Realm Of The Edain

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Lord of the Rings and everything associated with it such as the Silmarillion and the Chronicles of Narnia are owned by J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis respectively.

Summary: It was the destiny of the Pevensies to eventually reach Narnia and become the Kings and Queens of that land, but what if the youngest of them traveled to another world first?

For Lucy Pevensie is all began with a game of hide and seek. She knew that her elder siblings thought that it a game reserved for babies but she didn't care. It was one of the few moments were they weren't bickering. Edmund it particular had become mean. He rarely talked and when he did he more often than not insulted his siblings.

It was also his fault that Lucy had to find a new spot to hide, since he had shooed her out from her previous hiding spot, a curtain. Grumbling she ran up the stairs and opened the first door she could find, or at least attempted to since it was locked. She repeated this process several times until she finally found a door that was unlocked.

She rushed into the room and closed the door quietly, if she strained her ears she could hear Peter slowly counting down. Lucy tried to ignore this and took in the room in front of her it was bare save for a huge object, that was covered by a white sheet, at the far end.

The world around her seemed to disappear until only she and the covered object remained. She felt herself walking towards it slowly the game long forgotten. Lucy raised a singly trembling arm and touched the sheet and grasped it. With a single motion she pulled it down and revealed the object.

It was a beautiful wardrobe. with elaborate carvings all over its surface. Lucy paid them little mind, she opened the door slowly and stepped in. If later asked about this she would never be able to explain what compelled her to do so. Though at that moment she had the feeling that the wardrobe or rather that something beyond it beckoned to her, like a mother who teaches a child to walk for the first time.

She closed the door behind her and continued to walk towards the back of the wardrobe, though something told her that she wouldn't find it. Nonetheless she never hesitated in stepping towards its back, her hand outstretched pushing the winter coats, which dominated the entire wardrobe, out of her way. She was ripped out of her trance like state when an ice cold breeze seemingly froze her outstretched hand. It wasn't just the sudden coldness that enveloped her hand that startled her, it was also the fact that her conscious mind knew that there shouldn't be any wind at all, especially not one as freezing cold as this one was. It was Summer after all, contrary to what her siblings believed she wasn't stupid just because she was young.

However her curiosity would not allow her to simply turn back. She put one of the winter coats despite the fact that it obviously meant for someone far taller than her. Once she was sure that she had taken every precaution she could think of that would help her to avoid any kind of illness, she continued her journey into the unknown.

Step by step she walked towards the place where she felt they icy wind, there it was again right in front of her she could feel the air getting colder, the air currents seemed to dance invisibly before her eyes taunting her to take the final step. She took a deep breath and surrendered to the temptation this unique phenomenon presented her with. She took the last step forward, and promptly fell on her face. Apparently there had been a step between the ground of the wardrobe and the earth.

Earth? Lucy thought confused, her pain forgotten once she took in her bearings. Grass, Trees and… are those hills in the distance? What is this place? Lucy wondered and looked around her in awe, wherever she was she was in a beautiful region, the entire country around her at a natural, untouched almost wild feeling to it, which only made it more beautiful for her.

She was the only person for miles around, and as much as she loved her siblings she really could do with the peace and quiet. Her first instinct was to simply wander off, before she did so however she soon realised that if she would do so than she could easily lose her way home.

As she thought about the problem she came up with an incredibly simple solution. She walked back to the wardrobes 'entrance', which from this side looked like a tree that has a huge notch in it, and grabbed a few of the coates and proceeded with hanging them onto various branches, this way she would know that this was the right tree, and she could easily find it if she didn't walk off too far.

For the first time in a long while Lucy felt free, free of the fear of the german bombers that would come to bombard London, free of the fear for her father's life since he was recruited for the army, free of the near constant nagging of her siblings. Here she could simply be Lucy, an eight year old far away from the worries of the world.

The sun still stood high in the sky, which meant that she had plenty of time before she had to return. In this moment she was very grateful to professor Kirke, he had taught her how to discern the time simply from the position of the sun in the sky. A skill that was forgotten by many since the introduction of clocks, either in one's own house or the ones of the churches. She had listened attentively to him even when her older siblings got bored and left.

Maybe it was her love for nature that caused her to do so, but regardless of the reason she was glad to have acquired the skill.

She wondered what she should do first, she could simply explore the surrounding area, or try to climb a tree, simply run through the grass until she no longer could. Ultimately she decided to go into the forest, to climb trees, if possible see some wild animals and to simply get rid of her abundant energy. Of course the main reason for her choice was that both Peter and Edmund forbid her to go into the woods alone.

"It is no place for a little girl." They had said, since then she had wanted to prove them wrong. And what better place to start than a forest where they can't stop me from exploring? With that thought she began to explore the forest and the surrounding area, she didn't know exactly how long she walked through the woods and tried to discover every secret it may hold, but when she was finally exhausted the sun had already started to set.

The western hills glowed with the light of the setting sun and cast shadows upon this peaceful land. Lucy couldn't remember the last time she had been as calm as she was now. She briefly thought of her siblings and that they too would like to see something as beautiful as this but she quickly banished the thought. Perhaps she would get them later for now she was just happy to have had a few quiet hours to herself. They probably haven't even noticed that I have been gone, too busy with quarreling with each other. Lucy thought with a sigh and turned back towards the tree that lead back into the wardrobe.

With one last glance back at the setting sun she walked into the wardrobe and once again made her way through the various coats. Or at least that had been her intent, alas it was not to be. With mounting horror she discovered that the doorway has been shut, and nothing but the few coats hanging from various branches as proof that she had not simply imagined everything up to this point.

