*Chapter 24- Loneliness and Lion's Roars*

Hello all! Gabby's back and ready for action! I'm on summer break, offering an unlimited amount of time to get me creative juices aflowin'. You know what that means..

More updates! Huzzah!

Btw-have I told y'all about that crazy awesome new fanfic by HILLBILLYHUNTERS, called EPIC? I have? Ok good, now go and read it ^.^

Anywho, on with the story..!

Silence still rang about the clearing as the Narnian army watched the Telmarines ride away into the forest with their future queen as their ransom. What was left of the young royals stood frozen as their shell shocked minds wrapped around what had just taken place. Then, after what could have been hours or mere minutes, the silence was shattered by the loud, piercing sound of metal slamming down upon stone. All eyes turned to Caspian, who had swatted the helmet Edmund was holding from his hands with a venomous force. The young Telmarine then turned and headed for the nearest stone pillar and swung his foot up against it, that same moment emitting a screech of pain and fury as his leather clad toes cracked loudly and achingly. Iridescent, whose elven mind worked fastest through the shock, sprang forward and grabbed Caspian in a surprisingly forceful grip, stopping him from causing himself any more pain.

"Now just what do you think you're doing?" she hissed sharply in his ear. Fearful, urgent whispers were rising from the gathered Narnians as they watched their monarch's resolve crumple around him.

Caspian did not offer a reply, instead tried jerking free of her grip. His face was twisted in his rage, and Iridescent could see the many emotions coursing through him playing in his dark eyes: an unspeakable fury to an unfathomable sadness, betrayal to a yearning to trust, hopelessness to a raging determination, and the one that dominated the others; Caspian's torturous heartbreak. All at once, Iridescent was reminded of all the times he and Penelope had trained together, all their stolen looks and secret smiles. And suddenly she knew exactly what it was Caspian thought he was doing.

"Oi, come on, love, let's get you inside the How and get that foot looked at. We'll get you a good meal and calm your nerves. Come on." she said in a voice softened by the sudden maternal instincts she felt radiating through her. She turned to the others, who were each watching Caspian with similar expressions of incredulity and compassion in equal terms, and indicated that they, too, should head for the How. In an instant, Susan was at Caspian's other side, wrapping her arm around his waist in support and comfort alike, and together she and Iridescent helped the crushed prince limp down the sloping pathway. Edmund and Peter followed closely behind after stopping to collect the helmet and chair from the arena, and as they passed the huddled and whispering Narnians Peter raised his voice to address them.

"Well, go on, there's nothing more to see here! Go and find yourselves some food and start preparing for battle."

At once all manner of creatures, still muttering, went hurrying in a mass crowd into the How, keeping a careful distance from their shattered royals. Iridescent, Susan, and Caspian headed, predictably, for the chamber of the Stone Table, the unofficial headquarters of the monarchs, with Edmund and Peter hot on their trail. Susan grabbed a torch from its holders in the walls and the two lead Caspian forward into the dim chamber. Susan slipped away to light the other torches adorning the walls, adding to the light of the troth of fire running the perimeter of the room, while Iridescent moved forward with Caspian. She propped him up against the Stone Table, where he promptly slumped to a defeated heap on the floor with his head resting against the ancient stone. Iridescent crouched before him as Peter and Edmund came and sat on the table near them and drew forth a small flask from her belt. Caspian stared uncomprehendingly at it for a few moments before Iridescent lost her patience.

"Take it," she murmured, an edge creeping into her voice. "It'll help with the shock."

With the same blank look in his eyes, Caspian reached for the flask, uncorking it and taking a hesitant swig. He paused, considering the taste, and the others watched as his whole body relaxed and he took another, longer drink.

"Alcohol?" Edmund asked ruefully. Iridescent shot him a dark smirk over her shoulder, not quite taking her eyes off Caspian.

"Vinum. One of the richest, most alluring wines among the elves. It'll help him, just you watch."

"You're getting him drunk?" Susan demanded incredulously. She never was one for excessive alcohol use.

"You could put it that way," said Iridescent none too helpfully.

