Serenity POV
"Professor Kirke is not accustomed to havin' children in this house." Mrs. Macready told the new children as she led them up to their room. I watched from the stairs, hiding so no one would see me.
"And, as such, there are a few rules we need to follow. There will be no shoutin'. Or runnin'. No improper use of the dumbwaiter." I watched as the oldest girl of the group reached out to touch a stone head.
"No touchin' of the historical artifacts!" Mrs. Macready yelled, causing the poor girl to jump in fright.
"What happened to 'there will be no shoutin'? Wasn't that the first rule you mentioned?" I let my presence be known. The children jumped but Mrs. Macready turned and glared at me.
"And above all, there shall be no disturbin' of the professor. Now, children, Serenity will take you to your room." Mrs. Macready glared at me, challenging me to say no.
"And since when have I ever been a maid? But, seeing as how these are the only people my age, I'll be nice. Maybe." I nodded my head to the group and started to walk away, I could hear them following me, though their footsteps seemed hesitant. I didn't blame them; I was the same way when I first got here.
I came to a stop between two doors. I pointed to the one on the left.
"This one is yours. The one on the right is mine. The bathroom is down the hall to the left. Anything else?" I questioned as I leaned against my door. The oldest boy shook his head no. The oldest girl – the one who had tried to touch the stone head - smiled.
"I'm Susan Pevensie. This is Peter," she gestured to the oldest male. "This is Edmund," the youngest male. "And Lucy," the youngest girl.
"Serenity Thompson." I nodded my head, giving her a small smile.
I bid them good-bye and walked into my room, closing the door behind me. I quickly went to my sketch pad. I was working carefully on drawing Aslan. It had been years since I saw Him... I was five then. Now I was nine. I sighed and went to sleep thirty minutes later.
LpEpSpPpSt
I woke up the next day to the sound of rain. I sighed and started to explore the house. Again. It was my third day at the house and every time I tried to explore, Mrs. Macready would find me.
But today felt different. It felt like I was being guided or pulled into a certain direction. It was very strange.
I found an old room with nothing in it, aside from something covered in a white sheet. I lifted the sheet up and saw a wardrobe. I wonder if there's anything I would like in it, I thought as I slid the door open, careful not to pull the sheet off.
I knew it was wrong to steal, but at the moment I didn't really care. I'd give it back. I only wanted to see if there was anything that I would like to wear whilst I was here – yes, that's good, I told myself. Just a little peek to see if there was anything that I'd wear around here. I'd put it back.
And, with that thought, I slid inside, using my miniature torch to light up the clothes. I guess it's a good thing I brought my sleuth bag, I thought as I began to shift through the clothes. I found various coats but nothing I liked. I kept walking.
How big is this thing, I thought as I kept walking. I tripped over something and fell, face first, into... snow?
I jumped to my feet and shook myself off. It was defiantly snow.
I was standing in a forest, covered with snow. Shaking off the cold, I continued to walk forward until I came to a lamppost.
"Why is there a lamppost out in the middle of nowhere? And why is there a nowhere inside of a cupboard? How queer," I said as I looked at my surroundings.
I walked around and finally saw something other than trees and snow. It was a beaver. That was not something that I expected to see.
"A beaver? What are you doing here?" Then I remembered something.
"You will be called back to Narnia, young one, when you have met the two Sons of Adam and the two Daughters of Eve. You, Serenity, shall be their protector. You will be young when you unite with them. Three shall be older, but you must not be intimidated. You will do well, Serenity. You are their protector. It is your destiny," Aslan told me before nodding towards the door that would lead to my closet. I didn't want to leave, but I knew I had to.
"I will do my best, Aslan. But I can't do this alone." At first, I thought someone else was talking. But then I recognized my own voice. I sounded so wise and mature, though, it was hard to tell. But I knew by the twinkle in Aslan's eyes that I said what He needed to hear.
"You will have help, Serenity Thompson. You are not alone. Always remember that." Aslan assured me with a loving and calm voice.
"Thank you, Aslan. I will do my best to make you proud. Good-bye, Aslan." I whispered and gave him a hug.
"Good-bye, Daughter of Eve. Serenity."
"Narnia," I gasped. It was nothing like how I left it.
"You know of Narnia?" The beaver asked me. I jumped backwards.
Did that beaver just talk to me? Well, one way to find out…
"Who are you?"
"I am Beaver. And you are?" Mr. Beaver asked with a voice full of curiosity.
"Serenity. Serenity Thompson."
"The daughter of Eve? The one who is only allowed in Narnia when she has met the Kings and Queens of Narnia?"
"Yes. The very one." I replied and heard what sounded like bells in the distance.
"You should not be here. Not now. You should leave, quickly. Follow me." Mr. Beaver started to run away and I quickly followed. He led me back to the lamppost that I first saw when I came into Narnia.
"Please, be safe. Next time when you come, bring the Kings and Queens. Beware of the White Witch." Beaver pushed on my leg and made me go forward, but not by much.
