~Previously~

It was time for the celebrations to begin and everyone was ready. I wanted everyone to stop looking at me and quickly moved off the platform with the thrones. They continued cheering for their newly crowned royals and I was able to disappear into the crowd. The coronation of the Kings and Queens was good, but I felt like I didn't deserve to get a title. If I did, it shouldn't have been here, publicly. Now all of Narnia knew me as the personally named Warrior and Protector by Aslan himself.

Chapter 24 Aslan Leaves and the Celebration Party

There was a wondrous party after the crowning ceremony. Everyone was celebrating the coronation of their Kings and Queens. Dancing, laughing, and singing with joy. All the Pevensies got several offers to dance, but Susan was the only one to accept most of them. Lucy preferred dancing alone rather than with a specific partner while Edmund seemed to detest dancing altogether. Peter exchanged in conversations with Oreius and some of the other high ranking Narnians in lieu of dancing. Though he did have a dance or two with a dryad. It was a good day for everyone, including me. But I had snuck away from the celebrations.

I should've joined in on the fun, but parties and celebrations weren't my thing. They made me uncomfortable and I snuck away as often as I could. Many times I showed up late, after they had gotten started and left early. It was likely that no one would actually notice that I wasn't there as they were so busy with everything else.

Instead, I found myself out on the balcony watching the water lap against the shore. It was a beautiful sight and I enjoyed the fresh air. Inside felt stuffy with all the Narnians. As the party raged on, I remained undisturbed for quite awhile. No one came to talk to me or even notice I was no longer inside. It was times like this that I really enjoyed the silence and peace of being alone.

I remained on the balcony for a couple hours. The sun was beginning to set and it was starting to get dark, but you could still see perfectly fine. There were still plenty of Narnians dancing and enjoying the celebrations, as the volume hadn't changed since I went outside. To stay out of view of most of the castles occupants, I settled on the balcony edge closest to the castle wall. It was pretty easy, and I knew I could save myself should I start to fall. There I remained, head in the clouds.

Movement on the shoreline drew my attention. In my current position I couldn't quite make out what it was, so I got down from the ledge and approached the end of the balcony. In the slowly fading light, I could make out Aslan walking across it and I sighed.

Running footsteps came from behind and I turned around. It was Lucy and she seemed to be looking for something. When she noticed I was there, she smiled at me. However it faded as she looked towards the water. I followed her gaze, knowing what she saw. Aslan slowly walked away, His task complete. Narnia would be safe for now and He could focus His protection on other countries. A feeling of peace and sadness washed over me. Neither one of us spoke for a brief moment.

"Don't worry. We'll see Him again," Mr. Tumnus said, starling me. I had been so focused on watching Aslan that I didn't hear him approach.

"When?" Lucy asked with a glance back at him.

"In time," I answered instead.

"One day He'll be here and the next He won't," Mr. Tumnus explained as he joined us. "But you mustn't press Him."

"After all, He's not a tame lion," I finished for him with a light smile.

"No," Lucy agreed. "But He is good."

"Here," Mr. Tumnus said as he pulled a handkerchief from his scarf. "You need it more than I do."

He handed it to her and she smiled as she took it. Mr. Tumnus and I smiled comfortingly before all of us looked to the shore. In that brief time Aslan had disappeared. He was nowhere to be seen. Mr. Tumnus sighed, trying to hold back his tears. Lucy's where evident as she stare aimlessly at the shore. I was much the same, but I wasn't sad about it. Yes, Aslan was gone but that meant He knew the Kingdom would be in good hands. I only wished I knew when I would see him again.

Tumnus held Lucy's hand and I placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. We stood in silence for awhile but eventually Mr. Tumnus returned to the party, leaving Lucy and me alone. Lucy couldn't seem to pull her gaze from the shore. She seemed to be wishing for His return and while I wanted Aslan to stay I knew He would return on His own terms.

I squeezed Lucy's shoulder, gently trying to comfort her and she looked at me. She was sad but tried to plaster on a smile. It wasn't supposed to be a sad day, but rather a joyous one. I smiled softly, letting her know it would be okay. She returned it genuinely in response, as if she knew exactly what I was trying to say. Then she took my hand and pulled me back to the party. As much as I didn't want to go back inside, I knew this was what Lucy needed and I followed her inside.

Upon returning, Lucy ended up dancing again. I watched as she danced with Peter and then with Edmund, to my surprise. When her brothers finished, she went back to dancing on her own. She was having so much fun and grinning from ear to ear. But no how much Lucy looked like she had forgotten about Aslan leaving, I could tell she never would. Just like me, she would be patiently and quietly waiting for Aslan to return. I smiled even as questions began running through my mind.

