The Return (Open to all)

[King Caspian X]

That stopped the screaming, taking away the air for which to do so. But his eyes grew wide, blurred already with tears. The more blood that ran from his body, the darker his vision got until it was almost gone. His eyes closed, his tears still streaming. His struggling stopped. And his breath was quick and short, like a fish that had been out of water for half and hour. Everything was dark, and his consciousness began to slip away from him, as well as the pain. He had probably less than a minute to live.

Aslan walked to the bed, and began to kiss the top of Susan's head and licked weeping Galen's face. "Come now, my children." he said softly. "It's best I take you away from here now." And with that, he lifted the sobbing woman and her babe onto his back with one paw, and began to walk from the room. Pausing only to look at the coat rack, he blinked, and instantly the wooden rack became human. It was a woman, exactly the same as Susan, right down to the voice, mind, and appearance. She held a weeping babe that exactly matched Galen, and together they went and cried on the bed as Susan had just been. Decoys, nothing more truly than wood, but for now were human flesh and bone and tears. Even their scents matched. Then Aslan left with the real duo upon his shoulders. He stepped through the side of the castle. Again, he was not bound to any physical law. Beneath his feet was not empty air, but ground, as if they had already landed upon it. He carried her far from there, far past the forests and streams of Telmar. He brought her to the Ocean beside Cair Paravel, where she might seek some comfort from her own home. He set her and Galen down in the sand and hugged them. "All will be set right again." he told them. "All will be as it should be, in time." Aslan licked their foreheads, letting them cry into his mane, the three of them invisible to the world.

[Lamont]

He releiced his grip on Caspian's lungs. He wasn't secreaming anymore and it took away most of the fun. He did roll the king onto his back, not carring about the sticks and twigs that would get into his body. He carved up his chest like a butcher would with a cow. He knew what he wanted now, the only part of him that still lived even after his mind took him to Aslan's country. He took hold of two veins and two arteries, all bigger than most on his body, and cut them cleanly. Blood splattered his hands as he did, but it only added to what he already had. But the four cuts had taken all he needed and he lifted the organ from his body letting it continue to pulse in his hands. He held it close to Caspian's face wishing he would open his eyes to see his heart beating in front of him durring the final seconds of his life. "You did say you gave Susan your heart." He laughed, "I'll take it to her for you."

[Queen Susan the Gentle]

She stayed with the lion and Galen. He was crying as well, but he probably didn't know why. He would know when it was time for sleep and his father didn't come. for now all he knew was that mommy was sad. She did her best to force herself to not cry, but it was extremly hard. He'll come back. She reminded herself, He will, soon enough. She had to calm down. All she managed to do was control her breathing, but her tears still came.

[King Caspian X]

Caspian's body lay there, motionless. His arms sprawled to either side of him, blood flowing from his body and pooling in the damp earth. It trickled from his lips and drained from his back, a deep crimson stain covered the front of him from his taken heart. His skin's tan color was no longer visible, save for a few places on his face and arms. Slowly, his eyes opened again, but no life lied behind them. It was only the muscles, relaxing at last before they would tense again and make his body as stiff as stone.

A bright light, coming towards him, or he towards it, Caspian wasn't sure. But pain no longer coursed through him. The weight of his armor gone. He knelt before the throne of the Highest King, head bowed over his arm like a humble servant. "Aslan." he whispered in awe, barely able to comprehend the majesty of such a place as this.

"My son." he said, standing from his throne to meet him. One paw touched his shoulder. "Rise, and welcome to My Country. You've done well."

Caspian rose and looked about, mouth hanging open. He could barely walk before he fell to his knees again and kissed the Holy Ground. Aslan only laughed. "Time does not exist here," he said. "Your one month may be an eternity, or simple days, whichever suits you best. You will have plenty of 'time' to take it all in."

The man stood again, eyes still lit with amazement. It brought him speechless. "DADDY!" two girls came running towards him, tackling him to the sweet ground in their haste to embrace him.

Caspian hugged his daughters, tears of joy running from his eyes. He touched their faces, smiling and frowning at the same time almost. "You look so much like your mother." he told them. He remembered his wife, and peered down at the world from which he had come. He could see her there with Aslan, weeping. And Galen too. "Your poor, poor mother..." he said, still watching her. "SUSAN!" he called down, but she couldn't hear him. She didn't even lift her head.

