The important thing is this: to be able, at any moment, to sacrifice what we are for what we could become. ~ Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

Disclaimer: I do not own The Chronicles of Narnia, be it book or movie. I only own Arielle and any deviation from the established plot.

When Winter holds its breath

and Spring begins anew

a Sacrificial death

upon the Table entombed

Last Time:

Silence fell for a minute while Edmund digested all of this. It explained a lot - Jadis's hatred for Arielle, her anger when Edmund spurned her, and the shattered mirror near her throne. "She hasn't forgiven you." He told Arielle.

The brunette snorted, green returning to her gaze. "I can say the same. Jadis can throw whatever she wants at me. I'll pick it up and throw it back, but I'll die before I let her kill another one of my charges."

The conviction in her voice sent a chill down Edmund's spine, and for a moment, he almost felt bad for the Witch.

Arielle and Edmund conversed for a while longer as the sun commenced it's daily painting across the eastern sky. Slowly, the camp began to stir, with the centaurs not yet awake coming out to join their brethren for an early breakfast, the cats and other beasts leaving the camp temporarily to hunt or gather their own meals.

"Edmund!" A sharp cry called, catching their attention. Arielle looked to see Peter placing a restraining hand on Lucy's shoulder, and the confused look she gave him.

She smiled. "It appears your siblings rise earlier than I expected." She stood, offering one hand to Edmund. He gratefully took it. "I'll let you get some rest now." Edmund nodded, carefully walking down the side of the hill, Arielle only a few steps behind him. As the youngest Pevensies embraced, Arielle looked Susan and Peter in the eye. "Edmund and I have discussed his previous decisions. There is no need to further revisit the past." Susan nodded, getting a hug from Edmund next.

Peter's gaze caught Arielle's, and the gratitude in his eyes could not be measured. Arielle merely gave him a gentle smile and a slight bow of her head before she left for her tent. Had she looked back, she would have seen Peter pull Edmund into a crushing hug.

However, she did hear him say teasingly, "Try not to wander off again, alright?"

Despite Arielle's lack of sleep, the Queen joined Peter, Susan, and Lucy for breakfast after going to her tent to put on a red leather vest and grab a few things. Their mood had drastically improved with the return of their brother, and Lucy spent the meal telling Arielle what Ainkirk taught her the previous day.

Catching a lull in the young girl's chatter, Susan asked Arielle, "What are we doing today?"

Arielle swallowed a mouthful of toast before answering. "Despite his lack of sleep, I want Edmund awake for lunch so he can start catching up to the rest of you. You three on the other hand, are going to be productive. Susan, Lucy, your teachers will meet you in the same place you practiced yesterday. Peter, Capricus is out on patrol until lunch, so you'll be with me until then."

Peter nodded. After breakfast, when Susan and Lucy left for their morning lessons, he followed Arielle to a large patch of shade under a study oak. Pausing so Arielle could fetch a large bag from her tent, he felt somewhat confused when she leaned her staff against the trunk of the tree and promptly sat down. "Milady?"

"Yes, Your Highness?" Arielle replied sweetly. Peter frowned at the title - he wasn't royalty. Then he glanced at Arielle to see her raised eyebrow and the wicked humor in her hazel eyes and realization hit him.

"Fine, Arielle." He emphasized. "What are - " He trailed off. Arielle pulled out a familiar wooden board and thirty - two familiar pieces, hand crafted out of oak and mahogany. The wood looked worn around the edges, but held a dull shine that came from years of use. "Chess?"

"Do you play?" She asked, setting up the game. Deft hands quickly placed the pieces, 'white' on his side, 'black' on hers.

Peter sat down, moving Rhindon so the blade wouldn't tangle with his legs. "A little. I played a couple games with my father before - " Before the war called him away to fight, he finished silently, swallowing the lump that appeared in his throat.

If Arielle noticed, she gave no indication of it. "My father taught me to play before he died. In turn, I taught my brothers. The Twins - George and Lucas - don't have a preference for the game, they're too impatient. Ronald shows promise though. We have an ongoing game that we try to get to when there's time." Hazel eyes darkened to amber. "Lately there hasn't been much of that." The Queen shook her head as if to banish unwanted thoughts. "You wish to practice your swordsmanship, Peter, and I understand. However, it is necessary that you have a good grasp on battle tactics, the sooner the better."

"Why?" Peter asked. Nonetheless, he moved a white pawn forward.

Arielle responded by moving one of her knights. "Monarchs have arguably the toughest job in the kingdom. Not only do you have to be a skilled politician and diplomat to deal with every jumped up representative from who knows where, you have make laws and enforce them, deal with complaints from the common populace, merchants, and other nobles, while at the same time making sure your people are fed, the economy isn't going to hell, and that Narnia has proper defenses. Narnia isn't the only country in this world. Archenland and Calormene have long been our neighbors, with the latter never being on good terms with us. Should Narnia be attacked, it falls to the Monarch to lead Narnia's armies and protect the civilians."

She glanced up and managed to hold back a laugh at the horrified expression on Peter's face. "When do you sleep? Or eat?" He whispered.

