Kayla quickly pinched herself to make sure she was not dreaming. She was not dreaming.

"Ivar, shouldn't we go back inside before our parents come looking for us?"

"My parents are focused on Caspian right now."

"Yeah, but shouldn't we announce to the whole kingdom? It should not be kept a secret."

"Yeah, you're right. And maybe after we announce it, Jalil will leave you alone."

"Highly unlikely."

The two walked back into the ballroom, with the family's eyes on them. No one else thought anything of it.

"Peter, see if you can get the musicians to stop playing. We have an announcement to make."

"You got it, Ivar."

The musicians stopped playing, and Kayla asked for everyone's attention, since she had the loud, booming voice.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Could you look over here please?! Lord Ivar and I have an announcement to make!"

"Just ten minutes ago, I proposed to Lady Kayla, and she said yes. I've been in love with her for years. More like centuries."

Hashim and Jalil were not happy at this news, but everyone else was, even the Telmarine lords.

"Kayla, you do realize you're only fifteen?"

"Daddy, I ain't gonna marry him right away. I know to wait."

"I for one, protest this engagement. You are supposed to be marrying me!"

"Jalil, I'm older than you. A LOT older than you, and surely you've heard of the phrase respect your elders. I don't care if you protest it. I'm still gonna marry Lord Ivar. You have no power over me."

"If I have to force you to marry me, so be it! I will drag you by the hair of your head into my bed, and my child will be the next ruler of Terebinthia!"

"Are you threatening to rape my fiancée?!"

"Jalil, I am the next ruler of Terebinthia. Unless something happens to me in the process of me rescuing my people, and if I die before I have a daughter, Lucy is next in line."

"Guards, put this man in irons!"

"And keep this in mind, Jalil. The last man that tried to rape me ended up dead, by my hands. And I have no regrets about it."

The guards dragged Jalil off to the dungeons and chained him up. He was yelling the whole way there.

"Kayla, mind if I ask who it was that you killed?"

"It was Ferran, the crown prince of Telmar."

When Caspian heard those words, he looked at Kayla in horror in shock, but he knew she had a reason for doing it.

"Miraz used to tell me about a Telmarine prince who was unlawfully cut down too soon for no reason."

"Oh, I had a reason. I definitely had a reason. Ivar, Lucy, Edmund, and I were all on an ambassadorial trip to Telmar. One night, Ferran had guards drag me out of my bed to the dungeons. I have a scar on my stomach from how I was chained. I turned into a dragon and ripped the chains out of the walls and the doors gates off the hinges. I then turned into a lioness and went to his chambers and mauled him to death. His father came in and saw his son's mauled body on the bed, and I was already in human form, with his blood all over me. King Oriol had us banned."

"Why did Ferran have you taken to the dungeons?"

"The next morning he was planning on raping me. He had proposed marriage to me, and I rejected him. He said that for rejecting him, I would suffer the same fate as my mother and he did not mean death."

"You never told me you have a physical scar from that incident, Kayla."

"I never told anyone till now."

The others were reminded of the scars they had to keep hidden during their year away. The only one of them who never drank a drop of Lucy's cordial was Kayla.

"Caspian, Edmund, Peter. Can I talk to you all outside?"

"Of course, Ivar."

The four boys headed to the gardens where they could talk in peace.

"Is anything wrong, Ivar?"

"A little bit. She's so injury-riddled, but she doesn't regret ever getting injured. She doesn't regret anything she's done. Even some of the things we thought were pretty vile. How far do you think she's willing to go?"

"Ivar, we know far Kayla is willing to go. We've all seen it. Believe me, I also saw the White Witch turn her into stone and her statue bust into pieces. It was right before the witch went for me and Edmund broke her wand."

"I also saw Rabadash beat her like they were in a boxing match. But I knew his punishment would come soon enough. She was doing what anyone with a good heart would have done."

"I witnessed her cry for a country that she barely remembers, yet she was still not willing to her slaughter her own people. I was not willing to kill Telmarines, not even my uncle."

"It just always seems like she keeps getting these scars where there wasn't even an incident."

"Kayla always goes the extra mile, Ivar. You know this. And just because you two will be getting married it does not mean you can keep her from doing so. Being a monarch includes taking risks. She knew that night we left the Tashbaan palace that one of us would have to stay behind. She knew Rabadash would be coming for us. I risked my life to destroy Jadis' greatest weapon. Peter risked his life when he went against Miraz in the name of Aslan."

"Queen Susan risked her life against a band of Telmarine soldiers so that Queen Lucy could get away safely and find Aslan."

"And Ivar, if you don't recall, you were willing to take on Conláed and the whole of the Terebinthian forces, just to keep Conláed from killing Kayla."

"Well, there is one more thing I wanted to ask you three."

"And what is that?"

"Even though a date for the wedding has not been set yet, I want you to be my groomsmen. And Caspian, I want you to be my best man."

Peter, Edmund, and Caspian were beyond honoured that Ivar wanted them to be his groomsmen, though Caspian kind of saw it coming, at least for him.

"Ivar, this will be the biggest day of your life so far. Are you sure you want us to be in the ceremony? In the audience, yes, we wouldn't miss it for the world. But actually in the ceremony?"

"I'm sorry, Edmund. I can't think of anyone else. I don't know which one of Kayla's fathers will be walking her down the aisle, but knowing how she is, she'll probably want Aslan and Mr. Bedwell. I'm thinking of having your father in it."

"Along with Mr. Andersen."

"That one is a given, Peter."

"Just make sure you tell Kayla all of this."

"She was probably listening all along."

"I was."

"Kayla!"

"What? I came out here to check on y'alls. Susan and Lucy didn't wanna come outside."

Caspian looked back into the ballroom and saw Susan dancing with who looked like one of the Telmarine lords' sons. A hint of jealousy began to arise in his soul, so he went back into the ballroom.

"Where is he going?"

"Where do you think, Peter? Susan is dancing with someone else, and if you can't tell, she is not looking comfortable."

Caspian approached Susan, and when she saw him, she immediately eased up.

"Excuse me, Lord Armand, but I promised King Caspian this next dance."

"Of course, my lady."

"That's your majesty to you, Armand. She is still Queen of Narnia."

Lord Armand walked away, and Susan's smile returned.

"Thank you, Caspian. He seemed to be getting a bit possessive. And his hands would not stay still."

"You are most welcome, your majesty."

Kayla and Ivar watched Caspian and Susan dance, and they knew that there would be another couple in the Narnian royal family.