Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except Nuntius who is in this story for all of about 2 paragraphs so I don't think that really count. All I own is this particular story and I realise I've stolen a lot of dialogue later on straight from the film but I wanted it to match up a bit.

A/N: I had my OC convey the message about Aslan to the boys rather than the dryad person mainly because I totally forgot about her until after I'd written Nuntius's big scene :) and I didn't have the heart to delete his part. And also, sorry it's been so long updating my PC broke again but I have the next chapter half written so it shouldn't be to long before I update again. And finally, in regard to reviews, they really really do make my day and I love getting them so even if it's just one word, or even if it's just "Wow. That was crap." I will still be pleased to get it =D So here it is....enjoy (I hope).

Edmund stood stiffly, holding his arms out from his sides while Peter clumsily put on his armour for him. It was hard-going and painful but he was determined he would fight. Every now and then Peter's eyes would glance up at his from whatever he was doing up and watch him for a moment. Edmund wasn't sure what emotion was displayed in the blue eyes but it made him uncomfortable. Suddenly, Peter began speaking to him quietly and taking a lot longer to do up the leather straps on the armour than Edmund could believe was necessary.

"The girls are gone." Peter told him quietly. Edmund's heart began racing, Susan was gone? And Lucy? He opened his mouth to reply but Peter cut him off. "There was no sign of a fight, besides we would have heard it if there was one. No foot prints either, at least nobody's except theirs. Wherever they are they've gone alone."

"And where do you think they've gone, Peter?" Edmund responded quietly, trying to control the fear in his voice. Peter looked up at him and they could both see the worry in each other's eyes. Peter sighed heavily.

"I don't know." He admitted anxiously. He stood slowly and took Edmund's sword belt from where it had been hung the night before on the end of a bed and turned back to his brother.

"Why do I need a sword, if you're going to make me stay with the archers?" Edmund frowned whilst Peter secured the belt tightly around his brother's small waist. It was a little big really but it would have to do. Peter simply glared pointedly at him and raised one eyebrow in a 'you know why' sort of way. "I'm not going to run away again." Edmund huffed quietly.

"Yes, well it's not you running away that I'm worried about Ed." Peter muttered nervously.

Suddenly, their relative peace was interrupted by the entrance of Nuntius, a small, excitable bird similar to the pigeons they used to see in London. He flapped agitatedly into the tent and landed hard on the grass at their feet. He glanced nervously up at the young princes and cooed apologetically. Peter smiled kindly at him and bid him tell them his message.

"If you please Sir Peter," He small creature said breathlessly. "General Orieus told me to come here at once. And to send you and your brother," Here he paused again and glanced nervously at Edmund. "To the Great Lion's tent." He finished, apparently very pleased with himself for delivering his message correctly and so swiftly.

Edmund however, frowned worriedly from behind Peter's shoulder and asked sharply. "Is there something wrong?" The little bird did not answer, still catching his breath and lying exhausted on the ground, he nodded breathlessly. They did not wait for their messenger to recover himself, but left the tent immediately, heading in the direction of the Lion's tent.

"What do you think's happened?" Edmund asked gasping slightly from the effort to keep up with his brother's long strides.

"I don't know Ed."

_______________________________________________

"It's true. He's gone." Peter told the crowd dejectedly. He hadn't wanted to believe what Orieus had told them but it seemed he had little choice now. Aslan was gone. Orieus had seemed so confident the night before. Telling him there was nothing amiss and that Aslan knew what he was doing and not to question the Great Lion. He had felt like a small child being patted on the head and told not to worry.

There was a resounding gasp from the assembled Narnians which then broke into anxious chatter. Peter met Edmund's eyes and trudged over to where he was stood at Orieus's feet, the General with his hand on Edmund's shoulder. "He's gone. Aslan's gone." He repeated miserably to his brother. Edmund craned around to exchange a look with Orieus who nodded once. Then, taking a deep breath and steeling himself for the explosion he expected to follow his words, he said:

"Then you'll have to lead us." At Peter terrified stare, he continued quickly. "Peter, there's a whole army out there, and it's ready to follow you."

"I can't!" Peter moaned resignedly.

Edmund frowned furiously, not only had he expected his brother to jump at the chance to be a hero (old habits died hard) he had also expected him to understand as Edmund had. Breaking free from the centaur's grip he grabbed hold of Peter's shoulder and said determinedly. "Aslan believed you could!" Then quietly, in barely more than a whisper he added, "And so do I."

Peter stared in amazement at his younger brother. It took everything he had not to hug Edmund there and then. But he didn't. Instead he smiled weakly at him and was awarded with a shy smile back, then he moved his attention to Orieus. "General?" He said with a lot more confidence than he felt.

Orieus immediately stood to attention and inclined his head towards his two young kings and inquired calmly: "What are your orders?"

For Narnia. And for Edmund, for Susan and for Lucy.

