AN: Disclaimer! I don't own Narnia, just my characters! R&R :D Enjoy!
Long journeys were taxing. The flight from Kuwait to London definitely proved to be so. Exhaustion claiming me, I slowly slipped into deep slumber. But not before I let a sleepy smile grace my face at the sound of the soft snores emanating from my younger brothers. Then, I let sleep claim me, plunging me into oblivion.
I woke up with a start, feeling rather disoriented. Instead of the plane's dim interior, I was greeted by the sight of a ceiling. Wait, what? Shaking my head, I glanced about the room. Then I proceeded to let out a blood-curdling scream as I came to the realisation that I was sitting face to face with a lion.
"Peace, child," he growled.
What? A talking lion? Eyes widened, I whispered fervently, "Aslan?"
"You are in Narnia, dear one. There is no need to fear," he purred.
"What of my parents? My brothers? Where are they, milord? And why am I here, in a realm which I believed up until fifteen minutes ago was fictional?!"
"They are where you believe you are supposed to be, safely aboard the plane. You are here as you have been deemed worthy enough to enter Narnia and it is my will. I have decreed thus."
I looked down at my lap confused. Me? In Narnia? I slowly felt a grin stretch my face as I looked around. Aslan was gone. But I wasn't alone for long because about a minute later, the door banged open and two girls marched in with two guards behind them.
"Are you alright? We heard a scream, and it took ten minutes to find some guards to accompany us to see if everything was fine. Where's Aslan?" the older girl asked. She was really pretty, and probably older than me by a year or two, with beautiful raven locks to her waist. A golden crown was perched on her head, making me realise that I was talking to Susan Pevensie, the older queen of Narnia.
"Umm... I'm fine, thank you, Your Grace. I don't really know where Aslan is. One minute I was digesting all of this in and the next, he's gone!" I hurriedly explained, a little scared of the older beauty. Next to her, and smiling impishly at me was the other girl, whom I realised was the Valiant Queen of Narnia, Lucy. Ordering the guards away, she shut the door and bounded up towards my bed, with her sister in tow. I struggled to stand up, but frankly I was exhausted. Lucy pushed me back down on the bed and informed me that my attempts weren't necessary. They sat down on the edge of my bed, kind smiles on their faces.
"Ah, after all, he is not a tame lion. You seem to know who we are. Yet your name remains a mystery, my friend," Queen Susan grinned.
"I'm Anya. You're Queen Susan," I said tilting my head towards her, "And you're Queen Lucy."
"How old are you Anya? You seem to be around Ed's age. How do you know who we are?" Queen Lucy bubbled, a cheerful air about her. I suddenly felt at ease with the two monarchs.
"I'll turn sixteen in December, Your Majesty. I know who you are because in Spare Oom your adventures have been published into a book, and are regarded as beautiful works of fiction," I replied.
"Really? Wow! Narnia, a work of fiction? 'Tis impossible! Here is your bag," Queen Lucy said as she pointed to my bag which contained essentials that I had taken great care to pack, in the likely event that we would have to stay in a hotel for a couple of days. My contact lenses, toothbrush, some books and other necessary items. I had packed my iPod and phone as well, but as I searched through my bag, I couldn't seem to find them. I sighed and thanked the young queens as I pushed my glasses up my nose.
"Thank you. For everything. But I can't possibly stay with you at Cair Paravel. I guess I have to find work of some sort and earn my keep..." I muttered.
"First off, this isn't Cair Paravel, it's the Telmarine castle. We won a victory three days ago against King Caspian's uncle, the tyrant Miraz whose ancestors destroyed Cair a long time ago, as you probably know. We will probably have to stay here for at least two years until Cair Paravel has finished being reconstructed. There are many a Telmarine who are unhappy with our rule. Tomorrow, all shall gather at an assembly where he will decide what needs to be done about the unrest within the population," Queen Lucy explained.
"Oh," I squeaked, as I realized that this wasn't the Golden Age, and the Pevensies would have to return to Earth sooner than they had anticipated.
"As for your noble intentions, put them at rest. We were charged to watch over you by Aslan himself. Rest assured, such actions will not be necessary as you can stay at the castle and be well provided for. You are our guest, Anya," Susan stated with a smirk.
"Thank you, Your Majesties," I breathed out. Well provided for? Whoa. I was one lucky girl.
"One more thing, Anya. Cease to refer to us by our titles. For you are our guest, and I daresay, our only female companion for a while. Dear friend, call us Susan and Lucy, and the rest by their names, for the other three were present when Aslan charged us with the duty to keep you safe and welcomed into our threshold," Susan demanded, her pretty blue eyes twinkling with merriment.
Chuckling, I agreed. Realising that they had worn me out, the queens bid me farewell and left me alone to my thoughts before I succumbed to a deep sleep.