AN: So, I'm kind of a horrible person.

I make you wait all this time for a new chapter, and all you get is this little short one. I'd like to say I'll get working on it again soon, but with NaNoWriMo starting tomorrow, I don't think that's going to happen.

So here's the new chapter for your reading pleasure, if you find it in your heart to forgive me.

Chapter 13

"Home at last!" cried Susan. She spurred her horse to a gallop across the grass, her dark hair flying out behind her. Her brothers, sister and Anna grinned and raced alongside her. They were happy to be home.

The gates barely opened in time for the five to tear through them. Anna and Edmund leapt off of their horses and ran into the palace. The other three followed close behind.

Without a single word between them, they all started racing to the throne room. Their laughter echoed around the chamber as the four monarchs took their seats. Anna felt out of place for a moment as she realized she had nowhere to sit, but Edmund grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his throne beside him.

"Your throne will be there one day," Edmund told her, pointing to the empty space next to his, "But it isn't built yet."

Anna gave him a confused smile. "What do you mean, my throne?" she asked.

Edmund shrugged. "I mean that you'll be a queen one day."

"But the only way I could be a queen would be if Aslan appointed me one, or if I married a king."

"I know that."

"Hey," called Cada as she and her brother stepped in the room, "Thanks for waiting for ... Whoa."

Cada and Cadin stared around the room in amazement.

"Nice," Cada remarked. She turned her gaze on Edmund and Anna and her expression hardened.

Although the thrones could fit two, they were designed for one, and there was virtually no space between Anna and Edmund. The Lady rose to her feet to appease Cada.

Lucy leapt up. "Come on! We'll give you a tour!"

She hurried out with Peter, Susan, Cada and Cadin behind her. Anna went to follow but Edmund called to her.

"I mean it, you know," he said.

She turned to look back at him. "What do you mean?"

"That you'll be queen someday."

Anna looked down. "I don't think I'd make a very good queen."

Edmund appeared to be perplexed. "Of course you will. Don't you want to be queen?"

Anna sat quietly and tried not to call attention to herself. Jadis fumed beside her, absolutely livid.

"I can't believe they escaped me," she growled.

Anna said nothing.

"They won't escape again," Jadis vowed, drawing her mirror from her cloak, "Because I know the girl's name now. I only need the names of the two boys, and I'll see them wherever they go." Jadis turned her cold gaze on Anna. "Tell me the names of your brothers."

"Michael and William." Anna was too afraid to point out that they were her cousins.

"Their full names," Jadis demanded.

Anna shrank down on the bench. "I - I don't think I should tell you that."

Jadis' hand snapped out and grabbed Anna by the collar. "Tell me their names."

"No...?" It had been intended as defiant but came out more like a question.

"Tell me."

"I can't."

Anna's heart beat wildly in absolute fear as Jadis studied her for several long moments. Her hand twitched toward her wand as though she considered killing the girl on the spot. Luckily, she released her grip, and Anna fell onto the bench gratefully.

Jadis sighed dramatically. "I am ever so disappointed in you."

"In me?" Anna asked meekly.

"Yes. You see, I have no children, and one day I will need an heir to the throne of Narnia. I had thought you would be a very good princess but I guess I was wrong. I can't train you if you don't trust me."

"I'd think you'd want Mary to be your princess," Anna muttered.

"Who? Your little friend? She is far too vain. I need someone who is not only beautiful, but also smart and powerful. You are all of those things - except powerful, but I could have trained you. But I guess I was wrong."

"No, you weren't," Anna protested.

"Then you must trust me," Jadis said, turning her dark eyes on Anna. "Tell me - what are your brother's names."

Anna hesitated.

"What's the matter?" Jadis asked. "Don't you want to be queen?"

"I don't..."

Jadis fixed her with an icy stare. Anna shrunk down in her seat, but said nothing. At length, Jadis sighed.

"Well," she said, "I suppose I could use that Mary girl..."

Anna sat bolt upright. There was no way she could take her best friend overshadowing her again. "No."

"I beg your pardon?" Jadis asked, her expression unreadable.

"Don't make Mary her heir. She's vain and selfish and petty. I want to be queen."

