The weight of the door that led to Caspian's study was a familiar one under her hands as she pushed it open. His slight smile as he glanced up to he sure it was her was becoming more familiar as well, she was pleased at the fact that he longer reached for the knife at his waist when she joined him in his study. Though he was usually sitting in his chair reading over his lessons or whatever royal nonsense that Prince's had to attend to, tonight he was standing over his desk with various scrolls of parchment laid out in front of him.

She went to his side and his hands were busy putting weights down on the corners of the parchment so she wrapped her arms around his waist leaning over his shoulder.

"What's all this?" He smoothed the parchment once more before his hands covered hers.

"When the time comes, we'll need a proper map."

'The Time' being when his aunt gave birth, since there was half a chance that the baby would be a boy. Caspian wanted to be prepared for anything, wanted them to be prepared for anything. Including running if it came down to it. "The Narnian map shows the forests, but it's missing the settlements and bridges built when the Telmarines invaded, our maps are more recent."

"So you're combining them?"

He patted her hands, "Exactly."

"Is there anything I can do?"

This she could help with, this was illustrations rather than reading words or trying her hand at writing.

He brought a hand up to kiss her fingers, "Just being here is enough."

That made her smile and kiss his shoulder through his shirt.

She sat in his chair that night and listened to him as he put together a new map for them.

She was good with illustrations, and she remembered well the sketches she'd drawn for Caspian's map. None of them looked like the route Peter had chosen to take, but the High King wouldn't listen to his sister's suggestions so why would he listen to hers?

"I don't remember this way." Susan said obviously for what felt like the tenth time.

"That's the problem with girls." Peter responded smartly, "You can't carry a map in your heads."

Lucy didn't hesitate to respond to the jab, "That's because our heads have something in them." She teased, nudging Alessandra's shoulder and she couldn't help but smile. While her siblings, especially Edmund were clearly still weary of her, Lucy took it upon herself to stick close to Alessandra. "I wish he'd just listen to the D.L.F. in the first place." She whispered, Susan who was also nearby, probably more for her sister's sake nodded in agreement,

"D.L.F?" The DLF she was referring to questioned.

"Dear Little Friend." Susan informed with a small smile, making Trumpkin pause in shock.

"Oh, that's not at all patronizing, is it?" He mumbled to himself, and while Alessandra agreed she could tell that the queens didn't mean it to be malicious.

They walked in silence for a few more feet before Peter, who was leading the group, paused when they came upon a ridge that they'd definitely passed before, "I'm not lost." he signed.

"No," Trumpkin grunted clearly annoyed, "You're just going the wrong way."

"You last saw Caspian at the Shuddering Woods, and the quickest way there is to cross at the river Rush."

"But there's no crossing these parts," Alessandra spoke without thinking, suddenly all eyes were on her, "Unless I'm mistaken." She quickly tried to backtrack.

"You must be mistaken." Peter told her softly before looking out over the ridge, either trying to figure out the best way down or trying to convince himself that this was the Narnia he remembered.

"You see, over time, water erodes the earth's soil, carving deeper…" Susan teased when Peter quiet for a bit too long.

"Oh, shut up." he scoffed turning to face Trumpkin, "Is there a way down?"

"Yeah, falling."

"Well, we weren't lost."

"There's a ford near Beruna." Alessandra supplied.

Trumpkin nodded with a hum, "How do you feel about swimming?"

"I'm not fond of it." Alessandra muttered to herself hoping that it was low tide.

"I'd rather that than walking." Susan said as they turned to try another way.

"Aslan?" Lucy's elated voice made them all paused in shock, "It's Aslan! It's Aslan over there!" she looked at her siblings and her companions wondering why they weren't sharing her excitement, "Don't you see? He's right…" when she turned back to the point to the other side of the ridge the excitement faded from her voice, "...there.

"Do you see him now?" Trumpkin asked carefully. If not a little suspicious.

"I'm not crazy." Lucy insisted, "He was there. He wanted us to follow him." she pleaded looking at them all.

Peter, glanced at Alessandra, and unsure of what he was looking for she shrugged, "I'm sure there are any number of lions in this wood." He told his sister softly, taking a step forward, "Just like that bear."

"I think I know Aslan when I see him."

"Look, I'm not about to jump off a cliff after someone who doesn't exist."

"The last time I didn't believe Lucy," This time Edmund spoke, sounding ashamed, "I ended up looking pretty stupid."

"Why wouldn't I have seen him?" Peter reconsidered.

"Maybe you weren't looking."

"I'm sorry, Lu."

Night had started to fall when Susan suggested they find some place to rest for the night, they found an empty clearing and started to settle in for the night.

Alessandra gave them their space, Edmund and Peter had collected wood and Trumpkin started the fire, she sat on the log a few feet away, close enough to feel the warmth but she still felt a chill at her back. That is until a warmth settled over her shoulders.

