Disclaimer: I own nothing of C.S. Lewis' work, and I only beg a small claim to the wonder of his fantastical world by creating this parody.

Chapter Quote: "WHERE ARE THE KIDS?"

Note: Character Index is located at the end of this chapter.

Chapter Eight

Waking Up

Elora woke up with rays of warm, gentle sunshine bathing her face. She blinked her eyes open, relishing in the comfort and contentment she felt. It's so quiet... the kids must not be up yet. She smiled, What day is it? Is it the weekend already? They're usually up eating breakfast by now. But she wasn't one inclined to worry... at least not when she first woke up. Consequently, Elora had every intention of drifting back to sleep just then... she felt unusually tired and her body ached. Sleep seemed so inviting...

"Feeling better?" A musical voice asked from beside her.

Better? "...yes." She said in a very small voice, contemplating why she would have bee feeling worse. She shrugged it off. " But I had the strangest dreams..." Now most people would question talking to someone when they're half asleep... but the strangeness of the situation didn't seem to affect her just then. Elora felt as though she had been sleeping for a long while- but she felt oddly drained and weary. It took an effort just to stay awake.

"...there were wolves... and centaurs... and I was sick and then there was this old faun..." Elora yawned, feeling blissfully happy as the musical voice beside her started to chuckle.

"A strange dream indeed." The voice said in amusement.

Elora frowned as she realized that she didn't recognize the voice... and that she wasn't really asleep anymore. She turned her head and opened her eyes to narrow slits. The shriek that she let out startled herself perhaps more then anyone else as she struggled to sit upright. It was a faun... the old faun from her dreams! Sitting right next to her! She was struck speechless for a moment or two before she found voice enough to speak.

At first she was going to demand how the heck she had gotten there and question her current whereabout's . But all that slowly started to seep its way back into her head again and she stopped, biting her lip.

She remembered the panic that had risen to her throat when the door had disappeared, panic that had threatened to choke her. And how cold it had been as they had all tramped hopelessly through the snow. She recalled the self-hatred and guilt she had felt when she realized that this whole mess had probably been her own fault. She remembered how the wolf's claws had torn at her skin and how her breath had been stole away as she plunged over the side of the hill and into the frigid waters beneath the ice. She rested against the headboard of the bed, glancing down as she rubbed her arms where the wolf had pressed his paws into her flesh. She winced as she felt bandaged beneath the silky nightgown she was currently dressed in. She felt discomforted... not so much because the cuts on her arms hurt... but more because pain meant the cuts were really there... which meant that she really wasn't dreaming.

She glanced up hesitantly at the faun, feeling suddenly very self-conscious about sitting next to a fictional creature who was suddenly just as real as she was. She tugged absentmindedly at the lace trimmings on the nightgown's long sleeves... unsure of what to do or say.

And then it hit her- quite suddenly and without warning- she nearly launched herself out of the bed then and there when the thought came unbidden to her lips.

"WHERE ARE THE KIDS?"

At that moment however, the Campbell Children were quite unconcerned with the current fate of their eldest sister. It wasn't as though they didn't like her or anything, no, quite the contrary. All the children had a sort of twisted affection for each other, even if that affection was not represented as it is in most families.

The reason for their current thoughtlessness had more to do with the fact that none of them had ever even imagined of actually being in Cair Paravel. And getting, on top of all that, getting a tour of the palace. It was astounding- and most of them were too astonished to think about anything else. So do not be so hasty to consider then an unkind lot- they were simply too dumbfounded to think of much else.

(I expect you would be in quite a similar predicament if you were in their places.)

Cair Paravel itself was huge! Every corner of it was decorated to depict some aspect of Narnian culture, and it was beautiful everywhere you turned. Even the snow added to the beauty of the castle, which was a marvel in and of itself.

Tyler found the throne room most impressive , as being a king when you are the youngest out of nine sounded like heaven- especially a youngest kind who doesn't have a say in most anything at all.

Fania was an excellent guide and would puff up her chest when she was around any of the other centaurs, most of which were much older then herself. It was cold outside on the balcony where they eventually ended up. The children were able to look out across the Great River beyond to the sea where the water met the sky. Ice and snow blanketed most of the water, but Fania reassured them that winter was drawing to its end and that the snow would be melting soon.