The girls looked down with him. "She's gonna be okay." they said. "Now that you're here. Aslan told us about it."

"I know," Caspian sighed, still gazing at his beautiful, sobbing lover. "But it pains me to see her in such misery."

[Lamont]

Lamont looked up towards the castle. It was done, finally. Now the throne was his for the taking. If what he heard Caspian say was true then he had until the next moon to actualy take full control of Narnia and Susan. It did not gain him much time, but he could do it. He shifted his gaze to the trees where he was sure he was watching. "I am sure you saw it," He said, "I will finish my part, you take yours."

[Nicole Celestica]

Nicole had all but almost disappeared from the scene. She had been fighting Cotnar. And she hadn't been doing very well. She finaly gotten around him but as she ran to were Aslan, Susan, and Galen were she knew something was wrong. She rushed past them going farther into the battlefield. That's when she saw it the bleeding dead body of the beloved king Caspian. Nicole growled, and her eyes shifted to Lamont. Her blood shifted. She hated the boy with all her might. She changed then. The same other side came out the same side that had made her attack Anna. Nicole dug deep inside herself for the magic that rested there. She ran at Lamont tackling him to the ground. Still in griffon form she roared. A sound that would send a shiver down anyone. "MURDERER!!!!!"

[Cotnar]

The demon fled the fight the same moment he had. He had heard the cry of the king.Now was his time. When Nicole fought the king he roared and legions of demons came to join the fight. But then he had seen him leave and bounded after him. It wasn't the kid he was interested in. With a leap into the sky he left this realm and wandered into the next. The world was bright now, to much, almost blinding. He shook off his chemira coat taking the cursed form of a human. In this realm there was nothing to keep him from not believeing. When he saw Caspian watching from the sky over his greiving wife in Cair Paravail he wrapped his arms around him. "Do not greive, my son," He said comfortingly, "When your moon comes you will go to her and care for my grandchildren as you were meant to."

[Queen Susan the Gentle]

Susan looked up at the sky. The sun was beginning to set and paint the clouds red. Normaly she would have looked up as seen beauty, but today she only saw blood in the sky. But she had been there to long. She had to go back. She had seen the clone Aslan had made for her out of wood, but someone like lucy or caspian would have . . . done noting at all. They couldn't watch the wooden clone and say something was wrong. They were not there. She leaned against a rock, not bothering to stand. MAybe she never would again. Maybe she would just spend the rest of her life here. It wouldn't be much of a life, but if she couldn't force herself to stand what good was she as queen? What good would she be as a mother? She couldn't even go to the river and give her son a bath without it ending in disaster. And the think, the morning began so peacefully with her wanting to only surprise Caspian. Now she couldn't. Now she never could.

[King Caspian X]

Caspian felt someone on him, and turned. But before he could open his mouth to greet his father, something flew past him, knocking the man from Caspian's shoulders. "OFF HIM!" Aslan roared, standing angrily atop the body of Caspian the IX. Then another man joined with Aslan, an exact replica to the one on the ground. -No, the original.

Caspian X stood, watching in amazement. How, literally in God's name, had Cotnar made it up here? "I've banished you from these lands," the Lion continued, his face fierce and growling, his nose in a snarl and his eyes a glare. "Set either foot or paw here again, and your existence will cease. Even in the Firelands." and with that, he removed his paws, and the clouds fell from beneath the demon.

Golden gates appeared all around His Country with a simple rise of Aslan's head, impassable by any. Even through flight. Even to a demon lord. Caspian looked confused, and Aslan sad. "How did he...?" was all the old King could muster.

"My carelessness." answered the Lion. "Never before have I had to bar My Country. But rejoice now. He cannot come back, try as he might."

[Cotnar]

Cotnar grumbled as he was sent away, but, in truth, it did not bother him. He expected that the lion would send him away. Banished or not he would come and go from his cursed country as he pleased. Every changeling had a gift of its own. Where one of his sons could enter the mind and control the body of another and his youngest could speak any tounge fluently simply by hearing a single word of the language spoken it was his power to cross realms fluently. It was a power no diffrent than Aslan's. It was what made him able to cross between here and england, taking LAmont with him as he did, and able to go from one side of Narnia to the other in an instant. Both his power and Aslan's were the same, why would some gate stop him if he didn't want it to. "LAMONT!" He called. He had seen what he wanted. "Bring our army and we ride to the stone table!" He had seen Susan there from the clouds in the hiding place Aslan tried to make for her. It would have worked if he hadn't come.

