Specialist

Chapter 1 – A New Era

"Your time in this world has come to a close," Aslan said to the Pevensie's as they walked alongside him through the deserted castle courtyard. The four Pevensie's, although they had knew his words were coming, braced themselves with the fact that they would eventually have to leave, were still incredible saddened by Aslan's words. "Yet the time has not come for you to return home." This had caught the children's attention, where would they be going if they were not returning home?

"You don't mean to say there are other worlds?" asked Susan, who after all of her time in Narnia was still extremely logical and closed-minded.

"Are they in need of our help in another world?" Edmund asked hopefully.

"Certainly there are other worlds, Susan, daughter of Eve," Aslan responded calmly. "Though you will most certainly be returning to your own world," he continued as if it were obvious.

Lucy sighed in disappointment. "But Aslan, what did you mean when you said we won't be returning home?" she asked.

"You are needed in a time far beyond your own," Aslan said as he slowed his pace. "Where your war is over, another one begins." It struck Susan as to how he could know the future. "A boy is in grave danger and cannot succeed on his quest without your help."

Susan gave the others a suspicious look, which didn't go unnoticed by Aslan, who decided to ignore it. "Aslan, how could you possibly know this?" she asked, as if Aslan were an incompetent teacher, not the Highest of all the High Kings.

"My dear Queen," Aslan said kindly. "Certainly one such as I keep very informed on day-to-day activities, whether they have or have not yet come to pass." Aslan smiled at her but Susan remained sceptical. He pressed on with their previous conversation. "Tomorrow at dusk you will return to the world of which I speak. But beware. Whilst you will be returning to your own world, you will be exploring a different side of the world to which you know. Keep an open mind," Peter, Edmund and Lucy had all cast their gaze towards Susan, who immediately reddened, "and learn all there is to learn. You must not be distracted from the task at hand."

"What must we do?" Peter asked valiantly.

"Listen closely." Even before he had said it the four Pevensie's did not desire to do anything else. Aslan slowly came to a stop near the courtyards edge, the Pevensie's children gathered around him. "You have something of great value, Peter Pevensie, something which used to be my own." Peter instinctively reached for the hilt of his sword, he could feel the lions head in his palm. "Yes. I had a great part to play in the development of my kind and they presented that sword to me as a gift in return. I have recently come across information that leads me to believe that this sword has passed through the ownership of another before you. How I managed to let the sword fall into the grasp of such evil I do not know," he tapered off, leaving the four Pevensie's even more confused than they were before.

"What does this have to do with us?" Lucy asked.

~ ! * ! ~

"Narnia belongs to the Narnians just as it does to man," Prince Caspian called out to a large group of Telmarines, Talking Beasts, Red and Black Dwarfs gathered in the castle courtyard. "Any Telmarines who want to stay and live in peace are welcome to. And for any of you who wish, Aslan will return you to the home of our forefathers."

At the sight of Aslan the cheeks of the Telmarine soldiers became the colour of cold gravy, their knees knocked together, and many fell on their faces. One brave Telmarine lord spoke up, "It has been generations since we left Telmar."

"Telmar is not the place to which I refer," Aslan said as he came to stand by Caspian. "Your ancestors were pirates run aground on an island. There they found a cave, a rare chasm that brought them here from their world, the same world as our kings and queens." Aslan looked over at the Pevensie's. "It is to that island I can return you. It is a good place for any who wish to make a new start."

There was a long pause and the crowd grew increasingly silent.

"I'll go. I will accept the offer," offered a General from Miraz's party, making himself scene in the crowd.

"So will we," said Miraz's wife, Prunaprismia, referring to herself and the baby in her arms.

Together the General, Prunaprismia, who was carrying her baby in her arms, pushed their way through the crowd to where Aslan and Caspian stood.

"Because you have spoken first, your future in that world will be good," Aslan said as he breathed on them.

The tree behind Caspian slowly unravelled its twisted trunk to form an opening. Aslan turned his head to the archway made by the tree, indicating the volunteers to go through it. And so they did, vanishing from sight. The crowd of Telmarines gasped.

"How do we know he is not leading us to our deaths?!" a Telmarine peasant shouted angrily.

"Sire, if my example can be of any service, I will take eleven mice through with no delay," said Reepicheep bravely as he flourished his sword.

Aslan looked over at the Pevensie's.

Peter caught his glance and stepped forward. "We'll go." He walked over to a surprised looking Caspian and shook his hand. "After all, we're not really needed here anymore."

One or two of the nastier Telmarines jeered. But the Red Dwarfs and Talking Beasts cheered and rose up in honour of High King Peter the Magnificent, Queen Susan the Gentle, King Edmund the Just, and Queen Lucy the Valiant. They shared affectionate and tearful farewells with all their old friends. Caspian offered the Horn back to Susan, who, of course told him to keep it. And then, wonderfully and terribly, it was farewell to the Great Lion Aslan himself.

With one final encouraging nod from Aslan, Peter made his way through Aslan's Door with Susan's hands on his shoulders and Edmund's on hers and Lucy's on his. The moment they were through the archway the children seemed to be seeing three things at once. One was the mouth of a cave opening into the green and blue of an island in the Pacific, where all the Telmarines would find themselves the moment they were through the Aslan's Door. The second was a clearing in Narnia, filled with the faces of Dwarfs and Beasts, and the intense, loving eyes of Aslan. But the third was complete darkness, followed by a strong smell of fresh water and an overwhelming feeling of wetness.

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