A/N: Thanks for everyone who has reviewed. I'm finding it a bit hard to focus on two couples here. Who are people's favourite - Tess and Edmund or Caspian and Susan? Thanks to everyone who has followed, favourited and reviewed. It really helps!

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

One hour earlier …

As Susan made her way back to the tent where she was being held captive she was fuming. She was barely aware of her two masked, usually silent guards who were having a whispered conversation behind her. In her rage it barely registered as a buzzing in her ears.

How dare Miraz threaten to marry her against her will?

"That's it!"

She had been placed in this position before by Rabadash, she would not be placed in it again.

"We need to act now – I will wait no longer for the perfect moment."

She would have to think of some way of reaching her brothers so that they would know that she had not agreed to this marriage.

"You have to calm down!"

Perhaps if she could get near the edge of camp, she could spot a talking bird and ask it to carry a message.

"No. I have been calm long enough. Did you hear what he said, see what he did. I wonder that you of all people were able to just stand by …"

She would have to shake off her guards first … what were they whispering about? Susan looked at them and their whispering subsided. Odd she had never heard them talk before and had not even realised that one of them was a woman. One of the guards, the man she thought, started to stride purposefully towards her. Instinctively Susan backed away, her eyes darting around the tent for anything that she could use as a weapon. They landed on the candlestick by her bed. Lunging for it just as the man grasped her arm, Susan used her momentum to hit her opponent a resounding whack on the head, then chided herself for being so stupid – the man had a helmet on. Which did however make a satisfying clang when she hit it.

"Ow Susan!"

Ignoring that the voice sounded slightly familiar, Susan twisted from his grasp and ran for the door. The man however was not so stunned that he was unable to follow and launching himself on her as she ran, he knocked her to the floor. Susan struggled furiously in his grasp. She twisted herself around onto her back beneath the man, wrenching his helmet so that she could use the candlestick, which she still held, to greater effect, all the while wondering why the other soldier had not come to her comrade's aid.

Finally freeing the helmet, Susan raised the candlestick again, preparing to knock the man unconscious. Staring up at her opponent, Susan drew a deep breath as she prepared to strike. But the candle stick fell uselessly by her side as she found herself gazing up at chocolate brown eyes which were staring back at her adoringly.

"Caspian" she breathed.

Caspian brushed back an errant curl that had fallen on Susan's face during the struggle.

"Susan" he murmured. And then bringing his hand around to the back of Susan's head, he drew her closer to him and brushed a soft kiss against her lips.

Susan's head was spinning. It was Caspian. He had been with her all this time. He had been keeping her safe. He was with her, had heard that she was considering marrying his uncle, after she had been keeping Caspian at arm's length for fear she would leave. And yet he was looking at her with what could only be love in his deep brown eyes. Oh … she could drown in those eyes.

Then Susan did the only logical thing she could think of. She took a deep breath and then snaked her arms up around Caspian's broad shoulders, pulled him closer and returned his kiss passionately.

Caspian knew he should stop. Knew that they needed to leave and leave now before it was too late. Knew that lying on top of a Queen of old while kissing her this passionately was surely indecent and yet he could not bring himself to stop. Not while he could feel Susan's fingers entwined in his hair, feel her warm breath on his mouth as she kissed him. Moaning with pleasure, Caspian's lips left Susan's to explore what proved to be a particularly sensitive spot behind her ear.

"Nephew!"

Caspian started. He had forgotten that they were not alone. He looked abashedly up at his comrade who had removed her helmet showing her red hair spilling over her shoulders.

"Sorry Aunt Prunaprisma! I forgot where we were."

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Edmund was standing with his arm around Tess, before Peter in the table chamber of the How. Around them were their most trusted counsellors; Trumpkin, Cornelius, Trufflehunter, Lupa and Repicheep among others. They had all been waiting for Edmund to return with news of Miraz's response to the challenge.

"Miraz has accepted the challenge to single combat." Edmund announced.

At this, it was if a collective breath that had been held was let go. Everyone started talking at once. Edmund held up his hand for silence.

"MIraz has, however added one item to the agreement." He announced a worried frown on his face.

Peter looked at his brother's face questioningly.

"He already has our promise of surrender if he wins." He objected, "what else could he possibly want?"

Edmund braced himself. This was not going to go down well.

"Susan" he said gravely "He wants Susan's hand in marriage!"

Above the rising din of voices and growls from the animals present, Peter's voice could be heard rising above the din.

"WHAT?" he roared. "How dare this usurper? I will take him apart piece by piece before I let such a thing happen to my beloved sister!"

"Well," said a voice by the door, "that's very gratifying Pete. I love you too!"

Everyone's heads whipped toward the door, to see Susan standing there grinning with Caspian close behind her and a red headed woman in Telmarine armour in the shadows behind.

"Susan!" shouted Peter, Edmund and Tess in unison, before rushing towards her and crushing her in a relieved group hug. Tess smiled at her sister-in-law when they finally released her.

"All we need now is Lucy, and our family will all be back together again."

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But where was Lucy?

She had continued through the woods after Tess had slipped off the horse to stop the soldiers that had been pursuing them. For a while it had seemed to work. There was no sign of any soldiers and Lucy was tempted to go back for Tess. Only years of training stopped her. One did not abandon a mission to go back for others, no matter how sorely they were tempted.

And so, Lucy continued on through the forest in search of Aslan. But there was more than one band of soldiers in the forest and Lucy soon found herself pursued again. By only one Telmarine this time, a lone scout it seemed. But it only took one; one scout, one arrow, one lucky strike with the blade …

Lucy gave Destier his head and prayed that her horse was the fastest. However, Destier was tired, he had been ridden hard for hours now and the soldier was catching up. As she rode Lucy turned her head to look around for possible escape routes and in doing so noticed a tawny blur to her right, keeping pace with the horses through the trees.

"Aslan" she breathed.

Her horse however had also sighted the Lion and was not as firm a believer as his rider. Rearing suddenly, he unseated Lucy who landed unceremoniously in the track. The Telmarine scout pulled his horse to a halt in front of her, raised his sword and was about to strike when he looked behind the Queen. His expression quickly turned from triumph to fear as a huge tawny figure leapt at him.

Moments later, the Valiant Queen was enfolded in the warm embrace of Aslan.

"Now" said Aslan. "I think our friends, the Trees have slept long enough!"

And with this he lifted his head, shook his mane, and roared!