Author's Note: I am SOO sorry for the long wait! I've been extremely busy lately, so I haven't really had time to update. :( This chapter has a few emotional scenes in it... So do a lot of the next few chapters. Anyways... I hope to be updating more often now. I plan on devoting a certain part of my day to this story. :)

Oh! As most of you know, fanfiction has been jacked up lately. It's been slow on getting emails to me, so if I haven't replied to your reviews, then you know why. ON to the story! :D

Song for this chapter: Iridescent by Linkin Park

Lucy sat on the Stone Table, running her fingers over the design on the glass bottle that held her healing cordial. She knew it would be best to have it handy because there were probably many soldiers that would need her help. She looked up as she heard a horn sounding. She slipped the cordial into the pocket on her belt and ran towards the entrance. She fought back a gasp when she saw what little of the army was still left. They all walked tiredly towards the How. Everyone had dark circles under their eyes. Peter and Caspian led the group back.

"What happened?" She breathed, her voice barely audible.

"Ask him." Peter snapped, pointing to Caspian.

"Peter!" Susan snapped. Caspian looked taken aback.

"Me?" He asked incredulously. "You could have called it off! There was still time!" Caspian shouted.

"No, there wasn't thanks to you." Peter snarled angrily. "If you had just stuck to the plan, those soldiers might still be alive."

"And if you had stayed here like I said, they definitely would be!" Caspian retorted, his hand instinctively moving to his sword."

"You called us, remember?" Peter sardonically replied.

"My first mistake." Growled Caspian. Neither one of the two noticed that they were attracting attention. Everyone who was outside was staring at the two of them. Everyone around could tell that things were escalating very quickly. Lucy had a hand on her cordial, and another on her dagger just in case.

"No." Peter said simply. "Your first mistake was thinking that you could lead these people."

"Hey!" Caspian yelled as Peter brushed by him. "I am not the one who abandoned Narnia!"

"You invaded Narnia! You have no more right to lead Narnia than Miraz does!" Peter shouted back. Caspian ignored him and started walking towards the How. He froze at Peter's next words. "You, him, your father! Narnia's better off without the lot of you!"

In an instant things turned violent. Caspian drew his sword and with a savage yell turned and pointed it at Peter. He had taken things too far. Peter drew his sword at the same time Caspian had, and they clashed in the air. They lowered them when a familiar voice called out.

"Stop it!" Edmund yelled from in the air where he was on the back of the griffin. They swooped down and landed. He dropped lightly to the ground, holding Ari's beaten body in his arms like a baby. Lucy gasped and ran forward. She was already opening her cordial. Susan sucked in a breath as she saw the state that her sister-in-law was in. She too raced forward. She cradled her head in her lap as Lucy tipped the cordial for one drop to fall her Ari's mouth. Her raspy breaths slowed down and turned normal. Even with the cordial it would take some time for her wounds to fully heal. At least it would be quicker now.

Lucy turned and healed Trumpkin who had been laid beside her. Trumpkin opened his eyes grumpily and glared at everyone around him.

"What are you all standing around for?" He snapped. "The Telmarines will be here soon enough."

Everyone immediately set off to prepare for battle. He was right. They didn't have much time. Edmund picked up Ari and carried her inside where she could rest. When he settled her down into a quiet place in the How, he sat with her head in his lap and stoked what was left of her hair. Just yesterday it had been almost down to her waist. Now it fell to her shoulders. The bruises were already beginning to fade. He silently thanked Aslan that Lucy had been given the cordial, otherwise all of them would be dead by now.

It wasn't long until Ari woke up. She looked up at Edmund and broke into tears. She clung to his shirt and sobbed. His arms encircled her and he held her close and he too cried. They both knew that there was no possible way that their child could have survived the brutal beating that Ari had taken. The baby hadn't even stood a chance. It was helpless, like they both felt. Even now they couldn't have what they wanted more than anything else. He rubbed soothing circles on her back and Ari cried herself back to sleep in no time. Edmund held her close, like at any second she would fade from his arms. He sighed and looked at her sleeping face. It looked so much more peaceful than it had before.

He didn't know what he would do if she tried to end her life again, and this time succeeded. He would probably follow her to death. He knew back then that he wouldn't be able to survive without her. He loved her more than his own life, and would easily lay his own down if it meant keeping her alive. He had, in fact, put himself in danger countless times when he thought it would keep her unharmed. She had done the same for him when they were on missions for Peter. He pushed his thoughts to the side and looked back down at her sleeping form. He decided that it was a good idea to get some rest, since he hadn't had but a few hours of sleep in the past few days, and was running dangerously low on energy. He pulled her close to him and rested his chin on the top of her head and let himself doze off.

=XxX=

Caspian stared at the carvings of the five royals in all of their glory. He silently wished that he could have been born in the Golden Age and not now. He thought about how things must have been so much better for people back then. He was so deep in thought that he didn't hear the footsteps approaching.

"Are you so glad of that magic horn now, boy?" Nikabrik asked coldly. Caspian whirled and drew his sword. He lowered it when he saw the dwarf. When he didn't respond further, Nikabrik continued. "The kings and queens have failed us. Your army is half dead. Those that aren't already will be soon enough."

"What do you want?" Caspian growled. "Congratulations?"

"You want your uncle's blood. So do we." Nikabrik said shortly. His lips quirked up into an evil grin. "You want his throne. We can get it for you." Nikabrik turned and walked away. Caspian hesitated for a moment. He looked back at the carvings and sighed. He followed Nikabrik. They both entered the chamber that held the Stone Table.

"You tried one ancient power. It failed." Nikabrik said, referring to the kings and queens. "But there is power greater still. One that kept even Aslan himself at bay for near a hundred years."

There was a sound from the shadows and Caspian whirled, drawing his sword. A cloaked figure stepped out of the darkness and started walking towards Caspian at a slow, leisurely pace. Caspian's grip tightened on his sword as the figure came closer.

"Who are you?" Caspian demanded.

"I am hunger." Rasped a voice from underneath the hood of the cloak. "I am thirst. I can fast a hundred years and not die. I can lie a hundred nights on the ice and not freeze. I can drink a river of blood and not burst. Show...me...your enemies!" The creature threw off the hood of the cloak and Caspian nearly reeled back at the sight. It was a werewolf. Then he reconsidered his position.

"You can guarantee Miraz' death?" He asked as a hag came out of the shadows on the other side of the Stone Table.

"And more." The hag said. Caspian put away his sword and looked at Nikabrik. The dwarf nodded.

"Let the circle be drawn." Said the hag. She then began chanting in a language that was foreign to Caspian. He stood still as the werewolf drew a circle in the ground around him. The hag pulled out a broken wand and stabbed it into the ground. An ice wall grew up between two rock pillars, covering the carving of Aslan against the back wall. Within the ice wall stood none other than the White Witch herself.

Author's Note: So...Minor cliffhanger here. :) Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up within a few days... :) Leave a smiley if you liked it! :D