Welcome back my lovelies! I have had many a request for a sequel for Cassie, Stacey, and that Big Fluffy Lion and am proud to finally present the first chapter! I am going to be bringing back some of C. S. Lewis' beloved characters as well as some of the fan favorites as well as adding some new ones to the mix. Please join me as we begin what promises to be a fantastic journey. :)
(Natalie)Running a red light in the densely populated town of Minneapolis was the least of Natalie's worries at thismoment. If she was late for her graduation ceremony, she was certain that her mother would keel over in her chair, and the new camera she'd sped hundreds of dollars on specifically for this occasion would smash to pieces on the ground.
So she barreled her way through the traffic, wincing as she spotted a police car camped out on the outskirt of the hectic airport parking lot just waiting for someone like her to break the law. She beat her fingers against the steering wheel, bronze ring clacking anxiously until she was sure he was not about to pursue. That was just like the Minneapolis police force, all threats, no action. Today, that was more than beneficial.
Peeling her sweaty hand off the steering wheel, she wiped the palm against the dark blue dress. Her roommate selected it, insisting that the hue was the same color as her eyes. Today Natalie's eyes were too stormy with a mix of excitement and apprehension to match quite right.
She glanced down to the clock-7:51. Technically she was supposed to be on campus for 7:30, but line up didn't begin until 8. Luckily, the last name of Walder would put her towards the end of the processional. She would have just enough time to slide in.
She cruised to a stop at the light right outside of the University of Minnesota. No need to run this one since she was moments away from parking. Leaned sideways, she looked in my rear-view mirror, eyeing the bright pink lipstick. With a sweep of her finger along its border, the color was schooled back into place. She ducked her head to adjust the bow wrapped around dense black curls painstakingly pulled into a bun. Her older sister, Jordan, had shown up at the butt crack of dawn and insisted on doing her hair for this momentous occasion. According to her, it's not every day her baby sister would graduate from college and finalize her Broadway role. Granted, the role consisted of five lines and a few buckets of fake manure, but Jordan was already giddy, insisting that she be named Natalie's official stylist.
Natalie Walder, she had to admit the thought of seeing her name in lights made her chest light with joy.
Unbuckling, she leaning to search for her graduation cap tossed into the backseat during the chaos of leaving this morning. It could very well have ended up in Jordan's car. When she could not find it, she decided that was exactly what happened. She turned, feeling a sharp pinch at her side and hearing the shattering of reality. The brown topaz set into the band of her ring sent sunlight splashing into her eyes. She blinked spots away that seemed to be doing some sort of intricate tango in her field of vision.
When she could see again, Natalie pondered how long she had left Jordan alone with her coffee and if she'd had time to slip drugs into it. No longer was a cloth driver's seat beneath her, but a hard gold and wooden throne whose royal purple cushions did little to make it comfortable. Before her stretched a great courtroom instead of her campus. The sprawl of cars was replaced with ivory columns. Students scampering about in their finest dresses and suits were now reduced to humble servants with lowered heads and duty in their gait.
"You're not supposed to be up there," a small voice announced.
Natalie turned to catch sight of a young girl seated on a smaller throne beside hers. Her straight brown hair was plaited down her back and lofty brown eyes glared up at her. Why did she look familiar? Why did Natalie have a knack for popping up places she shouldn't be?
"Are you supposed to be there?" Natalie countered. The girl's tan cheeks turned ruddy and she jumped to her knees to be eye level with her elder.
"My father is the King. I can do what I like," she announced.
"Goodie for you, little princess. You don't happen to know how I got here, do you?" The click of confident heels interrupted their brief repartee.
"Samira, bath time does not mean come play on mommy's throne. Let's go unless you want your friends to think that their princess always smells like spilled tea."
That voice Natalie knew. It was more tired and had a regal air she hadn't known the woman was capable of pulling off, but she'd replayed Sage's voice over in her head enough to have it memorized.
