Twelve years later
News of the white stag's appearance had reached the castle at Cair Paravel. So it only seemed right to Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy that they go hunt this mythical creature, which was said to grant any wish to its captors. They were currently galloping through the forest on their horses in hot pursuit of the stag. But Edmund stopped quickly as he noticed his horse was getting tired very easily.
"You alright, Philip?" he asked.
Panting, Philip turned his head around and said "Not as young as I once was."
Edmund smiled at his trusted horse but quickly looked up as Susan called out "Come on, Ed!"
Edmund couldn't help but grin as his siblings gathered around him, all of them just as desperate to catch the white stag as he was.
"Just catching my breath." he responded.
"Well that's all we'll catch at this rate." Susan said.
"What did he say again, Susan?" Lucy asked, trying not to laugh.
Susan sarcastically responded with "You girls wait in the castle. I'll get the stag myself!"
As everyone laughed at her, something caught their attention in a nearby clearing. But it wasn't the white stag; it was a very familiar looking lamp post. They all dismounted their horses to take a closer look. None of them could quite figure out why they sort of recognized the lamp post or why they began to remember a land they hadn't been to in many years.
"What's this? This seems familiar." Peter said.
"As if from a dream." Susan said.
"Or a dream of a dream." Lucy added.
But as the four gazed at the ivy covered lamp post, Lucy suddenly realized something. She was starting to remember the name of the land that they hadn't been to in many years and that it probably was connected to this lamp post.
"Spare Oom!" she exclaimed and took off in the opposite direction.
"Lucy!" Peter exclaimed and took off running after her with Susan and Edmund following close behind him.
"Not again!" Susan groaned, realizing that Lucy was probably having another fantasy adventure of hers.
But as they followed their little sister, they realized that Lucy was not having a fantasy. The space they were in was becoming more and more cramped with the beautiful pine trees being replaced by some familiar fur coats.
"Lu…?" Peter started to ask.
"Come on!" Lucy replied, knowing where they were going.
"These aren't branches." Peter said, finishing his sentence.
"They're coats." Susan added in amazement.
As the four siblings struggled to make their way through the tight space full of fur coats, a door suddenly opened up and they all tumbled onto a wooden floor. Looking behind them, they realized they had fallen out of a wardrobe into an empty room. A shocking realization hit them: they were now back home in England in the country home of Professor Kirke. What was even more shocking was that they looked at themselves and realized they were no longer grown up; they were now young children again.
As they tried to take the shock of everything in, the door to the room opened and Professor Kirke walked in, a cricket ball in his hand. Noticing the Pevensies lying on the floor in front of the open wardrobe, he chuckled a little.
"Oh, there you are. What were you all doing in the wardrobe?" he asked.
Peter looked at his younger siblings, who looked just as confused as he was. He looked up at Professor Kirke and said "You wouldn't believe us if we told you, sir."
Smiling, Professor Kirke tossed the cricket ball to Peter and responded with "Try me."
Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy all looked at each other in confusion. Should they tell the professor about their adventures in Narnia, even though he might not believe anything that they told him? But they knew that they would have to say something to Professor Kirke eventually, there was no getting around it. And Lucy was the first one to break the silence.
"Oh it was a beautiful land, sir. So many fauns, centaurs, dryads, and nymphs! They were wonderful creatures. We were even kings and queens of Narnia!" she exclaimed.
"Is it true, my dear child? You must have had a lovely time there."
"It wasn't always that lovely, sir. We had a few battles with some very evil creatures." Peter added.
"But did you like it there?" the professor asked.
"Oh yes, sir. We even made lots of new friends there." Susan said.
As soon as she said it, the four of them suddenly grew silent. They now realized how much they would miss their Narnian friends, all of whom had grown very dear to them. However, they also realized that there were three very close and wonderful friends whom had become like a second family to them. This especially made Lucy start to take deep breathes so she wouldn't cry as she realized how much she would truly miss her best friend Jaina Solo.
"What is the matter, children?"
"Oh it's nothing, sir. Just thinking about Narnia, that's all." Lucy said.
Laughing, the professor held out his hand to the little girl and said to her "Are you sure? Well, why don't we discuss this over our dinner tonight?"
Later that evening
Peter, Susan, and Edmund were sitting on the bed in the room Susan shared with Lucy, all silent. They did indeed have an interesting discussion with the professor about Narnia over dinner earlier and he seemed to believe everything they said. It did make them happy that their story was believed, but now they were feeling quite sad again.
