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~. ~ Chapter Two ~. ~

The five of them slowly walked out of the cave and found themselves standing on a beautiful beach. The waters were crystal clear and the sand was soft. The sound of the moving waters was like a melody to their ears, calming their soul in a relaxing way. The Pevensies and Aliyah could not believe and comprehend the majestic view in front of them as they looked around in awe. It was as if they were in a paradise despite the fact that just few seconds ago they are at the train station in Finchley getting ready for school.
"Where are we?" Aliyah gasped, still holding on to Susan's hand. "What in the world is going on right now?"
"Aliyah, I need you to calm down." said Susan. She faced her best friend but she backed away from her.
"Su, are we dead?" she asked, desperately and she heard the rest of the Pevensie siblings laughing beside her.
"Don't worry Aliyah," Lucy reassured her with a bright smile, "We are in another world."
Aliyah shot her a horrified look.
"And we are definitely not dead." Peter continued, smiling at her. Aliyah noticed that Peter's grumpiness had subsided completely ever since they have arrived in this mysterious place and she could not remember when was the last time she had seen such jovial expression on his face for the past one year.
Reality began to sink in as Aliyah turned and looked at Edmund who gave her a simple smile and a nod which completely convinced her that she has been transported to this magical place where held the hearts and souls of the Pevensie siblings. It was Lucy who made the first move when she turned and faced everyone before breaking into a wide grin. The other four knew exactly what she was thinking and in the next second, she and Susan began running towards the beach, followed by Peter and Edmund, removing their school jackets, scarves and hats along the way.

"Shame, you're not as quick as me, Ed!" Peter yelled playfully as he ran towards his sisters.

"Last one in's a rotten egg!" shouted Susan.

"Watch out!" laughed Peter as he took off his school jacket, preparing to jump into the cooling waters. "Here he comes!" He added on as he saw Edmund sprinting to his direction.

The four siblings went into the sea and splashed each other with waters, having fun together as a family. Neither of them remembers they were actually in a railway station, preparing to travel to school for their last semester. They were too busy to think of that at that moment.

"Wait a minute," said Lucy, trying to take off her cardigan on the shore as she beckoned Aliyah forward, "Come on, Aliyah!"

"Well, I – Susan!" Aliyah tried to refuse her but it was too late when Susan came over to her and the two sisters dragged her to the waters.

"Come on Aliyah, hurry up!" said Peter as he saw both his sisters pulling Aliyah down the waters and he and wasted no time to splash the water towards her. Edmund joined in the fun as well as, drenching Aliyah from the back.

The Pevensie siblings and Aliyah played around the water joyfully for a few more minutes before exhaustion hits them and they retreat back to the sand to dry themselves up. It was until then Edmund stopped and noticed something above.

"Edmund! Ed? Ed!" Susan called out to him.

Peter had stopped and looked at the same direction as his brother did. "What is it?" he asked Edmund.

"Where do you suppose we are?" Edmund asked, curiously.

Peter let out a laugh at his brother's silly question, "Where do you think?"

"Well, I don't remember any ruins in Narnia." Edmund told them.

With that, silence invaded the loosen atmosphere around them and Aliyah observed everyone's face turned serious as they looked up at the deserted bits of ruins above, on the hill side. Something inside her tells her that things were not going to be as simple as she thought.

….

The journey up the hill was a quiet one as everyone was looking around the destruction site solemnly. Aliyah stayed at the back of the lot as she preferred to follow the Pevensie siblings rather than wandering around alone in this deserted island. She looked at the ruins in front of her and turned back to the serene sea view and made a sad comparison between the two.

What could have happened over here? She thought.

"Aliyah," A voice called out to her, breaking her thoughts.

Aliyah turned around and saw Edmund in front of her as he wiped an apple against his long-sleeved uniform before throwing it to her.

"Thanks." She said, still could not grasped the fact that it was the very first time he called her name.

Edmund nodded his head and went back to the front of the line.

"Does anyone still have those toasts that I bought back at the train station?" Lucy asked out loud.

