The Prince, The Girl, The Lion

by AGirlHasNoName20

1300 years after their reign, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy are back in Narnia to save the day. But their golden days are long gone and now, the must fight along unexpected allies to save Narnia from new enemies as their people face extinction. But most of all, they must stay strong as this journey...changes their lives forever. Suspian. Edmund/OC.

27. All The Stars

I'm back!

How are you guys? I hope you've been having an amazing time, especially when considering how the world just doesn't want to give us a second to breathe.

Part II of chapter 21 is here! I'm actually quite proud of it and I hope you will be too.

Disclaimer: Don't own this except for what I created for the purpose of this story.

Chapter 21. Part II. "All The Stars."

"We meet fear. We greet the unexpected visitor and listen to what he has to tell us. When fear arrives, something is about to happen." - Leigh Bardugo, 'Crooked Kingdom.'

"Hey."

Susan closed her eyes, refraining from uttering a curse as she felt her entire demeanor go rigid. She allowed her bow arm to go slack, her trusted weapon firmly clung in her hand as she tried to focus on her present task.

With the last rays of sun dancing through the multicolor sky, it seemed as if finally the day was giving her a reprieve.

After all the pain, after the anger, after the insecurities, she needed peace. And, why would she depend on anyone else granting it to her? If she wanted her peace - and, gods, how she craved it -, then she needed to acquire it for herself.

If she thought about it, she had always been more at peace when with her bow.

With that thought in mind, she straightened once again, her gaze on the target she had placed by the other side of the private courtyard. She needed to continue practicing, she needed to find peace in the fact that some things could be relied on. She needed to trust in something, as silly as it seemed.

She just needed to shoot. She couldn't explain it but it seemed truer than anything in her mind.

Shoot and you shall find peace.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Susan sighed, her body turning towards the entrance of the courtyard as she admitted defeat. She kept her gaze on her target just one moment longer, enough to process that she had hit bullseye.

It didn't surprise, that she had hit bullseye. Some things could be trusted, after all.

With that relieving notion in mind, she finally turned towards the intruder. "No. I don't want to talk."

Her sister had also suffered changes in the hours since she had seen her last. The Valiant Queen was somber, not at all enthusiastic about her upcoming birthday. Her hairstyle has been pulled into an elegant bun and her arms were crossed protectively before her chest. Still, what the news hadn't been able to take from her was her sense of hope. The sense that there were some intangible things in which they could trust. The sense that those things would bring her peace.

Susan hated her for it.

Lucy nodded as if she had been expecting that answer. Still, she remained grounded in her place. "You know, I am not to blame for this."

Susan closed her eyes, turning slightly back towards the target. She needed to continue shooting. She needed something to ground her, something she could trust. The fact that after the last rays of sun, night would come. The slight wind brushing against her cheeks like a light caress. The feel of her bow in her hand. The way her arrows would always reach their target.

"I know you are not," Susan finally bit out. She needed her peace and Lucy, as dear to her as she was, was obstructing her goal.

"Then why are you angry with me?"

"Because I said I do not want to talk!" Susan snapped, twirling to glare at her sister. "All we ever do is talk! I want to be able to rely on the things I can rely on, alone. I want to be alone with my thoughts and process this! I want to shoot at that target and know that whatever may happen, there are still some things I can rely on! And I, more than anything, want to be alone!"

Lucy nodded in understanding. Then, she moved to sit on the stone bench a few steps beside her. Gripping her bow so tightly that her knuckles turned white, Susan turned again towards her target, relieved that the sky was still somewhat lit. She still had time. She could still find peace.

"I'll be gone soon enough," Lucy promised softly, her gaze on the way her sister appeared unbothered by her interruption to anyone who didn't know her all too well. Still, the Valiant Queen could see the way her sister's gaze narrowed the second she started to speak.

Lucy gulped sorrowfully. She would have to be quick about it. "I just wanted to say…gods, I don't think I can understand what you're going through. We are leaving and the thing with Caspian…and Andradin hasn't replied to our terms. Su, I wanted you to know you can count on me."

"I'm not like you, Lucy." Susan shot three arrows in a row as she thought of what she wanted to say. Her mind resembled a race, with thousands of competitors lifting dust and bringing chaos to the scenery. She couldn't quite order any of her musings, and she was growing out of breath, out of peace. Out of time.

After a few minutes in which she was distantly aware she was no longer shooting her trusted arrows, she turned towards her sister with poorly constructed indifference. "I cannot bury my sorrows in faith or hope or any intangible notion. I cannot pretend as if this piece of news isn't the worst thing that could have possibly happened to me. And you cannot understand, not because you don't have a Caspian in your life, but because what England did to you and what England did to me were two completely different experiences. Forgive me, but I don't want to waste my time explaining it to you."

Lucy nodded. "You were defeated by England."

Susan felt herself light up with rage, her gentle manners forgotten for the time being. As if she could have been defeated by anything!

"I wasn't defeated!" Susan yelled, ignoring the way her sister's eyes widened with shock. "I could have thrived in England, had I not been tossed back and forth following some great power's design! I could have thrived in Narnia, had no one tried to make everyone believe we weren't needed anymore!"

Lucy stood again, her hands stretched on either side of her frame in an appeasing manner. "Maybe we weren't, Su. You don't know what happened once we left."

"Oh, but I do!" Susan laughed humorlessly. "Isn't what happened after the very reason we were brought back? We left and the Telmarines attacked! They slaughtered our subjects, the very ones we swore to protect!"

"That happened centuries after we left."

"And if we had stayed, there would have been a Monarch taking care of them." Susan replied, her voice harsh and cold. "If we had stayed, we would have married some foreign leader or the other, we would have made treaties, we would have made sure our lineage would have carried on so that, when the Telmarines had the sick idea of conquering Narnia, someone would have been here to gather the troops! How can I trust in hope, in faith, in Aslan, if they couldn't trust in NEITHER!?"

When Lucy didn't reply, but only looked at her with pity and - what broke Susan even more - confusion, Susan looked up as she tried to blink away her tears.

The sky was still bright. The sun hadn't left, not entirely. That calmed her down slightly. She still had time.

"Do you remember when you saw Aslan and we didn't believe you?" Susan remained looking up at the dimming sky. "You asked me whether I was happy to be back."

Lucy nodded, her arms once again crossed before her chest as she too blinked the gathered tears away. As much as her faith blinded her from understanding her sister, she could see her pain and she was broken by it. "You said you were. As long as it lasted."

Susan lowered her head, her tears blurring her gaze as she shook her head. Her heart, constricted with overwhelming pain, made her want to crawl into a ball and wait for the storm to pass but she couldn't. She wouldn't resign herself to the pain. Not again. "I said that because I feared this moment. I was so terrified that after I risked everything to save these people - our people -, we would be casted aside as if we were disposable. As if we didn't matter. I was so terrified and I had no reason to believe this time would go any differently than the previous one but I still allowed myself to believe otherwise and now, gods, it just hurts so much and I can't believe I allowed myself to be this wounded again. I got too close to everyone, despite what my instincts told me and now, I'm paying the consequences."

"Su," Lucy replied slowly. She wanted so desperately to hold her sister but she couldn't. Not while she was so unstable. "I know. It breaks my heart too but we will come back. We have to come back. We need to hold onto that, however hard it gets."

Susan wanted to smile. It was so funny, how different her sister and herself were sometimes. Lucy could never grant her any comfort that came from a place other than her faith. And Susan, she could never listen to any comfort that came from anywhere other than logic and reason. That was partly the reason why they had been such a balanced force during their reign.

If only that didn't set them so apart now, when they needed each other the most.

"Last time, we believed the same thing," Susan whispered. She sat in the very same place Lucy had vacated. Then, she looked at her sister with a shattered gaze. "Then, we came back. And our friends were gone. Our home was broken. Our people were on the brink of extinction. And we weren't here for any of it."

"This time is different," Lucy sat beside her. She turned her frame towards her elder sister but still refrained from touching her. "Caspian and Beth will take care of things until we come back."

"And maybe, we will come back to find them dead," Susan replied. Her eyes watered again, as if the mere thought was enough to break her. "Can you live with that idea? The idea that we will miss their lives? Beth is already dying as it is and we will be leaving her to go through that on her own. And if Caspian is left without his Queen…how can Aslan expect us to go through this time after time? How can he still expect us to find Narnia our home if we come back and the very people who made it so are nowhere to be found?"

"Su, Narnia is more than Caspian and Beth or the people in it! Narnia is its very rivers, its enchanting forests and the very sun that warms us every morning. If I came back to find Narnia in shambles, I would do everything to fix it again. That is my duty as Queen." Lucy replied her eyes widened as she took notice of how…determined Susan seemed to be.

Susan nodded, her gaze on her sister. "That's where we are in disagreement. For you, Narnia is your home because of itself. For me, Narnia is my home because of the very ones I have come to love. If I didn't love Beth or Caspian…or Tumnus, the Beavers or Peridan, Narnia wouldn't be my home. And if we came back to find them gone...I cannot live like this anymore, Lu. I just cannot."

"Susan." Lucy's voice had changed, perhaps with the realization that with this turn of events, her sister and herself would head onto different paths from now on. She stood, her eyes washed with tears, though she didn't seem to notice. "What are you saying?"

Susan turned her head as she closed her eyes with dread. She had thought of this before, but saying it to her sister felt different, final. Admitting the decision she had taken a long time ago to the one who would understand her the least meant she was finally ready to fight for it.

And in a way, it was so funny. How her idea of peace, her idea of home had shifted in the decades she had been alive. She could still remember every single moment of her reign in the Golden Age of Narnia. Fifteen years in which everything had been tainted gold, in which everything had the soundtrack of her warm laughter, in which everything had been about her siblings and her duty.

How fast had that changed. Everything had led to that moment in the courtyard with her sister, her bow, and the departing sun. The moment she finally understood she would never go back to her life's golden age.

She could understand how Lucy would want to spend her life trying to reach that moment again. But Susan, she had to say give up. She had to say goodbye. She had to choose.

