The Crest family sat waiting on a bench in the train station. The Pevensies would be meeting them before the beginning of the next school year. Cathleen paced in front of her family, checking her watch every minute. James smiled at his eldest sister.

"Cat, they'll be here. How much trouble can they get into?"

Cathleen stopped and sighed at her brother, dropping herself into the empty spot beside him.

"You know Peter..."

They waited a few more minutes before they heard a commotion off to their left. A crowd was gathering and there was shouting. Karen stood up on the bench and tried to get a look into the center of the crowd. Her eyes widened.

"Cat...I think I just saw familiar golden blonde hair."

The four on the bench leaped up and, with Kenneth in the lead, forced their way to the center of the crowd. Karen had been correct; Peter was taking on three boys at once.

"Bloody hell..." Kenneth commented.

"Peter!" Cathleen screamed.

He turned and looked at her before two guys grabbed him and slammed him into the wall. It was then that Edmund came into the circle and tackled the third boy.

"Edmund!"

Lucy and Susan watched in horror and disgust not too far away. As Peter began to get pummeled, a soldier pushed his way through the crowd blowing his whistle loudly. Cathleen pushed her siblings back toward the bench they had been waiting at as the soldier tore the boys apart. As the crowd dispersed, the Pevensie family could be seen making their way toward the bench. Karen jumped up and met Edmund, ushering him to sit down.

"Are you okay? You didn't get hurt did you?"

"I'm fine," he said, waving her off and turning to Peter," You're welcome."

"I had it sorted."

Peter put an arm around Cathleen and leaned on her.

"What was it this time?" Susan asked, taking the seat Kenneth offered her.

"He bumped me."

"So you hit him?" Lucy asked, skeptically.

"No. After he bumped me, they tried to make me apologize. That's when I hit him."

"Really, is it just that hard to walk away?" Susan asked.

Cathleen moved out from under Peter's arm, grabbing his attention.

"Peter, Susan's told me how many fights you've been getting into lately. You really shouldn't. Just let things go."

"I shouldn't have to! Don't you ever get tired of being treated like a kid?"

Edmund raised an eyebrow at him as he pulled Karen onto his lap.

"Uhm, we are kids?"

"Well, I wasn't always. It's been a year. How long does he expect us to wait?"

Peter sat down dejectedly. James and Kenneth leaned against the wall on either sides of the bench and Cathleen stood facing Peter.

"I think it's time to accept we live here," Susan said," It's no use pretending any different."

"There's a bit of reality for you," Kenneth added.

Cathleen bent down and put a hand on Peter's cheek.

"I want to go back as badly as any of us, but we can't go around wishing for things out of our control. We'll go back when we go back."

She kissed him on the forehead, only making him sigh. It was then that Lucy jumped up.

"Ow! Something pinched me."

The eight children all stood up and looked around at each other looking for the person who had touched them. It was then that the feeling changed.

"It feels like magic," James said.

"Quick, everyone hold hands," Susan said.

Edmund looked at his brother.

"I'm not holding your hand!"

Peter grabbed his hand anyway as the tiles started to tear off the walls and the wind picked up, making papers and the tiles fly past them. They all stood in a line holding hands as the train before them travelled on as if it was never ending. Soon, there was nothing there but a dark cave and a brightly lit opening to their right. They all looked around at each other, smiles appearing on each of them. They stepped out into the sun to see a beautiful beach. Taking off running, they all threw off their warm winter coats and scarves to jump in the water. They splashed each other with the salty sea water and got themselves completely soaked. Edmund stopped after a few minutes and looked up to the top of the rocks next to the beach.

"Edmund?" Karen asked, looking up where he was.

"Where do you suppose we are?"

"Where do you think?" Peter laughed.

"Well, I don't remember there being any ruins in Narnia."

The rest of the children looked up and saw that Edmund was right. There were ruins at the top of the mountain. James and Lucy were the first ones to head up to investigate. At the top of the rocks, they moved between broken walls and demolished columns. The youngest looked out at the sea from the top.

"I wonder who lived here," Lucy thought out loud.

Karen and Edmund passed a broken wall as Kenneth and Susan made their way toward Lucy and James. It was then that Susan stepped on a tiny gold man. Picking it up, she looked at it before handing it to Kenneth, who also looked it over.

"I think we did," Susan replied, looking around.

