Well, I finally updated. I actually had this written for a while I just never got to typing it. School starts in 4 days for me so I don't know how long it will be before I update again, but I'll try my best.

Disclaimer: Nothing of Narnia is mine.

Hey, thanks for all the helpful reviews! That is what I call really useful constructive criticism! Now I will begin…

THE BLACK FIRE

Chapter 5

Cair Paravel

Wade, Mallory, Matt, and Victory had been walking for nearly one hour now, but Mallory thought it seemed like much longer. The steady thump, clump, thump, clump… of Victory's hoofs had almost lulled her to sleep. Matt said it was about 5 miles from the waterfall to Cair Paravel, but Mallory thought he must have been bluffing. Besides being extremely tired, the muscles in her legs were beginning to ache, and she was famished. I wonder if Matt would still let me ride Victory. Mallory thought. She was just about to ask Matt this when something else entered her mind. But Wade might think I'm a wimp if I don't walk with the two of them….WOAH!...Where did that come from! Why do I care what Wade would think? Mallory tried to brush that thought aside, but it wasn't as easy as she hoped it would be. But she never did ask Matt if the invitation to ride Victory was still available…

Meanwhile, Wade had been busy asking Matt questions about himself and what it was like to be a king. Wade came to the conclusion that Matt didn't like being king very much or even royalty for that matter; he didn't being treated differently than other Narnians. Matt also came to a conclusion of his own; that Wade couldn't (or maybe wouldn't) stop talking except when he took a breath of air between questions. The truth is when Mallory becomes really tired, she gets cranky and doesn't like to talk to anyone, but on the other hand when Wade gets tired, he talks and talks and talks. Only when they began climbing a hill, larger than any others they had scaled that night, did Wade stop talking. After they reached the top, Wade was about to ask Matt how much further they had to travel to reach Cair Paravel, when Matt took advantage of Wade's silence.

"Friends, I'd like to welcome you to Cair Paravel," the king said, gesturing his hands in front of them. Yet again, the two American teens were left speechless. There stood the most spectacular castle looking over the sea either had ever seen before. Numerous torches and lanterns were lit outside the castle, but only a few windows from were shining brightly with light from inside. With these sources of light Mallory and Wade could see what the rest of the castle looked like. Cair Paravel had towers every which way you looked. And flags! There had to be hundreds of them, big and small, majestically fluttering in the light breeze, and each had a golden Lion in a sea of red printed on them just like Matt's mail shirt. Lush green gardens were also to be seen, scattered around the castle, with a cheerful bursts of exotic and colorful flowers and plants. Some shrubs were even trimmed in the shape of the golden Lion, which seemed to be everywhere. There was only one way Mallory and Wade could only think of one way to sum this all up.

"Wow."

"Wow," repeated Wade as they climbed down the other side of the hill, coming closer to Cair Paravel with every step they took. There was a brief silence. Then the frequent appearance of the golden Lion just then seemed to register in his head. He just had to ask.

"What's up with that Lion?" he questioned, "It seems to be everywhere."

"That Lion! That Lion!" said Matt as if it was the stupidest question that no one would dare to ask for fear of looking extremely ignorant. "That Lion, created that very ground your treading on and all of Narnia. That Lion is the son of the Emperor across the Sea; the lamb and the Lion. That Lion's name is Aslan." At that moment everyone fell silent, even the swishing of Victory's tail ceased, for she seemed to know the importance of Aslan; Mallory and Wade had suddenly been filled with a strange, yet wonderful feeling. They felt a bit scared of the name at first, but the joy and happiness overpowered the fear. They both thought this feeling was strangely familiar, but had no idea as to why.

"That Lion," chuckled Matt almost at a whisper, while shaking his head. "He'll often drop in, but no one has seen him around in these parts in many years. Actually, I've never seen him in my life, but there is just something that always makes you feel he's there."

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When they arrived at the castle, Matt had a stable hand take Victory to the stables for the night. Then the other three entered Cair Paravel and were surprised to find it mostly deserted, except for a few maids and butlers. Everyone else had turned in for the night; it was well past midnight so it was no wonder why. Wade and Mallory were again struck with awe for the third time that night when they walked through Cair Paravel's main entrance--huge, wooden, double doors--and were still trying to absorb all of the wondrous things around them as Matt gave them the grand tour. Throughout the hallways and rooms there were marble floors and pillars of many different colors. And there were beautiful stained glass windows displaying Aslan and other magical creatures that Wade and Mallory only knew about from fairy tales they heard when they were younger. Neatly scattered about were flowers of every kind you could imagine arranged in vases on small decorative tables, and hundreds of paintings were hung on the walls. Big marble statues were also found placed here and there, many times near a corner. And to their surprise they found several fountains flowing inside.

Matt decided that they would all eat in the kitchen. He had one of the royal cooks prepare them a wonderful meal. There were fruits and steamed vegetables, an assortment of at least 8 different meats, bread and biscuits, cheeses, pies, and wine or water to drink, but neither Wade nor Mallory had very much wine because they thought it had such a foul taste since they never had it before. When everyone had their fill, Matt showed the other two their bedrooms. Wade's room was on the right and had an emerald color scheme; Mallory's was on the left, two doors down and had a yellow color scheme. Both of them thought their own room looked much better than any five star hotel room they could imagine. When Matt asked what a five star hotel was, they just laughed. Then the king showed them his bedroom and office just so they'd know where to find him in an emergency. After that, Matt walked Wade and Mallory back to their bedrooms. When they each entered their own rooms to get ready for bed they found a pair of pajamas laid out on their beds, but they looked much different than the pajamas they were used to, but neither cared all that much. After they each changed and carelessly thrown their clothes on to the floor, they crawled into their big, comfortable beds and were asleep before their heads hit the pillow.

A/N: Well, that was chapter 5, tell me what you think. I've already got most of chapter 6 done and it will be much more interesting and longer than this one. Please R&R!