He found her sitting on a ledge high up on the How. As with so many times before, he wondered what she saw in the distance. Anything was possible, he supposed, as her leonine gaze was sharper than his. "How are you feeling?"

Adeline shrugged. "It itches." Which was to be expected. It was healing properly, Lucy had made sure to check on the new, healthy scab every few hours. Two days had passed since Trufflehunter and Glenstorm had removed the sick skin from her wound, preventing further illness by pressing a red-hot blade against it. She had been unconscious for a full day afterwards, waking up to find the Pevensies fussing over her. "Was there something you wanted, Your Majesty?"

"You could call me Peter, you know." He sat down next to her, giving her a faint smile. Adeline grimaced and he nearly laughed. It was futile, an endeavour abandoned by his sisters and brother but kept him amused and oftentimes made her smile. She called only those equal to her standing by their names. With her superiors, it was always their title, no matter her closeness to the people in question, even though she often disregarded her manners with them.

"And be forever known as out of control?" She pursed her lips. They both knew that the smile twitching in the corners of her lips would break free soon. "I'd rather not."

Peter laughed, freely and happily. "To be 'forever known' you would need to be a part of the history books," he remarked, eyes sparkling playfully. "I hear you're quite adept at avoiding such a fate." There it was. A smile spread on her lips, small and secretive and captivating. She truly was a heart-stopping visage.

"What in the…" Hidden among the trees on the other side of the plain, was a soldier. Those with merely human eyes would surely have missed him, hence why she insisted on satyrs and fauns in particular for sentry-duty. "We must find the others," Adeline said quietly. "There won't be much time before they march on us, I'm certain of it."

The High King of Narnia knew better than to argue. If the Commander believed them to be in danger of an attack, they were. No questions, no arguments.

Disappointment shone in Lucy's eyes as she listened to Peter and Caspian debating about whether they should attack Miraz's stronghold before the Telmarine armies and war machines reached the How or wait it all out. From what the young queen could gather, they had established that while they were capable of defending the How, they would eventually starve. And while they would likely be able to attack first and catch the Telmarines off guard, they would lose lives anyway. She glanced at Adeline, who stood in the shadows, silent. Disagreeing. "Must you all act like there are only two options," she asked, frowning. "Surely there must be another, rather than just dying here or dying there?"

"I'm not sure you understand, Lu."

A derisive snort in the dark made her smile. "Really, because I'm starting to wonder if you understand what you're asking," Lucy retorted sharply. "Three hundred years ago, the Narnians fought until they were nearly extinct."

"Many of us would gladly do so again," Reepicheep piped up, sword in hand as he bowed regally.

"And in doing so, you would throw away everything Adeline worked so hard to preserve," Lucy cried indignantly. "For years, she was gone, building shelters to protect our legacy, our people." She glared at her siblings and the other members of the gathered council. Surely their thirst for Telmarine blood would not outweigh their respect for a living legend, known for her wisdom in political matters? Lucy did not think it did.

She was wrong.

"The Commander won't be coming."

Both Pevensie brothers immediately tensed. Lucy's formal way of addressing their friend was worrying enough. To hear that Adeline, master in the arts of warfare and espionage, would not be present during their raid on Miraz's castle… it set off alarm bells that they were too far gone to acknowledge. She had not spoken a word council. Peter swallowed thickly. "It's probably for the best," he said uncertainly. "Her injury needs to heal." He could have sworn Lucy actually growled at him, her gaze scornful.

"If you truly knew her, you would both know better than that."

It was only ever easy to find Adeline when she wanted to be found or, at least, was not hiding. Lucy found her friend kneeling in the forest behind the How, just a few steps in between the trees. A burlap bag was open beside her. "What are you doing?"

Adeline looked up. "Foraging, Your Majesty," she replied. "Come, let me show you." Lucy sat down beside her, watching avidly. There had never been time for Adeline to show her kings and queens the hidden treasures of the Narnian forests. She held the burlap bag between them. "This is a mistmoor plant," she explained, picking up a leafy stem. "It's quite edible, if a little bitter, though it is traditionally used for ointments that remove scars."

"And that," Lucy said, pointing to a white flower that had a blue and green shimmer to it, "what is it?"

"Bite-snap." She gently pulled it in half, showing Lucy the blood-coloured inside of the flower's stem. Squeezing slightly, she watched as red juice trickled out. "Poisonous if not prepared correctly, but if you know what you're doing, it adds a nice texture and taste to venison stew."

The two spent their time in the forest, looking for fruits, plants, nuts, and mushrooms, until it was too dark, even for Adeline's feline gaze. Some of them were edible, some could be used to weaken the enemy, others were medicinal. Lucy found herself strangely affected by it all. At first, she was not quite sure why. Then she realised that she had never before spent so much time alone with Adeline. The Commander was a recluse, only in the company of others when necessary. Yet it had seemed as though she had invited Lucy to join her for no other reason than light conversation. And that thought made Lucy feel all warm inside.

