AN: WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! Sobbing. Ect. Ect. Aslan dies. I hate HATE this part. Can't help it though. Have to put it in there. Darn story line.

I woke when I heard a voice, speaking my name. Lashing out, I grabbed my sword and looked around wildly for my unknown intruder. A tree nymph. "Be still, Lady Knights. I bring grave news from the Queens."

Becca and I sat up, watching the nymph. "What is the news?" I asked.

"Aslan is dead." Sheesh. Way to put it out there.

"No," I breathed.

"Yes, My Lady."

I heard Becca choke, trying to hold back tears, trying to be strong.

I stood up, and stumbled to Aslan's tent. I couldn't see anything but the ground in front of me. I looked inside. Aslan was gone. I sank to my knees, the horrible weight of grief spilling over me. I turned and a half-ran, half-staggered to the boys' tent. Becca was already inside. I took one look at Peter's face, and started to shake. He walked forward, and pulled me into an awkward hug, the kind you would expect from two friends of different genders. He jerked his head toward the tent opening, looking at Edmund and Becca. "Ed? Becca? Could you – Could you go and tell Oreius? We need a minute."

"Sure Peter. Come on Becca."

When they were gone, Peter pulled me into a firm embrace. I cried into his shoulder, hating myself for my weakness. When my eyes were dry, I looked up at Peter, and saw a determined expression on his face. "Come on, Alex. Let's go win this war."

Peter went to check that Aslan really was gone, just in case in my disoriented state I simply had not seen him. When he came back out, he told us "It's true. He's gone."

Edmund looked at him. "Then you'll have to lead us. There's a whole army out there waiting to follow you."

"I can't."

"Aslan believed you could, and so do I."

I put my hand on his arm. "I'm willing to follow you to death and back, Peter, if it means that Narnia will be free." He looked at me.

Oreius spoke up. "What are your orders, Sire?"

Peter stared down at the map and bit his lip. I looked up at him and whispered, "Pictures in the snow, on the lake." He remembered.

"We'll put the archers on the cliff. Ed, Becca, you'll be up there directing them. Alex, Oreius, you'll be beside me when we start. Foot-soldiers in the front. Calvary, in the back. We'll have reserves in the rocks. Gryphons will do recon. We'll start with a charge . . ."

We planned through the early hours of the morning, going through it over and over and working out kinks. I immersed myself in possible battle tactics, trying to get rid of the grief of Aslan's death, or at the least, stall it for a while. Finally, we were ready.

Three hours later, I found Peter in the boys' tent, trying to fasten his chain mail, and, apparently, failing. I stepped up behind him, and did it for him. "Not as easy as it looks, is it?" I asked.

"No, it's not." He turned around and saw me in my battle armor. My shirt was silver chain mail, and over it was a black leather tunic, with sheaths for my knives in the inside. My pants were black leather, two layers, and in between the layers were silver plating, for extra protection. I had on my usual black boots, and my sword belt, with my dagger and sword in their sheaths. My bow and quiver, filled with arrows, was at my back. No helmet. They block out my peripheral vision. My hair was braided with its leather-spiked strap in place. I was ready. His eyes roved over me. "You look . . . fit for battle."

"As do you, now that you've figured out your armor." He smiled, and shook his head.

"Alex. I'm scared," he said, his smile disappearing just as fast as it had come.

I leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm scared too, but at least we can be scared together."

We walked out, hand in hand. Becca and Edmund came up, wearing their battle armor and looking nervous. I looked up at Peter, to see him looking out at the Plains of Beruna. I stared out as well, and then saw what he had seen. The tiny figure of General Ottman was moving around on the other side of the field. The Witch was beside him, in a chariot. On her armor was a mantle made of a lion's mane.

AN: Cliff hanger! (sorta) Review! Five reviews and I'll post another chapter. Thanks!