Disclaimer: I own nothing except my own characters and plots. The original universe and everything in it belong to C. S. Lewis. All photos used of film characters belong to Walt Disney Pictures. The content I have written is fanfiction and its only purpose is to inspire creativity and to further immerse oneself in the universe C. S. Lewis has created.
Author's note: I really enjoyed the inclusion and mix of different Hispanic cultures, looks and backgrounds the filmmakers decided upon giving the Telmarines when releasing the film 'Prince Caspian' in 2008, and have therefore decided to further add to that in this story as opposed to the book version of the Telmarines. As always, the story will be a mix of my own creations and storylines and the film and the original book by C.S. Lewis (see disclaimer above). I hope you enjoy the first chapter of my continuation of Pippa and the Pevensie's adventures in Narnia.
"Isn't it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back, everything is different…"
- C.S. Lewis, "Prince Caspian" (1951)
Chapter 1 – Set Me Free – September 1941 – England – May 2315 – Narnia
Downtown Bristol was the busiest and most overcrowded place to be on a Wednesday morning in the whole of the United Kingdom. Pippa thought so at least as she snuck in between the construction workers and their machinery. It was hot and dusty even on this chilly September morning due to the work being done to repair the damage the German Luftwaffe had imposed upon the area during their air-raids. The bombing hadn't stopped, but Pippa supposed it wasn't nearly as bad as in London and Greenwich where her older brother Arthur and her father Charles currently resided whilst on military leave. Her eldest brother Tom was on a boat somewhere in the English Channel transporting equipment to the soldiers stranded on the beaches of France.
Her mother Mary worked as a nurse at the Bristol Royal Infirmary to care for the wounded soldiers, while Pippa attended Colston's Girls' School. She was currently headed towards the school to attend morning lessons on geometry and algebra. It was raining steadily from the sky, and Pippa could hardly see her hand in front of her when the rain mixed with the dust and noise from the ongoing repairs as well as the constant moving traffic; heavily loaded lorries and horse-driven carriages full of supplies like wooden boards, cement and bricks.
"Oi! Get outta tha' way, missy!" Came the shout of a man carrying heavy crates as Pippa tried her best to pass by in a hurry. She jumped out of the way as two soldiers passed her whilst hauling two barrels of ammunition between them.
"Sorry!" Pippa mumbled and pulled on the hood of her raincoat to get a better look ahead. She squinted through the heavy curtains of rainwater and spotted an unobstructed passageway; a seemingly safe way to cross the crowded road.
If only Peter was here with her, then the blasted rain and the muck of this city would not bother her so much. But Peter was in London, more than three hours away by train, though soon he would travel further to attend boarding school with Edmund. She had not seen him or his siblings in seven intolerably long months, not since she was forced by her mother to move to Bristol. It was incredibly difficult to adjust to a life where you were once again underage and unable to make your own decisions.
A sharp tug on her clothes distracted her.
"Ow!" Pippa cried out.
It was as if something was dragging her along by an invisible thread. Her arms flailed about as she desperately wanted to resist the pull. It felt like magic, but not the good kind.
Frightened and distracted by the people and clamour around her she took two or three steps forward and stumbled off the cobbled pavement to withstand the forceful pulling.
Suddenly everything around her vanished and it felt like she was falling. Falling far, far down a rabbit hole, precisely like Alice in Wonderland. Pippa tried to scream, but the all the words and sounds that left her throat were silenced by the dark void surrounding her.
When Pippa opened her eyes, she was laying flat on her back in a forest. She groaned as she sat up slowly. Her body felt tender and sore as if she had been struck by a forceful blow or weighed down by something heavier than her own body. Her lower back and upper chest were aching terribly, and she panicked for a moment when she felt she couldn't breathe properly. After tearing off her raincoat and thoroughly inspecting herself she found she was unharmed.
"It must've been the shock of falling." Pippa concluded loudly. She realized after speaking how quiet the forest seemed; there were no birds singing or insects chirping, and it was apparently abandoned and overgrown.
"This forest must be in Narnia!" She realized suddenly. She got on her feet and took a couple of uncertain steps. The leaves on the trees were deep green as was the grass that covered the ground. The sun shone brightly and warmed her freckled cheeks. This place certainly wasn't in England and it certainly did not feel like autumn weather. If she had to guess she would say it was late spring, perhaps late April or early May.
It was too warm to wear her raincoat and thick stockings, so she pulled the clothing off and slung it over her shoulder as she went further into the woods. She was hungry and felt tired, and she reasoned with herself that people couldn't be too far away. If magic had sent her here, surely it wouldn't be a wasteland?
Her school bag with her sandwiches and books had not travelled with her when she had been transported, which Pippa found odd, but on the bright side at least she didn't have to carry it around in this heat.
