I don't own Narnia or the Pevensies. I just finally, finally reunited them.

Author's Note: Forty thousand words. It's a miracle. Thanks again to my wonderful reviewers, you make me feel wanted and loved and want to update more often. And I'm sorry I haven't been quite at the breakneck pace of before, I've had a lot of schoolwork. I sacrificed my math grade for you, though, so...yes.

I have a fanart! It's -cough- lovely. It's of the scene in chapter eighteen where Susan is first stabbed, and Peter tells Ed and Lucy to run. You can look at it at http/i32 .photobucket. com/ albums/ d47/ Capegio/ Typo.jpg minus the spaces. And now, if you've clicked that, I'm sure you'll notice that I'm being made fun of, which is fine with me. Baaad typo, and I'd been warned about it - look closely at the original sentence: "The moment was shattered when the butt of the spear-wielding man who had initiated the battle rammed into Peter's stomach..." Le sigh. I really did mean the spearbutt, folks. Thank you to Narnian Walrus and her friend Sheep for mercilessly making fun of me. ;.; I fixed it, all right!


Lucy felt her throat tighten as she fell to her knees next to her sister. She looked so inexplicably peaceful that for one heart-stopping moment, Lucy had thought she was dead. But her chest rose and fell ever so slightly, testifying that despite her pallid face and otherwise still form, she was still living. Swallowing hard, Lucy swiftly drew her cordial from its pouch and fumbled with the top, finally unscrewing it and placing a hand beneath Susan's head to lift it; when the single drop of rosy liquid slid past her chapped lips, a shudder ran through her body. Peter and Edmund hovered anxiously. A long, nauseating moment passed. At last Susan frowned, eyes still closed, one hand creeping to feel the place on her leg where she'd been stabbed.

"Don't be stupid, Peter," she muttered drowsily, apparently unaware of her surroundings. "I'll be just fine. Go find Ed and Lu."

He knelt by her side. To say he looked relieved would be a gross understatement, thought Lucy as he pulled Susan's hand into both of his, a sputtering laugh escaping his lips.

"I did, Su," he said earnestly. Her eyes fluttered open, brow still creased in confusion. Lucy and Peter helped her to sit up and she blinked several times, unaccustomed to the light, finally focusing on Edmund, who was still standing and looking down on her with a grin.

"Ed?" she asked bewilderedly. He flopped down by her feet, holding his sword out of the way as he did so.

"'Lo, Susan," he said. She looked down at her left hand, still enveloped in both of Peter's, then followed it to his face. He looked ready to cry. A small, bemused smile crept over her face as brought her other hand across her body to pat his reassuringly.

"There, there," she said almost mockingly, fixing him with a look. He bowed his head, chuckling weakly, and she turned her head around to gaze back at her sister. Susan's eyes twinkled. "Thought so."

Lucy wasted no time but set her cordial down and threw her arms around her sister's neck, smiling brightly. She felt Susan pull her hand from Peter's and hug her back. When at last they withdrew their arms from each other, they shared a warm smile and turned to their brothers.

"Leg healed?" asked Ed. Susan pressed her hand firmly to the formerly wounded area, did not flinch, and nodded. She made an attempt to get up, the others rising with her, but let out a cry of surprise and fell forwards into Peter's waiting arms. Edmund stepped forward to help. After a moment Susan stood on her own, another frown on her face, testing her own strength by taking practice steps in a small circle.

"Bother," she muttered. "I suppose it comes of having all the muscles torn through and repaired all within the span of a few days. Rather embarrassing, though."

Her siblings laughed. When she seemed steady enough that there was no risk of falling, Peter turned to the dryads who remained standing at ease, watching them.

"Thank you," he said gratefully. What seemed to be the oldest of them sank into a deep bow, green eyes glittering behind the laugh-lines of her wrinkled face. She straightened out, and stood in such a way that made Lucy sure that no matter what titles said, she was far more regal than any of them.

"We will send for your escort," she said in a voice that was airy and powerful all at once. Peter nodded and turned back to his siblings. After a moment, Susan looked at them all impatiently, tapped her foot and said,

"Well? Aren't you going to tell me what I've missed?"

"It's only been the usual," said Edmund with the hint of a joke in his tone. "Peter's been trying to get himself killed and Lucy's been saving the day."

"And you?" asked Susan, playing along.