"Well, I left mine in my bag." Peter began, trying to lift up the mood of the rest of his siblings, "And I left my bag in the train station and then I left the train station in England."

It warmed his heart upon seeing that his siblings laughed at his joke as they continued to look around the deserted place which was totally different to the place where they once knew. It looked like a total isolate wreckage to them, no sight of living existed in that desolate place. It was no doubt a happy thing that Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy were back in Narnia but their heart sank upon seeing the state of their kingdom where they once ruled in this kind of situation.

"Wonder who lived here." said Lucy.

"I think we did." Susan replied with a bit of hesitation in her voice, as if trying to deny the fact that the place she was standing was once her beloved home. She picked up a gold chess piece on the ground and hand over it to Aliyah.

"This is exquisite." Aliyah commented and Susan gave her a half smile.

"Hey, that's mine." Edmund joined the girls, looking at the chess piece Aliyah was holding, "From my chest set."

"Which chess set?" asked Peter.

"I didn't exactly have a solid gold chess set in Finchley, did I." said Edmund, rolling his eyes at his older brother.

"Here you go." Aliyah returned the chess piece to Edmund but to her surprise, he gently pushed her hand away. She looked at him curiously and he said softly, just enough for her to listen before walking away.

"Keep it."

….

"Catapults." said Edmund as he kneeled down in front of a huge rock, analyzing the leftover damaged debris.

"What?" asked Peter.

"This thing didn't just happen." Edmund explained to them. "Cair Paravel was attacked."

"What's Cair Paravel?" asked Aliyah, totally not surprised now with all the weird names appearing out of nowhere during their conversation from time to time.

The four siblings turned and faced Aliyah with an apologetic look on their faces. They were too engrossed discussing about their homeland until they forgot that Aliyah was with them. Lucy looked at Aliyah sadly as she walks towards her, holding her hand as explained to her friend.

"Cair Paravel is our home."

"I'm really sorry to hear that, Lu." Aliyah whispered as she squeezed Lucy's hand. Lucy looked up and gave her a reassuring smile but Aliyah knew very well all of them were devastated. Peter looked solemn, Susan looked like she was trying not to cry and Edmund looked around as if looking for something.

He walked towards the familiar stone wall and saw something that is resemblance the shape of a door. He took a glance at Peter and he knew his brother understood what he meant. Both of them began to push away the stone statue away, revealing a fragile wooden door in front of them.

Peter pushed opened the wooden door opened and saw nothing but darkness beyond. A gush of cold wind crept onto Aliyah's skin as she contemplated whether she should go down to the unknown eerie stairway. Peter then went on to tear his shirt using a pen knife that he brought along and twirled it around a twig that he had just picked up from the ground.

"Don't suppose you have any matches, do you?" he asked Edmund.

"No, but would this help?" Edmund replied with a cheeky smile as he took out a torch light from his sling bag that he brought with him from the train station.

"You might have mentioned that a bit sooner!" Peter told Edmund who was waving his torch light in front of his face, teasing him while the girls smiled at their interaction.

With that, Edmund switched on his torch light as he took the lead in front of them. Peter stayed behind at the last of the line as he allowed his sisters and Aliyah to walk in front of him. They walked down a flight of stairs to an underground chamber and Edmund stopped in front of a metal gate, allowing Peter to take the lead from there. This was yet another place that the Pevensies were so familiar with. That exact chamber brought back several memories of them being in Narnia and make them realized how much they have missed this place.

"I can't believe it." said Peter in awe, "It's all still here."

In front of them were four stone statues, Aliyah assumed each statue representing the four Pevensie siblings and a golden chest box was found at the front of each statue. Susan, Edmund and Lucy wasted no time and ran towards their respected chest box leaving behind Aliyah at the back observing them in silence.

"I was so tall." said Lucy as she took out a medieval golden dress that obviously does not suit her current height and showed it to the rest.

"Well, you were older then." said Susan, smiling at her.

"As opposed to hundreds of years later, when you're younger." Edmund added on which brought laughter from his two sisters.

