It's a new world
It's a new start
It's alive with the beating of young hearts
It's a new day
It's a new plan
I've been waiting for you
Here I am
'Here I Am', Bryan Adams
As I walked slowly through the trees, something caught my eye to my right. I looked around curiously and saw, between the thick trunks, some kind of archway made of the trees themselves. I frowned. I had never seen anything like it here, in this strange but lonely paradise.
I stepped hesitantly towards it and gasped. Through it was not the same forest that surrounded both it and me, but a long green hill, stretching away towards a different forest, under a bright blue sky.
I swallowed, wondering whether to go through or not. I had nothing to lose by doing so... I took a deep breath and stepped forward, into the other world.
I walked carefully down the hill, enjoying the light breeze that played across my face, the feel of the grass against my lightly slippered feet. And another feeling I had not felt in a long time. I felt alive.
As I reached the bottom of the hill, I span around and began to laugh. I knew this feeling. This was Narnia. But as the world I had just left was Narnia, this was a different Narnia. Less colour and life but there was something about this Narnia that felt like home. I didn't know how or why but I was home!
"Arneia!" I suddenly a heard a voice call and I span in shock. My name. His voice.
And he was there, Peter running across the grass. An older Peter, but it was still him.
I felt the tears spring up as Peter reached me and skidded to a halt in shock.
"Peter?" I gasped. He had grown but was still only slightly taller than I was, his blonde hair still hanging in his piercing blue eyes.
"Arneia, what-" he began but stuttered into silence. Then he caught me up and I fell gladly into his arms, hugging him back hard, feeling completely ecstatic. Peter pulled back slightly and kissed me gently, my hands snaking around his neck.
Then Peter drew me back to look at me intensely as though checking me over. I choked a laugh.
"Peter, I'm fine!"
"I just... where did you come from? How are you here?"
"I don't know, I just came through that gate from Narnia," I replied, nodding toward the hill. "And where is here, isn't this Narnia?"
"This is, you could say, the true Narnia," another familiar voice explained and I looked over Peter's shoulder. Aslan.
The great lion padded up as I fell to my knees to hug him hard, crying into his mane. He chuckled as I finally drew away, and Peter took my hand again.
"This is the real Narnia beneath the illusion of the one you both knew once," Aslan continued. "Where everyone can be and there is no wrong. Peter closed the door on the old Narnia and brought us to this Narnia."
I felt breathless at this strange incredible information as well as still slightly confused, but a sudden tremor beneath my feet caused me to look back over Peter's shoulder again. Peter and Aslan turned to look with me as I gasped, clapping a hand to my mouth. Creatures began to flood over the crest of the hill, all manner of Narnians; dwarves, leopards, centaurs, horses, birds. A bright white grey unicorn. A young man with it. And among them a small group of humans, six in total.
"Sir?" Peter said suddenly to Aslan and I looked around as Aslan nodded.
Peter grinned at me and began to lead me towards the group of humans, then halted. "Wait here a moment!"
He hurried across to the group and spoke with them excitedly for a brief moment before I saw him coming back with one of them.
Peter took my hand gently and led me to the older man, his hair and short beard just turning from gold to white, his Narnian tunic a periwinkle blue emblazoned with gold.
Peter stopped in front of him, and the man looked at us both, a little confused.
"Professor," Peter began, and l caught my breath with a little gasp of realisation. The Professor? Peter squeezed her hand.
"Sir, this is my wife. Arneia."
l saw similar realisation also dawn in his eyes as they widened, looking back at me.
"You're Arneia?" he whispered, as Peter let my hand go and stood back from the pair us.
"Yes sir," l replied softly, dropping slowly into a respectful curtsey automatically. A kind gentle hand caught my face and drew me up again.
l saw through my own welling eyes that the Professor was blinking back tears.
"My grand daughter?" he asked.
l nodded, swallowing more tears.
"You look so like your mother," the Professor broke.
l smiled through my tears as, without needing to speak, l fell into his arms. l buried her face in his chest, feeling overwhelmed with happiness. The only blood family l had left had returned to me.
"Arneia!" I heard a voice called and I broke away from my grandfather to see the little group approaching. There was an older woman with two younger ladies, along with two young men. And two of them I recognised.
Lucy and Edmund raced forward and the little queen dragged me from my grandfather into a strong hug. I laughed and hugged her back.
When she finally released me, I let Edmund do the same although his embrace was shorter.
"I can't believe it, you're still alive!" Edmund gaped. "But Eustace said you were-"
"She was," Peter explained with a grin, coming forward to slip an arm around my waist.
"But this is wonderful!" Lucy laughed. "Now we're all here! Everybody," she said, turning to their companions, "this is High Lady Arneia, Sword-"
"Just Arneia, Lucy," I interrupted with smile.
"Yes, I suppose they do know the rest," Lucy grinned and I stared at her.
"It's true, we've heard so much about you," the other young lady smiled. "Peter especially couldn't shut up!"
"This is Lady Jill," Peter introduced, ignoring her comment. "You would never have known Jill."
"And yet I think I do," I added. I curtseyed to Jill, who laughed, and curtseyed even lower.
"I'm a Lady, you're a High Lady! And why do you say you think you know me?"
I grinned. "I don't know if I have been in heaven, but I have been watching from somewhere. Thank you for returning Rilian to Narnia." Jill raised her eyebrows in surprise but smiled.