After a few moments, the effect of the alcohol became evident. Caspian's eyes were full of emotion and focused on something none of the others could see, and his mouth was moving without the accompaniment of words as he slumped further down. Edmund, growing uncomfortable watching his friend in his moment of utmost weakness, tried to start a conversation.

"Well, congratulations, Iridescent, you've successfully made Caspian lose his mind." he said, trying to sound robust but coming off as highly uncomfortable.

Before Iridescent could respond, the man of the conversation put sound to his mutterings. "Lose.. lost.. gone… she's gone.." he said in a hoarse, cracking voice. Iridescent shot Edmund a reprimanding look before turning back to the stricken prince.

"Don't worry, Caspian," she consoled him gently. "We're going to get her back in three days, on the day of the duel. She'll be fine."

"Three days," Caspian's slurred voice sharpened and gained a harsh edge to it. "Three days she is going to be alone with Miraz and his men, with Telmarines, and you're trying to tell me she's going to be alright?" He threw his head back in a mirthless laugh. "You might as well have said there are three days left until her execution date."

Peter, standing nearby, flinched at that and felt his infamous temper begin to flair up; visible in the squaring of his shoulders and reddening of his cheeks. This didn't go unnoticed by Susan, who could read her brother like a favorite book, and in a heartbeat she was detouring the conversation to herself before he got the chance to speak.

"Caspian, we don't know what they're doing over there. And they promised that they wouldn't hurt her. So what use is there to sit around and make up the worst possible scenarios when we very well could be wrong?" she said in a logical tone, kneeling down next to Caspian. The prince looked up at her with foggy brown eyes, but didn't say anything in response. Iridescent let out a sigh and came to kneel next to Susan, putting a hand on Caspian's knee to get his attention.

"Look here, Caspian," she began, "You will remember that I'm Penelope's Patronus? Well that means that wherever she is, no matter what she's doing and what situation she's in, I have a sense of her wellbeing."

Caspian looked up at her with a keen interest. "So that means.."

Iridescent finished his thought. "That means that if she were in any kind of danger, I would know."

Caspian sat forward, grasping Iridescent's arm in his hand. "How is she now? Is she alright?" he demanded urgently. The elf complacently nodded her head, prying his fingers from her arm as she did so. Caspian let out a small sigh before leaning back against the Stone Table, closing his eyes as if to fall asleep.

"Let us pray to Aslan that they uphold their promise." he said softly before allowing himself to drift off into an exhausted sleep, all the while consumed by a gnawing feeling of loneliness.

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Miraz and his band of Telmarines pushed through the woods, arriving at a bustling camp to the sound of horns and cheering. Penelope watched as Miraz pushed his horse forward, flashing a toothy grin at his men as they chanted his name; to them, he was the hero of the day. As the horse she was on pulled into the camp, Miraz turned and pointed to the back of the horse where Penelope sat, a sneer pulling on his mouth.

"See the girl on Glozelle's horse? That is who the Narnians are depending on to save them from us. It looks like they put their money on the wrong mare, for now we have her in our grasp and it is she that needs to be saved!"

The Telmarines roared in laughter, looking at Penelope with cold, mirthless eyes. As she sat on the back of the general's horse, surrounded by the sea of thousands of men laughing at her expense, Penelope was suddenly overcome with the feeling that she was utterly and completely alone.

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Lucy felt tears sting her eyes as she pushed Destrier onward, at a pace that was reminiscent of the noble cheetahs that had always been a part of the Narnian army. The horse was galloping faster than she had ever seen any horse go before, making her lurch around on his back and feel as if she might be sick. All the while, she was aware that the faster the horse went, the more space he was putting between herself and her sister.

The tears that pricked her stinging eyes poured over at the thought of Susan, who had stopped the horse and stayed behind in order to stop the Telmarines from getting to Lucy. Had she stopped the Telmarines as she had intended to do? Or had they overcome her? Would Lucy see her sister again? The image of her standing all alone in the middle of the clearing, light pooling around her as she drew her bow from her quiver, filled Lucy's mind as her final words rang in her ears. 'I'm sorry, Lucy,' she had said in a voice full of resolve, her ice blue eyes deadly calm, 'But it looks as if you'll be going alone, after all.'

