The soft swish the oars made against the water, pushing their small boat across the clear waters of the river as they travelled upstream. Not a single word was utter, Jade intent upon direction, as the four Pevensies looked around the lands of which they had left a long time ago. When Lucy's voice broke the silence though, the dark haired maiden turned around.

"They're so still."

"They're trees, what do you expect?" came Trumpkin's sarcastic reply, the gnome still holding slight disdain over how their 'help' had came in the form of four children. But Jade knew better. And she too, knew what Lucy meant.

"It wasn't too long after you left, before the Telmarines came." she started, before Trumpkin could protest. Her voice was soft, laced with regret and sadness as she explained. It wasn't easy watching the destruction, yet being able to do naught about it. "Those who survived retreated to the woods. The trees? They retreated so deeply in to themselves. We've never heard from them since."

"I don't understand. How could Aslan have let this happen?" Lucy begin, and Jade had to smile at the naivety still owned by the Valiant Queen.

"Aslan? We thought he abandoned us like you lot." Trumpkin interuptted again, and Jade knew the four Pevensies felt hurt by the tone of accuse in his words. But she could do nothing about it. She knew how much they had suffered, the Old Narnians, hence she had no right to blame them for all the bitterness harboured in their hearts. Yet when Peter looked back, the hurt flashing in his eyes as well as indignance, she wished there was some way she could've changed everything. For she knew if the four of them had stayed, Narnia would've prospered, would've never fallen in to the state it was now.

"We didn't mean to leave you know." he finally said, and Jade sighed. "It doesn't matter, Peter. What's been done is done. It makes no difference now."

"Get us to the Narnians, and it will." came his stubborn reply, and she couldn't help but give a small, wistful smile. The High King had always been a stubborn fool. Falling silent, she turned back to the hull of their small boat, the rest of the journey continued with only the sound of the water and wind to accompany them.

It didn't take too long before they finally reached a shore, and they all quickly came off, helping to pull the water vehicle up on shore, and letting Lucy off to wander, since her strength would do no good. Even hearing Lucy suddenly speak to no one in particular though, couldn't force Jade's attention to move from Peter. Throughout the journey, his expression had been tight, and she half wondered if he was berating himself for something he had entirely no control over. Jade knew Peter was prone to do that, yet she didn't have any idea at all on how to approach the matter. Of course, there was also the slight factor in where his shirt had somehow become unbuttoned over the course of their working, and Jade just couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from him.

That is, of course untils he heard the grunt of a bear.

Fear rippled over her body again when Lucy spoke, but when Trumpkin spoke up asking the youngest sibling not to move, Jade whipped around faster then a cheetah, pulling her dagger out from its sheath as she did so. Even as Lucy finally decided the danger, Jade had been halfway across the distance to the young girl. The rest of the siblings scrambled to get their weapons still lying in the boat, but Jade had had hers strapped around her waist the whole time. Just as Susan raised her bow and arrow, the girl met Lucy at the halfway point, and grabbed the youngest Pevensie in her arms just before she stumbled, even as she raised her dagger against the beast.

"Shoot, Susan shoot!" Edmund yelled, but Susan faltered, fearing it to be one of the old Talking Bears they had been so friendly with, and that mistake costed. Peter's heart near burst with fear, the extra adrenaline needed to push him the last few meters, yet he couldn't get there as the bear's huge talons nicked on her shoulder.

Lucy let out a scream as the bear reared, looking for all the world like he was about to maim them. Even Jade knew her upraised dagger and arm would do no good once the bear landed on them, but just as she squeezed her eyes shut and prepared herself for the blow, the ground 'thumped' before all that had been chaotic fell in to a shocked silence, as she slowly opened her eyes. The hazel brown optics found the black bear dead on the ground, an arrow stuck in its shoulder, as the rest of the party made itself over. Hurriedly helping Lucy off the ground, the young girl was dusted and cleaned by her brothers as Susan inspected the bear.

Slowly, the girl pushed herself off the ground, wincing as she did so. From the corner of his eye, Peter spied how her movements turned awkward as she bent to pick up her fallen dagger, and turned to her, his heart skipping a beat when he saw the large gash in her shoulder. "You're hurt."

"Thanks, Captain Obvious." Jade replied sarcastically, sheathing her dagger before turning to Lucy. "Are you alright?"

The girl nodded with a soft 'thanks', yet the look of confusion lingered in all of their faces. "He was wild." Edmund finally voiced their confusion.

"I don't think he could talk at all."

"get treated like a dumb animal long enough, thats what you become." Trumpkin explained, the bitterness once again evident in his voice as he pulled out his own dagger. "You may find Narnia a more savage place then you remember." And his words sent the young Lucy crying in distress, as regret and dislike flooded Jade's face. She didn't want, would never want the Pevensies see the Narnia they knew and love turn to this, but she had no choice. They were the last chance for Narnia to be saved.

Sighing, she turned to rip the sleeve off her hurt arm, before starting towards the boat to see their belongings unpacked, having no wish to see Trumpkin carve up the maimed animal. "Jade!" Lucy's voice halted her steps halfway there, and the female turned to see the young Queen running up to her, her life-giving cordial in her hands as Lucy reached her.

"Thanks." she said again, and then motioned for Jade to bend down, before dropping a few drops of the fire-flower juice. It didn't take long before Jade began to feel her shoulder healing up, and only seconds later when she could move it as before again. Rolling the joint, Jade smiled and bent to give a gentle, sisterly kiss on Lucy's forehead as a sign of thanks, before the younger girl ran off to assist Edmund and Susan in moving their belongings off the boat. Behind her, Peter walked up to see Jade.

"Feeling better?"

"You know Lucy's cordial can heal anything, why do you even bother asking." Jade replied tauntingly, smirking teasingly at him before starting towards the boat. Falling in to step next to her, Peter had to smile at her attitude. He admitted, he has missed crossing words with her. But seeing her being attacked by that bear earlier almost ripped his heart out of his chest, the fear that had gripped him almost too much to bear. He had had to come after Lucy, to make sure that there was really nothing wrong, before relief could settle in again.

Moving to help her move the last of their boxes over to where they would set up camp for the night, he looked over as she straightened up, pulling her hair out from her eyes, and his own eyes widened when he saw the adornement on her neck. "You still have it." he couldn't help but murmur, his words caught by Jade. Curious, her eyes followed his gaze, and then gave a soft smile when she realized he was looking at the necklace she wore. The very one he gave to her, centuries ago. Fingering the pendant, the girl shrugged. "And you still have yours. So why would I give mine up?" Jade said, as she motioned to the bangle he still wore around his wrist. In truth, Jade had noticed that since the first day they had met, but she just didn't say a thing. She wouldn't deny however, that the knowledge of him wearing the one gift she had ever given him, lightened her heart considerably.

At her words, Peter couldn't help the light blush that tinged his cheeks, as he suddenly busied himself with arranging the boxes that really needed no arranging. Jade giggled at his reaction. "I mean what I say, Peter. I could never forget you." she finally said softly, the words only barely audible to Peter, before she moved away to help coax a fire in to life for their camp that night, leaving Peter to ponder on her words. Did she really still have space in her heart for him, despite many centuries having passed? Straightening up, his eyes zeroed in on her smiling face as the embers came to life, casting flickering shadows on her features. Did he really dare hope he still had a chance, with the one maiden he had never truly forgotten?