The next morning, Aslan had asked Caspian to gather everyone in the courtyard, by the tree where he was crowned king. Aslan told him he would be sending Telmarines to their homeland, should they wish it.
Caspian went looking for Aslan, and found him walking alone in an inner courtyard of the castle. Aslan looked so peaceful walking alone, that Caspian did not want to disturb him.
"Your majesty?"
"We are ready. Everyone has assembled."
Aslan followed Caspian out to the main courtyard. The Narnians and Telmarines had surprisingly gathered together in a peaceful manner, but Caspian was thankful for that.
"Narnia belongs to the Narnians just as it does to man. Any Telmarnies who want to stay and live in peace are welcome to. And for any of you who wish, Aslan will return you to the home of our forefathers."
"It has been generations since we left Telmar."
"We are not referring to Telmar. Your ancestors were sea-faring brigands, pirates run aground on an island. There they found a cave, a rare chasm that brought them here from their world, the same world as our kings and queens."
Aslan looks over at the family, who had gathered on the step with Caspian.
"It is to that island I can return you. It is a good place for any who wish to make a new start."
General Glozelle is the first to speak up. He felt his time in Narnia was done.
"I will go. I will accept the offer."
Lady Prunaprisma looks to her father and he nods.
"So will we."
Prunaprimsia, carrying her baby, and another Telmarine Lord follow Glozelle and stand before Aslan.
"Because you have spoken first, your future in that world will be good."
Aslan breathes on them, and then the tree behind Caspian twists, forming a round opening. Before they walk through the door, Prunaprisma walks over to Caspian and hugs him.
"You will be a better king than the ones before you."
"Thank you, Aunt. Your kindness means the world to me."
Caspian cradles the head of his baby cousin, and the baby gives him the cutest baby smile.
They walk through the door in the air, and vanish from sight. The people gasp.
"How do we know he is not leading us to our deaths?!"
"Sire, if my example can be of any service, I will take eleven mice through with no delay."
All of a sudden, Peter steps forward with an idea.
"We'll go."
"We will?"
"Come on. Our time's up."
When Caspian heard those words come out of Peter's mouth, he feared the worst. He felt he had just gained a family for the first time in his life, and now they were being ripped away from him. Aslan looks at the family, knowing that they had all passed the test.
"No, Peter, your time is not up. There are things in this world that still need to happen."
"What?"
"You are all from this world to begin with. The time that you stumbled out of Narnia and back into the other world was on purpose. You were sent back as a test, to know which world your hearts are truly with. And to my own surprise, you all passed. Yes, you had learned to accept living there, but that does not mean that is where your hearts were. You always thought of this world in the time you were gone, and even cried over it. Your time in the other world is done. You will all be here, back where you belong."
The family could not contain their excitement, and the Narnians cheered. But the family could not help but wonder about their parents.
"Athair, what about our parents?"
"As a reward for taking care of you all and keeping you all safe and alive,-."
Aslan looked towards the door he had made, as did the family and Caspian. Into the world of Narnia came Mr. and Mrs. Pevensie, Mr. and Mrs. Andersen, and Mr. and Mrs. Bedwell, along with Kayla's grandmother and great-grandmother and her Irish Wolfhound, Áed.
"Momma! Daddy! Bobies! And you brought Áed with you!"
"Mum! Da!"
"Mor! Far!"
"Bobies, I had feared you had been taken away!"
"We stayed as hidden as possible."
The family immediately ran and hugged their parents and grandmothers tightly. Caspian could only look on, wishing he had what they had. Ivar saw Caspian looking a bit depressed, so he called him over to him.
"Hey, Caspian! Come on over here. Listen I know what it's like to have your parents ripped away from you. But, then Aslan sent me to these two wonderful people. So, Caspian, meet your new parents."
Ivar was more than willing to now consider Caspian his brother, and Mr. and Mrs. Andersen were more than willing to accept him as their son. Caspian was brought to tears. Caspian looked over at Susan with her parents, and she looked back at him, blushing. They just smiled at each other.
Kayla ran forward to the crowd, hoping she could convince them Aslan was not leading them to their deaths.
"You see, everyone? If he just sent three souls to the other world, and brought nine souls back, he is not sending you to your deaths. I know how my Athair is. He would not send you to your deaths."
The Telmarines looked at each other, and a few more went through the door. The rest decided to stay. A few Telmarines said good luck to the ones that headed through the door. Kayla whispered something to Peter, Edmund, and Ivar. She felt it was time to knight Caspian in their respective titles.
"Caspian, kneel."
Caspian knelt down without hesitation, but he did have a look of confusion on his face. Peter unsheathed Rhindon, and knighted Caspian.
"I dub you Sir Caspian, knight of the Most Noble Order of the Lion."
Edmund, Ivar, and Kayla also knighted him with their titles, and in return, he made them all knights of Telmar.
"Caspian, now that we all are staying, obviously the Pevensies will be keeping their titles, but will Ivar and I still have our titles?"
"Of course. Why should that change?"
"Well, the title of Lady Protector is certainly an adventurous one."
Once she was told she would be keeping her titles, Kayla came to a realization.
"Oh my goodness!"
"What?"
"Since I'm still Baroness of Dancing Lawn, you know what that means?"
"No. What does it mean?"
"Oh, come on, Edmund! You all should know! What did I do almost every night at Dancing Lawn?"
"Your storytelling"
"That's right!"
Kayla ran to the crowd again with a special announcement.
"Everyone, listen up. During the Golden Age, I had the tradition of telling the children of Narnia a story each night at Dancing Lawn. If it is alright with you all, I would like to keep that tradition alive. So if your children wish to, please bring them to Dancing Lawn at around seven o'clock tonight. And make sure they bring a pillow and a cup of tea. The ground is not comfortable. And my precious family, you are all telling this story with me."
Caspian could not be happier. He finally had a family.
