She was cold. She had never been so cold in her life. The ice filled every vein and ever corner of her being. She could not see, she could not move, she could not even breathe.

She wasn't even certain of her own name. Where had she come from; how had she come to be in such a situation? She had no idea. All she knew was the icy cold that was her dark reality.

Something touched her. Something far away and distant. She felt herself stir as it came again.

It was a breath, a warm breath. It washed over her and enveloped her in its embrace. Heat spread through her. Her eyelids fluttered, her muscles relaxed and her lungs drew breath.

"Rise, Wildcat," a powerful voice commanded. She followed the sound of that voice back through the darkness; back to Life.

Her eyes opened. "Aslan?" she croaked. "You are alive!"

The Great Lion smiled down at her. "Yes, my child," He said softly. "I am alive and so are you."

"Peter," she mumbled and staggered upright. Her legs screamed at her for doing so.

"Peter is fine, Nancy," Aslan told her. "You have done well today. The Witch has been defeated and your friends will shortly ascend their thrones as monarchs of Narnia."

Her back legs collapsed under her and she fell with a sigh. Everything hurt and she really wanted a catnap. Yet, there was something she had to ask.

"So, if we've won and everything is fine and dandy, can I be a girl again?"

Aslan chuckled and He looked at her with a strange glimmer in His eye. "No, child. You still have much to learn about yourself. When you understand and accept your true nature, then you may stand in Narnia on your human legs again."

He turned and walked away from her and only then did she realise that they were still upon the battlefield. She cast around and almost cried in relief when she saw the Pevensies in the distance. A tiny, pathetic mew like a kitten escaped from her and she began to crawl across the grass towards them.

The Four were sitting on the grass holding hands and, for a moment, she was concerned that she should not disturb them. Then Lucy looked round, saw her, and all four of them were laughing and beckoning for her to join them.

"Nancy, we did it! We won!" Lucy said as the cat reached them. Peter reached out a hand and ruffled her fur.

"I saw what you did, Nance. You leapt right at the Witch and she stuck you with her wand and then you were a statue. I owe you my life," he said.

"You owe me more!" Edmund said indignantly from where he lay on the grass and they all laughed.

"Edmund smashed the Witch's wand and Peter duelled her until we arrived with Aslan," Susan explained as Lucy pulled a rather put out Nancy onto her lap to study her wounds.

"Ow, ow, ow!" she yowled. "Leave me alone, Lucy! I don't need your pawing; I just need rest!"

Lucy giggled and let her go. They all sat for a moment in quiet reflection. Nancy began to slip into a much-needed doze. She felt safe here. She was with her friends, her King, and she had never felt more at peace.

Time passed and Narnia was led into a glorious Golden Age by its young monarchs. They ruled justly and were loved by all their subjects. To other countries they were known as fierce warriors and diplomats. They seemed capable of outwitting all who tried to oppose them; be it on the battlefield or at the negotiation table.

And despite the fact that it was common knowledge that Narnia was a land of Talking Beasts, nobody suspected the feline who could often be seen slung about the necks of Queen Susan or King Peter. Nobody suspected the pretty cat who liked to playfully dive-bomb an unsuspecting King Edmund as he went about his business around Cair Paravel. And nobody suspected the wildcat that, especially upon cold winter's nights, could be found curled in the lap of Queen Lucy and purring like a thunderstorm.

Under the guidance of Lady Perchuhi, the uncoordinated little cub that had wandered into Narnia was long gone. Madame Wildcat, as she was formally known, was an elegant and well-spoken lady of the court. She was also the head of a vast network of spies that ranged from small birds that flitted in and out of windows to horses who stayed silent in the presence of their masters. Very few still called her Nancy; the main ones being the Four and her Guv.

Older and older she got. As the Four's memories of their lives in England faded, so did hers; and so did her memories of when she once walked on two legs as they did. Fifteen years and countless battles had not been kind to her. She was still Peter's loyal knight and she was still the Spy-Master but rarely did she go into the field herself, be it the field of battle or the field of espionage, and could most days be instead found asleep in a patch of sunshine.

Today was such a day and she was awoken by a hand lightly stroking the fur of her neck.

"Fancy going for a ride, Nance?" Lucy asked the scarred, old cat.

She yawned grumpily and stretched on the sun-warmed tiles. "Oh, alright then," she said and Lucy gently scooped her up and placed her around her shoulders.

"I had the strangest dream," she said sleepily as the Queen carried her through the Cair. "I dreamed I was like you and I walked on two legs. Quite preposterous really..."

And with that, she fell asleep again. She did not stir as Lucy mounted her horse alongside her royal siblings, nor did she stir as they began their hunt. She barely moved as they came across a strange lamp post that awoke strange and long-forgotten memories deep inside them.

What woke her was the horrible and peculiar jolt that shot through her as Lucy darted off into the thick undergrowth.

The world turned dark and she fell from Lucy's shoulders. The others were pushing and fighting in the darkness, she could hear them tussling overhead. Light exploded in front of them and the five of them tumbled out.

She threw out her forepaws and landed neatly as she always did. Yet something was wrong with her paws, they were hairless and the toes strangely elongated. They were hands!

Her head shot up and she saw the Four lying next to her. They were children again.

And she was a human again.

By the Lion, she was a human. She remembered now. She looked over her shoulder and stared into the inside of the Wardrobe. It had been fifteen years since they ventured inside.

At least, it had been fifteen years for them. In England but a few seconds had passed and their pursuer, the one who had chased them into the Wardrobe all those years again, was revealed.

Digory smiled at the five children lying in a heap on the wooden floorboards.

"My, my, what on earth were you all doing in there?" he asked, smiling at them kindly.

Peter looked back into the Wardrobe, at each of his three siblings in turn, and then finally at Nancy who was still staring at her hands with something approaching panic.

"I don't think you would believe us if we told you, sir," he said. Digory's eyes twinkled mysteriously and he threw a cricket ball to them. Peter caught it easily and turned it in his hand. It was the one he had bowled outside; the one Edmund had batted and sent flying through the stained glass window. He looked up at the Professor and slowly returned his smile.

Digory lent down to them and said two little words. Two little words that sparked something inside each of them and made them wonder if he had ever ventured into their beautiful magical land.

"Try me."

And here we are at the end of the first part of Nancy's story! Please, please, please leave me a review to let me know what you thought! It would really mean a lot to me.

I intend to write more stories featuring Nancy and, as I mentioned last chapter, I have a poll on my profile to help me decide which one to publish next. Would you like to read -

Prince Caspian - This will be called Wildcat: Into the Fray, and will obviously not only deal with the events of Prince Caspian but a few issues of Nancy's. You think it was difficult for the Pevensies to go from adults to children, imagine going from elderly feline to human child. ;)

A Golden Age fic: This one will have Nancy as a secondary character instead of a main character and will draw heavy influence from The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, a personal childhood favourite of mine.

A different Golden Age fic: This one shall feature Nancy as the Spy-Master of the Pevensies and shall be a murder-mystery! It will be set during a grand ball the Pevensies throw to meet their neighbours and will have dastardly Calormenes, elusive Telmarines and all that good stuff!

Let me know and thank you for reading!