"This is Narnia all right." Lucy said getting out of the tent and looking around at their surroundings. "But where in Narnia are we?"
"No clue." Edmund said coming out of the tent too.
"What's that?" Lucy said before dashing off through the trees. "Edmund!" she called a moment later. "Come and see! I know where we are!"
Edmund rushed to her side. She was standing beneath the much rusted lamppost. It had grown into the surroundings and was held up by a young tree.
"I never thought we'd end up here. So now what?" Edmund asked, touching the sapling gently, it quivered slightly at his touch. The trees were alive now.
"We have to go to Cair Paravel and find out what's happening. We have to find out how much time has passed since we left. Remember? Last time a year in earth years turned into thirteen hundred years in Narnian terms." Lucy said practically.
"About six months, your highness." A pleasant, amused voice said from behind them.
They spun around and came face to face with King Caspian on his faithful horse Destrier. He smiled down at them benignly. The centaur Glenstorm watched them too from nearby.
"Caspian? Glenstorm"
"What are you doing here Caspian?" Edmund asked.
"We are out for a morning ride. What are you both doing here and why are you dressed so strangely?"
Edmund and Lucy looked down at their apparel. Edmund was wearing his pyjamas and Lucy her night gown. "We went to sleep in London and woke up here." Lucy said blushing.
"Well we must get you back to Cair Paravel and get you dressed properly. the quickest way is to ride. You don't mind Glenstorm?"
"For the kings and queens of Narnia, of course not."
On the ride through the woods and along the beach Caspian explained the current situation. One of his seers had detected a problem with the distant and presumed destroyed Charn. It worried him because Charn was where Jadis the White Witch had come from. She had destroyed the whole country, before coming to Narnia and creating the hundred year winter, and which now lay deserted. The whole situation puzzled him. He said that he would appreciate Edmund's input and thoughts.
When they approached the old ruins of Cair Paravel and the new Cair Paravel being built nearby the original Lucy thought she saw someone in the ruins.
"Help me down Glenstorm. I think I see someone in the ruins."
"You must be mistaken, Queen Lucy. There is nobody there."
"Well, help me down and I'll prove it." Lucy snapped. Glenstorm did so and she ran over to the ruined Cair Paravel.
Standing on the balcony was a very tall figure cloaked and hooded in white. Quietly Lucy approached.
"Lu? What are you doing?" Edmund asked from behind her. He and Caspian had followed her.
The figure looked back over it's shoulder and saw them. She didn't bolt as Lucy had expected. The woman turned. She was incredibly tall, astoundingly beautiful and seemed to glow with a golden light. She wore a dress of white, yellow and gold and the inside of her cloak was lined with gold. She carried a long white staff with a stone that glowed with the same golden light that she did in the top encased in a cage of the same wood as the staff. At her waist was strapped a belt with a long golden sword and around her neck hung a golden amulet with a glowing jewel of what appeared to be light. She had long golden hair and her eyes smiled out at them like pools of a deep blue pond. Her mouth was curled up in a gentle and knowing smile.
With one hand unmoving on the staff she dropped into a perfect curtsey to Lucy. "Greetings Queen Lucy the Valiant. Greetings King Edmund the Just. And to you also I extend my welcome, King Caspian X." she said from the curtsey. Her voice was gentle and low and seemed to draw you in.
"Who are you, stranger?" Lucy asked as Caspian and Edmund came and stood beside her.
"A friend, I promise you. My name is Solaris. I am a friend to Aslan." She rose from her curtsey. Lucy noticed that Edmund seemed captivated by her. Her sincere tone told them that she spoke the truth.
"Where are you from?" Caspian said almost accusingly.
"Charn. I was part of the royal family. My sister caused Narnia great trouble and I want nothing more than to rectify her wrongs." The deep blue eyes became earnest.
"And what was the name of this terrible sister?" Edmund asked stuttering slightly, although he had a feeling he knew the answer.
