-hides face in shame- I am so sorry, my dear, loving, kind-hearted readers! Please forgive my thick-headed procrastinating self! dodges axes and arrows I haven't posted in almost two months, I know, but I can't help the fact that I procrastinate all the time. So maybe I am a bit lazy. But still, who isn't? So, many thanks and apologies to my loyal readers and/or reviewers and I hope you like this next chapter of Once Upon a Depression! Here goes!

Disclaimer: Honestly! Get a grip on reality! I don't own Narnia, because if I did, then I would call myself a genius, which I don't, and am not.

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Ali milled around Cair Paraval's dance hall in a daze, Edmund's words echoing through her mind. Susan asked her many times whether she was okay or not, but Ali just responded vaguely before wandering off again, which caused Susan to glare continuously at Edmund, figuring he must have done something. Lucy also sensed something was wrong, as she usually did, but had no idea what had happened.

Having no desire to be jostled around by happy guests, Ali retreated to her chambers and lay on her bed in complete darkness. It felt like she was going through the past all over again. Her brother had gone off to help fight in the war, and not even six months later was her family contacted by the military and told that he had been killed in battle. As if she didn't have enough troubles then, already! It only made things worse; her parents fought more often, her mother's stress affected her health, and her father seemed incapable of dealing with his son's death. And of course, Ali's depression became almost unbearable.

The depression. And it wasn't that period in America where the stock market went bankrupt and many people found it hard to live. No, this was her own depression. The cruel, twisting of her mind, causing her to become sad without reason, paranoid, stressed and nearly suicidal. Sure, it had been cured for a while. She went to a therapist and psychiatrist and even took medicine. It usually took care of her problems, but there were times when even the medicine couldn't solve her problems and take all her worries away. And how scary it could be then. How many times had she wanted to kill herself or just get away from the awful world she knew? It seemed impossible to escape…until she entered Narnia.

And what a relief it had been! She thought she had escaped all of her troubles, but now , now, it was like going back in time, going back to Earth. It just wasn't fair. She had been so happy! But now!

Ali tossed on her bed, tears leaking from her eyes. She had to think of something to stop Peter and Edmund from going to war, but what? Nothing would stop them from protecting their country and people. That's just the kind of leaders they were. That's why they were kings—because they cared for their people.

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Edmund felt terrible. Why had he even told Ali about the war? Well, it had to come out sometime. Ali would have been absolutely furious if she hadn't known until the last minute, and she would most likely never have forgiven him. But would Peter forgive him either? He had warned his younger brother not to tell anyone about the plans so as not to worry them. He would be furious when he found out. But, as it would turn out, Peter was not the one sibling whose wrath he should fear the most.

Edmund slowly made his way from the main hall and up the staircase, planning to go apologize to Ali. Wait—apologize? For what? What do I have to apologize to her for? For making her worry about Peter and me? For stressing her out, or unnerving her? Or for not telling her sooner? Oh, shut up, Edmund. You have got to stop talking to yourself in your head all the time! It can't be normal.

He was staring at his feet as he rounded a corner and nearly ran into someone who was standing in the middle of the corridor.

"Oh, excuse me, I—Susan? What in the name of Aslan are you—?"

Susan glared at him so hard that it could have melted the White Witch, had she still been alive. "Edmund! What did you do?"

"What?" He stared blankly at his sister, although he did shrink back from her hard gaze a little.

Susan took a few steps forward. "What did you do to Ali? She was perfectly fine when she went outside and then you went and followed her and she came back in not ten minutes later looking as if she had attended her best friend's funeral!" She took a deep breath.

"She just might be, in time," Edmund muttered, looking down at his shoes and scuffing them on the stone floor.

"Ed, do you always have to talk so quietly? You must stop mumbling! Now, what did you say to Ali?"

Edmund said nothing and Susan was growing impatient quickly. "Edmund Leland Pevensie! Answer me now!" Once again, he didn't answer. Susan forced his face upward and his eyes met hers. At once, she saw the truth.

"Ed! Why would you do that? Why would you tell her about the war?"

"I didn't mean to! I wasn't planning on it—honest! But she just knew that something was bothering me, and—oh Susan! You know how bad I am at keeping things a secret! Especially when they're that big!" He looked at his sister earnestly and pleadingly. "Besides, she would have to find out sometime!"

Susan sighed and rubbed her temples in aggravation. "Edmund, just—I'll—go somewhere."

"How long were you going to keep it from her, anyway? What was the point of not telling her right away? I thought you said she was like a part of our family, but you wouldn't even tell her about the battle?"

"I didn't want her to worry about it!"

"It's not like she wasn't going to worry anyway!"

"Edmund!" Susan was absolutely fuming now. "You don't understand! Now that she knows we're going away to war and she can't go, she's going to devise some plan to change things around. You know how she hates to miss out on the action! And she'll somehow follow us into battle."

"What? Us? What do you mean by 'us'?"

Susan rolled her eyes. "You're the thickest king I've ever known, Ed. I mean you, me and Peter."

"You! You're a girl!"

"Oh, well spotted, Ed," she said dryly.

Edmund waved his hands around in exasperation. "No, no. You know what I mean—you're a girl, and you can't go into battle."

