blood from stone; cold as ice

[Queen Susan the Gentle]

"And I supppose I get nothing for beating a puny half-breed like you." He growled making his human hand a paw again. Once he had transformed fully he closed his eyes, as if thinking. He sat and his spiked tail curled around his big paws as a soft purr escaped. "Besides, It wouldn't matter if you won. She has stopped screaming; she is dead."

[katrina]

Viafot stood, fully strengthened, and looked to the sky where a feathered dragon soared. "So it has been done," He said when he saw her, "You did well to help us girl." But Katrina growled in responce, "The only reason why I agreed to this was so Susan could be out of the way and I can have Caspian. It will work." "Of course it will, soon she will die and we will have one. Never before has someone, or something in the princess's case, has ever escaped him."

[King Caspian X]

"I DON'T BELIEVE YOU!" Caspian screamed. "MY WIFE IS ALIVE!" I know she is... he thought to himself, trying to reassure his heart and force his mind not to give up. Aslan would help them. "What could you possibly want if you win? Money? Jewels? Land? Tell me what you could possibly want. But it doesn't matter. I will win, and Susan will be free. And so will my son." Caspian looked into the monster's eyes pleadingly, trying to find Susan in there. "Darling if you can hear me, do something. Anything. Please." A tear fell again. Caspian felt weak tonight. He couldn't even spare himself the shame of crying. It was pitiful. "I don't want to lose you." he said. "I just got you back. I don't want to see you go. Not now, not ever." Another shame-filled tear. Caspian went into the bushes and found his sword, coming back with it and waiting for the beast, or Susan, to answer him. He looked at the other body. But it was only the image of her. It wasn't hers. It was the demon's. His Susan sat before him, a monster. But Caspian didn't care. She was his Susan. She was his friend. And he would save her. Katrina would have trouble when she came back. Caspian would make sure of it.

[Queen Susan the Gentle]

The beast watched him smiling and laughing at him. He truly was pathetic. He had seen his brother, the wolf, slain by his own mother and had not cried. Yet a worthless human died and he could barely hold his head. "You are good at lieing to yourself at least." He said, "Is that how you deal with your problems: tell yourself they're not there. Susan is dead, Lucy is dead, your children are dead. That you cannot escape. Accept their fate because I tire of watching you cry like a child. It is a shame to know you share my mothers blood."

[King Caspian X]

Caspian gripped his sword and ran it over the front leg of the beast. He could hear the blade slicing half way through the bone, and grimaced. If Susan were still alive, she would feel that. But she would be alive, and she could be healed. If this was what he had to do to save her he would do it. Caspian felt strong. He had to be if he was gonig to save Cuddle-bug.

[Queen Susan the Gentle]

The monster roared as the sword came. He swung his barbed tail and struck his leg as well. An eye for an eye; only in this case the pins would remain in his skin until he pulled them out and even then he would keep bleeding. He sprang again and landed, not on Caspian, but on the hollow body of his lover. For some reason Caspian seemed to be drawn to the human girl to the point that maybe seeing her torn apart by his claws hurt his heart, fueling his rage, and maybe making the fight more intresting. "It is a shame that you, the one claimed to commit the crime of loving her, couldn't save her. If only you were stronger, faster, better, and smart enough to let her stay with you and Viafot. At least there she stood a chance."

[King Caspian X]

Caspian yelped as his leg was stuck. He yanked the needles from his skin and watched what the demon did. "Aslan help me. Please." Caspian begged. "Help me save Susan." The King ran, or more so limped to the creature, and took another whack at the leg, snapping the rest of the bone.

[Queen Susan the Gentle]

The beast was silent for a moment as Caspian struck, it took a moment for the pain to settle in his leg, but once it did there was a long and fierce growl that escaped him as he crouched to face the king with pain in the eyes that were once Susan's. After a moment the leg that had been broken transformed to a panther's leg, diffrent then the rest of his body but fully healed. "This will be eaiser than I thought," He growled watching CAspian, "I assumed you knew how to kill a changeling. I guess in that I was wrong. And since I will not die in this battle either you will submit or you will join your precious lover in the firefields."

[King Caspian X]

"She'll never be in the firefields!" Caspian shouted in rage. If anything, Susan would be in Aslan's Country. Never the firefields. And she wasn't dead. Caspian wouldn't let her be dead. Without her, he was nothing. Without her, all he wanted was to die, but couldn't. He had to watch over Galen. Caspian had promised. Without her, the King couldn't fight. He had no motivation, no purpose. She was his life. Without her, the war would be lost. Without Susan, all of Narnia and Telmar would crumble. Caspian swung his sword swift and clean, between the ribs and out the heart.

