Author's Note: First off, I'd love to thank you all and hand out free, digital ice-creams. You readers have been awesome, giving this story a total of 20 reviews and over 1500 views. I love ya'll. It's the least I can do to write another chapter.

Ok, quick disclaimer here. I wrote this while swimming in pain meds after having four wisdome teeth pulled. So things could potentially be very interesting. I'm hoping that nothing 'drugged' will show up, but I can't guarantee it won't. Also, in about a week, I'm going to be leaving for a mission trip to Nicaragua for two weeks, so I won't be posting then. Hopefully I'll be able to get another chapter out before I go, but if not, expect one a few weeks from now.

Anyway, on to the story...

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Morning came all too early for the new king. Still, he couldn't very well ignore the birds, talking birds at that, who were chattering just outside his pavilion. Kicking off the covers, he rolled out of bed and started pulling clothes on. They were horribly wrinkled, and he thought he could see some crumbs on them from the night before, but they were the only ones that weren't having bloodstains cleaned out of them.

Apparently someone had been very thoughtful and left a bowl of warm water sitting on the floor. Caspian kneeled down beside it and rinsed off his face and hands before simply pausing to breathe. It was still hard for him to accept that he'd defeated his uncle and was now a king of Narnia, but little by little it was beginning to sink in.

"Edmund! You can't!" Lucy's voice pleaded somewhere outside. Curiosity piqued, Caspian toweled off his face and slipped outside. There he saw the two queens following Edmund, who seemed to be on a mission of some sort.

Swallowing hard, Caspian called out, "What is the matter?"

Instantly Susan spun to face him, utter frustration apparent in her expression. "He's going after the general. Caspian! Our scouts haven't even reported back on their position or numbers and he wants to go gallivanting off after them." She stopped then and looked at him pointedly.

Suddenly Caspian found himself the center of attention. Eyes flicking back and forth between the faces, he stood still, trying to bring his mind to task. "I'm coming with you," he said at last, looking to Edmund. Then he returned to his tent and grabbed his sword. He was buckling it about his waist when he stepped back through the flap, and was immediately accosted by the elder queen.

"I can't believe you! I tell you that my brother's gone mad and you rush off to join him?" she ranted.

Caspian brushed past her, and spotting a soldier, ordered that Destrier be brought to him, before heading after Edmund.

"Are you listening to me? You've got to try to stop him!"

Suddenly, he pivoted and faced her. "You've already tried to talk to him, right?"

"Yes."

"Then what do you think I can do? My opinion is of far less consequence to him than yours. Wether you want him to or not, he's going, and I'm going with him."

"No one is going anywhere! Caspian, you could both get killed out there. Narnia can't afford to loose any more rulers."

"Then it's a good thing you and Lu are staying behind isn't it?" Edmund interrupted acidly.

"Ed! How can you? You know as well as I do that Lucy can't take any more!" By now the young queen in question was staring at her siblings, wide eyed, and Caspian couldn't help but feel some sympathy for the girl.

"The only one who's going to die is that bloody general and his men."

With that, Edmund mounted his horse and spurred it off, a small retinue of soldiers following in his wake. Caspian moved toward Destrier, but a hand took hold of his shoulder and spun him around. Susan glared into his eyes saying, "You can't go!"

He started to peal her fingers off his shoulder, but then, realizing how calloused the motion was, stopped. "Susan, I must go. How will the people think of their new king if he sits back while others fight? Anyway... he's right. We need to crush them now, before they regroup."

"Please." Her voice was soft now, pleading, and her eyes had a wet glimmer to them.

Gently, he placed a hand on her shoulder, mirroring her own movement. Their eyes met and for a moment there was silence. Then, almost a whisper: "Your brother will survive this."

Susan bit her lip, probably thinking to herself, and some understanding passed between the two of them. Finally, the elder queen of Narnia nodded and withdrew.

He was almost in a daze as he mounted Destrier. The things that had just happened were quite beyond him, and the whole weight of the situation had yet to come down on him. Wasn't it just last night that he'd been feasting and drinking with the Narnians? Where would he be tonight?

Entering the forrest, he tightened the reins. He'd been involved in a few fights now, including ones that he'd really rather not. A wince came over his face as he contemplated High King Peter's night attack. Still, Peter had been in his right mind through that, even if he was wrong. Looking at the boy he was currently following into the unknown, he wasn't sure he could say the same thing about Edmund. There was a fury there that seemed to be beyond rational limits. Ice-cold fingers played up and down his spine, but he straightened his back and spurred the big stallion on.

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As soon as the boys left sight, Lucy lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Susan, burying her head in the folds of the other girl's dress.

"Easy there, Lu," the elder queen said, patter her sister on the back. "They'll be back before you know it.."

"How do you know?"

"I just... do, ok? Lets go find some breakfast before the fauns eat it all."

Slowly, the small girl nodded and, taking her sister's hand, began walking away. Susan followed, keeping her back rigid and her eyes focused directly in front of her. It was hard; giving Lu the confidence she didn't feel.

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His stiff posture annoyed the big gelding, causing the bay to begin wringing it's tale out behind it. Still, Edmund paid him no heed. Instead, he looked straight ahead and guided the beast with his knees. It was a neat bit of skill, one that he'd picked up back during the Golden Age and which had, fortunately, come back to him along with his plethora of other Narnian talents.

