Author's Note: As promised, here is the first of the one-shots I have planned for my Golden Journey verse! Sorry it has been so long. My job is very demanding and I work a lot, so I don't have much time to write recently. ^^; If you haven't read the original story, I would recommend reading it first, else this won't make much sense. Hope everyone enjoys!

...

Helen Pevensie was a mother, above all else. Certainly, she enjoyed many hobbies and past times, and had worked a few jobs in her day, but to her, nothing could compare to being a mother to her children. She loved looking out for them, cooking them meals, and giving them wisdom when they faced life's problems. She simply loved it all, the good, the bad, the easy, the hard. She wouldn't trade it for anything.

Being a mother in Narnia though, she was finding, was a bit different.

Here in this magical land, her children were now budding monarchs, busy more often than not with training, being tutored in politics, fighting, and other courtly pursuits. She was very proud of them, but it meant they were becoming more and more independent. In the three years since they had arrived in this magical land, she had watched her children flourish. They would always need their parents, but it seemed they needed them less and less as the years went by. She didn't mind it, it was the natural course of things, but she did still miss having young children sometimes to dote on.

"Helen? Everything alright?" Her husband's voice pulled her out of her musing, alerting her to her surroundings in the royal library once more. A book on the history of the Lone Islands lay forgotten on her lap, resting on her fine, deep red Narnian gown made of the softest material. She looked up at her husband, dressed in a fine blue tunic of Narnian make, and looking quite at ease in his surroundings, something that always sent a small thrill through her. They had come so far since entering this strange world. She could hardly believe they lived here some days.

"I'm fine George." She replied earnestly with a bright smile at her dear husband. "I was just thinking about everything and nothing at once, I suppose."

He smiled softly at her, reaching down to grab her hands and pull her to her feet.

"Well, I've just come by to say farewell for now. We're ready to head out on the patrol and Peter and Edmund reminded me I hadn't said goodbye to you yet, so I rushed over here to remedy that at once." He pecked her softly on the cheek.

"You're only going to be gone for a night, dear." She replied with a soft laugh. "It's hardly a long journey."

"Still, I couldn't leave without a farewell." He chuckled heartily. "Are you positive you'll be alright, just you and the girls?" He added with a teasing smile.

She hit him lightly on the arm. "Oh, off with you." She said with a laugh and a shooing gesture of her hands.

He smiled, and with one more kiss to her cheek, exited the library with a jovial wave. She waved back, smiling, and moved to put the book back in its place.

Her thoughts wandered once again, as she placed the book on the shelf and began the walk back through the castle's grand hallways. She always felt a little adrift these days, unsure of what to do. No one would begrudge her helping them, of course, but in times of peace such as this, there wasn't much that needed done that someone else wasn't already doing.

As she approached the front halls, she heard the chattering of a small group of Narnians, seeming somewhat distressed, although their tones were quiet. She rounded the corner cautiously, stepping into the hall to find a small group of squirrels talking to the elderly satyr general, Tyr. The old satyr was leaning down, listening to the squirrels speaking with concern on his face.

"-you must simply help us, please!" Helen heard the squirrel say adamantly, waving its tail around energetically.

"Well, I'm not sure what can be done but - Ah! Lady Helen!" Tyr cut himself off when he noticed Helen's entrance.

"What seems to be the problem?" Helen asked softly, coming to kneel down in front of the small animals. As always, they gave her a look of slight awe, which still, after all this time, had not become normal to her. It still startled her to be treated like royalty by these creatures.

"Well, it's just a sad story, you see, my lady." Tyr sighed, rubbing his small beard slowly in thought. "It seems that one of these squirrel's acquaintances has recently passed away."

"Oh no!" She gasped. "I'm so sorry for your loss."

"Thank you, my lady, but we were not particularly close to them. A bit of a loner, they were." One of the squirrels spoke up, and the rest of the group chattered their agreement behind them.

"It's more that they left something behind, or someone." Another spoke up.

"Yes, yes! Three babes, just kits. Barely even a week old, you see."

"Baby squirrels?" She echoed.

"Yes, it seems they don't have anyone available to take the poor orphans in." Tyr said with a sad shake of his head. "It's a pity, but I can't see how anyone here would be of any help-"

"There's no squirrel or animal that can take the poor babes in?" Helen interrupted.

"We wish we could, my lady, but all of our nests are full of our own young." One replied sadly.

"And our neighbors are all busy raising their own young or with other things!" Another added.

"But surely someone here will know of someone who can take care of them!" Another chirped happily.

"Well, we can certainly ask." Tyr said softly. "But I'm not sure what we can do."

Helen's heart hurt at the thought of the poor orphaned squirrels, and she wanted badly to help. So, pushing aside her hesitation, she decided she would.

"I'll take them in." She said firmly.

"What?" Tyr sputtered, turning to look at her in shock as the squirrels began chattering excitedly.

"Oh, would you, would you?"

"You are so kind my lady!"

"Are you sure you have the time?"

