Hello my lovelies, I am so happy to be back. I hope everyone is staying happy, safe, and healthy with the Corona Virus is going around. On the bright side, I have successfully written out the first chapter to the sequal to The Daughter of Aslan with chapter two already in the works. I have not forgotten about this project, I have just simply lacked to passion and drive to get the jump start on the story. This story will most likely have more chapters compared to the first due to the path I want the the story to take so there is that to look forward to. As for the magic, there are a couple reviews left over from the previous story that I will answer here.
pupstarstar: Sorry hun. You'll see why as the chapter progresses.
KyloRen'sgirl213: I have to agree that something new is almost always good. I'm glad that you like the story.
EmpressLupin: I'm glad that you like the story. I have a vague idea as to how I'm going to go from here with the big events, but as for finer details, we'll be finding it out together.
xNymira: Thank you so much for the review. I'm glad that you like the story. I hope that this installment will live up to the first.
SerafinaDraco: Don't you worry hun, I'm not that heartless. I have a special scene to give the both of them the closure that they need.
TheBlackRosePower: Thank you so much for the encouraging words. I hope that the wait for this story will be worth it.
It is so nice to come back to the reviews and see that I have a good chunk waiting for me with such wonderful encouragement. You sure know how to make a girl feel appreciated. Well, the only thing I have left is the quote and then we can get on with the story.
"Before the rising sun
We fly
So many roads to choose
We'll start out walking and learn to run…,"
-"We've Only Just Begun" by The Carpenters
oooooo Ad Meliora oooooo
For the next week, I shut myself up in the room assigned to me in the Professor's home and no amount of calling my name did any good for my siblings. The first day since we came back, everyone was pounding on my door to get me to come out and talk with them. I simply ignored them while sitting on my bed with my knees drawn up to my chest with my arms wrapped tight around them. For hours on end I sat like that with my head resting on my knees while my siblings tried knocking and coaxing me out. At first Peter spoke gently and tried to be nice about getting me out of my room but it soon turned to slightly raised voices when he grew frustrated with no results. Susan tried with the same attempt as Peter, yet when she grew frustrated with me, she just never came back to talk to me. All I could think was that it was sad that my own twin was shunning me while I was hurting. My younger siblings on the other hand are what actually got me to respond somewhat. My sweet Ed, the first few times he came to talk to me, would apologize for forcing me to go on that hunt that ultimately brought us back home. He apologized that I wouldn't be able to see Pan or to go to that romantic night that he had planned for the both of us. Throughout his whole speech, I had moved towards the door so that one of my hands rested against the wood where I could sense where he had put his. We both shared a good cry that slowly turned into teary chuckles at how we both could feel that we would move past this at least between the two of us. After that he would come tell me about what he had done that day and every time he came, he had some sort of snack with him. I would at least nibble on the food that he brought with him and then I would push what I didn't eat back out of the door. I could tell that Ed didn't like the small amount of food that I ate but he was also pleased that he was able to get me to eat at all. As for Lucy, she couldn't find it in herself to voice anything that she wanted to say so instead she simply sang my lullaby through the door that told me of how sorry she was and that she was here for me. That of course brought on another round of tears as I started to sing along with her. This sort of routine continued on for another week before it was broken up by Father coming to visit me in my dreams.
"Hello Dear One," he greeted me, his tawny fur and mane seemingly glowing with sunlight.
"Father," I let out in relief as I hurried forward to wrap my arms around his neck. He gave a chuckle at my excitement while he moved his head to rest over my shoulder in a hug.
"I thought I would never see you again," I confessed while tears fell down my cheeks.
"Worry not Dear One," his strong and calming voice said. "You will return to Narnia in time."
Instant relief flooded my body at his words and it took almost everything I had not to collapse to my knees.
"That means I'll be able to see Pan again," I let out in a single breath.
"Not quite Dear One," Father sighed sadly.
Confusion settled in my heart and mind as I pulled back to look him in the eye.
"What do you mean Father?"
"You may not be back in time to be with Tumnus."
My heart sank at the news that meant that I would never see him again? I would never be held in his arms again and place my ear over his heart that seemed to beat in time with mine?
"However, I have brought Tumnus to you so that you can say goodbye."
My heart gave another squeeze at his words yet my heart beat fast with excitement at being able to see him again.
"We will meet again Dear One," Father told me as he placed his nose against my forehead. I let myself bask in his warm muzzle against my forehead for a few moments before he stepped back.
"I will see you Father."
