As their warriors were busy Susan, Edmund, Peter, and Caspian waded across to meet with Aslan, Lucy, and Raelyn on the other side. As they made it to the other shore the ethereal version of Raelyn gently landed next to them. In the blink of an eye all the light died out from around her and she stumbled. Edmund instantly reached over and caught her in his arms, frowning down at her worriedly.
"You alright?" he inquired quietly. Raelyn blinked heavily for a moment before glancing around at the worried expressions of her friends. She looked up at Edmund and grinned.
"Well that was a rush." She chuckled weakly. Edmund beamed and leaned down to kiss her on the lips, much to the surprise of Peter and Caspian who gaped at the two.
"That was awesome." Edmund commented as they broke apart. Raelyn giggled and they turned back to the group, finally realizing that not everyone was aware of their new relationship. Raelyn blushed heavily and turned to bury her face in Edmund's neck who was just as red as she was. Peter stared at his brother with an expression that screamed, 'what did I miss?'. Edmund grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck.
"Um Raelyn and I are kinda…you know…together now." He explained. Peter nodded numbly, still unsure as to when this all went down. He figured it would happen eventually but the way he found out was a bit of a shock. Finally pulling her face out of her hiding spot Raelyn turned, spotting Aslan watching the group quietly with an almost amused expression. Following her stare, they all knelt down before the lion in reverence.
"Rise Kings and Queens of Narnia." The deep baritone of his voice called to them. The siblings all stood up with small smiled at seeing him again. However, the other two remained, unsure of what they were supposed to do.
"All of you" Aslan added, staring down at them. The duo looked up and around in confusion.
"I do not think I am ready." Caspian countered honestly.
"It's for that very reason, I know you are." Aslan assured. Caspian nodded and reluctantly stood along with them. But there was still one more to deal with. Raelyn fidgeted with her fingers as she remained kneeling before them. Looking up after a moment of silence she stared at them awkwardly.
"I know that I'm not a Queen." She pointed out with a shrug. The siblings and Caspian looked to Aslan who was watching the girl with a knowing grin.
"No, you are not…." He agreed. Raelyn nodded in slight disappointment.
"..but how do you feel about an Enchantress?" he continued. At this she perked up, grinning madly.
"Really?" she gasped in surprise. Aslan nodded.
"Enchantress of Light is the official title that has been bestowed upon you since the beginning." He assured her. Raelyn grinned in excitement and rushed up to hug the lion, earning a chuckle from him. Straightening back up she proudly made her way to join the others, intertwining her hand with Edmund who was just as happy for her.
...
The moment was broken when a sorrowful tune was heard from behind them. Peter and Caspian stepped aside to reveal a group of mice carrying Reepicheep on a stretcher towards the lion, playing the tune on small horns. As the mouse was set down, Lucy rushed to his side and dropped some of her Fire Flower juice into his mouth. They watched silently as he took in a deep breath before lifting his head.
"Oh thank you your majesty." He gushed at Lucy and stood up with some help from the others. Raelyn gasped placing her hand over her mouth, her eyes widening as she spotted an anomaly with the mouse. However, Reepicheep took no notice as he was currently enthralled with the lion in before of him.
"Oh! Hail Aslan! It is a great honor to be in…" he trailed off as he stumbled when he leaned forward in a bow. Reepicheep looked behind and jumped in shock to see that his tail had been cut short.
"….and completely out of countenance." He hurriedly hid his lack of tail in mortification.
"I must apologize to his indulgence for appearing in this unseeingly fashion." He continued as the others watched with mild amusement at how flustered he was.
"He uses an awful lot of big posh words, doesn't he?" Raelyn murmured under her breath to Edmund. Ed grinned and nodded in agreement.
"Perhaps a drop more?" the mouse turned to Lucy pleadingly.
"I don't think it does that." She told him apologetically.
"You can give it a go." He pressed eagerly. Aslan chuckled, grabbing Reepicheep's attention.
"It becomes you well small one." He told the mouse. Raelyn bit her lip so as not to grin at the mouse's subtly horrified expression in response to that comment.
"All the same great king, but I regret that I must withdraw. A tail is the honor and glory of a mouse." He told the lion, laying down his small sword.
"Perhaps you think too much of your honor, friend." Aslan pointed out knowingly. Reepicheep sputtered for a moment and quickly backtracked.
"Well it's not just for honor. It's also great for balance, and climbing, and grabbing things." He hurriedly amended. Everyone smiled down at him in amusement. It was not often the mouse became flustered and at a loss for words.
"If it's the all the same your majesty, we will not bear an honor denied our chief." One of the mice behind him spoke up; the others holding swords to their tails, fully prepared to chop them off. Raelyn and the others looked to Aslan curiously to see how he would answer that.
"Not for the sake of your dignity, but for the love of your people." Raelyn's eyes widened in wonder as the stub grew into a full-length tail, looking as if he never lost it in the first place. Reepicheep seemed to notice the change and laughed in delight, grabbing it and eagerly showing off his new tail to everyone.
"Thank you, my liege!" he exclaimed with a bow.
"I will remember this always. From this day forward, it will serve as a great reminder of my huge humility." He declared. Raelyn snorted into her hand, Edmund quickly grabbing her to muffle the sound as he held back his own amusement. Huge humility indeed. Aslan grinned and turned to the humans.
"Now, where is this dear little friend you've told me so much about?" he inquired. They all turned to look at the dwarf who was helping gather weapons. Hearing his nickname, Trumpkin sheepishly turned to face the group and made his way over. He shuffled nervously before bowing before the lion he so openly mocked. Aslan let out a mighty roar, startling the man.
"Do you see him now?" Lucy asked him jokingly. Trumpkin sighed in reluctance but nodded slightly as everyone laughed.
