Chapter 3

When Clare was fully awake, she tried to understand what just happened. Was it just a dream, or was it...the future? She didn't want whatever it was to end because she felt happy there. Happier than she had felt in a long time. A very long time.
Clare went downstairs and told Aunt Polly about the 'vision' that she had.

"Clare," she said, and sighed. "I have something to tell you."

She told Clare all about her adventures in Narnia, and Aslan, and the White Witch, and Professor Diggory Kirke. When she was finished, Clare was awestruck. She couldn't believe that her Aunt Polly and her friend helped the great lion Aslan defeat the White Witch.

"So, what do you think my 'visions' mean?" Clare asked, as she was still curious as to what they meant.

"I'm not sure," Aunt Polly replied, bustling around in the kitchen, "It could be anything. Aslan works in mysterious ways, dear."

"I think I figured that out, Aunt Polly." Clare mumbled to herself.

"What was that, dear?"

"Nothing!"

As Clare was walking to the market, she saw an alleyway that she had never seen before. She stopped to look at it, and when she did she noticed a door at the end. It was a long alleyway, but Clare wanted to get a look at that door.

As she got closer, Clare noticed that the door was glowing. She had no idea what that could be, or what could be behind there.

"I don't think I should be over here." She thought to herself. She was starting to turn around when she heard a voice coming from the door.

"Clare," it said, in a deep, almost growling voice, "Clare, come closer, dear girl. Do not be afraid."
Clare didn't know why, but she started to turn back around to face the door and walk towards it.

"That's it, come in, Clare. Nothing bad is here, I will protect you, and so will Peter."

"Peter." Clare whispered, as she reached for the door knob. She turned it and pulled. At that moment, there was a blinding light, and then a forest.

"Where am I?" Clare asked in awe, as she looked around. It was a nice green forest, filled with lots of trees. The trees. They almost seemed to...dance.

"You're in Narnia, dear one. I am Aslan, the creator. This is a place that is filled with joy, happiness, and love. Here, you will find Peter, for he is High King here. His brother and sisters are also kings and queens, for they live at the castle Cair Paravel.

"Aslan, was this the place in my dreams, the one with all five of us, at Cair Paravel?" Clare asked, still amazed at such a place.

"Yes, dear one, this is the exact place that I have showed you in your dreams. This is the place in which you will live, at least, for now. Now, come, for I have many things to tell you about." Aslan said, motioning for Clare to follow him.

"Excuse me, Aslan, but where are we going?" She asked, walking to him and looking ahead.

"To Cair Paravel of course. We have to find Peter, don't we?" Aslan said with a knowing look.

"Oh, I suppose you're right." She smiled to him.

"Here is where I leave you," said Aslan, "for you have to find Peter yourself, and you will tell him how you got here. But don not tell him about your dream. He does not need to know that yet. It will all work out the way I planned it. Good luck, dear one."

"Aslan, you mean it won't happen the way it did in my dream?" Clare asked him with a puzzled look.

"Things never happen the same way twice, dear one." He said with one last small smile.

And then he was gone.

"Thank you Aslan." Clare said, as she headed off towards the castle. As she got closer, she could see a man standing in front of the doors, talking to a small group of other...creatures? They weren't human, well, some of them were half, but others were animals, animals that could...talk. Talking animals. This was by far the most interesting day of Clare's life.

When she was almost right behind the man, she could see that he was very young, maybe 17 or 18. He had a crown on a head of blonde hair, and was tall.

She decided it was best as to not interrupt the meeting, so she sat on a rock by the castle and waited. It wasn't long after she sat down that the group disassembled, so she hopped up and ran to the doors before the man went inside. As she got closer, she slowed to a walk.

"Hello! Um, I'm not exactly sure where I am, could you help me? I'm supposed to be looking for a man by the name of Peter Pevensie." Clare called to the King, or so that's what she figured out he was.

The man stopped and turned around. "I'm Peter," he said to her. He thought she looked familiar.

