So here it is - I am really sorry for leaving you on a cliffhanger last time (and even though I know it's evil I am intending to do so again - sorry for that ;)) ....

But for now enjoy Reading!


"My knight captures your dame." Cora said with a bride smile on her face, moving her chessman.

"You're wearing me down." Lucy stated looking at her few chessmen that had remained on the field, capturing one of Cora's pawns with her bishop.

"You're good at sword fighting, riding horses, playing chess… Is there anything you can't do?" Peter, who was watching them from the corner of his eyes while reading a book, asked.

Instead of an answer she grinned at him, moving her chessmen.

"Checkmate!"

Suddenly the door was pushed open and Caspian rushed in, carrying the unconscious Susan in his arms. Lucy nearly fell off the chair, when she saw his sister's silver-white dress soaked in blood, her arm's hanging lifeless to the ground.

"What happened?" Peter asked shocked, running towards Caspian to help him.

"She got shot by a crossbow." Caspian informed Peter shortly, lying Susan gently on Lucy's bed.

"Lucy, get the cordial!" Peter instructed Lucy, who was already rushing towards her commode.

Peter hunkered over Susan, feeling her pulse. "She's still breathing" he said relieved. Then he looked towards Lucy, who was rummaging around in the drawer, "Where's the cordial, Lu?"

"I can't find it. It's gone!" Lucy exclaimed in a hysterical voice.

"What do you mean it's gone? It can't be gone!" Caspian screamed his eyes wide open.

"Calm down Caspian, going ballistic won't help anybody." Peter said, trying to keep his head, "Cora, please send for a healer immediately. Lucy, when did you last have it?"

"This morning it was still in the drawer. I check every morning if it's still here."

"Are you sure you didn't put it anywhere else?" Peter asked, wanting to set the record straight.

Lucy nodded, "Of course not. I keep the dagger and the cordial always in my drawer so that I can find it immediately if there is any emergency. And my dagger is gone as well."

"Then somebody must have stolen it!" Peter concluded.

"But who would do such a thing?" the credulous young queen asked.

"Well maybe the same man who shot Susan, so that we won't be able to help her" Peter suggested, shuttering at the thought that somebody wanted his sister dead that badly.

"There are not many people who have access to this part of the castle. We've a traitor in our own rows." Caspian said distraughtly, looking down at the wounded queen, feeling anger and thirst for revenge rising in his body.

"Yes and this traitor knows us pretty well, he knows our steps." Peter continued.

Suddenly the door flew open again and Cora rushed in, followed by a healer. The healer didn't take notice of any of them, he ran over to Susan and started immediately to treat the wound with the few things he had brought with him.

"Will she get through this?" Peter asked the question nobody else dared to ask.

"She has to get through it." Caspian whispered silently, tears running down his cheek.

The healer shook his head, "She is burning up and she has lost a lot of blood. The only thing we can do is to stop the bleeding and hope for a miracle."

"There must be more we can do!" Caspian yelled at the healer, his voice making the walls tremble.

"Caspian, stop yelling! This won't help her." Peter said definitively, "Come on, Su needs rest and we need to figure out what had happened."

"We can't leave her alone." Caspian said indignant, not wanting to leave her.

"I'll stay with her." Lucy said, sitting on the edge of Susan's bed, taking gently Susan's hand.

"Okay, but if anything changes, inform us immediately!" Caspian gave in, tearing away his gaze from Susan with a heavy heart.

Once everyone had left the room, Lucy started whispering to her sister, still caressing her hand gently, "Su, please, you have to fight! You can't leave me. Please, I can't lose you as well."

Her tears were running down her cheek, falling on the bed, mingling with the blood that had once pumped through her sister's body. Lucy looked at her sister, her face pale, her hair clotted from the blood, her silver-white dress had changed mostly into a pink one, and wondered how beautiful she still looked on a knife edge to death. She nearly looked like she was sleeping peacefully, except for the blood that still covered her body, and her burning skin.

Then Lucy looked outside the window, catching sight of the glistering eastern sea, "Aslan, please, I've never asked anything from you. Please, don't let her die!"


"He must have been hiding by the trees over there!" Peter concluded, looking over the archery field, "You're sure you didn't see anything?"

Caspian shook his head distraughtly.

"Was Su practicing archery?" Peter asked, ignoring Caspian's words.

"Yes, what else should she have done?" Caspian asked embarrassed.

"Well, then where are her bow and her arrows?" Peter remarked, searching the field.

Caspian looked around as well, noticing that they were indeed gone, "The attacker must have stolen them. You think he is after your Christmas presents?" Caspian asked, knowing that that question sounded a little weird.

"I don't know, but it's a possibility." Peter continued, "Was there anybody else who could have seen anything?"

Again the king shook his head, "We were alone. At least I thought so. I should have protected her!"

