It was a day of uncertainties. 

Everywhere she looked, Sophie saw another person she had to lie to. Her heart didn't sit right with what she was about to do but this was what her lessons had all been about. She would have to make hard choices if it meant that Narnia would be safe. 

She walked all around the castle that evening and spoke to everyone possible. She stood before the Pevensies' tapestry and wondered how they would have felt when they first came to Narnia. They were only children, much younger than her, and they were bombarded with the responsibility of the end of the White Witch's reign. Sophie could imagine Peter's worries. He had to protect all his siblings while leading Narnians into the war for freedom. Over that, he had to face his younger brother betraying him for the White Witch. 

The Pevensies ruled well after that, but even their time came to an end.

How long would it take for Sophie and Caspian's reign to end?

Sophie looked at the lion statue in the front garden. "Please. Give me a sign." All she wanted was to hear His voice again. She wanted Him to tell her that everything was going to be okay and that Narnia would be safe once again.

But there was only one choice in front of her.

Sophie went to the kitchen later and hugged everyone, leaving them confused as to what was running in her mind, but she was in an either/or situation. She had to choose what was right.

She had an archery lesson with Trumpkin and a session with Doctor Cornelius where they talked about the prophecy and how she was moving on from the life that she could have had. 

It was when she had to go to sleep that she was scared. She was surrounded by an empty direction when the image of the village and Freya's face came to her mind.

There was still one person left.

She knocked on Caspian's door and he opened, expecting her to stop by. He had been thinking about how he had let her down that day. He should have tried better and being the king that he should be. If Miraz had been here, he would have sacrificed Sophie's safety if it meant that his crown was safe, but is that the sort of king he wanted to be? Then why couldn't he make that decision?

"Can I come in?"

He gave her way to enter. "What happened?" 

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

He walked closer and cupped her face with his hands, taking her breath away. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know." She held his hands that were still cupping her face. "Caspian, I want you to know that-"

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

Sophie smiled. First, it was her who told him not to say goodbyes and now, she was going to do the same thing. "We have tonight."

"And tomorrow and the rest of our lives." 

It took everything in Sophie to not tell him what she really wanted to, what she was going to do in a matter of few hours. He was the only person that she had ever- 

"Do you want to stay here for tonight?" 

"I would like that."

They lay down on his bed and faced each other. "We need to sleep sometime," he said after the two just looked at each other for some time. He sighed, brushing the hair that Sophie deliberately let to fall on her face. "We have a big day ahead of us."

"Okay." She forced a smile and closed her eyes.

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

Dear Caspian,

I'll meet you in the field tomorrow morning. My heart is yours and always will be. No matter what happens tomorrow, know that my heart has only ever belonged to you.

Yours and truly yours, 

Sophie.

She didn't know why she just didn't say goodbye, because according to her, the word 'goodbye' was what was certain that it was the end. Either it was a goodbye or it wasn't. It was an either/or situation.

The door was silent as she walked out, the castle lying in a hopeful tranquility of what would come in the morning. Sophie entered her room and pulled her cargo bag out. All her belongings were in the castle but the same bag that she had come to Narnia with had her archery kit and swords. She swung it across her back and changed into a new dress. She took the armour out from the back of her wardrobe and packed it. She looked at herself in the mirror. This was a different armour from what she usually wore. This one was for battles. The yellow lion across the crimson background gave her hope.

She breathed out.

She would come back. 

She had to.

Not knowing why she did it, Sophie looked around at her room that was trying to tidy itself up. Some instincts, she thought. She closed the door behind her with only one place in her head. Everything was going to come to an end....and a new beginning was going to set place.

Walking down the staircases, each step echoing the first and begging her to turn back, Sophie made sure that no one was following her, or knew that she was awake. She couldn't have them know of her plans, because if they did, she feared that they would lock her somewhere. 

And she had no intention of being locked up in a tower, being a damsel in distress. 

She reached the front gate and found it locked, which was strange because the guards usually kept it open for the night shifters to return. She looked inside the vase nearby where Sahil had once mentioned to keep an extra set of keys but found it empty.

"Looking for this?"