[Lamont]

Lamont nodded as the demon came and gave his orders. He couldn't understand himself just why they had to change their course, but he would do it. He looked towards Caspian's still body smiling at his handywork. His heart still wanted to beat even if his mind left him moments ago. The blood from his brutal murder was spilled so greatly that a massive circle of deep red had stained the soil around him. He imagined it remaining there another thousand years, a reminder to the new Narnia he would create of what happens to his enemies. He couldn't be happier at the moment. But he would have to reach a place just outside of the castle where his army was waiting for his order to strike. When he told them they were to destory all that once was his father's castle. But even if it was rightfuly his he would rather see it in ruins just like the Cair Paravel the Narnians waisted their time and resourses rebuilding than to see it in his cursed cousins hands. But the army needed to be moved to their blessed Cair Paravel and it would be destoried again. The moment he laid eyes on his army he knew, without a doubt, the narnians stood no chance now, if they ever did, against him. A new age of war was dawning on that night and it would be this new age that brought him to power while Caspian's men would stand bravely to protect the country and queen, but it would all be in vain. He would control this world and tonight would be the deciding battle. If Only Caspian could see it.

[Queen Susan the Gentle]

Susan leaned her head back still watching the blood stained sky. She couldn't help but think of him, how could she not? How could he just leave her so easily, without a second thought at all? No, there had to be a reason. He might not have told her, Aslan might not have said anything either, but she saw his tears when he told her to leave and she knew those, at least, were genuine. She held Galen tighter and looked as his beautiful eyes. She refused to believe that they looked like Lamont's, at least for the moment. Numbers could not count the number of times she had looked at his little face and saw him, her husband's murderer. She wondered how he died that moment. She had heard him scream and was sure Lamont had done it on purpose to ensure she heard him, but what happened before then. Did the both of them even fight? She could see Caspian trying that, trying to make Lamont's hatred of him away from her. She could almost see him, facing his death straight in the eyes telling him that he was his enemy. She could see him even lieing, saying that it was him who killed Miraz, just to prove his point. Then he would be over at the mention of the boy's father. Maybe they did though, Caspian's death would only make it eaiser for him to come after her and he realy had nothing to gain. But was it a mistake, a simple mistep that threw him into Lamont's blade, or was it something noble, more like a fairy-tale where he willingly threw himself into his enemy as Lamont, in his bloodthirsty madness, turned his anger towards a defenceless target like a shark and tried to kill a little unicorn foal barely able to walk on it's own. She could imagine it, even if it didn't seam real.

[Nicole Celestica]

Nicole growled a deep rumble in her throat as she was pushed back away from Lamont. But she had heard there murderous plan. She left the two for now. Even with Cotnar's own changing ability he would be a little slower with Lamont and the demons following him in pursuit. Nicole raced toward Cair Paravel. Susan was in grave danger and Nicole would not let another king or queen of Narnia die. Her brother had already taken her family she would not let anyone else be taken from her now. Nicole's heart beat hard. She could make it. She two had the powers of shape-shifting abilities. She would beat Cotnar to Susan if it was the last thing she did.

[King Caspian X]

Aslan licked Susan's forehead. "They're coming for you, but fear not." he told her gently. Her thoughts were clear to him, so ponderous of Caspian's death. "It is old magic," he explained, "Far older even than Cotnar himself. I was the first being here, and I was the one who created everything else. Even the demons. This magic, Susan, is magic that he doesn't know." He pulled her softly upon his shoulders again, and Galen as well. He spoke into her mind now, though none could see or hear him anyway but the Queen. At your touch, or Galen's, or any other of your descendants, our enemies will crumble. Their powers drained, their very soul left in ruins. Save for perhaps Cotnar and Lamont, but even they will struggle for survival. This magic they cannot understand or conjure, Dear One. Do you know what it is? Aslan asked her, as if it were a riddle. His paws bounded swiftly, carrying them far from the stone table, far from Narnia, and far from land.

[Queen Susan the Gentle]

Susan looked down at the lion, leaining to the side to see his face knowing he wouldn'tlet her fall, and shook her head. the power to destory her enemies in a single touch was power she had never known. It was reserved for aslan alone and for her to be the wielder of such power . . . it was unthinkable. "Why would you give it to me?"