Lucy felt very much alone as she and Destrier raced through the forest in hot pursuit of the one being who could set things right in Narnia. But so far, Lucy had not seen so much as a whisker of the Great Lion. And the ever faithful, valiant little girl could not help but ask herself: was He even there to find?

A sharp cry behind her caught Lucy's attention, and she turned to see a lone Telmarine in hot pursuit of her, his horse quickly covering the distance between them. Instantly, Lucy's thoughts went to Susan-what had happened that she had not killed this man? An image of her older sister, cut down by this soldier's sword and dying, all alone in that clearing, filled Lucy's mind, and the flood of hot tears that leaked from her eyes blurred her vision. All at once, she was aware that Destrier was losing speed, exhausted from the extensive pace, and the Telmarine was gaining on her. With a sinking feeling in her stomach, Lucy realized she was not going to make it to Aslan.

A low snarling came suddenly from her left. Lucy's head snapped to the side where she saw, charging through the underbrush as if it weren't there at all and traveling twice the speed of the racing horses, a huge lion. Her heart skipped a beat and her mind froze as, in two great strides, the lion cleared the distance between itself and her and was suddenly before her on a raised section of the forest floor, its jaws gaping open in a tremendous roar. Lucy shrieked as Destrier let out an alarmed whinny and reared back, tossing his rider from his back before taking off in fright. Lucy recovered herself from her fall and looked up into the eyes of Aslan as he stared down at her with his piercing gaze. The look only lasted a heartbeat before he gathered his haunches and leapt clear over her head, soaring through the air and crashing into the Telmarine soldier. The man let out a screech as Aslan grabbed him in his paws and threw him off the back of his still-running horse, toppling him to the ground. Aslan didn't do anymore than snarl fiercely at him, however, and the petrified Telmarine sprinted away on wobbly legs.

Lucy, who had watched the whole thing frozen to the spot, quickly recovered her wits as a smile spread across her face. As Aslan, still snarling in the direction of the Telmarine, swung his majestic head around to her, she rose to her feet and called his name before charging at him. When she reached him, Lucy threw her arms around his neck and tackled him to the ground, and for a while the two simply sat and hugged each other, laughing as they did so. As Lucy hugged him, she could feel his presence pouring strength into her, and her frantic heartbeat slowed back to its normal pace.

After a while, she leaned back from him and shot him a beaming smile. "Oh, Aslan, I knew it was you! The whole time, I knew it!" she cried. Then her smile dropped and her voice sounded unsure. "But… the others wouldn't believe me."

The Lion looked down at her with stern, but nonetheless gentle, eyes. "But why would that stop you from coming to me?" he inquired.

Lucy shrank somewhat, her face beat red and guilty. "I.. I was too scared to come alone." she admitted, not quite meeting Aslan's eyes. Silence engulfed them as realization, then horror filled Lucy's face. "If I had come earlier, would all those people who died… could I have stopped that?" she asked in a small voice choked with pain.

Aslan's eyes were full of painful remorse as he looked down at the little queen. "We can never know what would have happened, Lucy." he spoke slowly, softly, his statement answering Lucy's question but at the same time pardoning her for her mistakes. A moment later, his eyes gleamed and he hauled himself onto his paws, looking down at Lucy almost mischievously. "But what will happen is another matter entirely. Now then, I think your friends have slept long enough, don't you?" and with that, Aslan shook his mane and threw back his head in a ground shaking roar.

As the echoes of the roar spread through the forest, and surely all of Narnia, Lucy became aware of misty shapes emerging from all around, slowly making their way toward the clearing in which she and Aslan sat. As they came closer, Lucy became aware that they were all singing, their sweet, somewhat eerie voices rising up in an old Narnian tune. It was when the figures stepped into the light of the clearing, their singing reaching a crescendo, that Lucy recognized them for who they were-they were the people of the trees, the Dryads who had not been heard of for more than a thousand years. There were oaks and dogwoods and willows and elms, and many more from our world and an even greater number that were only indigenous to Narnia. As the spirits of the trees poured into the clearing, Lucy sprang to her feet and found herself singing along with them, and instantaneously a great dance broke out. It was a wild, fevered dance one could only partake in if one was dancing with the spirits of nature. As Lucy weaved between partners, dancing almost as gracefully as the willows themselves, more newly awakened spirits gathered into the clearing, all singing the same tune and all joining in the great dance. Among the more notable of the arrivals were the Niads, those spirits of water who had long since spread to other bodies of water, some sprites and other fairy-folk, Bacchus and his gang of giggling girls, an old fat man on a donkey whose name was Silenus(these two were not immediately recognized by Lucy, and it took her a long time before she remembered Mr. Tumnus telling her tales of them during her reign as queen), and even some Elves. The stream of new arrivals was never-ending, the dancing and singing endless, and it was sundown when Lucy finally managed to make her way through the crowd to Aslan.

