Hello! I'm back! The only thing I need to say before I start the story, is that I would like to emphasize Disclaimer 2. There are a lot of fanfiction authors who have done their interpretation of this scene. Please don't flame me for plagiarizing another author. There are only so many ways of interpreting the same thing. I am trying very hard not to resemble any version of this scene, but I have a feeling it will end up being similar to somebody, somewhere. It is not intentional! I have read many Narnian fanfictions that deal with this section of canon, but I don't intentionally copy. Great minds think alike.
Disclaimer: I am merely borrowing C. S. Lewis' charming characters and world, and will eventually return them. The only thing that is mine is the plot.
Disclaimer 2: If this story in any way resembles any other fanfiction it is by complete accident, as I go out of my way to avoid reading fanfictions that resemble mine until mine are completed. My apologies to any other great minds.
Author's note: This story is set pre-, during- and post- The Last Battle. I am a first time fanfiction writer and any reviews are appreciated.
Chapter eleven: The Vision at Dinner
Susan made herself scarce all day on the 23rd, which was quite the smart idea considering the reactions of her other siblings when Peter told them that she was no longer a friend of Narnia. Lucy nearly started crying in hurt confusion, and Edmund made to leave the room in a fury to find his older sister and shake some sense into her. Peter grabbed his brother's arm to keep him in the room.
"No, Edmund," Peter said firmly. "She has made her decision. If she changes her mind it has to be on her own terms, not because we made her."
"Peter. She is not going to deny everything that all of us suffered and bled for!" Edmund nearly shouted.
Peter's voice and bearing changed. No longer a young man in an argument with his brother, this was the High King giving a command. "Edmund, enough. She will come back to us on her own, or not at all, by the Lion's will."
Whether due to the tone of command in his older brother's voice or the logic of his words, Edmund obeyed. "I may not do anything to change Susan's mind, but that doesn't mean I have to like it," he said.
"I just don't understand," Lucy said in dismay. "Why? Why would she want to deny Narnia? It was the place where she was happiest."
Peter gave a sigh. He sat down next to Lucy on the bed and put a comforting arm around her. "Not anymore. Do you remember how, after Aslan told each of us that we couldn't go back, it would hurt for a while and then become easier to bear? We could remember the times in Narnia with joy and while it would hurt to not be able to go back, we became resigned to it. Susan never got to that point. All she feels is the pain of not being able to return. I suppose that we didn't help, with all of our talking about Narnia and trying to include her even if she didn't want to join in. She has had enough. It is easier, for now at least, for her to simply live entirely in this world and not to think about Narnia at all. I hate that she feels that way, but it is her choice and we must live with it."
Lucy was crying in earnest now and Edmund looked pole-axed.
"How could we not have noticed?" Lucy wailed. "How terrible for Susan..."
Peter pulled Lucy's head to his shoulder and let her cry. The three were closeted in the boys' room after breakfast to talk. Jill and Eustace left earlier and were walking to the hotel to escort the Professor and Aunt Polly to the house and carry anything they might want to bring.
"Shush, Lucy. It is sad but there is no need to cry. Susan only feels this way now. That doesn't mean she can't remember later. Once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen. She is only truly lost to us when we have lost faith in her," Peter said as he wrapped an arm around Lucy.
Lucy nodded and valiantly pulled herself together. "I'll go and wash my face then. See you downstairs?"
Peter nodded and Lucy slipped out of the room, leaving Edmund and Peter alone. Peter looked at his brother. Edmund no longer seemed angry, but serious.
"How much of this do we tell the others?" Edmund asked. "I don't think that Susan would like near-strangers like Jill and Aunt Polly knowing the real reasons behind her decision."
"We will simply say that Susan has more current interests and commitments than Narnia," Peter said slowly. He hadn't really thought about this part of Susan's revelation. "It will make her sound a bit conceited, but I'm sure that she would prefer being thought of as a snob rather than being pitied."
Edmund gave a small chuckle. "She is being a bit of a snob to the rest of us. She's already brushed Lucy off several times and was almost rude to Eustace a few days ago. She's fine as long as we don't bring up Narnia."