"And this is Lord Eustace," Peter went on, turning to the other young man, who bowed his head.
"Ah, the dragon lord," I realised, remembering the stories Caspian had told on his return aboard the Dawn Treader.
Eustace grinned. "I suppose!"
"I must thank you also for Rilian's return," I added and Eustace bowed gallantly.
"And this," Peter finished, turning to the older woman, "is-"
"Lady Polly," I finished, guessing instantly. Polly smiled and began to curtsey but I took her hands to stop her and curtseyed myself. She was my elder and the founder of my country.
"Well Peter, I think I approve of your wife," Polly told Peter as I rose and Peter's grin, if possible, spread.
I suddenly frowned a little as I realised that there was still one person. "Peter, where's Susan?"
Peter's smile faded a little and my heart sank. "Susan... grew up."
"No, she tried to grow up," Jill snorted.
"Susan decided Narnia was a kid's game we were still all playing," Edmund explained. "She stopped believing."
I sighed. Thinking about it, it wasn't surprising. She had always been, as Edmund had said, less inclined to believe in miracles when it was all I had ever done for much of my life.
Suddenly, Aslan was there beside us. "Your majesties, if you will look to the hill, I believe there is someone waiting to meet you."
"To the hill?" Eustace asked.
"To the gate," Aslan said. "From where Arneia just came."
Everyone looked at me and I shrugged lightly. Yes, I had come from there, but I didn't know who else was. Instead Peter led the way towards the bottom of the hill at the front of the crowd of Narnians. The rest of us followed, I by Peter's hand.
We waited a moment in curiousity as I wondered. I had no idea where I had come from, let alone who was there as well as me.
And then a figure, the size of a small dog, appeared from the door and began to make its way down the hill. The long tail, dark fur, round ears soon became unmistakable. The mouse came closer and I clapped a hand to my mouth in surprise and delight. Reepicheep!
I heard Lucy gasp behind me as the mouse approached us.
"Reepicheep!" Lucy cried and knelt down as the mouse bowed to us whom he knew.
"Your majesties, my lady, it is an honour to meet you again!" Reepicheep greeted. He began to speak but I was distracted, by the sight of a great chestnut winged stallion also approaching us.
"Fledge," I breathed, and Peter glanced up to stare. Digory and Polly moved past us to greet the winged horse but my attention was suddenly drawn back to Reepicheep.
"Come your majesties, we must go back up!" the mouse announced, and began his way back up the hill. Peter squeezed my hand as we all followed.
As we all flooded through the gate, I swung around in shock. This Narnia was full of people, creatures. People and creatures I knew. I clapped my hand to my mouth as I recognised them; Rilian, Lilliandil and Caspian himself. Lord Drinian, Trumpkin, Trufflehunter, Glenstorm. Cor, Lune, Aravis, Corin. Tumnus, the Beavers, Oreius, Elaya.
"Aslan, I don't understand," I said to the lion beside me. "I was just here, but they weren't?"
"You were in a different Narnia, my Narnia," Aslan said quietly. "And now you can join the Narnian's Narnia."
I nodded, still not completely understanding. And then, I saw one more familiar face I recognised. Parting the crowd with his regal stride, and tossing his mane, Alrohar.
I broke from Peter with a cry of delight and met my faithful old stallion in wonder, throwing my arms around his neck. I felt him nuzzle my back and drew away to kiss his velvety muzzle.
"Hey boy, where have you been?"
Alrohar snorted into my palm and I fondled his ears, laughing.
"Arneia, Digory," I suddenly heard a voice say. I turned from Alrohar to see Aslan. My grandfather also had a curious expression on his face, from where he was greeting another old friend.
"There is one more I think you should meet," Aslan told us and at his side appeared a lovely young woman in a red gown. She was older than I was but young than Digory, with long blonde hair like mine. And then I realised just how like me she looked. Not identical but there were many similarities.
"Anna?" Grandfather whispered beside me and I looked up at him to see an expression of pure hope on his kind face. A smile broke out on the woman's features as she embraced my grandfather as a daughter would a father.
"I'm so sorry," I heard her murmur and Digory hushed her gently.
I knew her.
"Mother?" I breathed, as the woman broke away from Digory and locked eyes with me. Her smile widened.
"Hello Arneia," she replied softly and I clapped my hand to my mouth in a vain attempt to stop myself from choking on my tears. Evanna swept forward and I couldn't help flinging my arms around her in the way I had done as I child. But never remembered doing.
I finally broke away to look up at her. I wanted to imprint every detail of her face into my mind to make up for all the memories I'd lost.
"I'm so proud of you, Neia," Evanna told me gently with a smile. I nodded, not sure I could trust myself to speak without bawling.
"Arneia?" a voice asked and I unwillingly looked away from my mother to find Peter staring.
"Arneia, is this-" he began and I knew he'd already guessed.
"Peter," I smiled, loosening my tongue, taking his hand and drawing him over. "This...is my mother."
"Lady Evanna," Peter finished and bowed, before kissing my mother's hand. Evanna laughed.
"Peter, I wish to thank you. For taking care of my daughter." Peter swelled with pride and grinned at me. "And to congratulate you, though it is a little late!" I cocked my head to one side as Evanna kissed Peter's cheek. "Welcome to the family."
The family. Digory put a hand on my shoulder as I squeezed Peter's hand and looked around. My husband, my mother, my father, my grandfather. I suddenly felt happier than I had ever done before. My family were home.