TWO OF A KIND

Hot dog, another update! And one to one of my most favorite stories of all time. Seriously, I consider this to be among my best works. Not to sound narcissistic, but if you think my fan stories are good, just wait until you read my novel when it comes out. (Yes, I say when, not if.) That is where I really put my storytelling skills to the test. I don't expect to be the next J.K. Rowling, but I hope people will like my book enough to bother to read it.

In the meantime, let's savor what we have here and now. Please don't forget to give me feedback, mates!

By the way, just so you know, it's Terence's birthday today! (Hey, OCs can have birthdays too, can't they? That's okay, isn't it?) And yours truly's birthday is precisely one week from today! Happy birthday, Terence!


Characters (excluding Terence) © C.S. Lewis and Disney/Walden Media

Terence and Story © unicorn-skydancer08

All rights reserved.


Chapter 8

The following morning, while most of the castle was still asleep, Lucy headed out to the beach. She made sure to wear a robe over her sleeveless white nightdress, but she didn't bother with her shoes or anything else.

The girl loved to watch the sun rise; she loved the feel of the cool, soft sand beneath her bare feet, and—if the weather permitted—she loved to go for an occasional dip in the sea itself.

To her surprise, Terence had already beaten her to the ocean.

His boots were lined up neatly against a rock, and he was swimming in his good clothes.

Terence was in that spot where he was within close range of the shore, but the water was quite deep. Lucy could not tell how long he had been out there, but he'd obviously swum long enough to get completely drenched. Terence proved to be fearless of the water, for he was hardly above it for more than a minute at a time. Even when on the surface, he kept his face directed mostly downward, looking up only when he needed fresh air.

Lucy had to admire the boy's daring. She was also greatly impressed by his swimming skills; if he wasn't a human, or a unicorn, he would have made a fabulous merman.

For the next ten minutes or so, Lucy stood very quietly on the shoreline and watched her friend. When Terence finally took notice of her as he was lifting his head once again, he stopped right away and straightened up.

"Hey, Lucy!" he called when he had the breath to speak.

"Hi, Terence!" she called back. "What are you doing?"

He looked at her as if it should have been the most obvious thing in the world. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going for a swim!"

Of course, Lucy was already well aware of that. "At this hour?" she commented. "Even the soldiers aren't awake yet."

"Well, I couldn't help myself," Terence confessed. "The ocean offered me an invitation I couldn't refuse."

"Aren't you cold?"

"Actually, the water's quite warm, once you get used to it."

Brushing back a loose wisp of red-gold hair from her face, Lucy asked, "Mind if I join you?"

"If you can swim, by all means! If not…well, I'll be more than happy to teach you!"

As a matter of fact, Lucy did know how to swim quite well herself. She should have known, anyway, having swum in that ocean, along with Narnia's many lakes and rivers, many a day and many a night for the last eleven years. So she shed her robe, letting it fall into a heap in the sand, and headed out into the water in her long, silken gown and bare feet. Susan would have had a heart attack if she'd seen what her sister was doing, and Peter would have very strongly disapproved.

At first the water was quite cold, but Lucy quickly adjusted the further she waded.

Terence waited patiently for her.

When the water level was up to her chest, Lucy held her nose, took a deep breath, and swiftly ducked below the surface, so as to get her whole body accustomed to the water. She reemerged a few seconds later, gasping, the water flowing steadily down her face on all sides and dripping off like rain. Terence had to smile at the endearing sight; in many ways, Lucy was still that precious, precocious, audacious little child he had grown to love.

When she'd finally caught up with him, he told her, "It's nice to see you in the world of the wet, Lucy."

Her response to this remark was to flick water in the young man's eyes. Since Terence was already about as wet as he could get, this hardly bothered him. He simply wiped the moisture from his eyes before he asked, "You sure you feel up to this?"

"If you can handle this, so can I. Besides, a little water never did anyone any harm."

"You don't consider yourself too old for these kinds of games?"

Lucy answered by spitting a full mouthful of water in Terence's face.

Now Terence was convinced.

He laughed aloud and roguishly splashed the girl back. When she tried to retaliate, he dived safely below the rolling waves. In less than a minute, Lucy felt something beneath her, and before she knew what was going on, she felt herself being tossed high into the air. Her shriek of surprise was cut short when she hit the water again. By the time she'd resurfaced, Terence was there to greet her with a very smug look on his dripping face.

Lucy pretended to sulk at first, but then she couldn't help herself and broke into a laugh.