"Well, she will have her choice respected even if we don't agree with it," Peter said, standing up. "She deserves that much at least."
With ten people in the house, counting the Professor and Polly, it was very difficult to get any time to talk with someone privately, but Peter made a point of getting Polly alone. He still didn't know if he should tell Leona about Narnia, and felt that he was desperately in need of advice.
Polly Plummer had been married for nearly thirty years, but had never had children, much to her and her husband's grief. After her husband died, she took back her old surname of Plummer, but she would never tell anyone why. Few people were brave enough to ask. Polly's seldom-released temper was the stuff of legends in every circle she encountered.
The cheery old lady willingly followed Peter into the dining room, which happened to be the only empty room in the house other than the bedrooms. They sat across from each other at the large table.
"So what did you need to talk to me about, Peter?" Polly asked.
Peter knew that Polly hated people who stammered and beat around the bush, so he stated his purpose immediately.
"Did you ever tell your husband about Narnia?" Peter said.
Polly looked surprised for a moment then smiled at Peter. "You are trying to decide whether or not to tell this girl you love about Narnia. Yes, I know about her. Your mother has told everyone she knows from England to Australia."
Peter buried his head in his hands. "Is there anyone she hasn't told yet?" he moaned. "I don't know what I'll do if things between me and Leona don't work out. Mum would likely kill me. But, yes, I desperately need advice. I hate the idea of never telling her about the most important part of my life, but I would rather never tell her than have her think that I'm insane."
"I never told James about Narnia," Polly said. "But my situation was quite a bit different from yours. I only spent a few days there, you spent over a decade. I had a wonderful adventure, but you ruled a country for years. I'm afraid that you will have to make this decision on your own."
Peter nodded. "I was afraid of that. Well, I don't have to decide tomorrow. I can wait until I'm sure of her reaction. I wouldn't want to tell her over the holidays anyway, because there is too much going on to be able to sit down and explain properly."
Polly leaned over and patted Peter's hand. "Digory and I will try to direct conversation to topics that might give you a hint. But don't worry: If she truly loves you, it won't matter either way."
"Have fun!" called Mrs. Pevensie as she and her husband headed down the drive to their evening's entertainment.
"Oh, don't worry," Peter called back from the doorway. "We will!"
It was just the Seven Friends of Narnia in the house at this point. Susan had slipped out hours before, muttering something about having agreed to babysit for a friend. Nobody had commented on her leaving, Peter having warned the other Narnians that Susan was unwilling to participate in the evening's events. The others had taken Susan's defection with sadness, but not surprise.
"She hasn't exactly been receptive to talking about Narnia lately," Eustace said practically. "She'll come to her senses eventually."
Lucy and Jill had been shut up in the kitchen for hours. Their menu plans had been upset by the belated realization that some of the herbs and foods needed for the recipes they had been hoping to use were only found in Narnia or were so rare in England as to be impossible to get. Between that complication and the fact that the traditional foods of game birds, venison and wild boar were utterly unavailable due to rationing and the difficulty of finding fresh foods in the city, the girls' plans had been turned upside down.
Peter had found Jill leaning against the kitchen wall earlier in the day, frustrated beyond words with the destruction of her and Lucy's plans for a grand Narnian feast. Her frustration seemed to have cured her of her shyness around Peter though, since she burst out, "I really thought we could do it! I thought we could make a true Narnian dinner, but it's impossible."
Peter had smiled at her outburst. "Remember, Jill, it's not the food that makes a dinner Narnian, but the people who eat it." He then took her back into the kitchen and started helping to adjust the menu. Instead of game bird, they had several (slightly scrawny) chickens, roasted and basted to perfection. The bread was left uncut, as was the cheese. The girls had been able to get squash and vegetables that were found in both worlds and had done several basic dishes with them.
"Good thing that Jill only knows plain cooking," Lucy told Peter in an undertone. "Plain stuff is easy to get, even with the rationing. Heaven knows we would never be able to find half of the things that make up some of the fancier dishes that I know how to cook." Lucy had always enjoyed helping in the kitchens of Cair Paravel and had made many a culinary masterpiece in her time as queen. But she was used to making complicated foods with exotic ingredients, so Jill's knowledge of the basic travel food was a lifesaver.
