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Summary - Valiant - "a frank courageous heart...triumphed over pain"- William Wordsworth;

Lucy is at University and has a dream about Aslan who says she is needed by Caspian and she ends up in Narnia again. Sorry rubbish summary!

I have been off of fan fiction for a while and this is my first attempt at a Narnia story but as always sometimes these plot bunnies just will not go away.

Set a few years after VODT - Movieverse based

FYI - Ages - Lucy 18 - Caspian 22

Chapter 1

As Lucy walked towards her Uncle Harold and Aunt Alberta's house, she couldn't help but think about the time she and Edmund stayed there and ended up in Narnia on the Dawn Treader with Eustace. That had been well over 5 years ago now though she could recall it as if it was yesterday. She dearly loved to remember her time in Narnia and would daydream about it every chance she got. Although she seemed to be doing this a lot more lately. Probably due to the fact that she was returning to her Aunt and Uncle's house while she attended university in Cambridge. Lucy was an exceptionally intelligent girl, down to the fact that she had already lived many years in Narnia and was wise beyond her current age. She had begged her parents to be allowed to go to University to study and though they wanted her to come to America and find a suitable husband, she was finally given permission on the basis that she was to stay with her Aunt and Uncle.

As she walked up to the door of the house in Cambridge, Lucy daydreamed about her time on the Dawn Treader, she remembered the way she, Edmund and Eustace had found themselves in Narnia. Lucy wondered if the painting would still be in the little back bedroom. She recalled the way the painting had suddenly come to life. Sea water had poured into the room and she had been dragged from Earth into the Narnian sea. She could also remember her surprise and pleasure at being found by King Caspian. Upon seeing them adrift in the sea Caspian had leapt in and grabbed her to pull her to the safety of the hoist. Lucy could still remember Caspian's strong hands and hard muscled chest as he had pulled her close in order to get her to safety. Lucy sighed deeply as she knocked on the door and thought about Caspian while she waited. Lucy had never felt the way she felt about Caspian with any other boy she had met. She felt as though she would never marry as no man could ever live up to King she had put on such a high pedestal.

Lucy sighed again as she heard movement behind the door that broke through her reverie, she tried to put all thoughts of Caspian out of her head.

She was greeted cordially by her Uncle Harold and Aunt Alberta, but it was the greeting from Eustace which pleased her the most. He was so happy to see her and doted over how grown up she looked. Eustace helped her to take her suitcases to the little back room where she would be staying again. The room was exactly the same and there was the painting. In the same place it had been before but as she had remembered the ship that was once in the painting was gone, it had sailed away into the distance after their return. Now it was just a painting of the sea but Lucy knew it was a Narnian sea and so it still pleased her to look at. As she still hoped against hope that the ship would one day sail back.

Lucy and Eustace were called down to dinner almost immediately, and it was not until much later that they escaped back to Lucy's room and they could reminisce about their adventures.

It was late in the evening when Eustace finally retired and left Lucy to do the same.

XOXOXOXOXO

Lucy fell asleep as she normally did, thinking of Narnia and ready to dream of Caspian.

However her dream this night was very different to normal. Lucy was sure she was dreaming but couldn't believe how real it all felt. She was back on Aslan's beach at the end of the world. She didn't know why, but she knew that she was waiting for Aslan. So she waited, lying on the pristine white beach, basking in the sun with her eyes closed, enjoying the sound of the water lapping against the beach. When she heard the soft pad of paws on the sand, she said "Hello Aslan," without even opening her eyes.

"Hello Lucy," he said in his deep melodic voice.

"This feels so real, like I'm actually back in Narnia."

"You very nearly are" he replied

At that Lucy's eyes shot open, "This isn't real, is it?" she asked sitting up and looking at Aslan.

"We are in your dream," Aslan said, "but this is also real. Narnia needs your help"

"But you said I wouldn't be allowed back again?"

"I did, I thought it was time for you to grow up and that you would forget like others do. But I did not expect you to hold so dearly to Narnia."

"I would never forget. Narnia is my home." Lucy said tearfully, the joy of thinking that she would be allowed back was overwhelming her.

"So I see, which is why I'm here, to ask you to go back. To help Narnia and to help King Caspian."

"Caspian? Why, what's wrong?" she gasped

"He needs your help," Aslan said but as he did he started to drift away.

"Aslan.. Wait" Lucy called and stretched out her arm.

Several things happened at once, Aslan drifted away and the beach distorted then disappeared. The bright sunlight was suddenly gone and Lucy could not see around her, she tried to turn on her side but felt herself fall out of bed. However she did not land on the hard wooden floor, she carried on falling and fell into something that seemed even brighter than the beach, then landed with thump on something soft.

She opened her eyed and was immediately dazzled by the sun. As her sight adjusted all she could see was green. She was in the lushest green field she could ever remember seeing but it seemed familiar somehow. As she looked around at the amazing fields and woodland in the distance, she sighed deeply.

She was most definitely in Narnia.