Author's Note: I am a college freshman, so hopefully my plans for this story doesn't get foiled by the inevitability that my classes will screw my life.
Ages for the story are going to follow the movie ages, which I believe that is
Peter: 15
Susan: 14
Edmund: 12
Alma: 12
Lucy: 10
So for the OC of this story, her name is Alma Pierce, and she is from Wales. I made her of Irish decent and used Sarah Bolger as her appearance from when the actress was a child. I am also rating this story T, mostly because of the action involved in the movies and the original story. I don't plan on making this inappropriate for the character's ages whatsoever.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Chronicles of Narnia or any of the characters. The rights to these characters and overall plot belong to C.S. Lewis. However, I do plan on making the story my own, while still remaining true to the plot and intention of the author. Enjoy :)
During the second World War, a family of four were taken from their homes and placed in the country for safe keeping. Many families were separated due to the trauma and devastation. The Pevensie children were well informed of the arrangement of their relocation. As soon as possible, the tiny and distressed family were moved to the quaint mansion in the countryside.
However, they were not aware of the little twelve year old Welsh girl who was already sent.
While uncommon, it was known that depending on the size and resources of the house, more than one set of children could be sent to the same home. And Alma Pierce was one of those cases. Either because of her being an only child, or because of the distance relation to the Professor. Regardless, Alma had arrived only one day before the Pevensies did, and boy was she excited for the company.
Alma had been doodling in a notebook given to her by Mrs. Macready when the four children finally got to the house. There was light coming from the window of the sitting room she was in, and the girl had just pulled her brown hair neatly into a tight bun atop of her head when she glanced out the window and saw the little wagon pulled by the horses.
Immediate excitement rushed through her stomach, as she hopefully would have some new friends to play with during her time here at the manor. Alma was known for being a little mature for her age. She was intellectual but still managed to maintain her childish charm. Praised in school for always being pleasant, she hoped she would be able to impress the children coming in.
She didn't know much about the four, only recalling their family name. Pevensie.
There was a distant chatter coming from Mrs. Macready, the strict older woman who accompanied the Professor in his studies. The woman lived here, and while Alma knows she doesn't mean it, Mrs. Macready sucks all the fun out of a nice sunny day.
The group was approaching the room in which Alma occupied, and she felt a surge of butterflies in her stomach as she knew she would be meeting the new people. Brushing away any fly aways on top of her head, and fixing the little clip she always put in her hair, she stood up, closing the sketchbook shut. At one last attempt, she tried smoothing down her skirt, hoping to make the best first impression possible.
Then, there was an approaching herd of footsteps, and soon enough, Mrs. Macready appeared, followed by four children. The tallest boy led the lot, standing as tall as the woman, herself, and sporting an interesting combination of golden brown hair and sparkly blue eyes. He had a soft complexion, and a stern expression. Alma could tell he was the oldest by the way he carried himself compared to the rest of the group. Upon spotting her, the boy gave a polite smile. Alma gave a little nod in return.
The next child to come in was a girl, a little bit shorter than her brother, and almost completely opposite in appearance. She looked very mature, and very sophisticated, with dark brown hair, coming down to the top of her chest. Her eyes were the same type of blue as her brother's, though, a bit lighter. She was so fair skinned, and very pretty. Her lips were a dark blush, matching the natural color in her cheeks.
Third, there was another boy, looking very grumpy, and very tired, definitely similar in age to Alma. He was the most opposite of them all. Dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. Matching his sister's pale complexion, Alma thought this boy was also very stern looking.
Last, but not least, the smallest child. A girl. She had very short hair, matching the golden brown of her oldest brother. Also sharing the same dark blue eyes as him, as well. She was extremely smiley, giving Alma hope that she might make a friend in this very interesting group of siblings.
There was a little pause of silence, as the four siblings studied the mysterious girl standing so proper in the sitting room. Mrs. Macready was the first one break that.
"Let's get these introductions over with, shall we?" She announced, grabbing the five's attention. "Pevensies, this is Miss Pierce. Miss Pierce, the Pevensies."
Alma could almost chuckle at how impersonal those introductions turned out. She hoped the woman would leave soon so they can get to know each other properly.
"You will be in the East Wing, along with Miss Pierce. Girls, you will room together, and boys will room together right across the hall." Mrs. Macready addressed Alma with the last formality. "Please show the Pevensies where their rooms are. Dinner will be at 6 o'clock sharp." With that, the woman cordially left the room.
With no more adults in their presence, all the kids let out an audible breath.
With another quiet minute of silence, the oldest boy was the first to speak. "Very nice to meet you, Miss Pierce. My name is Peter." He walked over to the girl, reaching out a very welcoming hand.
