"Nadena, promise me that you will take a break soon to get away," my best friend Oceana begged of me as we walked to work.
"I don't know if I can. The reconstruction just ended, and I'm not sure if now is a good time to take a break. The economy just started to fix itself again," I replied unsure.
"That's the reason why you should go," Oceana said smiling. "Now is your chance."
I gave Oceana a look that expressed that I remained unconvinced.
"Your grandmother, she lives in the country. You should go visit her, even if it's only for a few days. Will you deny that to the woman who raised you?" Oceana knew that my grandmother was my weak spot in my resolve.
"I guess while we're at work today I can ask the monsieur for a few days off work," I said giving in. Oceana smiled triumphantly as she left me to my thoughts.
It was currently 1947 in Paris, France. World War II was over, and France was healing. There wasn't a lot of physical damage done due to Hitler's fondness for France, but the emotional scars ran deep. Shortly after the world ended I was able to find work in a factory where I met my best friend. However, since the war I've been working and trying to do my part in rebuilding France. Despite my efforts, I knew it was wrong to have gone so long without contact with my Grandmére.
"Grandmére Lucianne," I exclaimed enveloping myself in the loving arms of my grandmother.
"Ma belle, ma tres belle," she repeated in French holding me tightly.
Grandmére Lucianne led me into my very familiar childhood home.
"So, what have you been doing in Paris?" she asked in English with a heavy French accent when we settled in the kitchen.
"Working, but on a more exciting note. I've been helping at orphanages doing counseling for children and parents. A lot of people still come to orphanages hopeful that they will find some of their missing relatives. Some of them are Jewish coming from hiding and others are looking for fathers that may have been lost in the resistance," I said smiling sadly. "It's heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time, but it gives me great joy being able to help. Even if it is only a couple of people here and there."
"I am very proud of you, Nadena; and I know your parents would be proud of you as well," Grandmére Lucianne said smiling.
After our talk, I was able to convince her to let me make crepes for the both of us because they were always my favorite when I was a kid. We continued to make a mess of the kitchen before settling down with our desert crepes.
"So, Nadena, I must ask. Is there a beau in your life?" Grandmére Lucianne asked curiously.
"I feel that you already know the answer, but no. After I lost Pryce, I don't think my heart will ever recognize love anymore besides the love I have for you and my friends."
"Nadena, you have to allow yourself to reteach your heart what love is, but take all the time you need."
I smiled weakly in return because it was still painful to think about the fiancé that the Great War stole from me. Shortly after, I volunteered to clean the kitchen while Grandmére Lucianne set off to bed.
As I was on my way to my quarters, I paused noticing that there was something different about the hall. There were always two doors on the right and three doors on the left: one bathroom, one closet, and three bedrooms. Now, parallel to where I was currently standing at the entrance of the hall, there was a sixth door. I've grew up in this house, and never has there been six doors. My initial response was to scream, but I was frozen. Slowly, my fear started to thaw, but instead of going the other way or calling out to my grandmother; I drifted towards the door.
Once, I was upon the door I must have gained some sort of temporary bravery because my hand reached out to turn the knob. I cracked open the door to see a completely different room on the other side. Compared to the wood that our walls were, this room contained gray stone walls and it was extremely well furnished. Also, while it was night time in France, this was filled with natural light seeping through the window. I wanted to get a better look at the room, so I went completely in.
As I was looking around the room, the door shut despite my attempt at keeping it open. I searched the room frantically looking for the cause of the door closing, but when I looked back at the door that led to my childhood home; the door was gone!
I shrieked patting down the wall where the door used to be, and soon my pats turned to pounding and that pounding led to a throbbing in my hands. I looked down at the rug covered floor in defeat before sighing. I gathered my resolve and marched out of the room. I was walking down various halls and passing magnificent portraits, but I wasn't taking a museum tour. Right now, I was on a mission to find out where the hell I was and how I was able to get here through my home.
I kept my ears open for any sounds before I could detect laughing and the clinking of forks to plates. I pushed open the door, with more force than I intended, and it slammed against the wall. All sounds stopped as I looked upon a group of four that were dining together, but now they were staring together at me in shock. In these moments, I analyzed them. They appeared to be in the range of my twenty years, but they also seemed to have an aura of wisdom and experience around them.
"Who are you?" we all asked at the same time.
My bravado had evaporated from my body, and I felt like a small child under their scrutiny.
"We are the Kings and Queens of Narnia," answered the youngest one of the group.
"Of what?" I breathed out. "I'm not great with geography, but I've never heard of a Narnia. Where are you in retrospect to France?"
A few of them gasped when I mentioned France, but the oldest seemed to keep me a steady inspection of me.
"How did you get here?" the older girl asked.
"Good question, and I'm still trying to figure that out myself. I was just in my grandmére's home going through a sixth door that never existed, and now I'm here. Oh, and did I mention that said door then disappeared? So, what can you do Kings and Queens of Narnia that will get me home?"
"I'm afraid that we can't," the older girl replied sadly.
"What?" I shrieked attemping to hold back my devastation.
"Only Aslan has the power to transport people through worlds. I'm sorry to tell you, but you aren't even in the same dimension as Earth."
"Well, why am I here?" I asked frantically.
"Aslan must have brought you here for some greater purpose. We can check the prophesies to see if we can find something until Aslan returns to answer some of your questions."
"Uhm, okay, and when will that be?"
"Ugh, I don't like being the barrer of bad news," she sighed. She looked towards the others, but they continued to be of no assistance. "We don't know. Aslan normally only shows during adverse situations, but maybe because he brought you here, he will show sooner."
"Well since it seems like I will be here for a while… I'm Nadena."
The girl smiled before replying, "I'm Queen Susan, the gentle. The others are Queen Lucy, the Valiant; King Edmund, the Just; and High King Peter, the Magnificent. However, please do pardon our formal titles when in such formal settings."
"It's a pleasure to meet you. Have you heard of France before?"
"Oh, yes. In fact, we are from England," Edmund answered.
"Wow, that's incredible. How did you get here?"
"Through a wardrobe," Lucy answered giggling.
"You must be hungry," Susan said gesturing towards an empty seat at their table.
"Actually, no, but thank you. I just ate back home, but I think that this is a lot to take in. Although it is day here. I was just about to go to sleep. So…," I said trailing.
"Oh, yes we can have someone show you to a room," Susan said before calling out to someone.
Suddenly, a creature with goat legs and the upper half of a man was walking through the door that I just came from.
"Nadena, this is Cyrus. He is a faun. We will have much to talk about tomorrow. When you wake, we'll have someone bring you to talk to us," Susan said with so much diplomacy.
"Thank you," I said before leaving with Cyrus.
Ironically, he led me back to the room that I had appeared in earlier.
"You can find clothes in that wardrobe, and someone will be here when you wake to help you get dressed," Cyrus said. "Do you require anything, my lady?"
"No, but thank you very much."
When Cyrus left the room, I settled onto the four poster bed and felt myself melt into the mattress. I had some much I had to think over, but for now I let my body overcome with weariness, and I fell asleep without changing from my clothes.
A/N: This idea has been killing me for a while, and I'm glad I finally sat down to write it. Tell me what you think, and I'm hoping to have the second chapter out very soon, and I will be explaining a lot more things.