My muse got busy and had me write these ficlets all in the span of a week. It took awhile to get it betaed, though, and now I'm uploading them here, one ficlet per chapter. Because this site does not allow external links, I recommend you visit the LJ community narnia_fiction and find the posts from May 19, 2010. You can download the entire collection of songs, see the album art I created to go with it, and read the stories with the lyrics included, whereas this site prohibits lyrics being used in fics if they are not your original ones. I will try to give some sort of idea which verse or lines I used, but you will find the experience superior if you visit the LJ version.

Title: The Cover and the Title Page

Author: Doranwen

Obligatory Disclaimer: I do not own Narnia in any way, shape or form. I am not attempting to make money off of this, so please do not sue me.

Notes: This is a fanmix (or ficmix? as I've seen this particular type called) accompanied by 16 drabbles/ficlets (I don't stick strictly to the 100-word definition of drabble here), each inspired by one of the songs. Each ficlet is designed to be read while the associated song plays, so I recommend getting the entire collection of songs at the LJ post I mentioned above. Some of the ficlets are little more than brief snapshots of a moment in time, while others have something approaching a plot. To the best of my knowledge, they do not conflict with book canon in any way. I have borrowed a detail or two from the movies where the books did not specify them. As many of the drabbles are set in books that have no movie parallels yet, they may be confusing to someone who hasn't read the books. The songs and drabbles are in chronological order, and span nearly the entirety of the books (the exception being the very first portion of The Magician's Nephew). The first drabble features the creation of Narnia; the last, Susan post-LB.

Rating: PG-13 for setting and implied events in the 15th ficlet. Otherwise this is quite PG.

Spoilers: This set of books has been out for fifty years now. I'm going to assume everything in them is fair game. If you haven't read the books, this is your warning that you are going to have a great deal spoiled for you, especially the ending. I therefore recommend reading the books as soon as possible. ;)

Pairings: There's a bit of unfulfilled Digory/Polly in one of them, otherwise these are rather romance-free. (I like reading some romance, but I'm awful at writing it.)

Characters (in order of appearance): Aslan, Digory, Polly, Lucy, Edmund, Susan, Peter, (and very briefly for these last four) the White Witch, Lord Peridan, Corin, and Eustace. There's rather a lot of Susan, relatively speaking. I confess to finding her character compelling.

Warnings: None, other than canon character death mentioned briefly. No slash or incest here.

Book Links: Each of the seven books is represented by at least one drabble, except for The Silver Chair. Coincidentally (or more likely, not coincidentally), that is my least favorite book.

Music Notes: Some of the songs were outright obvious (Caedmon--which has no relation to Caedmon's Call for anyone who might think it--titled their song Aslan and the lyrics describe the Battle of Beruna!) and I couldn't help but use them. Others were more subtle (four are instrumental, but through either their title or music demanded to tell a certain story). Most are somewhat obscure tracks; of the popular artists, I used several unknown gems. Since they are difficult to get a hold of and some are nearly impossible, I recommend finding your way to the LJ post I mentioned at the top and getting them there.

On Comments: While comments are always optional, I would appreciate one if you enjoyed reading these drabbles. If you can't think of what to write, I'd be interested in hearing which drabble was your favorite and why. (You're also welcome to talk about the songs--many of them are favorites of mine, and I don't often find people who have even heard of them, much less like them.)

Beta: Unfortunately, my regular beta has had a very busy life lately and was unable to beta this. My backup beta for this set was crazedskylark from LiveJournal.

Random Last Note: In regards to Narnia especially, I believe it most appropriate to use the Oxford comma. ;)

The Cover and the Title Page

". . . All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page . . ."

Tracklisting:

1. Karl Jenkins - Adiemus

2. Nickel Creek - Alive

3. Era - Misere Mani

4. The Carpenters - Aurora

5. Caedmon - Aslan

6. Angels of Venice - Queen of the Sun

7. The Carpenters - Bless the Beasts and the Children

8. Hans Zimmer - Sorrow

9. Mickey Erbe - Floating Over the Past

10. George Fenton - Veni Sancte Spiritus

11. Michelle Tumes - Untame Lion

12. Jars of Clay - Frail

13. Nickel Creek - Reasons Why

14. The Carpenters - Crescent Noon

15. Fiona Joyce - Cry Over You

16. Sarah McLachlan - Angel

1. Karl Jenkins - Adiemus

(instrumental)

The Lion paced on, head lifted up and singing the most glorious tune, and animals soon peeped out of the earth to follow. A tiny hummingbird, its wings whirring, darted to check out each flower on the way. A pair of jackrabbits leaped and hopped, sniffing at delicious-looking leaves that had appeared only moments before. A cheetah bounded forward, tumbling somersaults for joy and running a circle back behind and around so not to run ahead of the Lion.

Digory held his breath, watching the ground roiling as it burst and the animals ran out. He glanced over at Polly, face flushed. He felt the sudden urge to go hug her, to grab her hands and twirl around. She grinned back at him, and it looked like she was having the same reaction to the song. But the animals emerging from the ground were too fascinating, and the children simply watched in wonder.

Back in England, at the country house, the children would sometimes close their eyes and remember the Creation Song, as they called it, and link hands, twirling until they collapsed in a breathless heap. No matter how rotten the day had been, the memory of that tune never failed to fill their hearts with an overflowing measure of joy.

Once, years later, a scientist and friend of Digory's came to visit. When the conversation got around to the story of Creation, the friend had to laugh. "Don't tell me you still believe in a literal creation, my friend!"

Digory smiled, a smile that reached beyond his head and down to his heart. "I don't have to believe. I know."