The next morning, Scott walked over to Susan and Lucy's tent to wake them up and talk with Susan. However, as he drew near, he noticed Peter emerge from the tent, an anxious expression on his face. "Sir Peter, what's up? Is something wrong?" Peter turned to see his guard, and his expression darkened.

"Scott, it's Susan and Lucy. They're gone. I-I know where they went, but I'm not sure where they are. The trees have told me what they know. My sisters went with Aslan to the Stone Table, where they saw him murdered in payment for Edmund's life. Now that the Lion is dead, the White Witch plans to attack with all her strength. Dwarves, minoboars, minotaurs, tigers, goblins, wolves, and the like."

Scott nodded. "Maybe it's better if Susan and Lucy are gone. If we don't know where they are, Jadis won't either. Now, as for Jadis' host, we don't have time to call in reinforcements. A full retreat, even one to buy time, is tantamount to relinquishing your claim to Narnia. We have to fight."

Edmund joined them, visibly worried. "The Witch outnumbers us greatly. The numbers are probably two to one in her favor."

Oreius rode up to them. "My lords, here is not the place to discuss this. The soldiers should not need this talk. They are already shocked over Aslan. There is no need to add to this."

Peter nodded. "Agreed, General. Let us retire."

Scott sniggered. "'Let us retire?' You're starting to sound like a proper lord now, sir."

The centaur glared down at his fellow general. "General Castillo, this is not the time to be joking. The fate of the entire campaign is at stake. If we cannot win the day, Narnia is lost. How can you joke at a time like this?"

"Peace, General," piped up Edmund. "Scott meant no harm, right?" The American nodded. "See? Come, let's proceed."

The four reached Aslan's tent without further incident. Peter spread out a tactical map showing the surrounding area. "All right, Oreius, what is our situation?"

Taking unit markers, the centaur began placing them according to the location of the Witch's soldiers. "We know that Jadis will come from the south. I would have us make a stand at the ridge. She will charge first. We can weaken them until our countercharge. I suggest lining our units like this." He placed the red markers at positions opposite the black.

Edmund frowned. "See, our numbers are only about half of theirs."

Scott forcefully pointed at the map. "Have you not been listening, milord? We'll control the high ground! The man who controls the high ground controls the battle until he relinquishes it." Turning to Peter, he said, "Milord, I would make a minor adjustment to the general's plan. Rather than charging as Oreius suggests, I would have us make the most of our archers and other ranged units." He rearranged the unit markers, moving them farther back. "Stick to the rocks. We pepper them as they come, and once they reach the base of the ridge, the powerful units fall on them. Minimal risk."

Oreius spoke up. "And what makes you sure that the Witch will attack when she sees that leaders of the army aren't at the head of a great host. You know she'll expect that."

Scott had forgotten about that. He sighed, admitting defeat. "You're right, Oreius. Milord, do I have your permission to select and lead a vanguard unit behind Jadis' lines?"

Oreius jerked his head around at that. "A vanguard group to strike her whole army? That's suicidal! Even you wouldn't survive that."

Scott stared coolly back at the centaur general. "Begging your pardon, but I've lived through more than you know. Besides, we're not just going to strike. I want to make them chase us so we can draw some of them away from you."

Peter nodded. "General Oreius, I've seen this man's fighting skills before, and I know that was just a fraction of what he's capable of. I believe in the Forest Ranger. You may choose your men for this unit, but it must be a volunteer mission."

Scott half-bowed. "Thank you, milord. By your leave." Peter nodded, and Scott left to find his rangers. He chose Notus and ten other centaurs. They all armed themselves with two longswords and a yewbow. Scott stuck with his scimitars and longbow. He cleaned his armor, sharpened his blades, and fletched a few more arrows. After thinking for a minute, he had Tibarn, a hawk, join his men, who were assembled near the camp's east entrance. "We ride to the Fords of Beruna. We'll hide in the trees and follow their host to the ridge. Then, we strike and move south, drawing as many as we can. Any questions?"

Notus spoke up. "General, why are we taking thirteen? That's bad luck."

Scott smirked. "We aren't the only ones capable of suffering bad luck. Jadis is about to taste some. Anyone else?"

"Me, General Castillo!" A female voice sounded from about fifty yards away. Scott turned to see…

"SUSAN!" His lover was running across the field, armored in boiled leather and carrying her shortbow. Scott quickly dismounted, handing off his mustang to Notus. He ran toward her and embraced her as they met. After kissing her deeply, he asked, "What are you doing here? Where's Lucy?"