"I wonder if we'll ever see Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin again. I mean, they live in a world that's separate from both England and Narnia." Edmund finally said.
"We all know that, Ed. They were like our second family." Peter replied.
"I know that. But that doesn't mean we'll see them again. It's impossible."
"I don't think so. I think we will see them again." Susan said.
Staring at her, Edmund said "How can that work? It can't, logically."
Susan just rolled her eyes and rested her chin in her hand. Yes Edmund did have a good point about the Solos living in a world that was totally separate from even Narnia. But she still had a sinking feeling about seeing their friends again, despite that one obvious, glaring fact.
"Where's Lucy?" Peter suddenly asked.
Susan glanced up and realized that her little sister was not in the bedroom. But she also knew exactly where Lucy would be and what she would be doing.
"I'll go find her." she said and stood up.
Susan made her way out of their bedroom, down the corridor, and into the spare room. The wardrobe that led them into Narnia was still there, just as they had left it this morning. What was different was the fact that Lucy was kneeling in front of it, tears flowing down her face as she cried.
"Lu?" Susan asked and Lucy looked up to see her sister standing in the doorway of the room.
Looking concerned, Susan walked over to her little sister and knelt down beside her, wrapping an arm around Lucy and hugging her.
"Oh Lucy, what's wrong? You can tell me." Susan said.
Wiping her face with her sleeve, Lucy quietly sobbed "I miss Jaina so much."
"Oh Lu. It's alright." Susan said and continued to hug her sister.
"But she was my best friend, I loved her so much." Lucy sobbed.
"I know you loved her, I believe you still do. But come with me and talk to the boys, you'll feel better".
Lucy allowed Susan to help her stand up and lead her out of the spare room with an arm around her shoulder. The girls slowly walked down the hallway and back into their bedroom, where the sight of Lucy crying made their brothers look concerned.
"What's wrong, Lu?" Peter asked.
Lucy just laid down on her bed and pulled the sheets up to her chest, tears still streaming down her face. Susan was rubbing her thumb against her cheek to make her feel a little better, but it still didn't change the fact that Lucy was sad about missing her best friend.
"I want Jaina back, I miss her so much." she quietly sobbed.
"Oh bloody hell, not this again." Edmund groaned.
Peter quickly nudged him so he would shut up and Susan shot him an evil look. Both of then turned back to Lucy who still had a red face and tears streaming from her eyes. Susan urged Lucy to sit up and pulled her into her lap for a hug while Peter stroked her hair over and over.
"Jaina meant so much to me. She was always there when I needed her to be. She really was like my older sister." Lucy cried.
"We know, Lu. You two were inseparable. We actually enjoyed watching you and Jaina grow closer and closer." Peter said.
"Thank you, Peter. But I still love her and miss her. I'll never see her again to tell her that."
"That's not true. I think you two will see each other again." Susan said.
"How is that possible? She's from another land that's not even near Narnia."
Susan promptly turned Lucy so that she was looking eye to eye with her. She firmly took her little sister's hands as the two girls were looking square at each other.
"Lucy, remember how you told me on Christmas Eve that Jaina said you two would be reunited one day after she left?" Susan asked.
"Well, of course. I'll always remember that." Lucy replied.
"And when has Jaina ever lied to you?" Peter added in.
"Oh, well…never. I don't think she ever has."
"So if I were you, I would believe that you'll see her again. You just have to believe that it will happen again." Susan said.
Lucy smiled as she snuggled up to her sister, playing around with her turtledove necklace at the same time. She always knew to trust her family with what they told her. Since she also considered Jaina close family, she started to realize she should trust her as well.
"Ok, Su. I believe you. I do want to see Jaina again someday." she said.
"Good, good. That's how you should think." Susan said.
"I agree. Now, however, I think you need some more hot chocolate to feel better. I'll go get the Macready for that." Peter said.
Lucy couldn't help but smile even more. A good mug of hot chocolate always made her feel relaxed and happy. As she continued to hold her turtledove necklace, she noticed something odd about it. There was a faint yellow glow surrounding the wings of the dove as if it was trying to tell her something. Lucy smiled even brighter as she had a feeling what that glow was telling her: she would be reunited with her best friend again and that they would always be friends.
END
(cue Star Wars end theme)
(A/N: Wow, I can't believe this trilogy is almost over. Just the epilogue and it's complete. It's been an amazing journey to write this trilogy and I'm grateful to everyone who came along for the ride. Therefore, I hope you enjoy the epilogue.)
