Chapter Two
Silence enveloped around Emily; still silence. Time seemed to have stopped. The earth itself felt like it was falling beneath her feet.
The light fell softly into. it seemed to be water she was in? It certainly felt like she was floating in water. Particles roamed with no destination in the water's bleak light. It was all very confusing for Emily.
Incredulous, Emily splashed from the liquid (it was indeed water). Where am I? Was the first question she asked herself.
Emily seemed to be in an enormous wood, as still and silent as the water had been. Several other pools littered the ground in various sizes, and would have spread out beyond the horizon, if there had been one.
The yellow ring (and also a green one, which had probably been touching the yellow one) was sprawled on the ground. Emily realized that they must have brought her here; talk about mad ideas. The yellow one probably brought her into the wood, and the green one would probably bring her back home.
So Emily clued out that if she touched the green ring, she would be taken home. Although, she thought, I was looking for an adventure.
She decided not to chance it, however. After all, this place could be very dangerous, although it didn't quite look it; and her mum was sure to have kittens when she found Emily gone.
Emily seized the green ring in her fist, but nothing happened. No water enclosed her.
Perplexed, Emily thought for a moment. "I know," she said, thinking aloud. "The green ring is for the same purpose as the yellow one. So if. the pools must me there for a reason, so. Maybe if I jump into the pool I came from-that one right over there, I think it was-it will take me back home!"
Emily made a running start, and leaped into the water. The water remained shallow, not at all deep like it had been before.
Emily picked up her skirt, trudged from the pool and sat down on the dry grass. Well¸ she figured, if I can't go back by touching the green ring, and if I can just jump into the pool, then.. Maybe if I touch the ring and jump in, then I can go home!
Hoping beyond hope that her theory was right, Emily stuffed the yellow ring into her pocket using her sleeve. Clasping the green ring tightly in one hand, Emily jumped into the nearest pool. To her delight, Emily felt herself sinking deep into the water, the liquid seeping into her already soaking clothes.
Once out of the water, Emily gazed confusedly at her surroundings. This was not her attic, not even England-this didn't even seem to be earth.
Off in the distance, Emily heard horns blowing. The noise became louder and louder. Before Emily had time to flee, seven horses came into view.
The leader of the group approached Emily. "Who are you, Stranger?"
Emily was hesitant to answer. "P-please, Sir. I d-don't know w- where I am."
"We are in Aslan's country." said the man, gesturing toward the woods around them. Emily felt that this did not clear matters up in the least, as she had no clue as to where and what Aslan's country was. The man continued, ignoring Emily's questioning glance. "The country beyond the end of the world. Now," he said, addressing his men, "We shall take her to the high king Peter."
"Get on." The man said to Emily, who didn't need telling twice.
Soon they arrived at the high king's palace-it was separated from the other houses, which were located down the mountain. Emily thought it odd that, from a height, all the houses and buildings looked like England.
"I need to see the high king Peter, please." The man said to the front guard, after they had all left the horses in the stables or out to roam and graze. Emily was being held onto by one of the horsemen; it hurt badly, as his grasp was very firm, and Emily's arm writhed beneath his, struggling to come loose. The man slipped inside, and returned moments later.
"Come with me." He said to Emily, pulling her inside as well.
At the end of the hall sat a man in green robes who must have been the high king-he certainly didn't look like a king. He appeared to be very young with an absence of lines on his face; he had an adventurous look mingling in his face, and Emily thought that he looked to be a generally kind person. He also wasn't sitting at a thrown, but at a chair at a table. Even in all this, he looked like a king.
"Please, do come in." he said pleasantly.
"She wouldn't say her name and she seemed suspicious, so I brought her here, Sir." The horseman said, looking proud for doing so.
"Good work, Beagle. You may go back to you're horses now, if you'd like." said the king.
Once the man called Beagle had left, Emily sat down in a chair across from the high king.
"Please, what is your name?" he inquired.
Emily, through all her confusion, felt the need to answer. "My name is Emily, Sir. Emily Lucy Hobbs. But I'm afraid I don't know where I am. The horseman told me that this is Aslan's country, but. I've never heard of any such place."
The high king seemed to understand. "You come from earth, then?"
Emily nodded, wondering where in the-universe-was Aslan's country. "If I'm not on earth, where am I?"
The king seemed to be thinking of a way to answer this. "This isn't really a planet-Emily, correct?-it is merely a different place than England. You see, down there, at the bottom of the mountain?" He extended a hand and tugged at the curtains. Far, far below them, was the town that Emily had thought looked extraordinarily like England. Even the clock tower, Big Ben, seemed to be there.
"That," the king continued, "is England, but in another place and time. You see, long ago, there were more countries here. There was Narnia, Calormen, Archenland, and many islands on the sea. This world, unlike earth, is flat, not round. And if you sailed beyond the end of the world, you would come into Aslan's country, where we are now.
"Long ago, I came into Narnia from earth; my sisters, my brother and I-and we had many adventures here. But that's a different story."
Emily was surprised that he had come into Narnia from earth. "How did you get into Narnia?"
Smiling at her interest, the high king said, "Through a wardrobe. My sister Lucy found it, and at first the rest of us didn't believe her."
"I'm named after my aunt Lucy," said Emily, now completely wondrous. "My mother said that I was like her, so she made Lucy my second name."
It was the king's turn to be fascinated. "Who is your mother?"
"Susan Pevensie," Emily said, curious as to why the king had asked. Before she could say anything, the king had paled noticeably, and said:
"Susan Pevensie? Susan was my sister!"
Emily puzzled over this before she stuttered, dumbstruck, "But-but- then you're-dead!"