Everyone made their way over to Kenneth to see the small statuette.

"Hey, that's mine...from my chess set," Edmund said, taking it from Kenneth.

He looked it over in his hands, a small smile on his face. Karen watched him turn it over and over. Peter and Cathleen reached the group last.

"Which chess set?" Peter asked.

Cathleen grinned at him and rolled her eyes.

"Well, I didn't exactly have a solid gold chess set in Finchley, did I?"

"That's definitely yours," she said, looking around.

She started walking toward the center of the ruins as they others continued talking. Lucy saw where Karen was heading and stared.

"It can't be..."

She ran over to where Karen was standing with the others following close behind. When everyone was there, she turned them all to face where they had come from.

"Can't you see? Imagine walls...and columns there...and a glass roof..."

Karen sighed.

"It's Cair Paravel."

The queens all looked at toward the center courtyard they had once so meticulously taken care off to see the area overgrown with weeds and grass and the fountain smashed. They all decided to examine around their old home to see if they could figure out how it had become ruins. After walking for a few minutes, Edmund knelt down and examined some stones that had been set up on the ground.

"Catapults," he declared," This didn't just happen. Cair Paravel was attacked."

The boys all looked at each other seriously before moving over toward one wall that was the most intact.

"The treasury," Cathleen remembered, leading the girls after them.

The boys pushed back the wall to expose a door. Peter pulled the door's rotted wood away and it fell inwards. The musty smell of age and underground came up to them as they stared into the darkness that led downwards. Peter, using the utility knife he carried with him, tore the bottom of his shirt and then wrapped the strip of cloth around a stick while the others watched him. He looked up at Kenneth and Edmund.

"I don't suppose you'd have any matches on you?"

"Not me," Kenneth said, patting his pockets.

Edmund looked around in the bad he was still carrying over his shoulder.

"No, but would this help?" he asked, pulling out the silver flashlight Karen had bought him for his birthday a few weeks ago.

Everyone grinned at the look on Peter's face.

"You might have mentioned that a bit sooner!"

With Edmund in the lead, the eight children made their way down the staircase until they reached a dusty room with statues and chests in it. There were four small alcoves, each with two statues in it for each pair of kings and queens.

"I can't believe it, it's all still here," Peter said, looking around in awe.

They all branched off to their own chests which were each made out of solid gold. Lucy and Karen pulled out dresses of theirs.

"I was so tall," Lucy said, putting the dress up to her and finding it far too long.

Susan smiled at her younger sister.

"Well, you were older then."

Edmund put his old helmet on his head, which was far too big for him.

"As opposed to hundreds of years later...when you're younger."

Karen punched his arm lightly, making him grin at her. She pulled the helmet off of his head and laid it back in the chest.

"I always knew you had a big head."

"Hey!"

Cathleen opened her and Peter's chest as the eldest king blew dust off his old shield. She was happy to find her old sword in the chest. She took it out and slashed the air with it to see if she could still use it. It felt good in her hand and she was pleased to see she could still wield it. Finding a gold and white dress inside, she smiled at the fact that it would fit her just fine. Kenneth and Susan found their bows and arrows, but Susan pointed out that her horn was gone, probably left on her saddle the day they went back. James pulled out his and Lucy's daggers and found them in good shape. Edmund pulled a blue dress out of the chest and handed it to Karen.

"This one should fit you. There are a ton of dresses in here of that color."

"Thanks," she said, feeling the light fabric.

She peeked into the chest and saw another familiar blue and silver dress. She brushed the top of it with her fingertips. Edmund looked over her shoulder at it.

"That's the dress you were wearing when I proposed, wasn't it?"

Karen smiled up at him.

"You remember that?"

Edmund smirked at her and kissed the side of her head. Peter went over to Cathleen and looked into the chest and pulled out his most prized possession from Narnia: his sword. He unsheathed it and looked at the blade. Everyone turned to look at him.

"When Aslan bares his teeth, winter meets its death."

"When he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again," Lucy finished.

Everyone looked her way, feeling a sort of sadness come over them.

"Everyone we knew," James said, looking at Lucy," Mr. Tumnus and the Beavers, they're all gone."

Everyone looked at Peter for guidance.

"I think it's time we found out what's going on," he replied, sheathing his sword," Let's change clothes so we don't stick out."