In a moment of strange calm, Edmund could not help but think of the saying 'great minds think alike'. With what seemed to be the same breath, Adeline and Edmund left their safety upon the rocks and dove into battle. Within minutes the former Queen of Narnia had killed two ogres and three hags. She moved faster than he had anticipated and he quickly lost sight of her.

But Peter had seen the Witch too. And though he was confident in Adeline's luck in battle, he wanted more than war for his brother. He did not have to think about it. "Edmund, there's too many!" Though Edmund was doing fairly well on his own, cutting down an ogre twice his size, Peter needed him to leave. He could not be distracted by the possibility of his brother getting hurt. "Get out of here," he shouted over the crash of battle. "Get the girls and get them home!" He could tell Edmund was hesitant, even as he was ushered away by Mr. Beaver. Peter did not have time to ponder the chances of Edmund defying him just for the hell of it, throwing his shield up in front of him to halt an attack from a minotaur.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on one's perspective, Adeline did see the younger Pevensie brother. She saw his gaze shift between Peter and the Witch. The moment she saw the determination in his eyes, she knew she had to move swiftly. By the name of the Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea, if that boy did something stupid… and off he went. Eyes closing briefly, Adeline fought through the masses to the best of her ability. Not fast enough.

There was only one thing on Edmund's mind as he left Mr. Beaver's care, blatantly ignoring his brother's orders. In the corner of his eye, he saw Adeline try to get to him. He did not care. His childish anger towards his family had contributed to all the death around him and he was not going to flee from that. Edmund charged, attacking the Witch directly. If he survived, Peter would kill him. If he did not, Adeline would. Then she would bring him back somehow to lecture him on what he had done wrong. A price he was willing to pay.

A surge of pride and exasperation momentarily stunned the former Warrior Queen. From across the battlefield, too far for her to be able to aid him, she watched Edmund sidestep the Witch and bring his blade down. The wand shattered into thousands of pieces, emitting a hypnotising light before it faded, the magic dissipating. Relief. Her greatest weapon had been destroyed. Horror. At the cost of Edmund's life. A strangled gasp escaped Adeline's throat. Edmund parried the Witch's blade, allowing her to drive the broken remains of her wand into his torso. Faintly, she heard Peter scream his brother's name. It spurred her back into action. Two minotaurs attacked her at the same time, backing her up against a rock. She might have been able to handle one on her own, but two… she would not manage for long, not before either of them got the upper hand. She parried a blow from the attacker on the left, not twisting around fast enough to block the other. Though disarmed, the beast pushed her hard enough to knock her head against the rock behind her. The rest of the battle passed in a haze, her vision cloudy as she felt blood trickle down the back of her neck.

Egged on by his fallen brother, Peter tore through the battle. The Witch would die. He would make sure of it if it was the last thing he ever did. Was he stupid for engaging in direct combat with a woman like the Witch? Yes. Was he likely to die soon? Probably. But he would avenge Edmund. He had to.

A sudden sound of feet thundering against the ground distracted them both. They looked up, in time to see Aslan arrive at the battle. The Great Lion let out a roar that shook the battlegrounds. Behind him, hundreds of Narnians appeared, alongside Susan and Lucy. The wheel of fortune was turning.

The Witch took advantage of the little king's distraction and shook herself out of her own shock. She attacked relentlessly, her own army insignificant and worthless in the face of losing everything that she had worked so hard to gain. Her power was slipping. The fear she had instilled in so many Narnians for so many years… it was absent in the son of Adam's eyes. She managed to trip him, getting him flat on his back. A blade in his arm kept him there. Lifting the second one, she readied herself for the kill. A growl. A flash of golden mane. Gold eyes meeting green.

Trying to stand, Adeline could make out the shape of her father. Her heart beat faster and her breath quickened. Her head spun and for a moment, her vision went dark. She was nauseous. For the love of Aslan, when was the last time she had hurt herself quite so badly she actually got sick? Adeline stumbled forward, falling into someone's arms. Garion. Maybe.

Supporting the Commander, her weight nothing compared to that of his comrades, the satyr made his way towards the kings and queens. They were gathered around the fallen one. Crying, hoping, waiting. The littlest queen, Lucy, put her cordial away. His Commander needed it, yet he dared not interrupt them.

Edmund coughed lightly when he woke, barely finding the time to regain his breath before he was tugged into his brother's arms. Surprised, yet elated, he returned the embrace tightly, laughing slightly as his sisters wrapped themselves around him as well.

"When are you gonna learn to do as you're told?" Peter stared incredulously at Edmund as he pulled away, overjoyed and exasperated all at once. He suddenly had a feeling he knew what it felt like to be Adeline. He hugged him again, but something in Edmund's manner changed. Lucy and Susan must have noticed too, for they removed themselves from the hug to check on him.

