War was a terrible thing. It tore apart families and made adults out of children far too soon. While the Pevensie family had been very lucky during the war, Mr. Pevensie returning unharmed, the children had been changed during their time in the country. They were so serious now and always sharing secret looks. Mrs. Pevensie sometimes thought they talked to each other without words. It was like they knew each other on a level no one else could understand. They didn't like to associate with anyone besides themselves but when they did they carried themselves with such grace and dignity that it was like watching royalty stuck in children's bodies.
They had each changed so much. Peter was noble, stoic, and fiercely protective of his siblings. However, he listened to their advice when he would listen to no one else. They were like his personal council. The oldest seemed to hold a weight on his shoulders that only lessened when he was near the siblings he loved so much.
Susan was quiet and could look at you in a way that made you feel that she knew much more than she let on. She still mothered all her siblings but more subtly and more caring. Gone was the no-it-all who tried to be a leader. Now she acted like one who knew how to lead but also knew when to back away.
Edmund, who changed so much after the war and after his sister was born, was the most marked improvement. Mrs. Pevensie had often thought he was jealous of the attention Peter had given Lucy after the youngest had been born and then once his father went to war, Edmund totally shut off from his family. Now he was corporative and even happy when he was around his siblings and, like the others, he held an air of adulthood and understanding, not to mention an uncanny sense of justice. He was hardly ever separated from Peter and, like the older boy, was also fiercely protective of his sisters.
Lucy's change was less obvious. She was still so full of life but she acted like a woman instead of a girl. She was confident and level headed, often the diplomat of her siblings. She would often stare off into space, her mind wondering into a land that her siblings seemed to understand but that was lost on the rest of the world.
More than anything else the bond between the children was almost touchable. Heaven help anyone who picked on either of the boys and anyone who so much as looked at the girls had Peter and Edmund to deal with. The level of trust between the four touched the heart but they were so withdrawn. It was almost as if they had left a part of themselves in the country.
Mrs. Pevensie mulled over all these things as she walked through the streets with her husband. She looked absent mindedly through the windows of the shops they passed when a flyer on one of the windows caught her attention and she stopped short.
"Helen? What is it?" Mr. Pevensie asked, stopping with her.
"Oh John! The children would love this! Please can we take them?" John Pevensie had also been thinking about the changes that had come over his children as he inspected the flyer.
"Well it does seem like something they would enjoy. I suppose we could go. It'll be fun."
"Oh thank you John! Let's go tell the children!"
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"A Renaissance fair?!" Susan exclaimed in surprise. The four children had retreated to Peter's room to discuss the idea and so far they just weren't sure.
"It seems…odd." Lucy said hesitantly. Edmund glanced at Peter to see the older boy's reaction. Peter looked at each of his siblings thoughtfully and finally said,
"I think it'll be fun. After all it is the closest thing we have to Narnia. It will be like a vacation."
"I do want to stay sharp. Some practice would be nice and for just a little while we can be like our old selves again." Edmund said and a grin grew on Lucy's face. After some thought even Susan smiled and agreed. The four children went to tell their parents the verdict and the plans were made to go to the fair that weekend. The children got more and more anxious as the days went on but finally it was the weekend and all the kids climbed into to the automobile for the journey.
The fair grounds were outside the city limits and the ride seemed to last forever to the children, who for the first time in a long time felt like children. Excitement welled in the siblings as they approached the front gates with their parents. Before entering there was a shop for renting costumes, for those who wanted to dress up for the fair. The children grinned at each other and ran into the shop. Their parents smiled and followed, glad that their children were so happy.
Inside the shop there were costumes of every kind and country across Europe but the kids were drawn to the English ones, seeing as they were the closest to Narnian.
"Oh Susan! This looks just like one of my gowns in Cair Paravel!" Lucy said excitedly grabbing a gold and white dress with green embroidery.
"You'll look lovely Lu! Look at this one!" Susan held up a flowing blue gown with silver trim. The girls smiled at each other, sharing a thousand memories of their favored lives, and then they went to change.
Peter and Edmund had a little harder time finding something they liked but they settled on tan tunics over a chain mail shirt and some leggings. Simple though it may be, both boys looked like kings once again. The four children met outside the shop and their parents gushed about how good they all looked, then walked over to pay for the rentals.
"You two look exactly like the queens you are." Peter said, bowing to them.
