Nobody could speak a word as and the front gates were closed and locked up. No one would be allowed to enter the castle for the next few days. The guards were on absolute alert and they stood watch the entire time. All of us were shocked. 

We went back to where we came from and after the door of the room was closed, I spoke. "Let me go."

That was when everyone looked at me. "What are you talking about?" Caspian asked.

"Don't be a crazy doodle." Trumpkin said. Sometimes he said things that you wouldn't say usually but they made sense. I understood their concern and I was not going to ask them for anything else. I was eternally grateful for them.

"It is a good deal. She wants me. I don't know for what, but I am willing to go forward with their deal if it means that the whole of Narnia and its people are safe."

"But I am not willing to let you go." Caspian replied as he came and stood in front of me.

"If I go, I am the only one that will....." I couldn't bring myself to say it but all us knew what I was going to say because all of us were thinking it.

"You cannot do this." Caspian whispered.

"Think about the boy who is dead right now because he trusted someone. He only wanted a better life for his mother and himself. What is the answer we are going to give him? What is the reply we are going to give the village that was attacked today?"

"We cannot lose you, dear girl." The Professor said.

"Professor." I whispered. "Please think about the bigger picture here."

"However supposedly motivating your little speech was, I stand with these two." Trumpkin pointed to the Professor and Caspian. "We cannot afford to lose you, Adams."

I looked at everyone in the room and all the three pairs of eyes were in denial. I was willing to go forward with the Witch's deal. Heck, I wanted to face her! But I knew that they wouldn't let me. "When do Galma's men get here?" I asked, to change the topic.

"Tonight, dear." The Professor said.

"Then we will attack the first thing in dawn."

I walked all around the castle that evening. I spoke to every single person in the castle and stood in front of the Pevensies' tapestry. I looked at every one of them and wondered how they must have felt when they came to Narnia the first time. They were just kids, much younger than me. They were bombarded with a huge responsibility of the end of the White Witch's reign. 

I wondered how hard it must have been for High King Peter. He would have had to protect all his siblings while leading Narnians. And having to face his younger brother betray him for the White Witch? It must have been horrific!

I also looked at the lion statue in the front garden. "Please. Give me a sign." I wanted to hear his voice again. I wanted him to tell me that everything was going to be okay and that Narnia would once again be safe.

I only had one choice in front of me. 

I went to the kitchen later and hugged everyone. They were confused as to why I did so but I told them that I felt like doing so. The one choice in front of me didn't guarantee anything. It was an either/or situation.

I had an archery lesson with Trumpkin in the evening and I talked about the Prophecy with the Professor before going to bed. I was scared to go to sleep that night. I tried to and when I did, it was just empty darkness. I woke up immediately when the image of the village and Freya and Elena's faces came to my mind.

There was still one person left.

I knocked on Caspian's door and he opened it as if he was expecting me. "Sophie." He wasn't sleeping either. 

"Can I come in?" 

He gave me way to enter. "What happened?" He asked me as I started to place the room.

"Caspian, I...." Why couldn't I say it?

He walked closer to me and cupped my face with his hands. "Are you okay?" 

"I don't know." I held his hands in mine. "Caspian, I want you to know that-"

He closed my mouth with his hand. "Not yet." He said. "How the tables have turned." 

I smiled. First, it was me who told him not to say goodbyes and I was going to do the same thing. "We have tonight."

"And tomorrow and the rest of our lives." He kissed me. It was a kiss that we had never shared before, probably because the threat to everyone didn't linger over our heads. We needed each other's presence then. I didn't want to let him go, but I knew that I would eventually have to. It took everything in me to not tell him what I really wanted to. He was the only person that I had ever- "Do you want to stay here for tonight?" He asked me as he let me go.

"I would like that."

We lay down on his bed and faced each other. "We need to sleep sometime." He said after we just looked at each other for some time. He sighed and brushed the hair that I deliberately let to fall on my face. "We have a big day ahead of us."

"Okay." I forced a smile and closed my eyes.

After some time once I knew that Caspian was sleeping, I tip-toed silently up to his table. His owl was looking at me and I shushed him for some reason. It was as though he was meant to keep a watch on me. I pulled out a parchment and a pen from the drawers and started writing.

Dear Caspian,
I'll meet you in the field tomorrow morning.
Sophie.

I didn't know why I just didn't say goodbye. Either it was a goodbye or it wasn't. Like I said, it was an either/or situation.

I walked out of the door, silently closing it behind me. I walked to my room and pulled my bag out. I checked whether everything was inside. All my belongings were in the castle but the same bag that I had come to Narnia with had my archery kit and swords. I swung it across my back and changed into a new dress.

I took the armour out from the back of my wardrobe and packed it. I had one made from Claire and I made her promise that she wouldn't tell anyone about it. I looked at myself in the mirror. This was a different one. This one was for battles. The yellow lion across the crimson background gave me hope.

I breathed out. 

I would come back. I had to.

I took one look around my room. I didn't know why I did so. Some instincts. I closed the door behind me with only one place in my head. Everything was going to come to an end....and a new beginning.