"And you ar-" A look of recognition dawned on him. "Clare?! Clare Miller from the train? How did you get here?!" Peter asked with some excitement.

"Peter! Yes, it's me Clare! I didn't recognize you! I thought you would look different! I don't exactly know how I got here, but I went through a door and then I met Aslan and he brought me here."

"You met Aslan? Well, you're very lucky; we didn't get to meet him until we found him!" Peter laughed. "Please, come inside. I'll introduce you to my brother and sisters."

When they got in, Clare could hear footsteps coming down the staircase. It was Lucy.

"Peter, have you seen my-" Lucy noticed Clare standing there and squealed with delight. "Oh, Peter! You didn't tell me we had a guest! It's a girl, too! Oh, now we outnumber you and Edmund 3 to 2 Peter! Where's Susan? Susan! Come meet our guest!" Lucy shouted up the stairs.

"Just like in my dream," Clare thought as she smiled.

"Lucy! What's all your shouting for? Is something the matter?" Susan called back to Lucy from the hallway.

"No, nothing's the matter, sister, just come and meet our guest Peter has brought!"
Susan came down the stairs, much more calmly than Lucy, I might add, and smiled when she saw Clare.

"Welcome to our home. You're a friend of my brother? What's your name?" Susan asked, very warmly.

"My name's Clare, and I met Peter on the train in London." Clare said smiling back to Susan. "I hope I'm not intruding-"

"Oh no, you aren't intruding on anything! And I love your name! Its suits you well! It's very pretty!" Lucy giggled with excitement.

"Lucy! Don't interrupt." Susan said sternly.

"Sorry." Lucy said, looking down.

"That's alright, Queen Lucy. I sometimes forget and interrupt people too when it's something exciting." Clare grinned to Lucy. She grinned back.

"Thank you, Clare, but it's just Lucy. No need to be formal with me!" Lucy was never one for titles, but she used hers when it was important.

"Nor I." Said Susan smiling at them both.

"Nor any of us." Said Peter, smiling to Clare, "Now! Where's Ed? He was supposed to be back in 10 minutes ago. Ah! There he is now. Ed! Edmund! Come say hello to our guest." Peter waved Edmund over to them.

"Hello! And what's your name, love?" Edmund asked Clare with a wink. She looked very embarrassed, and Peter shot Ed a glare.

"Oh, my name's Clare, Clare Miller. Pleasure to meet you, your majesty." Clare blushed at the name that he gave her.

"Clare, you don't have to call me anything. It's just Edmund. Or Ed. Either one." Edmund told her, smiling.

"Alright." Clare said, still blushing.

"Well, Clare, would you like to take a tour of the castle? I can take you, to show you where everything is, so you don't get lost. It would be ever so much fun!" Lucy said with enthusiasm.

"How about I come as well? I may do a better job of navigating than Lu." Ed said, chuckling as Lucy stuck her tongue out at him.

"What do you think, Lucy? I don't mind. The choice is yours." Clare told the younger girl.

"Ed, I think you should stay here and help me go over papers for the council." Said Peter through gritted teeth and motioning towards the council room doors.

"Why Pete?" Asked Ed with mock-confusion. "I just think he doesn't want me to be with you so I have a chance to ask you to court me before he does." He said to Clare behind his hand, but loud enough so everyone could hear.

"Ed!" Peter looked at him shocked and with red cheeks. Clare's eyes got wide and she blushed and looked down. Lucy and Susan were to the side, giggling.

"Well!" Said Lucy, who was still laughing, "I think we should get started on the tour before dinner. I think it should be an 'all girls' tour, so you boys stay here and work on what you wish. Come along, Susan!" She said as she grabbed Clare and Susan's hands and led them up the stairs.