"It suits you well." Edmund added, following suit in bowing and throwing a wink at Lucy, who giggled.
"Thank you good sirs. Will my king be so good as to be my escort?" Susan asked, slipping easily into her queenly manner.
"It would be my honor." Peter, ever the king, replied as he extended his arm, which Susan accepted gladly.
"My Valiant queen, will you allow me to escort you to this wondrous fair?" Edmund asked Lucy with a grin as he also extended his arm. Lucy giggled as she grabbed Edmunds arm and said,
"Oh my pleasure, my good king. Now let us explore this strange land." And with that the four monarchs entered the fairgrounds with their parents following behind, a little miffed.
The fair was set up very much like medieval England but nothing like Narnia. Though this saddened the children slightly, they pushed it aside and made an unspoken agreement to have the best time they could. There were dozens of shops and arenas that covered the fifteen acres of land but it reminded the kids much of the market place in Telmar.
They passed a shop that sold jewelry and the girls had to pull the boys in. They girls 'oohed' and 'ahhed' and the boys stood patiently by, which was yet another example of how different the Pevensie children were from most. Most boys would have balked or at least turned red at being in a jewelry shop but these boys just stood and waited on their sisters.
Edmund looked around the store and saw something that made his face light up. He nudged Peter and pointed at the object of his amusement and a wide smile split his brothers face as well. They walked over to a set of mannequin heads that held various corsets on them. They each picked up a corset and then walked up behind their sisters. Edmund placed a silver corset on Lucy and Peter put a golden one on Susan. Both girls seemed baffled but then they caught sight of themselves in a mirror on the far wall. Tears welled in both girls eyes and for one terrible minute the boys thought they had done something wrong but then the girls whirled around and threw their arms around the boys. Their hugs were returned and Edmund whispered in Lucy's ear,
"I wish Mr. Tumnus could see how beautiful you look."
"You two are always queens to me." Peter told Susan and the two girls hugged the boys all the tighter.
"That's a special set of children you have there." The shop owner told the Pevensie parents as the children put the corsets back.
"Thank you. I'm beginning to see how true that is." Mr. Pevensie replied. The family left the shop and continued to wander around the fairgrounds, looking at other shops and occasionally stopped to watch a show. As they wandered around they lucked upon an archery field just before a contest was due to start. A deep longing entered Susan's eyes but she remained where she was, knowing it would be improper of her to enter. The rules were so different in Narnia. The other three shared a look and a plan was formed. Edmund and Lucy wandered over to where the contestants were practicing. Clearly some were workers who traveled with the fair because they were the best.
"Oh how wonderful. They are very good." Lucy said loudly, drawing the archer's attention.
"Why thank you, young miss. You flatter us with your kind words." One of the archers said.
"I dunno. They're not that good." Edmund said offhandedly.
"I'll have you know young sir we are the best archers in the land!" Another man said, joining the conversation.
"Oh I bet there are people in this very audience who could beat you lot." Edmund said slyly as one of the archers temper rose.
"I defy anyone here to beat us at this competition!" He said loudly enough for all to hear. Susan started to step forward but stopped herself and looked down.
"Ah! See? Cowards all of them. Everyone here knows they can't beat us." That sealed the deal.
"I'll do it. I'll beat you with one eye closed." Susan said stepping forward and strapping a quiver on her back and grabbing a long bow.
"Susan!" Helen cried in dismay but Peter turned and gave her a look that silenced her. A chorus of laughter met Susan as she stepped onto the field but she wasn't about to let a challenge go unmet.
"A girl? You think you can beat us lass? I won't compete against a girl."
"Well if you don't think you can win, you are more than welcome to withdraw." Susan said confidently.
"You best practice some before the competition begins girl. I'd hate to make a total fool of you." Susan smiled and went to the practice fields, followed by her siblings. Their parents simply stood in shock. Susan pulled back the string of her bow, lined up with the target, and released. The arrow flew through the air… and landed just outside the bull's eye.
"Bad luck Su!" Lucy said sympathetically.
"These arrows are fletched wrong." Susan said disappointedly.
"Try a bit more. You'll get the hang of it again. After all this isn't the same craftsmanship of Faun bows." Peter said soothingly. Susan practiced with the foreign feeling weapon and constantly adjusted her posture until she had it down perfectly. Finally it was time for the contest to start and Susan went to take her place by the other contestants who snickered under their breath at her. Her siblings went to stand by their parents behind the barriers with smirks on their faces. The contestants started with the target ten yards away and every contestant hit the bull's eye.
