Disclaimer: If I owned the Chronicles of Narnia, I'd be rich. Hate to break it to you, but I'm not. I only own Vaslin, who happens to be my OC.

Chapter 4:

They'd abandoned the boat on the beach where the bear had been killed. They'd decided that their legs preferred walking over sitting for so much time. That and they weren't so out in the open. However, upon trying to find the river again, they'd encountered rocks; lots of large rocks.

"I don't remember this way." Susan admitted.

"That's the problem with girls." Peter joked. "You can't carry a map in your heads."

"That's because our heads have something in them." Lucy pointed out.

"I wish he'd just listen to the D.L.F. in the first place." Susan complained.

"D.L.F.?" Edmund and Vaslin asked together.

"Dear little friend." Lucy clarified, exchanging a grin with Susan.

"Oh, that's not at all patronizing, is it?" Trumpkin frowned.

Edmund smirked at him.

"Don't worry. It just means that they like you." Vaslin told him, laughter in his voice.

"How long have you known them for?" The dwarf asked curiously.

"Near all my life." The former wolf told him. "I've helped them, they've helped me. We fought and defeated the Witch together, you know."

"I know."

"When we returned to their world a year ago, I was adopted into their family. I'm their brother, but not by blood." Vaslin explained. "Bet you didn't know that."

"I didn't."

It wasn't long before they approached a section where the path split in two.

Peter paused, frowning. "I'm not lost."

"No." Trumpkin agreed. "You're just going the wrong way."

"You last saw Caspian,"(that's what the dwarf had told them the young Telmarine- the Prince's name was),"at the Shuddering Woods, and the quickest way there is to cross at the River Rush." The boy recalled.

"But unless I'm mistaken, there's no crossing at these parts."

"That explains it then. You're mistaken."

The High King turned and led them down the left trail.

*X*

It wasn't long before the group was clear of the rocks. After a little more travelling through the forest, they came to a halt at a gorge. Sure enough, down below was the River Rush. BUt there didn't seem to be a way down to it; the path they'd once known was long gone.

"You see, over time water erodes the Earth's soil-" Susan began unhelpfully.

"Oh, shut up." Peter muttered unhappily.

"Is there a way down?" Edmund asked Trumpkin.

"Yeah, falling." The dwarf told him.

"Well, we weren't lost." The High King pointed out.

"There's a ford near Beruna." Trumpkin said. "How do you feel about swimming?"

"I'd rather that than walking." Susan replied as the group turned away from the river.

"Aslan?" Lucy gasped without warning, making the others turn. "It's Aslan! It's Aslan, over there!" She pointed across the river. "Don't you see? He's right…" He wasn't there. "...There."

Vaslin desperately wanted to believe the lion was there, but he couldn't.

"Do you see him now?" Trumpkin asked sarcastically.

"I'm not crazy." Lucy turned to face him. "He was there. He wanted us to follow him."

"I'm sure there are any number of lions in this wood." Peter told her. "Just like that bear."

Vaslin didn't believe that either; they'd not seen anything since the bear.

"I think I know Aslan when I see him." The Queen retorted.

"Look, I'm not about to jump off a cliff after someone who doesn't exist." Trumpkin told them.

"He exists." Vaslin muttered, looking away from their "D.L.F".

"The last time I didn't believe Lucy I ended up looking pretty stupid." Edmund recalled.

Peter glanced across the gorge again, before addressing Lucy. "Why wouldn't I have seen him?"

"Maybe you weren't looking." She suggested sadly.

"I'm sorry, Lu." The High King made up his mind.

As the group turned to continue on, Vaslin watched Lucy cast a longing glance across the gorge. Something told him she believed what she saw. Sympathy for her and his own hope finally convinced him; she had seen Aslan.

"I believe you." He told her softly.

She gave him a small, sad smile. "Thanks, Vaslin."

"We'll find him. I promise."

*X*

At one point, shouts caught their attention. The group followed them to a clearing, where a pile of logs lay. Hiding behind it, they peeked out. Telmarine soldiers were chopping down a great many trees. They ducked as a group of men on horses came from the trees and into the clearing.

"So much for crossing the river." Vaslin said quietly, frowning.

"Perhaps this wasn't the best way to come after all." Susan told Peter.

Upon peeking out over the log pile again, it was quickly noticed that the Telmarines were using the wood from the trees to build a bridge across the river.

And knowing from experience that Susan was usually correct in her assumptions, the group turned around and vanished back into the trees, intent on leaving the Telmarines and their yet-to-be-completed bridge behind them.

*X*

They ended up going back to the gorge.

"So where exactly do you think you saw Aslan?" Peter asked Lucy.

"I wish you'd all stop trying to sound like grown-ups." She complained. "I don't think I saw him, I did see him."

"I am a grown-up." Trumpkin pointed out quietly.

"It was right over-" Her words cut off in a scream as the ground gave way beneath her.

"Lucy!" Susan cried.

"-Here." Upon racing to where the Queen had been, they discovered that she was quite alright. As a matter of fact, she'd even found their missing path down to the river.

With little more said among them, they jumped down to the trail, one by one and set off down to the river. They were mindful of the edge as they went. In almost no time, they were at the river's edge. Lucy was the first to start across on some stones in a shallow spot. One gave away and Trumpkin steadied her. She smiled at him gratefully, continuing.

*X*

By nightfall, they'd reached the top of the opposite side of the gorge from where they'd started and set up a camp. Vaslin lay awake, on his side, long after the others had said their goodnights. He couldn't sleep; he never did much anymore. Ever since he arrived in the world of the Kings and Queens, his already limited sleep had been even more limited.

He was homesick for the old Narnia. And then there were always nightmares from the Witch's reign and of past battles he'd fought in. But the lack of sleep hardly bugged him; being part of the Secret Police had kept him up either training or on missions for days at a time. The others- minus Trumpkin- knew he didn't sleep well. Sometimes they kept him company late at night, just talking; sometimes about Narnia, sometimes about Earth. He appreciated their efforts.

"Lucy, are you awake?" Susan whispered, catching Vaslin's attention.

There was a soft "Hmm" in response.

The former wolf could hear the High King shift to face her sister. "Why do you think I didn't see Aslan?"

He could hear Lucy sit up now as well. "You believe me?"

"Well, we got across the gorge." Susan told her.

"I don't know." Lucy finally answered the original question. "Maybe you didn't really want to."

"You always knew we'd be coming back here, didn't you?"

"I hoped so."

Me too, Vaslin thought. But he wished that it hadn't been this way; that it was still the Narnia he loved. But it'd changed so much.

Susan shifted, probably lying back down. "I finally just got used to the idea of being in England."

"But you're happy to be here, aren't you?" Lucy asked.

"While it lasts."

Vaslin wondered what it'd be like to switch between the two worlds for the rest of his life. He couldn't imagine picking and staying in one forever; England was beginning to feel like home to him, yet Narnia had never left his heart. There was no way he could choose one over the other if it came down to it.