Chapter Sixteen: Lucy

Lucy was pretty sure she was the only one who was taking her fortune by Dulcea seriously. Not just because it was something exciting to look forward to as they waited for the results of King Nain's and Queen Aria's thoughts on the treaty proposal. But because she seemed to be the only one who noticed that there was something they were still in Narnia for and they needed to figure out what it was.

Peter, Susan, and Edmund seemed to think it was that they needed to restore peace in Narnia, but Lucy wasn't so sure. She wasn't as naïve as she had been, as when she first entered Narnia and wanted nothing more than to prove to her sibling that it was, in fact, real, and that creatures like Mr. Tumnus and the Beavers could be friends.

Now those friends were gone, they'd created peace between Narnia and Telmar and they were still in Narnia. And it was the thing that Lucy was trying to prove wasn't the point of them being there. Telmar wasn't the trouble they were trying to clear up, it wasn't their purpose.

And the sooner they figured it out, the better.

There's a war coming, Lucy thought as she strolled the grounds of Anvard, hands lightly perched on the vial and cordial strapped to her waist. And we don't know where it's coming from. Telmar's just been taken down…but how many other places have been affected by our lack of presence. We were gone for a long time…She stepped through the walls of the courtyard and headed across the sprawling grounds of the castle.

Not that it was their choice.

They were happy, at first. The thrill of being back home so that they could explain to Professor Kirke what had gone on. (Though they were hesitant to tell him the truth, he gently goaded them into and listened to their story all with a bright smile and a twinkle in his eye). Then they continued into the night, she and Susan telling the boys about what'd happened with Aslan and the Stone Table and how, without them, they'd never have been able to win and live their lives in Narnia, and Peter and Edmund talking about the battle and how they'd been prepared for it.

Slowly but surely, as the days passed, depression set in. They tried to get back into Narnia the next day. Hoping that they'd be able to, at least, go back and forth through the wardrobe to transport to the land they loved so much. But found their hands pressing firmly into the back of the wardrobe, unable to make it move.

No worries, they'd tried again tomorrow.

And they did, over and over.

Until it became evident, until Susan, being the logical one, couldn't hold back any further and had to tell the others, "I don't think we're meant to go back." Lucy and Edmund had denied it while Peter agreed with Susan. Of course he had, he was the oldest, it made the most sense that they'd band together on that decision. It took a few more days before Lucy, begrudgingly, took it as fact.

That wasn't the most depressing part, not by a long shot. The most depressing part was when they started to turn on each other. When they started to accuse each other for being at fault that they couldn't go back to Narnia. Whose idea was it to chase after the White Stag? Well, whose idea was it to go riding in the first place? Who was the one who decided to explore the area around the light post? Who was the one who decided it was even a good idea to go out that day at all? Who was the one who pushed through the trees and the coats first?

And on and on.

They were angry with each other for a long while, much longer than they'd ever squabbled before. Being in Narnia had made it easier for them to band together and come to decisions quicker than ever before. Where she and Edmund used to defer things to Peter and Susan—whether it was by their choice or not—they had grown into their roles of being Kings and Queens of Narnia and had their own 3areas of expertise and judgement. But the reality of losing something they held so dear made it so that they couldn't trust each other.

Then there were the other little things, the side-effects they hadn't known to think of; things they learned in Narnia were slowly starting to fade away. Nothing like learning battle strategies and how closely the boys listened to the radio to determine what was going on with the war, but little things. Lucy lost her ability to swim. She hadn't known before going to Narnia, had been given enough lessons from the Beavers to know how to keep herself afloat before enjoying a trip to the beach to swim as much as she could, then, back in the countryside, she floundered while trying to go across the pond.

Susan's archery and aim weren't as good as it had been before. Edmund didn't have the same respect in his opinion on things, Peter wasn't taken seriously as a voice of authority. Brielle had all but withdrawn into herself, branching away from the Pevensies when they'd returned. It all affected them in different ways despite how much they tried to prove they'd moved on and Narnia was simply something they had fun with while it lasted.

They pushed it to the back of their minds, growing accustomed to their old-new life, their new surroundings, their new school. And were prepared to do it all over again with another year at a boarding school when they were pulled back to Narnia all over again.

Only to be slapped in the face with the truth, that Narnia wasn't what it used to be and never would be again. Cair Paravel was in ruins, Telmarines had taken over the land they once knew, the magical creatures, their friends, had been nearly wiped out, there was nothing they were used to that way still there other than their belief in Aslan.

And yet, something was keeping them there.

"If only Aslan would show himself again," Lucy murmured, still traversing through Anvard's grounds. "We'd be able to ask him some more questions." She stopped at the edge of the forest that protected the trail leading out to…where she wasn't sure and looked at the trees. Tilting her head aside, she allowed her gaze to sweep over the trees that gently swayed in the wind.

Were they, simply, trees or were they dormant dryads? She'd thought they'd been taken out with the magical creatures that had slowly evolved and became extinct. But Aslan had managed to bring them forth once more, to help taking down Miraz when times were dire.

Maybe they could do the same again.

Stepping forward, Lucy reached out and placed her hand flat against the bark on the tree. It scratched her palm, tickling her skin while she rubbed her hand up and down it. It made her giggle a little, but sadness filled her heart. She couldn't feel anything other than the bark, couldn't get a sense of what was within the tree. Narnia was a magical place with magical creatures and, sometimes, she felt she had a better connection to it than the others.

Not better, she scolded herself. Different. Sometimes, she swore, she could literally feel Narnia. Not just the pinching pull of being brought into Narnia when the time was right, not the pull of magic, but the true essence of Narnia. Knowing how it felt when it was strong and powerful, feeling when it was weak and struggling.

The Golden Age and the struggles they were currently facing.

"Don't worry," Lucy whispered, continuing to stroke the tree. Desperately hoping to feel some sort of life inside. "We'll fix things. We'll bring Narnia back to the way it once was. We have to."

"Dearest Lucy," Dulcea said, making the youngest Pevensie to sit up straight, eyes shining with excitement. "As the youngest, you are more than what you appear to be. Others want to be wary of coming across you." Lucy's smile widened. Dulcea's eyebrows twitched. "I see moments of great decision falling upon your shoulders. Decisions that'll be felt for years to come, that will only end once your wise nature is realized. You're strong, and that strength shall be felt for centuries."

Lucy dropped her hand from the tree, gasping quietly when a sudden, cool wind blew, making the tree and its branches rapidly shake back and forth. As if the tree was shivering. It'd look that way to her siblings and Brielle, she knew. But to Lucy, it was something else.

A message.

Something was coming; something big.

She could feel it.

A/N: And now a tiny look into Lucy. This story is majorly from Brielle's POV, and also has a good amount of Peter's, while the others' POVs aren't shown as much, it'll still come in from time to time. And Lucy is fun to write because of her never-ending belief of things and her being the youngest of the Pevensies. She's always had a bit of a sixth sense of things for Narnia and it was fun to explore.

So, I've always liked the idea that Lucy may have some sort of magical/spiritual connection with Narnia and wanted to show some more of it here as well as through the rest of the story! Please let me know what you think!

Cheers,

-Riles