Category : Stories

Sub Category : Fantasy

 from The Chronicles of Narnia (circa 1940-1997 (1000-1015))
 
London during World War II, the Pevensie home
 
Mrs. Pevensie was wandering around upstairs one day, missing her children, worrying about how they were doing, and worrying about how her husband was doing in the war when she found herself in a spare room she never really used; it was there she discovered a very old door she’d never really paid attention to before. She was very curious about where it led to, so she opened it (feeling the doorknob tingle as she touched it) and went inside. She followed it on for ages and ages until she finally saw a light at the end. She walked towards the light and suddenly she was feeling grass beneath her feet, sunlight on her face, and the sound of airplanes and bombs had vanished! Instead, she was standing in open country on a grassy hillside in one of the most beautiful places she’d ever seen.
 
She walked around gazing at all of it: majestic blue mountains, rolling green hills, abundant flowers and plant life, a beautiful old castle, and the sea at the edge of it all. It was just so beautiful. She came across a pair of dogs that were fighting over a bone. The amazing thing was, she could hear and understand what they were saying! The dogs were talking! She thought she was hearing things until two bears started talking too. She thought to herself, I’m dreaming. I must be. Animals don’t talk. The next thing she saw was a man coming up to her with fair hair and a tunic made of white cambric as fine as a handkerchief on top, so that the red tunic underneath showed through it. He also carried a rather large spear. “Who are you and what are you doing here?” the man asked her. “Please sir, I don’t know. I got in through a door in a spare room of my house. I don’t even know where here is. My name is Helen Pevensie,” Mrs. Pevensie answered. “Another one from Spare Oom, eh? Well, first off call me Peridan. Second, you’re in the land of Narnia,” he replied. “Narnia? Where is Narnia? I’ve never heard of it. Is it in Europe?” she asked. “I don’t know where this ‘Europe’ is,” Peridan replied. “It’s a continent in the world I live in,” Mrs. Pevensie replied. “What’s a continent?” Peridan asked. “Never mind,” said Mrs. Pevensie. “If you don’t know how you got here and you don’t have anywhere to go, I should probably take you to Cair Paravel to see the High King. If anyone can help you, he can,” replied Peridan. They set off at once.
 
Cair Paravel, the Eastern coast of Narnia
 
“… and we will send guards with you to make sure that those bandits never bother you again,” said the High King. “Oh thank you your highness! Whatever I can ever do for you in return, just name it,” said the farmer. He then left just as Lord Peridan came in with a woman at his side. “Lord Peridan, what bringest thou here? Who is this lovely woman?” asked the High King. “High King Peter, I found this woman wandering around near the foothills by Cair Paravel. When I asked her who she was and how she got here, she told me she didn’t know how she got here or where here was. She appears to be from a place called Spare Oom. She says her name is Helen Pevensie,” Peridan replied. At the sound of the name Peter, Mrs. Pevensie looked up in shock. “Spare Oom,” one of the girls muttered faintly. “I seem to remember something about that. Something that had to do with us, as if in a dream. Susan do you know what she’s talking about?” “No Lucy, I do not. Perhaps it is a place somewhere in the Western Wild,” Queen Susan replied. “Edmund, you have been to the Western Wild. Is there a place there by the name of Spare Oom?” Susan asked. “No there is not. I have never heard of such a place, and yet a memory seems to come back to me. One of us living somewhere else, being someone else, and something about a spare room. It’s all very strange and very muddled,” King Edmund answered. This shocked Mrs. Pevensie even further. According to what Peridan had told her, these kings and queens were all siblings and from their conversation she’d learned that their names were the same as her children. Could it be coincidence?
 
Suddenly a strange look seemed to pass over the face of the High King, as if he were remembering something. Suddenly he straightened up with a gasp, got down off his throne and knelt in front of Mrs. Pevensie. “Mum, do you not recognize me?” the High King asked. “It’s me, Peter Pevensie, your son.” “Peter?” Mrs. Pevensie asked hesitantly. “Is it really you?” “Yes mother. It’s me,” her son said as he helped her up. Suddenly Susan, Edmund and Lucy remembered the same thing and ran to their mother. The five Pevensies hugged and cried at such a joyous reunion. Peridan decided to give the kings and queens their privacy. “But how is this possible?” their mother asked. “You only left me at the train station four weeks ago, yet you all look ten years older.” “Time runs differently here in Narnia,” Edmund explained. “However long you stay here, when you arrive back in our world it seems to have taken no time at all. So we’re able to stay for ten years here, or even a hundred, but if we went back to our world, we’d be back to being kids again.” “So, if I went back now, it would be as if I never left?” she asked. “Exactly.”
 