[Queen Susan the Gentle]

Again the monster laughed, his body forming into a new being, a dragon once more, with his sword still embedded in his chest. His body would expand until all but the hilt was within him. It did hurt, but it didn't matter, it wasn't enough to stop him or give Caspian any leverage. The boy wasn't strong enough to win, not without Susan. And with them both out of the way then an unchallenged victory would be theirs. Caspian, Susan, and Katrina, the three forces that stood between the demons and victory. All others sided with one of them in some way or another and even then the three depended on eachother for survival. Susan needed Caspian, Katrina needed Caspian. Caspian needed Susan, Caspian needed, though he had not accepted it, Katrina. Katrina needed Caspian, Katrina needed, though she hated it, Susan. And with Susan's fall Caspian would crumble, with him fallen she would be easily beaten. and with them gone they lose the entire force of Narnia and even the elves who have been in hiding for so long would remain as so and Cotnar's initial fears would not become reality. The war had been won. The demons would break through Narnia's borders, hundreds streaming in leaving trails of fire behind them. Then Cotnar would take the boy, Son of Susan and Lamont, son of Miraz, son of Caspian VIII, many-times-great-grandson of King Caspian the many-times-great-grandson of the half-giant Jadis. It is because the royal blood those blessed by Aslan collided with those of demonic beings that made the child so great. And if she were to bear the children of Caspian they too would have this special blood. But there was a prophocy that belonged to only one demon child of Aslan. It was Galen for now, but if more were to be born then it could be one of them. The demons would not be spending their lives hunting after children that may not even have a duty to fill. Only one child to serve, only one child to hunt. They would have him. The three warriors that could stop them were falling, the gate was opening, they would be free. "If you think you can defeat me with such a pathetic weapon then you are wrong." He roared already savoring the victory he could already see. "The end has come for you boy." and with that he leapt high into the sky, catching himself on his wings and flew farther west.

[King Caspian X]

Caspian ran after the creature, screaming. He wanted his wife back. Without her, the King was nothing. Narnia was dead. Telmar was dead. Without her, the world would fall apart. Then he felt something beneath him. His fingers became tangled in a long mane. Aslan had come. Caspian didn't ask any questions. But they flew. They flew after the beast. It seemed as if time didn't exist anymore, and they were faster than anything. The Lion clawed at the monster, dragging him down to the ground in a quick landing. His paw was over the demon's throat, and the creature was defenseless. "Speak carefully." said Aslan, glaring at the creature. "You've hurt my children, and now I shall hurt you. But speak first."

[Queen Susan the Gentle]

"You've hurt my children," The monster mocked the great lion. He could not say he was surprised Aslan came, he had to come out of hiding sooner or later. Being that the death of the queen did it before it was bound to do it again. "Your children, your children, always your children. What of our children? The demons that ruled this land long before you. Yes you created this world along with the beasts in it as well as us, but now we live as outcasts outside of Narnia's borders and hunted down like non-talking animals. And when we come again, to claim the land we once had you come and shake your mane and destory us as if we never were your children. We are no diffrent than the Narnian's, the only diffrence is you have forsaken us long ago and we must resort to this to take back what is ours. Why should we care for your children if you have not cared for us?"

[King Caspian X]

"If you do recall, I've banished you and your kind." Aslan said calmly, and bit the creature's neck, killing it. The body changed to the human form of Caspian's lover, indeed she was dead. Her body was lifeless, and Caspian threw himself at her. He buried his face into her side and kissed her belly. Why did this have to happen. "Step back, Caspian." said the Lion, but the King wouldn't move. He put a paw on Caspian's shoulder and gently moved him aside, and then breathed into Susan's face.

The color came back quickly, and Caspian watched. "Is she alive?" he gasped.

"Yes." Aslan said.

[Queen Susan the Gentle]

At first all she could feel was the fire. She screamed desperately for someone to save her but no one heard her and at last she coughed the last bit of air in her and fell silent and still. Even the fire didn't hurt anymore. But then warmth came again and fearing she had gone to the Firefields she kept her eyes closed and didn't move. But the warmth was only on her face and the moment it came she felt cool. Feeling came back to her body and at last she opened her eyes. Somehow she was on her back, regardeless of the fact that she had fallen on her stomach before. "Caspian?" She muttered as her vision began to return though all she could realy see was blurry shapes and shadows. "Caspian!" She threw her arms around him realizing that it was realy him and kissed him. "I was so scared you wouldn't save me."

[King Caspian X]

Caspian tackled her back down to the ground, hugging and kissing her. Happy tears streamed from his eyes. "I didn't." he admitted. "I couldn't. I wasn't strong enough. I'm sorry." he said, hugging her all the tighter. "Aslan saved you." he said.

The Lion licked Susan's face. "Welcome back." he said.