She leapt from the throne she now knew must belong to Caspian before Samira could give her away. The sudden appearance made Sage tense, producing a dagger from some hidden compartment in the recesses of her skirts. She shook her head once. Twice. Samira scampered to her side, grinning triumphantly at Natalie. Sage was older, maybe 50 by the look of the wrinkles on her narrow face. On her left hand sat two rings that, Natalie cautioned a guess, came from Caspian. Her auburn hair was streaked with grey and piled in a bun at the base of her neck. Even the greens' of her eyes had aged. Natalie had felt incompetent around her before with the four year age gap. Now, the years beat down on her till she felt no older than Samira.
"Who got you into a dress?" she asked.
And Natalie smiled, relief washing over her. Sage was still her friend, despite all the changes. The Queen raced forward, careful poise forgotten and caught her up into a back cracking hug.
"I thought you weren't allowed to come back," she breathed into her hair.
"You and me both. Caspian should invest in some softer cushions for his chair, by the way. Otherwise you'll have a hunchback for a King." Sage laughed and held the shorter woman at arm's length.
"How come you get to stay young and beautiful? Meanwhile I wither away," she complained.
"You've got a hot ass King for a husband and hopefully other kids that are more welcoming than that one."
Samira jutted her tongue out and Natalie mimicked the gesture until she saw Sage's face completely crumple. Something was terribly wrong in her life that should scream happily ever after.
"Mommy," Samira darted forward to pull on her long silk sleeve. "Is she who you asked Aslan to send for help? Is she gonna bring back Ril?"
"Sage, who's Ril? Why is he important enough for Aslan to send me here to find him?" Natalie asked, twisting her ring around her thumb. She supposed graduation would just have to wait for her to return.
"He's my son. And he's missing."
(Jessie)
A gurney nearly plowed over Jessie as she ducked into the break room. Jessie glanced down at her toes, just in case, to make sure no hasty wheels had taken them off. White cloth nurse's shoes wiggled in assurance. Reaching up, a clip was removed from her head to allow the heavy strands of blonde hair to lay flat against her back.
Less than an hour later and she would be free of the hospital for a full half day. Jessie swept up the waiting coffee and sat beside one of her closer colleagues, Roana. With a sip, she choked down the bitter liquid and eased back into the plush couch.
"I don't know how you can stomach that stuff," Roana noted.
Jessie shrugged and tipped the rest back fast enough that the burn on her tongue distracted her from the taste. Their knee length uniform skirts blended together from how close they sat to one another. Roana's jacket was draped across the back of the couch and Jessie considered depositing her own. The material was far too constricting for her taste.
A crash drew all eyes to the window. The five nurses in the room, all trained to run towards people in need, hurried to the window overlooking the only highway system in this rural portion of Mullingar. Three cars were bent and morphed to form ones bizarre looking assimilation of metal and rubber. This was the ninth crash of the day; at least this one was close to the hospital. The unusually bright overhead sun and cloudless sky proved to be a distraction for drivers who were used to wet and dreary spring afternoons.
"I'll alert the first responders," Jessie bustled through the small crowd to the door.
"Didn't you just start your break?" Roana called after her. "You don't always have to be so selfless. We get it already."
Jessie shrieked in delight as she stepped through the door and slapped her gloved hands over her mouth as the sound carried through the thick green expanse of forest. This was not the interior of Mullingar's finest hospital. The ground beneath her feet was muddy and squelched as she shifted her weight. Leaves let the last of raindrops fall from their tips, dotting Jessie's shoulders. The air was so crisp and clear with the smell of freshly blooming flowers and unpolluted oxygen that it seared its way to her lungs.
Narnia. She knew the quiet sounds of wildlife. Though the landscape around her was unfamiliar territory, she started picking her way north. She had to come across a civilization sooner rather than later if Aslan was behind her miraculous appearance as she suspected. It had been two agonizing years since she'd last ventured into a Termarine oppressed Narnia. Maybe she would stumble across Caspian. She wondered if he was King by now.
