A/N: Ha! Good at updating? On this story maybe...but go to my profile and check out the update dates on the rest of them...this is extremely out of character for me! lol. It's cause the wonderful reviews keep me going! And don't worry, I have a plan...she's not just in Narnia because I said so...it won't be Aslan she talks to...yet...but it will be somebody. Coming up in the next chapter, actually. Don't worry, I've gotcha covered. Sooo...enjoy!

Chapter 4

When the room was ready, Susan and Lucy took her up and showed her around. Much more than just a spare room, this was more like a suite. With elaborate decorations and magnificent furniture, Jen didn't see how the kings' and queens' rooms could be any lovelier. As she was looking around, Susan glided over to the wardrobe and pulled out a beautiful green dress, motioning to several more inside. She was obviously quite proud of the collection, so Jen oohed and ahhed over them politely, despite her general dislike of fancy dresses. They were indeed beautiful, and some were simple enough that Jen could possibly see herself wearing them if she must.

"I'll have the maid prepare a bath if you'd like," Susan said. "What fun the boys see in lying on the ground and getting dirty on those hunting trips, I'll never know."

Lucy rolled her eyes behind Susan's back. "But that's the fun part about it," she whispered.

Jen nodded her agreement and suppressed a chuckle. "Actually, yes, a bath would be nice, if you don't mind. I can't exactly see putting on one of these things without one."

After the girls had gone and she had had a lovely hot bath, she slipped on one of the less elaborate of the dresses. It was a rich dark green velvet, with gold trim. The collar came up to her neck, with a slit to her collarbone. The skirt was long and full, and would most definitely prove bothersome, but it seemed appropriate under the circumstances. A maid came and pulled the sides of her long-ish nutmeg hair back into a braid, leaving the rest of it hanging down her back. After a little too much fussing and primping from the maid, she looked in the wardrobe and found some black boots, practical for the circumstances yet feminine enough so as to complement the dress, not clash with it.

When she was through dressing, she made her way to the corridor where Susan and Lucy had gone, and almost ran into them. "Jennifer! You look lovely! Come along, let's show you to the boys," Susan gushed.

"Oh, now really Susan, I don't suppose they would care--" But Susan was already pulling her down the stairs with Lucy trailing along, giggling at Jen's misfortune.

They found the boys talking with a handsome young man who seemed to be a prince or somebody important.

"Jen!" Peter greeted. "We're glad you've come down! I'd like you to meet a friend of ours. Jen, this is Caspian, the prince I was telling you about. Caspian, this is our very old and dear friend, Jennifer." As they greeted one another and said "Pleased to meet you" and other formalities, Susan cleared her throat at the boys. Peter and Edmund looked around, trying to find out what Susan was going on about. Then they noticed Jen in the fancy dress.

"Well, Jen. I see Susan worked her magic," Peter quipped.

"You look nice, Jen. Very lovely. You fit right in," Edmund said sincerely.

Peter had other opinions. "Jen, you look--" he said with a straight face. "You look like a girl!" With this he burst out laughing.

Jen slugged him in the arm. "Doesn't mean I hit like one," she muttered. Then her expression changed to innocent, though her hazel eyes twinkled, and she said sweetly, "How kind! You know, you look like one too!"

The laughter ceased.

They bantered back and forth playfully for a minute until Lucy interrupted. "I'd say it's about lunchtime, and there's no need wasting it by going on like this. I'm hungry!"

They all laughed. "Well, you heard her Highness," Caspian chuckled. "Lunch it is then!"

After lunch, Susan took her leave of the party and Caspian did likewise. Peter and Edmund and Lucy began showing Jennifer around the castle. They talked constantly, going on about this and that as if they'd had no one to talk to for two years. They also told her many stories about their first time reigning in Narnia. Jennifer was especially interested in hearing about the battles.

"So the two of you are real knights?" she asked, sounding like an awestruck child.

"In the flesh," Edmund chuckled. "Knighted by Aslan Himself."

"So you two have seen a lot of battles?"

"You three," Lucy corrected. "Do you think I let the boys have all the fun?"

Jennifer looked thrilled. "So women fight in Narnia too?" she asked hopefully.

"Only Luce," Peter said proudly. "who's as good as a man, or at any rate as good as a boy."

"How exciting!" Jen said. "I've always wanted to know how to use a sword, and ride a horse, and go off to battle..."