Alma smiled, happily shaking it. "Very nice to meet you, Peter Pevensie. I am Alma."
The youngest beamed brightly at the Welsh girl. "That's a very pretty name!" She exclaimed. "I'm Lucy." When the little one flashed her teeth in a wide smile, Alma could count 3 teeth missing. The two girls shook hands, exchanging big smiles towards each other.
"I'm Susan." The second oldest said, following suit of her other two siblings. "Very nice to meet you, Alma. Is that an Irish name?"
The girl nodded. "My father is Irish. My mother is Welsh." She explained.
"Very nice, I can see a bit of both."
Alma then looked at the remaining sibling, who seemed to be looking everywhere else but her. His eyes were fixed at the couch by the window when Peter finally noticed his brother's silence. "Ed, introduce yourself to Alma." He said as serious as if 'Ed' was his son and not his brother.
The dark haired boy glared at Peter, but didn't argue. "I'm Edmund." He looked at Alma briefly, straight faced and irritable.
Peter didn't seem to be in the mood to fight, however, so the five moved on.
"Would you guys like to see your rooms?" Alma asked, trying to cut the tense, awkward air between them.
"Yes please." Susan said, yawning at the thought of a bed.
Alma smiled, nodding and motioning for the four to follow her. On the way, Lucy Pevensie raced to the front to walk with her, while Peter, Susan, and Edmund followed behind loosely.
"Are your parents in the war too?" Lucy asked, and Alma saw the curious smile she had on her face.
"My dad, yes. My mom is still home." She answered simply. "What about you?"
"My dad is in the war too!" Lucy said, her smile faltering a little, but still bright nonetheless. "I miss my mom already." She admitted.
"Same here. It's been just me and my mom since the war started." Alma replied.
They walked a bit further into the mansion in a comfortable silence. However, Lucy seemed to be unsatisfied with the lack of conversation. "You have a funny accent, do you know that?"
Alma giggled, but Peter and Susan didn't seem to find it that funny. "Lucy! You can't say that to people." Susan scolded.
"Yeah, Lucy, Alma's accent is perfectly normal." Peter added.
"I don't mind, really!" Alma said, shooting the three a smile. "I have been told even in Wales that I have a funny accent. It's a mix of Welsh and Irish, isn't it?" She explained, pondering. "Anyways, I think the four of you have funny accents." She teased.
Lucy gave a fake pout. "I think we talk perfectly normal." Even with the false attitude, her little smile peaked through every time.
Susan chuckled, enjoying the banter now. "Well, actually," She started.
"Ugh, don't even start." Edmund said from the back, knowing perfectly well that Susan will begin sharing knowledge she read from some type of book.
Susan just ignored her brother, continuing with a twinkle in her eye. "Everybody has an accent. Our brains don't register our own. Technically, me and my siblings have a very colored way of speaking, with little jumps at the end of our sentences that make them emotive." Alma looked back as she was walking, always interested in new information. "Alma, being a mix of Welsh and Irish, has a very mixed accent. She has the typical rhythmic way of speaking, with different stresses on different syllables, with hints of the Irish sing-songy elements."
Edmund groaned from behind the group. "You really have to show off everywhere we go, don't you?" It wasn't meant to be a question.
"That's enough, Ed." Peter said.
There was a hint of red mixing with the pink of Susan's cheeks. Alma could tell she was a little bit embarrassed. "I rather enjoy fun facts. I don't think you're showing off at all. Sharing information is how people get to know each other." She said, giving Susan a smile. "Plus, I found that extremely interesting. I'd never thought of my accent like that."
Susan raised the corners of her lips in a smile. "Well, I have some cultural books in my luggage if you ever want to go through them with me." She offered.
"That sounds amazing!" Alma said with a little excitement. "The Professor also has an amazing collection of books that I'm sure he wouldn't mind us reading."
Lucy seemed quite bored with the conversation, her smile dimming as the two girls talked about things she didn't really understand. Alma did catch on to this, also noticing the dull looks on the two boy's faces.
"Also, I explored a bit around the manor. There are so many rooms to go into, and the yard is enormous." She informed them. "There are so many things to do here. We can probably get a few rounds of hide and seek in that would be challenging enough to keep it interesting."
That caught everyone's attention. Lucy, the most excited, let out a high pitch squeal. "Oh, I just love hide and seek! That's my favorite game." She turned to her brother, grabbing his hand, "Peter, can we please play that tomorrow? Maybe in the yard?"
Peter gave her a fond look, swinging her hand around gently. "We'll see, Luce."
Finally the five arrived at the rooms they would be staying at. Splitting up, the boys went into one room and the girls in another. Alma showed Lucy and Susan their bed, a full size right next to the little twin against the wall.