And she chose England. If it brought her peace, she would choose England every single time.

Susan stood and faced her sister, her posture the one of the Archer Queen. "I know you will never understand. I don't need you to. What I need you to accept is that our versions of peace and happiness are very different. I will talk to Aslan. I will ask Him to allow me to stay in one world. I want to stop traveling. I want to live, Lu. I just want to live."

"And if that world is England?"

"Then I'll live my life in England. And it'll be okay."

Susan waited until her sister's steps were gone to be sure of being alone. Then, she buried her face in her hands and tried to make sense of what her choice would do to her family.

An eternity seemed to have passed when her instinct made her look up at the sky she had been studying so intently.

And what she found was what was to be expected, but it still filled her heart with dismay.

The sky was dark, the sunlight long having faded.

She'd run out of time.

oOo

"Princess Khiara is outside requesting an audience, Your Majesty."

Peter looked up from the history book centered around the Golden Age he had been flipping through. For a moment, he stared blankly at the Telmarine guard.

Then, he forced himself to stand, rather than allow his inner shock to transpire any longer. He put his arms behind his back and nodded at the guard with as much dignity as he could muster.

As the Telmarine guard left and he was left to his own devices while he tried to figure out just how to lead the upcoming meeting, Peter could only hope none of his struggle was being noticed. He could only assume this was about the meeting Beth and Susan had with the Calormene party early in the morning.

And oh, wasn't that a dreadful idea.

Why would the Princess, of all possible candidates in a country led by men, come to him out of all six monarchs of Narnia? Well, Peter could only hope he was about to find out.

Just when he was fearing something happened that had delayed the incoming guest, the doors to his office were opened once again and in walked the Telmarine guard, followed by Princess Khiara herself.

"Princess Khiara, Your Majesty." The guard bowed his head at the King of Old.

"Thank you." Peter nodded with friendliness at the guard, knowing that the tensions between him and the Princess wouldn't be noticed by him and not wanting to encourage any rumors. "Please, close the door behind you."

Princess Khiara waited for the guard to be gone before looking at Peter. But, because he could not help himself - being for some reason utterly drawn to the Princess of his least favorite country -, Peter used those moments of silence to study the young woman. She seemed as regal and as cunning as he had found her when he met her in the courtyard. He remembered that then, he had thought her to be obedient, almost resembling a soldier with her perfect posture and her clever eyes that just couldn't seem to stop studying the surroundings. He also remembered finding her to have a fiery streak, a soul lit with the fire of rebellion.

Now, and especially as Princess Khiara finally casted her gaze on him, Peter found himself thinking that she had to be loyal. Only a loyal princess, a loyal leader, would come and talk to him. Only loyalty could be the link of both obedience and rebellion.

Princess Khiara didn't bother with any gesture of friendliness as she curtsied. "Your Majesty."

"Your Grace." Peter bowed politely before motioning towards the seat by the opposite side of his desk. "Please, take a seat."

"I would much rather stand, King Peter." Khiara mimicked Peter's posture, locking her hands behind her back. Her gaze was decidedly lit with rage.

Peter nodded, innerly withholding a sigh. A fight was not what he had desired as an ending to that wretched day. He sat once again, and rested his joint hands on his mahogany desk. "That's your prerogative, Princess Khiara. What can I do for you?"

Khiara scowled. "What you can do is tell me what you and your family were thinking when you decided to interfere in my country's affairs."

Peter sighed. He hated being right sometimes. "I understand you must feel frustrated, Your Grace. I too would in your case."

Khiara snorted. "I know it must be easy for you, but try not to be such a condescending ignorant. If you at least pretend that you see me as an equal, King Peter, then this discussion might just turn out to be interesting."

Peter opened and closed his mouth, rendered speechless as he stared at the young woman before him. Then, the Princess smirked smugly, and Peter couldn't help it.

He just had to laugh.

"I apologize, Princess Khiara." Peter managed to gasp as his body was shaken with laughter. "I've had one hell of a day and now a foreign princess insults me in my own office. You are quite right, of course. This meeting was already interesting to me - what with the topic being the human rights of my former subjects -, but now I find it to be positively enrapturing."

Princess Khiara chuckled, once and humorlessly, before grabbing the back of the seat that had been previously offered. She turned it swiftly and sat straddled on it, her arms on its top rail. "It is rather interesting, what you said. 'My former subjects'. Therefore, they are no longer your responsibility."

Peter wanted to relax his back but something warned him against it. Maybe it was the way the Princess went from standing stiffly to sitting as if she found herself in her own quarters. Something told him that Princess Khiara was waiting for him to lower his guard. Something told him that she wanted them to talk as if they were old friends. Something told him he had to be as on guard as ever, for he was dangerously close to giving in and trusting the enchanting presence before him.

"You being a fellow leader, I'm sure you can understand that one cares for their subjects regardless of whether they have been colonized by another country." Peter replied, taking note of how Princess Khiara seemed to bristle at that. "But we could discuss human rights for hours on end without reaching a conclusion, Your Grace. Neither of us is here to waste each other's time on pointless debates. The main issue is the slavery trade held by you and your people."

"That didn't seem to faze you when you invited us to Narnia," Khiara smoothly quipped. "It only seemed to become an issue when it was time to finalize the treaty between both Nations. Certainly, an experienced King such as yourself can see how Queens Susan and Elizabeth had no business bringing it up in a meeting regarding oil, wood and other resources."

Peter sobered up at that. "We didn't know about it when we invited you."

"So the real issue is your lack of information." Khiara cocked her head. She cracked a smile in mock sympathy. "And Calormen is supposed to make a deal with a nation that does not care to learn of the current international affairs? More than that, I was told your new High Queen was in the Archenlandian Court for two years before aiding in the Narnian Revolution. How can you hope to justify your ignorance?"

Peter breathed deeply once. He could not snap, no matter how much he wanted. He knew that was what the Princess was going for. But he remembered how Beth had cried when she learned about it, and how she had beaten herself with guilt for not pushing King Ersan to allow her in the Strategy Councils sooner.

Sensing a close victory, Princess Khiara opened her mouth to speak, only to be cut by a Peter who had long forgotten about the amusement and interest this meeting had awoken in him.

"What deal?"

Princess Khiara raised her eyebrows. "I beg your pardon?"

"Do not play coy, Your Grace. It does not suit your strong personality." Peter's voice was even, almost disturbingly so. "What deal? The one about commerce between Narnia and Calormen? Or the one presented to you by my royal sisters?"

Khiara nodded once. "The second one. But you knew that already, King Peter. The deal in which we would perform immediate actions with the goal of ending the slavery custom held between our mainland and the Lone Islands, or otherwise we could expect war to be brought to us by the High Queen and the Great Lion of Narnia."

"A war fully supported by the other monarchs of Narnia. A war I suggest you see with higher respect, considering the military history between Narnia and Calormen."

Khiara nodded, her demeanor grim. "I do. Believe me when I say I do. I have utter respect for your sisters, High Queen Elizabeth included. And I have utter respect in your army, who have seemed to have been supported by a higher power time and time again. What I have no respect for is for the colonialist' tendencies in the actions taken by you."

Peter couldn't help but snort. "Why me? Because I'm a male and therefore a conqueror?"

"Because you were the High King of Narnia until literally yesterday. Because you are the monarch with the greatest military experience. Because your arrogant streak is noticeable even to me, so I can imagine that you would not see with good eyes any change in the territory you get to call yours." Khiara snapped. She leaned forward, her voice lowering with venom. "Because you are a male, therefore you only have to shoot for the sky if you want the moon."

Peter stood from his seat, heading for the ivory cabinet he had placed in the corner to his left. "Do you care for a drink, Your Grace?"

Princess Khiara huffed. "Are you seriously trying to deflect my comments with alcohol? You truly are one predictable specimen, King Peter."

"Actually," Peter quipped as he reached down to open the small piece. He grabbed a bottle of rum and two glasses before heading back to his seat. "I find you to be the most cunning interlocutor I have sparred verbally with, my brothers and my sister Elizabeth included. However, I have had one…eventful day, hence the alcohol. Care to join me?"

Princess Khiara breathed deeply, her gaze impatient, before nodding. "It better be good rum."

Peter couldn't help but crack a smile as he raised his full glass. "Taken from the personal cabinet of a male who only has to open his mouth to get what he wants? Of course it is."

Princess Khiara raised her eyebrows in challenge. "Are you saying I'm not right?"

Peter lowered his gaze to his drink as he thought of Lucy and the way she had sobbed when she learned they were leaving Narnia. He remembered the way Edmund and Beth held each other for dear life. He mourned the way Adrien seemed so broken by the loss of yet another family. He uselessly tried not to think about the way Susan drifted away from Caspian as pain entered her heart.

He thought of it all and raised his gaze back towards the Calormene Princess.

Peter smiled and tipped his glass in a mock toast. "It depends on the wish in itself, Your Grace."

At that, Princess Khiara nodded in understanding. She then downed her drink in one large gulp and reached for the bottle. "You see me as a heartless dictator, one that would see thousands die before surrendering a source of income. You think I desire to keep the Lone Islands for my own greed and the greed of my people. You see the object of my pride to be the power I hold."

"You are not the first Calormene leader I speak to," Peter replied. His eyes were pensive as they studied the girl before him. "And I'm afraid the ones I've dealt with before have not set a fine example in my book. However, I know this is not your responsibility, Your Grace. It's the Tisroc's. And I will not ask you to condone my actions, nor will you ask the same of me. I can only hope that you understand I would do everything for my people. I can only think that you and I are the same in that regard."

"It is my responsibility," Princess Khiara declared forcefully. She looked at Peter as she clenched her hands into fists. "They are my responsibility. You didn't bother being informed, you were careless with the power you hold and now, you have destroyed the work it's taken me years to construct."

Peter frowned. "I do not understand, Your Grace."

Khiara downed her second glass before standing. She walked slowly to the window beside the desk, and looked out towards the young night with the gaze of a haunted woman.

