40 chapters!!!

Man! Feels like I've been gone forever! Sorry. I've been super busy lately. Hopefully I can get back before too long.

So, new assignment: what do you think was the most well written part or chapter that you can remember?

"My friends," Peter greeted as the dining room began to fill with friends from all over. "I cannot tell you how it pleases my heart to see you all."

Various smiles and greetings were cast his way by different creatures as they entered the room. The next moment Peter saw a flash of brown and a jumble of skirts as Lucy ran past him.

"Mr. Tumnus!" The girl squealed as she threw herself into the faun's arms.

Mr. Tumnus had left Cair Paravel shortly after the battle of Beruna. He had missed his home too much and could remain with them no longer. He'd often come to visit, but the last they had seen him was at Edmund's funeral many months ago.

"My dear little Lucy, you are taller and more beautiful every time I see you." Mr. Tumnus's smile faded as though recalling the circumstances of their last meeting. "I hope you are doing well."

Peter caught himself grinning at Lucy's own tender smile. "Better than you could believe."

"Oh?" The faun questioned.

"But we'll talk about that later." Lucy pulled out of the hug and grabbed Mr. Tumnus's hand. "For now, you can sit by me."

Their old friend shot a helpless smile Peter's way as his only greeting. The High King smiled back and nodded his understanding. Then, seeing Susan busy with talking to the beavers, Peter decided that it should be himself who would sit first and bring others to follow.

Twenty minutes later, everybody was seated in their own chairs. Most were sat by others that they knew to keep conversation rolling. It seemed to be working because Peter had to almost shout in order to gather everybody's attention.

"My friends!" Peter said, once more. The eyes of every creature in the room landed on him. "I have gathered you all here because you are each a friend of mine or my siblings'." Peter cleared his throat and glanced over to see Susan nod to urge him on. The empty seat to his right was begging him to continue. "But, unlike you may have heard, I did not gather you here to celebrate a victory."

At this, mumbles could be heard across the room as creatures leaned to whisper into each other's ears in confusion.

"No." Peter's commanding voice silenced them, once again. "No. That is not the reason you are here." Peter had almost had to pinch himself to keep from smirking, even just a little. "You are here to celebrate something much greater."

More murmurs were heard, but most of the creatures remained in quiet anticipation.

"We all know that Narnia has been in deep distress for what has been nearly a year, though it seems much longer." At this, nods and grunts of agreement were given. "Well, my friends, it is a great honor for me to announce that that time is now over. Narnia has once again reached the light, though she doesn't yet know it."

Nobody said a thing. Everybody stared, clearly anxious to hear what he had to say next.

"I know you must all be terribly confused - I know I am, myself - so, without further adieu, allow me to introduce to you a dear friend that none of us had expected to see again." Peter nodded to Oreius who then grabbed the handle of the door and pulled it open.

All of the creatures turned to see who it could be that would walk through. By the gasps and exclamations that were heard, it was clear that none of them had expected to see their young king - the one who had been lost to them so long ago - walk through in his finest garb and with his crown upon his head. Hardly a bruise from his horrible ordeal remained on his face. Aside from how thin he was, Edmund looked nearly perfectly healthy to anybody who didn't see him on a daily basis.

Peter's little brother smiled timidly as he entered the grand, marble room. Edmund was very nervous and uncomfortable with this, and Peter knew it. He had doubted whether he would be accepted; he wassupposed to be dead after all.

Surely, all the stunned stares did nothing to help Edmund's state, but he continued his way until reaching the empty seat and sitting himself down.

"How is this possible?" Mrs. Beaver asked at last. "I thought the dear was dead - we all did."

Peter nodded. "I believed it myself, but found, not long ago, that my brother was being held by the Calormenes. After discovering this, we uncovered a treacherous plot set up by my brother's own captain. We were betrayed, and that is what led us into battle with Calormen."

Edmund still said nothing; he just kept his head down and seemed more interested in the loose string on the hem of his sleeve.

"My brother was very brave through it all. He never stopped fighting to get back to us." Edmund went ridged at this. Peter knew that his brother didn't believe it. The High King had seen, himself, how broken he was all those months ago when they were first reunited. Peter whispered quietly so that only Susan and Edmund could hear. "He just needed a little reminder of what he was fighting for."

Edmund relaxed a little more and shot Peter a smile.

The rest of what happened went by as most parties did. After they had all finished dinner, everybody had gone about speaking with one another. Each guest had been eager to speak with Edmund. They all pressed him about his time away, and what happened and how he was doing. Peter had remained by Edmund's side to be there to chase anyone away who was making his brother uncomfortable in their questioning. Edmund hadn't even really wanted to talk to Peter about it; he would surely not want to tell someone who wasn't close to him.

Peter's little brother was, by now, looking quite worn. Perhaps a party this soon wasn't a good idea. Edmund wasn't yet used to it all again, and he could get easily agitated by what seemed to others to be the smallest of things. That's why Peter wasn't surprised when Edmund asked for permission to leave only an hour or so into the party.

PSELPSELPSELPSELPSELPSELPSELPSELPSELPSEL

Edmund was exhausted. That dinner a taken a lot out of him. Who knew that so much attention could bleed you dry of so much energy. He'd had to leave early. He couldn't explain why - normally he loved parties - but there was no way he could stay there.

Peter had agreed to let Edmund leave, though Edmund was sure that his brother thought he was going straight to his room. No. There was one thing he had wanted so badly to do since his return - one friend he wanted to see. What better time to go than when everybody was busy with a party.

"Philip?" Edmund asked as he entered through the dark stable doors. Most of the horses would be asleep by now. "Philip?"

A whinny came from Philip's stall, followed by a familiar voice. "Should I dare to believe that the rumors are true?"

Edmund smiled as he approached the stall. He could not see his friend, but he could feel his course hair under his fingers. "Philip, it's me."

"Your Majesty? Can it be you?" Philip asked, hope lacing his voice.

"It's me, Philip." Edmund laughed. "I'm alive."

"Light the lantern at my stall door. I must see your face."

Edmund felt down the side of the door until his fingers found the metal handle of a lantern. He grabbed at the matches next to it and fumbled to get the lantern lit. Once he'd struck the match and lit the lantern, Edmund lifted it back up to Philip who stared with tender eyes at him.

"My King." The horse said, drawing another laugh from Edmund's lips. It never ceased to amaze him how they could spend so much time together - Philip was practically his best friend - and yet the horse would still call him by his formal name. "Please, I must hear the story."

"Well, it's quite a long one."

Philip stomped his hooves. "What kind of steed am I if I cannot share in my master's adventures. If I couldn't be there with you, at least tell me what happened so that I may share it with you in mind."

Edmund smiled, nodded and opened the stall door, ushering himself inside where he sat himself down on the straw. Philip laid beside him and Edmund rested his head against the horse's side, bringing back memories of many past trips and adventures spent like this with his dear friend. "Well, it all started as you may have guessed: on that fateful journey, back in what seems like years ago..."