Just then, Lord Peridan returned. “Excuse me High King. You’re all needed in the war room immediately,” Peridan reported. “What’s wrong Peridan? Are the giants attacking again? Is King Cor in trouble?” Peter asked worriedly. “No, an army of Calormen is planning to attack Cair Paravel itself!” “What! But, I thought that Rabadash was unable to attack us anymore. Ever since that curse Aslan put on him, he hasn’t been able to go more than ten miles from the Temple of Tash in Tashbaan,” Peter protested. “Just because he can’t come himself doesn’t mean he can’t send delegates to do what he can’t do himself,” Peridan replied. “Who has he sent this time?” Peter asked. “Ahoshta Tarkaan and 1000 men. They plan to conquer Cair Paravel and take your royal sister Susan back with them to become Rabadash’s wife,” Peridan answered. “How long before they arrive?” Peter questioned Peridan. “About five hours,” he replied. “We’re on our way,” Peter replied. “Sorry Mum. It looks like we’ll have to tell you our story another time. For now, we must plan our defense of this castle and make sure that Susan doesn’t get taken.” Peter and the others then raced off to the war room. Within a short while they had a plan to defend the castle and protect Queen Susan.
 
Peter and Edmund immediately began to prepare the troops for battle. Lucy and Susan went off to get in some archery practice. The plan was for Peter, Edmund, and the other soldiers to form a barricade of troops and push the Calormenes back so that they could not reach the castle. Susan, Lucy, and the other archers would shoot arrows from the walls to hit any enemies that the swords missed. The four rulers insisted their mother stay somewhere safe and she dared not disobey the High King’s command. Sure enough, in almost exactly five hours the Calormen army arrived at the gates of Cair Paravel. The fighting was fierce. Men on both sides went down by the droves, but Lucy was busy with her cordial and managed to ensure that they did not die. Peter was at it with Ahoshta and Edmund was busy with Ahoshta’s second-in-command. The archers shot magnificently and took down any enemies that were foolish enough to get up after being stabbed. The creatures of Narnia also joined in: cats, birds, fauns, dwarves, centaurs, bears, talking dogs, horses, elephants, even mice. Between all of them, they drove the Calormenes back and shot any that wouldn’t leave. The Calormenes all ran for their lives in sheer, stark terror before the Narnian army and didn’t stop until they reached Tashbaan.
 
Later that night, there was a celebration on the lawn in front of Cair Paravel. There was a rich feast and much dancing, celebrating, and merrymaking. Silenus came and served his wine and Bacchus came with his wild girls and danced before the great bonfire. It was also there that the kings and queens told their mother their story from beginning to end. Their mother still couldn’t believe most of it as it all sounded so strange. She knew it must be true, however, if her children told her it was. It still felt strange however, having her children around her age. She got to see them all grow up even though she knew they’d be children again if they ever came back to their own world.
 
Eventually, the children realized that their mother would have to go back home. She couldn’t stay here. She didn’t belong in this world. Mrs. Pevensie was reluctant to leave them after all that had happened, but she knew they were right. Aslan sent her back through to her world, but she ended up at Professor Kirke’s house to wait for when her children came back from Narnia. Mrs. Macready was happy to find a room for her, but was very confused as to how she’d gotten there. Mrs. Pevensie wondered why she’d found the door to Narnia that day, for it couldn’t have been an accident. Perhaps Aslan had realized that she needed to see her children, that they needed to be reminded of their true home and that all of them needed a brief moment of relief during the various wars that were going on in their worlds. The four royal children ruled Narnia for about five more years, until one day they heard that the White Stag had been spotted in Narnia and they all went hunting it. The stag ran toward Lantern Waste and disappeared into the trees. The kings and queens followed it and soon found they were not brushing against trees anymore, but against coats. They also felt boards under their feet instead of grass. Soon enough, they were climbing out of the old wardrobe in the spare room where the whole adventure had started, as children again.
 
London during World War II, Professor Kirke’s house
 
Mrs. Pevensie rushed into the room, saw them, and ran to hug them. They might look like children again, but all of them knew they were still the kings and queens of Narnia inside. They still had all their memories from being kings and queens and they talked about everything that had happened with their mother. It was a long night that they spent telling everything that had happened since she’d left them, even though it had seemed only an instant to her, while it was five years to them in Narnia. Eventually, Professor Kirke came in and they told him everything. When the Professor found out they defeated Jadis, he immediately began to apologize, telling them that it was all his fault she was there in the first place. Apparently, he’d been to Narnia as a boy with a girl called Polly and they had been there when it was created. He’d also been responsible for bringing Jadis to Narnia by accident, mistakenly thinking he was bringing her back to her own world. The children then realized he was the legendary Digory Kirke who had helped to protect Narnia from the very beginning. The children forgave him for his part in bringing Jadis into Narnia and they all talked excitedly all night.
 
Check out “Back To Narnia: Truth Exposed”, the sequel to this story, up soon.