Aslan's Country was beautiful. He wandered the land with his brother and sister and their friends. Together they explored the meadows and forests and every familiar face brought new joy to them. But one was missing; the one he longed to see the most.

In time, he left them and explored by himself. She had to be somewhere.

Eventually he found her. She sat in a small garden overlooking the Sea with a chessboard on the bench beside her and a book in her lap. He paused by the gate and watched her turn the pages. She was as young and beautiful as she had been in those first days on the Lone Islands but there was now something else in her face. Her eyes looked older and her jaw was set in that oh-so familiar grimace of impatience.

She did not look round as he approached her.

"Haidee, I-" he started to say but she interrupted him curtly.

"It's your turn."

His eyes fell on the chessboard. The game in play was their final one. The one he had ridden away from on that last day he saw her, after promising that he would make his move the minute they arrived back. He wanted to laugh. He couldn't believe that she was still waiting to finish the bloody game.

Enough was enough. He walked forward and brushed his fingers against the chess pieces. He moved the king.

Her book snapped closed and she studied the board with a sigh. She slid her queen the length of the board and knocked his king away.

"Checkmate," she said and raised her eyes to him. "I win at last."

He pulled her to her feet and swept her into his arms. Her fingers trailed over his face and through his hair before locking behind his neck. He pressed his forehead against hers and breathed in her scent. Flowers and the salt of the Sea.

"I think you won a long time ago," he said softly and she smiled. She kissed him, starting gently and then becoming more earnest as his arms tightened around her waist.

They had spent a lifetime apart but now they had forever. In Aslan's country, the final checkmate was played and Haidee's wait finally came to an end.

I think this AN might be longer than the actual chapter but I have a rather a lot to say. :/

Firstly, this story is done! Wow, it has been so difficult to write and has gone through so many changes! Believe it or not, Haidee actually started life as a parody character. She originally was a self-proclaimed Princess of the Lone Islands who annoyed even Susan with her demands for everything to be lady-like and pined after a horrified Edmund. I'm not sure where she made the jump to actual OC but you can still see parts of her beginning in her nature. She and Anya originally had an older brother (who was to called Percy I believe but I can't really remember) but he was scrapped and anyone who read the original beginning knew she had a great-grandmother who was also scrapped when I changed the name. A couple of chapters in, I realised I hadn't mentioned her mother anywhere and that spawned Marina (who I actually quite like despite the fact that she is a horrendously manipulative cow) and Haidee's grandfather and uncles.

This isn't the end for Haidee and her family. They are going to appear in another fic of mine called Destiny's Weapon which, for those of you who have read the first part, I can confirm I am writing. They aren't going to be exactly the same due to The Plot (ominous music) but their basic characters are the same as here. Destiny's Weapon is a sequel to another fic of mine Destiny's Instrument which is on my profile so please please please go read it because it is one of my favourite things I've ever written and I'm working hard to make sure DW is even better. *fingers crossed*

In the meantime, I'm working on a trilogy that follows a Fifth Child through the wardrobe. There is no romance but it's a lot of fun. It's called Wildcat and it's also on my profile.

Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! Every review made me smile and I'm so glad you enjoyed reading it.