Maybe she would run into the Pevensies. Three fourths of her heart swelled with hope. The other remained fraction faltered in such an array of emotions, Jessie could not make out the most dominant one. Susan and Lucy were as wonderful as sisters and Edmund was entertaining in his own way. But she was not ready to face Peter again. Not after the long absence following their split.
She'd been so convinced she was in love with him when she fought at his side to aid Caspian. Even after returning to London to finish medical school with him, they'd remained inseparable. Then the real world had hit with all the might of a Narnian battlement. Work had pulled them in opposing directions. Family matters had distracted them from each other. Finally the distance became too much and she'd written Peter saying what she thought was best (that they should see other people), what she thought he needed to hear (that she was happier this way.) And he had not argued with her.
That was one year ago.
Jessie's pace was cautious and graceful while she travelled. The steadily rising sun was kept at her right from the glimpses she caught of it through the tangled overgrowth of trees. Finally, she spotted an archway that must symbolize a city and broke into a run. Branches tore at her pristine attire, but she paid them no mind. Narnia's freedom and spirit was filling her, quenching a thirst she had not know she carried.
When she emerged from the forest, her sprint slowed to a defeated jog. The archway looked one gust of wind away from crumbling to the ground. Likewise, the sparse collection of houses and buildings behind it swayed erratically on their foundations. The only sign of life she spotted sat under the gates with a blind man's rag tied over his eyes and a rusted cup held out for spare change.
He inclined his head at the ground, hearing her footfalls approach.
"Could you spare a copper?" he asked, voice surprisingly strong.
Tatters of clothing hung off a frame Jessie guessed might once have belonged to a Knight. How had he fallen to this? A cap was pulled low concealing all but the soot stained hair at the scruff of his throat. A dark beard covered his jaw and dirt was smeared across the left over span of skin.
"What is this place?" Jessie asked. Surely no city in Narnia could have fallen to such ruins under Caspian's watch.
The man's head snapped up as if she'd called his by name. He stared straight at her, blind gaze eerily locked on her face. A tug came from Jessie's gut inexplicably. Surely Aslan would not want her to associate with such a low man.
"What do they call you?" he inquired.
"I am Lady Jessica Horan of the Serene Autumn clouds." The title flowed out of her like she had never left Narnia. She was someone of importance here. Someone this man would know even without his sight.
"Jessie." He smiled disregarding all formality, but then again she doubted he cared anymore with his way of life. "Truly an honor." The smile faltered only for a moment and she took a step back. She could not trust this man. Maybe that's what the feeling in her gut had been: a warning.
"Thank you. I must continue on my way, though. Can you point me towards Cair Paravel?" she tried to make her voice something that could not be questioned, but it came out as small and timid as ever.
"I wouldn't recommend traveling these parts alone. This is giant territory. What do you think devastated this city?"
Jessie surged past him, tired of listening to his grating voice. There had to be someone left in the city. Anyone would be a better traveling companion than a blind beggar. The man followed her, bafflingly at ease on his feet. The walking stick swung though it never struck anything. Maybe it had something to do with his bare feet. Maybe he had some strange connection to the earth and could sense what was ahead.
"Did you not hear me say devastation?" he spoke. "No one is left except me. They fled at night. None wanted my burden and I cannot find my own way."
Suspicion reared up in Jessie as she peaked into a vacant house. This man didn't look like he needed or wanted her company. He had to have an ulterior motive. His teeth were too white for his status as he grinned, attempting reassurance towards her.
"The next town is a day's walk south. Let us make the journey together," he pushed on.
Jessie fought down the overwhelming urge to spit no at him. Aslan had brought her here for a reason. Her job was to help people and this man was unashamedly asking for her air.
"We leave now. What's your name?" With her frustration at the situation, Jessie's voice came out more clipped than usual.
But the man just smiled away. "You may call me Mag."
Well, there you go. Review and let me know what you think. I am absolutely thrilled to be writing these characters again.