AN: Hello all, I know I've been away a while and I'm really sorry, I'll honestly try to never leave it this long again, if anyone still cares about this story, It's now back :)

Disclaimer: Me no owney

In which a different type of centaur arrives.

Leo and Edmund were waiting about an hour before they heard the sound of the wolves leaving the area, and battle occurring a little way away. The wolves had been forced away from the base of the tree by the dryad, and a few of her friends. After the wolves had realised that Edmund and Leo knew they were there, they decided to try to knock down the tree by a combination of bites and shoves.

The dryad of the tree didn't much like that.

Neither did her friends.

So the wolves were forced back about twenty metres by the trees swinging branches and the dryads anger. Leo had never seen dryads fight like that before; in fact he had been of the opinion they weren't the fighting sort. Then again, hell hath no fury... he made a note to never offend Juniper.

The sounds of the battle didn't last too long, and then the wolves were fleeing back past the two in the tree (the sparrow had left when the dryads attacked the wolves, the swaying branches making him take to the skies). The wolves were chased by a number of satyrs and talking animals, then a centaur stopped in front of the tree.

Now Leo had met Chiron, and also had heard tales of the party ponies from the Hermes cabin, who seemed to hold them as some sort of heroes. Leo would imagine that this centaur would get along much better with Chiron than the party ponies, which was a shame really as Leo was pretty sure he himself would get on better with the party ponies, but either way the centaur was there to help them, so he'd keep all the comments about lighting up to himself.

"Son of Adam, come down, I am to escort you to Aslan."

Edmund looked at Leo aghast, and Leo couldn't help but agree with his unspoken thought. The centaur sounded like he was more lightly to send Edmund back to the witch than help him. Then again if the centaur had already met Edmunds siblings then he might have a reason to dislike Ed. If the only way this country could be free was to have four human royals, they would be annoyed that one had abandoned them.

Leo saw the moment Ed realised this, and gave him a grin. He lent in and whispered. "I'll go down first if you want."

Edmund shook his head and straightened his back, which made him look noble, well as noble as a tired, muddy 12 year old could; at least until he hit his head against the branch above, Leo tried not to laugh, but he wasn't a saint dammit.

Edmund slid down the tree quite quickly to the sound of Leo guffawing. Leo was still laughing when he started climbing down too. Quick note, it's not a good idea to climb down a tree while laughing, as laughing has the unpleasant side effect of making your limbs quite week, and can result in the slow climb becoming a rather swift fall. That made Leo stop laughing. In fact it turned his laughs into groans.

"Owwww, no fair, I never did anything to you miss Dryad, why did you let me fall?"

The dryad didn't deign to give him an answer, though given how the answer would probably be, 'you considered starting a fire while sat in my tree' that was probably fair enough. When Leo looked up and stopped moaning, the centaur had unsheathed a massive sword, like three times the length of riptide. That was a massive sword, Well, he was part horse Leo supposed, but still, he did not want a sword that long pointed at his face. Well, he didn't want any swords pointed at his face really.

Leo scrambled to his feet as Edmund started to protest. "Wait, Leo's not done anything, he helped me escape from the Witch's dungeon, please, don't hurt him."

"He could be a spy for the witch."

Leo agreed with the not hurting thing, but the fact that the centaur thought he was a spy was rather demeaning. "Ok, cool, first would you mind putting the sword away, I'm not gonna attack anyone. I'm not a spy. I don't make it a habit to work for people who turn my friends to stone, or knock me out, or lock me in a cell made of ice. Anyway the point is, I need to see Aslan, because for some reason I'm in Narnia, I shouldn't be and my friends are in danger so I need to get back. Aslan might be able to get me home, so I'm coming with you. And there's nothing you can do 'bout it."

The centaur seemed of the opinion that there was indeed something he could do about it, but one of the satyrs came up behind him and spoke lowly. Whispered in his ear wouldn't be the correct phrase as he was about two feet below the centaurs' ear, but it was still too quiet fro Leo to hear. The centaur frowned, and put away the sword.

Leo walked over to Edmund, swung his arm over his shoulder and grinned. The centaur, who Leo would really like the name of (centaur was getting repetitive) called over another, and gestured the two boys over. Son of Adam, you will ride with me. The other boy will ride with my son.

Both boys mounted with varying degrees of success, Leo managed to get on pretty swiftly after finding a larger rock nearby he could climb on from. Edmund... To be honest if the centaur, whom Leo had learned from his ride, was called Oreius, hadn't already disliked Edmund, he defiantly would have by this point.

As the centaurs began to trot together Leo struck up a conversation with Edmund. "You ok?"

"Not really. But, I made a stupid mistake because of my own pride and jealousy, and while I know I can't be forgiven, I have to apologise. Aslan will probably... I don't know but it won't be pleasant, he's going to have to find a second king. It won't be me, I'm not good enough."

"This again. Yep you did a stupid thing. But..." Leo sighed. "... You think all these people would follow Aslan if he wasn't good? He won't kill ya."

"He might stop me from seeing my siblings."

"Do you not feel something when his name is said? A name that makes you feel like that couldn't be cruel."

"Leo, the name feels odd. When I first heard it, at the house of the beavers, it sounded like the worst thing in the world to me..." Leo could see that Oreius had tensed up at that, and looked ready to buck Edmund off. Both centaurs had started walking now, and stiffer. Fortunately for Edmund he had continued talking before he could be smashed into a tree.

"...Now, it sounds like... You know when you smash a window with a ball you know you shouldn't have been playing with inside and you hear your dad coming. It's like that. Like the person who owns the name will punish me, but, still loves me. That can't be true; no one can love someone they've never even met."

"Leo? What does he sound like to you?"

Leo noticed that the centaurs had both become more relaxed. Maybe they had realised that Edmund had truly changed. He was no longer the same boy who would sell out his family.

"I, I don't know. It feels like... too good to be true. Like a king, and a father. Well that's not too unusual. My best friend's father is a king. But a good king, who is also a good father, and yet still a friend. I don't understand it. It feels like Love, but it also feels like there is a wall between me and it. Like I'm standing outside a house and seeing the light in it; but I can't get in. But it's obvious why I can't, I'm not a Narnian. And Aslan is. He's too good, to ever... want me... that Love, isn't for me."

Leo didn't realise until he said it, how broken that made him feel. He had been loved by his mom, after she died; there was no one that loved him like that. Aslan, without even meeting him had made Leo long for that again, but he couldn't have it. The house wouldn't let him in, and even if it could, he had to go back to the Argo 2 anyway. It was better not to try to gain it. He would only lose it.

The centaurs hadn't said anything the whole conversation, and there was quiet for about twenty minutes before Oreius spoke.

"We have arrived."