Kissing him back, she whispered, "There's a loophole in the Old Magic. Aslan's alive and Lucy is with him gathering reinforcements. And I heard you were organizing a volunteer strike force. I'm volunteering." Before he could protest, she said, "And I'm ordering you as your queen to take me." Scott laughed at that, confusing Susan. "What? What did I say?" Finally realizing the double meaning of her words, she slapped his arm. "Pervert!" She dropped her voice, giving it a seductive edge, "Not until later."

After his laughter died down, he choked out, "Well, that gives me a very good reason to keep both of us alive."

Susan laughed with him. "Shut up and let's ride."

As they headed back to the formation, they passed Scott's tent. He quickly ducked inside, handing a shortsword to Susan. "I know I haven't trained you with this, so only use it if you must. Make every shot count." As he led her over to the mustang, he said, "We don't have time to saddle another horse, so we're going to ride double." She nodded. Scott turned to Notus and said, "There, we have fourteen. Happy?" The centaur grunted in response. Making sure Susan was settled, he cried, "WE RIDE!" Cheers erupted from Peter's camp. The thirteen rangers-and one lady-moved north for the southern fords. A short time later, he asked her, "So, how did you talk Peter into this?"

She grinned slyly. "What? Peter was still in camp?"

Scott laughed. "You evil, evil girl. Now I really can't afford to let you get harmed in any way."

The rangers halted in the brush near the fords. Turning to the Tibarn, Scott muttered, "Tibarn, move above the clouds and search for Jadis' host. Once you have their location, return to me and tell me what you have seen. We'll strategize after hearing your report.

The hawk bowed. "As you will, Forest Ranger." With that, he shrieked and took to the air, quickly passing out of sight. The next several minutes were spent in silent anticipation. The centaurs took turns standing guard while Scott and Susan sat together in the center of the trees, weapons drawn. Finally, Tibarn returned, quite exhausted. He went up to Scott and began giving his report. "It's bad, sir. She's got almost double of your original estimates. Mostly small units like dwarves and goblins, but a good number of giants and minotaurs as well. No birds or winged soldiers, so we have the advantage there. At their current pace, they'll be on us in about five minutes."

Scott frowned. "And no one saw you?"

The hawk shook his head. "No, sir."

The young general nodded slowly, his brow furrowed in thought. "Damn, this isn't what I expected." The centaurs began stamping their hooves restlessly. Scott thought for a while, and by the time he spoke again, the rangers could faintly hear the sounds of Jadis' army. "Alright, we're going to cut them in half. Jadis and her strongest soldiers will be at the head of the army, so we don't need to worry about them. On my command, we ride. Blades, not bows. Ride through the column and don't stop to fight. We'll draw as many as we can toward Dancing Lawn and cut them down there. Once we've bloodied them well and good, I'll signal you to break to the north. We'll come behind Jadis' host and hit them there." Turning to the hawk, he said, "Fly low, my friend. You're harder to hit when you're higher, but you can strike back when you're low." Looking back at Susan, he muttered, "I know I said blades, but I need you to shoot. Remember: both eyes open, arm level. Don't waste too many shots, milady."

Facing everyone, he said, "Draw." Twenty-two longswords and two scimitars were liberated of their sheaths. "Clash." The swords came together, steel to steel. "We ride in a column, the queen and I in front, Notus behind us, then two columns of five centaurs each. Tibarn will bring up the rear." They all nodded. "I chose you all because you were with me from day one. I know you all are honorable fighters and valiant ones at that. You are all my trusted comrades and friends. Remember what you rode for before joining the army." The rangers all nodded stiffly. Turning to Susan, he said, "Milady, from the beginning, I saw something different in you, something that I couldn't be without. I love you, Susan, but after today, you will be a queen. So, I ask this of you. After this ride, please don't forget your Forest Ranger who will always love you." Susan gave him a watery smile that mirrored the one she received. By now, a good portion of Jadis' host had passed the grove oblivious to the speech one of their most hated foes was giving. "Let's go," muttered Scott. As the vanguard burst from the trees, Scott raised a sword, shrieking "FOR THE FOREST!"

"THE FOREST! THE FOREST!" The rangers roared their approval as they crashed into the enemy. The first few soldiers were trampled by the hooves of Scot and Susan's mustang. Several more were cut down by Scott's northern steel, Susan's swift shafts, the centaurs' heavy blades, or Tibarn's razor-edged talons. The black-armored host reeled, caught off guard by the sudden attacks. Draw, notch, release. Susan reminded herself cautiously to keep from being caught up in the chaos. As she felt the heat of Scott's body in front of her, she regained her poise and shot effortlessly.

