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'What was that?' Lucy sobs as Peter holds her tight. His jaw is clenched in anger. And I just know my big brother is furious.

'Indeed,' he growls. I look into his eyes, Peter's look is cold and hard. His nostrils are flaring as he speaks. 'What was that?' He holds Lucy close to him as my sister is still crying from fear.

I tear my gaze from them as I look towards Caspian. He is still staring at the spot where the shadow appeared. But he turns around, he touches the emerald ring on his finger. When our eyes meet, he smiles and his brown eyes light up.

Salvador steps up, his eyes also wide with an unknown fear. 'I--,' he begins but also the great general doesn't know what to say. I turn around, finding Edmund behind me. He also has a clenched jaw and he is avoiding my eyes. Elvira is the only one looking calm. But I see that she is drawing slow and steady breaths.

We are all in shock, sort off. I take a deep breath and lay a comforting hand on Peter's shoulder as I walk towards Caspian.

'We cannot do nothing. If it is true what the rebel leader said, then we have to go to Aslan's How and seek his help! He is our father,' I say to Caspian.

I hear Elvira move forward. 'You mean the tomb, the stone table? The High King of the Kings? The Great Lion?' she says, sounding excited.

Edmund nods his head and I see he relaxes more. Now the danger is gone, my brothers relax and Peter lets Lucy go, but he stays near her.

Caspian is still gazing at me and I know he is thinking. But as the only Telmarine king who has ever spoken with Aslan, he does not fear him. He is also a child of the Lion. But for someone, who only has heard of him in the stories of old, I think it is something.

'But the temple,' Lucy quietly says, wiping the tears from her cheeks. 'The temple was somewhat destroyed when we had the fight with your uncle, Caspian.'

Caspian smiles at her, his eyes shining happily. 'Lucy, in those three years I did a lot of things to make Narnia the Narnia you once knew. To honour you. So I rebuilt the temple. I didn't make it more fancy but it is what it always was.'

'Caspian!' Lucy exclaims happily as she rushes towards him and embraces him tightly.

Caspian laughs. 'You're welcome, Lucy.'

'So when do we go?' Salvador speaks up, sounding excited as well.

'Now,' Peter says and it is not an answer. It is an order of the High King, and his word is still final.

'Yes,' I state and walk as one of the first out of the throne room. The others follow quickly. I feel bad for Elvira. We are all bandaged and feeling well enough to go, but I know they are still hurting. I see it in the way my brothers walk and move around. The same for me, my leg is more than a weight on my body than it normally is. I drag it with me and act tough.

But don't we all?

Elvira hadn't even had the chance to change or take a bath. When she is walking next to me I see that she still has some sand of the desert in her hair.

She is a tough one, like me.

Good.

The moon is already high in the sky as we walk onto the courtyard of Cair Paravel. The stars are shining so beautifully here. There also appear more stars than back home. But this is home now.

I follow Caspian towards the stables. He walks directly towards his black horse; Destier.

'Su.' My nickname rolls so easily out of his mouth as he speaks. 'Do you want to ride with me?'

I nod, unable to say yes, because in my stomach butterflies go wild.

When I look around, as Caspian is busy saddling Destier, the others are also busy saddling their appointed horses. I see that Lucy is going to ride with Ed. But that's normal, they always did that in the first years we were ruling Narnia.

Elvira and Salvador are already done and I chuckle as I see Peter struggling with the reins of his brown horse. Elvira smiles as she walks over to him and without a word starts to help him. My brother looks dumbfounded at her and grins as she is finished, handing him the reins.

'His name is Aran and he has a will of his own.'

'I can handle that,' I hear Peter answer but I see his cheeks turn red as Elvira laughs and her hair falls down her shoulders.

As an oiled machine we ride out of the stables. Six horses in full speed riding out of the gate. But secretly I love this. My hands tight around Caspian's waist and I have to restrain myself from laying my head against his back. I feel the gazes of Peter and Edmund in my back and I smile a little.

I look up towards the beautiful nightly sky. Pitch black with a lot of stars. But we ride fast and I hear the horses groan and breathe as we thunder through the forest towards the open plain. Aslan's How comes into sight. The hilly mouth of earth with inside the most sacred items in Narnia; the stone table.

Caspian stops Destier to a halt and mounts of, holding his arms out for me. I want to scold him that I can do it myself. That I am not just a girl, but a queen. But when he does this, butterflies appear again in my stomach and I gladly take his hand. I jump off his horse and see the others already waiting. I feel myself getting red as I avoid the gazes of my brother and so it seems Elvira.

Peter grabs a torch out of the socket that hangs on the stone wall and goes in front of us. The grass beneath my feet is damp from rain. But with everything that happened tonight I don't remember that it was raining tonight.

'Susan!' Edmund's low voice penetrates my dreaming mind. I look around as I walk quickly behind the others. The temple of Aslan. The last time we were here Jadis appeared. The frescoes on the wall remind me of a better time. But we are here again and better times are coming, I hope!

Peter walks towards the pillars filled with oil and dips his torch in it. In seconds the fire spreads through the room, lighting up the walls.

'Aslan!' Lucy suddenly exclaims happily as she runs towards the great lion.

Elvira and Salvador sink down on their knees, head down, looking towards the ground.

No one speaks but only the laughing of Lucy and the growls of happiness of Aslan can be heard. But I can't hold myself back any longer as I run to my father. I collide with his mane as I fold my arms around him.

Soon two pairs of arms follow and Aslan lays down with us on top of him. Our laughs echo through the stone room. But our reunion comes to a halt when Peter pulls us off Aslan, pulling us back towards the other three. Caspian is smiling at us, at me. I quickly stand next to him and Lucy stands in front of me. I hold her shoulders as we all grin in happiness.

'Rise, Salvador. Rise, Elvira. You both are my children as you believe in me. Rise.' His mighty voice sounds throughout the room and a bit in awe both of them stand.

Brother and sister, but our brother and sister as well.

'Now,' Aslan continues and sits down, looking at all of us. 'You are here because of that shadow.'

'And of what the rebellion leader said,' Elvira interrupts him. But as soon the words leave her lips, her face colours red.

Salvador looks a bit embarrassed at his sister but Aslan just nods. 'Yes.'

No explanation, nothing. But it is clear that it was part of it.

'The shadow that appeared,' Aslan begins. 'Susan, you know him very well.' He looks at me and then focuses on Edmund.

'And you too Edmund. It's Rabadash. He's alive and I know one thing for sure. He's coming for you, Susan. Dark forces are at work here, threatening you and threatening me.' He sounds angry as he growls.

Dark forces. One name pops up in my head; the white witch. But everyone starts talking through each other. Angry and sadness.

Peter just looks at Aslan, knowing we have to fight this evil. But Elvira, Salvador and Caspian are transfixed.

Elvira is the first to speak. 'Rabadash? You mean that crazy prince who wanted to rape Susan but because he couldn't, he wanted Lucy?'

Caspian's eyes are furious as he looks at me and back at Edmund.

'How?' he growls.

'We will tell the truth, but not now,' Edmund says as he moves towards me and lays a hand on my arm.

I am squeezing Lucy's shoulders very tight. But she doesn't say anything, she lets me. Because she knows my fear. Our fears.

'He shall come back,' Aslan sounds tired and angry. 'And he will find you, Susan, as he first did. He will do things to you, to all of you. Mentally and physically.'

'But, father,' Peter speaks up, crying out to Aslan. 'Why are you allowing this?'

'Because this is what has to be done.'

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