_____________________________________

It had all happened so fast. One moment they had been sobbing over Aslan's apparently dead body and the next minute they were riding on his back as he charged through Narnia, heading for the Witch's castle. Their throats and eyes were soar from both theirs tears and their screams and shouts of delight but they barely noticed as they approached the castle. Their hearts beat hard in their chests and although they both knew that the Witch would be long gone on her way to do battle with their brothers, they could not help the fear from setting in. The castle itself was a fearsome structure. Beautiful in a dark, Gothic way Susan supposed but to Lucy it looked like every evil and dark palace from her fairy tales and she felt terrified. She felt that she wanted her brothers, and her parents but at the same time, she felt strangely safe with Aslan. As though nothing would harm them as long as they were with him.

They entered the dark courtyard and both Lucy and Susan were gripped by paralysing fear, surrounding them were the cold, stone forms of hundreds of animals, centaurs, giants and fauns. Susan saw him before Lucy did, and did her best to hide him from view but her efforts were useless. Lucy looked tearfully from face to face around the courtyard, finally coming to rest on a smalls, handsome faun behind Susan. It was Mr Tumnus. Lucy burst into sobs as she rushed over to him, taking his freezing, grey hand in hers and squeezing it until her hand ached from the effort. Susan wrapped her arms around her little sister from behind and shhhed at her quietly. Slowly rocking them both from side to side as their mother used to.

Suddenly, Aslan was at their side and he seemed to be smiling in his feline way. Susan pulled Lucy aside slightly and the lion stepped forward to the faun. He let out a huge breath and turned away. Susan and Lucy watched, astonished as the statue in front of them began to break up, and become coloured and move right before their eyes. And then he pitched forward into Lucy's arm and she turned delighted eyes that swam with tears of happiness on her sister.

"Susan, this is..." She was interrupted by Susan flinging herself at the befuddled faun with a cry of "MR TUMNUS!" as she too began to cry with joy. They all three turned smiling to Aslan as he turned to enter the gloomy house.

"Come," He rumbled warmly, "let us search the castle, others may still be trapped inside and Peter will need all the help he can get."

Lucy beamed, deliriously happy and said quietly to Susan, "Peter doesn't need our help. He has Edmund." Susan grinned back proudly. Edmund had changed so much and so quickly since coming here that she found herself thinking illogically that he resembled Peter more than Peter did. She had no worries for Peter at the moment, Edmund would do anything for him now she realised (perhaps he always would have done she mentally added), she just hoped that thanks to Peter's recent and apparent change of heart towards their little brother, that he would do the same for Edmund.

__________________________________________

Peter felt his heart and mind freeze as Orieus charged by him, the world seemed to be moving in slow motion. "STOP!!" He vaguely heard someone scream, he thought it might have been him. He watched in horror as the Witch turned her wand on the massive centaur and he froze mid-fight. He couldn't win this, he realised. "We just want our brother back." His earlier words rang in his ears and he wondered when that had changed, because he already had Edmund back. The old Edmund it seemed. The one he could actually like he thought. But that wasn't enough for him was it? He had to try and be the hero. But then, he hadn't wanted to be the hero had he? Edmund and Orieus had handed him this leadership on a silver platter and he had refused it so how had he ended up here in the middle of a battle that he had no hope of winning and with the enemy forces bearing down upon him? Then he remembered, his brother had told him he believed in him. And suddenly, he had too. But, now...his brother! And his sisters! "Edmund." Peter gasped, terrified. He spun around and terrified blue eyes met determined brown. The Witch was approaching him, the swirling thoughts in his head had barely taken a few seconds and she would be upon him soon. He wouldn't be able to hold her off for long! He was exhausted and hot and frightened and he needed his brother and sisters safely out of this.

"EDMUND! There are too many of them! Go! Get out of here! Get the girls, and get them home!" He didn't even stop to make sure his desperate order had been obeyed but he did send a silent prayer to whoever might hear it that his brother might finally have learned to do as he was told.

He had no such luck. Edmund allowed Beaver to drag him up the hill a few steps but then turned back to see the Witch striding towards Peter, a murderous gleam in her eye. And suddenly, this was his chance. He could never redeem himself enough to in his own eyes but perhaps in stopping the Witch, he might give his siblings reason enough to forgive him, even though outwardly it seemed they already had. But he had done nothing to deserve their forgiveness yet! And here was his chance, even if he survived (which he doubted) he would still have saved his brother's life and that was reward enough without forgiveness on top of that. He knew what he had to do.

A/N (again!): I will try to update again soon but I think we all know what happens next! Also, seriously, not that I'm begging or anything but reviews are great. They brighten up my day even if they're bad reviews and they are less fattening than ice cream. =D So, feel free to review!

Oh yes, and for anyone who is interested, Nuntius literally means 'Messenger' in Latin.