When they were finished with the tour, they headed to Susan's room. They sat down on the bed, and after Lucy closed the door, she jumped on the bed and said to Clare, "Peter and Edmund fancy you! You can just tell they both do, the way they're competing with each other!" After she caught Clare's look, Lucy corrected herself. "No, no, no! That isn't what I meant-"

"I think what Lucy's trying to say," cut in Susan, " is that our brothers are...very...competitive when it comes to things. Edmund and Peter both fancy you, it's just Edmund will go to a length to get a rise out of Peter."

Clare wondered just how far Ed will go, and if it might cause some problems.

"Alright," Said Susan, "the boys are probably wondering where we are. I suggest we head down to the Dining Hall and eat. What do you think?"

"I think that is an excellent idea, Susan. Let's go." Clare said as they got off the bed.

Clare followed Lucy and Susan out the door, and shut the door with a thud. This time, she didn't wake up. Instead, she followed Susan and Lucy down to the Dining Hall and found Peter and Edmund already there. They were standing behind their chairs, most likely waiting for the girls.

When Lucy and Susan went behind their chairs, Clare just stood there.

"Pick a seat, Clare, anywhere you'd like is fine." Susan said, gesturing to the chairs.

"Thank you." She smiled and walked over to a seat between Edmund and Lucy. Everyone was still standing, and Clare was wondering what they were doing.

"Clare, since you are our guest, you may choose what we dine on tonight. You may have anything you wish." Susan explained.

"I'm not really sure, so you can decide on what you would like." Clare told them. She didn't have a clue what they had here, or usually had, and she didn't want to pick something that they disliked.

"Well, alright then. Lucy, it's your turn to decide." Peter turned to the youngest.

"I think, we should have the normal dinner." She smiled and looked at the others for approval.

"Excellent choice, Lu." Edmund rolled his eyes.

"Ed," Susan raised her eyebrows.

"Sorry," Ed mumbled. Clare smiled and was wondering why they were still standing.

"Oh! Goodness, I forgot we were still standing! Everyone may be seated." Peter said to everyone.

Edmund walked behind Clare's chair and pulled it out for her."Thank you, Ed." She smiled to him. After she sat down, he pushed her in and sat down himself. Peter gave him a glare and Ed smirked back. Susan, Lucy, and Clare looked at each other knowingly as Edmund turned to Clare.

"So, Clare, regale us with the story of how you ended up in Narnia." He said, curious himself.
Clare told about her aunt, the door, and Aslan, and by the time she was done, the table was in awe.

"Amazing," said Lucy.

"I thought so." Clare said while looking at Peter. He smiled at her, and she smiled back. Susan and Lucy noticed this, and smiled to each other. Edmund also noticed this, and he cleared his throat. Very loudly.

"Are you alright, Ed?" Clare asked with a concerned look on her face.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine, Clare." He said smiling to her. She smiled back and then looked down at her food that had just arrived.
"Oh yes, he's fine Clare, he just didn't like you and Peter smiling at each other." Lucy said, giggling.

Both Peter and Clare blushed very deeply, and Ed just glared at Lucy, which just made her giggle harder. Susan grinned at all of them.

"Oh, shut up Lu." Ed and Peter said simultaneously. Well, that started a whole new fit of laughter. Lucy, Susan, and this time, Clare, who was no longer blushing, almost fell off their chairs laughing. A few seconds later, Peter and Edmund joined in. Pretty soon, everybody was clutching their stomachs laughing.

After they settled down, everyone started to eat.

"Clare, our monthly ball is coming up soon, for next month, and Lucy and I need help planning it. Would you like to help? It's not that hard of a job, just making sure everything is in order." Susan asked Clare.

"Oh yes, I would love to help. It sounds very exciting." She responded enthusiastically.

"Great! Thank you so much! We can get started after dinner." Susan smiled to Clare and finished eating.

"So, Clare, do you have any place to stay? If not, you're certainly welcome to stay here." Peter said, looking at Clare.

"I don't, actually, thank you so much Peter. You've all done so much for me already. How will I ever repay you?" She smiled at Peter.

"You don't have to." The four said simultaneously. They all looked around at each other, and Clare smiled.