"BREAK! BREAK!" yelled Scott. The rangers wheeled around and cut through Jadis' column a second time. Scott led his men south, closely pursued by several dwarves, goblins, wolves, and even a minotaur. They rode for several minutes, their enemies never too far behind, before finally seeing the welcome trees of Dancing Lawn. The rangers put on an extra spurt of speed and were swallowed by the trees.

Behind them, Kamos, the minotaur in charge of the pursuit, bellowed, "Don't let the traitors escape!" His men scrambled into Dancing Lawn…

And were met by a storm of arrows. The first wave of attackers slumped to the ground, but another took their place. Notus and his centaurs fired two more volleys, then drew their longswords once again and charged their foes. Tibarn swooped in, targeting dwarven archers. Scott and Susan were perched in a tree, taking shots at enemies that were a good distance from their allies.

Finally, Kamos barged into the clearing. "TRAITORS! TIME TO DIE AT THE HANDS OF KAMOS, THE AXE OF THE EMPIRE!" he shouted. He swung his mighty two-headed axe and caught Boreas, one of the centaurs, on its flat. Boreas went flying into a tree, not dead, but unconscious.

Scott saw Kamos move in for the kill. Turning to Susan, he whispered, "Stay here. Keep shooting, but stay in the tree." With that he leapt down, drawing his scimitars. Thinking for a moment, he sheathed one blade and drew his knife, which he hurled at Kamos. As he expected, it couldn't break through the minotaur's plate, mail, and boiled leather, but it at least got his attention. In three, long strides, Scott closed the gap between him and the enemy commander. He withdrew his knife, sheathed it, and drew his second scimitar, all in a single, fluid motion. "You, Kamos, are the traitor. Not to any monarch, but to the realm. You betrayed Narnia. The penalty for treason is death."

Kamos gripped his axe in both hands and swung wildly at the general. "Then I request trial by combat, Forest Ranger. Yes, I know who you are."

Scott grinned, lashing out with his blades. "Good, then you won't be killed by some nameless soldier." He blocked a blow, then slashed downward at his opponent's chest. However, the blow came at an awkward angle, and glanced off Kamos' plate. Scott quickly jumped back, landing in a defensive position. Kamos bellowed and charged him. Scott ducked and thrust, one blade finding the opening between Kamos' greave and fauld. Black blood oozed from the wound in Kamos' thigh. "Ha!"

Shaking off the pain, the minotaur's next attack caught the ranger off guard. The axe's flat sent Scott crashing to the ground. One blade was knocked from Scott's unprepared hand. With the second, he swung wildly at Kamos' weapon, severing its head. The minotaur cast aside the now-useless axe shaft and drew a gleaming greatsword. Scott, still stunned on the ground, kicked desperately at Kamos' hand in an attempt to disarm his foe. However, he only got a very painful bruise on his foot from clashing with the mailed gauntlet. Crying out, he felt his second blade scatter away from him as his arm twitched with the shock from the contact with Kamos. Drawing his knife, Scott rolled underneath Kamos and stabbed at his back. Once again, the blade failed to penetrate all of the minotaur's armor layers. A powerful backhand sent Scott sprawling again. The minotaur readied his greatsword and prepared to deliver the final blow.

Suddenly, spurts of blood went up from each of the minotaur's appendages and he collapsed as his legs gave out. Scott looked up to see Susan standing over Kamos, shortsword in hand. She smirked as she tossed him his fallen weapons. "A general should never command a queen and expect her to follow his orders."

Scott grinned. Gesturing to her sword, he breathed, "Finish it. Before he gets up."

However, Susan extended her hand to him and helped draw him up to his feet. "Didn't you hear me? Don't expect me to always follow your orders." As Scott incredulously motioned toward Kamos' fallen body, she drew one of his scimitars and pressed it into his hand. "Together." Scott nodded. In unison, the two lovers raised their swords and slammed them into Kamos' back. The minotaur twitched for a final time, then succumbed to death. The rangers cheered, for Kamos was the last of Jadis' troops to be dispatched.

Helping Susan back onto the mustang before mounting himself, Scott turned to his rangers, all of whom had miraculously survived. "Come, my friends! We have won a battle. We must now win a war!" With that, he turned his horse northward and rode furiously, pursued by his roaring rangers. As they neared the cliffs, they saw that their forces were desperately needed. Jadis' troops had gotten past Oreius' defenses and were washing over the cliffs. Sir Peter was leading a few brave soldiers who were making a stand, but it was not nearly enough. They should have followed my plan.

