Emma enjoyed this kind of thing, just letting the horses amble lazily side by side in companionable silence. Edmund looked so natural in the saddle, holding the reins in one hand, his chestnut stallion alert and muscular. Lucy's mare was sweet enough, but she still desperately wanted her own horse. Especially if she was going to be staying…

"Ouch!" She winced as the sharp pain in her side returned.

"What's wrong?" Edmund halted his horse and turned round in the saddle, looking concerned.

Emma faked a bright smile. "Just a bit of stitch I guess. You're wearing me out with all these long rides!" She gritted her teeth as another pain hit her on the other side. "It's gone now," she lied.

Edmund looked doubtful, but let his horse continue on, the wind lightly ruffling his sandy blonde hair. Emma followed at a slower pace, not having the energy or inclination to nudge her horse on as much.

They continued in silence for a few more minutes. Then Emma's horse stopped abruptly, her ears pricked and nostrils flared. Edmund's horse did the same, and shied violently sideways.

"Hey steady!" Edmund exclaimed, looking to see what had spooked them both. His jaw dropped.

"Oh my God!" Emma said softly, staring too. A shiver ran down her spine, and her stomach churned.

Edmund, to her horror, slipped off his horse, his eyes never once leaving what he saw. It was as though he were… bewitched.

"Edmund, what are you doing?" she hissed, watching anxiously to see if the creature had noticed them. Of course it had, they were the only people for miles around on this bare plain. If only they'd headed for woodland instead, they'd have had so much more cover.

Edmund didn't reply, he was instead leading his horse towards the creature. Instead of baulking, as Emma would have expected the stallion to, do, he followed his master willingly.

"Edmund!" Emma called again, wanting to turn her own horse around immediately and ride as fast as she could away from this place.

Edmund turned back to her. "What?" he asked, frowning. "What's wrong?"

Emma was becoming exasperated with him. "Edmund! You're walking straight towards a…"

"I know." Edmund broke into a wide grin as he turned back to look at the creature. "It's Aslan, Emma. He's come again." He reached out for Emma's horse's reins. "Come on."

Emma avoided meeting the great Lion's eyes. Something in his great noble face was terrifying her; she had a dreadful sense of foreboding.

When Edmund finally came to a stop in front of the lion, Emma hesitantly slipped off the horse and joined him on the ground. It was like waiting for an age for something to happen. Finally, the lion spoke, his voice deep and rumbling, sending vibrations up Emma's legs and into her stomach. The horses twitched uneasily at the noise, but didn't make any effort to bolt.

"Edmund, my son," he said in a kindly tone. Emma could feel his warm breath on her face. "And Emma, I trust you are enjoying your stay in Narnia?"

Emma nodded dumbly. She'd suddenly remembered her actions on first arriving in Narnia and how she'd first encountered Aslan.

"Your actions, though misguided, were not all of your doing," Aslan continued. "They are forgiven and must be forgotten."

Emma looked up at his golden face for the first time. "But sir, I… I feel as though I should repay you in some way for what I've done, I…"

"And you shall, one day," Aslan agreed. "But now is not the time for repaying or for recriminations, but goodbyes."

Edmund frowned. "What? But Aslan, you only just got here, you haven't seen my brother or sisters yet or…"

"I did not mean goodbye to me," Aslan said softly. "I meant time for Emma to bid you goodbye."

Emma felt something inside her twist violently. The ground had all but dropped away beneath her feet and she felt horrifically lost.

"Goodbye?" Edmund looked at her still utterly confused. "But where is she going?"

"It is time for her to return to her own world," Aslan said. "She has been gone long enough."

"But I don't want to!" Emma exclaimed, feeling panic rise up in her. "I like it here! Please, I don't want to go back!"

"There are many things we do not want to do." Aslan was unruffled. "And yet we must."

Emma looked at Edmund desperately. "But I belong here! I… What about…?"

"She can't go, Aslan." Edmund tried to make sense of what they were being told. "We need her here." His eyes met hers. "I need her here."

"And yet there are others who disagree," Aslan said matter-of-factly. "There are others who would suggest that Emma's presence here is of great detriment to your abilities to rule as king. It is true, isn't it, that since Emma's arrival, you have somewhat neglected not only your brother and sisters, but your duties to Narnia itself."

Edmund knew it was true. He nodded. "I suppose. But that can change, she doesn't have to go!"

"It is time," Aslan said in reply. He turned back to Emma. "You must return to your own world now."

"Now?" Emma's jaw dropped. "But I haven't said goodbye, I haven't…" She turned to face the lion. "I will see Edmund again won't I?"

"Perhaps."

"Perhaps?" Emma exclaimed.

"Aslan, please," Edmund pleaded. "You must be able to tell us if we shall ever meet again or not."

There was a heavy pause. "The two of you shall meet one day in the future," Aslan decreed finally. "When you next meet in Narnia you may stay, the both of you."

Emma felt a slight hope rise. "Then I shall be back sir?"

"Of course." Aslan sounded mildly amused, though Emma could never have imagined that solemn face breaking into a smile. "Though it may not be how you expected, my child." He rose to his great paws. "And now it is time."

Emma felt it had come far too soon. She turned to Edmund. "I… I guess this is it then," she said in a small voice. There was so much she wanted to say but she couldn't get the words out, couldn't even think of the words that would say what she wanted. She looked at Edmund. His Adam's apple was quivering and his eyes had taken on a strangely glassy appearance.

"Yeah." He nodded. He gingerly reached out a hand to take hers and pulled her towards him. Emma found herself being dragged into his embrace but she never felt the full warmth. Instead she found herself clutching at nothing as Edmund and Aslan and Narnia all disappeared. There was a bright light that hurt her eyes and she wanted to scream but no sound would come out. She shut her eyes and found herself falling…

Edmund stared at the spot where Emma had been. He could still feel the warmth of her fingertips on his, and the grass was still trampled where she'd stood. He was staring so intensely that it took him a full five minutes to realise that Aslan too had gone. He was standing alone with the two horses, all three transfixed by what they'd seen. Eventually Edmund swung himself back into the saddle, picked up the reins of the bay mare and they walked slowly back to Cair Paravel.