After dinner, everyone exited the Dining Hall and into the gardens for their evening walk. Edmund, Lucy, and Susan were discussing what the color theme should be for the ball. Peter and Clare were walking behind, just talking.

"So, Clare, the ball is coming up, and since you just arrived, I was wondering if you would like to go with me? As my guest of course." Peter added quickly; she shouldn't know, yet, that he was falling for her that fast.

"I would be honored to go with you, Peter, thank you." Clare smiled at him, and they continued their walk until they walked all the way around the garden, and then headed inside.

When they had gotten into the Entrance Hall, Clare, Susan, and Lucy went off into the Ballroom to start planning, while Ed and Peter, well, I don't really know what they got up to.

"While we were walking, Lucy, Edmund, and I were discussing the color theme. Ed wasn't much help, as he's not a man of decor." Susan smirked at them.

"I think it should be pink!" Lucy said simply.

"You think everything should be pink, Lu." Susan turned to Clare. "I think Clare should have some say in this, as it is now her ball, too."

Clare was about to refuse when Lucy spoke up. "Come on, Clare, Susan's right, it partially is your ball now, too, with you helping plan and living here now." Lucy shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, what were the colors for the previous balls?" Clare asked Susan as she pulled out her planning details. "I wouldn't want to pick the same color." She flipped back and started at the very first one.

"Let's see, the very first one was gold, because that was after our coronation, so we can't have that. Then there was red, silver, green, that was Ed's birthday, and pink." Susan looked at the list and then back up at Clare.

"How about purple?" Clare asked, since that was a sensible color that hadn't been chosen yet.

"I like that color, don't you, Susan?" Lucy asked her sister.

"I think that would be a lovely color. Now, we just need the food and the flowers. Everything else is already done." Susan replied, rolling up her papers. As they looked out the windows into the gardens, they saw Ed and Peter riding out into the field and practicing with their swords. It seemed that Ed was going to win, but Peter finished with a move that disarmed Ed. By this time, the girls had moved out onto the balcony, and were watching them.

Peter, who was facing them, noticed and shouted up to them. "Why, hello, girls! Have you finished planning?"

"Not quite!" Susan yelled back, "we just need to figure out the flowers and what the food should be and then we should be just about done!"

"Well, alright then, but if you need any help, we would be happy to!" Ed called up to the girls, as he was now facing them, also.

"Thank you boys!" Clare shouted down and smiled, and they smiled back.

"Did you see us practice? Do you think we did well?" Peter asked Clare.

"Oh yes, I thought you were wonderful!" She replied, grinning down at him.

"Eh," said Lucy, shrugging her shoulders.

Ed made a face at Lucy and she giggled. Clare smiled at all of them, and Susan suggested that they head inside.

"We'll be along in a minute, girls. We will meet you in the Entrance Hall." Peter called to them before they turned around and headed back to the stables.

By the time the girls got inside, through the Ballroom, and into the Entrance Hall, the boys had just walked in.

"Well, that was an exciting day. I say we head to bed and meet each other in the Dining Hall for breakfast in the morning." Peter said, looking at them all.

"I agree with you, Peter, I'm so very tired. Let's walk up together, shall we?" Lucy asked, looking at Susan and Clare.

As they started walking up, Peter grabbed Clare's hand.

"Sorry," he added, blushing and looking down, "but I needed to talk to you without the others knowing."

Clare looked back up and saw Edmund look down, and Clare gestured for him to keep going. He nodded and continued his walk up the stairs.

"It really is good to see you, Clare. I didn't know if or when I'd ever see you again." Peter looked into her eyes.

"It's good to see you too, Peter. I was looking forward to seeing you again ever since that day on the train." Clare looked back at him and smiled.

"So, what color did you girls decide on for the ball? Or can't I ask that?" Peter smiled at her as she thought.

"Well, I'm not sure if Susan wanted to tell anybody, but if you can keep a secret, I'll tell you." Clare said after a minute.

