The morning after the ball Lucy immediately told her siblings and Caspian about her dream. If it were anybody else, they probably would not have believed Lucy that the dream was message from a magical Lion. But the thing was; Lucy had always had a special connection to Aslan, and in Narnia, anything was possible. The Monarchs immediately decided to request help from the Griffins once again. On top of it all, the way Antonio Manchez was behaving made them all slightly worried. He had never spoken to them about the fact they had lied to him, but they knew he was offended to say the least. He ignored all of them as much as possible, and the news they received from Reepicheep only ensured their worries; he was planning something.
After a week of quietness in the country, the monarchs finally received a message from the Griffins one early morning.
'I'm sorry... could you repeat that.' Peter mumbled with utter disbelief. To his sides, Caspian looked shocked, while Edmund looked utterly horrified.
'We saw a group of ships, your majesty, about a week's sailing away from our shores, still. On the front most ship stood a woman, pale and clad in white. She was not the white which, of that I am sure, but she is close in resemblance. Around her neck she wore a necklace of a large jagged crystal, it seemed to glow and give her strength...'
Edmund felt shivers go up and down his spine. He had tried to put it behind him, but the Witch still frightened him to the core. His nightmares were infrequent, but terrifying none the less. This woman might not be her, but he feared that in her soul, she would be the same evil.
Peter looked at Caspian. 'Is it possible the staff your professor found is missing a piece of its crystal?'
Caspian nodded. 'I am afraid it will be so. We should confer with him immediately.'
Peter nodded. 'We should also plan a counter attack.'
'We should find Aslan...' Lucy whispered. 'We can do all we want, but in the end, I worry we cannot win without him, Peter.'
Peter nodded solemnly, not wanting to admit he could not help the country on his own, but knowing Lucy might very well be right. He turned to Susan. 'Will you go with Lucy to find him?'
Susan nodded. 'We do not know where to go however. I doubt that riding through the forest will work as it did last time...'
'Cair Paravel...' Edmund uttered. 'He is the true ruler of Narnia, but he trusts us to rule in his place. Cair Paravel is the embodiment of that trust, both from him and the Narnians, that we can help them. I'm not 100% sure, but I believe it would worth a shot.'
Peter nodded again, this time in approval. 'I agree.'
'We'll go right away, then. And the three of you should start planning a defence strategy...'
Edmund nodded. 'We'll get on it, right away!'
'After we talk to the professor.' Caspian stated.
About an hour and a half later Peter, Edmund and Caspian arrived in Peter's study. They gathered around the large table in the back, near the windows, upon which a large map of the Eastern Narnian shore lay.
'A piece of the staff went missing the day the witch was almost summoned at the how, and somehow Manchez got a hold of it.' Peter muttered.
'It does not matter how.' Edmund said quickly, an obvious irritation in his voice. 'All that matters is how we can beat them, with as little death as possible.'
Caspian nodded. 'I agree, but how to beat them could be a difficult question. We will be fighting a war on three fronts, really. We have the armies which will arrive on the shore, we have Manchez's son down here in the castle, and the witch lady will most likely have her won purpose. We have three problems to solve, and I doubt any one of them will be easy.'
It took Susan and Lucy over an hour to reach Cair Paravel, or what was left of it. As Lucy looked upon the ruins of her old home, a sadness overtook her. She remembered her coronation day, when there was peace in Narnia and all her friends surrounded her. She wished that soon, the land would feel that peace and prosperity again. Susan much felt the same way. She had adored Cair Paravel, not for its royal luxuries, she had most enjoyed how the sun had made the garden look magical, how she could seat in piece in library for hours, but most of all, she remembered how happy all the Narnian's had been when they entered, saw or even heard the name of the Castle. Cair Paravel was a symbol of hope, and peace for the Narnians, and in that moment she made a promise that she would do everything she could to see it rebuild. Not for her or her siblings, but for Narnia, and for Aslan. They arrived at what used to be the throne room and looked out over the mountains.
'It is quite a different sight than it was all those years ago, isn't it?'
Lucy and Susan turned around with bright smiles on their faces as they heard the warm and smooth voice of Aslan behind him. Susan stood somewhat in shock and awe, as she always did when she looked upon the magnificent Lion. Lucy on the other hand ran towards him and hugged him. She would always be the only one who would be able to do so, the only one who felt more love towards the great Lion than respect (although not due lack of it). And History would never again mention anyone, who would dare to do anything other than bow as soon as they saw Aslan.
'Aslan! Ow, thank you for saving Edmund.'
Susan walked over and curtseyed before the great Lion. 'Thank you, Aslan, for everything.'
Aslan smiled at the girls. 'Although I said you would not return, and meant every word when I said so, I could not let Edmund die. And I do believe it is for the best of Narnia that you have returned.'
'We will try our best to bring back the piece to Narnia, but we currently don't know how...'
Lucy turned to Aslan. 'We came here to ask for your help, Aslan. Will you help us please?'
Aslan smiled again. 'I would love to help you, dear one, and I have already taken a step which will help you solve your problem. But this is a battle I am afraid you will have to fight on your own. Caspian is right, the Telmarines and Narnians need to learn to live together and accept each other, they need to trust their monarchs, all of them. And to achieve that, you must win this fight, by working together. I have sent help in other ways, which you will find in the castle back home, but I am afraid that is all I can do this time, dear ones. But I have faith in you, as you have faith in me.'
Lucy frowned slightly. 'Do you have to leave again?'
'I'm afraid so. But I will return, to a peaceful Narnia.'
Susan and Lucy turned when they heard a bird screech behind them. When they turned back to where Aslan stood, he was no longer there. Susan sighed.
'Come one, Lu. We better get back.'
Back at the castle, Peter, Edmund and Caspian were still discussing strategies. They all agreed, to act normal for now, but as soon as the ships reach a day of sailing distance from the shore, Antonio Manchez, should be locked away in a cell, along with his men. So far however, that was the only concrete plan they could come up with and agree on.
'None of us have experience with a battle like this...' Peter muttered. 'We need someone who knows how this all works.'
Caspian nodded. 'I agree... But where would find anyone like that'
Their attention was pulled away from the maps by a knock on the door.
'Yes?' Peter called.
The door opened and Trumpkin walked in. 'Your majesties. I believe you should come to the throne room, 2 humans just appeared in the courtyard, like you did a while ago.'
The three men looked at each other confused before rushing towards the throne room. 'What could this mean?' Caspian asked.
'Who knows.' Edmund muttered.
The door opened and the three kings entered, though soon enough Caspian realized he was the only one still walking towards the 2 strangers. He turned around to see Edmund and Peter frozen on the spot with shocked looks on their faces.
'Mum?! Dad?!'
A/N So a bit of Longer chapter today and maybe a bit of a surprising ending, let me know what you think in the comments :)