"Of course you don't understand. Had you seeked a diplomatic meeting with the Calormene monarchs, instead of some idiotic Tarkaans, you would have known I have been trying to eliminate slavery in Calormen for years now." Khiara spoke almost without emotion. Her fists were still clenched by her sides as she turned towards a distraught Peter. "My grandfather has never cared to control or regulate slavery, and therefore the activity has been neglected for decades, almost conducted through secret paths as of current. I have been secretly convincing members of our court to side with me so, when the time comes for me to access the Throne, the job would be easy for me and for the people destroyed by this nasty custom."

"I-." Peter felt his stomach tighten with dread. There had to be a way to solve this but if they had cost innocents their lives with their political move…gods, he did not want to think of it! "We had no idea."

"Of course you didn't. You are used to getting everything with the snap of your fingers." Khiara crossed her arms, her gaze now growing angry. "Do you know why I called you a colonizer? Exactly because of this. You could have dealt with this in a peaceful manner, you could have asked. Instead, you managed to start a war with two words spoken by the two wiser members of your party. Now, if my people's freedom is regained, it will be through war and blood. Because you just couldn't wait. That's the whole reason."

Peter stood, his hands held in a pleading manner. "There has to be a way to resolve this. Maybe if we-."

Just as Princess Khiara was frowning at Peter's direction with his sentence, the door opened for a third time and they both jumped, only then aware of how close they were.

By the doorway, Caspian and Edmund exchanged a look before the former bowed his head. "Princess Khiara, good day. I hope we aren't interrupting anything."

Princess Khiara glared at Peter for a moment longer before bowing her head at Caspian. "You aren't, Your Majesty. I was already on my way out."

Princess Khiara made it to the door, Edmund and Caspian flanking her, before she turned towards a still anguished Peter.

"As I said, King Peter, you are a male." Princess Khiara smirked. "If you want the moon, you only have to shoot for the stars. Thank you for your time."

With that, Princess Khiara left without looking back, leaving three gobsmacked Kings behind her.

"What did you do now?" Edmund finally managed to ask as he sat on the seat Khiara had vacated. Caspian silently closed the doors before sitting on the windowsill to Peter's right.

"Where do I even begin," Peter moaned, dragging his hands across his face as he stressed over the situation. How the situation had managed to become even more dire than what they had imagined, he did not know. What he only knew was that that day had robbed him of every possible comfort. Now, he was left stressed, anguished, and almost in the dark as to how to fix things.

Looking up after a few minutes, he turned from Caspian to Edmund, only then noticing how…different they seemed. While Caspian was staring out the window with a gaze more serious than usual, Edmund was gazing expectantly at him with chocolate eyes that seemed to be lit with a fire of its own.

"What happened to the two of you?"

Caspian snorted. "That's not the most pressing question, clearly, but don't even get me started. This one, however, has news."

Peter raised an eyebrow at Edmund. "Do you?"

Edmund nodded, his lips wearing a playful smile as he blushed. "I do. I will save them for later, though."

"Good heavens," Peter chuckled as he shook his head. He turned towards Caspian. "He is actually blushing."

Caspian smirked momentarily before nodding at Peter. "What happened with Khiara?"

At once, Peter sunk in his seat, his shoulders dropping wearily. "We need the girls. We have a situation."

oOo

It was almost mocking, just how fast everything had changed between them, and it was only proven by the time dinner came around.

This time, Peter and Caspian were the first ones to sit down by the table, Edmund choosing to search for Beth first.

The two Kings took seats on opposite sides of the long table, the same seats Susan and Beth had taken that morning. The silence almost eerie, the dim lights downright depressing, Peter in vain cleared his throat to change the mood of the room.

"What happened to you?" Peter asked as he focused on serving himself a slice of chicken. He looked up briefly at Caspian before reaching for the glass pitcher filled with rose wine. "If Edmund came back from wherever looking like the happiest man on Narnia, you came back home looking like your soul had been ripped to shreds."

Caspian snorted. He too poured himself a glass of wine, immediately taking a sip. "Well, that isn't a daunting image at all."

Peter leveled him an exasperated glance. "Can you blame me?"

Caspian returned his look for a second before shaking his head softly. His shoulders dropped slightly as he reached towards the mashed potatoes. "I suppose I cannot."

"But you won't talk about it?"

"No. Not today. I need to rest first. I'm too tired, I just…I need to eat and sleep."

Edmund, who had crossed the doorways just in time, smirked as he led Beth by the hand. Adrien followed them with a mildly disgusted look on his face. "And that hangover of yours isn't helping matters, I can only imagine."

Caspian paused mid bite to glower at Edmund.

"Bite me."

"That's a disgusting image." Adrien deadpanned before turning to Peter. "Can I sit by the head of the table? I need to get away from my whipped sister and her lovestruck boyfriend."

"Nice," Beth rolled her eyes as she sat beside Caspian, Edmund taking a seat beside her. She threw a breadstick at Peter when his guffaw grew louder, smacking him in the middle of his forehead. "The loyalty you display to me is just outstanding."

"I'm here to please," Adrien replied, smiling beatifically when Beth rolled her eyes.

"Before this dinner evolves into a food fight," Peter intervened. He distractedly rubbed his forehead as he nodded at the couple. "Mind telling me what happened to you two?"

Edmund and Beth looked at each other before turning towards Peter with identical frowns.

"What do you mean?" asked the former.

"We're alright, you know. There's no need to worry," added the latter.

Peter rubbed his eyes tiredly, before pointing a cucumber-filled fork in turn at the three sitting in front of him. "Remember when this family had no problem talking about things? How about we go back to those days and you tell me what in the name of Aslan has gotten to you!?"

"I don't hide anything from you, Peter," Adrien supplied thankfully.

Peter turned towards him, ready to retort. When he realized the young centaur was actually his ally, the former High King smiled softly and passed him the platter filled with fried fish and chips. "I know, that's why you are my favorite. Eat up, and don't worry because we can ask for more if you want."

"Thank you, Pete!" Adrien smiled brightly.

"Suck up," Beth coughed, hiding her face behind Edmund's shoulder when Peter turned towards her with the fork still filled with cucumber. "Especially considering Adrien does have things he should be telling his sister. About his legacy and all that."

Adrien dropped his fork. "You don't know what you're talking about."

Beth smiled innocently. "Don't I?"

Peter clasped Adrien on the shoulder, winking at him in support, before turning towards his sister. "I don't care if you out-rank me, Beth, you will start talking now. Then, we will move onto Adrien."

"Hey!"

"Or better yet, you canstart talking, Peter." Lucy rolled her eyes when the party jumped in their seats at the sudden intervention, two pieces of cucumber falling to her feet. She picked them up and raised her eyebrows at Peter. "If you are going to throw food at me, brother, you might as well throw something I like. Chocolate pudding, perhaps?"

Beth frowned. "That would stain your beautiful dress, though."

Lucy shrugged. "But it would be fun. Besides, Peter has always had a lousy aim."

Edmund chuckled at that, pouring Caspian a glass of wine before pouring himself one. "Caspian, really. Is it wise for the new High King to get drunk on his second day in office?"

"Is it wise for a dwarf-looking kid to antagonize someone who doubles him in size?"

"Oh, it's on, you-."

"That is enough," Beth cut in, glaring at the boys on either side of her until they mumbled their apologies and sunk down in their seats. She turned towards Peter, her eyebrows risen. "How the tables have turned, brother. It turns out that you are a hypocrite. Mind sharing what happened to you?"

"A visit from Princess Khiara," Lucy replied. She sat by the head of the table opposite Adrien and pursed her lips at her eldest brother. "How long were you planning on keeping that a secret for?"

"I beg your pardon, I did not keep that a secret!" Peter huffed, nodding towards the other side of the table. "Those two knew as well!"

"I can't believe," Beth paused to hit Edmund across this head with a napkin. "You didn't tell me!"

"Hey!" Edmund covered his head, his eyes puffing out pleadingly.

"It's a napkin," Adrien intervened almost in disbelief. "Don't be pathetic."

Edmund blushed furiously at that, but straightened in his seat. "I know, but it wasn't a pleasant sensation either."

Caspian rolled his eyes before stretching and grabbing the salad platter. "We should wait for Susan before we discuss anything. Clearly, all of us have had exciting afternoons and our emotions are frighteningly high. We should calm down."

"There's no need to wait."

At once, six faces turned towards the door, just in time to see the Gentle Queen cross it and head towards the seat directly beside Peter and facing Beth. If she was aware of the profound silence that had fallen onto that room, she didn't betray it. She grabbed the wine pitcher before nodding at her brother. "Please, go ahead."

"I second that," Beth added. She leaned forward on her seat, interlocking her hand with Edmund's on the table. "Because I do not understand how the princess went to talk to you, when it was me and Susan the ones that talked to the tarkaans."

Peter shrugged. "I am the monarch with the utmost experience. She pegged this treaty to be my idea."

At Edmund's inquiring glance, Peter glanced down towards his plate, masking his guilt by taking a bite. He would take the real reason to his grave because, as much as he would trust his family with anything, he wasn't about to tell them how he had been so easily read by the Calormene Princess. First, Miraz had seen his dauntless behavior and need to do something as soon as possible, finally using it to trap the Narnians in that very same castle during that wretched raid.

Now, Khiara saw that very same thing, and used it to make him fragile, to haunt him with lives that had not even been lost yet.

Thankfully, it was Caspian who came to his rescue before anyone noticed his despair.

"That does not matter," Caspian shook his head before casting a fleeting glance towards Susan. He then turned towards Peter, who had caught that glance and was looking at him with polite curiosity. Finally, he settled on Beth, who was too preoccupied with her food and her boyfriend to pay him too much attention. "You were the ones who held the meetings with the Calormenes. Do you think they will choose war?"

