A/N: I'm back, baby! :D apologies for taking so damn long, I don't blame any of you if you want to burn me then bury me alive :P I seriously deserve it for leaving you all in suspence. I'm sorry if this chapter is bad and rushed, I just wanted it out of the way so I could get on to the good stuff :D

Disclaimer; I own nothing.

Chapter 6

"Are you sure you know where to go?" Peter asked Gandalf, raising his eyebrows.

They were about to set off. They were just waiting for Lucy and Susan to arrive. Arwen had tried to convince the girls to remain behind, but Susan believed she should live up to the expectations of her people and Lucy refused to part with Frodo, much to Edmund's disapproval.

Gandalf nodded at Peter's question, quickly explaining which the best way to go was. Peter's eyebrows rose even further, but he made no protest. He wouldn't leave without Susan and Lucy, and since Lucy wasn't about to leave any time soon...

Peter let out a growl of frustration, running a hand through his blonde hair. Why was his sister so infuriating, by Aslan! And now the events that were happening in Middle Earth had travelled to Narnia... poor Caspian. He had done nothing to deserve this, and now look what was happening! He felt a rush of anger towards Lucy, but her reasoning to go with the Fellowship actually made sense.

Once the Ring was destroyed, they could return to Narnia and everything would go back to normal. Caspian would be free, Lucy could do whatever she wanted and Edmund could either go back to England or hang around. In fact, Peter wasn't sure what Edmund would do after all this was over. He wasn't a King of Narnia, nor was he a citizen of Middle Earth. Aslan would probably send him back to England.

Peter turned at the sound of running feet to see Susan and Lucy dashing up to them. Lucy carried a sword a little longer than Frodo's and Susan was hurriedly putting her bow over her back. Of the Narnians, Lucy was the only one who had a cape. It was long and grey, and when she stood completely still it closed around her like a curtain. She looked more like she was ready for battle, which made Edmund actually turn his head to hide his laughter.

Beautiful little Lucy, fighting? He couldn't imagine... but she was as brave as any lion, so he knew she was capable.

"The Fellowship awaits the Ring-Bearer," Edmund heard Gandalf say and he looked up to see Frodo straightening up importantly. Slowly, he turned, surveying the whole Fellowship, his eyes resting on Lucy longer than anyone else, but he shook himself and started forward, out the gates of Rivendell.

He glanced up at the taller one's as he passed.

As she turned to leave, Susan felt a tap on her shoulder. She saw Drinian standing behind her, supported by two Elves. "Wait," he said weakly, struggling to keep his eyes open. "I was told to..." He gasped in pain, reaching into his pocket and extracting a silver ring with an exquisitely designed T carved into it. "I was told to give this to you. It's from King Caspian. He wants you to keep it until you next meet, for he has something important to discuss with you."

Susan felt her heart do a little pitter-patter as she slowly took the ring from Drinian. Without thinking, she slipped it onto the ring finger of her left hand... where one would put a wedding ring. She then thanked Drinian, turning away to walk off. She fell into step beside Lucy, who was walking behind Pippin and Merry.

Unfortunately, Peter didn't seem to understand anything of what Gandalf was saying. Gandalf repeated all the places and how long it would take to get to them to the High King, but it was like trying to explain how far the Lone Islands were from Cair Paravel to Boromir, as Edmund discovered. Because of their different dwellings and lifestyles, it was almost impossible for Peter, Susan and Lucy to understand Middle Earth like Middle Earthians could, and it was almost impossible for Middle Earthians to understand Narnia like Narnians.

Surprisingly, Edmund was the only person who could understand both sides, which raised many eyebrows. Aragorn felt a strange sense of pride to the younger man, and Peter and Susan merely scowled. They took to whispering about Edmund behind his back. Lucy refused to participate in these conversations.

Right now, Lucy was walking with Frodo behind Gandalf, who was leading the procession. Behind them came Legolas, Sam and the Donkey. They were followed by Susan, Merry and Pippin. Boromir walked behind the Queen and the two Hobbits. Aragorn and Edmund brought up the rear, since Aragorn was the first to show kindness to Edmund in the worlds beyond England ever since he was sent back.