"A babe could hit that." The men justified as the target was moved back another ten yards. As the contest progressed, contestants began dropping like flies until there were only three left and the target was set at fifty yards. The contestants shot and another one was eliminated. Sixty yards and Susan and the loud mouth who had teased her at the beginning of the contest were the only ones left and they both hit the center again. Seventy yards and the man was getting nervous. Susan shot dead center and the men barely made it inside the red. Eighty yards.
"You are a truly skilled bows woman, lady. I cannot make this shot. I withdraw with an apology." Susan turned, shot the center of the target yet again, and said, "Apology accepted." with a smile. The crowd cheered but none so loudly as her siblings who ran to her. Lucy wrapped her arms around her sister's waist and her brothers were giving her a chorus of "Well done!", "Congratulations!" and "Still as sharp as ever!" Susan smiled radiantly at them, feeling quite proud of herself as she walked over to put the bow on the weapons table. Some of the losers were standing by some targets, watching the kids walk by.
"She probably cheated." One of the men said. Lucy heard them and in a fury picked up a dagger from the table and threw it at the target the man was standing in front of. She hit the center of the red, right next to the man's rib cage and said,
"My family doesn't cheat!"
"Lucy!" Mr. and Mrs. Pevensie exclaimed, mortified. Edmund and Peter burst out laughing. Even Susan had to smile at the expression on the man's face.
"Lucy, that is not how a young lady should behave!" Mrs. Pevensie said taking her daughter and walking away while giving Lucy a thorough scolding.
"I believe that's what Mrs. Beaver told her when she was caught practicing swordsmanship with Oreius on her seventeenth birthday." Edmund said between laughs.
"Yes but I think Oreius got the worst of that scolding." Susan pointed out, giggling as she followed their mother. Their father followed them, looking oddly at Susan.
As the family continued to walk they happened upon a sword arena and the boys had to stop and watch. The men were good and the boys got the itch to join them. They got their wish as one of the men noticed them and called,
"Care to try your luck young sirs? We are always looking for young blood." The swordsmen snickered among themselves while the boys grinned. They entered the arena and went to a small tent that outfitted people who wanted to try. The boys got chest and shoulder armor then picked out broadswords. They couldn't help but feel content as their minds wondered back to practice in Narnia.
They began practicing with each other, seeing as they had to get use to the strange armor and heavier built swords. Soon however, they felt comfortable enough to go full speed at their sparing. Their skill quickly drew the attention of the other swordsman in the ring but Peter and Edmund took no notice of this as they completed complex maneuvers, neither being able to gain any ground on the other. Finally they both stepped back, an unspoken draw.
"Not bad boys. How's about you try fighting a real swordsman? We've been trained sense we were young by the best swordsman in England." One of the men challenged.
"We've been trained by a centaur." Edmund whispered under his breath.
"Then this should be easy." Peter replied. "We accept."
Minutes later Peter and Edmund stood in front of the two most experienced fighters at the fair, swords drawn. Their parents stood by looking anxious and very displeased, while the girls just smiled.
"This really isn't fair." Susan whispered.
"No but it will be fun." Lucy replied.
One of the swordsmen, a big man with a bald head, attacked Peter, who blocked and responded with a thrust. Meanwhile the other man, a tall powerfully built brute, sliced at Edmunds middle. The boy brought his sword around to block then swung his opponent's blade away and slashed at his neck. The man just at time to duck and then swipe at Edmunds feet. Edmund jumped and brought his sword down toward the man's shoulder.
The bald man stepped away from Peter's thrust and went around to the boy's side. Peter twisted away and brought his sword around with such speed and force that he hit the man's shoulder armor at the same time Edmund's sword connected with his opponent.
This infuriated the two men who now attacked the boys with a vengeance. Though Edmund had been an exceptionally gifted swordsman in Narnia, he was always smaller than Peter so he had adapted a style to get around this disadvantage. Peter, however, forgot he was not the great man he once was and so he overestimated his strength. The bald man took a cheap shot and punched Peter hard in the chin, sending the boy to his knees. The man then brought his sword up in preparation to deal a hard blow to Peter's shoulder. He brought his blade down only to meet Edmund's sword as the younger boy abandoned his own opponent to cover his brother. Fake fight or not, seeing Peter on the ground triggered something in Edmund that would lead him to protect his brother, whether it put himself in danger or not.