"You know," Peter said as he settled down next to her, "You might be warmer if you sat closer to the fire."

"Thank you," she told him, adjusting this cloak around her shoulders, "I didn't want to impose," she explained, "I get the feeling that your brother still doesn't like me very much." It was true too, he hadn't stopped sending her suspicious glances all day, especially after Lucy took it upon herself to befriend her properly.

"Don't mind Ed," Peter sighed, "He's harmless, just cautious."

"I don't blame him," she shrugged, "If I was in his position, I wouldn't trust me either."

"You haven't given us any real reason not to. He'll warm up." She appreciated his attempt at optimism, "I don't think I properly introduced myself to you," he said after they sat in silence for a beat, "Peter Pevensie."

"The Magnificent?" She teased watching him hold his hand out to her like he did with Trumpkin, again she wondered what was supposed to happen with the hand. His cheeks turned red and he ducked his head.

"Force of habit," he said, shaking his head, "Here you shake it," he took her wrist with his other hand gently placing her hand in his moving them up and down, "Now you introduce yourself." He explained.

"Alessandra."

"No last name?"

"None that I know."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Alessandra." He said with a small smile releasing her hand.

Her name didn't sound right coming from his mouth, at that moment she realised that Caspian was the only one who called her that if he wasn't calling her his Light or another term of endearment.

"Les'," she corrected, "Everyone calls me Les', or Lessy."

"Lessy," he repeated to himself.

"You know, I've read so many stories about you and your siblings, but you're not what I expected you to be."

"How so?"

"You just look like regular kids to me." She explained.

Peter sighed, "I suppose we do, but we didn't always."

"Must have been so strange for you all." She told him sympathetically.

He nodded, "It was, but we had faith that Aslan did it for a reason."

"Have you figured out what it was yet?"

He paused like he hadn't considered questioning it, "No, no I haven't."

"Can I ask you something?" She asked after another long stretch of silence broken only by the crackling of the fire a few feet away and the murmuring of his siblings. Trumpkin said he was going to secure the perimeter.

"Anything."

"Why did you let Edmund prove yourselves too Trumpkin, why didn't you?"

"I suppose the stories never mentioned that Ed was the better swordsman?"

"It never came up, no."

"If Trumpkin already doubted us, might as well have the best of us prove it," That made sense, she supposed. She wouldn't pretend to understand politics or why royals behaved the way that they did. Lion knows that Caspian had tried to explain it to her enough times, but that simple explanation made enough sense to her, "Have you ever handled a sword?" Peter asked after a few moments of quiet between them.

"No," she responded with a laugh, "Never had the need."

"Might not hurt to learn, especially now."

"Might not."

"I could teach you."

"I might take you up on that."

"You know, you could probably let Lucy take a look at that," he said, gesturing to her shoulder, she spent a good portion of the day fiddling with the bandages, knowing that they needed to change but too ashamed to ask for assistance.

Without thinking she brought a hand up ensuring that the bandages were still in place, "It's alright, I," 'was tortured by my lovers uncle to try and get information on said lovers whereabouts, and said until wanted to be sure I remembered ever part of it'. "It probably looks worse than it is."

Peter nodded but she could tell he was unconvinced even if he let it go. After a while she and Peter moved closer to the group and started to settle down for the evening. She ended up laying between Peter and Lucy and after a while fell into a fitful sleep. She never slept well without Caspian nearby.

The next morning their little band started moving again at sunrise, Peter was back in the lead regardless of the fact that he had been leading them in circles the previous day. He was determined to get them to River Rush to cross and find the Dancing Lawn, even though she knew that Caspian was probably long gone.

They hit a stop however, when upon arriving at the river they were met with a blockade. The siblings and Trumpkin immediately ducked behind a log but Alessandra was a second behind as Peter took her wrist and tugged her down beside him.

"That's the Telmarine crest," She whispered.

"Perhaps this wasn't the best way to come after all." Susan snapped at her older brother.

He scoffed peeking over the log taking in the soldiers moving around, the logs of wood being cut and the wooden machines that were being constructed.

Without a word he led them back the way they came, before long they found themselves standing on the ridge that they were on yesterday.

"So where do you think you saw Aslan?" Peter asked Lucy, and she didn't much care for the condescending tone, evidently Lucy didn't either by the way she snapped at him.

"I wish you'd all stop trying to sound like grownups. I don't think I saw Aslan, I did."

"I am a grownup." Trumpkin muttered.

"Me too."

Ignoring them both Lucy turned back to the ridge and took a step closer to the edge trying to more clearly see to the other side, "It was right over." There was a snap and a scream and Lucy disappeared.

"Lucy!" They all rushed to the edge and peered over. Lucy was there, looking a little frazzled and out of breath but alive, and a few feet down the gorge.

"Here."