She walked for hours on uneven ground. These woodland parts were even more wild and overgrown than she had expected, and in some parts the trees had grown so thick and intertwined that Pippa had to climb under roots or squeeze in between moss-covered branches to get past. Luckily, she was able to find a freshwater stream to drink from, but the more she walked, the hungrier she got.
In order to divert attention from her growling stomach, she tried to guess where in Narnia she could possibly be. The more she thought on it, the more she convinced herself that she simply could not be in Narnia. She had never known of such an abandoned wood in all of Narnia, and the trees were too quiet. There were no wood nymphs giggling in the treetops, and no dryads speaking to each other in hushed voices as the wind tickled their blossoming branches.
There were no animals either, speaking or otherwise, not even so much as a worm poking through the soil beneath the root she was currently moving over. Her school uniform was dirty and torn in some places from all her climbing, and when Pippa finally reached a grassy clearing she nearly fainted from exhaustion.
She tripped on an overturned tussock and fell to her knees in the grass. She looked back in surprise. Why hadn't she noticed it there? Come to think of it, the clearing was filled with holes of various sizes and depths, some cracks bigger than the foot of an average man and some barely large enough to fit a mouse.
Pippa wondered why she hadn't spotted the holes in the ground before entering the clearing. There were so many of them!
A gasp escaped her lips as she looked on in astonishment as the ground rattled and several moles popped their round, black snouts in the air and sniffed. Before Pippa had a chance to get on her feet, the moles leapt from their positions beneath the soil and rapidly moved towards her, their teeth gnashing wildly in an unnerving manner.
Pippa shrieked as they jumped on her, their claws pressing her arms and legs to the ground as they held her down.
"Stop! Stop this at once!" Pippa panicked as the persistent and blind creatures crawled around her.
"Aha! I've got you now little Telmarine!" Pippa heard a voice come from a nearby bush.
Slowly, the creature who'd spoken emerged from behind the shrubbery. It was a mouse.
The mouse was about two feet tall with dark grey fur as it walked on its back legs like a human. Its ears were large and furry, and in between them rested a golden headband with a rather fancy red feather sticking out of it. Along the mouse's middle rested a belt with an attachment for a small blade.
Pippa nearly went cross-eyed as she stared at the Narnian mouse standing proudly in front of her with its razor-sharp rapier drawn and pointed assuredly at her nose.
"Who are you?" The mouse asked in a threatening manner. "Speak quickly Telmarine, before I end your life!"
"I'm not- I mean- Who are you?" Pippa stuttered.
The mouse sighed dramatically. "Yes… I'm a mouse. A talking one. Yes, I do enjoy cheese, and yes, I'm very deadly. Wait- did you just ask me who I am?"
"Yes, of course, dear Mouse. I can see with my own two eyes what you are. I'm not blind." Pippa huffed out as she stared at the moles still holding her tightly with their grubby paws.
The mouse waved its sword dangerously close to Pippa's right eye. "Is this a trick, Telmarine?"
"I'm not a Telmarine!" Pippa protested. She'd never even been to Telmar during her reign. She'd only met with the Telmarine ambassadors lord Talon used to spend his time with at court.
The mouse did not seem to believe her as it pressed the tip of its blade into her cheekbone. "I'll ask you one more time Telmarine scum! Who are you?" The mouse hissed.
Suddenly it was interrupted by one of the moles grunting and snorting into the mouse's ear.
"Yes, yes, yes!" The mouse nodded impatiently. "I know she's not dressed as a Telmarine."
Pippa looked down at her torn school uniform.
"Yes, yes, yes, I can see she's too pale in colour to be a Telmarine!" The mouse continued, clearly irritated by the mole's untimely interruption. "I can hear she doesn't sound like one either!"
The mole speaking to the mouse paused and sniffed at Pippa's short green and blue pleated school skirt before grunting to the mouse once more.
"Well, what other explanation could there be? There are no other humans in Narnia. Especially not in these parts." The mouse was struggling to keep its temper in check.
"So, we are in Narnia!" Pippa exclaimed in relief.
"What did you say?" The mouse momentarily faltered. "You didn't know?"
Pippa shook her head.
"No matter!" The mouse continued. "Telmarine or not, my spies have been watching you travel through these woods all day. No humans dare enter these parts of Narnia anymore, and if they do, they are soldiers, not little servant girls dressed in such a state! I mean look at the rags you call clothing!"
"Rags?!" Pippa exclaimed in offence. "This is the uniform worn by the girls at Colston's, it's very expensive, my mother had to work night shifts for months to pay for it!" Slightly embarrassed by her outburst she added: "Not that I have any say in wearing it, mind you. It's terribly itchy."
The sound of hoofprints gently trotting through the grass interrupted the mouse from replying. The moles scattered as the sounds drew nearer, probably scared by the stamping on the ground. Pippa looked up in surprise as four golden-brown enormous centaurs entered the clearing.