Refusing to accept this turn of events Lucy began to wildly hammer against the solid tree trunk, as if believing that such an act would open up the hidden way home once more. Unfortunately for the young girl her hopes were not realised as she fell to her knees, breathing heavily, vision blurred from tears, and hands aching from hitting the hard wood so often. Whimpering softly she grabbed two of the thick winter coats and used one of them as a mattress and the other as a blanket.

She didn't know what else to do other than to wait and hope that the secret path would open up to her once more in time. Her eyes fell shut as the moon rose from the eastern horizon, thus she fell into a restless slumber plagued by strange and terrifying dreams. Luckily for the Lucy the dreams were the only things to plague her in the night, for she was far from civilization and any wild animal or worse could have stumbled upon her.

As it was she woke up shortly after sunrise, her back aching from the hardness of the ground, but this was not her main concern for the door had yet to open up again as she discovered with dejection. "What should I do?" She whispered to herself again and again, like a mantra to keep a lid on the quickly growing panic within her young mind.

"Help, I need to find help." She decided eventually, surely an adult could help her get back to her siblings. She needed only to find one, deciding that she would head east Lucy walked in the direction of the slowly rising sun, one coat still slung around her shoulders to keep the cold morning air at bay.

Minutes eventually turned into hours, the sun had reached its zenith and Lucy still had yet to find signs of someone else beside herself. Furthermore the young girl was rather hungry and thirsty, the thirst she could quench by drinking from a crystal clear stream, however she had nothing to satisfy her need for food. To make matters worse she had to admit to herself that she had lost what little orientation she had once possessed, and was very much uncertain if she would even find the way back to the tree that had brought her to this place.

Thus she had no choice but to continue forward, even though her feet hurt and she felt weak from her lack of nourishment she did not give up. She walked ever to the east, only that now she was no longer facing the sun but the rising moon. Lucy was tired, so very tired but also desperate enough to continue on.

And so it was that the young girl collapsed beneath the starlit heavens, too tired and weak to continue on even though she willed it with wild abandon. Though her position was uncomfortable so exhausted she was that it did not take her long to fall asleep once more. This time Lucy was not tormented by any terrifying dreams, and indeed her slumber was far more restorative than her last one had been.

Perhaps it was luck that caused the young Pevensie to sleep as long as she did, or perhaps it was fate. Whatever the cause, as Lucy lay upon the ground sleeping deeply, a band of horsemen drew near her. The fur coat contrasted heavily with the grass she slept upon, the riders had no trouble spotting her and moved towards the unaware girl. In fact so deep was her slumber that she did not hear them until their leader turned her over in concern.

Blinking owlishly she gazed upon the man that was softly talking to her, though she couldn't understand a world he said. "Who are you?" She asked, voice wavering in fear even though she tried to avoid it.

"Peace, young one." The man told her kindly his grey eyes filled with warmth gazing into her own. "We came upon you during our patrol, are you hurt child? Where are you parents?"

At the mentions of her parents tears shot unbidden into her eyes. Without waiting for her to say anything the man pulled her into a soft embrace and began to whisper in her ear, once more in the melodic language she heard him use before. She was aware that she was lifted up and sat atop the man's horse, but right now she could little more but cling to the man as he urged his horse onward.

As she slowly calmed down she began to notice things around her once more. The people around her were all dark haired and grey eyed men, and all of them were taller than anyone that she had ever seen before. Their apparent leader with whom she rode, seemed to be the tallest of them all, and their knightly armor reflected the sunlight like a pool of silver.

"Do you feel better child?" The leader asked her with a gentle tone and offered her small smile. She merely nodded shyly in reply, uncertain how to ask the man to help her return to her tree when he preempted her. "Something bothers you… come tell me your story young one and I shall see if I can aid you."

And so she did, she told him of her home and the war that was going on, of the evacuation of London and her siblings and her moving to the countryside and Professor Kirches house, and about the wardrobe and the tree. Not once did he interrupt her or express any form of disbelief, only when she finished talking did he speak.

"Your tale sounds truly outlandish and impossible." He began and she already made a move to protest only to be cut off by the man. "Yet I see no lies or madness in your eyes and mind… though I fear that I do not know what to make of your tale, I think it would be best if you could recount it before the king."

"The king?" Lucy squeaked out in shock.

"Aye, he is wise and knowledgeable man." He told her and gifted her with another smile. "Worry not Lucy Pevensie, for he is a kind man as well, you have nothing to fear."

"You talk like you know him well." Lucy noted and scrunched up her face in thought as he laughed merrily in reply and brought his horse to a halt, the rest of their company followed his example.

"So I do Lucy, for he is my grandfather, King Araphant fourteenth king of Arthedain." He told her with a small grin and gestured to the side. "Now behold the capital of our realm, Fornost, my home." Lucy followed his gesture and gasped in wonderment, she was no stranger to cities, having grown up in London after all, but this was something else altogether.

The cities beautiful spires seemed to reach into the heavens themselves and its unyielding walls seemed to exude a sense of safety that she had never felt before. Even from a distance she could see countless people moving about, the city was as alive as it was beautiful. Despite her wonderment she managed to ask one more question as they drew closer to the cities mighty gates. "What is your name? You still haven't told me."

"My sincerest apologies my lady." The tall man replied gently no hint of mocking in his voice, only a sincere apology. "I am Aranarth, son of Arvedui it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Lucy Pevensie, please allow me to welcome you to Arthedain and our fair city."

Author Notes:

Nomad-117: I hope you enjoyed this small bout of creativity, yes lets call it that, it is an idea that I had quite sometime ago but never really got around of writing. And what better time is there than exam time to relieve some stress?