"The Whi-"
"No, hurry. Get back to the human world. It's safe there. The Witch will have you killed. Go!" He shoved me one more time and I went back the way I came.
A few seconds later I was in the wardrobe again. I quickly got out, being sure to keep the sheet up. With a final glance at the wardrobe, I walked away, pretending I wasn't even there.
I walked back to my room, almost as if I was in a trance. Beaver's warning had me on edge, though I wasn't too sure as to why. Who were the kings and queens, though?
"Two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve."
"I'm Susan Pevensie. This is Peter," she gestured to the oldest male. "This is Edmund," the youngest male. "And Lucy," the youngest girl.
Two boys… Peter and Edmund… Two girls… Susan and Lucy…
I froze. They were the kings and queens of Narnia? It was possible… It had to be.
When I was in my room, I locked the door and fell into bed. I laid there, listening to what sounded like Peter counting. He was in his fifties...
They must be playing hide and go see, I smiled at the thought.
The great kings and queens of Narnia, playing hide and seek. I slowly went to sleep, a smile on my face, listening to the sounds of Peter counting.
"It's all right! I'm back! I'm all right!" I sat straight up in bed. Who was screaming? I got out of bed and followed the noise.
"Does this mean I win?" Susan asked. I looked and saw the Pevensie children standing in the middle of the hall way.
"I thought hide and seek was a quiet game," I said and laughed when the Pevensie's jumped.
"Sorry, if we disturbed you. Lucy has a good imagination. I don't think she wants to play anymore." Peter apologized. I smiled.
"I've been gone for hours." Lucy said slowly, trying to convince both her and us. Lucy grabbed Susan's hand and led her to a room down the hall. I faltered. It was the room with the wardrobe. Lucy pointed to the wardrobe. "I hid in there."
Susan opened the doors and spread the coats out, Peter looking over her shoulder. She knocked on the inside of the wardrobe and Edmund knocked on the back. It was solid. No forest. No snow. No Narnia.
Had I been dreaming that? No, Lucy had seen it as well.
"Lucy, the only wood in here is the back of the wardrobe." Susan stated, pulling away from the wardrobe to look at Lucy.
"One game at a time, Lu. We don't all have your imagination," Peter sighed. The three Pevensie's started to walk away, leaving Lucy and me alone.
"But I wasn't imagining!" Lucy called to them, tears beginning to form in her eyes.
"That's enough, Lucy." Susan said as they all turned to stare at her.
"I wouldn't lie about this!" Lucy's voice was thick with emotion and tears were forcing their way to her eyes.
"Well, I believe you." Edmund stepped forward.
"You do?" Lucy asked as her face twisted into a look of confusion.
"Yeah, of course." I smiled, hoping that Edmund was being nice to his youngest sister.
"Didn't I tell you about the football field in the bathroom cupboards?" Edmund asked, his voice joking. I frowned. He could have just done something real nice for his sister, but instead he had to make fun of her. Lucy bit back tears.
"Oh, will you just stop?" Peter's question came out more like a demand. "You just have to make everything worse, don't you?" Peter took a threatening step towards Edmund.
"It was just a joke!" Edmund replied, taking a small step backwards.
"When are you gonna learn to grown up?" Peter shook his head, looking at his brother with disappointment.
"Shut up! You think you're Dad but you're not!" Edmund shouted at Peter, getting in his face and then ran away, most likely to his room.
"Well, that was nicely handled." Susan shook her head and walked off to find Edmund.
"But... it really was there." Lucy whispered, capturing Peter's attention.
"Susan's right, Lucy. That's enough." Peter turned and walked away.
"Lucy?" Lucy turned to me, tears floating in her brown eyes.
"You don't believe me either, do you?"
"Lucy, I believe everything you have said. You were in Narnia, weren't you?" Lucy's face lit up.
"Yes, how did you know?" Lucy was no longer sad but excited. I smiled.
"I've been there before. But you must listen to me, Lucy. Do not go into Narnia alone. If you want to go back, come get me." I told her, kneeling down so we were face to face.
"Why can't I go alone? Is it the White Witch?" Lucy questioned, grabbing my hand.
"Yes, Lucy. The White Witch is a bad person. You must hope that you never cross her path. Who told you about her?" I questioned, suddenly remembering what the beaver said 'beware the White Witch'.
"Mr. Tumnus. He's a faun. He told me about her and he brought me back to the lamppost and then I was here... I was gone for hours... No one noticed. Why didn't anyone notice?"
"Time is different in Narnia then it is in the human world." I was surprised by how much I knew about Narnia. I had been there twice in my whole life and I was willing to bet that I knew more about Narnia then the human world.
"Come, Lucy. I'm sure your siblings are wondering what has kept you," I stood and smiled when she shut the door to the wardrobe.
"Can I come over to your room for a little while, please? Just when my brothers are fighting?" Lucy looked unsure of herself and I smiled.
"Sure. Come over whenever you want to, Lucy. I don't mind." I told her as we began to walk back to our rooms. We ran into Peter on the way.
