Of Death And Roses

By TravelingThroughTime

Disclaimer: Nothing's mine. Just a fan…don't own it.

Summary: After her seventeenth birthday, Lucy is thrown back into Narnia once more by the force of a…train wreck? How will she cope? And is there any turning back? Any hope of ever seeing Peter, Susan or Edmund again?


I miss you Peter, I miss you Susan and Edmund…I miss you, childhood.

Some of us want to grow up. Some of us are rather good at it; but some of us aren't; and I ask why it is that we who fear it are forced to embrace it anyway?

The last journey was embarked on the Dawn Treader….the picture on my wall; it had brought Edmund, Eustace and I to join Caspian once more.

Oh Aslan, dear Aslan…why did you have to send us away? Why did we have to get too old? I miss you Aslan. I miss your gentle voice, your warm eyes, your thick mane.

I miss you, Narnia. For now, you have become nothing more to me than a dream. Yet, my heart has always stayed with you.

~ Lucy

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"Come on already, the train's leaving!"

That must have been the last human voice she had heard before setting foot onto that train.

The locomotive had begun pushing steadily down the railway, it's engine roaring as it went along.

Her eyes had been glued to the window, just looking at the world outside, thinking to herself of all things that had come to pass.

It began with a disagreement with the unruly twenty year old boy who had been following in her shadows for a month now; trying to stake claim on her as if she were a prize to be won.

The girls who had claimed to be her friends, but they really weren't, had stabbed her in the back by making up a horrid lie on her about taking money out of the donations cup to buy herself clothes, just to cover themselves up…after all, Lucy would be the easiest to blame wouldn't she? She was after all a push over.

She was sick of people treating her like that, taking advantage of her kind nature.

The only things she really felt worthy for were her siblings; but Susan had gone to America and Edmund and Peter were busy with their own affairs. And as for Narnia, it had been lost to her years ago somewhere in time.

Lucy Pevensie had indeed grown into a lovely young girl. In appearance she was different from the little child she once was. Her auburn hair had grown long and a little browner, and she had rolled and teased it; hoping for that movie-starlet look…though subconsciously, she thought it looked rather silly at times, especially since it took her hours to make it wave.

Her freckles had practically vanished from her face, though, if you looked hard enough, you might see one or two that remained.

She was beautiful, or at least the boys thought so; but Lucy did not care for popularity or relationships. At heart she was still that little girl who was just pretending to want to grow up so that she may survive in the world. She wasn't as good at it as Susan.

She was headed to a place, a place where she would soon meet her brothers, though, that would never happen…not here in this world.

The train had thrust everyone out of their seats, and as the carts began to tumble, her eyes had fazed out and everything had gone black. The feeling of cold blood against her cheeks was the last thing that she had felt.

The crash had taken her numb, motionless body into a darker place; a place where love lived not, and where there was no light, no hope, no feeling…only cold.

Time seemed to move, but she seemed to only lay motionless, unable to speak, unable to breath, unable to move or see in the black pit. As it passed her by, she was unable to follow this father time.

Then, as soon as the dark had taken her, a warmth rushed through her body making her gasp to bring oxygen back into her motionless lungs. Her heart began to beat almost out of her chest, but then it's rush ceased into a gentle thump.

She could feel her fingers gliding through the grass. Her back felt somewhat stiff as if it had been lying contorted on an uneven ground for days.

The dawn flashed light over her closed eyes, making her squint from the flaming brightness.

She opened them, and it was an almost difficult task to achieve, as if her eyes had been lifted from a heavy curse.

She looked around, afraid and amused all at once.

"Am I in heaven?" she asked herself.

This had to be heaven, for there was no other beauty like this. What few places there were in the world, their beauty had been limited by man. This land was enchanting, untouched, unharmed and it was endless.

She regained her footing on the earth beneath her. The grassy hill from whence she stood overlooked an array of endless wild flowers, mountains, and great woodlands.

The air was comfortably cool with a breeze so gentle until it might have been compared to plush cotton.

Butterflies fluttered gracefully here and there, disappearing over hills and in the thick arrangements of colorful plants.

"I must be in heaven." she pondered again.

A twig had been crunched from behind her, and because all was so quiet in this untouched place, she had heard the slight step rather easily.

Turning slowly around, she could see a white horse stepping slowly out of the woods; but he cut off his steps towards her as quick as she had spotted him.

"Hello there." a smile was easing it's way onto her lips, her eyes fixated upon the regal white beauty that stood before her, his piercing blue eyes watching her every move with curiosity.

"Where did you come from?" she asked, trying to move closer to this angelic creature.

The horse began to back away, his expressive eyes now displaying suspicion.

"Wait, I'm not going to hurt you…" she begged. If the horse was to leave her, she believed she may cry. Just looking at him made her feel the pleasures she had once felt as a child.

The steed trotted back into the bush, but he paused to give her one last glare, a glare that said: Follow me.

Lucy might have hesitated, but her longing to touch the stallion had drove her to follow after him.

"Wait!" she called uselessly over and over again as she struggled to dodge vines, stumps and stones.