"Adeline." She was sickly pale, held up only by Garion. The way she slumped forward allowed Edmund to catch sight of the bloody mass of hair at the back of her head. "Lucy, you have to—" His sister was on her feet in an instant, rushing over to, with Garion's assistance, administer a drop of her magical medicine. Edmund's heart raced as he waited for Adeline to react. She did not.

"She'll not wake for some time." All four of the siblings turned to Aslan. "After so many years, the effects of diluted fire-flowers have weakened." He gave them a lion's smile. Their care for his daughter was endearing and he hoped that Adeline would give the friendship a chance to flourish. One could not go about eternity alone. She least of all. "Once she has rested, she will make a full recovery." The Great Lion turned to Lucy. "There are others who are in need of Your Majesty's assistance."

Lucy understood. Picking up her cordial, she ran around the field, healing all those who were still alive. There was something in the air, something that only increased with every awakened soldier. Narnia was on its way back to what it had once been.

Adeline hid in the back of the throne room during the coronation. When Argus asked if she did not prefer to be closer to the front, tactfully placing the weight of his question on her status rather than her height, she had claimed that her head was aching. In reality, she was still uncertain in large crowds and wished to have the option of slipping away unnoticed readily available.

Once the new Kings and Queens of Narnia had been crowned, and the masses started to disperse, Adeline saw her chance. Though, considering just how little things had been going her way, she should have known that she would get caught.

"Where are you going?"

She winced, turning around to face His Majesty, King Edmund the Just of Narnia. Feeling oddly mischievous, Adeline bowed playfully. She would never be able to see him as just a king. He was her… friend. The word felt strange in her mind, dusty and unused. "I am afraid that my duties call elsewhere, Your Majesty," she replied carefully, lips quirked into a soft smile.

The king shuffled uncertainly, not entirely certain how far he dared to push her. "Will you be returning?" Edmund felt nervous, watching her consider his question. Should he be flattered that she was contemplating the matter or worried that it needed contemplation at all? He still did not know all he needed to know about his new kingdom, nor did his siblings. Was she not meant to help them still?

Amusement danced in Adeline's eyes. "Are you ordering me to return, Your Majesty?"

"I… yes, Commander."

"Very well then." She stepped forward, righting his crown. "I'll be seeing you soon, Your Majesty."

From the balcony, Lucy watched as Aslan walked along the beach. Tears slid down her cheeks. Beside her, Mister Tumnus did his best to console her, though her sorrow was only made worse as she witnessed the farewell between her brother and Adeline. Mister Tumnus wrapped an arm around her.

"We'll see them both again."

"When?"

"In time." He chuckled slightly as his Queen glared at him with watery eyes. "Adeline takes her duties seriously, you'll see her soon," he reassured her. "You must remember that neither of them is tame." Queen Lucy looked up at him uncertainly and he realised that her limited time with the two had left her with little experience in the matters of Adeline and her father. "They are unbound by expectations, Your Majesty," he explained gently, "and bend only to the Deep Magic."

Nodding her reluctant acceptance, Lucy allowed Tumnus to take her back inside. If he believed Adeline would return one day soon, she would take his word for it. Not that it was going to stop her from looking outside every day. No, not even Peter would be able to stop her from anticipating the return of the Commander. She wanted to hear what other stories the older girl had to share.

"Edmund, it's your turn."

He blinked, gaze once again focusing on his sister. Susan raised her eyebrows imploringly. Lazily, he glanced down at the chessboard between them, absently moving a piece before going back to his musings. Something felt different and he was not entirely sure what it was. At the beginning of their reign, almost five years prior, every day had felt that way. It was a feeling he associated with something new happening.

"Ed, come on!" Her brother blinked owlishly at her. "By Aslan, Ed, what's got you so distracted?"

"Do you feel… I don't know, as though something might happen?"

Susan glared at him, unamused. "I'm not the Deep Magic, Edmund, how would I know if something's going to happen?"

Edmund ignored her snippy tone. He could feel it. There was an air of anticipation around them. As though the entire kingdom was waiting for something or someone, holding its breath as it lay in wait. On instinct, he walked over to the large windows in the library in a poor attempt to ease his nerves. What he saw puzzled him. "Su, is there any reason for the soldiers to stand at attention in the courtyard?" She looked as startled as he felt. "That's a no."

Suddenly, the doors burst open. "Edmund, Susan, you have to come quickly," Lucy gasped, hunching over to catch her breath, "Adeline has returned!"

Both siblings paused, barely even breathing for just a few seconds. Then they immediately rushed outside to greet their unannounced visitor. None of them had seen the Commander since just before the coronation, or, in Edmund's case, just after it. Though she had been ordered by Edmund to return, he had not realised until it was too late that he had not been given a time for her return.

