Straight and to the point: I do not own Narnia. That is all.

A/N: I'm a tad bit disappointed with the lack of reviews from the last chapter. I love hearing feedback from my readers, so if you really like it, don't hesitate to send just a little tinsy winsy review. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the second to last chapter to Part I!


Eclipse of the Soul
Return to Narnia

Part I:
~England~
Chapter Seven:
~The Christmas Ball~
~Part One~

The big night had finally arrived. Christmas Eve was here and everyone was running around the house doing last minute chores, looking for missing shoes, or helping someone mend a sock. The girls had closed the door to Susan's room around 3:30 to start prepping.

"How long does it take to get ready?" Edmund asked in wonderment.

"Long enough," Peter had replied.

Edmund laughed and slapped Peter on the back, almost knocking him to the floor.

"You seem to understand girls more than I do, Pete."

When the sun had finally set, and the boys had finished getting dressed, they sat in the parlor waiting for the girls to come downstairs.

"Its 5:00 and they still aren't done," Edmund complained.

"Their women, it takes more than half the time it takes for men to get dressed."

"Like I said, you understand the opposite sex more than I do."

Peter grinned.

Meanwhile, the girls were almost done. Sarah was helping Lucy pin her hair back, while Susan was adding last minute touches to her makeup.

"Lucy, are you going with anyone? I didn't think to ask until now," Susan said.

"Nope. But I'm meeting Rachel there."

Susan smiled. Lucy and Rachel had grown close in the short time they knew each other and Susan was glad that her baby sister had found someone to talk with. Just then, the doorbell rang. Lucy ran to the window to see who it was.

"Lucy!" Sarah said, smiling at the younger girl's enthusiasm.

"Its Eric!"

"What? He's early!" Susan cried.

"No he's not. We're actually running a little late," Lucy replied. She laughed and skipped to the side to avoid being hit by a pillow.

"You look beautiful, Susan," Sarah said.

"We all do," she replied.

"Are we done?" Lucy asked.

"I guess so. Lucy you go first."

Downstairs, the boys had welcomed Eric into the house.

"So, I just want you to know that we'll be watching you, Eric."

Eric looked up, confused.

"Don't try any tricks with my sister, or they'll be hell to pay," Peter said seriously.

Eric nodded. "I would never hurt Susan."

Edmund laughed. "We're just teasing, Eric. Don't listen to anything Peter says."

Hearing footsteps on the stairs, they all went into the hallway to see the girls coming down the stairs.

"Seriously, though. Don't even think about it," Peter said with a wink.

Lucy was the first to come down, looking older than her physical years. Her pale pink dress was mid-length; the skirt was embroidered with red thread in intricate designs. She wore a red tear drop flower necklace with a matching bracelet, while her hair was pulled and pinned back by a red ribbon.

The moment Sarah appeared from behind, Peter sucked in his breath. She wore a light blue dress with silver thread. The short sleeves and hem of the skirt were lined with rhinestones in a wave-like pattern. Her hair was curled and hung loose above her shoulders, simple yet elegant. A silver chain was draped across her neckline with small hoop earrings dangling from her ears.

She smiled when she heard Peter's cough; it was a small smile, secretive and alluring. Peter blushed when he saw her looking at him.

"Susan, are you coming?" Lucy called up the stairs, for she had yet to appear.

"She hasn't changed her mind, has she?" Eric asked nervously.

Edmund shrugged and shook his head.

"Women," he muttered.

"Alright, I'm coming," a quiet voice said.

Susan glided down the stairs, a light smile on her lips and a twinkle in her eyes. Eric's jaw fell to the floor as he eyed her up and down. Edmund nudged him and Lucy stifled a laugh.

"Close your mouth," Peter said quietly.

Eric closed it, though he could not stop gawking at the radiant beauty standing before him.

Her light sea green dress, also mid-length, had a low neckline, held together at the bust by a diamond broach. Ribbons tied together with silver pins fell off her shoulders, while her skirt flowed around her, so when she spun, it flew out. Her dark brown hair was pulled back in a small bun; the rest was left hanging in curls. She wore a silver chain as well, with a tear drop diamond hanging above the brooch and matching drop earrings.