"That's good, because then I'll be able to have an outfit ready in time. Susan's always been horrible at those time things." Peter said dramatically, "She thinks everybody will be ready on the day something happens, and so it's always a rush for our tailors to have something ready in time."

"The color theme is purple, so you can find something for that. But don't tell anybody I told you that, or Susan won't trust me for anything."

"Don't worry, I won't, you can trust me. You have my word as a King." Peter raised up his hand.
Clare laughed, and they headed up the stairs. Peter walked her to her room, and then went to his own.

The next morning, everyone gathered in the Dining Hall. Lucy asked Clare where she was last night, as she didn't walk up with them.

"Oh, I was alright, I was just talking to Peter." Clare explained.

Susan and Lucy turned towards Peter. "What?" He said, "I have a right to talk to her."

"What did you talk about?" Lucy asked.

"Lucy, don't be so nosy." Susan told her, sternly.

"Oh, it's alright, it was just about the ball." Clare told her.

"I hope you didn't tell him what color we picked." Susan raised her eyebrows at Clare, and she shook her head.

"Good," Susan smiled, "because I was going to tell them now." Peter and Clare looked at each other.

She stood up and opened her arms. "This balls color is purple!" She said with excitement.

"Very original, Su," Ed rolled his eyes.

She looked right at him, leaned forward, and with narrowed eyes, said, "Clare picked it out, Ed, so if you have a problem with it, you don't have to come."

Ed looked scared; he took back what he said right away and Clare laughed.

"That's what I thought," said Susan as she sat down.

After breakfast, the five headed to the Ballroom to start putting out décor. Just as they had started, a centaur came galloping in and said that he needed to speak to High King Peter urgently. They went off somewhere, and the girls and Ed continued their work.

"I wonder where Peter went off to..." said Lucy as she put a tablecloth on a table.

"Probably to take care of a matter for the council," Susan responded.

Clare was puzzled by the sudden interruption, as this had never occurred before. Nonetheless, they finished setting up, and then went up to the dressing rooms to survey the outfits for the ball.

Ed had picked out a stunning, deep-purple cape to go with a silver-looking tunic. It was absolutely beautiful. Susan had a lovely, light purple dress, Lucy had a purple dress with lace, and Clare, well, Clare's was the most beautiful of all, I think. It was a combination of the darkest blue and purple, and it shimmered in the light. I wouldn't be surprised if all of the men attending this ball would want to dance with her. She was a sight to see. The dress, oh, it had the most beautiful designs on the side. It had white lace on the bodice in patterns that looked like snowflakes. The bottom-half of the dress fanned out and had a ruffled look. A diamond necklace and tiara went along with it, which only made the outfit more beautiful (if that's even possible) than it already was.

After going through the wardrobe for the ball, the four decided to head downstairs and take a stroll through the garden. As they were walking, Peter rode up on his horse with his armor on and his sword in his sheath.

"Where are you off to, Peter?" Lucy asked with curiosity on her young face.

"I'm sorry, but I have to take a journey to the North. I hear there are some trolls up there that need to be taken care of. I know it's short notice, but I really have to go. It's my duty as a king." He said with a straight face.

"When will you be back? In time for the ball, I hope?" Susan asked.

"I'm afraid I don't know, dear sister, but I shan't be gone too long." He said as he turned his horse around. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I really must be off. Goodbye, sisters, Ed, and Clare." Peter waved as he rode off, soldiers following behind.
"Ah, oh well," Susan sighed, "At least he won't have to leave during the ball. I was so looking forward to him being there, though. I do hope he will be back in time, because it is a month from now."

"I'm sure he will, Susan. I don't think he'd be very happy if he came home after the ball and you were after him." Clare smiled. On the inside, she was melancholy because she was supposed to go with Peter.

"Yeah, I'd rather take the trolls any day than face an angry Susan." Ed put in.

Susan turned to him and pursed her lips, and then went on to finishing setting up.