Silence enveloped around Emily; still silence. Time seemed to have stopped. The earth itself felt like it was falling beneath her feet.
The light fell softly into. it seemed to be water she was in? It certainly felt like she was floating in water. Particles roamed with no destination in the water's bleak light. It was all very confusing for Emily.
Incredulous, Emily splashed from the liquid (it was indeed water). Where am I? Was the first question she asked herself.
Emily seemed to be in an enormous wood, as still and silent as the water had been. Several other pools littered the ground in various sizes, and would have spread out beyond the horizon, if there had been one.
The yellow ring (and also a green one, which had probably been touching the yellow one) was sprawled on the ground. Emily realized that they must have brought her here; talk about mad ideas. The yellow one probably brought her into the wood, and the green one would probably bring her back home.
So Emily clued out that if she touched the green ring, she would be taken home. Although, she thought, I was looking for an adventure.
She decided not to chance it, however. After all, this place could be very dangerous, although it didn't quite look it; and her mum was sure to have kittens when she found Emily gone.
Emily seized the green ring in her fist, but nothing happened. No water enclosed her.
Perplexed, Emily thought for a moment. "I know," she said, thinking aloud. "The green ring is for the same purpose as the yellow one. So if. the pools must me there for a reason, so. Maybe if I jump into the pool I came from-that one right over there, I think it was-it will take me back home!"
Emily made a running start, and leaped into the water. The water remained shallow, not at all deep like it had been before.
Emily picked up her skirt, trudged from the pool and sat down on the dry grass. Well¸ she figured, if I can't go back by touching the green ring, and if I can just jump into the pool, then.. Maybe if I touch the ring and jump in, then I can go home!
Hoping beyond hope that her theory was right, Emily stuffed the yellow ring into her pocket using her sleeve. Clasping the green ring tightly in one hand, Emily jumped into the nearest pool. To her delight, Emily felt herself sinking deep into the water, the liquid seeping into her already soaking clothes.
Once out of the water, Emily gazed confusedly at her surroundings. This was not her attic, not even England-this didn't even seem to be earth.
Off in the distance, Emily heard horns blowing. The noise became louder and louder. Before Emily had time to flee, seven horses came into view.
The leader of the group approached Emily. "Who are you, Stranger?"
Emily was hesitant to answer. "P-please, Sir. I d-don't know w- where I am."
"We are in Aslan's country." said the man, gesturing toward the woods around them. Emily felt that this did not clear matters up in the least, as she had no clue as to where and what Aslan's country was. The man continued, ignoring Emily's questioning glance. "The country beyond the end of the world. Now," he said, addressing his men, "We shall take her to the high king Peter."
"Get on." The man said to Emily, who didn't need telling twice.
Soon they arrived at the high king's palace-it was separated from the other houses, which were located down the mountain. Emily thought it odd that, from a height, all the houses and buildings looked like England.
"I need to see the high king Peter, please." The man said to the front guard, after they had all left the horses in the stables or out to roam and graze. Emily was being held onto by one of the horsemen; it hurt badly, as his grasp was very firm, and Emily's arm writhed beneath his, struggling to come loose. The man slipped inside, and returned moments later.
"Come with me." He said to Emily, pulling her inside as well.
At the end of the hall sat a man in green robes who must have been the high king-he certainly didn't look like a king. He appeared to be very young with an absence of lines on his face; he had an adventurous look mingling in his face, and Emily thought that he looked to be a generally kind person. He also wasn't sitting at a thrown, but at a chair at a table. Even in all this, he looked like a king.
"Please, do come in." he said pleasantly.
"She wouldn't say her name and she seemed suspicious, so I brought her here, Sir." The horseman said, looking proud for doing so.
"Good work, Beagle. You may go back to you're horses now, if you'd like." said the king.
Once the man called Beagle had left, Emily sat down in a chair across from the high king.
"Please, what is your name?" he inquired.
Emily, through all her confusion, felt the need to answer. "My name is Emily, Sir. Emily Lucy Hobbs. But I'm afraid I don't know where I am. The horseman told me that this is Aslan's country, but. I've never heard of any such place."
The high king seemed to understand. "You come from earth, then?"
Emily nodded, wondering where in the-universe-was Aslan's country. "If I'm not on earth, where am I?"
The king seemed to be thinking of a way to answer this. "This isn't really a planet-Emily, correct?-it is merely a different place than England. You see, down there, at the bottom of the mountain?" He extended a hand and tugged at the curtains. Far, far below them, was the town that Emily had thought looked extraordinarily like England. Even the clock tower, Big Ben, seemed to be there.
"That," the king continued, "is England, but in another place and time. You see, long ago, there were more countries here. There was Narnia, Calormen, Archenland, and many islands on the sea. This world, unlike earth, is flat, not round. And if you sailed beyond the end of the world, you would come into Aslan's country, where we are now.
"Long ago, I came into Narnia from earth; my sisters, my brother and I-and we had many adventures here. But that's a different story."
Emily was surprised that he had come into Narnia from earth. "How did you get into Narnia?"
Smiling at her interest, the high king said, "Through a wardrobe. My sister Lucy found it, and at first the rest of us didn't believe her."
"I'm named after my aunt Lucy," said Emily, now completely wondrous. "My mother said that I was like her, so she made Lucy my second name."
It was the king's turn to be fascinated. "Who is your mother?"
"Susan Pevensie," Emily said, curious as to why the king had asked. Before she could say anything, the king had paled noticeably, and said:
"Susan Pevensie? Susan was my sister!"
Emily puzzled over this before she stuttered, dumbstruck, "But-but- then you're-dead!"