Lucy's fall found them another way down, that thankfully didn't involve them having to swim. It did however involve them having to traverse the wet rocks that lined the bottom of the ridge.

Alessandra struggled across some of the more treacherous rocks, she was so far removed from her element that she felt like it was bordering on her being a burden. She probably shouldn't have felt pleased when Lucy stumbled slightly and Trumpkin caught her, but that meant that she wasn't the only one struggling. When she slipped on the same stone she felt as if some God was punishing her.

"I've got you," Peter said, his hand landing on her back to help steady her, she wasn't even sure how he'd ended up behind her, but in the moment she was grateful.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

He helped her across the rest of the rocks and safely back onto solid ground. She wasn't sure how to feel about Peter's attention, she was grateful for it but it felt like she didn't deserve it. She was a stranger to them, not to mention a descendent of the people that destroyed their home, he should hate her on principle. Sure seemed like Edmund did.

They stopped in another clearing for the night, and similar to the previous night the boys went to gather firewood, however at Lucy's insistence Alessandra joined her and Susan as they waited for them to return.

Lucy was sweet, adorable even as she gushed about the life they used to live in Narnia. Her youthful face filled with glee and she reminisced of a time gone by.

"Do you think that there are others like it?" Alessandra asked, one of the few times she'd spoken to the young queen content to let her ramble. But curiosity has gotten the best of her, "Like Spare Oom, ways to get into Narnia?"

"I don't see why not." It was Susan who answered her, "I find it hard to imagine that, that would be the only way back."

"Did you ever look for one?" Almost immediately both girl's faces fell and she could tell that it was a sensitive topic.

"We never stopped," Lucy said softly.

Feeling ashamed and as if she ruined the friendship that could have been brewing she reached out to who was closest to her, Lucy, and covered her hand with her own, "I'm sure that everything happens for a reason," she said in what she hoped was a soothing tone, "And at least you're here now."

"Yeah," Lucy said, nodding.

Thankfully the boys had returned with the firewood. Susan had dug into her pouch producing a few fruits and Trumpkin had found some berries on a bushel when they went to gather the wood.

It was a small meal shared between the six of them but she was grateful for it nonetheless.

"Lucy?" Alessandra whispered into the darkness sometime later, she hoped that the girl hadn't fallen asleep just yet, "Are you awake?" She hummed rolling on her side from where she was gazing up at the stars, "Why do you think you're the only one who saw Aslan?"

"You believe me?" She asked in shock, rising up to her elbow.

"Well," she shrugged, "We got across the gorge," she leaned up on her elbow same as the young girl, "How can you believe in someone you can't see?"

"I have faith."

"Why didn't I see him?"

Rather than answering her the same way she did her brother she said, "Maybe he's testing you." She said it with such conviction that Alessandra wanted to believe her, but why would Aslan be testing her she was a nobody, especially compared to the Kings and Queens and Caspian, she was merely a stowaway.

Sleep didn't come any easier to her that night than it did the night before.

Which was probably why she woke with a start the next morning, she thought she may have heard a twig snap but it could have been her imagination. The fire was smouldering away and the others were still asleep so she settled back down to wait for someone else to wake up, then a glance to her left told her that there was someone awake, and missing.

"Peter," she rolled onto her other side shaking the blonds shoulder, "Peter, wake up."

He blinked a few times before bleary eyes settled on her, "Good morning."

"Lucy's gone." The sleep had disappeared from his eye in an instant and he sat up.

"How long?" he asked, rushing to his feet and grabbing his sword.

"I don't know, I woke up and she was gone."

"Wake up the others." He instructed then he too was gone.

She woke up Susan next and she was all business, waking up Trumpkin and Edmund, the dwarf immediately put out the remains of the fire while Susan started gathering their things. Meanwhile Edmund somehow managed to spin the blame on her.

"Why didn't you stop them?"

"What exactly was I meant to do?" She snapped back, fed up with his attitude.

"Not let them go wandering the forest alone."

"How was I supposed to stop them?"

Before Edmund could respond Susan cut in, "Leave her alone Ed, what else could she have done." the Gentle Queen said, stepping between them, handing her brother his sword, "C'mon let's go find them."

Resolutely ignoring the glare that Edmund had her levelled with she followed Susan's determined steps through the forest. As they moved the sound of swords clanging started to be heard, and got louder.

"No stop!" they heard Lucy cry out and rushed to move faster.

Alessandra and Trumpkin stopped to check on her while Susan and Edmund passed to check on Peter.

"Are you alright?" Alessandra asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"I'm fine."

"Peter!" they heard Susan snap and moved up to where she and Edmund were standing, presumably speaking to Peter.

As they approached Alessandra heard a familiar voice that made her heart race.

"You're not exactly what I expected."

Obsidian eyes roamed over the new people that joined, then her heart all but stopped when they locked on hers.