"Do you like it?" she asked, a little shy.

Eric smiled. "I love it."

Edmund coughed, interrupting the potential couple's conversation between the eyes. Susan cleared her throat and turned to the group.

"Is everyone ready?" she asked.

"I think so," Lucy said. She was so excited, she was practically bouncing.

"Alright, let's go then," Peter said.

One by one they trooped out to the waiting limo parked in the driveway. Mrs. Pevensie had ordered it for her children, so they could arrive in style. Looking out her window, Mrs. Pevensie mouthed a silent good luck. She had pretended to be tired and that she had gone to rest in her room, but in reality she didn't want her children to see the worry in her eyes. For some reason, her mother's intuition was telling her to bring them back before...

Before what? she thought.

But since she didn't know the answer, she dismissed the feeling, telling herself firmly that it was her brain making her worry unnecessarily. Little did she know that she should have listened to her heart, because that glimpse of her children would the be the last she ever had of them.

* * * * *

The Pevensies' and their dates arrived at the Town Hall, each anticipating a night of dancing, fun, and laughter. Even Susan had brightened considerably on the way there.

Just as they walked through the door, a girl dressed in white rushed up to them.

"Edmund!" she squealed.

Everyone turned to Edmund in shock.

"This is my date, Clara," he explained.

"Oh! Eddie has said so much about you all," Clara said. "But we'll talk later; Eddie and I are going to dance."

With that, she pulled Edmund away from the group and towards the dance floor. Peter laughed and turned to Sarah, who was smiling.

"Would you care to dance?" he asked her.

"I would love to," she replied.

Lucy said she was going to find Rachel, and then Susan and Eric were left alone.

"Susan," Eric said softly. "Would you like to dance?"

"Of course!" she said.

He took her hand and led her to the dance floor.

"You look beautiful tonight," he told her as they floated by a couple who were drinking from flasks.

"Thank you, you look quite handsome yourself," she replied, smiling.

They danced in silence for a few minutes. Susan noticed a couple of boys staring at her and she blushed.

"They're envious because the most beautiful girl here is on my arm," Eric said.

"Oh, you should have seen-" but she stopped herself before she said anymore.

"Seen what?"

"Nothing, I take after my mother, you know."

"Yes, I can see that."

She would have said "you should have seen me when I was older." But to Eric, that would have seemed strange. If he knew her like her siblings knew her, then he would recognize the pain in her eyes, but he didn't.

I can't keep running away, Susan thought as Eric twirled her around. You're never going to see him again...Eric is just as sweet, and kind, and good looking as he was. Why shouldn't I enjoy the attention he gives me?

Right there on the dance floor, Susan made a vow to accept the inevitable: Eric was falling for her, and in her own way, she was falling for him too.

* * * * *

Lucy found Rachel sitting in the back of the room, quietly sipping some punch.

"There are you!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, Lucy! I was wondering when you were going to show up," Rachel said.

Lucy smiled. "I was looking for you everywhere. Why are you sitting all the way back here?"

Rachel's face fell.

"Oh...well...my father told me to stay here. He said he didn't want to see me anywhere near the dance floor. According to him, he said I'm an embarrassment and he doesn't want his friends to see me."

Lucy sat down next to her and put an arm around the younger girl.

"You're not wearing your dress!"

"No...my father said it made me look ugly. He made me wear this one."

She wore a plain black dress that was too big for her. The sleeves were tattered and the hem had dirt stains. Her hair hung loose on her shoulders and she wore no jewelry. Lucy felt sorry for the girl; it was obvious her father didn't care for her.

Rachel smiled suddenly. "But I brought the dress with me. I hid it in the back of our car in an old bag; I went back outside when Father and Elaine left me."

Lucy laughed. "That was smart! Here, let's go to the bathroom and you can change. Susan brought some makeup with her for touch ups, and I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you used it."

Rachel paused. "What about my father?"

