Aravis was sitting in the great hall in Anvard. Corrin was happily telling his father Lune about his and Cor's knighting ceremony at Cair Paravel. Aravis had also accompanied them, and had a good time talking with Lucy. The two of them had been in correspondence with each other since Lucy had left Anvard after the battle.

The two princes and Aravis had only just no returned to Anvard late the day before. It had taken them slightly longer because Corrin wanted to show the other two the stone table and other sights in Narnia before they returned.

Aravis had just finished her porridge when a stag burst into the hall. "King Lune!" the stag cried "You must help their royal highnesses have gone missing!

Every eye in the hall turned toward the stag who was panting heavily. King Lune rose from his seat. He poured some water from a jug into the bowl and set it infront of the stag. "Now drink my friend and calm down. Then tell us clearly what you mean."

The stag drank quickly from the bowl then looked up. "High King Peter and his siblings King Edmund, Quean Susan and Queen Lucy heard of a white stag that if you caught it, it would grant three wishes. They went to hunt it and have not returned. Lord Peridan is searching for them now and requested Archenland's aid."

Whispering broke out through the hall. Then Corrin stood up. "We must ride for Narnia at once and find them."

King Lune Looked at his son and said "You are absolutely right my son." Then he turned to the hall "I want every man in this hall to be ready to ride to Narnia by noon."

Everyone got up then and left to get ready. Aravis herself rushed to her room to put on a riding dress. Cor headed to the stables where Bree had been staying. He had accompanied them back to Anvard, and was planning on staying for a few days. Bree was snoozing when Cor came in. "Bree you must wake up we are going back to Narnia."

Bree awoke with a disgruntled neigh. "I think the friend who carried you on his back across Calormen and the great desert hardly deserves to be woken up rudely at such an early hour. I mean to say we just arrived here last night, why must we rush off now?"

Cor then told him about the message the stag had brought, and Bree became fully awake with a start. "Their Royal Highnesses have disappeared! We must be off at once!"

"I know Bree. Hear eat some oats you will need something in your stomach when we leave at noon. I need to saddle my horse."

"Nay young'un." Bree said. "I am faster than any of those dumb beasts you have here. If Their Royal Highnesses are in danger we need to be as fast as possible. Put the saddle on me, and we shall leave at once!"

"He does speak sense my son." King Lune said as he walked into the stables. "Speed is of the essence and having a forward scouting party is a good idea, but I would suggest you wait until Corrin and Aravis are ready. If something or someone has taken Their Royal Highnesses then it may be dangerous."

Corrin and Aravis evidently also had the idea to head out before rest for they came in that instant with provisions. They looked sheepish when they saw King Lune there but he simply smiled knowingly at them and told them as they left "They were going to the Lantern Waste when last any one heard of them. Go there and search for clues, but be careful."

Corrin wanted to gallop all the way there. Bree had to talk some since to him. "There is no point in rushing of to find them if we are to tuckered out to do anything when we reach them, however giving the circumstances I suggest we stick to trotting and not walking until we reach the waste."

So they went up the mountain pass to Narnia, but Bree almost seem to forget his advice as Cor would often remind him of it when he pulled ahead of the other two. They rode like that for most of the day and the sun was going down when they reached the lamp post. Cor looked at the sun "We should make camp here there is no sense getting lost in the forest in the dark. Then we will be of no use to anybody."

They all dismounted and the dumb horses they rod were tied to the lamppost. Aravis went off to get some fire wood. Corrin was looking worried. "What could have happened to them?" He asked his brother. "I can't imagine anything getting the better of King Peter or King Edmund or Queen Lucy for that matter. Not to mention that fact that Susan had her horn."

In truth Cor did not know the Pevensies that well. He had only met them a year ago when King Edmund had mistaken him for his brother in Tashbaan. Cor thought they were wonderful people but Corrin had known the four for much longer. Corrin had been especially close to Susan after this and Cor's mother had died. So he was feeling much more stress than his brother.

Cor knew this so he tried to act reassuring. "We'll find them Cor. At first light we will start looking for any sign of them. Then father will get here and…"

He did not finish his sentence for both of them heard a cry of "Shasta!" right then, for often times in the heat of the moment Aravis would revert back to calling Cor by the name she knew him by in Calormen. When they heard the cry both boys and Bree ran in the direction Aravis had called from.

