Chapter 1: The Lamp Post

…

Digory

Now that he'd got Polly buttoned up firmly, her thick strawberry blond hair once again tumbling about her youthful shoulders and her riding hat perched jauntily, Digory looked about them some more. His own dark brown hair was smooth with a distinct wave and there was just a hint of a beard.

Everything was bright and wonderful. There were no true shadows as the crunchy shallow snow on the ground was in all directions and reflected the diffused light from the grey sky of high cloud. Light seemed to come from the ground as well as from above. This made it difficult to guess the location of the sun and therefore the time of day. It could have been anything from mid morning to mid afternoon.

There was no sign of the interior of the wardrobe, just an arching thicket of what looked like laburnum and hawthorn. The beech, elm and linden trees that were scattered about in all directions were bare of leaf, but shapely and beautiful, with drifts of rust coloured bracken here and there. On the heights behind them were well spaced trees that were probably larches, with an understorey of shining holly in a deep gully.

Digory had a tear in his eye. He knew well that Aslan must have called them here for some purpose that belied the initial pleasure, but what beauty!

They both breathed in the cold crisp air with zest. Though cold, the air was clean and enervating. There was no coal, no car exhausts, no mills, no factories pumping out industrial fumes into this landscape.

"This feels wonderful!" he exclaimed, swinging his arms and springing about with delight. "I haven't had this boundless energy for years. Oh, to be young again!" Digory took a short run and leaping in the air, he clicked his heels together. "Thankyou Aslan!" he called as he spun about facing Polly, his face glowing. His voice rang through the snowy wood, echoing from a tall cliff face of dark red sandstone that lay behind them.

Ever the practical one, Polly was already gathering up the two fur coats that lay on the ground on the edge of the thicket. It was then he realised how cold it actually was.

She handed him a coat, and he brushed off the bits of dry bracken that were clinging to it. They looked each other in the eye again. There was no hint of the psilocybin induced silliness and euphoric dark eyes. Instead their eyes had returned to a normal clear brightness; her's a sombre grey-green and his clear hazel. Noticing this, there came a clean sense of joy, gratitude and anticipation and the rather weightier one of… well, responsibility.

Polly said, "Well, we are here for something, we might as well toddle along and find out what".

…

They stood for a few moments, at a bit of a loss as to which direction they should walk in. The air was almost silent. There was only one bird they could hear and that was a redwing that was sending a sharp chirrup every few seconds, but it did not show itself. There was no wind.

"Polly, do you remember whether the sun was in the south or the north when we were in Narnia before? You know, when it travelled across the sky? We were only here for two days. My memory fails me. If we could just work out where the sun is and work out what time of day it is, I suspect I could get us our bearings and work out a way forward."

"I seem to remember the sun travelling from East to West through the South," she said, "at least it seemed to be on our right when we flew back from the waterfall and over Narnia. Those mountains we saw, was it Archenland? I'm sure the sun was pitched over them and then it set behind us. If we are in the north of the world, then those mountains would be to the south I imagine".

But really, Polly's guess was as good as his, so after they had shrugged on their coats they began trudging along through the shallow snow. It was then that they each discovered inside a pocket, a roll of paper tied with a bow. They recognised them. They were the scrolls that Peter had presented to them only an hour or two earlier.

"How did they get into our pockets?" they may well have asked, but they just looked at each other and shrugged knowingly. But they might as well have asked "How did we get to a land through the back of a wardrobe whilst we were under the influence of Liberty Caps?"

…

Even though they looked about, hoping to see another small bird, perhaps a talking one, but there was no further animal life to be found. So after a few minutes of walking along, enjoying the adventure and a return to youthful vigour, and clarity of mind, Polly asked, "So where are we in Narnia, Digory? Do you have any idea where we might need to be heading if we keep walking this way?"

"Polly, I agree, but… oh, that will take a moment to work out. Now… I did get Peter to draw me a map… but the memory is a bit fuzzy. Hhhmmm. Hold on a moment." He stopped in his tracks and looked about, trying to locate the sun and the lie of the land.

Then he walked over to a rock, swept the snow off it, sat down and closed his eyes. After a few moments, he turned to Polly and said,

"I think, I hope, we are in the far south west of Narnia, not very far from where we entered in the first place... if the wardrobe brought us here to the same site that it brought Lucy and then the others. As that is the best guess we've got, then logically we ought to be quite close to the London Lamp Post, which Lucy came across shortly after she first came here."

"So a bit further down the valley, to the place where the Tree of Protection grows then?" added Polly hopefully.

"Alas, Polly, once grew. It's not there now. Jadis killed it as soon as she arrived back in Narnia."

"Oh dear, yes of course she would have. It was going to make her life in this world such a misery wasn't it. It's coming back now," said Polly, looking a little crestfallen.