"Not the princess. She has been attempting to save her people for years, she will not endanger them now." Peter rested his back against his seat before sighing heavily. "But I don't think she has any real power. Not yet. When she told me of her plans to abolish slavery in Calormen, she always spoke of putting them in action after she sat on the throne in Tashbaan. I don't think she can do anything yet."

"Maybe she's lying." Edmund retorted after a second. He threw a supportive look in Peter's direction. "As decent as she might be, I don't understand what she could gain in disclosing the secret plans she's been working on for years to a King she barely knows and who is about to become her enemy."

"I second that," Susan added. She looked down at her plate, focusing on chopping her tomatoes as if it was the most riveting of actions. "I met her as well. Briefly, of course, but I didn't peg her to be innocent in any way. She was downright cunning, especially with the grandfather she has. Maybe she wanted to hurt you, maybe she wanted your pity so we would be allies, maybe she wanted to stick some tragic story in your mind so it would mess you up. Whatever the case, it is far too risky to speak of a plan that would save thousands of lives to someone she does not know, and someone who does not owe anything to her. She cannot be telling the truth."

"As much as we want to, I don't think it's wise to determine the princess' character just yet." Beth pursed her lips as she thought carefully of her words. Finally, she looked up and smiled sadly at Susan and Lucy. "The two of us know what it's like to be a woman in a court designed only for men to thrive in. And still, we have the privilege of having the respect and the loyalty of our subjects and our fellow monarchs. We have a voice and, as difficult as it was for us to gain it, I can only imagine how harder it is for Khiara to be heard in her own court. It does not surprise me that we have no proof of her plans."

"I don't understand why she would go to you for anything other than to seek allies," Lucy added. She shrugged when Edmund turned towards her with a frown. "I mean, Beth and Caspian are High Queen and King and this treaty was extended to them a day after their coronation. Why didn't she go to them? Because they are more cunning than Peter? She doesn't know that. What she knows, because there are countless records of our fifteen years of reign, is that Peter has infinite love for his people and he will stop at nothing trying to protect them. In that regard, I imagine you and her are the same and therefore, she went to you to discourage you from war. She went to you because - out of us six -, she saw you as her most likely ally."

"So it's my fault that things are now harder," Susan chuckled darkly as she too leaned back against her chair. She twirled her silver knife gently as she shook her head. "I create a plan with the hopes of stopping the bloodshed and this happens. Unbelievable."

Lucy snorted, her gaze on her glass.

Immediately, Susan turned towards her with a humorless smile.

And the noise in that room descended into utmost silence.

"Something funny, sister?"

"You didn't want peace when you came up with that plan." Lucy shook her head, her eyes lit with bold accusation as she turned towards her sister. "What you wanted was revenge. If you wanted peace, you would have agreed with me that we needed to wait until we had more information."

Susan huffed with contempt. "Yet another passive plan of yours. First, we had to look for Aslan while ignoring the Telmarine threat. Then, we had to wait for information while countless of innocent lives continued to be sold as slaves. Tell me, sister, weren't you supposed to be the Valiant one? How is it that all plans you seem to come up involve waiting until an answer falls down onto our outstretched hands?"

"As supposed to your plans, sister?" Lucy retorted angrily. "First, we hide our heads deep into the How and pretend the enemy isn't knocking on our doorstep and now, now you come up with a revenge plan against some idiot who died centuries ago!? Weren't you supposed to be the logical one?"

"That is enough," Beth intervened, her golden eyes glowing slightly as her voice boomed across the room. She looked between both sisters as they slowly settled down. "The last thing we need is to fight one another. Whatever Khiara's motives are, the treaty has been extended and the consequences have begun. Now, the seven of us need to think together and come up with a solution."

"Calormen has always tried to invade Narnia." Edmund looked at each of her sisters carefully before squeezing Beth's hand. At that, Susan's frown seemed to deepen. "We have always been an annoying spot besides their vast empire. If we declare war, they will agree with enthusiasm. The important thing here is how much fear we have managed to put in them with our proposal."

"I don't think they were frightened but what they know, clear as day, is not to underestimate us." Beth leaned back against her seat and her chin with one slender palm. "We haven't been in touch with them for a long time but they still remember Aslan. They still remember the battle against Narnia and Archenland and they still remember that every time they tried to engage in war with us, the Great Lion was ready to aid our side. Aslan's name, and mine in extension, still carries its weight."

"And now, a Son of Adam has risen to take the throne," Peter added softly. He softly clenched Susan's knee, his heart breaking when she edged away from him. "That power remains as true as the day we took the four thrones of Cair Paravel."

"I am no legend," Caspian intervened. "Not like you are."

Silence reigned for a second, the seven of them mourning just that morning, when things had been so much simpler.

"There is more than one legend in this world," Peter finally replied. "And you do not need any of us for this."

"We still have three weeks to come up with a plan," Adrien added, nodding with a smile at Peter, who had become his idol to the displease of both Caspian and Edmund. "In any case, we need to keep this a secret until they leave."

"Adrien is right," Beth nodded with pride. "Besides, we need this time to gather as much information as we can. If we did not have the time before, now it is essential. Khiara is just a piece of this game, and we need to know about the ones who hold the most power. We need someone close to the Tisroc."

"You mean like a spy? One of us in the Calormene court?" Caspian frowned.

Beth shrugged. "Do you have a better idea?"

"I suppose I don't but I don't trust spies," Caspian crossed his arms defensively. "I have always found them so…suspicious."

"Even if we take care of the abolishment of slavery without war, there's still the matter of the Lone Islands." Edmund sighed and closed his eyes tiredly, as if he was suffering from a headache. "They will not give the Islands back without a fight."

"Do we even want them back if they are safe?" Adrien asked innocently.

Peter nodded immediately. "The only way for them to be safe is if they are back under our care. Khiara might be decent but her heir might not be. We can't take that chance."

"Khiara's heir might be something other than decent," Susan mused as she served herself chocolate pudding. "Or the next in line to the Narnian Throne might destroy everything we've worked for. Everything is possible."

Edmund glared at her sister, who refused to return his gaze. Then, he turned towards Beth, who was staring at Susan, her features unnaturally pale and her eyes wide with grief. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and wrapped an arm around her shoulders before turning towards the others. "If it comes to it, we will declare war without question. They are not to be left adrift. Not again."

"The Calormene Party leaves tomorrow," Peter added as well. "I shall call for a Council Meeting once they are gone."

"And I shall talk to my father, King Ersan." Beth smiled when Edmund kissed her temple. Her color had returned but her gaze remained shattered, as if she was imagining her life chained to a stranger she didn't love. "If we are to go to war, we could use the support of the country right next to our enemy."

"Are they? Our enemies? We haven't received a formal reply to our demands." Lucy asked, her voice small and anxious.

Edmund snorted. "I don't have much faith in them, to be honest."

"Still, we should assume the best and prepare for the worst," Beth argued as she threw an impatient look in Edmund's direction. "Lucy is right. We have to wait and see what their answer is."

"I wonder if we could be supported by other allies." Caspian mused. "Archenland is a sure candidate, but maybe we have gained other friends during these past few days."

"What I wonder," Peter intervened, his gaze on the way Beth wouldn't use her right hand for anything, even cutting her portion of chocolate pie. Her right hand remained under the table, in a manner so glaringly obvious that Peter was surprised he hadn't caught before. "Is why Ersan is such a sure ally, other than his relationship to Beth."

Beth laughed, none the wiser. "Isn't that enough for you?"

"Peter." Edmund's voice was threatening.

"I don't know, is it enough?" Peter laughed innocently when Beth's eyes widened. "I wonder if there is something else we should know."

"Peter, this is completely inappropriate. We were in the middle of an important discussion!" Beth hissed. Besides her, Caspian snorted.

"You are not subtle, sister." The High King looked at the others, suddenly lit up with pure, unfiltered smugness. "Our brother and sister here have news, apparently, and now they intend to make us look like fools."

"Please tell me it's something good!" Lucy gushed as she leaned forwards in excitement.

On the opposite side of the table, Adrien smiled mockingly. "Of course it is. Only something good would have them being even more disgustingly adorable than normal."

At that, Caspian laughed and clasped a hand on the young centaur's shoulder. "Never change, kid. Never change."

As Beth blushed heavily, Edmund paled and slid down his seat in a poor attempt of concealing himself. Before them, Susan watched on, and her gaze grew even more burdened.

"This is completely unacceptable," Edmund finally snapped at his brother. "You didn't even let us choose the time to tell you!"

Peter smirked. "Cry me a river, brother. You said later. Let 's go."

Edmund opened his mouth, intending to retaliate but Beth decided to jump in. She rested her hand on his shoulder and shushed him with a look before smiling nervously at her family.

"So, Ed and I talked a lot this afternoon, after…well, after we heard of Aslan's plan." Beth took a deep breath at that, smiling when Edmund kissed her temple. "We discussed what we wanted to do now, with you guys leaving and our family being shipped off and-."

"You are rambling, love." Edmund laughed when Beth turned towards him with a glare.

"Do you think you can do it better, then?" Beth challenged him, smirking when Edmund paled.

After a moment of silence, Lucy groaned. "Will you stop it with the constant flirting? I want to hear the news!"

Edmund smirked suddenly, his eyes still on Beth as he took Beth's right hand. "The news is that I gave this beautiful girl a promise ring and she accepted it, therefore making me the luckiest bastard in this whole universe."

As Edmund and Beth turned towards their shocked family, Beth revealed her right hand, and the golden ring that now adorned it.

"We will only get married when you guys come back for good and we are of age to make a sensible decision." Beth bit her lip nervously, not being able to contain her smile when Edmund looked at her with excitement shining in his eyes. The others still hadn't spoken but, did it really matter? When she was already experiencing such great bliss? "But we love each other and, now that we are to be separated, it seemed like a good time to declare that no matter what, no matter where we might be, we will always make it back to the other."

"I love you," Edmund simply said, a soft smile gracing his lips. He turned towards his family, smirking when none of them even blinked in response. "Seriously? You were so eager to hear this and now you're silent? Unbelievable."