"Sometimes it's exciting. And sometimes it's horrible." Edmund shuddered. "It's just something you have to do."

"Still...how I'd love to be in your shoes."

Edmund and Lucy looked at each other and grinned.

"Oh, but you are," Peter smiled. "At least, in some ways." He took her hand. "Come with me."

He led her around the castle and back up to her room. Lying on the bed was a beautiful sword.

"I saw you looking at mine earlier...I thought you might like to know how to use it."

Jennifer walked to the bed and fingered the sword thoughtfully. Then she looked down with a slight smile. "This has to be a dream."

Peter laughed. "No, I'm pretty sure it's not."

"No, no...you don't understand. Just as I went to sleep back at my grandmother's, after reading that book with just this sort of thing in it, I was thinking how I wished, oh I wished that I could live in that sort of time and place...and the next thing I know I am. I never would have imagined..."

"Well, now you know how we felt coming here for the first time. It was almost too good to be true, and yet it was." He laughed again. "Well, if you'd like, I'll prove it's not a dream. There's nothing like a bruise from the flat of a sword during training to wake you up. How would you like that?"

"Right now?"

"Why not?

"Well, now it is, then." She smiled. "Thank you...for everything."

"Of course! Don't mention it. Now come with me and we'll get Edmund, and we'll see if we can't show you how to use this thing."

Five minutes later the two boys were fully engaged in trying to show Jennifer some basic techniques. It was indeed an effort on their part, for even though she was as strong and tough as any girl her age could be expected to be, her small build and rather...clumsy nature put her off balance more than a little. However, she had fun with it, mostly turning the blame on the boys whenever she goofed.

There was one particular instance when she had just finished slugging Edmund in the arm for a teasing comment he had made in response to a particularly clumsy moment of hers, and they were just starting to go at it again. A voice came from behind.

"Most honored and noble friends, while I am loth to risk offending the skilled and practiced swordsmanship of your Majesties, perhaps there is a thing or two I could teach the lady?"

Jen turned to see where the voice was coming from, and promptly screamed.

"Peter! Edmund! What is THAT?"

"Your pardon, my lady, but if I may speak in the defense of myself and my dignity, I--" The voice stopped as it was obvious that Jen wasn't listening.

Peter and Edmund were laughing hysterically. Peter composed himself just enough to speak.

"This," he said with a grin, "is Reepicheep."

The thing bowed.

"Yes, b-but what is it?"

"I will excuse the lady (this time) on the knowledge that some may have never seen a mouse before, but--"

"A mouse? But you--you speak!"

"Yes, my lady, how very observant of you. If I may make so bold, so do you."

Jen disregarded the sarcasm and looked to the boys, as if for an explanation.

Edmund looked to Peter. "Did we neglect to tell her that the animals talk here?"

"No, I don't think so..."

"No, we didn't! I remember! We told her about Aslan, didn't we? We mentioned that He talked!"

Jen shook her head. "I didn't know what you meant! I thought maybe He was like a lion, or was called a lion, but I didn't realize you actually meant He was a lion!" She looked shot a bewildered look towards the Mouse. "Now I've seen it all..."

"Of course, my dear lady. This is Narnia! What did you expect?" The mouse bowed again. "Now, if I may start over in a more mannerly fashion, allow me to introduce myself. I, of course, am Reepicheep. And honored to make your acquaintance, to be sure." He offered his hand, and when she took it he didn't shake it, but kissed it charmingly.

"I'm Jen. And likewise pleased to meet you. I'm afraid I've never met a talking mouse before."

"Quite all right. Any friend of their Royal Majesties is a friend of mine. Now...would you be so magnanimous as to allow me to assist in the lesson of basic swordsmanship--not in the least offending the honor of their most noble and skilled Majesties, of course, but only to aid in the well-aimed goal of teaching this fine lady the--"

"I'd be delighted, most honorable Sir. Thank you." Jen was over her initial shock enough to be greatly amused, though she was wise enough to hide it for the sake of the fragile dignity of the Mouse.

Peter and Edmund only looked at each other and shook their heads.

A/N: If there's one thing my female characters all have in common, it is the strong dislike of dresses. This is the one thing about me that is always incorporated into my characters. But as I get older, though I doubt I will ever learn to like dresses on a regular basis, I have gotten better about it, thus my characters have too. Maybe one day the near-phobia will vanish altogether and I will actually become feminine. Who knows?