"You mean you grew older?" asked Aliyah, sitting on one of the huge rocks nearest to Edmund's chest.

"Time works differently here in Narnia compared to our world." Susan explained.

"And I'm guessing you guys were once rulers here." Aliyah continued, pointing at their statues.

All of the nodded their heads in silence.

"Oh my God. This is crazy." Aliyah leaned back and rested her back on the metal gate. She was beyond overwhelmed with what she was dealing at the moment as she stared at the Pevensie siblings one by one. "Then, why am I here? I have no connection to Nar – what is it called again?"

"Narnia." answered Peter.

"Right. Nar-nia. Narnia." Aliyah repeated the word over and over again to make sure she can remember it. At least she preferred this new world now as compared to the one that holds her nightmares and pain.

"You do not land in Narnia for nothing, Aliyah." Lucy told her, smiling. "Aslan has his reason for bringing you here."

"Ask who?" Aliyah wondered out loud while the rest of them laughed at her silliness.

"Aslan." Susan explained to her dear friend. "He's the main ruler of this Kingdom. He was the one who crowned us Kings and Queens."

Aliyah nodded her head in amusement. Great, seems like I have more things to remember now in order to blend into this world. She thought.

"Guys, I think we should give her a break." Edmund interrupted them as he saw how much Aliyah was struggling to grasp hold on the situation she is in now. Besides no one would have thought of how an innocent trip to school can land her to a new world where her friends are Kings and Queens of a kingdom.

"Yes, but before that, take this with you." Susan added as she flipped through her chest box and took out a set of bow and arrows in brown with gold cravings and handed them over to Aliyah. "You will need this, just in case."

"To protect yourself." continued Peter as he agreed what his sister had in mind.

"Do you have death sentence in Narnia if I happen to kill someone?" asked Aliyah innocently as she admired her new set of weaponry. At least she felt safe with something she is used to rather than wielding a sword.

"Well, you better not provoke us then." joked Lucy, relieved that her friend is coping well with her new environment. She turned and saw Susan rummaging her chest box. "What is it?"

"My horn." sighed Susan. "I must've left it on my saddle the day we went back."

Peter looked at his siblings and his eyes went on to stare at the gold metal plate he was holding. A lion's face was craved on it. Aslan. He blew the dust away and walked towards his chest. He opened it up and reached out to something in particular; his sword, Rhindon.

"When Aslan bears his teeth, winter meets its death." said Peter, looking at his sword. Only he himself knows how much he had missed gripping his sword for the past one year. Every touch made him reminisced the time when he ruled Narnia during her prime age and now he is finally back to where he belonged. His Home.

"When he shakes his mane," continued Lucy, sounding rather depressed, "We shall have spring again. Everyone we knew. Mr. Tumnus and the Beavers, they're all gone."

After listening to what Lucy had said, the other three began serious and quiet again, so as Aliyah.

"I think it's time we find out what's going on." Peter told them in which they nodded their heads in return, agreeing with him.

….

"Are you sure this is how you wear the dress?" questioned Aliyah as she turned around to face Susan who was fastening the strings on the back but Susan made her face the front again. "Please remind me to breathe Su, in case you find me fainting."

"I'm sure you'll do fine, Aliyah." Susan told her, "You just need to get used to it."

"Can't I wear what Peter or Edmund is wearing?" Aliyah groaned as she looked down at the long sleeve blue dress that Susan had loaned to her.

"You need to dress appropriately." Susan reminded her friend. She wore a long-sleeved purple stripped, medium weight Narnian dress with a blue underdress beneath it. She carried her bow and arrows on her back. Both Susan and Lucy had their hairs plaited. Lucy wore a rust-red colored long sleeve dress with a milky white underdress beneath. She had a dagger and her cordial with you, tied around her waist with a leather belt.

"But practically as well." Aliyah retaliated, logically.

"You looked lovely, Aliyah." said Lucy as she closed her chest box and stared at it for a few seconds before looking at Aliyah. "I'm sure Edmund will love it."