Suddenly, Adrien stood from his seat and marched straight towards Edmund.

"Adrien?" Beth asked as she rushed to her feet but Adrien held a hand up, his eyes only on Edmund.

"My words are for him, sister." Adrien looked up at the Just King. He was not at all intimidated that, when standing, Edmund towered over him. "If you hurt her, I will hunt you down to the edge of this world and murder you."

Edmund nodded seriously. "If I hurt her, I will look for you so you can follow through your oath."

Adrien studied him closely before nodding. Then, he offered a hand. "It's a deal, brother."

With that small, yet significant interaction, the others seemed to snap out of their shock. Peter and Susan walked around the table to stand besides Caspian, while Lucy headed straight for Beth, hugging her fiercely as her skirts flew around her in an angelic haze.

"Will we be actual sisters someday then?" Lucy asked after a few long moments, taking a step back to beam brightly at the High Queen.

Beth returned her look with loving eyes of her own. She looked at Edmund before turning towards Lucy once more, her smile growing bigger by the second. "I suppose so but we already are, Lu. I don't need a piece of paper to tell me who my family is!"

Lucy squealed at that, hiding her teary eyes by throwing herself in Edmund's arms. And it was that small noise of pure, undiluted happiness that finally cast the shadows of that day away. Tomorrow would come, and their problems would still be there. They would still be leaving and war would still be about to knock on their doorstep but that decision, it was proof that nothing could actually beat the love they had for one another.

Yes, tomorrow would come. And they would face it with hope. Not despair.

"Have you guys thought about the color palette for the decorations? And the bridesmaid dresses! We need to talk about those! Oh, and the cake, it has to be made of chocolate! And fireworks! We must have fireworks to impress our guests!" Lucy gushed in one breath, indifferent to the laughter surrounding her and the wide eyes of the celebrated couple. "This is so exciting! We are going to have a wedding!"

Edmund wrapped an arm around Beth's shoulders, turning to whisper so only she would be able to hear. "Whenever we do marry, do you think we could elope?"

Beth snorted, looking up to smile teasingly at her love. "Do we even have that option in Narnia?"

Edmund shrugged. "You are the High Queen and I'm one of the legendary Kings of Old. We can do whatever we want."

"Well, I'm not as…intense as my sister here," Susan spoke, her soft voice calming the atmosphere. The others fell into silence, secretly dreading what the Gentle Queen would say, but her demeanor was once again soft, if also cracked. "But I'm really happy about this and I really hope you get to do this when…when the time comes. You two are soulmates. It is as simple as that, I believe."

Both Edmund and Beth turned towards Susan.

"Thanks, Su." Edmund smiled slightly yet sincerely, while Beth nodded slightly nervously at her.

Neither made an approach to hug or any other form of contact they would have made in the past. Things had been said, by all parties, that would be difficult to forget. But it was normal, and they just needed time. They all knew the other would support them if needed be and in that moment, that night, in that room, it was enough.

Clearing his throat, Caspian stepped forward to hug his two best friends in turns.

"I'm really proud of you two," he said. His eyes were strangely misty as he lastly hugged Beth. He lowered his head next to her ear. "And I'm so happy you get to choose all of this happiness. You deserve to have as much love as possible, sister. I'm so happy you get to build that with him."

Beth looked up at him with tearful eyes, noticing the pain poorly concealed behind a shield of happiness. Then, she smiled, knowing her best friend deserved to talk about it when they were on their own. And so, instead of asking about it, she reached up and kissed his cheek. "You've always taken care of me. Thank you, brother. I love you."

And, at last, only one of them had yet to voice his verdict.

Peter stepped forward, standing before the couple with his arms crossed and his eyes drifting between the two.

Edmund raised his eyebrows, knowing that look to be the classic features of Overprotective Peter. He wrapped an arm around Beth and cocked his eyebrows. "Are you alright Pete?"

Beth looked at Edmund before turning towards Peter. She gulped nervously. "You seem worried. Are you worried about something Peter?"

Still standing besides Edmund, Lucy chortled in amusement. "This is my overprotective brother in all of his glory. His brain is currently short circuiting as he figures out what to say next. Don't worry though, Beth. It's quite normal for us."

"Normal," Susan agreed. She threw a glance at Caspian before sitting down with a weary sigh. "And exhausting."

Beth cocked her head as she studied Peter. Then, she walked towards him, shrugging Edmund's hand when she tried to reach for him.

"Have you ever known me to make a decision without thinking of every possible detail?" Beth asked without preamble, her arms crossed before her chest. "Or Edmund, for that matter?"

After a moment, Peter shook his head slightly.

"And you know I love your brother, just like he loves me, so the last thing we would want to do is make the other unsafe or unhappy." Beth cocked her head. "Isn't that right?"

"Have you ever thought of being a lawyer, my love?" Edmund called, laughing when Lucy smacked him across the back of his head.

"You are too young, Beth." Peter gulped before raising his hands pleadingly. "What if something happens before we get to come back?"

"Didn't you hear us when we said we would get married when it was sensible? Don't you think all of your concerns haven't crossed our minds already?" Beth took a deep breath, her throat growing tighter as she thought of the incoming separation, and smiled when Edmund hugged her from behind. "I love him, Peter, and I am terrified that I will never see him again. I am terrified something will happen and we will lose this fight. But I won't give him up. Not when I know our love is a force far greater than anything life could throw at us. And we have gone through so much already, so much that in the end, all of my fears weigh nothing in comparison to the happiness I have with him. As long as he wants me by his side, I'm staying. No matter what."

"Get comfy then, because you are stuck with me." Edmund kissed the top of Beth's head before smiling at his brother. His eyes were unburdened, completely clear. As Beth said, nothing could stand in the way of their love. Not when it was such a great force. "Can you just stop worrying and be happy for us brother?"

Peter kept his gaze on Beth, waiting for her to falter. When she didn't, he smiled, his eyes filled with prideful tears. "I'm so happy for you. I love you both so much."

And as the three hugged, Lucy wiped off her tears and snorted.

"How is it that this day began so horrible, yet ended in such a perfect way?"

oOo

It was only when all of his siblings had retired to their quarters, all of them focused on their planned activities before bedtime, that Susan made her way outside.

Her slender frame casting graceful shadows across the moonlit corridors, her dress flowing gently around her, Susan had managed to construct herself a perfect mask.

Because in truth, her heart was hammering almost painfully, each heart beat rhythmically echoing within her and reminding her of where she was. Reminding her of how she had gotten there. Reminding her that pain would stay regardless of her choice.

Holding on and letting go. Both came with pain so, in the end, what's the difference?

Her feet lead her outside, towards the Royal Gardens. Meant only for the Royal Family of Narnia, Susan had gotten there not because she knew where to go, but because her feet, her heart had led her there. Her heart was an arrow, after all, and it led towards him.

Until something changed, it would always lead towards him.

And sure enough, the gardens weren't vacant and the one she had been looking for, the one that seemed to always be by the end of her path, stood with his back to her and his face leaning upwards towards the silver moon.

Susan looked at him for a long, silent moment. She knew what she wanted to say and there was no emotion, no sort of grief that would prevent her from saying it. And so, that moment, that blessed moment of mere silence, it was all about relief. It was all about peace. Because what would come, it would change everything.

Susan was prepared for that. Of course she was. She had been through so much worse.

What she wasn't prepared for, was for the grief that would come.

"Can we talk now?"

Caspian closed his eyes, his startle soon enough forgotten as he processed those words. Then, he turned around and leveled Susan with a somber look. "What makes you think now is a good time for me?"

Susan sighed. "Can we please try to be civil at least?"

At that, Caspian growled. He raised his arms in defense, his gaze growing heated. "I have been trying to be civil all day! How is it that now that you have finally calmed down, I am the evil one?"

Susan widened her eyes, her hands up in surrender. "I am not here to fight, Caspian. I just want to make it all alright."

"You know what would have made it alright?" Caspian countered. "If you had even thought of me when you said we weren't worth the pain. What would have made it alright, was if you hadn't left me alone when we were told of Aslan's decision."

Susan straightened in outrage. "I did not leave you alone! I just needed to think, is that so wrong? How is it then Caspian? Am I supposed to hold your hand every time things get hard?"

"Yes!" Caspian yelled. Several birds flew away in haste, startled by the commotion. He couldn't care less. "Yes, because we are together. We are a team and above all else, that means we do not leave the other alone when things get hard or painful!"

Susan couldn't help but snort. "I hate to tell you, but that is an immature thing to say."

Caspian straightened at that, the pain of those words resembling small blades inserting themselves into his heart. "As opposed to your clear intention of hurting me?"

At that, Susan seemed to snap out of it. Her frame seemed to relax, as if she did not want to fight anymore. Her eyes dimmed with sadness and at last, with a sigh, she walked towards the bench to her right.

"I have lived with fear in my heart every day I've been in Narnia." Susan spoke towards her lap, her voice small as she saw the last few months pass before her eyes. "Because I got here, and I thought it was so changed that it could never be my home again, not like it was before. But the same love I had for my country and my people, it stuck with me. And when I met you, Beth and the other friends I've made this time around … I realized that Narnia was now different, but only because my new friends could become the most real family I've ever had…if I allowed them."

Caspian sat by the bench in front of her. Partly because he wanted to give her space and partly, because he wanted to give himself space. He wouldn't allow her to hurt him again. Not while she didn't say where she stood now.

"Peter told me of the chat you had with him the morning King Ersan made it to the castle." Caspian couldn't help but grin when Susan looked up at him with a scowl. "Can you blame him? He knew you would take this news the hardest, and he thought I could help."

"How can you help?" Susan rebutted. Her voice, though, remained soft, as if all fight had left her. "The only thing that would help was if you came with me."

Caspian ignored her words. He leaned forward, his gaze growing anxious. "He said you were exhausted from traveling back and forth."

Susan looked up, biting her lip as she considered her answer.

"I won't get mad," Caspian added. His gaze was gentle when Susan looked at him. "I just want to understand you."