Curious, Trufflehunter walked over to them when they returned. His eyes lit up and his mind raced when he saw the bounty they brought with them. "With your permission, I would like to start preparing food and medicine," he said graciously. "There will be a need for it." The Lion's daughter tossed him the bag as she stalked off, her demeanour changed at his unintentional reminder of where the other leaders of their rebellion were. Looking up at Queen Lucy, Trufflehunter winced. "She is quite… testy, isn't she?"

"No, not normally," Lucy defended quietly, "Adeline's actually quite patient in the right circumstances." She glanced in the direction where the blonde had gone, wondering if she should follow her or just wait out her soured mood. "I think she feels responsible for their choices," she continued, "Back when we first arrived in Narnia, she was in charge of our education, so when they do something stupid, I think she believes she's failed."

"A heavy burden to bear, I imagine."

Lucy nodded absently. Especially when the lives lost would be the lives she nearly lost hers to save.

When the others returned to the How, Adeline was nowhere to be found. Lucy had searched all morning and had just given up when word got to her that her siblings were on their way. Even from the entrance, she could feel the tension rolling off of Peter and Caspian in waves. That, as well as the sombre atmosphere, told Lucy what she had dreaded. Something had gone terribly wrong. Just under half of those who left had returned. Several were injured. "What happened?"

"Ask him."

Oh no. Lucy could do nothing but watch as both Peter and Caspian snapped.

"Me?"

"You let your desire for revenge get to you," Peter spat. "If it hadn't been for you, all of those who died there could've still been with us!" Fury boiled his blood, all he could hear was his heart racing and the words that spilt like poison from Caspian's lips.

"If we had stayed here, which I suggested, they most definitely would've been!"

Peter saw red. "You have no right to be here, acting all high and mighty," he shouted. "If it hadn't been for you, there would be no need for any of this!"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You, Miraz, your father," Peter growled, "You invaded Narnia, stole it from its rightful people!"

Caspian gritted his teeth. "And that's you, then?"

"That's enough." Adeline's voice was cool, controlled. It did nothing to hide the rage in her burning gaze. It did not ease her rigid posture. "Lucy, tend to the injured." The crowd's whispering ceased instantly. The significance of her words was not lost on them. It was an order, issued by an elder, a predecessor who held authority over them. No longer was she the Commander, the mighty soldier from the fairytales said to have been a loyal servant, tutor and advisor under the rule of the Kings and Queens of Old. She was Adeline, Warrior Queen of Narnia. "A word."

Caspian and Peter were under no illusions. Resistance would be met with dire consequences. For the first time since meeting her, they both saw her as truly dangerous. They followed her in awestruck, terrified silence as she led them into the How, away from prying eyes. She took them deeper into the darkness than they had ever wandered before. The longer they walked, the more nervous they got. When the tunnel suddenly turned upwards, their hearts nearly stopped. They were stood in a glade, surrounded by rocks. The How was farther behind them than either had expected.

"You should be ashamed of yourselves," Adeline hissed. "There is no excuse for your behaviour, no explanation for your idiocy, no apology to good enough for the families of the people you both got killed." They flinched, looking down at their feet like scolded children. And in her eyes, eyes that had seen several wars and hundreds of years pass, that was what they were. They were no better than children, arguing over the same toy, no better than the satyr and faun so long ago whose pride would not let them use similar weapons. "Fools," she spat. "Neither of you is worthy of the honour bestowed on you."

"Adeline—"

"I—"

She was at her wit's end. "You invaded Narnia," Adeline growled, glaring at Caspian. "You have a right to the throne only because your ancestors stole it from someone else." The prince opened his mouth to protest but she held up a hand to silence him. He shrunk under her hard gaze, shifting anxiously even as she turned to Peter. "You abandoned Narnia," she stated coldly. "Your full claim on the throne still holds, but only because you've not yet been replaced."

"You have no idea—"

"Oh, but I do," Adeline interrupted. "I understand perfectly, as a former, foreign queen, what the both of you are going through." Their jaws dropped. She nodded slowly. "What I don't see, is how you can both be so blatantly disrespectful to each other, nor do I understand how you can be so ignorant to both of your roles in this."

Caspian's voice was weak and uncertain when he spoke. "I'm not quite sure I understand."

"Neither of you seem to grasp that this isn't a matter of which of you is the rightful king of Narnia," Adeline bit out. "There was only ever one rightful line, and neither of us belong to it."

"Would you just spit it out?"

Adeline punched Peter before he had a chance to defend himself. Hard, across the jaw. She could feel the skin of her knuckles split but found herself unable to care. "We are all foreign rulers," she cried impatiently. "And we all belong to three separate lines that have held the Narnian throne." She started pacing, tugging at her hair. How much longer she would last without stabbing either or both of them, she was not certain. "We are predecessors and successors and as such, we must be willing to teach and learn, rather than indulging in your pointless, useless battle for power."