The last dish had been taken from the oven, the table was set, and everything was prepared. There were some slight arguments about seating, with the Professor trying to convince Peter that the head of the table was his right as High King.
"No, Professor," Peter responded firmly, yet politely. "You had the honor of being there at Narnia's beginning. I am more than happy at your right hand."
Eustace gave the pair of them an amused look as he passed by with a bowl of vegetables. "You do remember that the table is round, don't you, Peter?"
Even though the table was indeed round, Peter did sit at the Professor's right hand. Aunt Polly sat opposite the Professor, with Edmund on her right. Lucy was in between the Professor and Edmund with Jill and Eustace on either side of her. There was an empty space where Susan would have sat. Peter said that even if she was not willing to continue believing in Narnia, that did not mean that Narnia would have to stop believing in her.
The Professor had brought two bottles of wine with him and each person had a filled cup, with the younger folk having it well watered down. Eustace looked almost ready to protest his being treated like a child and not being given the full goblets that the older men had, but Jill kicked him under the table and he subsided.
Peter stood and everyone could see that he had fully become the High King again. Lucy felt that all she had to do was to close her eyes and they would be back at Cair Paravel, with Peter opening a feast with the customary speech.
"Friends of Narnia, be welcome." Peter said falling back into the speech patterns that he had used in Narnia. "Before we start eating, I would like you to raise your glasses in a toast to the land that all of us call home, and to which we all dream of returning, someday."
Everyone stood and raised their glasses. "To Narnia!"said Peter.
"To Narnia!" rang the chorus from the others, then silence as the goblets were raised to lips.
Peter seemed surprised when Ed also stood, but a look at his brother's face told him what King Edmund meant to do. He gave a small nod and let his brother take the floor.
"I don't know if this tradition was still alive when you others were in Narnia, but in our time we would face east to Aslan's country and spend a moment in quiet reflection before each feast or meal," Edmund said, sounding nothing like the barely grown man England knew him as. Solemnly, they all rose and faced the eastern wall.
Peter let the memories of home surround him and a pang of bittersweet longing filled his heart with the familiar action. A moment of silence passed and they settled back into chairs and started reaching for food.
Plates were filled and at first the only conversation revolved around food and the obtaining of it. Many compliments were given to Lucy and Jill for their efforts in the kitchen.
"I would like to thank you, Aunt Polly," Peter said. "If it wasn't for you, none of us younger lot would have ever got into Narnia in the first place!"
Polly gave Peter a smile and a nod. She knew what Peter was talking about. Jill and Eustace looked at each other in confusion. Edmund saw this, and hurried to explain.
"Aunt Polly knew our mum for years before any of us kids were born. She used to babysit Peter, Susan, Lucy and me whenever Mum and Dad wanted to go out. When the evacuations started she wrote to the Professor." Edmund nodded politely at the older man. "Because it was his old friend requesting it, he agreed to take four city children in for the summer. So you see, if Aunt Polly hadn't connected us all, none of us younger people would have ever known Narnia existed."
The Professor raised his glass. "To Polly, for bringing us all to that amazing land."
As the plates started to empty, the real talk began. Each person would tell a story or ask, "Do you remember when..." and each story would lead to another. Peter asked the question that had been on his mind ever since he had come back from Narnia for the first time. It had never been answered and quite likely never could, but that didn't make the debates over it any less entertaining. "Do you think we are the only ones to have gone to Narnia?"
Usually this question prompted responses ranging from belief that they were alone, to the idea that there were many others out in the world who had similar adventures. This time was different.
Eustace spoke up before anyone else. "Highly unlikely. I'm surprised that Lucy and Edmund didn't tell you already, but they must have forgotten. When we were on the Dawn Treader with Caspian, he told us that he had researched that very question carefully. He said that he had gone over all the old records, asked the Old Narnians about the legends and even went through the king of Archenland's records. The only people who had ever came to Narnia from our world and came back again are sitting in this room. Apart from Susan and someone called Andrew, of course."
