Sixth-grade orientation. Lucy was busy trying to figure out her locker as Peter (now a senior), Susan (a very pretty sophomore), and a Lion Ambassador all tried to help her at once. Eighth-grader Edmund was trying to find Mr. Sheaffer's room, where he would have algebra class.

Edmund was standing outside the earth science room, completely confused (the room he was looking for was in the basement, and he was on the second floor) when two people suddenly appeared in a tangled heap on the floor; a boy and a girl. The girl recovered quickly and sprang to her feet. She was wearing clothes that were vaguely comtemporary Narnian-a grey skirt, black tights, black lace-up boots, black cami, blue shirt, and brown jacket. Her hair was pulled partially back and tied with a blue ribbon. She was familiar. The boy was still sitting on the floor, dazed.

"Edmund!" Elissa exclaimed, for the boy and girl were Caspian and Elissa. "Caspian, it's Edmund! Oh, what is this place? It's definitely not either Narnia or the Dawn Treader."

At that moment Peter, Susan, and Lucy came up the stairs looking for Edmund. They didn't see Caspian, as he was still sitting on the floor, nor did they recognize Elissa. Only Edmund had ever met her previously.

"Trying to make us the laughingstock of the school, Ed?" Peter asked. "Telling a total stranger about Narnia?"

Elissa's eyes were wide. "High King Peter, Queen Susan, Queen Lucy," she said, and curtsied. "I am Elissa, Caspian's queen. Um, Caspian, is it dignified for a king to be sitting on the floor? More to the point, in front of the High King and two queens?"

Lucy grinned. "Hello, Caspian."

Caspian struggled to his feet. His sword clattered against the handrail of the ramp leading to the rooms of Mr. Gallaher and Mr. Losh, Life Science and Earth Science, respectively. He greeted the Pevensies warmly.

Edmund looked at Caspian's sword. "Um, weapons are frowned upon in 'll go to our house; it's right near here. You can stay there, get clothes in the current style-Peter's should fit you, Caspian, and Su's should do for Elissa-uh, keep any weapons you have on you safe... The weapon's policy is kinda strict. As in, none at school."

"Is your home anything like Cair Paravel?" Caspian asked. Susan smiled and shook her head.

The group walked down the stairwell to the middle school office because there was no one in the high school office. When they walked in Mrs. Still, the secretary, and Mrs. Fonte, the middle school guidance councilor, looked up.

"Is it too late to enroll my friends Elissa and Caspian?" Peter asked. "They'll be...Caspian, you're my age, right? And Elissa is...?"

"Year younger."

"They'll be a junior and a senior. Uh, Elissa and Caspian Narni." He smiled at the pair. "N-a-r-n-i. C-a-s-p-i-a-n and...Elissa, how do you spell your name?"

"E-l-i-s-s-a."

"Thanks. Put Caspian in all my classes; we're very similar. Elissa, the ones I took last year. I'm sure she'll do fine. And...if they stop coming without warning...don't worry. Their parents are...uh...in the military, so their kids are staying with us for a while. But we don't know when their parents are coming back. When they leave I'll bring in a note to the high school office. Can we go now?"

On the walk to the Pevensies' house Caspian and Elissa looked wide-eyed at, well, everything. The houses next to one another (quite different than Narnia, where there was wide open space everywhere), the people (no one wore jeans and t-shirts in Narnia; rather, they wore tunics and breeches and nice shirts for the men and skirts and dresses for most women), cars (carriages, ships, and horses), and electricity (they were used to lanterns and candles for lights). When they reached the home of Peter and Susan and Edmund and Lucy they stopped on the sidewalk in front of the house."

"Just call Mom Mrs. Pevensie, and Dad Mr. Pevensie," Lucy instructed. "Not any fancy Narnian titles. They, Mom especially, think Narnia is imaginary."

They entered the house. Caspian and Elissa looked like they were in shock. Everything was so different than what they were used to.

"Hi, Mom," called Susan. "We're home."

Mrs. Pevensie came bustling out of a side room. Her clothes were covered in paint (she was redoing the basement). "How was it? Lucy, can you open your locker? Do you know where all your classes are? Are you happy with your schedule?" Lucy responded to each question with a quick nod. "Who are your friends? I don't think that I've ever met them before."

"This is Caspian and Elissa," Peter said. Caspian inclined his head and Elissa bobbed a quick curtsy, both of which charmed Mrs. Pevensie. Even masquarading as normal people the Narnians had courtly mannerisms. "Their parents are away and they have no place to stay. Could they possibly..."

"Of course! But you'll have to share a room, and they will tell you all about their imaginary country of Narnia. They have overactive imaginations, all of them. Wars, a witch killing a lion who was not a tame lion, kidnappings, requests for marriages. All set in this make-believe country. And they say that they were kings and queens there."

Peter sighed. "Mom. Narnia is not imaginary. Elissa, formal introductions for all six and a brief history?"

Elissa grinned. "My pleasure. I am Queen Elissa, married to King Caspian X. Your children are known in Narnia as High King Peter the Magnificant, Queen Susan the Gentle, King Edmund the Just, and Queen Lucy the Valiant. We all rule-or ruled-over Narnia and the Lone Isles; we were all crowned by the favor of Aslan, who is not, as you say, a tame lion. He was killed by Janis, called the White Witch, in the time before the four thrones at Cair Paravel were filled. According to the Deep Magic, if there is a traitor he is to be killed. Yet when one who is innocent is killed in the traitor's stead on the Stone Table the Table will break and death will work in reverse. Therefore, Aslan lives."

Mrs. Pevensie's eyes were wide. "They've gotten to you already. Made you believe in this Narnia they've made up..

Elissa got a look on her face, one that made her enemies' blood run cold and her friends wonder if this was the same Elissa they knew and loved. Then she spun on her heel. "Where are we sleeping?"

The four Pevensie children and the two Narnian rulers left the room, and from then on Elissa and Caspian never got on particularly well with Mrs. Pevensie. Her husband was another matter altogther. He believed them and quizzed them about every last detail of their lives in Narnia,

Yay! I wrote a long chapter! I'm so proud of myself. :) Reviews are, of course, welcome. And I'd appreciate it, obviously. Artygirl ;)