Disclaimer: I hope you know that the original cast of the Chronicles of Narnia belong to C S Lewis

Prologue

There was a time, after the Golden Age of the Pevensie children's rule over Narnia, when the world surrendered to Autumn after years of happy Spring and Summer. The land and creatures mourned and fought over the loss of their beloved Kings and Queens, waiting for their return. They waited four centuries in turmoil and unrest before someone not unlike their former monarchs stumbled upon their world.

She was a Daughter of Eve also, but not a Pevensie, yet ruled the lands as well as any Queen before her from the castle of the royals, Cair Paravel. Peace was fully restored and the fallen leaves of Narnia's Autumn fed the growing revival. She was a fair and honest ruler, but firm and strong also, renowned for her excellent swordsmanship. A decade and a half she reigned over Narnia, but then came a dreaded day, not so feared by the Narnians since the White Witch.

A fleet of ships sailed to the shore from over the horizon. An army of wood, weapons and men. The Telmarines.

The Queen sought peace, but was met by only arrogance at their strength, greed for her country and fear of her people. When diplomacy failed, arms were taken up by all Narnians, and the Queen herself, and they met the invaders on the fields. Many would fall and more would suffer, before finally a plan was struck, and the King of the Telmarines, Caspian I, met the Narnian Queen, not fifteen feet between them.

"You Majesty, please, there must be another way!" pleaded a dark centaur from her right.

"Too many people have already died Rothenhal," the Queen said, "If this may save our people from death, then I must try."

"Yes your Majesty."

The queen stepped forward, dressed in her chainmail dress and armour, long blue tunic torn and blood stained in places. She stopped just before entering the grassy arena to turn back to her first friend, loyal subject and General of her Army. "Rothenhal?"

"Yes my Queen?"

"If I do not succeed, I ask two final things of you." She said, waiting for his nod of understanding, "First, you must get as many people away to safety as possible, I do not trust these Telmarines. Perhaps head west, towards the mountains."

"And the second my liege?"

"My sword," the Queen said, gripping the already bloodied blade in her right hand, "I want you to take care of my sword Hilieth. Do not let her be left to rust on these fields."

"Of course your Majesty."

After a final nod, the Queen stepped forth into the bargained duel between the monarchs. A fight to the death. The fight was spectacular to watch, and neither monarch was unscathed, but a dirty kick to her sword hand had the Queen down. Her last look at Narnia would be her shimmering sword Hilieth protruding from the ground just out of reach, before another shining sword plunged deep into her chest.

As the Narnians fled the now charging army of Telmarines into the relative safety of the forests, one centaur remained in the shadows for all others to leave. When he was alone, he hurried to the side of his fallen Queen to find no body. Only blood and her sword. Bowing his head, he took the sword and ran west, away from the battlefield.

Nothing was left behind on that field, but bodies, blood and arrows. The Narnians would soon in fear forget the great last battle and duel of their Queen. No one would visit the fields. No one would talk of the fight. All that would remain would be stories for the next one thousand years.

And Queen Sophia the Great would be forgotten.

... For a while anyway.

AN: there are some things you should know. First, the Pevensies stayed in Narnia after 'Prince Caspian'. Second, the story of Narnia after 'Prince Caspian' shall deviate from the books, because I said so ;). Lastly, I hope you like my fanfic!

Chapter 1

After being killed in the Battle near the Eastern Shores, Sophia had been transported back home, to England, safe old England, with a final memory of a lion's roar. She had found herself back in the small store room of her school, and could still hear her classmates as they laughed at their amusing prank on her. Waiting for it to be silent before she slipped out of the store cupboard, Sophia raced to the girls' bathroom, and stared at herself in the mirror.

She was young again.

Again.

Her face was more round than in her adulthood, and her skin not marred by scars. Her small nose and wide mouth had stayed the same, and her raven hair was shorter then as a queen, but her eyes had changed the most. Gone were the often scared, wide gray eyes. Now sharper, colder in colour, but seemed to hide a wisdom she knew was not associated with her fifteen year old appearance.

She was home again, but all she wanted was to be home in Narnia again.

Running back to the store room, she flung open the door and ran her hands on all sides of the cramped room, looking for a way back, but finding none. Slamming her fists against the unrelenting walls, she slid to the floor, defeated sobs wracking through her whole body.

How could she live here in peace, when she knew her people were suffering, dying, elsewhere?

One year later...

(Sophia's POV, cos I seem only able to write like that TT_TT)

I sat at the table for lunch in the school dining room, picking at my food. My usual healthy appetite had left me today for some reason, and I eventually threw my food away and returned to my usual haunt; the Library. I didn't bother to mention my leave to the others at the table, as they had soon lost interest in me as a friend after my general withdrawal from people on my return from Narnia. No one would or could understand me. They hadn't been through what I had. To this day I felt guilt for the abandonment of my people weigh heavy on my shoulders, and I had hardly felt a glimmer of happiness since.

