eager to hear stories of Narnia before his birth. Of course, Trufflehunter and Trumpkin were there, as was a very cautious Nikabrik, which brought their group to a total of ten people wanting answers and one person having them. Adeline was visibly uncomfortable with the scrutiny.

"Perhaps we should let those who don't know her ask the first questions," Susan suggested, ever so practical, "That way, it won't be as confusing for them." The rest of the group nodded their agreement while Adeline scowled. It was enough to make the queen wince. By Aslan, the Commander was difficult enough to get answers from when she was in a good mood.

Trufflehunter, the gentlest of the bunch, approached the wary blonde. "You needn't worry," he said kindly. "We just wish to know if you truly are the warrior from the fairytales."

"And why you abandoned us when the Telmarines attacked."

"Nikabrik!"

The dwarf grumbled under his breath. Adeline shot him a glare before turning to the badger. She liked him. He had manners that outshone even the Pevensies'. "I am Adeline of the Land Beyond the Sea, if that is your inquiry," she replied. "If I am the warrior from your tales, I cannot answer, as I'm not aware of what they tell you."

"And did were you really one of the masters to educate the Kings and Queens of Old?"

"Yes."

Trumpkin studied her intently. "Where were you in the wars against the Telmarines?" Until the moment she took off the cloak, he had truly believed that Commander Adeline was merely a story told to children that needed hope. What sort of Commander abandoned their country when it needed them? Not one he was eager to follow, that was certain. "If you are so wise in the ways of war, why didn't you defend Narnia?"

"Dare not presume, dwarf," Adeline sneered. "I was there."

Placing a hand on Trumpkin's shoulder, Caspian stepped forward. "Forgive him," he said quietly. "There are few of us who know of you at all, leaving your past a bit of a mystery to us."

"Welcome to the club," Peter snorted, quickly falling silent when Adeline directed a glare at him.

With each question and statement, the circle closed just a little tighter around the blonde, agitating her. Edmund noticed. He broke through the ring of inquisitive Narnians, shoving them away from Adeline, who sucked in a breath of relief. "You don't have to tell them anything," he said quietly, growling when the others protested. "You lot are suffocating her!"

"Then maybe we should consider that she's keeping secrets!" Nikabrik refused to trust the supposed Lion's daughter. She left too few traces of herself. For all they knew, she was an impostor, sent by the Telmarines to spy on them.

Furious with the accusations, Peter immediately jumped to Adeline's defence, supported by Lucy and Reepicheep. Trufflehunter and Glenstorm tried to mediate in the fight, though the heated discussion took a turn for the worse when Trumpkin sided with Nikabrik. Susan rubbed her temples trying to keep control of the headache that was forming.

"For fifteen years, all was good and well." The arguing ceased immediately. "When the kings and queens disappeared during the hunt for the White Stag, all of Narnia was devastated." Adeline did not feel Lucy's arm around her, did not see Peter kneeling before her. With clarity she would not wish upon anyone, she remembered. "Many of their friends searched for the rest of their lives and the others… they tried to find a new leader, which led to internal struggles."

With a hand on her knee, Peter tried to search her gaze. "Where were you?"

"I had orders to follow," she said quietly, "Before the Battle of Beruna, I was told that there would be a time when the Narnians would need shelter." Her father had been clear. Do your duty. The time has come. Protect them, guide them, and when Narnia once again falls, restore and reignite the flame burning in the hearts of those who loved their country. "I built shelters, I fought battles, I watched those I considered friends die because of bloodied wounds or age." Her hand went to her ribs. The clang of blades, caught off guard, red slipping between her fingers. "The cordial won't work anymore," she whispered. "I was weak."

Quietly, with Adeline compliant as she never had been before, Susan and Lucy pulled their friend away to preserve her modesty. They removed her leather armour, gently lifting her shirt. Both sisters baulked at the sight greeting them. A large scab stretched over Adeline's left-side ribcage, still not healed and deeply infected. How had she not healed after so many years? The pain she must have gone through, leaving her place of refuge to train soldiers and fight Telmarines. "We need to clean this," Susan stated resolutely. "There must be some way to—"

"Fire," Lucy replied. "Fire-berries, phoenixes, salamanders or just… fire." It would be excruciating, but it needed to be done. Adeline could not, Lucy would quite frankly not allow it, fight or even train with an injury of such magnitude. Not without suffering. "Fire-berries can't be found in Narnia, phoenixes take too long to find, and I don't think the salamanders are within our reach, so we must—" She stopped, feeling her stomach roll. Goodness, she was going to be sick.

"Cut it," Adeline supplied listlessly, back in the present, "renew the wound and then burn the sickness away." She pulled a knife, the blade flashing dangerously in the firelight.

Both Peter and Edmund protested loudly. The thought of purposely cutting into Adeline's skin, only to cause her immeasurable agony as they pressed hot metal against what would be the newly opened gash to cauterise the wound made them both sway unsteadily on their feet. But neither of them were quite dull enough to believe that it was worth fighting it when Adeline made up her mind. After much discussion, it was decided that Trufflehunter and Glenstorm would be the ones to do it. Had they not been rather upset and nauseated, the kings would have protested further at that.

Adeline had protested too. Not because of the process, nor because of the makeshift healers. She had personally decided that the badger and centaur would be the only ones with her as it was done. No, what had the Commander in a bind was the chosen location for the procedure. Upon Lucy's insistence, it was to be done on the Stone Table. "I've not set foot near there since my father's life was taken by the Witch."

"There is still magic there, Adeline," Lucy reiterated for the seventh time. "You'll be protected." Seeing the Commander's shoulders slump in defeat, she smiled to herself and went to help Glenstorm prepare the knife he would be using to apply the red-hot heat.

Though she desperately wanted to, Adeline could not argue. She resigned herself to the fact that it seemed impossible for everyone, herself included, to say no to the little queen. There was still time, she supposed, before she was to be tied down. She could make a run for it, return to her mountains and live quietly. It was sorely tempting.

"You should use this."

She whirled around, glaring fiercely at Edmund for sneaking up on her. "Use what?" He held something out to her that gleamed in the light of a nearby torch. An intricate, silver dagger, made from metal found only in her homeland beyond the sea. "I lost that in one of the last battles against the Telmarines," she said quietly, taking it from him. For just a moment, it warmed against her skin before cooling again. Adeline's gaze flicked up to Edmund's. "You made it a promise."

"To return it to you, in life or death."

"Thank Aslan that it was not the latter then."

He opened his mouth to say something, only to be interrupted when Glenstorm came to collect Adeline. Watching them converse quietly, Edmund could do nothing but hope that his best friend would be fine once it was all over. Or that she would back out. He did not particularly care for the odds of either.

The Pevensie siblings and Caspian, along with several other concerned Narnians, were gathered outside the tunnel leading to the Stone Table. Three minotaurs worked together to roll a large rock over the entrance to muffle sounds and prevent the Kings and Queens of Old from doing something stupid. Adeline would be given a belt to bite on, per Susan's instructions, as much to protect her teeth as to further prevent her agony from reaching other's ears.

It did not work. Susan and Lucy held hands in a white-knuckled grip. Peter flinched violently. Edmund clenched his fists so tightly he started bleeding. Adeline's screams echoed through Aslan's How.