"Reepicheep!" The largest centaur spoke calmly.
"Glenstorm." Reepicheep acknowledged with a small nod.
"Let the human go."
Reepicheep scoffed as he slowly withdrew his blade.
"Seek out Trufflehunter by the Shuddering Wood, and then meet us on the Dancing Lawn where we shall gather the others."
Clearly offended at being ordered around, Reepicheep gave Pippa one last long look before leaping into the shrubbery and disappearing.
Glenstorm approached Pippa and offered her an arm.
"Are you able to stand my lady?"
"I- yes. Thank you." Pippa stood quickly and felt awfully faint as she did. Why did her head hurt so much all of a sudden? "I'm sorry, but who-"
"My name is Glenstorm, my lady. These are my sons Rainstone, Suncloud and Ironhoof." Glenstorm and his sons bowed deeply.
"Right." Pippa was confused as she wobbled on her feet. "So, you know who I am?"
"You are lady Philippa. Wife and Queen of High King Peter the Magnificent." Glenstorm answered with another bow.
"Right." Pippa nodded. She felt exhausted and lightheaded from her hike through the woods in the heat. She hadn't eaten anything in hours either.
Glenstorm caught her in his arms as she collapsed. "You are exhausted, my lady. Allow me to take you to our camp where you can eat and rest before we talk further."
His words were the last Pippa heard as she closed her weary eyes and allowed herself some rest.
"Here you are, my dear." The words of the kind faun reached Pippa's ears through the sparks of the burning fire in front of her as she was handed a bowl of stew.
The fair-haired faun – Luna – had taken Pippa into her home and dressed her in a simple saffron coloured gown and given her soft, leatherbound shoes to wear. She had given her food to eat and a bed to rest in when she had arrived at the centaur's camp late yesterday evening.
The two females hadn't spoken much as Pippa awaited word from Glenstorm to resume their talk. Pippa was desperate for any kind of information on who they were, on how much time had passed in Narnia since she'd been gone, and most importantly, why they were gathering on what Glenstorm had called the 'Dancing Lawn'. She knew from her previous fifteen years as advisor and consort to the High King how elusive centaurs could be about their predictions in the stars, and how rare it was for humans to gain insight into their knowledge of the past, present and future.
Pippa ate a spoonful of the delicious stew. One could never go wrong with boiled potatoes, minced carrots, tender meat, and hot broth. Spoken like a true Englishman, Pippa giggled to herself. She truly was excited to be back in Narnia, but she couldn't help feeling that this was a very different Narnia than the one she left behind. Only a year had passed for her, and yet it seemed like so much more time had passed here.
Luna emerged from behind the door to her cave and cleared her throat. Pippa looked up from her place by the fire.
"Glenstorm has called for you, my lady." Luna curtsied and held the door open for her as Pippa entered the darkened forest.
The night sky was clear and the stars twinkling bright and yellow in the night. A perfect night for stargazing, Pippa thought eagerly.
"My lady." Glenstorm bowed deeply.
"Glenstorm." Pippa curtsied in return.
Glenstorm led Pippa further into the woods until they reached a small encampment. His sons stood side by side as they all observed the stars in the sky. Glenstorm was quiet for a moment before speaking.
"Did you know I'm a descendant of the great General Orieus?"
Pippa studied the centaur closely. Glenstorm had more golden-brown on the coat of hair on his back and lower body, and his red beard was more copper in colour than she remembered Orieus having. But the kindness in his black eyes and the furrow in his brow made it clear to her.
"Yes, I can see it in your eyes." Pippa smiled. Her smile faded slightly, replaced by a more serious expression. "How much time has passed since I last set foot on Narnian soil? I'm no fool, from the way you all look at me as if I'm some ancient deity or a ghost wandering your woods, I gather I've been away for a long time."
Glenstorm studied her for a brief moment before averting his eyes to the sky. "The stars have always told us stories of Sons and Daughters of Adam and Eve that were able to pass through time and places in a way we never could. When my lady and the Kings and Queens of Old reigned, you were not the first strangers to have visited our land nor would you be the last."
King and Queens of Old? That sounds like an awfully long time ago. Pippa felt anxious.
"In truth, my lady, you seem like a ghost to us, because we have heard great tales of your legendary rule during the Golden Age of Narnia, an age that should have lasted longer than it did." Glenstorm continued. "1300 years have passed since you left Narnia, and in all honesty, much has changed since then."
1300 years? To Pippa, this piece of information was nearly incomprehensible. It also meant that most of her friends, the Narnians she considered family, were gone. Dead and buried in the very earth she walked upon.
"We were invaded by Telmarines not long after your departure became common knowledge. The Telmarines spent nearly a thousand years trying to wipe us Old Narnians from existence. For the past five hundred years or so, they have been completely unaware that we've been inhabiting these woods and the surrounding land. The Telmarines don't go near it, as they believe it to be filled with ghosts." Glenstorm chuckled. "Not too far from the actually truth."
