The four children tumble from M. Treville's wardrobe, no longer Kings but just ordinary boys. Porthos lands first with a thump on the wood floor, with Athos, Aramis and d'Artagnan on top of him. They are wearing the same clothes they wore when they first came to Narnia, and it is the same time and same day that they went through the wardrobe.
The door opens, and Rochefort spies them, grinning. "That was a bad hiding place," he says. "I found you."
Athos swears under his breath. They get up, laughing a little, and continue playing.
That evening, when the Comte de Rochefort and his brash, bold son have gone home, Treville asks about the loss of four coats from his wardrobe. All four boys pale.
"Please, sir," says Athos, who is the oldest, "you wouldn't believe us if we told you."
M. Treville's eyes flicker knowingly. "Try me."
And so the boys tell him their story of Narnia and Aslan and the four thrones at Cair Paravel. M. Treville does not ridicule the children, nor scold them for lying or making up stories.
"That is that, then," says Treville.
"You believe us?" asks Porthos.
"Of course," he replies. "How could I not? What would be the use of the coats otherwise?"
"I wonder if we'll ever go back," says d'Artagnan quietly.
"Of course you will," says Treville. "Once a King in Narnia, always a King in Narnia, you know. But I wouldn't advise you to try to go through the wardrobe again. Indeed, you would do well not to try looking for Narnia at all. Believe me, you will find it when you're not looking for it ... and don't talk about it too much, even amongst yourselves. Don't mention it to anyone unless they've had adventures of the same sort ... what's that? How will you know?" Treville chuckles. "Oh, you'll know alright. Odd looks, the way they talk, those sort of things will give it away. Keep your eyes open, boys. Bless me, what do they teach at these schools ..."
Treville smiles, and d'Artagnan beams back. And as soon as the man is out of earshot, the four boys are talking again.
"Did you hear?" cries Aramis. "Once a King in Narnia, always a King in Narnia! That means we're going back!"
"Remember what Treville said, don't go looking for it," advises Athos.
All four of them find each other shoving their heads back inside the wardrobe at some points, but they mostly forget about Narnia over the years.
It is a shame, Treville thinks, that one must grow up and forget childhood. It is a shame that Narnia only calls the five of them once and leaves them to dismiss it as a child's fantasy world.
If only, Treville thinks, he could have one more day … one more day of Narnian life and he would be more than satisfied.
It is a shame that one must grow up.