"Jadis, the White Witch. And she is the reason I am here. When my sister condemned this land to the eternal winter, I tried to stop her. Because the laws of Charn prevented her from killing me, she imprisoned me in her castle. I was trapped at the bottom of the frozen lake that surrounded her castle. When the ice melted I was still trapped. Aslan freed me. We have long been allies. I am not a white witch as my sister was. I am a gold witch. I fight for the sun and the light. I also fight for Narnia."
"One of my seers picked up activity from Charn." Caspian said.
"There is a plot amongst the Northern Witches to raise Jadis from the grave and with her the terrible magical army she has power over. They mean to claim Narnia once more. If we are to defeat them we must summon all the kings and queens of Narnia. King Caspian, you must blow Queen Susan's horn. She and High King Peter must be here. I shall depart to find Aslan. And I will need the help of Queen Lucy to find him."
"Of course." Lucy said quickly.
"Your highness, we need a plan. Aslan alone will not be enough." Solaris said, speaking now to Caspian.
"Do you have any ideas?" Caspian said as Edmund and Lucy left to change into the garb of Narnia. Caspian approached Solaris.
"I do. If we can we must prevent them from raising Jadis. But Aslan and I can attempt that. When we find him. But I must warn you, Jadis and her army can only be raised when there is a solar eclipse and when the comet Laertes passes across it. We have time before that happens. It will not happen for a month. But during a solar eclipse my powers are greatly weakened."
Caspian leant on the balcony rail. "Which puts us at a great disadvantage. Tell me of her army. What scale are we talking about?"
"Thousands. Her army is the one she was granted at birth. They are loyal only to her. But there is an upside. I too was granted an army to counter hers. If Aslan and myself fail to prevent her from being raised, that might be our only hope. We need an army of Narnians too. My army is not as vast as hers, but they are loyal to me. We need to work out a battle plan. But now my lord, you must blow the horn and summon the remaining king and queen."
Caspian nodded and took the horn from his belt. He blew it and Solaris smiled.
"Aslan told them that they wouldn't be coming back here again, how will he feel about them returning so soon?"
"Caspian, leave Aslan to me. He trusts my judgement and he will understand."
"How old are you?"
"I am as old as Narnia itself. My sister and I were born at the creation of the land. I am as old as Aslan, as old as time. My power comes from the sun. This stone in my staff is a star. But tell me, indulge me; I can see your heart and it does not beat for the one you are meant for."
"It doesn't?"
"No, sir. Queen Susan is not the one you are destined for. And yet is this love I feel from your heart?" Caspian looked at her in surprise. "I am blessed with the gift of empathy; I can feel emotions in others."
"I think it is love. Susan was so different. So beautiful. Wise and sweet, too." Solaris smiled at the dreamy look on Caspian's face.
"Although you are not destined for her, enjoy your time with her now. For now she is yours. And she is near. The call has worked. They will be arriving soon. Within the hour."
Glenstorm approached them. "Sire, your assistance is required with the plans of the new Cair Paravel."
"Of course." Caspian bowed to Solaris who curtseyed again.
A moment later she was joined by Lucy. "Do you know where Aslan is?"
"I do. He is not too far. Two days journey at most. Your siblings are on their way by the way."
"When must we leave to find Aslan?"
"Soon, dear one."
"In this battle, must I be kept out of the way? I want to help. I want to fight."
"Queen Lucy you will. I can help you. Give me your dagger." Lucy did so. "Small though this weapon is, it is enough." Solaris held it in the palm of her hand and opened her hand flat, staring intently at the dagger. The little dagger started to spin in her hand and slowly rose, still spinning, into the air. Solaris held her staff near it and the blade started spinning faster and glowed white. The stone in the staff also glowed. Solaris shut her eyes and the amulet around her neck glowed too.
A moment later she opened them again and moved her staff away. She lowered her hand from beneath the dagger and it slowly stopped spinning. "Take it, Queen Lucy. It is a gift."
Carefully Lucy reached out and grasped the dagger by the handle. Her eyes went white for a second and then returned to normal. She resheathed it, smiling.
"Now you will have the power to make a difference in Narnia. But I have much to teach you. Come now. We must begin immediately." Taking Lucy by the hand, Solaris led her to a distant corner of the ruins.