"Dear Aslan," she cried, her voice ringing with merriment. "However is this to help my family back at the How?"

Aslan gave a chuckle. "I have awoken the trees and the spirits of those who represent Old Narnia and have long been gone from it. It is with their help that, when the time comes for a battle with the Telmarines, we will win."

That explanation was enough to sooth Lucy's nerves and send her back into the throng of dancers, where she participated in the festivities well into the night. And strangely, no thoughts of the impending battle and the Telmarine threat crossed her mind the whole time.

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Peter sat on the Stone Table, looking up at the carving of Aslan searchingly. His shoulders drooped as he rubbed his eyes, trying to fight the numbness that was consuming him. After hours of debate with Caspian, Edmund, Glenstorm, and many others over a plan of action for the looming battle, he was completely worn out and, in every sense of the phrase, dangling from the end of his rope. So many different worries were pressing him from every direction, and he suddenly, and perhaps for the first time this journey to Narnia, found himself shrinking from the title of High King.

Of course, that's not to say that he was going to shirk his responsibilities and leave the task of freeing the Narnians up to someone else. Aslan knows that that was the last thing Peter would do, and he would make sure he died fighting to get them salvation. After all, they were his people.

It was just that at that particular moment in time, Peter was feeling the weight of his responsibilities come crashing down on him like an avalanche. So much was depending on him and this upcoming duel, which he knew, as much as his rather large ego hated to admit, he would most likely lose. He was tired, he was stressed, and he was losing his faith that things would turn out for the better.

For what did he have to make him believe? His twin sister was lost to the Telmarine camp and facing unknown tortures; his younger sister had almost been killed as she stayed behind in the forest to face the onslaught of Telmarines; and his baby sister was wandering the woods trying to find someone who most likely wasn't there to be found. Peter loved each of his sisters almost to a fault, and the idea of losing even one of them was torturous.

He could only take consolation in the fact that Susan had not been killed and was back with him, and that Edmund, his only brother, was also safe and in his eyesight.

However, as consoling as this was, it still did not bring his two lost sisters back to him. He had almost sent a patrol out in search of Lucy, but Susan and Caspian had convinced him that she was safe and would find Aslan(Susan), and anyways they did not have the men to spare(Caspian.)

Penelope, on the other hand, was just across the field and could very well be rescued.

Peter shook his head. It was not the first time the thought had crossed his mind that night; indeed, it was always burning in the back of his brain, and it made frequent trips to the front most of his mind, consuming his thoughts with daring plans of rescue, before retreating again to the back to lurk in the shadows. But as much as he might entertain the idea of a rescue, he knew to actually put it to action would be absolutely impossible. They hadn't any room for more mistakes in this war. To do so would be treason in the eyes of Miraz and his men, and would be enough for them to launch an attack on the Narnians. And they were desperately unprepared for a battle even three days away, let alone a surprise one that night.

But… what if he didn't take her from the camp? What if he only went over to make sure she was unharmed, being taken care of?

Peter's heart skipped a beat at the idea. Surely, if he were careful and made sure he was unseen, he would be able to get away with it? After all, he technically wouldn't be doing anything wrong or treasonous. Just so long as he was careful.

That's insane, the king in him said. You would be risking way too much on not getting caught, not to mention the possibility of an attack on the How.

But if you're careful… the compulsively protective older brother part of him argued stubbornly. After all, you wouldn't stay long, only long enough to check and make sure she's alright, and maybe give her something to eat. You never know, they might not be feeding her.

