Early morning broke through and woke the palace. All except Peter, he was already awake. He hadn't slept much. He had spent a lot of the night sharing memories with her. That's the only way he could describe it. Tomorrow they would leave to go release her. And then he would see if Mirsan was all she was made out to be.

The bedroom door swung open and Aslan entered. He eyed Peter and noticed the tiredness in his face.

"You have not slept." Peter shook his head and sighed.

"We have to do one final thing before tomorrow's dawn High King."

Peter looked into Aslan's face.

"What is that?"

"Mirsan is held in that ice by the magic that she had instilled in her ice wand. We can only break the enchantment successfully and with Mirsan alive if we can find a piece of her shattered wand."

Peter thought back to the battlefield. Where Edmund had dove forward and smashed the ice wand with his sword. Would the pieces still be there? His heart sank a little. What would happen if they couldn't find any?

"We can take a small party to search the area?"

Aslan nodded. The actual chant to break the enchantment, all they needed was a small piece. He could sense a hesitation in the young High King. He placed a paw on the High King's lap. This connection with the living one was terrifying him.

"I don't know what to do Aslan. I feel her inside and I want to run to her. But I've never experienced anything like this. How do I know she's what she seems? Its one thing to talk to each other inside my head, but what if she's entirely different or when she's free and we just don't connect the same? What if Susan's suspicions are right?"

"It is natural to have questions, doubts, when facing your destiny. Especially when your destiny is a woman and the rule of a kingdom."

Peter was of two trains of thought. And it was confusing him terribly. But he could not ignore or deny that pull inside him. The one that was pulling him to Mirsan. Peter dressed for ride to the field.

Aslan, Peter, Edmund and the centaur rode out shortly after breakfast. Narnia everywhere was still waking up for the day ahead. It was still very early. They arrived at the field not long before midday. Peter had jumped off his horse and immediately began the search. Edmund slowly climbed down. The memory of Jadis and his close brush with death froze him next his horse. He had forgotten how it had felt. The sharp pain, how tired and weak he felt. Aslan nudged his arm. Edmund snapped out of it and just nodded to Aslan. He must not let fear take him.

Hours passed. They had dug, searched, clawed at the earth where the wand had broken and she had died. Peter tried not to panic, but he couldn't help it.

"Nothing! Its not here."

"Nothing except these small trees with blue apples." Edmund pointed out. Edmund had collected a few and put them in a bag. They might be tasty or useful somehow.

Peter had sat down. He hadn't been able to find anything. How could he break her free now?

"Is there any other way Aslan?"

"Only if we knew, and could find, the place where the wand was forged."

Peter's heart, and his optimism, sank further. Peter doubted there was any one left alive who knew where that was. He felt his breath shorten, he couldn't breath. Edmund had rushed to his side. Mirsan, she was fading. His anxiety built.

"She's not going to last much longer" peter stated distressed. Slowly his breathing returned to normal.

"Are you alright High King?"

Peter nodded. He had forgotten his doubt for now. She was dying and there wasn't much time. The Centaur had returned and he shook his head. He had found nothing. Edmund felt his stomach rumble. He took out two apples and gave one to Peter. Peter asked Aslan if they would be ok to eat. Aslan said he felt they were fine. Peter and Edmund bit down into the blue apples.

They quickly spat out the pieces. Looking at each other confused. The apples, they were ice cold. Like they had been made of ice. Aslan raised his eyebrows in curiosity. Something this cold on a Narnian summer day? Peter's hope lifted. He pulled a small hunting dagger from his boot and cut the apple open. There, inside the apple, its seeds. Peter smiled and showed the others his discovery. Upon inspection they found the apple seeds were not like normal seeds at all. They were made of a ice-like crystal. Like the shards of a broken ice wand.

"I believe we have found what we were looking for High King." Aslan seemed pleased and surprised at how the shards had manifested after the wand's destruction. "But we will need to keep one whole for later." Edmund nodded and tied the bag with a few apples in it to his saddle.

The two sons of adam mounted their horses and pulled them into line.

"Time to return and get ready for tomorrow. Its going to be a long ride." Peter said. But this time with a bit more optimism.

They had arrived back at Cair Paravel after the sun had gone down. At the gates many of tomorrows preparations had been laid there. Supplies, chariots, weapons, and all manner of things. They approached the steps, Lucy and Susan had come out to greet them. Edmund excitedly told them of the tree and the apples that had grown there where the wand had broken. Susan was still sore about the whole thing and had folded her arms whilst Lucy was jumping about. She wanted to see the seeds and the apples. Peter looked to Susan, she rolled her eyes and stepped forward to embrace her brother.

"I'll follow you Peter, but if, just if, it goes pear-shaped, just remember I told you so."

"I wouldn't expect anything less Sue" Peter laughed and put an arm about his sister's shoulder and led the little party back into the palace. It was going to be a bright and early morning start.