He gave me a smile before he dissolved into light that shone down on me. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I saw a figure slowly take shape in front of me. My heart continued to beat faster and faster until a familiar figure came in focus with short brown hair that matched the fur on his goat legs while bright blue eyes shone happily and a large smile shone from a carefully groomed goatee. My eyes widened at the sight of Tumnus while my whole body started to shake in disbelief and shock.
"Pan," I breathed out through the onslaught of intense feelings that were swirling around in my heart.
"Annie," he returned in that special way that he always spoke my name that was a balm on the scar on my heart. Tears now fell down my cheeks as I ran towards the open arms he had for me. When I reached him, his strong arms wrapped around me that reminded me so much of home.
"I'm so sorry," I cried into his chest while one of his hands ran soothingly through my hair.
"I'm so sorry that I left when you put so much effort into our date."
"It's alright Annie," Pan assured me softly, his lips resting against my temple.
"I know it's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault. It was simply time for you and your siblings to go back to your homeland."
"But Narnia is my home," I argued at once with fire in my eyes.
"It's my home with you. Everyone was happy there and the kingdom was doing so well."
"Maybe that's why it was time for you to go," Pan tried to reason with me.
"You did everything you could to get Narnia back on her feet."
Even though I felt cheated that I was only to be there to get Narnia back up and running, but I was proud that I was able to make Narnia united and strong again.
"How much time has passed since we have been gone?" I ventured without really wanting to know the answer.
"Five hundred years," Pan admitted reluctantly that had my heart sinking. In only such short time here, five hundred years has passed in Narnia. I nodded absently for a few moments before I realized a crucial piece of information. Fauns only lived for about two hundred and fifty years. I remembered that Tumnus had told me that he was one hundred and three when the kingdom was first getting on its feet so by now….Please let it not be what I think.
"Pan, are you….Have you," I tried to ask even though my voice caught in my throat when I even tried to finish the question.
"I am dead," Pan confirmed with sadness in his voice.
"I died at the ripe age of two hundred and fifty one."
"I wasn't there for you."
"Come now Annie," he tried to soothe me as new tears started to fall down my cheeks.
"I lived a full life and I am just happy to see your face at least once more."
My watery eyes looked up at him to see that his own face betrayed his heartache and sadness.
"I love you Pan."
"As I love you Annie."
As if pulled by magnets, we both leaned for each other until our lips met in a sad kiss. My arms moved to encircle Pan's shoulder's while his arms tightened around my waist as our kiss moved from a chaste way to say goodbye to an all out frenzy of our lips moving together to express all of our sadness and heartache at having to say goodbye. We both poured all of our feelings into our kiss until we had to break for air in which case Pan's lips moved hungrily down my jaw to nip at my neck.
"Pan," I moaned softly at the wave of pleasure from his teeth on the sensitive skin of my neck.
"If this is the last time I am to see you," he panted against my neck.
"Then I want to be able to be with you at least once."
My body softened at his admission while tears lined the waterline of my eyelid. In all of the time that Pan and I been courting, we had never been intimate with each other. We had wanted for it to be special when we finally did give ourselves to each other. Now that I had been sent back to England, we had never had the chance. Now that we were able to see each other again, I didn't blame Pan in wanting to have this last moment with him. I offered more of my neck to him that he readily lavishes kisses on as he lowered me down to the ground. It seemed that my skin was on fire the way that he kissed my bare skin which became more and more as he eased my clothing from my body. Our kisses now turned to slow, sensual dances between our lips as one of his hands slipped down my stomach to settle between my thighs. At the touch of his fingers on my delicate sex, I let out a gasp as I arched up into his body. Just the friction of my bare nipples against his chest was enough to send another jolt of pleasure through me while a low growl left Pan at the sight of me being so responsive to his touch. I continued to squirm under his frame as he stoked the pleasure in my body until I could barely take it anymore.
"Please Pan," I sighed into his shoulder when I caught my breath.
"I want you inside me now."
"As my lady commands," he smirked against the skin of my collar bone with a slightly deeper voice than I was used to. Dear god, I groaned in my head. Who would have thought that Pan had such an erotic voice? It wasn't long before Pan sheathed himself inside of me and we began to slowly rock with each other in an unhurried pace to be as close to each other as we could. Pan did not hesitate to kiss along any skin that his mouth could reach while I clutched his back to me while I too kissed along his throat. As Pan moved above me, I could feel the strong muscles of his back as his hips thrusted strongly against my own. I could feel even more tears well up in my eyes when I remembered this would be the last time I would see him, but he was quick to kiss the tears away and lavish my face with soft kisses to make me feel a little better.
"It's alright," he assured me. "We will always be a part of each other."