But the time they had gotten the grand tour of the palace, it was well into the afternoon. But since they had eaten a late breakfast, they decided to instead to grab a quick snack from the kitchen (which Fania assured them would be fine) and then continue to explore.

There were all sorts of delicious things to eat in the kitchen and there were all sorts of creatures making them. Fauns, Nymphs, a centaur or two, a talking animal here and there. Was that a phoenix Tyler spied in the corner icing a cake?

Nevermind all that, the point being that the Campbell Children left the kitchen a few moments later in quite contented moods- which mugs of hot chocolate in their hands and three biscuits that tasted something like a shortbread cookie.

Then they decided to break off into groups.

Anthony, Tyler, and Elizabeth were one group (Poor Elizabeth always managed somehow to get stuck with the boys), and they started off down a corridor left from the kitchen. Alysia and Michelle were the second group, and they went down the right corridor. While Maria, Grace, and Cecilia went with Fania- who volunteered to show them what they liked around the palace.

The Children explored the palace for the better part of the day- and between the three groups, they managed to have a majority of the place looked at by dusk. (Palaces are awfully big places you know- especially for children.) But it wasn't dinner time that caused the pause in their exploring... it was more of the fact that they had a little 'run-in' with the second King of Narnia, Edmund. A 'run-in' that is meant to be taken quite literally, as you shall soon see.

Elora hadn't stayed still long after the faun had explained to her where the rest of the Children were. She was actually rather close to panicking by the time the faun decided it would be a good idea if he properly introduced himself.

"So... you're... Marcus?" Elora repeated once he'd said his name, her hand was twitching just a little as it lay in her lap. Once she had caught her breath after demanding, quite loudly, that Marcus tell her where the children were- she felt tired enough to actually listen to what he was saying.

She'd tried to get up and pace the room, but had discovered that her fall through the ice had weakened her a bit more then she had expected. And, true to form, she had fallen in an inglorious heap on the floor and was back in bed in no time, with Marcus' help, while he went on introducing himself and answering her rapid-fire questions.

"How long have I been asleep?" She asked once Marcus had establish the children were fine, that he was real, that they had come to visit her, and that they were not off exploring the castle.

"About a day." He said gently, his brown eyes twinkling with mirth. Marcus' hair was brown as well, with greying lines streaked generously through it, and then, of course, he had a little pair of horns, he wore silver glasses, and had the habit of wearing a blue-knit scarf. Quick to smile and easy to talk to, he did wonders for Elora's nerves as she tried to sort out through this whole mess of things.

Elora only managed to grown heavily and cover her eyes with her hand as he explained to her how ill she had been. "I'm never sick... this is terrible..."

"Well... I can't say that the Great River makes for especially wonderful swimming this time of year- but you did have a rather nasty fall."

Elora shook her head in dismay, crossing her arms over her chest. "I've made a fool of myself." She said darkly, biting her lip and rubbing her arms.

Marcus frowned and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "No on is expecting the world from you, Elora... just one step at a time."

She glanced up at him hesitantly and managed a weak smile as he squeezed her shoulder encouragingly. "It's just... well... I don't know..." She sighed. "I just made a real mess of things." She said, faltering. She shook her head again, shivering, as she glanced around the room. The old faun stood and, upon retrieving another blanket, he placed it around her shoulders. She looked up gratefully at him as he sat by her bed once more.

Elora fidgeted with the edges of her blanket for a moment or two before the ache in her limbs reappeared and she realized how truly tired she still was. Relaxing her muscles, she reclined on the bed and glancing again at Marcus she said, "You know... I've never met a faun before." Yawning wearily as Marcus chuckled, he replied.

"And I've never had the pleasure of meeting a young woman quite like yourself before, my dear girl." He paused, remembering something. Then he lifted something from the floor. "Your siblings mentioned you might be looking for this?" He gestured to a leather satchel, slightly weathered from it's mishap on the ice, but looking none the worse for wear. Smiling fondly, Elora took the bag from him and laid it next to her, gently running her fingers over the spines of her notebooks.

She sighed contentedly and she glanced out the window, seeing the lands of Narnia stretch out before her- all nestled quietly under a soft blanket of white snow.

"Is it real, Marcus?" She asked dreamily, yawning again. "All of... this?"