Sheathing his scimitar and pulling his longbow free, Scott roared, "TO THE KING!" With another loud cry, the rangers charged in one, last act of defiance. Scott notched an arrow along with Susan and began riding the mustang with just his knees. Damn, this is always annoying. Startled by the cry, Jadis' host turned to see the band of rangers descending on them. Excited by the thought of easy prey, some of the forces turned to face the rangers, however, some ran when they saw who was leading them. "Loose!" ordered Scott. The centaurs, Susan, and Peter himself fired a volley of arrows at the oncoming force. "Notch!" The distance closed rapidly. "Draw!" The Witch's army suddenly seemed a lot larger than before, maybe too much for Scott to handle. No. I'm not dying here! "Loose! Fire at will!" Arrows flew over his head as the centaurs and Susan launched as many shafts as they could.

As they neared the black army, Scott cried, "Swords!" The centaurs drew their longswords and overtook Scott, crashing into the enemy lines. Susan continued firing away, hitting each of her targets. Needing more control over his horse now that he was in the thick of the battle, Scott exchanged his longbow for one scimitar. He slashed at the goblins, dwarves, and other scourges that Jadis had unleashed upon Narnia. More and more black-armored soldiers pooled around the rangers. Suddenly, a sound as welcome as anything rung clearly in Scott's ears.

A wild, untamed roar.

Looking up, Scott and Susan saw Aslan charging down the ridge, leading a great host. "It's over," breathed Susan.

Digging his heels into the horse's side, Scott broke away from the main battle and headed for the cliffs. Finding a sheltered overhang, Scott dismounted before helping Susan down. "Well, milady, we've survived three nearly-suicidal parts of a deadly battle. I think we deserve a few minutes to ourselves before returning to our duties." Susan nodded, pulling him down onto the soft earth. He wrapped her up in an embrace before leaning down and kissing her. It wasn't their first kiss, but it seemed different from other ones they'd shared. Hmm…surviving a nearly certainly-deadly battle can do that, I guess. After a while, Scott found his mouth parting and his tongue pressing up against Susan's lips, begging entrance. This caught Susan by surprise, but she was all too eager to comply regardless. Her tongue slid out to meet his, wrestling with his in an attempt to claim supremacy of their mouths.

When it was finally over, Scott realized that she'd moved his hand above two soft mounds of her flesh. "To the victor go the spoils," she whispered seductively. Her face, her body were so enticing.

He gave her a feral grin. "You don't know how much I wish I could take you up on that offer, milady." He helped her up and walked back into the sunlight with her. "Go find your siblings. I'm going to help reorganize the troops with Oreius. I'll see you back at camp, milady." With a final kiss, he rode off to find survivors.

True to his word, she saw him in the camp, but she could only be alone with him for a few minutes. As they stumbled into his tent, drunk on their victory, Scott decided he needed to sober both himself and her. He didn't have time before to open his mouth before Susan said, "Mmm…your tent is a bit small but it should be big enough for two people who love each other."

Turning to her sadly, Scott lowered his voice, saying, "Look, milady, we both want to do this, but we can't. You lord husband, whoever he is, will want a noble virgin, not a girl tainted by the flesh of a common-born general. I can't see you again. Not in this way. No one knows of our relationship other than my rangers, and they won't say anything. It's not too late for us to back out of this, so now is the time. I plan to hire myself out as a mercenary for a little while before returning to California, so, please, if you need any rebellions put down, remember my blades and bow."

Susan's expression became somber. "No, don't say things like that. I can raise you up to a lord. No one will oppose us then." Her outburst was met with silence. "I can't live without you," she whispered shakily. A single tear trickled down her pale, smooth cheek.

Scott gently brushed it away with his thumb. "Yes. You can," he whispered.

The two had forgotten that the tent was open. A minoboar captive being marched past the tent saw Susan crying and heard Scott mutter 'Yes. You can.' He screamed, "And you call me a traitor? The Forest Ranger is seducing the queen in his tent!"

The guard looked into the tent and Susan and Scott sitting on the pallet. "No!" muttered the faun. "GENERAL CASTILLO IS TRYING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF LADY SUSAN!" The soldier's cries aroused the camp, and the minoboar was able to sneak away.

"Damn!" swore Scott. Snatching up his weapons, he headed toward the forest, pausing to put a dart into the treacherous minoboar's back. He disappeared into the trees, leaving Susan behind, weeping silently in his tent.

He wasn't at her coronation.