When Aravis had left to get firewood she headed towards a thicket not too far from the lamp post. While she was walking around in the dark, she got her foot tangled in something and fell. Angrily she went to remove the thing ensnared around her foot. It was a dress. She sat confused until she saw something glimmer in the moonlight. It was a metal and circular. It was a crown.

That was when she cried out. Moments later the boys and Bree appeared. Cor was by her side quickly. "Are you all right?" he asked.

"Look." she said. There was an awkward pause for of course none of them could see well in the dark. "Fine then feel, hold it, smell it if you have to." Aravis said aggravated. Cor took the crown and felt it for a few moments.

"A crown?" he said in whisper. Corrin stiffened, and Bree let out a worried neigh.

"Yes. And I found a dress with it." Aravis said.

While the four were pondering this several figures were creeping toward them. There was a cry and the figures lunged toward them. Corrin managed to deliver several quick blows to the one who came at him. Cor wrestled with the one who grabbed him. He managed to throw him off and draw his sword. He and his foe crossed swords, while Aravis managed to get on top of her attacker and had her brother's dagger at his throat. Bree reared and cried "For Narnia and the North!"

"Stop! Stop!" cried a voice coming from the direction of the Lamppost. It was Mister Tumnas the faun. He was holding a torch that showed the combatants who they were.

"Prince Cor, Prince Corrin, Lady Aravis." Lord Peridan said in surprise as he lowered his sword. Aravis got of the satyr she had pinned to the ground and Corrin helped Thornbut the dwarf back on his feet

"I see your left has lost none of its quickness." The hapless dwarf said holding his head

"Lord Peridan." Cor said "You could have found out who we were before attacking. We left as soon as we heard about the disappearance of kings and queens. My father is bringing more men, he stayed behind to organize them. We came as and advanced search party."

"Thank you Prince Cor." Lord Peridan said with relief. "I will not deny that ever since there Royal Highnesses went missing that I have not been myself. My nerves are quite frayed. You have my deepest apologies for not ascertaining who you were before attacking. But now I must ask. What were you three doing here in this thicket?"

"We found something, well Aravis found it and she called us." Cor said.

"A crown?" Lord Peridan said after Cor handed him the gold circlet.

"Yes" Aravis said. "We should light some torches and continue looking."

It was a very sensible suggestion. After a few moments Cor Corin Lord Peridan were holding torches high examining the ground. They found three more crowns with three more sets of clothing. Also they found Susan's horn close to where Aravis had tripped.

"I don't understand." Lord Peridan said. "Wherever they went why did they leave their clothes here?"

"Assuming they were not captured." Cor said.

"Nonsense. There is no way that anyone could best High King Peter and King Edmund, of Queen Lucy." Corrin said, in hollow echo of his previous conversation with Cor.

"But High King Peter and King Edmund left their arms and armor at Cair Parevel."said Thornbutt. "I do not think that Queen Lucy even brought her dagger, nor Queen Susan her bow."

"Even if that is true, if they were in trouble why would Queen Susan not blow her horn? Help would have arrived." Aravis said.

The satyr shook his head. "This is beyond my comprehension. What do you think Mr. Tumnas?"

But Mr. Tumnas did not answer. He was holding a handkerchief to his face, crying. "I…I j…j…just remembered" the faun cried between sobs. "The first time Lucy… came to Narnia I took her back to the lamppost so she… could return to War Drobe in Spare Oom. She ran towards this thicket and disappeared…. After her second visit the same thing happened…. So that is what must have happened… They've gone back to the world they came from."

"No." Lord Peridan said in anguish "They can't be gone. We need them."

Corrin was shaking trying not to cry. Thornbutt patted him as high on his back as he could reach. Aravis, who had become good friends with Queen Lucy since she came to the North was crying. Cor put a hand on her shoulder. Of the people in that thicket he was the one who was the least close to the missing Kings and Queens. He had met them all and thought they were all wonderful folks, but he could not feel the same sort of loss that the others felt. But as he looked at his surroundings he could not help but think that the world was darker than it had been the day before, in a way that had nothing to do with the starless night.