He smiled again and gently eased her back down onto her back. (Fauns are much stronger then they look- and are usually rather persuasive.) Too tired and worn-out to care, Elora was half-asleep when the faun drew the blanket up to her chin and said, rather softly,

"My dear child, I can assure you, Narnia is very much real."

And then she fell back to sleep.

"Do you think we'll have to wear these things all day?" Alysia complained as her and Michelle walked cautiously down the halls. Michelle shrugged and fingered one of the satin trimmings on her dress.

"I dunno." She admitted after a moment, glancing at her reflection in one of the hall's windows. "I kind of like them."

Alysia shot her sister a disgusted look, but said nothing more. They continued tromping down the halls, very much alone, and all the while thinking to themselves how much fun the other children must be having. "Why did we have to pick the boringest part of the castle?" Complained Alysia.

"Boringest isn't a word." Michelle chided, glancing around at their current surroundings as her older sister folded her arms over her chest.

"Don't you even start with me, Michelle." She said loudly.

Michelle snorted, shoving her slightly in the shoulder. "Look who's talking!"

"You are!" Alysia retorted sharply, narrowing her eyes at her sister as Michelle looked momentarily back at her. And they would have gone on bickering like this for a while if Alysia hadn't spotted the most wonderful staircase.

"Whoa." Michelle breathed as they stopped at the railing to look down. It was one of those curvy kinds of staircases, the ones where you can look down and see all the floors below- just like in the movies. It twisted and turned all the way down to the bottom, which must of been at lest three or four floors down. They exchanged glances and both slowly grinned.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Alysia whispered conspiratorially.

"Maybe." Michelle replied. She paused, "We could get in big trouble if anyone found out... especially when Elora's up again."

Alysia peeked her head over the edge and shook her head. "No one's around... and besides, who's going to tell her?"

Michelle ran a hand over the polished wood of the railing, a smile lingering longingly on her face. She looked up, met Alysia's eyes, and smiled broadly.

"All right... lets-" But Alysia needed no encouragement. In a flash she had shifted her skirt to the other side of the railing and went sailing down without a word. The stairs twisted and turned and curved as they went down, and the girls shrieked in delight as they sped swiftly passed startled, on-looking Narnians on their way down. With their hair blowing crazily behind them and their dresses swishing across the wood- they paid no thought to what anyone would say if someone found out about their mischief.

It was so wonderful that, as they approached the bottom, Alysia considered climbing the stairs back up to do it all over again. Suddenly, the banister abruptly ended. Unprepared for the sudden stop, Alysia was hurtled through the air, across the room, and straight into the body of a young man standing nearby.

Alysia didn't even have time to breathe once she sat up and looked around her at a crowd of concerned and enraged Narnians gathering around her. She turned to thank the young man for breaking her fall- but never managed to get the opportunity. For, sitting beneath her bum in a crumbled tunic and trying to adjust a thin, golden crown that had fallen into his eyes and was resting awkwardly on his brow, was the second king of Narnia.

And it was in this way, with a hot red blush creeping into her cheeks as the king's dark eyes met hers, that Alysia met Edmund. And she found, as she tried to meet his astounded gaze, that she really had very little to say... at all.

A/N: I wrote a few chapters for this story per the constant nagging of my younger brother- hence updates. :)

Character List:

Elora: Oldest, clumsy, writer, age: 16

Alysia: 2nd oldest, Boy Crazy, likes to talk, Age: 15

Elizabeth: Singer, Boy Crazy Age: 14

Michelle: Boy Crazy, More Reserved, Loves Romance Age: 14

Anthony: Hates Chores/Work, Likes to Play, Has a fresh mouth, Leader of the Brat Pack Age: 13

Grace: Very Pretty, Shy, Trips a lot, Age: 12

Maria: Smart, Cute, Likes to make people laugh Age: 10

Cecilia: Saucy, Rides Horses, Member of the Brat Pack Age: 8

Tyler: Youngest, Doesn't speak well, Finder of Narnia, Member of the Brat Pack Age: 7

Mom: Beautiful, Smart, Everything a mother should be. Age: Perfect

Dad: Handsome, Strong, Smart, Everything a father should be Age: Perfect

Uwey: Senile, Old, Likes to Bite horses, Age: Ancient