Lucy glanced up at Frodo, whose eyes were following the swish of Gandalf's cape, and he sighed.

"What's wrong?" Lucy asked in a low whisper so no one could hear them. Frodo made a tiny shrug, kicking a rock.

"Nothing... I just think this is all a little strange. I never dreamed I would be doing something like this," Frodo admitted, smiling sheepishly at Lucy. Lucy smiled back, stepping closer to him. She tried to be as inconspicuous as possible, but luckily, her cloak provided a good cover as she reached over and grasped Frodo's hand, intertwining her fingers between his. He gave her a surprised look, but she just looked determinedly ahead, afraid Peter and Susan would see them and voice their objections.

Even worse, what if Edmund saw? He never seemed happy whenever she was around Frodo...

Lucy shook her head slightly. Right now, her first priority was to help Frodo get to Mordor. That way, Narnia could be saved... Lucy wouldn't know what to do with her life if Narnia was destroyed. It would quite possibly destroy her. Narnia was her home, more so than England. If she couldn't live there, then she wouldn't live anywhere.

Hours passed. Lucy's feet and small legs grew sore, but she pressed on. The whole time, she held onto Frodo's hand tightly. When Gandalf spotted a group of boulders clustered together and suggested they stop for a while, Frodo helped Lucy to climb up over the rocks. Finally, the two dropped hands.

Lucy went off to talk to her siblings while Frodo sat with Sam and ate lunch.

"Lu, I still think this was a bad idea," Peter informed Lucy the moment she was close enough, and she rolled her eyes. "Lucy! Narnia is currently in danger! We should be there helping!" Peter declared angrily. "We left our friends there; Caspian, Easlmus...and what about Mr Tumnus? I thought he was your best friend..."

Lucy winced slightly. Of course Mr Tumnus was her best friend and she worried about him; not a second went by that she didn't think about him and hoped he was alright. But they couldn't stop the war. Most of Narnia was captured. Their King was being held hostage. Lucy had a funny feeling that if she, Susan and Peter returned to Narnia now they would just be walking into a trap.

Peter, Susan and Lucy weren't paying attention to the others until they heard Aragorn scream, "Hide!" He grabbed Edmund's shoulder and dived under a rock, dragging the younger boy with him.

Without even realising what the danger was, Peter leapt at Susan and Lucy, catching one arm in front of their chests and pushing them down into the bushes, where they remained, well-hidden. Peter couldn't look up, but Susan and Lucy were both lying on their backs so they could see through the branches and leaves as what looked like huge black crows surrounded their hideaway, cawing loudly. Lucy looked around, but she couldn't see anyone else.

She worried a moment about Frodo, but he wasn't stupid. He was hiding like everyone else, she convinced herself. No one moved until the danger passed.

Slowly, Peter stood, releasing his sisters. He helped Lucy up before assisting Susan. Susan dusted off her skirt, gasping, "What were those things?" No one heard her question and she soon forgot about it. Gandalf looked as though someone had told him his favourite great-aunt had just died. He sighed, turning to look at the mountain.

"We'll have to take the Mountain Pass," he told Peter and Susan so they were aware of the unplanned changes. They both nodded, looking very tired. Lucy wished she could have a hot bath and go to sleep in a warm bed at this point and to hear they were going to cross through a mountain area... where there was lots of snow and it was really cold...

Lucy shivered at the very thought. Edmund gave her a curious look but she just shook her head at him. Any questions could wait until later. Right now, it was essential to get through that pass without a hitch.

The mountain turned out to be a lot harder to tackle than everyone originally thought. Edmund seemed ok, but Susan was nearly asleep on her feet and Peter was giving Lucy a piggyback ride, her arms wrapped tightly around his back and her eyes were closed. She was almost dozing off. The snow was so deep that Edmund and the Hobbits were struggling to walk, as was Susan because she was wearing a long dress.

The snow was a blinding white and the sky a clear blue. In a way, it reminded Peter of a nice day in the Lantern Waste whenever he went to visit Mr Tumnus... that old habit of his seemed so far away now. How on earth had everything gone so wrong so quickly? In addition, why was Narnia dragged into it? It was Middle Earth's affairs, not Narnia's! Peter growled in frustration and ran a hand through his light blonde hair. It hurt his head to think about this so much.