"But I don't understand how or why Telmar would invade Narnia?" Pippa questioned. "We were at peace."
Glenstorm shook his long and curly hair. "I'm afraid I don't know much about it, my lady. You must speak with the wise badger Trufflehunter. He knows much more about details surrounding the end of the Golden Age. He and a dwarf named Nikabrik will join us shortly. Prince Caspian is with them. He is the reason we have gathered."
"Prince Caspian? A Telmarine?" Pippa asked hesitantly.
"Indeed. My sons and I believe he is part of a prophecy to dethrone the usurper Miraz and drive out the Telmarines once and for all. We believe he can unite our broken land and revive a new golden age. Our claim is supported by many, but the Prince himself must convince the others to join us. It is essential that we are able to agree upon his claim to the throne after our meeting on the Dancing Lawn. We cannot hope to mount a revolution otherwise."
"How can you be certain he is the True King of Narnia?" Pippa believed in the conviction behind Glenstorm's words, but she needed more proof to be able to support him.
Glenstorm grinned at her. "You need proof? Well, here you are, my lady."
"I'm sorry?" Pippa stared at the centaur with a puzzled look on her face.
"We have had word that Prince Caspian blew Queen Susan's fabled horn to call upon the ancient rulers of Narnia's Golden Age. Soon thereafter, the good mouse Reepicheep and his spies find you wandering through our woods, and the birds continue to report of four other humans travelling by the Eastern Sea. One with golden hair and the legendary sword Rhindon strapped to his hip." Glenstorm winked teasingly at her.
"Peter!" Pippa gasped.
"Indeed, it must be so." Glenstorm nodded in agreement. "Surely, only a true King of Narnia could call upon the Kings and Queens of Old?"
Pippa responded eagerly with a nod of her own. "I must speak with Prince Caspian myself, but you have my word Glenstorm, I shall support your cause and aid in whatever way I can!"
"Excellent news, my lady. I shall fetch you the moment he arrives." Glenstorm clapped his hands together. "Now, if you have another spare moment, allow me to show you the constellation of stars you might not have witnessed during your past time in Narnia."
"Oh, yes, please." Pippa grinned and craned her neck to get a good look of the starry night above her.
Pippa met Prince Caspian a few days later. As Glenstorm had said, he arrived with a black-haired dwarf named Nikabrik and honey badger named Trufflehunter by his side. He was a few years older than her, tall and handsome with long black hair and dark eyes. His accent was more pronounced than Pippa remembered hearing from the Telmarines she'd met before, but that was to be expected after more than 1300 years of evolution she supposed.
"My lady." Prince Caspian bowed before her and planted a small kiss on her knuckles.
He was definitely brought up noble, Pippa thought as she curtsied. He seemed unsure as he studied her carefully.
"You must be Prince Caspian." Pippa spoke slowly, as she tried to ignore his inspection of her.
"Yes. I'm sorry, lady Philippa, I don't mean to be rude, I've just heard so many stories about you from my nurse and Doctor Cornelius, and I never expected to meet you in the flesh." Prince Caspian replied quickly before blushing.
Pippa tried to smile reassuringly. "Don't worry, my prince. I'll try not to act too ancient. After all, you're the senior party."
Caspian smiled half-heartedly at her joke. He opened his mouth once before deciding against speaking and shut it firmly again.
"What?" Pippa asked, feeling self-conscious under his intense stare.
Caspian rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Sorry, it's just, you're not exactly what I expected."
Pippa raised an eyebrow, somewhat vexed by his comment. "Meaning what exactly?"
"I, uh-" Prince Caspian fumbled.
They were thankfully interrupted by Trufflehunter.
"Your majesties. The Narnians have gathered on the Dancing Lawn. It's time."
TO BE CONTINUED.
Based on 'The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian' (1951) by C. S. Lewis.
Based on 'The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian' (2008) by C. S. Lewis (Andrew Adamson, Mark Johnson, Phillip Steuer, Walden Media and Walt Disney Pictures).
Songs for this chapter:
I Won't Give Up – Jason Mraz
Set Me Free – Jackie Evancho
Far and Beyond – Charles Bolt
Katniss Afoot – James Newton Howard
Fairytale – Harry Gregson-Williams, John Powell
Peter Pevensie – Born 19th of January 1924 (17 years old)
Susan Pevensie – Born 2nd of June 1925 (16 years old)
Edmund Pevensie – Born 6th of March 1927 (14 years old)
Lucy Pevensie – Born 25th of December 1929 (11 years old, turning 12)
Philippa Copland – Born 7th of July 1924 (17 years old)
Prince Caspian X – Born 14th of July 2296 (18 years old, turning 19)