A/N: Much thanks to everyone who has been so receptive of this odd story, and thanks to Andi for her advice. Enjoy!
When Jill and Edmund returned to Polly's house, it was nearly lunchtime. They entered the kitchen, where Lucy was making soup for lunch and Edmund sat on a stool, looking through the newspaper. Lucy could tell right away that Edmund was in a poor mood, but Eustace immediately started in with questions. "Where did you two go? What are you up to?"
"Eustace, please," said Lucy with a sigh as she stirred the soup. But Eustace ignored her. "Come on, Ed, what were you doing today? Jill? Hello? Anything?"
Frustrated, Jill growled, "Eustace! Leave off with your ridiculous questions!" She plopped down on a stool next to him, giving him an aggravated look.
Eustace huffed, offended. "Well I would if you would just give us a clue as to what you two are doing. And don't try to deny it, because I know—"
"You don't even know what you are talking about!"
"You needn't shout. I was just asking."
"Enough," said Edmund wearily. He leaned against the counter, frowning. He nodded to Jill, and she began, "Edmund and I saw the Professor's writings. He's been collecting information about artifacts that are from the other world. He even has notes on people he believes may have visited Narnia at one time or another. We haven't said anything to the Professor, or to Polly. We went today to see a dealer about a ring that he believed came from Narnia."
"A ring from Narnia!" Lucy's eyes were wide. She opened her mouth as if to say more, but nothing came out.
Eustace, who had completely forgotten his quarrel with Jill, asked excitedly, "Was it really? From Narnia, I mean?"
Jill nodded. Lucy gave a cheer and clapped her hands. "This is wonderful! A real ring from Narnia? Did you buy it? Can we go and see it?"
"Lucy, it's the White Witch's ring," Edmund said. "At least, we think it is. It's the same design: body of a snake, mouth open, round stone inside. The stone is wrong, though—hers was blue, but this one is red. But I remember it. It was on her finger when she made me Turkish Delight, and when she drove the sleigh, and as she plotted with her Dwarf." He left it at that, knowing that she would understand what he meant.
Somewhere, inside her memories, one rose to the surface in Lucy's mind: crouching with Susan on the hillside, watching Aslan being tied to the Stone Table, and the Witch holding her knife in the air triumphantly, with the glint of a ring shining in the torchlight. Lucy gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "The White Witch! Her ring is here, in England?" She looked over at her brother. "How could this be? How could anything of hers be on this side?"
"She was in England before, remember," said Jill.
"Of course I do . . . but she wore that ring when we were there, years and years later." Lucy's voice had become very small, and she felt very small at that moment. She and Edmund looked at each other, and she was a bit comforted knowing that he understood. Despite all they had done, and all the danger and terrible things they had faced in Narnia (and in England, during the war), the White Witch was more terrifying than all of them, simply because she was the first evil they had ever faced.
"This doesn't make any sense," said Eustace suddenly. The others looked over at him. "She's dead, right? How could anything from Narnia make it over here?" He put his hands on his hips. "It has to be a mistake. A ring doesn't walk between worlds on its own, and the Witch is dead and gone, so she didn't bring it over. You must have it wrong." With that, Eustace felt the matter settled, but Edmund just shook his head.
"There's more," said Jill. "There was a man there, an older man, who seemed to know more about the ring. When he saw Edmund, he knew that he was a king, and told us that he was supposed to have the ring. But the store clerk sent him away before we could ask him anything, and practically pushed us out the door."
"We're going back tomorrow," Edmund added. "I'm going to get some answers from them, and speak to that old man. I want to know how he knew who I was."
"Well, we're going with you," said Eustace. "It's not fair that you two get to have all the adventure." But to his surprise, Edmund agreed, saying, "We'll need all the help we can get. Besides, I don't think the clerk will ever let us in again, whether or not we could afford to buy that ring. He was really rude to us once he found out we couldn't pay, and then was furious when his grandfather made a fuss. He'll probably ring for the police if he sees us again."
"How much did the ring cost?" asked Lucy. When Edmund told her one hundred pounds, Eustace nearly fell off of his chair. "That's robbery!" he said. "How can you charge that much for anything, with the market the way it is these days?"
Jill rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter what the market is, because he said he had a buyer."