Then she gave a start and turning to Digory wide-eyed said, "And you know what? You know how time runs swifter in Narnia than on Earth… well… remember that the night your mother died, the same night the storm blew down the Narnian apple tree in London. Well… I am wondering whether that also coincided with Jadis's conquest of Narnia and killing the Tree of Protection. It would fit wouldn't it?"

"Oh, yes, I see what you mean," replied Digory, looking grave

"It wouldn't surprise me anyway," she went on. "And when her time ran out, it was the wardrobe made of that wood which enabled the children to get here to deal with Jadis."

"And now us," Digory concluded. "But what is our task? I assume it has something to do with responding to the children's concerns about what they left behind. Helping to re-stabilise Narnia government perhaps, if not too much time has gone by since the four left so suddenly."

"Yes, that thought has occurred to me too," concurred Polly. "Now what was it the Peter said in that short piece of his after Susan told her story?"

They each tried to recall what they could and together they eventually strung the following piece of verse together:

But exiled here we worry so, Else Peridan and Daimyo,

Or offspring of the Galman Duke, May find occasion to rebuke,

Each other or far worse to slaughter, The heroic Terebinthian daughter.

But when empty seats of power sit, And none can then be found to fit,

The roles of Diplomat or Warrior, Celebrant, Scold or Battle Doctor,

Counsellor, Clerk or Host Engraced, We pray Aslan 'Please act with haste'.

They paused for a moment, looked at each other and felt in their hearts that this was the problem they were being asked to solve.

Polly clapped her hands to keep them warm, "So which direction do we go in then?"

Digory said slowly, "Even if… we don't find the Lamp Post… I think we should probably be aiming… downhill I think. If we are where I think we are, we should be able to aim downwards into the main valley of Narnia... if we can just work out the basic direction. Do you remember? And Peter and Edmund and the others were not joking when they said they ruled the land from a castle by the sea. If we are going to be of any assistance, we should probably just keep following any streams until we hit the main river and then just follow it to the sea. They said to me that the castle - was it Cair Paravel? - was sitting on the northern headland overlooking the river mouth."

"Oh, but Digory, even if we end up going in the right direction, I can't walk all that way in riding boots! And neither can you. We may be youthful and vigorous again, but we can't just walk there like this. It might be hundreds of miles. And days… or even weeks. And it's freezing! I'm sure Aslan got Judith to put out this old riding habit for a reason."

But there was nothing for it but to walk somewhere, supporting each other to prevent each other slipping on icy rocks. So, they silently proceeded along what seemed to be a rough bridle path, winding its way around boulders and tall trees, and for a short stretch, a definite paved pathway over a frozen brook and after another five minutes, they rounded another bank of rock. There, ahead, they beheld a wondrous sight. It was the London Lamp Post, lichen-and-moss-encrusted; hart's tongue in abundance around its feet and astoundingly, a few cowslips flowering. The Lamp Post was flooding the clearing in which it stood with a golden light, only slightly dimmed by the general flood of white winter sunlight. Curiously, the trees which grew around and about, appeared to be reaching their branches towards the lamplight. They were the elegant grey shapes of rowans and the snow-festooned green of junipers and hollies.

And it was as they stood there, once again breathing it all in and remembering things from the past so clearly, they began to speak out loud again.

"Do you remember, Jadis broke off that lantern like a stick of barley-sugar? To think that that woman clutched onto our hands in the middle of her own palace in Charn. She was like iron. It still haunts me to this day Digs." Polly shuddered.

"Yes, and the roar of shock that went up from the crowd! They really knew they were dealing with something out of the ordinary then. And even thought we knew what she was capable of, it was still a shock."

"And do you remember how she bashed the lantern down on the helmet of that poor bobby that came running?"

"Yes, he was darn lucky to be alive after that! And later she threw it at Aslan like a spear and hit him right between the eyes. And he just kept walking!"

"Thank goodness he did! If he'd curled up and died, I don't know what we'd have done." finished Polly.

They breathed in deeply, soaking up the gentle golden light, listening to the faint hiss of the gas flame; remembering this very Lamp Post sprouting and growing and lengthening in front of their astonished eyes.

It was then that a silken voice spoke suddenly in their ears.

"We've been watching you two humans approach here for quite some time. You certainly didn't hurry yourselves, but at least you came in the right direction."

They both jumped, a rather electric frisson racing through both of them. Turning about and looking around, they couldn't see anyone at first but they eventually spied an eldritch kind of face, shaped amongst the branches, leaves and red berries of a holly, glowing in the lamp light. Then, with sudden movement, the nearer branches bent down of their own accord and springing back up, released their burden of snow in a great spray all over Polly and Digory.