Susan nodded slowly, her gaze filling up with tears. "When I came back, and I walked through the ruins of Cair Paravel, it was as if I couldn't see anything but the days of glory that was my reign. I was in the Throne Room and I remembered how it felt when Tumnus placed the crown on my head, how it felt when the leaders of the world would come in search of the power I held as Queen. Because I was Queen, my life was difficult because my responsibilities were great. Because I was Queen, my life was easy because I had many resources. But while I was Queen, I forgot England even existed, so there was no fear of leaving Narnia to haunt me."

Caspian nodded. "And then you went back."

Susan shook her head. "That first dinner when we went back, I remember Peter and I tried to make things as festive as possible. We sat around this long table, ate and told stories of our reign until both Lucy and Edmund dozed off in their seats. And when they fell asleep, it was as if I had no more strength in me. I couldn't ignore what had happened anymore. I was a full grown woman, one that had lived through many wars, through many adventures. I had survived imprisonment, treachery and death…and there I was, a child once again."

"This time is different, though." Caspian moved slowly, kneeling before Susan when she didn't flinch away. He slowly grabbed her hands with his own. "Yes, we don't know what is going to happen and I know it will be hard. Of course it will. My heart will be broken every day for as long as we're apart and I will pray for night to come so we can meet in my dreams. But Su, I love you. I don't know what is going to happen but nothing, nothing at all would cause my love for you to be diminished. Can't you find the strength to fight, if I'm fighting alongside you?"

Susan smiled tearfully, her gaze once again loving as she heard Caspian's words. Once he was done, she knelt before him and brought her lips down onto his.

And that kiss was sweet, sweet in a way only goodbyes can be. A sweetness so welcomed, yet cursed, that it made Caspian want to cry even as his soul was slightly mended.

It was a curse but the blessing of knowing their love would perdure over anything, it made his soul sing with relief.

"When Edmund and Beth came back and announced they promised themselves to one another, all I could think of was us." Susan pulled back slowly, her voice a low whisper as she rested her forehead against his. She cradled his face in her hands, one of them holding his chin while the other caressed his cheek. "And I wanted nothing more than to be like them but it was then that I knew we would never be. I love you Caspian, and I will love you for the rest of my life. You are the first person who loved me so well, so decently, with such adoration that it healed the harm Rabadash and all the others caused before. But I just can't, I won't live every day hoping it will be the day I get back to you, only to die when it isn't. I won't survive, Caspian, so don't ask me to try. I won't survive living my life in the past, hoping to get back to the ghosts I've left behind. I love you Caspian, but it isn't enough. It just isn't, and…you deserve so much more than that."

Caspian gulped, in vain trying to dissolve the knot forming in his throat. "So you will ask to stay in England?"

Susan nodded slowly. "I know my people will be safe. You and Beth will see to that. I just can't continue to do this. It kills me to make this decision because I feel so guilty for putting myself first but Caspian, my love, I…Cas, you have no idea what it was like to live in England, crying myself to sleep because I missed my home. And with you in the picture, I would just grow so desperate, so sad. I deserve more. England was once my home and it can be so again, I know it can. And Cas, you deserve more than to wait. You deserve to make your family and be as happy as you can be."

"But I love you, Su." Caspian smiled when Susan reached to dry his tears. "I love you and you love me. Why isn't that enough?"

Susan laughed tearfully. "I don't know, my love. But I don't think they cancel one another. Our happiness and our love go hand in hand, I believe. More than that, the only thing I know is that, with the heartbreak of leaving Narnia, I'm going to be so happy knowing you will be safe, making your own life."

Caspian shook his head. When his voice came out, it was barely a whisper, spoken with true heartbreak and acceptance. He finally understood what Susan had known all along.

In choosing their own lives, Susan was choosing her own happiness and his own. And in a way, it made Caspian feel so loved that he couldn't help but be grateful. She had made the tough choice when he refused to let go but now he understood that letting go didn't mean she loved him any less. It just meant she loved him so much that she knew he wouldn't be happy waiting for her, just like she wouldn't be happy waiting for him.

And that strength, choosing to let go, filled Caspian with peace. His heart would be broken for a long time, but the love Susan had shown him would mend his soul every time the pain was too much.

So, really, what else could he do other than love her as much as she loved him?

With that thought in mind, Caspian kissed her forehead before drying his own tears. "Can I make a promise to you, then?"

Susan raised her eyebrows, her eyes silver under the moonlight. "Of course you can."

"I promise I will never forget you." Caspian brushed her fresh tears away with a sad smile. "I promise I will take care of Narnia. I will be sad, because there's no way I can avoid that, but I'll remember the way you loved me and I will know myself to be blessed. I won't stay in the past, I promise, Su. If that's what you want, I'll do my very best to honor your wish."

"Oh, Caspian!" Susan wrapped her arms around Caspian, sobbing into his chest. "I promise the same, my love. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry we didn't have more time. I'm so sorry, I love you so much Caspian, I'm so sorry!"

I can't continue describing their farewell. Their words, after all, were only meant to each other. What you, my dear reader, needs to know, was that they went to bed in peace. Sad, heartbroken and soul-shattered, but in peace. In peace because they loved one another. In peace because that would continue to be true. In peace because they would be alright.

In peace, because they knew their tears weren't a bad thing, but rather the way they chose to say goodbye.

In peace, because letting go was not an offense to each other. It was their utmost expression of love, and it would continue to be so regardless of where their lives would take them.

oOo

"You don't look too happy for someone who just got engaged."

Beth chuckled weakly, her eyes never leaving the thrones to her right. "It's a promise ring. Engagement is a whole different thing."

As Caspian stopped walking, intending instead to focus on his sister, he couldn't help but think that she looked like a completely different person. Her posture slumped, her shoulders inching downwards, there seemed to be nothing left of the determined woman who had decided to fight for her one true love. Her gaze was pensive, grave, guarded. Her hands were clutching the armrests of her throne, as if desperately looking for something to keep her centered. And on her finger, her promise ring shimmered, its light dim reminding them that not all hope was gone.

Her figure, the one of an exhausted woman, was complemented by the low lights coming from the lanterns hung up across the lateral walls of the Throne Room. Caspian couldn't help but wonder whether he would remember the image before him for however long it took him to heal. And that idea, well, it was downright depressing.

Beth went from looking at the boys' thrones to the girls'. She fidgeted with her ring, and bit her lip before finally turning to Caspian.

"They are going to be empty, Cas." Beth finally declared.

Caspian gulped. "Not all of them."

Beth snorted, her moves agitated as she ran a hand through her hair. Her long locks were falling around her head in careless, messy waves, as if the High Queen had finally stopped caring about false pretenses. "You and I both know that when we envisioned our victory, when we imagined you as the King who would lead us into a new Golden Age, it was going to be with them by our side. How are we supposed to get used to the idea of us sitting here without them?"

"I don't think we are supposed to, to be honest." Caspian shrugged. He slowly walked the steps towards his throne. With a sigh, he sat and turned towards his friend. "They are our family. However we try to make things less painful, we are going to fail. But, I expect, every day will become easier."

Beth turned towards Caspian. "I don't think it's just that. It 's not enough."

Caspian frowned. "What do you mean?"

Beth looked around her, as if trying to draw inspiration from the room. Then, she rose hastily from her throne, choosing instead to pace from one end of the room to the other. Caspian watched her carefully, knowing he would have to say the right words to comfort her, yet not really knowing which they were when he barely understood the situation to begin with.

"Ever since news broke of…their departure, we have been thinking of us. And that would be okay, if we were other than the leaders of this country." Beth crossed her arms before her chest, her gaze distant as she thought of how to follow. "Just like they are our family and we love them, our people depend on them and love them. We need to think of that."

Caspian rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I don't think we've been irresponsible. We are still people who deserve a moment to get ourselves together."

Beth raised her hands in an appeasing moment. "Of course, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't change the dynamic in which we are going to work. You and I, we are best friends, family, but us and the people who celebrated our coronation expected for the six of us to be Kings and Queens together. We are going to be so busy, Cas, we need to make sure we have the perfect system to bring back the Golden Age."

Caspian couldn't help but laugh. "You speak as if the two of us aren't going to do an excellent job. I know that they will be missed but Beth, we were crowned. Everything will be fine because Aslan himself chose us to be leaders of Narnia."

"Yes, but the people chose the six of us. To them, we come together as a package deal." Beth straightened, as if making her stand at last. "I would like to think they matter more than my father, especially when their wellbeing is concerned. And every time we've left, every time something has happened, they've been the ones who suffered."

Caspian sobered up at that. Susan's words still echoed softly in his mind. "Not only them."

Beth rolled her eyes. "Of course. Don't you think I've had this conversation with Edmund already? Of course they haven't been the only ones. We know perfectly what our family has been through. Look at our family, and what happened to Narnia when they left. Look at the Telmarine Dynasty. Saints, look at what happened to Archenland after Tor and I both left. We have been through so much. What we've been through, it should be enough to bring us down to our knees in defeat. But, Caspian, however we want to validate our experiences and our lives, we are Kings and Queens. That means we serve. That means that, whatever happens in our personal lives, as long as we wear these crowns, our people matter just as much as us, if not more."

Caspian frowned, his posture defensive. "Is there a point to this?"

Beth snorted. "Have you ever known me to not have a point to what I say? My point, as you so cunningly demand, is that everytime the rulers of Narnia have left, regardless of the reason, our people have suffered because we have left them unprepared. It cannot happen again."

Caspian tensed at that. "My family hasn't left. I was always supposed to have the throne. My aunt and my nephew are still here. There is still a Telmarine Dynasty. And I still don't understand your point."

Beth sighed before rubbing her face tiredly. She went back to her throne, turning gracefully towards her brother once they were once again at the same eye-level. "The Telmarine Dynasty as our people knew it is gone now. Your uncle, your father and the others who preceded them, they are gone and with them, so is what the old Narnia stood for. The Golden Age is gone as well. It left thirteen hundred years ago when our family went back to England and it didn't come back with them. Right now, you and I are what they have. And we, we are beacons of hope in a sea of uncertainty. We are the faces of a New Narnia, a Narnia they do not know and do not trust. And if something happens to us, that slim hope, it will crumble and leave them adrift."