For the next hour or so, the two of them engaged in this pleasant sport together. They swam laps, held contests to see who could hold their breath the longest, scoured the sea floor for unique stones and shells, and things like that. Lucy practiced every swimming stroke she knew, and learned several new ones from Terence. Terence also showed her how to float on top of the water, and how to regulate her breath as she did so.

"It's all a matter of relaxation," he explained. "The more relaxed you are, the more air and energy you're able to conserve. Just let everything go, and let the water carry you."

Lucy did as she was told, and was amazed at how well it worked. She felt as light as a feather, like there was nothing in the world to fear or worry much about.

When at long last she felt too tired to swim any longer, Terence accompanied her to shore. By this time, the sun had just about risen, and a breathtaking mélange of brilliant colors spread over the sky.

Exhausted yet oddly exhilarated, Lucy stretched out on her back in the silky sands and closed her eyes. Terence sat right beside her.

"You all right?" Lucy heard Terence ask her at length.

"Oh, yes," she sighed, "very all right." Opening her eyes again, tilting her head slightly to the side so as to look at Terence more properly, she smiled fondly at her dear friend.

He was changed in so many ways, yet he remained the same in other ways. Having him here with her brought back a special joy she never thought to feel again.

"What?" Terence queried. "What are you staring at?"

"Oh," said Lucy abstractedly, "I was just reminiscing the good old days. About all the wonderful times we shared when you were…well, you know."

"Does it bother you?" Terence couldn't help asking. "That I'm—like this?"

"It's quite a change, all right," the girl had to admit as she now rose to a sitting position. "I wouldn't necessarily call it a bad one…but it will most definitely take some time to get used to."

"Even now, I still haven't completely adjusted," the white-haired boy confessed. "I miss being able to run as fast as I used to. I miss being able to throw back my head, toss up my tail, and gallop away at full speed. It feels especially odd to move around on two legs instead of the usual four—to have hands and feet in place of hooves." He held up his hands as he spoke. He studied them intently, rotated his palms, wiggled his fingers.

"Though I must admit," he added on, "these hands have proven to be plenty useful."

"I'll miss riding on your back," said Lucy coyly, "and weaving flowers into your mane."

"Well, I certainly won't miss that bit." When Lucy stuck out her lower lip at this, Terence smiled and assured her, "I'm joking!"

She smiled herself once more, unable to help it. "Either way," she said, "man or unicorn, it's good to have you back, Terence."

She slid a little closer to his side, leaned into him. "I missed you very much."

"And I missed you," Terence whispered, his heart beating strangely faster at their physical contact. "I can't believe how grown up you are. Seems like only yesterday you were that sweet little girl."

"Little?" She drew back to stare at him in mock indignation. "I beg your pardon? For your information, mister, I have always been tall for my age!"

Terence laughed—a kind laugh, gentle and pleasant. "You'll always be my little Lucy, Lucy."

Lucy could find nothing to counteract this, so she merely huddled against him once more, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and bestowed a light, brotherly kiss upon her forehead.

They remained in that position for a long time, watching the sea, listening to the distant cries of the gulls and the soothing lull of the waves, while Terence's thoughts and emotions found themselves in a confused jumble.

He felt an unusual desire to be nearer to Lucy, to never let the girl get away from him. He felt the need to hold her in his arms, to…

What's the matter with you? Terence's inner voice scolded him. This is Lucy Pevensie, for heaven's sake! She's your friend, a friend with whom you have only just begun to become reacquainted. Have you officially gone crazy?

"Terence?" Lucy sensed something serious was on his mind. "What is it?"

Terence shook his head slightly to snap himself out of it. "Nothing," the youth muttered. "It's nothing. I'm fine."

To change the subject, he stood up and said, with his gaze on the Cair, "Everyone else in the castle should start waking up by now. We'd better hurry and get out of these wet things before they catch us."

"Oh, yes," Lucy didn't hesitate to agree. "Susan and Peter will kill me if they see me like this."

"They'll likely be after my blood, too, since I'm the one who led you into this in the first place."

"This has happened before," said Lucy as she plucked up her robe, while Terence retrieved his boots. "And it will undoubtedly happen again."

He cocked a shrewd eyebrow at her. "Ah, aren't you the daring one?"

"I can be very sneaky when I want to be," the queen answered, grinning cheekily. "Besides, there is fun to be found in taking these risks. What is life all about otherwise?"

Laughing one last time, shaking his head affectionately, Terence declared, "So young, so wise!"