In the courtyard, the soldiers shifted uncomfortably under Adeline's critical gaze. On occasion she would make a sudden attack, berating her victim if they did not respond to the threat within a reasonable time. As the four Kings and Queens of Narnia approached, she quirked her lip with disapproval. "You have not been keeping your armies on their toes." Her tone was accusatory and several of the aforementioned soldiers flinched at her blatant disregard of manners. She rolled her eyes.

"Well, Commander, not all of us are quite as cautious as you," Peter retorted playfully, though he made sure to emphasize her title in a discreet reprimand. "Surely we can take some time to enjoy our peace before you begin drilling our people again?"

A dark expression flickered over Adeline's face, though only Edmund was quick enough to catch it. "Peace comes at a heavy cost if one is not prepared for war," he said diplomatically, "though you must have some tea with us, Commander, before we unleash you upon these poor souls." She frowned at the palpable relief from the soldiers, foot tapping impatiently.

"Is that an order, Your Majesty?"

It was his turn to roll his eyes. "Yes, Commander, that is an order."

Tea with Adeline was what one could expect. Silent sulking from the blonde while the siblings chatted happily. Any questions about her travels were quickly deflected, which worried them. Where had she been? Why had she left in the first place? Edmund recalled Adeline's vague explanation when he caught her leaving. But he was no closer to figuring out what she had meant. He longed to get her alone, aware that she seemed to trust him more than his siblings. "Adeline, we'll be playing a game of chess after supper." There was no use in tearing her away from the soldiers once they let her loose. It would be easier to summon her once the soldiers had been sent home or gone back to their duties. "That is an order."

She nodded curtly, displeased but acquiescent. "Understood, Your Majesty."

"Tell me what you've been up to."

"I'm afraid that I cannot comply with your request, Your Majesty."

Edmund let out a frustrated growl. "I'm bloody well not speaking to you as a king," he spat. "I'm speaking to you as a friend."

Perusing the books around her, Adeline inclined her head. "I still cannot tell you," she replied, though her voice was gentler. "You'll see, one day." Another sound of frustration. While she carried guilt around every day, it was a little strange to associate the feeling with her friend. She found herself wondering if it damaged his trust in her, the secrets. He would know one day… but he was not likely to find out from her. "I have to do something," she said quietly. "The Deep Magic must have its way and I want to make sure to be prepared."

A heavy sigh. "Very well." Edmund saw her hand flit to the dagger at her belt, the three lines she had made in her hand flashing before his eyes. "You never told me why you do it." Adeline met his gaze curiously. He nodded to the weapon. The corners of her lips twitched slightly, though he was unsure as to why. She suddenly turned, heading out of the library. Interest piqued, Edmund followed.

Only once they were a safe distance away from prying eyes and ears did Adeline stop. She pulled the dagger from its sheath, the silver as cool to the touch as it always was. "It's old magic, a ritual created alongside the Deep Magic by the Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea," she explained. "It's a promise, silver dipped in blood." Adeline held her palm out flat for him to see. Using her dagger, she made three thin lines, droplets of red barely breaking forth. "One for each person I've sworn to avenge."

"Does it matter what kind of silver it is?"

"Yes." She held the hilt of the blade out for Edmund to take. "This particular blade was made from silver found in my homeland, the Land Beyond the Sea." Adeline watched him trace his fingers along the intricate handle and the engravings on the blade. It was her most prized possession. "One who makes such a promise can only be parted with it upon completion of the promise or death."

Wary of the beautiful artefact, Edmund gave it back to her. "What if you were to drop it?"

"In the unlikely case of that happening… I'd worry for my own safety," Adeline replied thoughtfully. "It has aided my survival for many years, as is its purpose, and it can only leave me if it is forced from my hand."

Edmund opened his mouth to ask more questions, only to be interrupted by the sound of Lucy calling his name. He looked around. It was later than he had expected. The sun was almost set and it was due time for both of them to get some rest. Knowing Adeline, she had not slept as well as she should in a while. "Come, I'll take you to your chambers."

"I'm getting my own ones for when I am here, am I not?"

"Does that bother you?"

"Yes."

"Then yes, you're getting your very own, personal chambers."

She made an irritated noise, which only served to make him laugh. "Had you not been my king—"

"I'm well aware, Commander." Edmund paused just as they were to enter the castle again. "Will you be staying for a while, Adeline?" She did not stop to answer him and he shook his head, wondering if he was ever going to get to know her enough to predict her actions. "What if I order you to stay for a while?"

"What if you do?"

"Commander, I order you to stay at Cair Paravel for some time," he said, his smile contradicting his attempt at a stern tone, "Our soldiers are not in the shape required for an honoured Narnian army."

"Very well, Your Majesty."