Recovering from this unexpected onslaught, they found standing on the ground, not three feet from their astonished faces, a woman, nearly seven feet tall with light greenish-grey skin, a long fall of dark hair, with a braid around her forehead, bound with holly leaves and berries. She had the most startlingly bright red eyes. She was unclothed, but when she saw them swallow nervously, trying to avert their eyes from her body, she smirked and wriggled her shoulders and her skin seemed to become clothed in an elegant robe of deepest green.

"There," she said, "the Kings and Queens we had until recently got used to all us dryads showing ourselves in natural bark, but I can see it doesn't suit you... yet. Never mind, I quite like clothes anyway," she said, swishing her gown little. "But you certainly seem to be encumbered with rather a lot!" she said, glancing derisively at Polly's riding habit and boots, hat and fur coat. Naturally, Polly bristled at her, but the holly woman just smirked down knowingly.

"Wh… wh… who are you?" stammered Digory, who had always been a little overwhelmed by powerful female personalities.

"Well, I rather think I ought to be the one asking you two that question, don't you think? Last night a star falls to earth. The whole forest comes alert. Something's clearly afoot. Then this morning, a Daughter of Eve and a Son of Adam appear out of nowhere at eleven o'clock in the morning in the middle of a thicket up yonder in Upper Lantern Waste. At just the place our Kings and Queens disappeared the summer before last."

She laughed knowingly at their astonished glances. "Oh, Word travels fast when you're a tree. We have our ways and means, don't you worry. How do you think Jadis got her intelligence that Tumnus was fraternising with a human?" she asked cryptically. "It's not only Robins and Beavers and Sly Weasels who keep a look out you know," she added, seeming to watch their reaction to this, perhaps to play on their fears and ignorance.

Digory had a creeping feeling that she was trying to scare them a little. "Jadis?" he thought anxiously. But as Polly had not heard the story and Digory had learned to be inscrutable in his career as a University Professor, she was disappointed.

But she shrugged it off quickly enough.

"No matter, but if you must know, my name is Celyn. I am one of the many trees who guard this Lantern throughout the year and we have been watching closely for mysterious appearances. You two have been the most convincing so far. Oh, we have been searching long and hard, let me tell you and also keeping a strong guard on what is rumoured to be the portal to the Fair City of War Drobe in the mysterious Land of Spare-oom."

Again, watching Polly's slightly puzzled reaction, she said "Silly old Tumnus. He got it wrong didn't he? I did a stint as warden of the robes at Cair Paravel, you see, so I certainly know what a wardrobe is. Tumnus wouldn't have. Even during the long winter fauns never wore clothes. The royal children just came through a wardrobe that was in a spare room somewhere didn't they?"

They nodded.

"So you do know their story then? I thought as much. The legates at Beruna will be wanting to speak to you, mark my words." She chuckled.

"And so I guess you both also stepped into the same wardrobe a short while ago and emerged here?"

They nodded again.

Then she pointed a long twiggy finger at Digory and said, "Then this young son of Adam starts talking about being young again, leaping about as if it is a spring frolic and thanking Aslan and sharing his thoughts about where you both might be. And he was right. And then to top it all off, then you both walk into the sacred circle of the Lantern and begin blurting out memories about the Lantern itself, memories which rightly belong in the Dawn of Time, unless I am vastly mistaken. So I repeat, 'who are you?'"

Digory glanced at Polly. Polly glanced at Digory.

They both put their hands in their pockets, feeling the scrolls that Aslan had undoubtedly remembered to send with them and Digory, gaining courage from this, intoned in his best Professorial voice;

"Polly, as now we are in Narnia we assume our Narnian titles from here-on-in. I am Lord Digory of the Apple. My companion is Lady Polly of the Rings. We have both been named as Peers of the Realm, Guardians of this Lantern and Counsellors of the Narnian Privy Chamber, by none other than High King Peter himself. We have documents to prove this. We are far far older than we may appear to you. We were indeed last in Narnia at the Dawn of Time and we require escort to the Royal Court, or what is left of it, as soon as may be. We have been sent by Aslan and High King Peter."

The Holly Dryad stepped back a little, looking surprised and not altogether pleased, but she smiled formally, did them a low curtsey, and then called "Sisters and Brothers! You heard what the Lord Digory said. He and the Lady Polly require an escort to Beruna. Do what you can!"

With that, the rest of the trees nearby quivered slightly and Digory could have sworn this was followed by the sound of a large flock of birds, as if they had taken flight from the glade, but none were to be seen.

…

As they stood there looking about, Celyn said to them both. "I suspect an escort will be on its way very soon. It might even get here before the Legates at Beruna receive news."

"Oh, so there are Legates appointed are there?" put in Polly, speaking at last. "May we ask who appointed them and how many there are?"

But before she could get an answer, the sound of sleigh bells approaching distracted them and they waited with bated breath until a team of reindeer swung into view.

…