It was the idea of his twin going the night without food that drove him to ignore the king part of him screaming protests, and creep stealthily out into the main chamber, keeping to the shadows so as to not be noticed. He was heading for the chamber where the food rations for the army were kept, along with all the medical supplies of the army.

Peter managed to make it undetected to the chamber, but as he quietly closed the door after himself, he turned and let out a shout of surprise. Sitting on one of the stones that served as a storage shelf for the food was Pattertwig the squirrel, stuffing a loaf of bread and lump of cheese into the little squirrel-sized knapsack he wore over his shoulder. At Peter's cry, he let out a shrill squeal of fright and jumped, spinning and freezing as he came face-to-face with his High King.

The two stood and stared at each other for a few moments before Peter gathered his wits, gazing curiously down at the squirrel. "And just what do you think you're doing?" he asked inquisitively.

Pattertwig's beady black eyes widened in alarm and he sputtered a few moments, looking from Peter to the knapsack in horror. Then his gaze came to rest on Peter, and his eyes were intense, yet guarded at the same time.

"May I tell Your Majesty without him getting angry?" the squirrel demanded in a surprisingly firm voice. For a moment, Peter was taken aback, but then realized he must feel familiar with him because he was Penelope's twin.

"Well I suppose that depends on what you have to say." he replied eventually.

The squirrel seemed to take that as a good enough answer. "I was going to go take Penelope some food."

Peter was shocked for a moment, and then let out a hearty laugh. "That's quite alright, Pattertwig," he said, still chuckling. "To be perfectly honest, I was just on my way to do the same."

Pattertwig's eyes widened at the thought of his monarch going against the agreement and sneaking off to the heart of the Telmarine camp, but after a moment he recovered himself and regained his usual spirit. "Well then, why don't we go together? I could go in first and scout out the camp to find her, and then you can come in with the food. That way I won't look as conspicuous and you can take her more food than I'd be able to carry." he chirped, his eyes bright.

Peter smiled. "That sounds like a brilliant plan."

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Penelope let out a sigh and leaned back against the tree she was tied to. After hours of sitting with her back ramrod straight against the tree, she longed to get up and stretch her legs, or at least adjust her position, for her bum was rather sore and her back aching. But the Telmarines would hear nothing of letting her up, and anyways she certainly was not going to demean herself by asking. No, she had made up her mind that she would take her imprisonment with a resolute stubbornness, and would not so much as look at any one of the Telmarines who came by to mock her. But this was becoming difficult, seeing as apparently mocking her had become a favorite past time of the men, for there was a seemingly never-ending stream of men who came by to point and laugh at the Narnian girl who had been traded for mercy from Miraz; at least, such was what the usurper was telling them.

Penelope let out another long, drawn out sigh. She was only a few hours into her imprisonment and already she was sore, angry, annoyed, and hungry. It was going to be a long three days.

A loud bought of laughter went up from some ways away from her, and Penelope glanced over to see a group of younger Telmarines, her two guards included, sitting around a fire and all guzzling what she could correctly assume was alcohol. The men were laughing raucously at one of their comrades, who was standing with his back turned to Penelope and who had started belting out some Telmarine song and making obscene gestures with his hands. Penelope snorted, leaning her head back against the tree once again and closing her eyes. These men were nothing more than teenagers out looking for a good time, which apparently could only be found in joining the army.

Penelope's mind was blanking and she was just drifting off to sleep when from behind her she heard a twig snap and a small voice call out to her. "Penelope!"

Her eyes snapped open, but she could not turn to address the voice. Feeling her heart rate pick up, she sat and waited for any other signs that she had actually heard something.

The voice came again, this time a bit louder. "Penelope!"

"Hello?" she whispered, trying to turn her head to get a glimpse of her mysterious visitor. There was a soft rustling and then a second voice sounded.

"Are there any guards near you?" Penelope shot a glance at the men around the fire, a good few meters away and all too drunk to pay her any mind.

"No," she whispered back.

There was once again the rustling of leaves, and then suddenly a dark figure was at her side. Penelope could just make out the face of her twin in the distant firelight.

"Peter!" she exclaimed, almost forgetting to keep her voice down. "What are you doing here?"