"It, it's fine." She replied, her voice stuttering a bit with the realization of what she had just committed to.

Tyr's shocked face had morphed into a fond one. "If you're sure my lady? I'll keep looking for someone else to take them in permanently of course."

"I'm sure." She replied with a smile, no turning back now.

"Oh thank you, thank you!" A squirrel from the back of the group said, stepping forward, a large satchel on their back.

With that, the squirrels began chattering their advice and well wishes, and the satchel was placed in her hand. Through the open top, three small babes could be seen, sleeping peacefully.

Well, at the very least, this would be interesting.

...

"Mother, is it true!" Lucy's enthusiastic voice echoed through her chambers as the door was flung open. Lucy bounded in, full of energy as always, a bright and curious smile on her face.

"Hush now dear," Helen replied in a soft voice. "They're sleeping. We wouldn't want to wake them." She adjusted the small basket of sleeping baby squirrels at her side where she sat on her bed, looking carefully for signs of them waking. However, they seemed to be sleeping soundly.

Lucy let out a soft gasp, carefully and quietly sitting down on the other side of the basket and peering inside curiously.

"They're so small!" She cooed in a whisper.

"Who's small?" Susan's quiet voice carried from the hall as she entered the room. "And why are we whispering?"

"Look Su!" Lucy giggled softly and excitedly, beckoning her sister to her side.

"How precious!" Susan whispered, a soft smile on her face as she leaned over the sleeping kits.

"Mum took them in after their own mum passed! Aren't they wonderful!" Lucy said earnestly.

"It's only temporary, dears. Until another family more suitable can be found to take them in."

"Temporary?" Lucy echoed, her voice slightly sad.

Susan nodded in understanding, but she too looked a bit sad. "Of course. We'll have to take care of them the best we can until then, won't we mother?"

Helen smiled and nodded, returning her gaze to the sleeping kits once again. As she watched them sleeping, she could only think that her boys would certainly adore them as much as her girls did.

...

Sure enough, George and the boys adored the little squirrels. They quickly became beloved members of the palace, and the kits were often found being cooed over by the royal family and castle occupants alike. Lucy, in particular, took to carrying them in the pockets of her dresses or aprons, showing them everyone and everything in the palace.

Helen herself grew to love the little kits dearly, and quickly. It wasn't hard to love them, as they were very calm and affectionate babes. Although raising Narnian animals was out of her regular experience, she found help around every corner from other occupants of the castle who offered her advice and support. Between the support of her newfound friends and her own motherly instincts, Helen felt that she was raising them quite well all things considered.

Before she realized it, almost a month had passed since the arrival of the kits, and still, there was no news of a new home for them. The kits were growing well and fast, were beginning to talk, and her children had even named each and every one of them when it became clear that they would be around for a while yet. But still, Helen told herself daily, it was no good to be too attached. It was only temporary.

She was telling herself just that this lovely morning as she enjoyed the morning sun on her private balcony, overlooking the lovely view of the Narnian ocean glistening in the light. Suddenly, the door to her chamber was flung open by a bright-eyed Lucy with two kits on one shoulder and one on the other, all chattering together excitedly.

"Mum!" Lucy said excitedly, "Can we visit the forest today? We want to climb some trees!" The kits all chattered their agreement to her request.

"Well, that might be alright."

"Oh, please!" One of the kits piped up in their squeaky voice, while its sibling nodded quickly.

"Yes, mum!" The third added innocently.

Helen froze at that word, although neither Lucy nor the kits seemed to notice the use of it. Mum. She'd raised them so far, of course, but it was temporary, wasn't it?

"Mum?" Lucy asked again when Helen didn't respond right away.

Helen shook her head slightly and cleared her throat. "Yes, of course, it's alright my dears. Enjoy our day!"

They all smiled brightly and let out a chorus of "thanks, mum!" as they raced out the door, chattering together excitedly.

Mum. Hmm...

It seemed she needed to have a talk with George about their little family.

...

After that admittedly calm response to her revelation, and a short talk with George, Helen found her life turned upside down. They stopped searching for a new home for their squirrel children, and instead continued to raise them at the Cair until they were ready to set out on their own into the forest.

After that, it became common knowledge that the Pevensie matriarch had taken in orphaned animals. Suddenly, more and more animals came with their own orphaned children. It wasn't every day or even every month, but every so often a new family would come, and the Pevensie family would grow just a little bit more in turn.

First, it was a single rabbit kit, then a fox pup, and then a sparrow hatchling, and their family grew and grew.

Granted, animal children grew up much faster than her own human children, but she loved each of her new children as much as if they were her own. Each one that called her "mum" brought contentment to her that she had been lacking since coming to Narnia.

Helen Pevensie was a wonderful mother, as all of her children, animal and human, would attest. And even in the future when she would only be remembered in the history books, she would always be known as Narnia's mother, a loving and kind person to each and every child that needed her. But for now, sitting at a small table having tea with her, now grown, three squirrel kits, listening to the sound of her children new and old playing in the next room, Helen was content.