"There you are, Lucy. I'm sorry if she was bothering you, Serenity. Come on, Lu." He grabbed her hand but Lucy didn't let go of mine.
"I want to talk to Serenity some more. She's really nice. Can I please, Peter?" Lucy begged her brother, giving him her best puppy dog look. Peter didn't know what to do.
"As long as it's all right with her, I guess it's okay," was Peter's unsure reply.
"Yeah, she can come over whenever she wants. You guys can, too." I gave Peter a smile to prove that it didn't bother me.
"Okay. Be sure to be back over before it gets too dark. You still need to get some sleep," Peter told Lucy, who gave a huff, and walked back into the room he shared with his siblings.
I opened the door to my room and was delighted to see the look of awe on Lucy's face. Even though I was nine, I was fairly well with a paint brush and pencils and markers. Anything that would make this boring room look like a place of fun and creativity.
"It's amazing, Serenity! How on earth did you do all this?" Lucy was looking around the room in awe, studying each picture I had drawn and hung up. She came to a stop at my bed and studied the picture of a huge lion with a five year old girl standing next to it, petting its mane.
"What do you think?" I whispered, not wanting to break the magical feeling in the air that seemed to buzz to life as soon as Lucy and I stared at the drawing. It was amazing. I felt like I was being set on fire at first, but it cooled and a tingling sensation was coursing through my body. Lucy shivered and I knew that she could feel it, too.
"It's amazing," Lucy whispered back. "That girl. She looks like you. And the lion... He's so... Life-like." Lucy leaned in closer and put her fingers to the mane of the lion, as if she could possibly feel its warmth and its silky mane running through her fingers.
"It is me. The lion is Aslan. You will know more about him in time. I promise you that, Lucy Pevensie." Lucy took her hand off the picture and turned to me, a smile lighting her face.
"Do you think we could go back to Narnia? I'd like you to meet Mr. Tumnus." Lucy's smile only grew wider as she talked about Mr. Tumnus.
"Okay, tonight we'll sneak out to the wardrobe and then you can take me to Mr. Tumnus. But we have to be careful of the White Witch, okay?" Lucy smiled and nodded her head franticly. I smiled.
"Okay, go to bed, Lucy. We have an adventure to start. Remember, though, you must never enter Narnia alone. You understand that, right?" I bent down so I was eye to eye with Lucy, trying to prove just how important that bit of information was. She nodded, a look of seriousness on her face.
"Good, now go to bed. Good-night, Lucy." Lucy smiled as she started to walk away, giving a tired 'good-night, Serenity' as she walked to her room.
LpEpSpPpSt
I stared at the ceiling, looking at the millions of pictures and sketches I had created over the years. I saw one from when I was five. The date indicated that it was my fifth birthday. The day I had gone to Narnia. I smiled at the memory, but took a closer look at the picture.
I had never paid much attention to my drawings of Narnia, fearing what I may see, but looking at this picture, I saw something I wasn't expecting to see. There, garbed in royal clothing, stood the Pevensie children. I stood on the bed, trying to get a better look. Trying to prove myself wrong. But it was them. Underneath them were words that I had to squint to see. The words were written in a beautiful gold color that twisted and twirled around the design of each person.
Around the figure of Lucy the twirling words read: Queen Lucy the Valiant. She was dressed in a beautiful white dress with a red and orange cape. Her short hair was no longer straight, but curled and a smile lit up her face. On her head rested a beautiful crown, the design resembling small flowers.
Around the figure of Edmund the looped writing read: King Edmund the Just. He was dressed in a light blue shirt with a white cape over it. His hair was neater then it usually was and a true smile was on his face. On his head was a silver looking crown that reminded me of leaves. He looked happy.
Around the figure of Susan the words read: Queen Susan the Gentle. She wore a simple but elegant silver dress and a green cape. Her hair was pulled back away from her face, proudly showing off the smile on her face and the crown on her head that resembled fall leaves.
Around the figure of Peter the neat scrawl read: King Peter the Magnificent. He wore a royal blue shirt and a gold cape. His hair, much like Edmund's, was combed neatly. A content smile was on his face and his blue eyes were blazing. A gold crown rested on his head, nothing like that of his siblings' crowns, but it fit him just as theirs fit them.
Another thing that shocked me was that I stood beside Lucy. It was a distance away but I could see it. If it were in real life it would have been no more than ten feet away. But there I was, dressed in a simple black dress and light blue tights under it. My hair was half up and half down with a stubborn curl hanging in my face. My green eyes were bright and I had two choker necklaces on.
One was black and had a small circle with four colors on it: red, blue, green, white. The other was a blood red color and had a picture of a human turning into an animal. They were unique and I doubted anyone could make another the same. I had no crown, though I looked just as happy as the Pevensie family.
A thin line of gold circled my form and I looked closer to see the words: Protector Serenity the Loyal.
I smiled and plopped down on the bed.
"Protector Serenity the Loyal," I whispered into the night, deciding I rather liked the name.