The king was well aware of the small group of soldiers that followed him through the dense brush, and even more aware of the new king that rode some distance behind him as well. He still wasn't quite sure what had possessed the other boy to follow him. By all rights, he should have chosen the girls' side, especially considering the way he and Susan had been batting eyes at each other all this time. True, the Telmarine had given reason enough, and Edmund was pleased to hear that the other king agreed with him, making him feel more confident about his plan, but still, he somehow doubted that he understood the whole story behind Caspian's actions and that bothered him.

"Sire," Reepicheep called up as he passed the horse.

"Yes?"

"Shall we send out scouts to discern the enemy position and learn of their disposition?"

"Yes."

"Then I and eleven of my-"

"No. I need you and you're mice here. Give orders for the panthers and bobcats to head out. We need their sort of stealth."

"As you command, your Highness," the small talking beast said and, sweeping into an elegant bow, turned to deliver the orders. The knights antics almost brought a smile to his lips, but then his brother was dying in his arms again, and all traces immediately disappeared.

As he shook his head to clear the image, he couldn't help but wonder when this hell of memory and imaginings would end. Every time his mind went back, his stomach knotted, and he found himself being quite worried that the visions would start to wear on him mentally. He didn't know how many more times he could watch his brother die before it left a more permanent mark on him. Forget that. The first time had done it well enough.

Looking over his shoulder, he spotted Caspian a few lengths behind him and held his hand up, palm forward, signaling a halt. "Caspian?"

"Yes?" the other boy said, heeling his horse forward.

"You-you think we should pause here for a moment while the scouts are doing their work? To make some plans and all?"

He was surprised by the sigh that tore out of Caspian's throat. It was as if the elder boy had been holding his breath ever since they left the girl. Of course, that was ridiculous seeing as the sun had already traveled a few hours worth since then. "Yes, I should think that would be a good idea, though we can't make any solid plans until we get their intelligence back."

"True." Standing up in his stirrups, the remaining Pevensie boy called out to his soldiers, "We rest here for a time, but don't get too comfortable. We'll head out after the scouts return."

Edmund was fond of the location he'd chosen. Tall cedars grew all around them, sweeping branches sheltering them from weather and unfriendly eyes. "But no fires," the boy added on second thought. "We don't want our 'friends' to have any hints."

Dismounting, Edmund immediately turned to consider the elder king. "Come with me. I've already got a few decent ideas, but you know these people better than I do."

At those words, Caspian's face seemed to grow a shade paler, but he simply nodded and fell into step behind him. It probably hadn't been a good idea to remind him that he was fighting against his kin, and he made a mental note to avoid that in the future. Still, it was about time that this child started acting like a new king of a country.

Snatching a map from one of the soldiers, Edmund took a seat on a stump and spread it out on the ground in front of him. "We're right here," he said pointing to the map, though by now Caspian was sitting down as well and could read the map as easily as he could. "and I figure that they're somewhere around here or here," he said, drawing a stick around the nearby hills and valleys depicted on the paper.

"That would be my guess as well," Caspian replied.

For the next twenty minutes or so, the two young kings sat there, hunched over the map and whispering plans to each other. Then a large black panther walked up to them, dipping it's head and interrupting their scheming.

"My kings," he began in a silky voice. "We've sighted them in the northern foothills a little over two leagues from our camp."

"Well, that's not far away. I wonder why they haven't traveled any more than that," Caspian murmured.

"No question about it, my league, they've holed themselves up in a system of caverns overlooking a river. It's a fine position. I should suggest that we send for reinforcements, it will not be an easy fight."

"It's a system of caves, you say?" Edmund replied. "How do you know their intending to hold it? It could very well be that they're filtering out some back exit into heaven knows where, and we won't be able to find them again until they've recovered their strength. How many could they possibly have, anyway? We've already killed or captured enough of them. We'll attack now, before they have a chance to get away."

"I do not think that is such a good idea, Edmund," Caspian cut in.

The younger boy glared at him for a moment before turning to the scout and saying curtly, "You're dismissed."

"On last thing, your highness. One of my scouts hasn't returned. I think we'll hear from him soon, but I thought you should know incase anything has gone wrong."

"Thank you." Silently, Edmund waited for the big cat to depart, before rounding on Caspian. "What did you think you were doing? Undercutting my authority like that, and in front of a soldier no less! I aught too-"

"Aught to what? Aslan says I'm a king of Narnia, as much as anyone."

"You're not half the kin-"

"That Peter was? I don't doubt that, but Edmund, your brother and I reached an understanding before the end came. I discovered that I respected him, I'm glad to say, and I think that he would have allowed me the position Aslan has given me. Please, whether you respect me or not, do what your brother would have wanted and honor Aslan's wishes."

"You know nothing of what my brother would have wanted!"

"Edmund, please. Let's not argue now."

"I won't forget this. As soon as we finish these rebels, this conversation will resume in full. Understand?"

"Yes."

"Good, now let's get going."

"Very well."

With that, the two sons of Adam mounted their horses and began dealing out positions to their soldiers, before heading off to face their advisarys.