"Mum don't be so cryptic." Cassidy said moving further into the room. "What…"

"The wardrobe." Lucy said loudly. "Gran you said you lived the stories in your childhood. Were you serious?"

"I can tell you both something I am incredibly proud of. I have never lied to you about my life."

"What are you saying Mum."

"I'm saying every story I have told you is true." Susan said slowly and clearly. "Narnia was my home."

"Mum don't joke…" Cassidy started to say as her mother's words washed over her.

"The wardrobe." Lucy interrupted quietly. "It's the wardrobe." Susans eyes lit up as the connection was made.

"What wardrobe?" Cassidy looked between the two of them.

"In the attic."

"I brought it here from…"

"The professors…" Lucy finished the sentence. "…everything…" she shook her head. Lucy grabbed her grandmothers hand and jumped slightly in excitement. "I knew it! I knew they couldn't just be stories."

"Lucy don't…"

"Mum! She's Queen Helen!" she shook her head furiously. "Queen Susan." She corrected.

"No Lucy just…"

"Once a King or Queen of Narnia always a King or Queen of Narnia." Lucy interrupted her as well. Her excitement was now bubbling over and her grin was spreading wider and wider.

Cassidy was having a very different reaction. She was starting to get angry.

"Mum tell me what this is." She said holding out the horn in front of her again.

"Mum why aren't you listening. It's all…"

"Don't be silly Lucy it can't…"

"Mum are you really telling me this doesn't feel right?" Lucy's face fell slightly.

"I…" she was lost for words.

"I know you must be feeling a million different things right now, I know this is a lot to understand and take in. I don't expect you to take it easily"

Cassidy just stared hard at her mother, her mind running a mile a second.

"I made the decision the day you were born to only tell you about this, about Narnia, if it looked like you were being called."

"Called?" Lucy asked.

"Transported to Narnia, like we were. I was sure I would know if that was happening, but I knew that would probably never happen. My Narnia is dead."

"Dead…." Cassidy muttered.

"Time runs differently in Narnia, you know that. Hundreds of years pass for one of ours. Things change."

"Why… how can I…" Cassidy frowned "Why now?"

Susan turned to look at Lucy, leaving a heavy silence.

"A change is coming. The past few weeks I have felt movement, the wardrobe called to me again. that's why I brought it from the professors."

"A movement? Is that… is that what I've been feeling Gran." She put a hand to her stomach. "like a funny pull here."

Susan nodded, but Cassidy only felt more unsettled.

"I have never felt anything like that." She said mutely, her mother's attention was brought straight back to her.

"I thought you did. A long time ago. You were only around eight. The age Lucy was when she first discovered Narnia." She smiled a little. "You started having dreams where you woke up laughing or shouting. You used sheets upon sheets of copy books, drawing pictures that looked just like Narnia, like places you had never been to. I was sure you were being called. It made sense you would be since…" she stopped short "…since it had happened before. but nothing came of it. it all settled down again. This time though it is stronger."

"I just can't..." Cassidy hung her head. "…I don't feel anything."

She looked up again as a warm hand took her cheek.

"Your father didn't either. It just hit him, never crept up." Cassidy watched her mother's smile widen.

"My father?"

"Yes. He travelled between worlds too, but he never felt it coming."

"Who…" the knot in Cassidy's stomach tightened. "…was he."

Susan turned and sat back down in her chair, waiting for her daughter to do the same. When she got the hint she pulled the footstool up close and sat on it.

"You know who he is." Susan said gently. Lucy lent forward.

"What…"

"It's him." Cassidy cut her off. The sadness in Susan's smile deepened as she nodded

"Who!" Lucy said excitedly.

Cassidy turned to her daughter, tears starting to fill her eyes.

"Prince Caspian." Cassidy whispered.

/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/

The second crash had the hair on her arms standing straight. Her head whipped around towards the back garden and her feet quickly followed the train of thought. When the third boom came she realised it didn't sound like thunder anymore. Maybe it never had. It sounded like a lion's roar.

She moved through the kitchen quickly and her hand was on the back door handle when she realised what it truly was. When everything came rushing back.

"Aslan…" she whispered almost silently. She rushed out into the garden and froze as she saw the bushes at the far end swaying violently. The leaves all around were blowing erratically and as she began to step closer to the movement, now aware of the lack of sound.

When the trees started bending in a silent wind she looked up to see that there still wasn't a cloud in the sky. When she heard something crack her eyes snapped back to the moving bushes, her heart was racing. Dare she hope.

"Aslan?" she said louder, and as strongly as she could. She was barely a foot from the bushes now when a reply came.

"Susan?" a heavily accented voice hit her. She was completely winded when the source finally emerged and stood before her.

"Caspian." Her voice broke and he darted towards her and wrapped her up in his arms before she could even finish his name. She melted into him instantly, his body quickly warming her shivering form. He was stooped into her, his face finding the crook of her neck his new beard catching her off guard for a moment. Her hands reached up and her fingers wove into his hair, longer than she remembered, pulling him even closer than he already was, terrified she would soon wake up staring into an empty space.

"Is this real?" she breathed into his ear after a few still moments. "Are you really here?"

"I believe so." He replied, fingers now digging into her skin.

"How…" she could barely make words now. He loosened his grip and stood up tall again, looking at her properly. She felt a lump in her throat build at the sight of his dark eyes.

"I… I don't really know. Lucy…" he replied but she cut him off.

"Caspian... Lucy's dead. They're… they're all d…dead." She stammered the broken sentence out. Her chin trembled and her eyes began to fill.

He nodded slowly. His hands clasped on her arms.

"I know Susan. I know." He pulled her in for another hug, resting her head on his chest. "Lucy told me."

She shut her eyes tight, trying to listen to everything he said and trying to ingrain his smell into her memory.

After another silent few minutes he pulled back again.

"Lucy came to me last night. She told me you were alone. That you needed help." He said calmly. She didn't say a word. Details were for another time. "Then this morning in the palace garden..." he took a deep breath. "…Aslan called to me and I followed." A smile graced his face, but hers broke down.

"They're all dead." She repeated tears now filling her eyes completely.

In that moment it happened, months of pent up emotions finally came to the surface and rushed forth. She finally cried, warm tears flooded down her cheeks as he wrapped her back up in his arms and pulled her close. It was strange to say that she felt an immense sense of relief wash over her as she let the tears flow freely.