He heard a loud "oof!" and someone calling "Frodo!" Peter, being careful not to jostle Lucy, who had finally nodded off, turned to see that Frodo had tripped and was rolling down the snow, coming to a stop at Aragorn's feet. About five feet behind Aragorn was Susan and Edmund, who both looked surprised at the sudden change of events. As Aragorn helped Frodo up, Susan and Edmund strode past them, up to where Peter stood.

"Do you have any idea where we are?" Susan inquired in a tired voice, blinking rapidly to give herself a little energy. Peter shook his head, pursing his lip. He had a bad feeling about this pass, however, and Susan could sense how nervous he was. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "It'll be alright, Pete. We can trust them... I think." She cast a wary glance at Boromir, who to everyone's shock was holding the One Ring. He was gazing at it, talking in a soft voice.

Out the corner of his eye, Peter saw Edmund's hand go for his sword, his expression changing to rage, identical to the look on Aragorn's face. Boromir chuckled, giving the Ring back to Frodo and ruffling his hair. As he turned away, Peter looked at Aragorn... and had to stop himself from blanching when he saw Aragorn also had his hand on the hilt of his sword! Obviously, he and Edmund had the same train of thought.

The two were so alike, it actually made Peter question Edmund's "betrayal". Yes, he had betrayed them, but he had repented, had he not? He helped with Caspian becoming King, and he dared not defy Aslan after Aslan had died for him. Even Susan had admitted in recent days that she didn't hate Edmund as much as she had when they were in England. Maybe... just maybe... Edmund wasn't as bad as they thought he was. In fact, he seemed better. Some of his qualities were actually fit to make him a King!

But Aslan had said Edmund couldn't be King... or rather, he wasn't ready. Edmund had believed he was at the time, much different to Caspian, who believed he wasn't. Edmund had been sent back to England in a fit of rage while Caspian took his throne, as King Caspian the Tenth, or Caspian the Seafarer.

"Peter!"

Peter snapped out his thoughts and shook his head. Lucy was lightly shaking him, saying, "Pete, can you let me down? I can walk now." Peter, a little grudgingly, set his sister down and Edmund quickly rushed to her side as she staggered, her legs a little numb from not being used. Peter couldn't help but scowl at Edmund... of all the girl's in the world, why did the little traitor have to love his sister? He didn't even know where Edmund actually came from!

Edmund was the great-nephew of Professor Digory Kirke... the adoptedgreat-nephew of Professor Digory Kirke. Not even Edmund knew which country he came from, but it was probably England. He had the accent, the English qualities, everything.

"Peter!"

Once again, Peter was snapped out of his thoughts. Angrily, he turned to the person and snapped, "What? What do you want?"

Gandalf wasn't scared of Peter's angry mood. "King Peter, just be careful in these parts. Keep your eyes on your sisters at all times," he instructed Peter, turning away so he could follow along a narrow ledge behind Legolas. Peter had to resist the urge to roll his eyes, turning to Susan and Lucy. He grasped Lucy's hand and Susan grabbed her other hand, the three followed behind Boromir, who was holding onto Merry and Pippin so they didn't fall off as the snow began to swirl faster.

Edmund raised his arm to shade his eyes from the wind that began to blow harshly, whipping the longhaired one's hair around their faces. Only Legolas and Gandalf seemed unbothered by it.

Lucy stumbled slightly, nearly dragging Susan and Peter down with her. Edmund was walking behind Aragorn, keeping a tight hold on his cape. His head snapped up when he heard a voice in the wind. Looking around, he noticed it was none of his comrades who spoke, but another voice, more powerful. To his surprise, he could understand every word said. It sounded like a spell to-

"Watch out!" Aragorn yelled back to the Narnians, and Peter quickly pushed Lucy against the wall of the cliff, shielding her and Susan from the rocks that fell from above. When the danger passed, he looked up to hear Boromir yelling at Gandalf, "The Hobbits will die in this weather!"

Peter glanced at Lucy, fearing for her life, and piped up, "Lucy will too! We need to get off the mountain!"

