Anne had always been perceptive and cunning. It's how she had become queen in the first place. She knew when a high-ranked adviser was trying to bend the will of a monarch for his benefit, and knew how to dispose of him without spilling even a drop of blood. In a small amount of time she had weeded out the poisons in the Tudor court. And for her efforts she was rewarded by a disloyal husband who plotted her execution.

Yet she had the good fortune to escape - with no small amount of thanks to Caspian's kindness.

Anne's fingers came down, fluttering across his forehead, stroking his hair with soft tenderness.

"Your men will fight for their king. They have a devotion I've not seen," Anne smiled. "They love you, Caspian. And so do I."