"Peter and Edmund will deal with him, I promise. Come on, let's get you all nice and pretty!"

* * * * *

"She left me."

"Huh?" Peter turned to see Edmund standing, alone, with a big grin on his face.

"She ditched me."

"And you're happy about that?" Peter asked, incredulously.

"Yep!" Edmund flopped down on the seat next to Peter and started laughing. "I thought she would never go!"

"If she's so annoying, why did you ask her to come with you?"

"I didn't. She asked me. I didn't have the heart to refuse, so I accepted."

"Uh huh..."

Edmund looked at his older brother, who was trying hard not to smile.

"Its probably a good thing that she ditched you....your dancing skills aren't exactly up to par..." Peter said slyly.

Edmund turned a deep shade of red; Peter had to duck down to avoid getting clobbered by his younger brother.

"You promised!" Edmund hissed.

Peter laughed: he knew what Edmund was thinking. Peter had caught him dancing with a broom a few days back. He had told him that it looked like he was swinging a stick around in circles, and that his future wife would have black and blue toes from him stepping on her feet while dancing.

"From where I was standing, it really did look like you were-" Peter stopped suddenly.

"What is it, Pete?" Edmund asked. He was staring intently at the back wall.

Peter shook his head. "I could have sworn I saw...no matter. I'm dreaming."

"Hey, where's Sarah?"

"Oh, she and Susan took Lucy and her friend to the bathroom. An emergency of some kind."

Edmund snorted. "You call putting lipstick on and checking each other for wrinkles an emergency?"

"To women, that takes priority over everything else....wait a minute, how would you know what girls do in the bathroom?"

* * * * *

Susan promised she would be back in 5 minutes tops, but it was going on 20 minutes now. Eric was getting worried.

You're overreacting, Eric. Relax. She's fine, he thought to himself as he paced in the front entryway.

But he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Take deep breaths. Nothing can happ-

Just then, he heard a muffled scream come from down the hallway.

Susan!

He ran to the ladies' bathroom and threw open the door. He looked behind him, then cautiously stepped around the corner. And what he saw made his blood run cold.

Susan was passed out on the floor while Lucy was being held back by two men dressed in strange clothes. Rachel was holding a knife in her hands while Sarah stood over Susan, a deadly smile on her face. And behind them was a black hole in the wall. Eric could see people standing inside it and it looked like they were shouting and pointing towards him.

Sarah turned around and gasped.

"Go! Borka, take Queen Susan! Raewyn, make sure they have everything ready for our arrival. I will deal with Eric."

They all nodded. Eric watched in horror as one of the men dragged Lucy through the hole, while the other roughly picked Susan up and followed. Rachel looked back at him, a smirk on her face, and then she was gone too.

"You shouldn't have come in, Eric." Sarah said darkly.

"What is going on here?! Who are you? And where are you taking Susan? And Lucy?"

"Its none of your business. Leave now, and forget them. Because you'll never see Susan, or Lucy, again."

"Help! Someone help!" Eric yelled.

She sighed. "No one can hear us. Go back, NOW."

"No! Not before you bring them back!"

Sarah looked behind her and Eric took the opportunity to tackle her. But she was too quick for him; he was on the floor in seconds.

"Do not think to follow me, for you won't survive in my world."

With that, she turned and jumped through the hole. Without thinking, without any pause, Eric got up and ran into the hole. He felt a rush of cold air, and then nothing. All was black.

A/N: Don't you just LOVE cliffhangers? They are so much fun! ...well, they are fun to write, not to read.

I feel like such a ditz, because I just figured out how to put those lines in. Wow...I'm a little spacey.

But anyway, I hope you enjoyed it all! Just one more chapter for Part One, and then we'll be on Part Two! I'll try to update soon, but I have this research paper due in three weeks, and I haven't even started. So it may be a few weeks before I get to come back to this. But have no fear! I will start writing the next chapter as soon as I turn in my paper.

And please, please write a review; it only takes a second. OK...maybe not a second, but you get my point. Just a little review? Please? I love hearing people's thoughts!