It had been about a year or so since Kari joined the Pevensies on their return to their own world and she while she was just happy to be with Peter, things were not that easy for her to adjust to. Everything and everyone was just so strange and she felt so out of place. And even more so one day while she waited with the Pevensies for something called a train.

Peter had gotten into yet another fight with other boys his age after one of them had bumped into Kari, then tried to make her apologize. When Peter had stepped in, they then in turn tried to make him apologize and insulted not just him but also Kari and his family. Kari, though, had actually been the first to throw a punch and the boys didn't take too kindly to that.

Not long after the fight had started, Lucy and Susan had returned to the station. When she heard someone call her name, Kari looked up from the fight and saw the girls standing there as Edmund rushed into the fight to join her and Peter. And it would seem that the crowd was enjoying seeing a girl holding her own against a group of a boys who were much bigger than her. But when some of the boys grabbed Peter and tried to pin him to the ground with his head above the train tracks, they could feel every emotion Kari had in that moment radiating off of her and crashing into them. However, before the fight got too much further along, the local soldiers monitoring the station came up, blowing their whistles. They pulled Peter, Edmund, and Kari off the other kids.

"Act your age! And you!" They said to the boys, then pointed at Kari. "Act like a proper lady."

Kari huffed and shoved off their hands. "Ha, fat chance of that. Where I come from, there's no such thing as a 'proper' lady. Except maybe in Telmar..."

The soldiers looked at her like she was crazy then stormed off, calling her an orphan. Peter pulled her back, knowing full well how deep that comment hit. They gathered their things and sat down on the nearest bench, and Kari- sensing their unease still present- poured some energy into them. Peter looked at Kari and offered an apologetic smile as Lucy began to thank her.

"Thanks, Kari. We needed th- Ow!"

"Quiet, Lu." Susan said, crossing her arms.

Lucy pointed at the wall."Something pinched me!" A gust of wind blew up, and Lu smiled. "It feels like magic!"

The Pevensies grabbed each other's hands- Peter grabbing Kari's once she had Susan's- and waited for what was coming. The train rushed past them and as they gazed after it, they ended up- instead- gazing out of a cave and at a beatuiful, glistening sea. They ran out of the cave and started running and splashing through the waves and Kari knew just what the Pevensies did: they were back in Narnia; they were back home.

They stayed like that for a few moments before Edmund noticed something odd.

"What is it?" Kari asked.

"Well, where do you suppose we are?" He asked, looking around a bit confused.

"Where do you think?" Peter asked, laughing a bit.

"I don't remember there being any ruins in Narnia."

Everyone looked up to where Edmund was and saw the ruins he spoke of. Curious, they gathered their things and hurried to the ruins to investigate.

Kari looked around, a sense of familiarity growing.

"I wonder who lived here." Lucy said.

"I think we did." Susan replied, picking up a golden centaur chess piece.

"Hey, that's mine. From my chest set." Edmund said, reaching for the piece.

"Which set?" Peter asked.

"I didn't exactly have a solid gold chess set in Finchley, did I?"

Kari wandered a ways off, Lucy looking after and beginning to realize the same thing she had.

"Can't be..."

Lucy hurried to catch up with Kari who had gone up a short set of steps.

"What is it?"

Lucy looked at her siblings. "Can't you see?" She started positioning her siblings in different spots, facing back to where they were just standing. "Imagine walls and columns there." When she took her place, she added. "And a glass roof."

"Cair Paravel."

"Our home..."

Peter looked to Kari, seeing tears in her eyes. He stepped down and came to her side. "Are you alright?"

Kari looked at him, leaning into his hand as he reached up to wipe away her tears. "What happened to our home?"

"Let's take a look around and see what we can find, alright?"

Kari nodded and she and the Pevensies began looking around the ruins, searching for any answers.

"Catapults." Edmund said, kneeling down.

"What?"

Edmund looked at the others. "This didn't just happen. Cair Paravel was attacked."

They looked at each other, then to Peter as he stepped forward and pushed aside a wall with Edmund's help, revealing an ancient looking wooden door. Peter peeled away bits of the rotting wood and pushed the door open before reaching for his knife and cutting a strip of cloth from his shirt to wrap around a stick and create a torch.

"I don't suppose you have any matches, do you?" he asked, looking to Edmund.

Edmund shook his head, then reached into his bag and pulled out a torch light. "No, but would this help?"

Peter just smiled and sighed in defeat, saying, "You could have mentioned it sooner."

Edmund took the lead and descended the stairs into the stone hallway- Susan and Lucy following after. Peter looked to Kari, seeing her staring back out over the ruins.

"Kari?"

Kari looked back at him and took his hand when he offered it to her, following him as he led them to where the others were just ahead. When they reached the base of the stairs, they saw that they had come into the vault chamber where a chest sat at the base of a statue- each in the likeness of the Pevensies as the kings and queens of old. Kari followed the Pevensies as they made their way to their chests, finding a fifth off to the side next to Peter's.

As the Pevensies searched the chests and found their most treasured belongings within the chest, Kari herself found her staff- the ancient silver adorned with carvings of Narnians. She was amazed that it had survived what seemed like centuries.

"'What Aslan bares his teeth, winter meets its death.'" Peter said, reading the inscription engraved upon his sword.

Kari looked to Lucy as she added, "When Aslan shakes his mane, we shall have spring again."

Lucy looked at the others sadly. "Everyone we knew... Mr. Tumnus and the Beavers... they're all gone."

Peter looked around. "I think it's time we knew what was going on."