"Why would we leave?" Caspian shook his head. The lanterns around him, slightly dimmer as the night evolved, unconsciously made him lower his voice. "Beth, you speak as if there was some sort of sword hanging over our heads. We're here. We will stay here. Our people have nothing to fear because we will be here to protect them. And Beth, really, we deserve to give ourselves time to grieve. We deserve just as much as the next person."

Beth rested her head against the back of her seat at that. Her eyes glistening slightly, she inched away from Caspian just as his eyes widened. "I don't know about that, to tell you the truth."

Caspian reached frantically for Beth's hand. "Beth, I'm so sorry, I forgot-."

Beth smiled slightly as she allowed Caspian to hold her hand. "I know. I too like to pretend the poison inside of me isn't real. Caspian, I will fight with every cell of my being to find a cure or to fight the poison, whatever my opponent turns out to be, but I could lose anyways. I could die. That is a reality, and one I will pretend to joke about in front of others but not now, not here, because I cannot ignore what my death would mean to many. My people, they need the safety of knowing that whatever happens to me, they will still be taken care of. Not by other men or women filled with enormous greed, but by those who have the same priorities they do."

Caspian smiled softly. "That is sweet but I'm still going to be here. You think I would let anything happen to them?"

Beth immediately shook her head. "Of course not but you can't control everything. Aslan couldn't control what is happening to our family, so it's quite clear that most things are beyond our control. And Caspian, it isn't over yet. Archenland and Torin are waiting for me. My brother Torin, who has turned out to be an ally of the Shadowlands - Jack's current home -is waiting for me. Calormen could also be a threat. We could be taken to war on two different fronts and our army hasn't even recovered yet."

"We still have Aslan. That has to count for something."

Beth nodded slowly before cocking her head in inquisition. "Are you sure you want to rely the wellbeing of our people on the King that left them for over a thousand years?"

Caspian raised his shoulders in defeat. "Then what do you suggest we do? Because from where I stand, you are sure focusing too much on the tragedy of our situation and I'm not quite sure of how to move on from it."

Beth smiled victoriously at that, clearly having been waiting for that question. She sat up with excitement in her seat and turned her whole body towards Caspian. "I suggest we give power to those we serve. We rule over them, yes, but it is their interests we must look after, not ours or those of the powerful side of society. If we give them a voice, if we allow them to have a say in the decisions meant to affect their own lives, then we are giving them the enough tools to defend themselves should anything happen to us."

A brief silence ensued, with Caspian looking distractedly at Susan's throne to his left, and Beth glancing at Caspian as subtly as she could.

"The son of Adam is always the one meant to save Narnia," Caspian finally whispered.

Beth shrugged. "How has that worked so far?"

oOo

Meanwhile, by the other side of the castle, it seemed that the two Kings of Old were still avoiding sleep.

In the comforts of their joint study, for it would always be a safe space in which they could be themselves, the Pevensie brothers were still busy regardless of the growing silence in the castle they had come to call home.

Peter was standing by the table, his gaze and mind focused on the several maps he'd stretched across it. His sleeves rolled up and his hair perfectly messed up after a long day of work and stress, he would from time to time reach for the pencil right next to him. Then, he would stretch across the table, his eyes focused on a particular point of one of the maps. He would freeze. Then he would frown, lower the pencil and go right back to his original spot.

Edmund on the other hand, had chosen to lay by the lit fireplace. His gaze was seemingly focused on the ceiling yet distant, as if he was truly miles away. He lay in a relaxed pose, one of his hands resting on his stomach, the other throwing a small ball upwards, only to catch it swiftly once it fell again.

Like this, both brothers remained in peace. Each in their own tasks, with their own trains of thoughts, coexisting with the other in utter and unbothered peace.

Or, it would have been like that, had Edmund not failed to catch the ball just as Peter was seemingly on the verge of making progress with his job.

"You don't think you should be getting to bed?" Peter growled as he crossed his arms before his chest, huffing like an adult frustrated with all the kids he was forced to parent.

"Probably but you know I tend to get insomnia whenever I feel anxious," Edmund replied. His eyes never left the ball he had picked up again, but his lips curled into a slight smirk. "I would spend my time in the same way so there's no reason for me to move."

"Yes, there would be." Peter was again focused on the maps. "If you left, I wouldn't be tempted to murder you."

Edmund chuckled, his eyes wrinkling. "What are you doing anyways?"

"Trying to figure out the fastest way to get to Cair Paravel. We only have a couple of days, after all. We should make the most of it."

Edmund sat up, all amusement long forgotten. "I forgot to tell you that I talked to our cooks. We should have our provisions ready by the time we leave."

Peter straightened, turning towards his brother with his arms crossed as he leaned his hip against the table. "And the rest of our guests are leaving tomorrow. If they leave early enough as we expect, we should have enough time to leave everything tied up here, arrange everything to leave the day after."

"Two days." Edmund sighed with a melancholic smile. "Our whole adventure seems so crazy in retrospect, if I'm being honest. We appeared at Cair Paravel a few months ago. Everything seems so different now."

Peter nodded. "We didn't even know whether there were any Narnians left."

"We hadn't met Caspian or Beth," added Edmund.

"You actually managed to trick a girl into falling for you."

"You actually managed to stop being such a conceited arsehole."

Peter snorted. "It's nice that you pretend you don't still think of me as a conceited arsehole."

Edmund chortled. "Well, I'm your brother. It is my duty to make sure that your ego doesn't get even bigger than it already is. And I take my duties very seriously."

Peter couldn't help but chuckle, but his arms seemed to tighten even more as he cocked his head. "What do you think will happen to me once we go back?"

Edmund sobered up. "What do you mean?"

"Do you think I will go back to being like I was?"

"Of course not."

Peter rolled his eyes. "You don't need to lie to comfort me, brother. I can stand the truth."

"Well, you are being an idiot now." Edmund huffed before crossing his legs. He left the ball on his lap. "But I was telling the truth. We have all changed. Just as we changed before, we changed now as well. It cannot be the same, for we are not the same. Besides, you know better than to go back to who you used to be, right?"

Peter nodded slowly. "Do you think things will be better? In England, I mean."

Edmund cocked his head as he considered his answer. After a moment, he shrugged. "I think it will be less of a shock, because we will have had three weeks to get ready for our return. And I think we will miss Narnia even more because of those we are leaving behind…but I would like to think we will be ready to be a better team this time around."

Peter turned, starting to roll up the maps as he sighed. "I know that we can be happy there. We were, once upon a time, after all. But I can't quite see what the journey to being again will be like. I can't help but think of Susan, when she told me she was tired of fighting. I feel the exact same way. I can't give anyone up, not Narnia or England, but I cannot continue being strong when no reprieve is given."

Edmund stood, his hands messing with the new silver ring on his finger, a gift Beth had given him earlier that day once they got back to the castle. "If I think too much of leaving, then I will crumble down in tears. Being away from Beth, not knowing what will become of her once she faces Jack, once she deals with the Calormen' threat, it might just be enough to tempt me. But the truth is, I wouldn't have met her if I hadn't left the first time."

Peter smirked. "You lucky bastard."

"Thank you, I try my best." Edmund wiggled his eyebrows. Then, he turned to gaze at the fire. "I think that Susan is right. We deserve to be happy, we deserve to choose what happens to us. But I also think that everything happens for a reason. I think that everything makes sense eventually. Our lives, all of our adventures have proven exactly that. And that is a comforting thought, knowing that good things will still happen."

Peter smiled softly, his soul for the first time comforted. "This is not the end."

Edmund nodded with a smile as he turned back towards his brother. "How can I be truly heartbroken, when in the future I'm going to marry the girl of my dreams? This is just an obstacle in our path. Good things are yet to come."

"I like that thought," Peter whispered before nodding towards his brother. "Hey, how do you know you will marry her? Beth might decide tying her life to a blubbering idiot such as yourself might not be such a good idea."

Edmund glowered. "I will actually punch you, you jerk."

Peter shrugged as he slowly made it towards the door. "I mean, seriously, how does she put up with you? I might actually have to ask her."

"Oh, bring it on, you spineless rat. Come back here!"

oOo

The sun had barely risen from the horizon when the castle's courtyard became abundant with movement as the golden carriage belonging to the Calormene party was brought towards the main gates.

The Tisroc walked wobbly yet swiftly down the stairs, one of his arms latched onto his granddaughter's shoulder, the other gripping a ebony cane.

"I'm sorry, Your Grace," Princess Khiara spoke carefully, her gaze on anything but her grandfather. "But I think it is unwise for us to leave before giving them an answer. We would be considered immoral but the rest of the international leaders."

"Those are two very different things, my dear."

Khiara frowned. "Forgive me, I don't quite understand."

"We will be considered immoral, cowards and plenty of other things by leaving before answering to Narnia's demands. These clowns know no better than to suck up to this small country, after all." Andradin replied with a low, yet raspy whisper. Khiara refrained herself from flinching as her companion patted her hand. "Now, we are not being unwise by choosing to defend our own interests. We are being quite cunning, if I do say so myself. Dear, one thing you will learn once you become Tisroc is that nothing - not even our friends - are worth giving up our power. It is how our Nation has soared for so long."

"Yes, grandfather."

With a sufficient smirk, Tisroc Andradin turned from her companion to climb into the awaiting carriage. The journey was almost over. Once he crossed those gates, he would be able to start planning the invasion. He would be able to create the plan that would end the annoying, small nuisance of a country that had been such a bother to him and all his predecessors.

They wanted a war? He would be more than happy to grant them their wishes. He would see that bitch Susan and the abhorrent creature that dared to become High Queen burn into ashes.

They thought they could be a threat? He would show them how the big boys play.