What would Narnia be like without the Witch? We had been under her cruel rule for so long that many Narnnias probably didn't remember how things used to be. Would we have Christmas and feasts again? Summertime celebrations where fauns and dryads gathered to dance through the night? All the things we hadn't done in a century. Would I be able to go back to having a normal life? What was even normal for me? I wasn't sure about all of that.

While the Pevensies were nice and I could tell they cared about the Narnians, they would probably need a lot of help being royals and with all the burdens that came with a crown. Things would likely be hectic for awhile and I couldn't go home in the midst of that. I knew I would have to stay and help as much as I could. Maybe after awhile, once things settled and became more routine, everything could go back to the way it was. I could go home. But the more I thought about it the less I wanted it to. Everyone was having so much fun and I liked being here, being with other humans.

"Ana?" someone asked pulling me from my thoughts.

"Huh?" I responded and Peter laughed. "Oh. Your majesty," I said once I realized it was him and curtsied.

"Ana..." he began sternly. "I don't want any formalities with you. None of us do. Just call us by our names like you have before. We're still the same people that we were before and you're still our friend. There's no need for that with you."

I nodded. "As you wish," I hesitated before adding, "Peter."

"Now that we've got that settled, there's something that I wanted to tell you."

"What?"

"Stop thinking!" He grinned. "You've been thinking too much these last couple of days. You're almost as bad as Susan."

"I think Queen Susan's way of thinking is very helpful," I said looking across the room at her.

The use of a title was just a way to tease him and he chuckled. "It can be. But that's beside the point. Now's the time to enjoy yourself. There's a party going on, everyone's celebrating. Come on."

"I am enjoying myself."

Peter sighed but relented. He walked away and didn't force me to join in with the celebrations. I was left alone once again, but it wasn't for long. Lucy eventually came over to stand beside. She didn't say anything to me and I didn't think she would. We both each the silence in each other's company.

When this stretched on, Susan came over and joined us. She had a strange look on her face and I grew concerned. Whatever she was planning, I wouldn't like.

"What are you two doing?" she asked.

"Excuse me, Your Majesty. Whatever do you mean?" I asked, suspicions of her actions. She sent me a glare and I knew exactly why. "Sorry, Susan. You were about to lecture us?"

To her credit Susan did smile when she realized I knew what she was doing. "There's a party and you two are standing by yourselves in a corner," she chastised.

"Ana looked lonely. I decided to come over here and give her some company," Lucy explained.

"Look, I don't like parties. There's too many people here and it makes me uncomfortable. I'm only here because I knew it would be rude if I left. It would make it seem like I wasn't happy for you," I told her. "Besides, I enjoy watching everyone have fun."

"I'm sorry, Ana but you're going to get involved in this party. It's unnatural to stand out to the side when there's so much you could do," Susan said grabbing my hand and I resisted.

With Lucy's help, she manage to drag me into the party. After instructing me to have a little fun, she left. I sighed knowing there wasn't not much fun that I could have in the middle of the crowd. Aside from their Majesties, Aslan, Tumnus, and the Beavers were the only ones I knew. I didn't know how to strike up a conversation with anyone else. It left trying to find one of them and get out of the crowd. But I was unable to spot them and I tried escaping the crowd once again.

Lately, I noticed that my shyness was coming through more often. That explained why I wasn't liking this party or the thought of any parties. To the Pevensies, I may have seemed friendly but they were the first humans I had seen in decades. I was excited to talk to them. Mr. Tumnus and Aslan were the only Narnians I had actually talked to before then. The Beavers and I exchanged very little conversation, but I didn't feel uncomfortable around them. None of the others had really tried to talk to me and I wasn't going to be the person to start the conversation. It was just who I was.

Thankfully, I ended up not having to worry having 'fun' at the party. The Kings and Queens decided to call it to an end shortly after Susan dragged into it. I had finally managed to find the Beavers and we had a small chat when they announced the end. Honestly, I couldn't have been more happy. Celebrations and the like were draining and I felt absolutely exhausted.

After the Narnians left, except for the ones living in the castle, the Pevensies and I headed back to our rooms. On my way to my chambers, I decided that I would talk with Mr. Tumnus and see if planned to stay at court or return home. I knew they had made him an offer to stay, bur wasn't sure what he had decided. That fact that I wasn't offered didn't bother me in the least. I hadn't intended to stay longer than I was needed. My only concern was how far away all my friends would be. Tomorrow was a new day.

A/N: Okay. There's only about two more chapters left. While I'm working on finishing them up, I have a question for my readers. I do have three other books in this series (yes, three. I started when I was 14-15 and finished when I was 18-19). The reason this story took so long was because I was taking the whole series under rewrites. This is the new and improved version of the story. The others will be undergoing the rewrites as well but what I want to know is if anyone would be interested in the sequel(s). Let me know your thoughts about whether or not I should go about posting the next one. Thank you. :)