Just a short story that popped into my mind tonight.

A Silver Crown

Lucy stood by herself along the palace wall of the castle watching the sunset against the horizon. The sky had been transformed into an array of gold's, crimson reds, warm oranges, honey yellows and just the faintest tints of violets and midnight blues. It was the just after she and her siblings along with now King Caspian the Tenth had returned to the castle with the now freed Narnians. Lucy watched with fixed eyes as the sun slowly set down beyond the horizon and thought of the time when she first had been crowned Queen Lucy the Valiant, when she had looked out upon the Eastern Sea with Mr. Tumnus to watch Aslan walk along the beach to leave. She still couldn't believe that this was her Narnia, the Narnia in which she grew into an adult. So much had changed, for better or for worse, and she wasn't sure who she was anymore. Was she still the same girl who came through the wardrobe the first time? If she had changed at all wouldn't she have noticed? A silent tear fell down her cheek as she thought of her life in Narnia, growing up and then having to leave the one place she knew in her heart as home.

"What's wrong dear one?" came the soothing voice of the Great Lion from next to her. Lucy could feel his presence, comforting and calm and she had to choke back a sob.

"I don't know who I am." she said tears spilling down her cheeks.

"You are Lucy, the Valiant Queen of Narnia." said Aslan brushing his body against hers so that she felt his warmth seep into her to try and soothe her.

"I was, but I'm not a Queen anymore." she said turning to him to looking into his loving amber eyes.

"Once a King or Queen of Narnia, always one. Do you not remember?" he said his voice a quiet rumble of laughter. Lucy felt a wave of embarrassment come over her and she had to look away from his intense gaze. Sensing her distress Aslan said softly,

"No need to feel embarrassed child, but why doubt who you are?" and here Lucy sobbed again for she knew not. A smile graced the face of the Great Lion and he stepped right against Lucy's body and whispered in her ear,

"Close your eyes dear one, and trust me." and Lucy did for she always trusted Aslan. As she closed her eyes she felt the last of the suns rays warm her skin and then suddenly a weight atop her head. Opening her eyes, Lucy looked down at herself only to find she had grown back into her adult self once again in the same dress she had worn on the day she and her siblings had left Narnia. A gasp escaped her throat and she rushed towards a fountain to see her reflection and what she found there made her eyes well with fresh tears. Her face was once again the face of her adult self, grown and aged to the exact time before going back to England and atop her head was her silver crown.

"Now you see what I see." said Aslan stepping into the reflection only his was not that of the Great Lion but different though Lucy could not name it.

"And you see Me as I truly am." he said causing Lucy to turn only to find the Lion once again.

"You see, it matters not what's on the outside child, but what you have within and what you do with it that matters. That is how a person truly sees you. That is what makes you." and when Lucy looked back into the fountain she found herself a child again but the silver crown was still atop her head.