I clutched him to me so tightly at his words, but he offered no word of protest and instead ran his hands down my sides as we both chased our completion until we slowed into a blissful tangle of limbs.
"I love you so much Annie," Pan told me with a kiss to my forehead.
"I love you too Pan."
"There is something that I wanted to speak with you before our time is up."
"What is it?"
"If you manage to find someone, I want you to move on."
That had me glaring up at him with hurt and anger.
"Why would you ever tell me that?!"
"I want you to be happy Annie," he sighed.
"I don't want you to be hung up on me rather than continue on with your life with someone else."
"But there is no one else for me but you."
"You don't know that Annie," he insisted.
"At least promise me that you will keep my words in mind."
"I promise," I said with a heavy heart. "H-How are you okay with this?"
"I've had about three hundred years to think about this," he said with a sad smile.
"I've had time to think about it and I came to realize that it wasn't in our destinies to be with each other. Your father probably sent you all back because it was to keep you safe and there is nothing more than I want than your safety and happiness."
"You have come a long way Pan," I sniffed at his words. "You almost seem like a god now."
"Hardly," he laughed. "But I guess many of the other faun have come to see me as such for being with you when you were in Narnia."
"So the nickname fit?"
"Only because of you," he smiled while shaking his head.
Our sweet moment then began to fade that had a little bit of panic rising in my chest, but I calmed down when I remembered Pan's words.
"You will always be with me," I told him while looking into his blue eyes.
"As will you always be with me," Pan returned, nothing but love in his eyes, face, and tone. We shared one more kiss before I was brought back to my body in England.
When I woke, I could feel a lightness in my chest from being able to talk with Pan. I took a glance around my room to see the general outline of the dresser and desk I had in my room due to the heavy curtains that blocked out any type of sunlight from the room. Thank you Father, I sent him through my thoughts when it had finally sunk in what he had done for me. In return I was rewarded with a warmth in my chest and a comforting presence very briefly in my mind. I smiled at the feeling as I sat up in the bed and stretched my arms above my head. I guess it's time to get out of bed and stop moping. With a deep exhale, I threw my blankets back from my legs then swung my legs over the side so that I was sitting up. A bit of vertigo swept through me at the quick movement so I took a few moments to get my bearings then rose to my feet when I felt that I could handle being on my feet. The hardwood floor felt could and hard under my feet as I shuffled across my flooring to get to the window. This is just like ripping off a plaster, I thought to myself while I gripped the curtains in one hand. I readied myself for the bright light that would no doubt burn my eyes before I whipped the curtains open only to be met with the early dawn before the sun even decided to rise over the horizon. That just means I'll have time for a quick bath. I gathered a fresh blouse, a pair of trousers, fresh knickers, and a bra then opened my door. It seemed no one else was quite awake yet when I didn't hear anyone up yet. Well, Mrs. Macready is probably awake, I thought to myself. She's probably already up cooking breakfast for everyone. I took the opportunity to tip toe over to the bathroom so that I could have a quick wash. My first order of business was to wash my hair so that I could get the icky feeling of greasy hair gone. A sigh of contentment left my lips before I washed my body quickly then let the water out of the tub. When the tub was being let out, I made sure to clean up after myself then dried myself off so that I could dress after wrapping the towel around my hair. I carefully dressed in my outfit, making sure to tuck my blouse into the trousers then slipped back into my room undetected. I quickly dried my hair as much as I could then sat in my window seat with the window open enough to let a breeze in and to air out my room. As I watched the gradual dark blue sky bleed into a beautiful mixture of lilac, watermelon, and baby blue when the sun crested over the horizon. The birds began their early morning song that I found myself singing along with.
"Before the rising sun
We fly,"
I sang as I watched a mated pair flitter by my window.
"So many roads to choose
We'll start out walking and learn to run…,"
("We've Only Just Begun" by The Carpenters)
My singing was cut off by a knock at my door.
"Yes," I called out.
"Anna," Edmund answered in a surprised tone.
"What is it Ed?"
I could almost sense his hesitance in what he was going to say when I heard that he was fidgeting on the other side of the door.
"Come on Ed. I can hear you all the way from in here. You can come in if you like."
Again he was hesitant when his hand settled on my doorknob but he ended up opening the door to see me brushing my hair out in the sunlight filtering through the window.
"Anna," Edmund breathed out in shock, his dark eyes wide. "You're…,"
"Dressed? Not depressed? Actually functioning? Take your pick," I teased him when I saw that he was having a hard time trying to find the words.