"I will obviously take the twin size, and you two get the queen." Alma said, going over to her bed that was in the corner. Her stuff was already unpacked from her arrival yesterday, and on top of the pillows was a little blue bear with two black hearts for the eyes and one for the nose. There was a thin line for the mouth, and a fuzzy outer layer of the animal.
Lucy, upon seeing this bear, immediately fell in love. "Wow, that bear is so pretty, Alma." She exclaimed. Then the little girl reached into her suitcase and pulled out a bear of her own. It was just a plain brown teddy bear with warn out button eyes. "Way prettier than mine." She said, a little defeated by that.
Alma shook her head, walking over to the girl and inspecting the doll. "Not at all. This bear is very charming." She said, hoping to cheer the girl up. "Would you like me to dress it for you?" She asked.
Lucy tilted her head a bit. "What do you mean?"
The other girl gave a secretive smile and went over to the draw next to her bed. She rummaged through the top shelf, and pulled out a burlap sack full of little items. "Come over here!" She invited Lucy over to where she was standing, already beginning to pour the items out of her sack. It was full of sewing supplies, buttons of different shapes and colors, and bows and ribbons of all sorts.
"Oh wow." Lucy said, looking over the different sights with curiosity. "You know how to sew?" She asked. Alma nodded.
Susan also had stopped what she was doing, stepping away from hers and Lucy's things that she was beginning to unpack to check out the items in Alma's possession. "Oh how neat! Can you teach me how to sew?" She inquired. "Mother was going to teach me but in spite of everything that happened there didn't seem to be time."
Alma nodded once again. "Of course! You can help me decorate Lucy's bear if you would like." She stated, but looked to Lucy with a smile, "Only if that's okay with you."
Lucy gave a girlish giggle. "Yes please!" She rummaged through the ribbons and bows. "Can you make the colors yellow? I love yellow."
"Anything you want! I have plenty of ribbon. Making things is one of my favorite things to do." She informed them. "I used to make all sorts of things at home for my mother. She taught me how to rug-hook, crochet, sew, knit, and even taught me how to make bracelets." Alma stood a bit taller when telling the girls this. She was very proud of her knowledge in making little household things.
Susan seemed the most impressed. "Oh wow, what else do you know how to do?"
"Household wise?" Alma asked. Susan nodded. "Well, my father tried to teach me how to cook, but nothing I made ever turned out right. The only thing I know how to really do is this."
"Oh! Well you have to try Susan's cooking, then." Lucy said. "She's better than our mother! She can make anything. Susan also makes the best pies. Edmund seems to really like cooking too, but don't tell him I told you."
"That's exciting! Perhaps Susan can teach me how to bake and we can eat the treats while we fix up your bear." Alma proposed.
Then, there was the start of a girly little bond between the Pevensie sisters and Alma Pierce.
Over the course of dinner and washing periods, Alma decided she really enjoyed the Pevensie's company. She couldn't have possibly gotten a better family sent here with her on this trip. Lucy claimed the spot next to Alma for every meal that would happen until they left, and Susan claimed the spot right across. The two girls loved to share with their brothers the talent Alma has with a needle and a thread. Peter seemed quite interested in the way she grew up, asking her many questions through the meal. Thankfully Mrs. Macready and the Professor seemed to eat in another room in the mansion, so meal time was another great opportunity for the children to get to know each other.
The only person who stayed relatively quiet during this time was Edmund. Alma found herself looking over at the boy many times, as he picked at his food and teased Lucy with little looks and comments. Lucy didn't seem bothered, telling the other girl that this is a regular part of their relationship. However, even though Edmund's disconnect from the conversation seemed normal to the other siblings, Alma was determined to grab his interest like she did with the others.
"Edmund, what do you like to do?" She asked, catching his glance. Her blue eyes met chocolate brown.
He shrugged, not really involved in the question. However, upon looking at his siblings judgmental glances at his introverted nature, he sighed and gave in. "I don't really know. I like the outdoors." He said, mumbling for the most part, but Alma didn't mind.
"Do you play any sports?" She tried to keep it going, hoping they find something in common. She wasn't a very active child, but her and her cousins always play a little football back and forth.
"Baseball is pretty fun, I guess." He said, avoiding eye contact by twirling his fork in the pasta in front of him.
Lucy decided to help her brother out. "He's really good. He was on the team at his school." Edmund glared at her for the comment.
"Not a big deal though. When dad went to war, we weren't allowed to have fun anymore." He said, shooting a bitter look at his two older siblings. They both ignored it.
Alma crinkled her nose. "We'll have fun here, though." She tried.
"Yeah, maybe for five minutes." Edmund said. The lack of interest really started to get to her, as she wasn't used to people not really liking her.
"Why are you so upset?" She asked, letting a little bit of attitude sneak into her voice. "I'm trying to get to know you, and you seem to want the opposite."
