A man lies amongst a thousand other men groans, his hands twitching, his eyes open, his forehead shining with sweat. His groan goes unheard, unheeded as nurses tend to those even more serious than he. Fever twists his mind, his perceptions men come and lift him off his bed, he sees only shadows, only shapes. One of the nurses hears him gasp out "Peter! Susan! Edmund! Lucy! Helen!"; just as the doctor carefully slips a knife into his stomach. A few seconds later, the man is unconscious, dreaming of his children.
He feels softness under his hand, and looks down to see a small, sandy blonde head under it. The head moves, and he finds himself staring into the blue eyes of his eldest son. The chubby little face smiles at him, then turns and runs for his siblings nearby and as he runs, he grows taller, stronger and wider. They are all there, playing in the sand on a beach with a large castle behind it. The man laughs aloud as Peter takes a handful of water, and flings it in the general direction of his sisters.
Then, as can sometimes happen in a dream, the fevered man started to speak to his son, in a voice that was almost singing, and he was joined by a large, golden lion.
Father: Little boy
Aslan: Little King
Father: My oldest boy
Aslan: My Highest King
Father: The leader of my family
Aslan: The ruler of my Country
Together: You are so young to bear this burden
Father: So unsure
Aslan: So insecure
Father: But, I know you will triumph over every trial
Aslan: You will conquer every obstacle, even your own denial
Father: Be brave
Aslan: He is
Father: Protect them
Aslan: He did
Father: Look in his eyes, so stern, so fierce, so gentle and kind
Aslan: He's grown, in heart, body, soul, and mind
Together: You are now a king, you are leader
Aslan: But never forget
Father: to be a brother