Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't... I also don't own the Narnian Calendar. It belongs to Elecktrum who was kind enough to let me borrow it for my story. Her own stories are awesome and you should go read them too.

Summary: In the aftermath of rescuing Queen Lucy from an evil sorcerer, Katerina Alambiel struggles to find her place while some of the Narnians closest to the Pevensies still question her motives. And, finding herself in the middle of an assassination plot against the High King himself doesn't exactly help her to fit in.

Warning: There will be mentions of torture, murder, and some scary moments. So, this is a mid to high T.

Chapter Thirteen: The Ides of Lenisgale

Katerina Alambiel pulled Chrysaor from its sheath and cut down one of the Werewolves trying to get past Sherket and the Serval she had patched up earlier. The other four Werewolves turned and snarled as one at her. The Leopard Captain wasted no time in taking advantage of the Werewolves' distraction. She roared as she pounced onto the back of one Werewolf and crushed its neck between her jaws. Katerina faced the other three with the Serval and she almost felt sorry for the Werewolf who tried to attack the Serval when she latched onto his face and clawed his eyes all the while biting and spitting and hissing in sheer fury. The two remaining Werewolves looked at each other and tried to keep her in between them as they slowly circled her. She shifted her stance into one of the new techniques Oreius had been drilling into her for the last few days or so. She really hoped she could pull what she was planning off; otherwise, she would never hear the end of it...if she lived through a failure.

She braced herself then she jumped up and over the head of the second Werewolf, putting him in between her and his friend. She whirled around and slashed down with Chrysaor as the Werewolf started to turn to face her. Chrysaor bit deep into his shoulder and cleaved easily through the bone and muscle until it reached his heart. Katerina knew in the back of her mind that particular image and sound would be haunting her for a while, but she pushed on. She had to take care of the other Werewolf before she could finish putting her plan into play.

She raised Chrysaor again as she carefully watched the slavering mess of a Werewolf try to figure out a new plan. But, this time she would not give him the chance. This time she would play the aggressor. Katerina let out a yell and charged the Werewolf head on. The Werewolf stared at her in confusion then a greedy light appeared in his eyes as she ran towards him. He straightened from his half-crouch and opened his arms wide to catch her, but then Katerina ducked under one outstretched arm and twisted around to drive Chrysaor between the Werewolf's exposed ribs.

She freed Chrysaor and turned back to the two Cats who were watching her warily, "Captain Sherket, how is he? Does he still live?"

Sherket glanced over her shoulder at the tent then she looked up at Katerina, "He still clings to life, but his wound is very bad and he has not yet regained consciousness."

Katerina felt a sense of relief wash over her just knowing that the High King was still living. She didn't want to imagine that would happen if the protector of the four thrones was stolen before his time. She hesitated on whether to ask her next question or not, but then the decision was taken from her as another large group of Werewolves emerged from the gloom. They attacked Kumbali and a small knot of archers only a little ways from where the two Cats and Katerina stood in front of the High King's tent. Katerina looked down at Sherket and nodded, "Go help them, I'll keep him safe."

The Leopard Captain stared hard at her then she slowly nodded, "I entrust the care and protection of the High King to you, Katerina Alambiel. Do not fail this trust. Come, Chava."

Katerina backed into the shadow cast across the front of the tent as the two Cats sped into the fight with the Werewolves. She hoped her plan would work and it seemed she was about to find out as five Werewolves broke free of the mêlée turned their attention to the High King's tent. Fortunately for her, the Werewolves were reckless and assumed one Human would be easy to defeat. She raised Chrysaor and brought it down in a sweeping arc as the two Werewolves in the lead came within reach. The blade slashed through the air and then flesh. The first Werewolf fell dead at her feet, but she had only managed to leave a shallow gash across the second Werewolf's shoulder. The wound only served to irritate the Fell Beast as he dropped back out of reach with an angry snarl.

She needed to time this perfectly if she hoped to succeed without gaining any injuries herself. She took a deep breath and dropped into a half-crouch with Chrysaor raised above her head. The four Werewolves snarled and then started laughing harshly. The wounded Werewolf mocked her as he copied her crouched stance, "Is the little mistress going to leap away? Katerina Alambiel should run while she can before the Sorcerer gets her. Go on, little Alambiel, leap away. We'll eat the pretend king instead of Alambiel this time."

"Oh, I wouldn't do that, were I you. The king would probably give you indigestion and I'm the tough stringy type plus there's all this steel, which probably isn't very palatable. You filthy mongrels actually think I will run? Go ahead, try and make me."

The Werewolves growled then they threw their heads back and howled a battle cry. The wounded Werewolf lunged from his crouched position and Katerina jerked Chrysaor up to slide between his ribs just as his jaws snapped shut a hairsbreadth from her face. She pulled the sword free and whirled to the right to cut down one of the other Werewolves before jumping up and kicking another Werewolf in the chest. Chrysaor flashed through the air to stab the fallen Werewolf in the heart before Katerina quickly turned back to the last Werewolf and dealt him a fatal blow as he tried to leap over her into the tent.

She returned to holding Chrysaor at the ready before she stood up right. It looked like the Narnians were finally gaining the upper hand in the battle and had started pushing the Werewolves back. The sense of being watched struck her again and she scanned the area, but other than the five Fell Beasts lying dead at her feet, there were none in the immediate vicinity of the High King's tent. Something's wrong. A sudden horrible thought struck her and Katerina whirled around and ran into the tent's darkened interior. Oh dear God, dear Aslan, please no. Please let me be wrong.

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"Oreius!" The warning came a moment too late as the Centaur turned in time to see a Werewolf leaping with outstretched claws for his unprotected left flank. Oreius braced himself for impact only to have the Werewolf give a strangled gasp and drop to the ground just before it reached him. An arrow was imbedded in the Fell Beast's back and Oreius nodded his thanks to Alithia as the Centauress lowered her bow.

He whirled back around to face the last group of Werewolves who started backing away as he raised his claymore and reared up with a battle cry before charging them. Ardon and a rather battered Pyrrhos and Alaois joined him just as he slammed into the Fell Beasts. The archers released the last of their arrows into the Werewolves at the rear of the group. The Werewolves began to panic and broke formation, biting and clawing at each other in an effort to escape the relentless attack by Oreius and his fellow soldiers. Several Werewolves escaped the press and raced off into the gloom away from the Narnians and their camp.

Oreius cut down several more Werewolves and noted with satisfaction that the remaining Werewolves were essentially routed. Then two Werewolves appeared on the northern outskirts of the camp and, throwing their heads back, they howled three times in unison before disappearing back into the unnatural darkness. All of the Werewolves still alive immediately turned and fled north.

Oreius and Ardon looked each other, but Oreius shook his head and the captain called the Narnians' attention to tending their own. A shout pulled his attention back to the camp's center. "General!"

Katerina Alambiel was running towards him with a look of despair. He quickly met her, "What is it?"

She looked down at her hands before looking up and answering in a soft voice, "It...General, the king...he didn't...he died of the wound during the battle. I couldn't help him. I tried, but I could not."

Oreius leveled her with a hard glare, and then he drove his claymore through her heart. Katerina Alambiel gasped while pain and shock chased each other through her eyes as she stared up at him before she crumpled to the ground.

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A/N: Please Read and Review! *Dances like Tevye from Fiddler in the Roof* I posted on Saturday (barely)! Did anyone see the ending coming? *Stops dancing to run away and hide* Okay, don't panic I have a plan for what happens next and you'll like it...I hope. Anyway, click the little review button below and let me know what y'all think.