"We have to buy that ring," said Lucy matter-of-factly. "We can't let someone else have something that belonged to her." Jill thought that a very odd thing to say, but Edmund was in full agreement. "Don't worry, Lucy, we'll get it. First things first, however—how much money do we have now?" They all emptied their pockets and purses, and put everything into a pile on the table. Eustace very happily started counting, and when all was finished, they had exactly sixty-seven pounds. "He'll never give it up for so little," said Jill.
"Perhaps not," said Edmund. "But I think I may have a plan to change his mind."
They spent the rest of the day getting ready, and the next morning, the four set out to the little shop. Eustace adjusted the tie he was wearing, which was a little too tight. "Do I really need to wear this ridiculous outfit?" he complained.
"Yes," said Edmund. "You need to look like a real scholar." They had rifled through the closets in Polly's house to find the right kinds of clothing: for Eustace, a suit, tie, and hat (which made Jill erupt into giggles whenever she saw him in it); and for Lucy, a fancy dress and pearls. It was one of Polly's from when she was a young girl, and although it fit (which was the main factor in choosing it), it was very old fashioned. Lucy was worried she would look horribly out of place, but Edmund reassured her, saying, "This way, you look like you come from old money." He received a swat on the arm for his efforts, and as they stood a few yards away from the shop, Lucy checked her reflection in the window of a bakery.
"All right," Edmund said, "Lucy, you in first. Give her about ten minutes, Eustace, before you go. Jill and I are going to circle around the back and try to find a way inside. We'll meet down at the corner in 30 minutes, no matter what. Everyone understand?" They all nodded, and Jill and Edmund went off to find the rear entrance. Lucy gave Eustace an encouraging smile, and taking a deep breath, went through the front door.
The shop was just as Jill and Edmund had described, and Lucy looked around in delight. It was the sort of place she could spend hours looking through, searching for little treasures among the shelves. She lingered for just a moment near a display of books before a voice broke through her daydream: "Good morning, miss."
Lucy snapped her head up and saw a young man coming around the counter. She decided he must be the rude grandson, but put on her best smile and said, "How do you do. I'm looking for a gift for my dear great-aunt. She is a collector of unusual jewelry. Do you have anything that I might be able to give her?"
The clerk's face broke into a huge grin. "Of course, miss. Come right with me. I have a wonderful selection of jewelry to show you." With that, he led her over to the counter, and slipping behind, he began to pull down boxes and boxes, taking each top off. He pulled out necklaces, and bracelets, and earrings, and pearls, and all sorts of brooches and cufflinks and the like. He spoke about each one as if it was a treasure beyond measure, begotten through daring and noble deeds, but if Lucy were to be completely honest, she thought that most of it looked to be a load of junk and nonsense.
He was showing her one particular piece, a silver bracelet that had apparently once belonged to a Russian princess, when she finally interrupted him, saying, "But I'm looking for something truly unusual, and these just aren't unusual enough. Don't you have anything else?" Lucy was trying to sound very snobbish, but was afraid that she sounded ridiculous.
"Miss," said the clerk with a waning smile, "perhaps if you could describe the piece you are looking for with more detail, then I could find something better to your liking."
"Oh, I don't know," said Lucy, throwing her arms back in a dramatic way. "My dear great-aunt likes jewelry that is unusual—"
"Yes, you've mentioned that," muttered the clerk.
"What she really likes," said Lucy, ignoring the remark, "are snakes. Do you have any reptilian jewelry? Perhaps something with a stone?"
The clerk looked at her strangely for a moment, and then said, "Well, yes, as a matter of fact, I do have a ring that might fit that description." He turned and pulled out the same small box and pulled out the ring she had come to see. Lucy looked at it carefully, and slowly picked it up to examine it closely. A shiver ran up her spine as Lucy thought of this ring on the Witch's hand as she fought with her brothers, as she turned Tumnus into stone, as she pushed the knife into Aslan.
The door bell chimed, and the clerk excused himself to see to the new customer. A few moments later, Eustace slid up next to Lucy and whispered, "Is that it?"
Lucy nodded. They stared at it together until the clerk returned. "Is this to your liking, miss?" he asked.
"I like it very much," she replied. "How much are you asking for it?"