Damn it, she gritted through her teeth. "Trumpkin." 

"And where do you think you are going, Princess?" He spun the keys in his hand as if to mock her. After training her for months, he figured out what her next plan would be. It was clear the day she had given her first order. "Definitely not for a stroll or a late-night walk. Not with that." He pointed to her bag and armour. "It wouldn't take me long to call out for lover boy and the Doctor."

Her eyebrows furrowed together. "Lover boy?" He raised his eyebrows at her, knowing that she was trying to change the topic. "You won't."

"And why is that?"

"Because you would have done it already. Besides, you have a promise to keep. I have a favour in reserve and I'm using it now." She put her hand forward. "Give me the keys." 

"Where are you going?"

"You know."

"Does he know?"

She knew who he was talking about. "No. And I want to keep it that way." Trumpkin looked at the ground and when he looked up again, he had something in his eye. "Are those tears?" She teased him.

"No." He rubbed his nose. "Dust went into my eyes."

She nodded. "I will meet you in the field again." 

He sighed. "You better meet us or I'll kick your Other World butt." 

Sophie smiled. "You got it, teach." Trumpkin was confused. "Short for 'teacher'."

"And a short teacher." He let out a shaky laughter and threw the keys at her. "Go."

"I'll see you again." 

As she made her way down towards the stables, she broke the lock once again and brought Thomas out. She could only think about Mr. Zahair's warm smile and how he never got irritated because of her actions. He would get annoyed at the number of locks he would have to change, but never angry.

Along with Thomas came another little friend. "Hey!" She picked Cassie up. "Why aren't you sleeping?" The dog barked softly. "You are going to be a good girl for me, got it? You are going to take care of Caspian for me in case....in case things don't go my way today."

It was definitely past two in the morning. Cassie barked softly at her once again, making her take her back to her kennel. Sophie hugged the dog once and started to walk out towards the back gate where Thomas stood waiting for her. But just as she neared him, she felt a small pull on her skirt. She looked down and tried to pick the dog up but she was biting her skirt violently. 

"Hey." Sophie caught her as she barked. "Don't worry. I'll be back. Let me go. I'll come back. I promise." Once again, the dog licked her nose. Sophie placed her on the ground and walked away but Cassie continued to follow. "Stop it, Cassie." But she continued following. "Sit." She told her. "Sit! Don't make this harder than it already is, Cassie. Sit," she said one last time. "Good girl."

Cassie may have stopped following Sophie but her beady eyes followed her, just like Freya's doll had. Sophie turned around one more time and smiled. Sophie waved, receiving one in return. She looked at the castle one more time. She didn't know why she was thinking that it would be her last time at the castle. 

She was going to survive. She had to.

She couldn't leave Caspian. She couldn't have him think that she had betrayed him by leaving. She had to meet him at the field. She had promised that she would be back, and she had to keep it. But what if she didn't? She couldn't bear to hurt Caspian. He was hurt once again before and she shouldn't be the one to do so to him again.

She would be back. She had to.

Nina would kill her if she didn't. She had to promise Mr. Zahair that she wouldn't break any more of the locks. She owed Alexandre the recipe to her soup. The weekend knitting classes with Evelyn were still pending and the tea party with Rumira was on hold. Moreover, what would Glenstorm think? She definitely couldn't leave the commander alone. And Reepicheep? He still owed her a trip around the world on the Dawn Treader.

She turned away from the castle and stared at the gate in front of her. She knew the path that she needed to take to reach her destination. Her final destination? No, Sophie. Be positive. She made a mental map of how she had to get there without alerting the Narnians. But they were on many posts in all of the pathways. 

Not all. There was one way she could go there.

She patted Thomas and he ran with all his might. The two went through town and she said a silent goodbye to Claire and the bakery and everyone else. How would Freya react if she didn't keep her promise? That child haunted her, probably because she reminded her of herself - concerned, helpless and hopefully optimistic.

Before taking the path that would take her where she needed to be, she took one turn to the place that was the first thing she saw when she came to Narnia for the first time. A little time there would do her some good to get her thoughts together.

Beruna.