"I'm sorry?" Aliyah asked in bewilderment.

"Don't think that I didn't see what you two did." Lucy grinned.

"What did we do?" asked Aliyah, curiously. She honestly thought Lucy had gone crazy for a moment. What could have they done when they did not even speak to each other properly until they arrived in Narnia just an hour or two ago.

"Well, just so you know," Susan replied as she carried on and helped Aliyah to braid her hair, "Edmund never gives his chess set to anybody, not even a piece of it. He treasures his chess set a lot. Even back in the days when we ruled Narnia, he never loans his chess set to anybody not to mention gives it to someone no matter how many times we begged him for it."

Aliyah took out the piece of chest set from her side pocket of her dress that Edmund had gave it to her earlier on and realized it's The Queen that she is holding on to."I'm sure this means nothing. Besides, it may not be important to him anymore." Aliyah told the Pevensie sisters.

"But Edmund once said that -"

"Lucy!" Susan immediately stopped her sister before she could finish her sentence while Aliyah stared at them with an odd look on her face.

"What's wrong? What did he say?" Aliyah queried.

"Nothing!" Lucy replied quickly as she dragged both Susan and her up the spiral staircase to meet her brothers who were waiting for them upstairs.

The three girls reached to the top of the stairs and found both Peter and Edmund had already changed into their Narnia outfits. Peter wore a short sleeved brown tunic and a long sleeve blue undershirt together with a pair of tan trousers and a high knee boot. He carried his shield and his sword was fastened to the leather belt he was wearing. Same as his brother, Edmund had his sword by his leather belt as he carried his shield behind. Both Edmund's undershirt and tunic were blue in color just that his tunic was in a darker shade with seven silver buttons in front. He wore greyish brown trousers and a pair of high knee boots.

"You did that on purpose, didn't' you?" Aliyah whispered to Susan as she realized that her color of her dress matches with Edmund's tunic.

"It's pure coincidence." replied Susan, avoiding her best friend's gaze on her.

"Where are we going now?" asked Lucy. She looked around at the trees. They were so still and there was only dead silence around them.

"To find the Narnians." Peter replied from the front of the group.

The rest of them followed Peter as he led them to the other side of the beach where the forest was. Aliyah did not know how long they had been walking under the hot scorching sun as she felt her back drenched with sweat and her lips craves for water so much that she realized that she had not been so thirsty before. Her feet came to a stop as she waited for Lucy who was struggling behind her.

"Thanks." Lucy smiled as she held onto Aliyah's hand which she reached out to her. Both girls walked hand in hand as they keep up with the speed of Peter's footsteps.

"Pete," began Edmund, after some time with them walking around aimlessly. "We don't even know where to find the Narnians in the first place. Look at Cair Paravel earlier on. I don't think they are here anymore."

"We don't know if we don't try." Peter reasoned out. "Who knows we might find someone along the way."

"There's no point walking around. We're just acting like a bunch of headless houseflies going into any direction that we can find." Susan told him. "We need a plan first before doing anything."

Peter remained silent after hearing what the others had said. He agreed silently that it was pointless to carry on searching in vain. He looked at the group in front of him and his eyes finally rested on Lucy. She was nodding her head too.

"What's that?" It was at that point Aliyah's voice disrupted their discussion. They turned and saw her pointing towards to a boat on the waters near the shore.

They wasted no time and made a dash towards it with all the energy they had in their bodies.

Hello everybody!

Hope you guys like my story as much as I enjoyed writing it! I would like to clear some doubts on the characters' age since I feel that they are more suitable in my storyline.

Peter – 19, Susan – 18, Edmund – 17, Lucy – 15, Aliyah - 17

I'm working on my next chapter now! There will be more of Edmund and Aliyah interactions coming up! I just wanna take it slow and steady for their relationship development rather than rush things to it which is kind of unrealistic for me haha. So please stay tune for it! Do feel free to comment and vote for my story ya! I love to interact with my readers!

Take care and stay happy! Love you guys!

Till next time,
XOXO

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