"This ring is very old, and very important to my family," answered the clerk. "I couldn't possibly let it go for less than one hundred and twenty pounds."
Lucy opened her mouth to protest the raised price, but then remembered herself and said, "Are you sure the price is fair?" She batted her eyelashes. "I would hate to pay the wrong sum for it, if it is truly as important as you say."
"Miss," said Eustace, "if I may interrupt you for a moment. I couldn't happen but overhear the asking price for this ring." He plucked the ring from her hand and held it up close to his face, then pulled it back, then close, then back, as if he were examining every detail. Lucy looked nervously at the clerk, who was staring at Eustace with a very odd expression. "After a close examination," Eustace continued, "I have determined that this ring is a fake."
"A fake!" exclaimed Lucy in a shocked voice.
"Yes, miss," he said, handing the ring back to her. "A clever fake, but a fake, of that I am sure."
"And who are you to determine if a ring is fake or not?" asked the clerk hotly. "You don't look like a jewelry expert to me."
"I happen to know exactly what I'm doing," answered Eustace, very offended. He turned back to Lucy and said, "Do you see the markings on the side? That means it is not even a high quality gold. And the stone? Nothing but glass. It's very pretty, but not worth much." Lucy pretended to look closely at the ring, but she was actually trying not to look at Eustace to keep from laughing. If anyone could be great at being a know-it-all, it was Eustace. "I wouldn't pay a penny over thirty pounds for this ring."
"What's this about?" exclaimed the clerk. "Thirty pounds! I could never let it go for so little!"
"Are you sure?" asked Lucy.
Eustace drew himself up, as if he was about to make a great speech. "Miss, you don't know me, and I don't know you. We've never met before. There is no reason at all for me to lie to you. I do not make it a habit to give advice to people I have never met." Lucy kept a smile on her face, but inside, she wished that Eustace would stop being so dramatic before the clerk became suspicious. "But you must believe me, even though you have no reason to do so. I would never lie to a young lady that I do not know."
The clerk held out his hand. "If you do not want to pay the full price, then I believe that our business is at an end." He motioned for Lucy to hand him the ring back. "Now if you please, I have other buyers who are interested."
"I'll give you sixty pounds for it," said Lucy quickly. The clerk refused, and then Lucy decided to pull out her last attack. Her lip trembled, her eyes grew wide, and she began to sob, "But I'll never be able to pay that much! And I need to buy this ring! My great-aunt is so sick, and this will cheer her up!" Eustace put a consoling arm around her, saying loudly, "This poor young woman spending her last pennies on this gift! If only this man was able to help, and to give her a fair price!" There were a few other customers wandering among the shelves, and by this time they were all staring at the scene.
The clerk tried frantically to hush them both, but after a few minutes he finally said, "All right then, you can have it." Lucy clapped her hands, and thanking him over and over again, quickly took out her purse and her money. She shook his hand and thanked him again, and then finally, she left the shop with her treasure still clutched in her hand.
Eustace joined her outside a few moments later. "Well, that was close," he said, and the two erupted into nervous laughter. They leaned against each other, tears streaming down, until finally Lucy said, "We should move along, before that awful man sees us." Eustace agreed, so they made their way down to the corner that had been set as the meeting place.
When they arrived, the others were nowhere in sight. "I do hope that Edmund's getting along all right," Lucy said. Eustace shrugged and checked his watch. "It's only been twenty minutes, so I'm sure he's fine."
"Excuse me," said a voice from behind. They turned and jumped: for a tall man with dark features was standing over them. Lucy thought that he looked somehow familiar, and she instinctively clutched her hand tighter around the ring.
Eustace, more offended by the proximity of the man rather than the interruption, said curtly, "What do you want?"
The man's eyes were fixed on Lucy. Quietly he began, "You seem so—" but then he cut off and shook his head suddenly. "You have something that belongs to me—or rather, was supposed to be mine."
Eustace moved so that he was standing between Lucy and the stranger. "What are you going on about? Move off. You don't know who you are speaking to."
The stranger laughed. "I think you have that wrong, young man. It's you who should worry about me. That is my ring you purchased, and I've come to collect it. You have a choice: you can give it to me now, and part ways as friends, or you can refuse. But be assured, if you refuse, I can make things difficult for you."