Her feet still bared the black high heels she had wore on the train ride. Her thick hair was slowly losing the waves she had worked so hard to get, easing back into that long, straight hair she had kept secret. Her body was dressed in a blue flared dress and her upper body covered in a pale yellow sweater.

The yellow ribbon was ripped from her head as she slipped beneath a tree that bared many unwelcoming vines, but she continued to follow the horse who seemed to shadow about the woodlands like a ghost.

The chase seemed hopeless for her. The stallion's graceful strides and his perfect leaps made it impossible for a seventeen year old girl, who had given up running a long to ago, to have any chance at all of catching up to him. Now the only thing she could hope to catch was her breath.

She stopped and propped herself against a tree, her panting heavy and uneven..

When at last she had re-gathered herself, Lucy found her way to a small brook where she took the opportunity for a drink.

The sips were crisp, cold and refreshing to her dry tongue. She couldn't recall the last time she had drank water so soothing…except in Narnia.

She sat on the edge of the brook, looking blankly into the babbling waters, almost making out her reflection in it's almost glass-like appearance.

She felt her face embracing a raging heat. Her lips tightened as a tear strolled down her face.

Her heart ached with emotions, her heart longed for her younger days.

There were times when she might have chosen for her and her siblings to remain in Narnia for always.

Now she was lost and alone; and even though this place was beautiful, she felt empty and unsuccessful in her longing for happiness.

Then, galloping sounds came from the distance of the woodland shadows.

She wiped her eyes and began looking around, expecting to catch a glimpse of the white horse again.

The gallops closed in, but if was not her white steed.

The brown, saddled horse was decorated in gold and red tassels, and upon his back was a rider as noble in appearance as the steed he sat upon.

"Who is that?" she asked herself, both frightened and enchanted by who this could be.

His long dark hair bounced behind him with each gallop of the horse's steps.

As he grew closer to where she sat, she could see that he was indeed handsome; a young and regal king.

"My lady, are you lost?" his voice shook her from her thoughts of him, and she looked almost dumb.

"My lady?" he asked again with concerned eyes.

"Oh…Oh, I…" what was the question again?

"Where are you from?" he leaped from the saddle of his horse and Lucy stood to her feet.

"…King Caspian?"

He scrunched his face at her in disbelief, uncertain of how this strange young woman knew how to address him. He had never seen her before.

"Do I know you?" he asked.

"It is I, Lucy!" she said, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Queen Lucy?"

She leaped across the brook and she threw herself into him, sobbing as he gently wrapped his arms around her. The tears were happy but at the same time they were sad.

"I thought I'd never see you again!" she continued.

"Queen Lucy, I…am happy to see you as well." his accent was still the same, his eyes and hair were still the same; but he had allowed a bit of stubble to grow upon his face.

"Caspian, you haven't changed…much." she said, looking up at him and allowing the King to dry her eyes with his sleeves.

"But you have, Queen Lucy." he said smiling.

"I thought I might have been in Narnia…Oh Caspian, this is the happiest day of my life!" she beamed. "But what about Susan and Peter and Edmund? Why aren't they here?"

"I'm not sure." he said. "I'm as shocked as you."

Lucy bit her lip, realizing that she was wrapped in the arms of Caspian, and it made her blush terribly. She had grown very shy in her older years, and the last thing she wanted was to be touched by a boy...though this boy was clearly a young man now, which made it all the more awkward.

"Why are you here?" he asked after she had pulled away from his embrace.

"I don't…I don't remember." she said, befuddled by her own words.

"What do you mean you do not remember?"

"I don't know." she simply stated.

"Perhaps you hit your head." he suggested, pointing at her forehead.

"Well," she mused. "I did wake up in the middle of a field. There was this white stallion. I tried to follow him but, I lost him."

"A white stallion? I've not seen any horse in these woods but my own."

"Oh." she said, a little disappointment ringing in her tone.

"Queen Lucy, you look tired. Let me ride you to the fortress; rest should do you well."

"Oh, but King Caspian I cannot sleep…I am too full of anxiousness."

"Trust me, rest is what you need."

She sighed, giving into his offer.

"Perhaps a nap wouldn't be so bad." she thought.

Caspian helped her up onto the steed, and he pulled himself up behind her and they galloped away.

Lucy was still curious about the white stallion. She wondered if he were an angel or perhaps he was sent by Aslan to guide her to the King.

As they rode through the woodlands, Lucy wondered who the new crowned Queen would be. She wondered how many children Caspian might have had by now. She wondered what other familiar faces she might see.

She had never sat this close to a handsome man; she couldn't help but acknowledge the thought. It was funny to her in a way…she always thought he was decent, but now there seemed to be something more to him, something she didn't see before; but she was quick to push the silly thought out of her head. He was more than likely to have a wife now.

TO BE CONTINUED…


Author's Notes: This is not book-based and it doesn't entirely follow what may happen in the future movies, though, I'm playing around with the movie here, not the book. This is sort of my take on what might have happened after Lucy's death. It was an ideal I had and I had to get it typed up. I may be a little off with a few things, but this is sort of my own little twist: A "What If" story.