Just a little reflection time for Eustace after they've returned home. He remembers something and asks Edmund about it. And no I don't own any rights to the Narnia series. :(
After they had been sent back to their world, Eustace spent more time reflecting on what had happened in Narnia than Edmund and Lucy, if that was even possible. Often his parents would catch him sitting in the window seat, an encyclopedia open on his lap and his eyes glazed over in thought. At first they thought he was coming down with a cold, but when no other symptoms had shown in the first week, they feared he had gone insane. But whenever Lucy would find him like that, she would join him on the seat and pat his hand lightly, and tell him about the time she had spent in Narnia. Sometimes Ed would join them but most of the time, it was just them.
He loved it when she would start telling a story. Her voice took on a different tone, one that Eustace had only heard once before, when they were on the Dawn Treader and the crew had asked Lucy to recount a story from the Golden Age. Eustace hadn't paid much attention to what she said back then, but he remembered her voice. It was much older than her teenage one, more regal and entrancing. She was a natural storyteller. Or, he thought ruefully, she learned it there.
He thought back to how she had acted as well as spoken. She had seemed so much older, older than Susan! He wondered how long the Pevensies had been there. If time passed normally on this end, years could pass on the other end without us even knowing. She had told them they had spent several years over there, but he figured they must have spent at least a decade, if not two in Narnia.
He marveled at his cousin, wondering how on earth she got along being a teenager again. He had only been there for a few weeks, and he was starting to feel the difference in age. He had grown at least an inch on the Dawn Treader, and he had to get used to being shorter again. She had probably grown a foot or two in her time in Narnia, not to mention years older so having to revert to a ten year old girl again must have been horribly inconvenient. Plus not having anyone treat you like the adult you had become must have been hard.
He suddenly remembered the time when they had been kidnapped by Pug and his gang of slave traders. At the time all Eustace could think of was terror and panic. But he remembered Pug taking him in the room while the others were fighting. He watched all of them, their blades swinging and now, having time to reflect, he realized just how skilled they were, especially Lucy. Then he had shrieked, causing everyone to stop. Lucy had turned towards them, ready to lunge at Eustace's attacker, but had thrown down her sword in submission. He remembered the blazing fire in her eyes, one that should not have come from a fifteen year old girl. But at that moment, she wasn't fifteen, he realized. She was a queen of Narnia, five and twenty years old, defending her kin on her own soil. She was a battle ready warrior, who knew when to quit even if it meant giving in to men like Pug. Her eyes had shown the anger of one who had seen, no, brought, men like Pug brought to justice, but she had failed to accomplish that this time.
Suddenly, Edmund showed up beside him, leaning against the frame of the window. He sighed staring out of it at the rain.
"How did you do it?" Eustace asked quietly.
Edmund looked down at him confused for a moment, then smiled sadly when he realized. `"There wasn't anything we could do about it. We tried to act like kids again around the adults. Luckily the war makes every kid act few years older anyways."
"Lu must've been an incredible fighter." Eustace stated looking over at the subject who to an average person, she was merely was dusting off the bookshelves at the moment, looking rather calm while wielding the feathers.
Both boys smiled, gazing at a completely different sight, one where she was striking blows with dusty Telmarines and running with her healing cordial to the small figurines that had tumbled over during her attack. "She most certainly was. Only did it when she had to though. She doesn't like anyone fighting."
"But when she has to, bully, she's as good as a man!"
"Yeah, yeah she is."
"When did she have to fight?" Eustace asked curious.
Edmund thought for a moment then grinned. "Well, there was this one time..."
Edmund and Eustace sat in the window seat for most of the afternoon with Edmund recounting stories from Narnia's Golden Age. Lucy joined them after her chores were done. And for a few moments they were not children talking amoungst themselves. They were noblemen and women of Narnia's High Court retelling the tales of battles, warriors and peaceful resolutions.