Peter felt a little disappointment run through him at his cousin's words. He had secretly been hoping that Leona might have been to Narnia and was just better at hiding it than he was. But if what Eustace said was true, it seemed like sharing a Narnian adventure with Leona was impossible. The only way that she could have gone to Narnia was if it happened after Jill and Eustace got back from their last adventure. Peter thought that unlikely. If Leona was truly his age, Aslan would most definitely have considered her to be 'too old'.
Peter didn't know exactly how old Leona was. She had told him that her birthday was "seventeen days before yours" but when he asked how old she was she simply laughed and said that Peter was a cad for asking a lady's age and that she would never tell. Peter hadn't cared at the time and figured that he would find out eventually. She looked to be his age, or at most, a year younger.
"I remember now," Edmund said. "We had that conversation the same morning that we landed on the Lone Islands. I suppose it just got wiped clean out of my mind by everything else that happened that day."
"What about the people that got to stay?" Jill asked. "How many of those were there?"
"I know that King Frank and Queen Helen were from our world, and stayed to found the linage of the Narnian and Archenlander royalty," Aunt Polly said. "I don't know of any others."
Lucy spoke up. "There was a group of about a hundred bandits that showed up in the middle of the Calormen desert about three hundred years after Narnia began and joined with Archenlander outlaws to form Calormen. They are the reason that Calormen is so much more populated than Narnia or Archenland. They had a larger group to start with. Then there were the Telmarines, another group that came into that world by accident. They eventually conquered Narnia after Aslan sent us first four back through the wardrobe. There had been rumors of small families that have stumbled into that world and just quietly made their homes there, but they never did anything of importance. Not like the things Aslan called for us to do."
"It seems unfair that the ones who stumble in and stay are all horrible," Jill said. "One would think that we would get an equal share of good and bad."
"Not really," Edmund told her. "A place in our world that has a reputation for people going in and never coming back would likely be thought of as haunted, and the only people who would go there would be the ones with nothing to lose."
Suddenly Jill, Lucy and Eustace jumped to their feet in fright. Jill even gave a small scream. The wineglass at the Professor's hand fell to the floor with a tinkle of breaking glass. It took battle hardened reflexes for Peter to control his reaction and not to move at the sight that was before them.
A man, a bit older than Peter himself, was standing in midair in the room in the empty space where Susan's chair would have been. He was dressed in what was most definitely Narnian clothing, but Peter could see ropes tying his arms to his sides, and the man's lip was split. He was obviously a captive of some sort. They could almost see past him, as though looking through thin cloth, a dark forest that seemed eerily familiar.
Knowing that it was his place as High King to try to communicate with the vision, Peter clenched his hand and spoke.
"Speak, if you're not a phantom or a dream. You have a Narnian look about you and we are the seven friends of Narnia."
The vision made no reply that was audible, but his lips moved and Peter could tell that the man was trying desperately to respond to Peter's order. It seemed that a more powerful command would be needed. Heart pounding, Peter rose gracefully to his feet, and all those present could feel the power and majesty that surrounded him like a royal robe. Looking the vision full in the eyes, Peter spoke in a tone of command, using words that no true Narnian would be able to deny.
"Shadow or spirit or whatever you are, if you are from Narnia, I charge you in the name of Aslan, speak to me. I am Peter the High King."
However, far from conveying whatever message was required, the vision started to fade. There were cries from around the table of "It's vanishing, it's fading away!" Peter stayed silent. As the last of the vision cleared away and the room was normal once again, Peter heard, or was it felt, something. Too faint to tell if it was a memory or a call, like an echo on the wind, a lion's roar rang through the High King's mind.
TBC...
Author's notes for chapter: We are now in the canon part of The Last Battle. Just as a warning, I will be making changes to canon, but not enough to make it a true AU, mostly just length of time and a couple of event switches. If you haven't read The Last Battle yet, you might want to consider it. While I will be recapping events, I will not be mentioning all of them and will be assuming that my readers have read the book. Please don't be offended by this, but if I have to tell the canon story as well as my own, it will take forever.