"Trading my family for candy." There was a moment of silence before his face split into a grin and he rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. "Only joking."

Susan laughed and pulled a rather startled Edmund into a fond hug. He relaxed into it shortly; Lucy noticed with some surprise that he was as tall as Susan now, perhaps even a bit taller. When the two pulled back, she shared a glance with Peter.

"So really," said Susan, "what do we know now? Where do we go next?"

"We haven't exactly learned much that you don't know," said Peter.

"But we have," said a silvery voice, and the four siblings turned to see the dryad who had spoken before. She was the only one remaining now, as the rest had presumably gone to retrieve Carrul and the others. She motioned for them to sit on the grass and they did so. Once they were comfortable, she took a seat with her legs folded beneath her, her back perfectly straight and withered hands upon her knees.

"My Kings and Queens," she said, "we have pieced together many stories from many sources and discovered many things that may aid you in your quest. Firstly, you already know of the presence of many humans in this region; their arrival and their behavior can be traced back to an enemy who you may or may not have heard of."

"Zale?" asked Edmund, and the dryad nodded.

"A nymph, I am sure. The creatures I have spoken to say she is the appointed guardian of Castle Lake."

"We've heard her addressed that way," put in Lucy, remembering the conversation just before their earlier battle.

"Then that is certain," said the dryad. " Castle Lake is not a place I am familiar with. However, it is rumored that it is the name given to the lake that formed when the Winter Queen's palace deteriorated. The thawed rivers pooled in the area, which used to be a lake long ago, and when all the ice had melted it created quite a large body of water. The power of nymphs, as with dryads, is determined by the power of the tree or body of water we guard. Because this lake is so substantial, it is safe to assume that any enemy connected in spirit to it must be quite powerful.

"It is my suspicion that there is something of the Witch's bad magic left in the ruins of her castle. Magic has this sort of property; it lingers longer than it ought to, which is why most magical creatures are so reluctant to use it. However, if something within this lake has been tainted, it may be that the lake itself has been polluted. I choose to believe this because it explains several other things as well: the sick forest could be attributed to polluted waters feeding into it. Additionally, the presence of some deeper, darker magic could enhance the powers of a nymph whose realm encompasses it, and may cause him or her to make rash decisions under its influence. It may have become possible for Zale to harness the power of this magic and use it to her advantage. Why she would use it to bring other humans into this world is still beyond me."

"Some have come into her service as mercenaries," said Peter. "Maybe she lured them here to gather an army. They were under orders to arrest us, we know."

"Perhaps. You have heard that the former members of the Witch's army are amassing near here as well, and I can tell you that these are true. I myself have seen many pass through this forest, traveling west. If what you suggest is accurate, my Lord, then it could be that the old army was not large enough and she was forced to look for other means. The settlers are still left unexplained, however."

"It's inevitable that there would be others to find their way in."

"True," the dryad conceded.

"Then what are we to do?" asked Susan. She shifted uncomfortably, and Lucy noticed that her hand kept creeping back to the place where she'd been wounded. Edmund had done the same thing when she healed him at the Battle of Beruna. It was just plain odd to have a potentially fatal injury and then, abruptly, nothing. Susan had always had a hard time with the irrational. The dryad looked at the elder queen with steady eyes.

"The source of this magic must be destroyed," she said simply.

"What could it be, though?" asked Susan.

"It will be in the ruins of the castle, I can guarantee you that, my Lady. If you search them, somewhere inside you will find it."

"But that's underwater!" exclaimed Lucy. Edmund looked up at the dryad with an expression that clearly showed he was thinking the same thing. Suddenly, she let out a rippling laugh and the leaves on the great tree at the center shook as if nudged by a slight breeze.

"You have much to learn about Narnia, my Queen," she told her. "There are ways to travel through the water with magical assistance, so that you will not be harmed. I also believe that once you reach the castle, the magic that first drained the lake around it will remain strong enough to keep it dry inside. It is a strange concept, but magic is a strange thing."

"All right," said Peter. "It's certainly nice to know what we have to do, even if it is (as you say) strange."

"I am glad to be of assistance, my King," said the dryad. She rose in one fluid movement and moved away to leave them sitting with one another. Lucy looked around at her siblings expectantly. There was a bit of an awkward silence for a moment, until Edmund lay back on his elbows and let out a low whistle.

"I don't think 'strange' even begins to cover it," he said. Lucy laughed, and agreed.