"Good." Jadis smiled dangerously. "I'll tell you your first lesson now. Threats must be pushed down, or there's no way to keep power. You understand this, right?"

"Of course." Anna felt a twinge of annoyance. Did Jadis think she was stupid? Anna wasn't stupid. She got all As. She also got all of Mary's As.

"Well," Jadis said, "The threat right now is your friend and your brothers. Do you know what we have to do with them?"

Anna was afraid she had a hunch.

"We have to crush their rebellion," Jadis said. She held forth the mirror. "Now. Tell me their names, Daughter of Eve. Don't you want to rule?"

"Betray my friends?" Anna asked.

"What is more important: the wellbeing of Narnia, or a few humans?"

The image of Mary as a princess flashed through Anna's mind.

She snatched up the magic mirror. "You're right. They're just a few humans."

That night found Anna sitting out in the garden, staring at the sky. She wasn't sure if the Narnian sky was different from the Archenland sky, but it seemed different. It was good to be back home again.

But it bothered her to think that things wouldn't be the same as they were. She went from being in love with Peter, to hating Peter, to being just friends with Peter. As if that weren't confusing enough, she'd had her first ever huge fight with Edmund. That had not been enjoyable.

Little Lucy, who Anna had viewed as a younger sister as well as a best friend, wasn't so little anymore. Cadin was head over heels in love with her, and she liked him a lot too. And even Edmund, who had long been seen by the people as the little brother of High King Peter, the one who was going to marry Lady Anna someday, was growing up. He had his own fan club now, and it had its leadership in Cada...

Anna had at first found a friend and kindred spirit in Cada. They'd been similar situations (with the notable exception that Cada hadn't turned over her closest friend and family to a vicious tyrant.), with them both being second to the rulers, often not taken seriously, and blonde. But the more time they spent together, the more Anna sensed they were really different after all. Cada was similar to Mary in many ways. They were both pretty, but shallow, and obsessed over boys and clothes. Cada was a lot nicer than Mary was though. This didn't help as much as it would be expected to, though, because Anna was at least used to Mary. After spending time with girls like Lucy and Susan, who had their moments of shallowness and frivolousness, but were were generally deeper than that, it was increasingly hard for Anna to have a real conversation with Cada. The Archenland girl wasn't dumb, but she wasn't the most logical (A certain truth-or-dare request came to mind), and sometimes it drove Anna to frustration. It had gotten worse since Cada had met and fallen for Edmund. Anna had seen Cada crush on numerous other men in the few months that they'd been friends, but something about Cada being in love with her best friend just grated on her nerves. For one, it didn't pass like the others did, and Anna was forced to hear about it every day. And a good portion of it was Edmund himself. Sometimes she just wanted to scream, "I KNOW he's handsome! I KNOW he's nice! I KNOW, I KNOW, I KNOW! Just leave him alone!" Sometimes, a small part of her brain would add, "I was his friend first. He's mine." Then the larger part of her brain would wonder where that burst of jealousy came from. She attributed it to the fact that she now had to share her best friend.

A dark-haired figure came and sat down beside Anna on the garden bench. "Hey."

"Hey, Su."

Susan stared up at the sky. "Nice night, isn't it?"

"Yep."

"The stars look different in Narnia."

"The Narnian sky is prettier than the Archenland sky, don't you think?"

"I agree," Susan said.

Anna pointed up at a constellation. "You see those five stars right there? That's supposed to be Queen Swanwhite. And those over there make up Aslan."

"I never knew that. Where did you hear that?"

"Edmund. He read it somewhere."

"I should've guessed," Susan said with a knowing smile.

Anna groaned. "Not you, too!"

"What?"

"Everyone thinks that I'm in love with Edmund," Anna said.

"Everyone but you and Ed," Susan remarked.

"Mm-hm, and everyone thinks he's in love with me."

Susan nodded. "Everyone except you."

"... and Edmund..." Anna added after a moment.

Susan smiled knowingly. "Whatever you want to think," she said as she stood. "See you later, Anna." Susan walked off, leaving Anna alone, looking at the sky.

She could have sworn the star that was the eye in the Aslan constellation winked at her.