And then, just as he set a foot on the metallic step, the air shifted around him.

"Ah, Your Grace. We were hoping to talk to you"

Andradin turned around slowly, his hand gripping his cane so tight that his wrinkly knuckles had turned almost white.

Before him, Queen Susan stood by the middle of the staircase, flanked by High Queen Elizabeth and King Peter. One step above them, King Edmund, High King Caspian and Queen Lucy stood side by side.

Snapping into action, Andradin bowed his head as he gestured to Khiara to follow his lead. "We apologize for the sudden departure, Your Majesties. An inconvenience has come up in Tashbaan that requires my undivided attention. As it is such an early hour, we thought it would be dishonorable to bother the hosts that have been so…accommodating during our stay."

Queen Susan listened with rapt attention before allowing the silence to stretch between in a manner louder than most words that could have been said.

Then she climbed down the rest of the steps, King Peter and High Queen Elizabeth mirroring her steps. Above them, the remaining trio rested their hands on their weapons, ready to intervene should they need to.

"Well, it is the polite thing to do, to thank and say farewell to your hosts but priorities are priorities, of course." Susan replied evenly.

Beth glanced at Fryda and the rest of the slaves who stood in a line, ready to walk the rest of the way home. Most of them remained with their eyes downwards, but Hylla returned her look with doe eyes.

When Beth intervened, she did so with the fire in her belly being a power to be beheld. "Speaking of priorities, we were wondering whether you had an answer for us. Regarding the new terms of the treaty between Narnia and Calormen."

Khiara looked around her in apprehension, wary of someone else overhearing their discussion, but Andradin merely smiled beatifically. "If I didn't know any better, I would say you are harassing me, High Queen Elizabeth."

"And if I didn't know any better, I would call you a coward for attempting to leave unnoticed."

Andradin couldn't help but blanch at the bluntness of the young queen, unaccustomed to women talking to him so directly. "It is unwise to speak so rudely to someone who overpowers you so utterly."

Beth smiled innocently. "Are you sure about that?"

Ignoring her guards, who made an attempt to grab their swords, Princess Khiara stepped forward, her words for Beth but her eyes on Peter. "We apologize for how our actions may have passed as, Your Majesty, but I assure we have no ill intentions. Regarding your request, we would like to discuss it with our council before making a decision. We do not take this lightly, so we intend to speak with our people before informing you of our decision."

Peter nodded as he placed a calming hand on Beth's shoulder. "How soon may we be able to hear from you?"

Tisroc Andradin cocked his head in deep thought. "Considering the fast way our eagles travel, I would suspect the response could reach your home a couple of days after our arrival to Tashbaan."

Peter and Susan nodded at that, but Beth stepped forward proudly. "While I can understand your need to look after your people Your Grace, I'm sure you can understand that your vague response does not mean any sort of concrete relief to me. I must look after my people as well, after all."

Khiara bristled at that, but still nodded. "How can we prove our intentions, Your Majesty?"

Beth smiled graciously. "With a token of your honorable character."

Andradin narrowed his eyes at that. Of course, he knew they wouldn't be able to hurt him until war was declared so there was nothing that could stop him from leaving that wretched country.

Still, if he didn't play their game until he was far from reach from those peasants, they might just be able to gain the upper hand before the war had even begun.

It was with great reluctance that he replied. "And what might that be?"

Beth didn't hesitate, even as her companions exchanged a look behind her. "The slaves that have accompanied you here."

Andradin felt himself come ablaze with rage. That was a direct assault in his nation's culture, on the culture he had protected for decades. No ruler and most importantly, no girl had the power to defy it.

"You are in no position to demand anything, my dear girl." Andradin snarled mockingly. "The men and women standing behind me are useful servants of my house and, as a sign of your honorable character, I should like to keep them."

Angry outcries came from the remaining Narnia monarchs, but the High Queen was unfazed. She walked forward, ignorant of the guards that made a move to draw their weapons, and planted herself on firm feet right before the old Tisroc.

"This, as you may recognize, is a diplomatic request with the hopes of maintaining the peace between our proud Nations until further directions have been decided." Beth spoke softly, her voice quite velvety, before she leaned forward. "But like you count your power above everything, I do the same with my people. Refuse me, and be witness to what my wrath can provoke. A war against Narnians and Telmarines, when Calormen has never seen luck in the strife against the first of them. Can you imagine the mayhem that would happen? And only because you underestimated us. I can only imagine the way you would go down in history. Andradin, the foolish Tisroc."

Andradin paled with fury. "You will regret speaking so dauntlessly, girl."

Beth sighed. "You speak of my gender as if it was an insult, when I can only think of it as the highest of praises. Still, that's besides the point. Are you agreeable to complying with our request or should we continue to debate and have a bigger audience? I don't know about Tashbaan, Your Grace, but my castle awakens quite early."

Andradin straightened, and with every vein pumping furiously, he turned towards his guards. "Release them."

Once all slaves had been released of their shackles and were standing behind the Narnian Royals, Susan smiled beatifically. "We appreciate your sign of good will, Your Grace. We wish you a safe and smooth journey back to your homeland."

The Tisroc didn't reply but, as Princess Khiara went to follow him, she turned and exchanged a handshake with Susan, Beth and Peter. Her eyes widened once her hand connected with Peter's but she still smiled what her words couldn't voice.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Your Majesties. It has been most instructive."

And a moment later, the golden carriage was gone and sunlight had completely conquered the courtyard.

"Thank you so much," Hylla gushed as she hugged Beth's legs.

Micah smiled at the interaction, but sobered up when Beth turned towards him. "What happens now?"

Beth looked at her family with bright eyes before turning back towards Micah. Her heart felt lighter than it had in forever. "I did say I would get you home, didn't I?"

Behind them, the sounds coming from the castle were an indication that a new, hopefully better day had begun.

But it seemed to slip past the Narnians' knowledge, for it was that moment that a fretted messenger chose to reach them.

"Friend, be at ease." Caspian called as the newcomer, a middle-age Telmarine reached them.

"What is the matter?" Lucy asked in turn, startled by the agitated motions of the man.

"I apologize, Your Majesties. I was told to give this letter to High Queen Elizabeth's hands only," the man croaked out in a booming, jaded voice.

Beth frowned with a confused smile. "Who is it from, my friend?"

"His Majesty, King Ersan of Archenland." The man seemed to hesitate for a second. "He apologizes deeply, but an emergency has called him back to Anvard and hence, he has been unable to say his farewells. His party exited the castle late last night, and left us with instructions to deliver this letter with the arrival of dawn."

"What could have been so urgent?" Edmund demanded, his question intended for the poor messenger, even though her eyes never left his beau. "My love?"

Beth read the letter in a hurry before looking up at Edmund. Her features, a few moments ago healthy and bright, were now pale and haunted.

"Time is running out."

oOo

Princess Khiara only took her eyes away from the Narnian landscape when the snores coming from his grandfather made it clear he had fallen asleep.

As she took a glance at the man that had made her life so complicated, the man that had been her tutor and her enemy all at once, the young woman couldn't help but sigh. In her exhaustion, in the remaining stress still within her from the earlier confrontation with High Queen Elizabeth, she found herself craving for the comforts of her home, with the added freedom she could feel in the Narnian territory.

She missed the desert that surrounded her home, she missed her work, her activities, the routine that would slowly make her the first woman with power in Calormen. She would never give up her home for, with all its flaws, she saw what it could become and so was passionate in her fight for that.

And still, she found herself missing Narnia even as she remained in it. She knew she would think of everything she had learned, she would think of the different family and power dynamics she had witnessed these past few days and crave to be part of it.

She had been at a ceremony in which a young woman had been crowned High Queen. Equal to High King Caspian, and arguably the most powerful person in Narnia. She would forever be grateful for being witness to such a miracle, for it gave her hope for the battles yet to come.

As she gazed back at the golden and green hues of the Narnian forest that surrounded them, her hand drifted to the right pocket of her dress, and flinched as she found what seemed to be a wrinkled paper.

Immediately, her thoughts took her back to the King of Old who had maddened her so utterly.

And as she shot a conspicuous look in Andradin's direction, she realized that if she wanted to read what he had sneaked at her when they shook hands, then that was the time.

Your Highness,

While I realize you may not be agreeable to hearing from me again, I write these words to offer an apology for the actions that have caused such hostile behaviors between our proud nations.

Because of the concern I hold for my own people, I failed to realize that there may be more allies than we could have expected out there. Because of the desperation I felt at having been ignorant of the current situation, I failed to see the perks of choosing a more diplomatic course of action. For the trouble I have caused you in your endeavor as you prepare yourself for the throne, I heartily apologize.

Your work is worthy of admiration and gratitude, rather than of judgment and ignorance. To fight on your own, apprehensive of your entire court, and with a predecessor who does not support your ideologies…it is a struggle that I cannot quite fathom. Knowing I have made things more difficult for you pains me, as hard as that may be to believe. While I might be quite daft at times, if I'm being honest, I regard my three sisters as the wisest people I know and as such, I would like to think I listen to them most of the time. You are deserving of that same respect, and I do hope you find it sooner rather than later.

I hope Narnia and Calormen can work together towards the abolishon of slavery. If that fails while your grandfather is Tisroc, I wish you best of luck in changing such regrettable practice when the time comes. Please know that regardless of what happens, Narnia remains your personal ally.

Hopefully, the next time we see one another will be under better circumstances.

Sincerely,

Your friend and ally, King Peter the Magnificent.

Written during the first year of the reign of High King Caspian and High Queen Elizabeth.

With a serene face, and a heart burdened with gratitude and joy, Princess Khiara hid the letter in her pocket and looked into the forest with a wider smile.

What an instructive journey indeed.

So, what did you guys think?

The remaining chapters will tie all loose ends. There was one scene, centered around Adrien and the book about his family, that I left for next chapter because I didn't think it fit this one but it is coming.

I'm so excited to write the final chapters, it's going to be amazing! Thank you so much for reading! Cheers and stay safe xx.