"You look like yourself again," Ed finally said with a relieved smile breaking over his face. I in turn gave him a smile while I held my arms out to him. I could see and almost feel the happiness that welled up in him as he rushed forward to be enveloped in my arms. I could smell his distinctive woodsy scent when I rested my cheek against his head and I breathed it in deeply to comfort myself.
"Ed, where are-," came Lucy's voice only to stop in my open doorway.
"Hey Lucy Lou," I greeted her when I met her gobsmacked expression, holding open one arm so that she could join in on the group hug. She hardly thought about what to do before she came running into my embrace to take both Ed and I into her arms.
"I'm so glad that you're alright," Lucy confessed while her head rested against my shoulder.
"I am now," I told her with a kiss to the crown of her head.
"Now why do I have the honor of both of you showing up this morning?"
"Breakfast is ready," Ed spoke up after pulling back a bit to look me in the eye.
"Well what are we waiting for?" I grinned to the both of them. "Let's get a move on."
They stepped back so that I could stand up, but Ed had to rush forward to catch me when I stumbled.
"Thanks Ed. Susan and Peter are no doubt waiting for us downstairs."
I was able to walk alright on the way to the dining room, but Ed and Lucy made sure to stay close to my sides so that I wouldn't fall if I stumbled again.
When we made it to the dining room, Peter and Susan were already sitting at the table while eating their breakfast.
"Good morning," I greeted my siblings and Mrs. Macready when Lucy and Ed helped me to my seat. Both Peter and Susan abruptly stopped eating at the sound of my voice and their heads whipped towards me to make sure that they weren't just hearing things or seeing things.
"I assure you that I am real," I pointed out with a twitch of my lips as I picked up a slice of toast.
"I am glad to see that you have emerged from the cave you have made of your room," Mrs. Macready sniffed from her spot at the front of the table.
"I hope that you are not going to pull a stunt like that again."
"I can promise you that I won't," I promised her with an incline of my head.
"See that you don't."
ooo0ooo
We all ate in relative silence but I found that I couldn't eat that much due to the small amount of food I had eaten in the past week. Ed was more than happy to finish the food that I head left when he saw that I had eaten as much as I could. When we were all finished eating breakfast, I helped take dishes into the kitchen then I pulled my siblings with me outside so that I could soak up the sunlight. I had been stuck inside for far too long. I needed my time in nature that reminded me on Narnia.
"What happened?" Susan asked hesitantly when I lay down in a large patch of sunlight on the soft yet slightly scratchy grass.
"Father came to visit me," I revealed while I watched the wispy clouds that reminded me of whipped cream moved across the morning sky.
"Aslan visited you?" Lucy chimed in with a bright face.
"Why didn't he come to us?" Peter questioned, a little put out at the news.
"I have a deeper connection with him as his daughter," I told him. "We always have a connection between us so it must have been easier to come to me."
"What did he say?" Ed inquired next.
"He said that we would be able to go back to Narnia," I said that had everyone getting excited.
"But it won't be for a while."
At the news they deflated a little.
"But that also means that I won't be able to see Pan again."
"We won't see him again?" Lucy questioned sadly.
I shook my head while gazing up at the sky as I remembered my goodbye with him earlier this morning.
"Then why are you up and about?" Susan ventured in confusion.
At her tone, I could feel my teeth set on edge. I knew that she was just confused and wanted some answers, but I really didn't appreciate her accusing tone.
"I was able to say goodbye to him thanks to Father."
"How is Narnia since we've been gone?" Peter joined back in.
"I don't know," I mused.
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"Father left right after the battle and Pan has been dead for three hundred years."
That news seemed to just floor them because they all sank to the ground around me.
"How long have we been gone from Narnia?" Ed asked in an almost detached tone of voice.
"Five hundred years so far," I commented.
"Five hundred," Peter echoed in shock, running his hands through his hair.
"Did Aslan tell you when we would be able to go back?" Lucy inquired softly.
"No, he didn't."
They looked sad at my words, yet I couldn't stand their downtrodden looks.
"Cheer up you four," I sighed as I sat up.
"We may not be able to head back to Narnia, but we can practice so that we don't lose our skills."
Ed was the first one to agree with me followed closely by Peter and Susan.
"Don't worry Luce. I'll train you on how to fight hand to hand and daggers," I directed towards my younger sister.
oooooo Ad Meliora oooooo
Well there you have it lovelies. There is the first chapter to the next installment of Anna's story. I hope you stay tuned for the next chapter and that everyone will continue to stay safe at home. If you have any questions or comments about the story, feel free to leave a review or shoot me a pm. Remember, reviews are magic!
-White Wolf