"Oh, really! Well, I'd like to see you try and stop me from going!"

"I don't think I'll have to! Peter surely won't let you even get near the bat—"

"Susan? Edmund?"

The two turned and saw Lucy standing behind them, looking extremely upset. They immediately felt guilty for fighting with each other in front of their younger sister.

Susan stepped forward a bit. "Lucy, what are you doing up here? Shouldn't you be downstairs?"

"Well, yes, but I came looking for you two and Ali." She fumbled with the sleeves of her dress. "And I think Ed's right, Su. Ali does have a right to know." She looked at the older queen innocently. "And you shouldn't go into the battle. It's hard enough with Peter and Ed going, never mind you."

Susan looked about to protest, but Lucy cut her off. "Besides, if you get to go, then I'm coming too. I've got my cordial to at least help out a little, even if I can't fight. But you do know I can."

Susan chewed her lip nervously and angrily. Finally she merely sighed in frustration and stomped her foot. "Peter will decide then. He's High King." And that was that.

Once she had disappeared, Ed sighed. "Gee, Lu, I'm sorry. I hope we didn't ruin your party."

Lucy smiled at her brother and took his hand, leading him back downstairs. "Of course not. Susan and I have already had that discussion—about us going into the battle, I mean. Peter has already banned the two of us from going, but that doesn't mean Susan will stop trying. And I have no doubt Ali will try to come along too."

Edmund sighed again. "That's what I'm afraid of."

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Ali tossed in her bed, feeling extremely restless. She had been laying there for nearly an hour and still couldn't fall asleep. Well, she really had no reason to fall asleep, since it was only ten at night, but she didn't exactly feel up to going back down to Lucy's party.

She finally forced herself to lie still for a few minutes, and eventually felt herself drifting off to sleep. She didn't fight it, and soon fell into a calm and peaceful sleep.

But the serenity didn't last long. Soon, awful, horrid dreams pierced her restless sleep. Once again, she began tossing and turning as images of a bloody battlefield and warriors in blood-soaked clothing and armor hovered in sight. Swords flashed in the air, stained crimson, and arrows whistled by, coming from all directions. And Ali seemed to be in the middle of it all, yet she was never injured. In fact, no one even took any notice of her. She saw many familiar faces around her as well as many not-so-familiar faces, and most of them were quite ugly, while the rest were the most appalling things you would hope to never dream of looking upon. She realized with a start that this was the White Witch's remaining followers and they were fighting Narnians. This was the battle that would take place in a few days' time, and it horrified her to be seeing into the future. Or so she thought, anyway. She had never been in a battle, but this is how she imagined it to look like. Utter chaos, with screams and groans filling the air as well as the deafening sound of sword against sword as enemies fought to the death in locked combat. Dead bodies of all kinds of creatures littered the ground and blood flowed openly from everywhere.

Death was not glamorous, and neither was battle.

Suddenly a rider swept by on a huge horse, swinging a sword left and right. Oftentimes the blows were parried by offenders on the ground, but when the steel found its destination, there was no hope for the victim. Ali was nearly knocked down by the rider and his mount, but as it flew by her, it stopped suddenly and turned. Whoever it was seemed to notice Ali and stared at her through the visor of his helmet. Slowly, he reached up and pulled of his helmet.

Ali had just barely glimpsed the face (and was shocked beyond all reason) when there was a flash of light and she was jolted awake. She gasped and sat straight up before blinking in surprise and shielding her eyes. A lone figure stood at the end of her bed, and Ali didn't have to think twice to realize who it was.

Aslan.

She had only heard about him, and couldn't believe that he was here, with her, now. He was like everything she had heard, and even so much more.

She slipped off her bed unconsciously and fell to her knees in front of him. Aslan bent forward and gently pressed his nose to her forehead.

"Rise, small one." His deep yet soothing voice comforted her deeply and she stood up slowly.

Aslan's dark golden eyes bore into her brown ones. "You know what you must do."

Ali nodded silently.

"Good. But remember, battles and wars are no small matters—they are serious and deadly, so you must be absolutely sure you can commit to what you are about to do."

Ali hesitated, then, "I—I think I can be brave enough, Aslan. Are you sure it's what I must do?"

"Only if you think it's what has to be done."

Ali looked at the floor, then looked back at Aslan. She nodded curtly. "I have to do it. There's no other way, and I know it's right."

Aslan smiled in his lion-like way. "Then take peace and comfort with you, dear one, as well as bravery and strength. Know that I will be next to you every step of the way."

Aslan breathed on her, and with that, he was gone.

Ali blinked and stood motionless. Had that really just happened? Or had she been dreaming? But no, she couldn't have been. She felt confident and strong, and that had come with the breath he breathed on her.

Slowly, a smile spread across her face. She knew what she had to do, and there was nothing in all of Narnia (or any other country for that matter) that would stop her.

She lit the lamp by her bed and immediately started working. She would stay up all night and would work into the next few days if she had to. Time was limited, and she had to be ready.

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Read! Review! Rejoice! Be happy that I actually posted chapter 7!

What is Ali's remarkable and ingenious plan? That's coming up next time in…chapter 8! -gasp-