As Gwen predicted, Peter did mean them and if you're wondering how it's possible for a hedgehog and mice to fight in a battle, let's just say those quills are sharp and Reepicheep wasn't the only mouse who can hold a sword. While I won't go into all the events of the battle, I'm sure you already know it was a success and wouldn't make sense to retell it all here. The White Witch was defeated, the Pevensies were named kings and queens and all was happy and good in Narnia. As for our lead, Gwen is still a hedgehog, but it wasn't as if she didn't try to be turned back.
Gwen crept over to Aslan as he stood proudly at the coronation. "Hey, you know," she whispered. "I sure was brave during that battle, wasn't I?"
"Indeed" was the Lion's reply.
"Brave enough to be turned back into a human?" she prodded, hopefully.
He looked at her blankly. "No."
"Aw, come on!" Gwen whined.
"You haven't learned your lesson."
"And that lesson is...?" But the Lion was already walking away from her. "Lesson! What lesson is he even talking about?" the hedgehog muttered, rejoining the mice at the coronation buffet. Fiona was sitting in Mr. Tumnus's glass of wine when she approached and Mr. Tumnus was looking at it with disdain.
"...and then I just wiped that giant out!" Fiona was saying. "With my bare hands, just Fiona the giant slayer." Mr. Tumnus was nodding along but he looked at Gwen with wide eyes, begging to be released from this conversation. He was saved by Queen Lucy pulling him away to talk with the Beavers. "Alright!" called Fiona. "Talk more next time!" Gwen climbed up the table and sat beside her. "Isn't this great? We're battle scorn heroes now! We saved Narnia!"
Gwen shook her head at her friends enthusiasm. "War isn't that great, Fi. Trust me."
"I know, but this one was pretty epic. I mean, the swords and the bows and arrows..."
"Where I'm from there are no swordfights, just guns. You don't even have time to react before you're gone." Gwen shuddered, recalling the war back at home in England and the whole reason why she was even here. If she hadn't been sent away to live at the professor's mansion, she wouldn't have discovered the wardrobe and would have never found this magical place.
Fiona sighed. "That does sound pretty terrible."
"Worse."
Fiona hesitated, unsure what to say to her friend but then was distracted by Kings standing off to the side. "The Kings are free! Let's go talk to them." She grabbed Gwen's hand and dragged her across the table toward the Narnian monarchs. "Excuse me." she said with a little cough.
"Oh, hello there." King Peter said with a smile.
Fiona shoved Gwen, who sighed. "Congrats on your, uh, coronation and stuff. That must be pretty great."
"Well," King Peter said with a shrug. "It's something I could get used to. I don't think back home I'd even dream of being a king."
Gwen nodded. "I know what you mean." Peter squinted at her in slight confusion, before Fiona butted in.
"Who came up with the titles?" she asked, leaning against his arm. "Because 'magnificent' reeeaaally suits you." King Edmund snorted.
Peter smiled kindly at her. "Well, thank you." He turned to Edmund. "Finally someone notices."
Edmund rolled his eyes and turned to Fiona. "As if he doesn't have enough ego already!"
Gwen cackled. "Tell me about it." She grabbed a berry from the fruit platter and popped it into her mouth. "So, what are you guys going to do now that you're kings?"
Edmund shrugged. "I guess we'll just rule."
"More specifically," Peter said, cutting his brother off. "Sign legal documents, visit with the people, rebuild infrastructure; all that good stuff."
Edmund nodded. "What he said."
Fiona sighed dreamily. "Wow, you're going to be such a good king..."
"Thank you, good citizen." Peter said, puffing out his chest.
"Okay, okay," Edmund said, pushing his brother away. "We're going to go before my brother's head explodes."
Fiona grinned at her friend. "And that's how it's done." Gwen shook her head.
