Disclaimer: I'm kind of glad I don't own Narnia. If I were C.S. Lewis, I'd be dead.
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Susan woke up bright and early to find six children standing around the sofa staring at her. She ignored them and pretended to be asleep.
"No, she isn't," said one child.
"Yes, she is," insisted another.
Susan sat up and confronted them. "Yes, I am what?"
The children did not seem the least bit ashamed of being caught staring.
"Queen Susan of Narnia," said a boy the age of Susan's youngest grandchild. "You are, aren't you? Mama called you Susan, and you haven't any wings."
Susan did not answer for a while. The children kept staring, and waited for her to say something.
"I was Queen Susan of Narnia," said Susan sadly. "I am not now."
"Yes, you are," said the oldest child. She seemed to be about ten, and had skin and hair of different shades of blue. She did not have butterfly wings. Now that she thought of it, Susan noticed that none of the children had wings.
"What?"
"Once a king or queen in Narnia, always a king or queen," said the girl solemnly.
'Aslan said that,' thought Susan. 'I had forgotten.' "Thank you," she said aloud.
"You're welcome," said the girl, who seemed to know exactly what she was being thanked for. She held out her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Queen Susan. My name's Crystal."
"It's nice to meet you, too, Crystal," said Susan, shaking her hand. "Can you tell me where I am?"
"In our house."
"But where is that?" asked Susan.
"In the daffodil," said Crystal. This conversation was beginning to sound familiar...
"But in what world?"
"You don't need to know that," said the little girl. She must have been listening to her mother and Susan the night before.
Susan sighed and changed the subject. "Where is your mother?"
"I'll get her for you," said Crystal, and she ran around the sofa and through the curtain.
Flora came in, carrying a large pot of what looked like oatmeal. "Hurry up, dear," she called over her shoulder. A purple-colored butterfly-man entered the room and quickly set up a collapsible card table. Flora set the oatmeal on the table. "Just a moment please, Susan. Breakfast is almost ready."
Flora went back for dishes and silverware, and her husband brought out nine silver folding chairs.
"It's time for breakfast, children. Come and sit down," said Flora.
Everyone was sitting down, so Susan took a chair next to Crystal and waited. Flora sat quietly for a moment, head bowed, as did all the others, and then served each person a bowl of oatmeal.
The oatmeal was very good. It tasted of cinnamon, and of some spice Susan did not recognize. While they were eating, no one said much. When they were finished, and the children were clearing the table, Flora told Susan what she was going to do that day.
"You must see the library, Susan," said Flora. "Since you can't fly, I will have one of the children show you the way."
Ten minutes later, Susan was following Crystal down the winding stairs. It was a beautiful, sunny morning.
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Further Disclaimer: "Once a king or queen in Narnia, always a king or queen," was something Aslan said in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