Peter hastily shushed her and they simultaneously shot the men at the fire sharp looks. They didn't seem to have noticed anything, however, and Penelope turned back to her brother with an anxious look on her face.

"What are you doing here?" she repeated. "You're not going to try and break me out, are you? You know that wouldn't end well at all."

Peter lightly cuffed her on the head. "Of course not, I'm not stupid." he replied, earning a snicker from her. "We just came to check on you, to make sure you were alright."

"We?" Penelope asked incredulously, choosing not to comment on how typical the mission was of her twin. Just then, a very familiar squirrel scrambled up into her lap, nuzzling her stomach in greeting. "Pattertwig!" she cried, laughing at the appearance of her old friend. "I should have known."

"You can't honestly think I'd leave you here without making sure you had something to eat, you silly girl." the squirrel chirped. "I know how you get when you're hungry, and I don't think even Telmarines deserve to face that."

"As soon as my hands are untied, I'm decking you for that," she swore, a smile on her face all the same. She turned back to Peter. "You couldn't have brought a less cheeky accomplice?"

Peter smirked. "Would you rather me have brought Reepicheep?"

Penelope rolled her eyes. "Oh heavens! I think I'll stick with the squirrel."

Another loud round of laughter from the Telmarines at the fire caused the three to freeze, and Peter shrank further into the shadows. "Look, we can't stay long, I just wanted to make sure you were alright." he said, taking from his own, human-sized knapsack a fair serving of bread, cheese, and a small flask of wine. Seeing as Penelope's hands were tied to her sides, he broke the food down and fed it to her himself, much to her embarrassment. "So how are they treating you?"

Penelope paused to finish the bite of cheese she was chewing. "Alright, I suppose. They made a great deal of laughing at me almost all day, but so far they haven't so much as laid a hand on me, and the past few hours they've taken to ignoring me."

Peter closed his eyes and let out a long sigh of relief. "Well thank Aslan they're letting you be." he murmured, looking at his twin with liquid eyes. "And what about food? Did they give you something to eat?"

"I haven't had so much as a whiff of food, other than what you've brought me." Penelope replied briskly, sounding peeved. What Pattertwig had said was true- there was hardly anything queenly about Penelope when she did not get food. "So thank Aslan you two had the sense to remember me, or else I might have had to start eating this tree."

Peter let out a laugh as he raised the flask of wine for her to drink. Once she had had her fill, he capped it and put it back in his knapsack, and turned to Penelope with reluctant eyes.

Penelope read the look instantly and felt the same remorse as her twin. "I suppose now you have to go?"

Peter nodded, leaning forward and wrapping his arm around her. "We'll come back whenever we get the chance tomorrow, I promise." he said solemnly, stroking Penelope's hair as she rested her head on his chest.

"Don't do anything stupid, Peter." she muttered, looking up at him with a slight frown. Peter chuckled and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Now when have I ever been known to do something stupid?" he asked jokingly. Penelope shot him a mock glare as Pattertwig clambered up onto her shoulder, nibbling her ear in his favorite affectionate manner.

"Bye, Penelope! We'll be back tomorrow!" he squeaked eagerly, rubbing his face against her cheek in that manner animals have when they're sharing affection.

"Bye, Pattertwig. Watch my brother for me, and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid, alright?" she said, shooting Peter a smirk over the squirrel's head. She returned her gaze to the squirrel with a wicked gleam in her eye. "On second thought, you're not one to keep someone else from doing something stupid."

Pattertwig let out an indignant trill and cuffed Penelope's cheek. Just then, the sound of footsteps from the direction of the fire snapped them to attention, and with a final glance Peter and Pattertwig slunk back into the shadows. Penelope watched them go from the corner of her eye before leaning her head against the tree, feigning sleep as her guard drunkenly stumbled over to check on her. It was not long after, that with a full belly and light heart, she slipped into unconsciousness, where she dreamed of a grand ball with dancing nature spirits and elves, and of a lion's roar.

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Tada! Hope y'all liked it, cause I think this is perhaps my new favorite chapter :D I went more with the way the book plays out with the whole Lucy finding Aslan thing, cause it worked better with the plot. Anywho, review and let me know what you think!