What's in a Name
A Chronicles of Narnia Fanfiction
Chapter One
-Narnia-
Quick A/N: I really hate writing Author's Notes because they take away from the story. I will try my best to write few of them.
Anyway: you know the drill – the books and the movies are not mine, but I will try to write as faithfully to the style of C.S. Lewis as in my power. Some things in the books I didn't like and might adjust to my liking. (Could be slightly AU in this way, just to warn you.)
This story is based off the second movie and for the most part is just summary/delving into the different characters' thoughts and feelings. (May go further later.) It is written in, mostly, the first person point of view. This is just the intro chapter. Thanks for reading despite this rather long AN – and enjoy!
Narnia.
The name itself would instill in anyone who could truly comprehend its meaning a great sense of wonder. It appeared at first to be some magical realm, complete with mystic beings and a complex culture of its own. (If one was lucky enough to really know the land in its better time, you would be able to bask in its glory because of this Deep Magic. It was this that made the land truly beautiful.) And while it was indeed all of this, it was also, now, a land of great hardship of startling intricacies.
What remained yet unrevealed was just how deep these problems were. With the first arrival of the Children of the Prophecy, the Hundred Years of Winter had ended, and peace reigned under these great kings and queens for a great long while. But this too came to an end in Narnia. Could it come again?
It had been at first slightly troubling to the children that they were only granted entrance to the place when at its very worst state. How grand it would have been to see Narnia's splendor in its heyday! And then they all remembered with some sadness that they had seen it and that they had been there. It was hard to convince themselves that it had been the will of Aslan himself – who had also again mysteriously disappeared – that they return home from this spectacular land to dull Professor Digory's estate as children once more. (They later learned, much to their surprise – and embarrassment at their dreadful quick judgment – that he was in fact not dull at all.) This was particularly upsetting due to the long but now expected absence of Aslan, in whom faith was dwindling among both the glum grumbling of Narnia's newer residents and the children he had guided to spiritual and physical maturity so long ago. The creatures took to blaming the children who had come to save them.
But in all of this the majesty of Narnia was not lost, for in some there stirred still the fire of revolution. How noble to die in the fight for a free Narnia, as it once was. And so began the Great Fight for the greatest Cause of all: so that the Narnians could not just live as they pleased, but all unite for a common goal. You see, there have been minotaurs and centaurs and fauns and dwarves and of course all of the lovely Talking Animals. But despite all of the division and differences, there beat in every one of them a strong heart that throbbed steadily in tune. Let it be known that they looked nothing alike, nor did they speak in one dialect or favor the same traditional Narnian dish. Many mourned still over the long-past death of the White Witch. Some came from far off lands and were for Tash, or even for themselves (yes, I do mean the dwarves). There were even a great number of them that still believed in Aslan. It could be said that no two Narnians were alike in this way. But they were all opposed to the destruction of their home – their lives and their world in its entirety – by the vile Telmarines. And it was the fact that one of these very enemies would unite them all in this great war against his own people was perhaps the greatest of all Narnia's mysteries. Though they all felt deep in their hearts that in some way, the battle would be won in their favor, they would never have expected a victory in this fashion. But as Aslan would say, dear one, "Things never happen the same way twice."
Upon the childrens' return to Narnia, things appeared to be in order. Though all was silent, this had come to be – though abnormal – rather comforting after the din they had all just left behind. The beach sand was warm and welcoming – much more so than the damp gloom of the train station and the crowded car they had been ready to board. How luxurious the cool salty breeze on their cheeks, that smelled of freedom and promise! The musty scent of old moth balls and excessive starch lingered on the school uniforms that they were hastily discarding in favor of the ability to go for a swim. Frosted sweat glazed Peter's temple, and he scratched at it absentmindedly, glad to be rid of the last remnants of the trip they had almost made.
It would have saddened them to separate in such a way, without a last journey to Narnia. They had been off to their respective boarding schools; Susan had encouraged Lucy by suggesting that she pretend they were all going off on new adventures. She smiled slightly, recalling this. An adventure, indeed.
Only briefly did the four Pevensie children marvel at their good fortune (you see, Peter and Edmund had just been in a fight – more of a beating on their part really – and Susan had just had a run-in with a eager and quite unattractive young man). There was after tall so much to do and see! There were the good Beavers, and Mr. Tumnus of course, and the mighty Aslan. (Would they miss them, too, after what seemed such a very long year of being gone in the Shadowlands?) Already Peter's shoulder was beginning to feel naked without his trusted shield, and Susan's fingers began to twitch as if hovering indecisively over a quiver of fine arrows. As they rushed jubilantly into the warm arms of the Narnian sea, all of them considered how nice it would be to be back in possession of all the things they'd kept and used for the many wonderful years they'd spend hear, tucked safely away in chests at Cair Paravel. (Most of them missed their weapons, but Lucy just wanted the healing elixir she'd used so frequently that never seemed to run out.)
Now thoroughly wet but quite happy, they began to trudge up the hill towards whatever lay ahead of them. Peter knew that they were headed in the direction of their old dwelling – which faced the sea for trade, transportation, and safety reasons as well as the sparkling view – and in all honesty he didn't mind the short trek to get there. To him and to all of the other children, they had already arrived at their destination. He didn't know how or why he was here (probably Aslan, he guessed) but he was jolly glad about it. This was Narnia. This was home.