Tears stung in Peter's eyes, both from the pain in his jaw and from hearing how disappointed Adeline was. All he had ever wanted was to prove himself worthy in her eyes.

Caspian did not quite understand why, but he was deeply ashamed to have let her down. It felt like it mattered, somehow. Like he needed her support to ever be a king at all.

"You both must accept each other, lest the divided loyalties kill us all and hand Miraz victory on a silver platter." Her voice was gentler as she shook her head in tired exasperation. "Peter, you left Narnia and therefore you have to see that you must earn the trust of the people," she stated, before turning to Caspian, "And you, young prince, need to learn that Peter and his family are older and more experienced, which makes them more qualified to make the final decisions." They were on their knees before her, powerless beneath the weight of her words. Adeline put on hand on each of their shoulders, an equally comforting and warning gesture. "If you would just listen to each other, and share your knowledge of your different cultures and customs, this whole mess would have been avoided."

Caspian looked up. "Was there a way," he asked. "Could we have avoided bloodshed there and starvation here?"

"Of course," she replied, "Peter knows how."

"To listen is to survive," Peter said quietly, "Listen for water, prey, enemies." He frowned, considering the plan that was forming in his head. The plan they should have used the night before. "We could have sent out people to the forests, spies to set traps and eliminate lone soldiers," he murmured, "Others could have hunted, foraged, found water."

Adeline nodded. "Indeed."

"You taught me that." She nodded again and he understood. "You want me to teach him."

"Good to know we're all on the same page." Adeline let them go, helping them both stand. "Take some time to think this all through," she suggested. "Get some rest."

Lucy was aiding the ill with Edmund's help when her brother suddenly froze, his face contorted in concentration. He looked up at her so suddenly that she flinched. "What's wrong?"

"Do you hear that?"

Eyes widening in realisation, Adeline immediately picked up her weapons. She dragged Peter along with her when she nearly stumbled over him. She recognised the hissed chants as they echoed in her head, felt the magic cut deep into her bones.

Trumpkin, seeing his kings and queen run through the How towards the Stone Table, did not hesitate to follow them.

The sight that greeted them when they entered the chamber had Adeline's thirst for blood returning with a vengeance. A werewolf, a hag, a vengeful dwarf, and her. The Witch. The first usurper of Narnia. Adeline wasted no time, lashing out with her dagger at the werewolf while Peter went for the hag and Trumpkin tangled with Nikabrik.

Edmund, remembering too well Adeline's lessons on werewolves, knew that they were stronger between transformations and immediately followed his best friend. Just in time, as she was thrown off by the beast, smacking hard into the corner of a nearby column. "Adeline!" He ducked as a massive paw swiped at his head, using the opportunity to run his sword along the inside of the werewolf's knee. It howled in pain, but did not seem overall affected by wound.

"Edmund!"

He whirled around, a flash of silver nearly blinding him, He caught the dagger, turning to jab it right between the ribs of the creature. It died almost instantly, weakened by the magic in the blade and the direct hit to the heart. Edmund tossed it aside, pulling out the dagger before he rushed to help Adeline up. His hand came away, wet with blood. The wound on her ribcage had reopened. Across the chamber, Trumpkin killed Nikabrik before he could cause any permanent damage to Lucy, while Peter managed to throw the hag against a rock, killing her.

Still, the Witch was desperately tempting Caspian closer. A nasty gash stretched across his palm. She was so close. Just one drop. One drop to end them all and have her life and power returned to her after so long. All he needed to do was take one more step. Come on. But fortune favoured the bold and Jadis relished in it. For the young king, Peter, heroically pushed the Telmarine boy out of the way. And her victory would be all the sweeter if the blood given to her belonged to one of the Pevensie children. "Peter, darling," she said sweetly, "it is so very good to see you again." She could feel it. His insecurities were the same as Caspian's. Both wanted to prove themselves as kings by defeating the Telmarine scum. They wanted her help. All she would need was one drop of… Jadis gasped. The magic binding her to the ritual was slipping. A sword had been driven straight through the ice.

Shielding his eyes as the frozen wall shattered, Peter looked around the chamber. Adeline was lying on the floor, her shirt stained red, breathing laboured. Lucy was comforting Trumpkin who, despite everything, was saddened to have been forced into killing a friend. Edmund glared at him from between the columns, sword in hand. Caspian seemed as much in disbelief over both of their actions as Peter himself.

"Adeline!"

They both turned around, finding Susan rushing over to the fallen Commander with Glenstorm on her heel. She quickly helped the injured blonde onto the centaur's back and ordered him to take her to Trufflehunter for immediate attention. When she turned around and set her disappointed gaze on the him and Caspian, Peter realised with a chill what he had almost done. He had almost surrendered Narnia to the clutches of the Witch.