OK, I really hope you lot like this, please drop me a review, and tell me what you think.
Disclaimer: I am not male. Nuff said.
Chapter 1: Arriving.
"Come on Pole, what's the harm in a little adventure?" Eustace was teasing Jill, as they made their way through the woods behind her back garden; Jill had been exploring these woods since she was a very young girl, but always staying on the marked paths. Eustace was standing on a almost unnoticeable track through some very dense foliage, trying to persuade Jill to walk down it. Judging by the angle it was sloping off in, Jill though it would end up in Mr Trumps pig farm, and she had no intention of going home stinking to high heaven.
"You've had adventures before, you've been to Narnia for Pete's sake, so what's wrong with exploring a little?" Jill looked at his pleading face and could already feel her resolve weakening, but wasn't going to give in that easily.
"If I recall correctly Scrubb, that adventure got us buried alive; almost eaten by giants, then nearly drowned. Forgive me if I'm not so keen to have another. Besides if I ruin another frock, mother will go spare."
Eustace came to a halt and looked at her seriously, "You would like to return to Narnia though." The adventures he had in Narnia were never far from his mind, and he was always looking for a way to return there. He remembered Aslan's words, "When you meet me here again, you will have come to stay" and he dreamt of the day when he could stay in Narnia.
Jill also came to a stop. "Of course, I miss Narnia, I think everyone does, except Susan, but she's forgotten what she's missing out on. Goodness, even Professor Digory and aunt Polly miss Narnia and they haven't been there in years."
"Jill, do you think Rillian will still be there when we get back, and Puddleglum, and Glimfeather and all."
"I don't know, time passes differently in Narnia doesn't it. Why we may get back to find only a day has passed. Or a thousand years. It depends when Aslan thinks we're needed. "
By this time Jill had joined Eustace on the overgrown track, and had travelled along it quite a way. In fact they were both so engrossed in the conversation that, as sometimes happens, neither of them thought to pay attention to where they were going, and eventually ended up very lost indeed.
Presently Jill took a look around, "I say Scrubb, did you notice the way we came?"
"By gum, I totally forgot to look. I supposed we're lost. Not too different from Narnia at all then, we were lost half the time there too."
"Aslan guided us in Narnia, we were never completely lost" Jill reminded him. "But speak for yourself; I know exactly how to get home..." For in Narnia, Jill had guided herself by the stars, and she had learned to do the same in England. She glanced up, and then realised that as it was the daytime, the stars couldn't be seen.
"Well, since we are already lost..."
Jill was on the verge of refusing him, but she didn't want to get into an argument here, if they were lost, she didn't want to split up. "If you must, but the minute it gets unduly muddy, I'm turning back."
The two of them continued along what might once have been a trail, but now was so covered by plants that it looked just like an indent in the forest floor. Presently they came across a peculiar shaped tree. It seemed like two trees had joined, and made an arch, and the two being the adventurous sort. Eustace rather more than Jill, decided they simply must go through it.
"Scrubb, don't you remember what happened the last time we walked through an unknown door?"
"That was a door in a wall Pole, this in an arch in a tree. Besides I thought you wanted to go back to Narnia."
"You don't know it goes to Narnia, it could go to any world at all, but it's far more likely that it goes nowhere!"
"Then what are you afraid of?"
If Jill had been thinking more, she would have realised that Eustace was just joking, and in fact knew that she had changed a lot since the shy and scared girl he had gone to Narnia with, but she was too angry at his insult to care. How dare he... Even after she had escaped giants, fought a witch, and returned a prince to his kingdom, he still implied she was a coward.
It was this that caused her to snap and him, and say something she didn't quite mean. "I'm not scared Scrubb, and I'm going first, I'll have to protect you if there's a drop of more than a foot." And without a glance at his hurt expression, she hurried through the archway.
However as she was going through the arch, a remarkable sensation overcame her, as if she was being transported at very high speeds through a wooden corridor. As she reached the other side, she realised that the air had gotten cleaner, the sky bluer, and her outfit had changed completely...
The thing that worried Jill though, was not the change in climate, but the lack of an arched tree behind her, and more so, a lack of Eustace. Then a sudden thought struck her, as unpleasant thoughts do in such situations. What if Eustace hadn't come through, if the door had shut before he could? What if he was alone back in England, when she was alone here? Wherever here was.
For she had by now realised that this was not Narnia. The air was cleaner than England's, but it lacked the joyful giddy atmosphere of Narnian air, that air made you want to dance and laugh, bun this air seemed heavier. Like something dark was coming. She shivered, slightly scared, she didn't feel at all safe without Eustace. Strange as it seemed to rely of a boy of only sixteen for protection, but even before he had gone to Narnia, when he was still a bratty twelve year old, well, maybe it was her imagination, but even then he seemed to help her. He had always seemed to direct the anger of Them away from her as often as he could. Then after coming back from Narnia, he helped her more and more.
Eventually, when they both went to Narnia, despite their almost constant arguing they had formed a partnership. Him the hot headed swordsman who would protect her honour whenever required, expert in close combat; and she the calmer archer (though she had a hot temper of her own) who would watch over him from relative safety, and make sure no one snuck up on him. Him not being there with her, especially when she was in a new world, was weird, it felt like half of her was missing.
Another chill swept over her, after what she had said... He knew she didn't mean it right? She knew he was sensitive about his fear of heights, and to have just thrown it in his face like that, made her feel terrible. However reminiscing over a mistake wouldn't help her find out where she was, so she looked around, and set off in a northerly direction.
After Jill had delivered her unfair barb, Eustace was momentarily taken aback. He hadn't meant what he said, and didn't think her comeback was quite fair. But his anger was adverted when he realised that Jill had not reappeared through the other side of the arch, if fact she seemed to have disappeared completely. Without giving a single thought to safety, he immediately leapt after her.
The first thing he noticed after he finished the rather disorientating journey, was the lack of Jill, the second thing was the different feel in the air, wherever this place was... It was not Narnia. Then the worry set in. He had goaded Jill into going through the arch, who knew how dangerous this world could be, and he could have sent her anywhere in it. Though Eustace was only sixteen, he had been on adventures before, and knew how life threatening they could be.
Without Jill to guard his back he felt unsafe, like someone could attack him at any moment. His hand strayed to where his sword belt would be, and to his surprise he felt something there. He looked down in shock; and only then noticed his change in clothes.
Back in England, he had been wearing a blazer and tweed trousers, now he found himself in the sort of cloths that would have been worn in the middle ages, with a sheathed sword at his side, and a shield bearing a golden Lion at his back. Drawing his sword he noticed engraving on the blade. After reading it he felt a funny warm feeling in his chest, for there in bold letters were the words Lord Eustace, Knight of Narnia.
AN: OK Folks, please drop me a review, and tell me how you like it, I will be updating next Monday, if not before. All reviews welcome, and flamers will be treated to the same end as Denethor.