"I'll be fine!" Lucy protested, but the voice spoke again, speaking stronger against Gandalf's. A second later, snow came tumbling off the top of mountain, completely covering everyone in snow. Peter distinctly heard Susan scream before everything went silent.

"I fear the Orcs have found a way to keep Aslan at bay," Mr Tumnus informed Caspian. The two had been locked up together in the old Pevensie chamber, the very one that had the altar where Peter's broken sword lay in shards. "I've heard many things about Middle Earth. They had an alliance with Narnia many years ago, but as time wore on, the alliance crumbled, making it difficult for Narnians and Middle Earthians to cooperate. The only ones we could have even a mildly pleasant conversation with were the Dwarves."

Mr Tumnus seized his horns and started twisting his head like he had a headache. Caspian was sitting on the ground nearby, his arms wrapped around his knees and his head perched on his elbows. He didn't say anything. He barely even moved. The only way Mr Tumnus could tell he was still alive was the rising and falling of Caspian's back whenever he breathed.

They hadn't been there long, but even Caspian was beginning to lose hope. Where was Aslan? Where was High King Peter and the Queens Susan and Lucy? Why had no aid come to Narnia? He didn't even get a chance to signal for help from their only allies; the Queen Gizelle of Telmar and the Star Girl Lilliandil. He'd even accept help from Calormene and Ettinsmoor at this point! But no... the Orcs had him cornered and they knew it too.

The sound of the door opening at the top of the stairs nearly scared the life out of Caspian and Mr Tumnus. A second later, a Mouse and a Dwarf came tumbling down the steps, both cursing "By the Mane of Aslan!"

Caspian was on his feet. He and Mr Tumnus rushed forward to help their fellow captives.

"Reepicheep! Trumpkin!" Caspian gasped, relieved they were alive and terrified that they had seen Narnia's fate thus far.

"Your Majesty!" Reepicheep said, bowing to his King. "We tried our best to hold off the Orcs at the How. We lost Nikabrik, and they captured Tavrus and Orius. The Beavers and the Fox have also been trapped in Beaversdam, and young master Eustace arrived at the wrong moment. He is presently stuck in the Throne Room of Cair Paravel," Reepicheep explained, his voice cracking just slightly on Eustace's name.

The two were great friends, and to see Eustace being captured in a situation he knew nothing about really made Reepicheep's little heart heavy. Caspian, meanwhile, looked as though he might go into cardiac arrest.

"What of Easlmus? What has happened to my cousin?" Mr Tumnus demanded and it was Trumpkin who answered.

"Luckily, he escaped, with Peepiceek. The two have headed off via the Lantern Waste to Middle Earth, to find our High King and our Queens," he said with relief. Seeing Easlmus and Peepiceek slipping past the Orcs had made him restore hope that Narnia would be saved... and the High King and Queens would return.

Now, Caspian's hope was returning. Though he was lying on the ground on the verge of faint, he could feel the familiar heat of hope creeping back into his heart. He nearly jumped up and let out a whoop, but he held it in. He did sit up, just as the door opened a second time and someone else was tossed in, the door slamming behind them.

To everyone's surprise, a girl with long blonde hair sat up, looking dazed, shocked and a little angry. She spotted Caspian and shouted, "What is happening?! Why is Narnia under attack?! Where is Queen Susan?!"

Caspian was floored. Who did this girl think she was?! She was definitely Narnian, or at least a Telmarine, and he had to admit she was pretty. But who was she?

"One," he answered in a shaky voice. "I don't know. Two, I don't know. Three, Queen Susan is in Middle Earth. And four, who are you, in the name of Aslan?" he demanded, trying to stand. Mr Tumnus and Easlmus held him down.

The girl quickly drew herself up to her fullest height, looking him straight in the eye.

"I am Alice, daughter of Frederick and Rowena. I come from Middle Earth, and I am the best friend of Queen Susan of Narnia."

Aha! New character :) what do you think of our new person, Alice? Don't worry, the reason for her character will be revealed at a later date ;) don't worry. She's most definitely a good person :)

I finally updated! Hope you enjoy! R&R!