Edmund furrowed his eyebrows. "I didn't come here to make friends. I came here to wait for the war to end and for my dad to come and get me." He looked up at her, cheeks getting flushed. Alma shook her head.
"Maybe you should make the best out of a bad situation." She could feel her heart racing, realizing that the eyes of the other siblings were all on the two of them.
"There is no making the best out of this. We are hundreds of miles from our parents and stuck here at a grouchy old man's house. I just want to go home." He said, shooting a glare at girl who doesn't seem to quit.
That's when Alma had enough. She returned the negative glare and took a breath. "You don't think I want to go home too?" Her voice was getting louder, and her face felt hot. "I, for one, personally don't want to dwell on things I can't change right now. Maybe you should try it."
Edmund only rolled his eyes and stood up from the table. He pushed his chair back in and looked at Peter. "I'm going to wash up. If that's okay with you, Your Majesty." His voice had big drops of sarcasm in it.
Peter gave him a sneer. "Whatever you want, Ed. You can't seem to interact like a normal person, anyway." He replied, keeping relatively calm.
The younger boy stalked off into the direction of the rooms without another word. There was only one last glance at Alma, a look she couldn't quite put her finger on.
When the boy was out of sight, she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and looked at the siblings. "I'm so sorry for that. I don't usually act out like that. It was quite rude of me to raise my voice at your brother." She knew her cheeks must be red with embarrassment of her behavior.
Peter only laughed. "Don't sweat it." He started. "The little weasel deserves it sometimes." Alma felt a bit better knowing the oldest didn't think it too serious.
Susan also joined in. "He'll get over it. We've been trying to tell him the same thing." The children finished their food rather quickly after that, all returning to their rooms to get ready for bed.
Lucy was already tucked into bed, getting ready for her first sleep in an unfamiliar place. Susan was still in the bathroom freshening up, and Alma sat quietly on her bed, looking at the direction of the room where the boys were. She knew they would all come in before bed, and she dreaded seeing Edmund again.
"I know what you're thinking." Lucy looked at the spot on the wall where Alma was staring. The girl looked at the young Pevensie who waited patiently for her siblings. "It must be confusing the way we all treat him."
Alma nodded, definitely noticing the tension between the three of them and Edmund.
"He wasn't always like that. I guess he's still upset that father went to the war and left us." She played with the ear of her teddy bear. "We all miss him so much, but Edmund takes it the hardest. He always looked up to our dad. So when he left, Edmund became irritable." She giggled. "Especially since Peter decided to try to take up the mantle of 'man of the house.' But we all love him, even though Susan and Peter are a little hard on him."
Alma understood for the most part where Edmund is coming from. It was a little hard at first when her father left. She was very close with the both of her parents. "I get that." She thought back to her little quarrel with Edmund. "I feel a little bad for yelling at him though."
"Don't. He'll seriously get over it." Lucy assured her. They exchanged a smile.
After a while, Susan came back into the room, followed by Peter, who both stood at the edge of the bed next to Lucy, and Edmund, who chose to sit on the arm chair by the door.
Peter and Susan tended to their youngest sibling, tucking her in more, and making sure she's warm enough. Lucy, however, didn't seem completely convinced by the bed she was now gonna have to sleep in. "The sheets feel scratchy." She pointed out, making a look of distaste.
"Wars don't last forever, you know?" Susan said, giving the girl a kiss on the forehead. "We'll be home soon."
A part of Alma also felt comfort from those words. Even though she was content with sharing this house with the Pevensie children at the moment, she knew she would grow to miss the familiar walls of her house in Wales more and more.
"If home's still there." Edmund peeped up from the armchair, getting disapproving looks from both Susan and Peter.
Lucy didn't seem to mind, however the oldest girl still showed her distaste for the comment. "Isn't it time you were in bed?"
Edmund rolled his eyes, standing up and walking towards the door. He cracked a smirk though and before he left said, "Yes, Mom." He ran out strategically as Peter called out after him in annoyance.
"Come on, Luce, you heard Alma earlier, and you saw the outside. This place is huge." He gave a warm smile and exaggerated arm movements to symbolize the severity of his words. Lucy giggled appreciatively. "We can do whatever we want here! You'll see, tomorrow will be better."
After the promise, the boy walked out the room, surely going to scold Edmund before surrendering to bed, himself. That only left the girls, all in their selected beds for the night. Susan was snuggled closely with her younger sister.
"We are going to have fun tomorrow, right?" Lucy asked her sleepy sister for clarification. She also shot a look at Alma, expecting an answer from the two.
"Of course, Lucy." Susan assured, Alma nodding in agreement. With that, the three turned off their lights and let sleep overtake them.