The tall man took advantage of this by slicing at Edmunds unprotected rib cage. Peter took advantage of his position of the ground by rolling to the side and coming up in front of Edmund and blocking the man's blade. The brothers shared a look then, with a serious of advanced moves, disarmed their now switched opponents and held them at blade point.
"Mercy!" Both men cried and the crowd erupted in cheers, led by Susan and Lucy. The boys smiled at each other, held their swords to the audience, and then went to change. The swordsmen went to the other Pevensie's, the parents with their mouths hanging open.
"Your boys fight like well seasoned warriors. Where did you have them trained?" One of the men asked.
"We didn't. They shouldn't know how to do that." Mr. Pevensie said in awe.
"They're just naturals I suppose." Susan covered quickly. Shortly after, the boys emerged from the tent, refreshed and smiling, and headed over to the girls. Lucy ran to them an embraced them both.
"You were splendid! Oreius would be so proud! You looked so kingly."
"We need to be careful. Mum and Dad look like they think we've gone mad." Susan said, always the cautious one.
"Yes but we are having more fun than we've had in a long time." Edmund said with a smile that pleased his siblings to no end.
"Come on children. We still have a few more hours of sunlight left. Let's go get something to eat." Mr. Pevensie said as he led the kids to a pavilion and bought them each a turkey leg. The kids picked politely at theirs, knowing it was a treat but not being able to escape their Narnian aversion to meat. The pavilion they sat at was right next to an open square and a stage sat at the head of it with musicians filing onto it. They began a lively tune, which heightened everyone's mood even more if possible.
"May I have this dance?" Mr. Pevensie asked Mrs. Pevensie, extending his hand.
"Oh John!" Helen said giggling as she stood with her husband. They danced around gaily, clearly not knowing what they were doing but having fun anyway. Lucy grinned. This was always her favorite part of banquets at Cair Paravel. She would spend the whole night dancing and it often brightened everyone's mood. Peter smiled nostalgically and stood, offering his hand to his youngest sister. The two had danced many times back at the palace when they were older but Lucy was smaller again and stood on Peter's feet, however they still moved quite gracefully.
Edmund also stood and asked for Susan's company in a dance and the pair joined their family on the dance floor. The kids were by far better at the dance steps than their parents, moving nobly and elegantly, but they all had fun. By the time the music was over the whole family was happy and content in each other's company.
At the end of the night the family headed toward the exit of the fair grounds, having returned their clothing and feeling very tired. Peter carried Lucy, who was drifting in and out of a dreamy state, and Susan leaned heavily on Edmund.
"Did you have fun children?" Mrs. Pevensie, who was holding on to Mr. Pevensie's arm, asked almost nervously.
"It was amazing Mum! Thank you so much." Peter said cordially but smiling brightly as they exited the grounds and headed for the automobile.
"Yes it was perfect. Ed, why have we stopped?" Susan asked drowsily wondering why Edmund had turned and stopped in front of the fair entrance.
"Pete? You're gunna have to see this." Edmund said in awe.
"What is it Ed?" Peter asked, walking back to his brother who was pointing up at the sign that held the name of the fairgrounds. It read, 'Lions Pride. Renaissance fair.' Peter laughed disbelievingly while nudging Lucy, who looked up and smiled sweetly.
"Fancy that." Susan said breathlessly.
"He's always watching out for is, isn't He." Lucy said, more of a statement than a question.
"Yes. He is." Edmund answered and the four looked at each other in understanding and love.
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The parents drove home that night with the kids fast asleep in the back seat. Peter, the rock of the family, was in the center with Susan's head on one shoulder and Edmund's head on the other. Peter rested with his head against Edmund's and Lucy lay across all their laps with her siblings arms wrapped around her to keep her from falling. Helen glanced back at them for the twelfth time when John asked,
"What's on your mind darling?"
"They had fun, which is what I wanted, but…"
"But now you see how different they truly are? So do I."
"Those things they can do, the way they acted? It's like I don't even know my own children!"
"I know. I feel the same way. Something happened to them in the country and I doubt we will ever know what. But somehow, I think it's for the better." Helen glanced behind her again and she couldn't help but let her heart melt at the angelic scene. Yes her children would be fine as long as they were together.
The
End