"Caspian, it's not your fault and accusing yourself won't help Su. We need to find out, who attacked her, because this person might have the cordial and the cordial is the only thing that can help her." Peter said with finality in his voice, "So, who do you think might want Susan dead?"

Caspian shuttered at that thought, "Well technically there are many people, who aren't that happy about you being back, but I can't think of anybody who..."

"Wait, I know who did this!"


Lord Delian was talking to some other Telmarine lords in the hall, where the Telmarine council met, when the door was suddenly pushed open noisily, framing an angry Caspian. The furious king rushed towards the lords, aiming at one specific.

With one hand he pushed the lord against the wall, holding his sword to the lord's throat with his other hand. His eyes were sparkling black, his hands shook in anger and his voice as intimidating as ever, he yelled at the lord, "It was you! You attacked us. You hurt her. I've warned you once but this time you've..."

"Caspian, stop it!" Peter screamed, rushing into the hall, breathing heavily.

Caspian turned around to face Peter, without dropping his sword, "It was him, Peter. He attacked Susan."

"How do you know this? I thought you didn't see anybody?" Peter asked.

"I just know it." Caspian yelled, turning back to face the lord again, "Tell them! Tell them, what you did, or I swear by Aslan you won't be telling anybody anything again!"

"I don't know what your Majesty is talking about." Lord Delian said a malicious smile on his lips, "Is this the way you treat honourable men in Narnia?" he added further.

"This is the way I treat men, who attacked her majesty."

"Caspian, let him go!" Peter said, his voice not sounding like this wasn't a request but rather an order.

"What?" Caspian asked, thinking he must have misheard, "Your sister is in mortal agony and you want the man who caused this to get away?"

"We don't have any proves that he did this. So, please Caspian, drop your sword!" Peter said, laying one hand on his friend's shoulder to calm him down.

Caspian hesitated one moment, his hands quivering. Then he dropped his sword and stepped back.

"I am sorry for this outburst, my lord." Peter apologized formally, "But I have to ask to search your quarters."


"You didn't find anything, did you?"

Peter turned around surprised, facing Cora. She was wearing a green Narnian dress that matched perfectly with the colour of her eyes. Her long hair was shimmering as red as the sun that was just sinking down into the sea.

"The whole castle is talking about it, you know." Cora continued, stepping next to Peter to the guardrail of the balcony, looking over the beautiful landscape of Narnia, "It's breathtaking, isn't it?"

"As are you!" Peter whispered and as they both blushed, he looked away quickly, clearing his throat, "No, we didn't find anything, neither Susan's bow and arrows nor the cordial nor any other crossbow, but I didn't expect to."

"So you don't believe Caspian?" Cora asked sounding surprised.

"Even if he is right, I wouldn't have expected Lord Delian to hide these things in his quarters, where, he knew, we would search first." Peter explained, avoiding to asked her question, whether he believed Caspian or not. I didn't know what to believe. Lord Delian had argued with Susan before and he knew that Lord Delian was more than not happy that he and his siblings were back, but he didn't think of him as a murderer. And he knew that Caspian was oversensitive when it came to Susan, he knew that he was blind in rage and love.

But Caspian wasn't the only one, thirsting for revenge. Peter was as well angry and desperate about what had happened. But accusing a Telmarine lord of good standing without any proves was just something they couldn't afford right now. The people were frightened because of the upcoming war and split in their opinions about his and his siblings return and they couldn't risk a civil war.

"I just hope she's going to be fine." Peter whispered with tears in his eyes, "I wouldn't stand losing her as well."

"I am sure she's going to be alright." Cora said caring, turning towards him, laying her hand on his. Peter turned to face her as well, glancing down at their hands.

For a moment they just stood there, looking at each other. Then Peter leaned in to kiss her, slowly and shyly. Halfway he stopped, waiting if she shied away, but she didn't. So he moved one hand to her neck and covered her lips with his.

As he felt her soft lips on his, her body that near to his, his hand on her bare neck, he forgot about everything else, about his sister, who was that close to death, about his brother, who was lost somebody out there, about the war that was coming, about the fact that they would have to leave Narnia sooner or later. All he thought of was the young woman that he was kissing. Her beauty, her smell, her taste, her wonderful lips... He had never experienced a kiss like that, not with so much love. He felt like he was floating.

And then, all of a sudden, there was a young woman's scream, loud, shrill and fearful.

Peter backed off, looking shocked at Cora, knowing perfectly well, whose voice this was.

"Lucy!"


Yes, I did it again - leaving you on a cliffhanger - I am sorry - I know it's evil (by the way did you watch Grey's Anatomy finale - compared to that evil cliffhanger mine is really nice and you don't have to wait that loing ;)) ... So what do you think? Like it? Don't like it? Tell me your thoughts - even if you're mad at me or don't like it! ;) ...

Well and I want to thank again those who reviewed so far - you really always make my day!! I'll try to update soon! :)