"I mostly ate at my work table." Arielle shrugged. "I had a personal library where I kept my most used references - books, maps, diagrams - so I could look up information quickly. If I had to work late, I could sleep a couple hours on the couch." She'd lost count of how many times Gariv had told her that she needed to rest more often. "It's a thankless job."

"No kidding." Peter muttered under his breath.

"You'll have your siblings to help you." Arielle reassured with a small smile. "However, as the eldest, you will always have the most responsibility, the most work. Do not let it consume you. Get out and spar, or go for a ride. Hunt. Read a book perhaps." She captured one of his pieces. "Play a game of chess." Peter returned the favor and his knight took hers. He frowned when he lost that same knight to Arielle's rook.

As Arielle's pieces captured more and more of Peter's, the blonde took a moment to study her playing style. It was vastly different from his father's, who took his time before moving each piece. Arielle on the other hand seemed to look at the board for only a few seconds before moving a piece. Completely random, yet each move forced him to rethink his original plan.

In the end, he lost, and it took Arielle only half an hour to win. She reset the pieces. "Do you know why you lost, Peter?" He shook his head cautiously. Arielle nodded. "Then we'll play again until you see it."

They played three more games before lunch, but Peter still couldn't tell Arielle why he'd lost the games. Arielle packed away the game, a thoughtful air about her. She bid him to go ahead and eat, that he did well, but Peter couldn't help but feel like he disappointed her. Then he wondered if he even cared. He frowned when he couldn't come up with an answer.

Lunch was a subdued affair. Lucy and Susan wearily ate, exhausted from their morning lessons. Edmund on the other hand, never had an empty mouth to talk with and Peter had too many thoughts running through his head to notice the lack of conversation. Arielle simply enjoyed the silence.

When everyone finished, Peter and his sisters returned to the practice fields, leaving an increasingly dejected Edmund behind. Lucy spared him an apologetic look before she scampered away. Edmund sighed. He really shouldn't be surprised, should be used to it, but the bitterness of rejection that ballooned in the pit of his stomach came as an unpleasant feeling, like a unwanted guest that keeps showing up on your front doorstep.

Why did he always have to be left behind, excluded?

So wrapped up in his thoughts, Edmund barely had time to react as a dark shape flew at him from the right. Purely out of instinct for self preservation, he turned and caught the bundle with both hands. The unexpected weight that came with the leather wrapped steel threw him off balance, but he did not fall or drop his catch.

Bewildered and slightly irritated, Edmund glanced up to see Arielle nodding with approval. "Your reflexes are excellent. Not many could have caught those, assuming they had not dodged them instead." The two swords were simple - one a hand and a half, the other a short sword - but their weight told Edmund that they were solidly crafted. Curious, he unsheathed one and held it out. Perfectly balanced. "Unlike Peter, who uses a shield and a longsword, you are more suited for dual blades."

The boy frowned. He already knew that he couldn't match up to his oh - so - perfect brother, but she didn't have to rub it in -

"This is because you are faster, and far more precise than Peter." Startled, Edmund jerked his gaze back to Arielle's stern one. "You also possess a heightened sense of situational awareness that a dual bladesman needs. As the most skilled in the camp, I will be teaching you."

She immediately started, showing Edmund how to correctly and quickly fasten the belts and scabbards so that his swords could be easily drawn. She demonstrated the proper way to draw them and fend off an attack at the same time. Arielle gladly discovered Edmund to be a fast learner, picking up stances, blocks, and attacks within a few tries.

Arielle found she had enough time to even teach Edmund the proper way to wield his swords double handed, focusing more on power. "Very good." She commented after Edmund executed a strong upwards slice meant to catch an enemy under the arm, where armor couldn't cover. Edmund smiled. "It's about half an hour until supper. Most likely your siblings will be returning from the practice fields. If you wish we can halt for now, and continue after you've eaten."

Edmund lowered his sword, his ten - year - old face aging before Arielle's eyes as he took in the state of the camp. "There will be war. A lot of good creatures are going to die, right?"

"Yes."

"There's a good chance we might lose." Brown met amber, but unlike other times, it was Arielle who found herself at the end of a piercing gaze. She didn't answer, unwilling to lie about something so important yet unable to utter the near hopeless truth. Edmund broke eye contact first, seeing and understanding the bitter resignation in the Queen's eyes. "Then I'd better get back to work." He'd be damned if someone died for him because he did something stupid.

Author's Note:

Thank you to all who have reviewed so far. Your support means a lot to me.

I also would like to thank those who have pointed out the minor discrepancies in the details.

Lady Hannah, who continually brings up good points, asked if Arielle's eyes are hazel or green, since I vary the colors.

Alright. Arielle's eyes are hazel, which is a mixture of brown and green. There can be more green than brown or vice versa, and the brown can be varying shades, all the way to an amber. Arielle has a mixture of green and amber.

Arielle's eyes also change color somewhat. Edmund noticed that when Arielle is her usual self, green is the dominant color to her eyes. However, when Arielle let Edmund see the 'burdened Queen,' her eyes seemed to become more amber colored.

I hope that clears up any confusion. And Lady Hannah, I like nitpicks.

Thanks,

~Lassie