Even if I had lost that damn duel to that damn Telmarine King, let me have stayed dead rather than live knowing my friends were not.

Sat at a table in the Library I pulled out my sketch pad and drew more of my beloved country on paper. I had barely begun when I felt a pinch on my back, making me leap out of my chair. Turning behind me to see the assumed culprit of the pinch, I saw no one. Confused, I began searching the area, and when I resorted to looking under the table I felt the pinch again. I jumped quicker this time, and found nobody around me.

I did however see that books were being sucked out of the window besides me. Dodging several more books that came hurtling from behind me, I looked and saw that no one else seemed to have noticed! I stood in shock momentarily, only to be scooped up in a chair from behind me and shoved out of the window with the rest of the furniture near my seat. Holding my arms in front of my face, I braced myself for the inevitable, only to land softly on grass.

Looking up around me, I saw that the field looked familiar. Another glance round confirmed my thoughts. I was back in my last battlefield. Back to the last place I had been in Narnia.

I was home.

I was lost. The forest I had known had either been changed, grown or replanted, because I had yet to find my way out of the forest. Perhaps I had mistaken my original location? I had tried asking for help from a Dryad along the way, but none responded. Maybe they were sleeping. But the sky was darkening and the air growing colder. I was hungry and thirsty from walking all day, and my school uniform wasn't keeping me particularly warm.

I had decided to head East, towards the shores where the Telmarine bastards had appeared from. I'd make my way to the Great River and then Cair Paravel from there. But if the sun went down before I did, I'd have to wait until morning to continue, as I didn't know how to navigate by the stars. I knew I should have listened to Rothenhal's lesson more. I stopped suddenly, Rothenhal! Was he okay? How much time had passed since my leaving?

Question after question raced through my head. But when I shook myself to continue East, I saw the sky was star-filled already, and cursed my mind for wandering.

Finding a suitably large and sturdy tree, I rested my back against it and brought my knees towards me. I was cold, hungry, thirsty, frustratedly lost, but above all just then I was tired. Early to bed early to rise. And the sooner I rise, the sooner I can find my way out of these woods.

My luck wasn't apparently at its best right now, as I woke up to the feel of a cold metal blade at my neck. I kept my body still and my eyes closed, and tried to listen to who I was up against.

The stamping of hooves nearby and several more footsteps made it known I was outnumbered and still weaponless. Shifting my right hand slowly beside me, I tried to find anything that I could use to at least buy me some time. I found a stone, but it was too small, and another too large for me to achieve a surprise attack. Ah-hah! A fairly thick branch lay under my hand now, big enough to cause sufficient distraction, but light enough – I hoped – for me to lift up easily.

"Who is she?" I heard a man say from a distance.

"I have never seen her here before, and she isn't dressed from around here." A woman replied.

"Are you going to wake her up?" another woman said.

"Alright, I don't think she can harm me." a second man said.

"But keep your bow on her Su." That voice. I knew that accent. It couldn't be...

Opening my eyes suddenly, I saw a party of people stood before me by several horses, but it was the man in the centre my eyes narrowed upon immediately, with dark wavy hair and equally dark eyes, he looked just like the damn king I had fought last time.

Telmarine!

Suddenly all my hate, my regret, guilt, anger and sadness barrelled through my whole body, and I without a second thought lunged at this representation of what had attacked my country. Shock was evident on all the faces there, before I was bundled up backwards and a sword once again pressed to my neck. But I was ready. With my branch and enough force to the hand holding me captive, I knocked the sword from his hand and took it in my own. Elbowing my captor off me, I jumped back to distance myself from these people when another dark-haired man came flying towards me with his sword.

Reflexes took over, and I reacted to all his lunges and attacks, getting a few of my own in, as we fought furiously. He was I admit, my best opponent, other than one certain other person. Eventually we had reached a standstill. He was stood to my right and held his sword to my throat, while I held an equal but opposite pose. Only then did I notice what sword I was holding. Hilieth? My momentary loss in concentration was all the time my opponent needed to use the flat of his blade to make me fall to the ground. He leant above me, the edge of his blade held at my throat still.

"Do you forfeit?" he said.

I just smirked. "Do you?"

He looked confused, before he felt the tip of my sword prod his chest. I was down, but I wasn't out. A gasp from one of the women could be heard. I stared at the man holding me down, both of us refusing to let the other win. I would not be the one to lose.

"Let her up Edmund, she is no foe to Narnia." Rumbled a deep voice from behind the duelling pair.

"Aslan!" one of the girls said, causing us all to turn to the direction of the deep voice. It was in fact the great lion, stood before us with in a small clearing between some trees. The group bowed, and when my opponent had stood to bow, I followed the action. When I looked up I saw the girl who had called out to him run and embrace him around his mane, I was in shock. She was hugging Aslan! But then I saw others just go up and greet him; I didn't know what to do. I'd just stay here until I was told what to do.

"Rise Sophia, a Queen of Narnia need not bow to me."

"She's a what?" screamed the group.