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: "All right, 'Just Elora'... shall we continue?"

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

Chapter Eleven

Ice Skating and a Mary-Sue

Marcus patted Elora on the shoulder as she followed Elizabeth out the door. She cast the faun a lingering glance of dread and, smiling, he whispered, "Good Luck.". Elora managed to give him a weak smile in reply and hurried out of the room as Marcus closed the door behind them.

Peter was waiting outside in the corridor, his hands were clasped behind his back as he examined one of the tapestries handing on the wall. He wore a cloak of deep maroon, and the crown set upon his head was a thin circlet. You could consider it casual wear for a king if you like- for it must be tiring wearing a large crown all day long.

"He has a nice back." Elizabeth whispered to her sister, and Elora elbowed her sharply in reply as her face lit up a pleasant, cherry red. (Though, throughout the course of the day, Elizabeth caught her staring once or twice at the Narnian king's backside.)

Elora and Elizabeth's feet padded lightly on the marble floor in their soft, Narnian boots. And Peter turned round to greet them with a smile. He must have been sixteen or seventeen by now... though neither Campbell could quite calculate how long they thought the Pevensie siblings had been in Narnia.

Elora and Elizabeth walked side by side while Peter walked just few inches ahead of the two of them. Elora had the tendency to speak as little as possible as Peter led them through long corridors and through the numerous doors and rooms of the castle. Elora also managed to find herself walking in between her sister and Peter- whom she could hardly stand to look at.

Her confidence was only a sliver of what it had been the previous day- and she could barely speak, let alone meet, the High King's bright gaze.

They walked down another corridor- their conversation slow and awkward no matter how Peter tried to lighten their moods. And it was then that the three heard the loveliest voices drifting down the halls. The voices, all high-pitched and haunting, were singing a chorus of arias that immediately caught Elizabeth's attention.

You must understand of course, that Elizabeth was a musician- and a singer at that. And her lack of music over the last few days had left her itching for any musical tune- even it were a little song like 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'. The sound of the voice enchanted her as a result and she turned to Peter in delight for an explanation.

"That's the nymph choir." He told her.

Enraptured, Elizabeth asked if she could go listen. Peter offered to show her the way, but she refused. "...besides, Elora hasn't gotten a good tour of the castle yet." She smiled innocently at her sister as Elora's face paled. "You two go ahead, I'll be all right."

And before Elora could offer a word of protest- Elizabeth had disappeared down the corridor leaving Elora, very much alone, with the cutest king Narnia had ever seen. If you were in a similar predicament- you might feel the same way. Elora was a simply girl after all, and not a usual one at that. She didn't know the first thing to say to King Peter... and found herself quite speechless and she turned dumbly to him.

Peter glanced down at her, (Yes, to Elora's delight, Peter was taller then her... by a good few inches too.) "Shall we continue?" He asked.

And Elora found herself looking straight into Peter's face... and he was so very handsome. About my own age... and his eyes were so...blue... blinking, Elora nodded, and sucked in her breath sharply as she mentally chided herself. You're acting like a love-struck Mary-Sue Elora! GET IT TOGETHER!

Her face burned with embarrassment and she found it took quite an effort to speak. Peter continued down the corridor, speaking about anything he could think of and gesturing with his hands towards various things. Then, at last, they reaching an open balcony. A light breeze ruffled the snow-capped trees , blowing Elora's hair and snatching at her dress as she got her first, real glance of Narnia.

"It's beautiful." She breathed, speaking for one of the first times since Peter had knocked on her door.

Peter hesitated, cleared his throat. "I'm sorry... for intruding upon you this morning." Was there... was there just a hint of an awkward tone on his voice? Elora couldn't be sure, but- horrified, she replied hastily,

"NO! Not at all!" She whirled to face him as she said this, her eyes wide. "I don't mind in the least walking with y- erm- walking about your castle. I've always wanted to see it."

Peter's brows met in thought. "Well I assumed... you just weren't saying anything-"

"No- really, your majesty." She added quickly, fumbling for words as heat started to rush to her cheeks again. She nudged a bit of snow with her boot and averted her gaze from his. "It's just... well..." Think Elora, THINK! Peter was watching her with an expectant look on his face... with those eyes... "I've never really... I mean... I don't... erm... I guess I've never really talked... to a king... before."

Peter's face relaxed in an instant and he smiled. "I'm not the best tour guide I'm afraid, Susan is much better with this sort of thing." He cleared his throat, shifted his weight uneasily and Elora found she had courage enough to look up at him once more. "You know... I wasn't always a king." He said lightly.

"I know-" At his inquiring look she coughed, adding: "Marcus told me."

There was another awkward pause.

"You can call me Peter... your majesty sounds a little..."

"Bland?" Elora asked nervously... still debating whether or not Peter was honesty trying to be friendly... or just polite.

He nodded.

"And I'm just 'Elora'."

Peter smiled, that wonderful sort of smile that warms you right down to your toes and leaves your heart soaring. "All right, 'Just Elora'... shall we continue?"

Elora at last found a smile of her own and she nodded. It really wasn't all that bad after that... in fact... Elora found she was having the loveliest time of her life. Peter was very easy to talk to... now that he wasn't droning on about paintings and architecture and art work and such. Maybe... just maybe... he had been nervous too. Though for the life of her Elora couldn't imagine why.

Peter's words were sincere, and his voice warm and kind. Now that they both felt a bit more comfortable, they talked about other things. Elora talked about her home... and they talked about things like hobbies, their siblings, about Narnia, and about each other. Favorites things- like colors, foods, and sweets, and such topics of that sort.

Elora asked Peter if he had any suggestions about how she and the children could return home. "We'll have to wait until Spring comes before we can do anything." Peter began.

"Could... could Aslan help us?" Elora asked hesitantly.

Peter blinked in surprise. "I don't know- I hadn't even thought about that. Aslan hasn't been seen since the Coronation..." Seeing her disappointed look he quickly added, "But it is still a distinct possibility."

They went down a flight of steps until they reached an open courtyard. Elora found she felt sufficiently warmed when the chilled winter wind licked her clothes- whether it was from her cloak or the funny feeling she felt when she looked at Peter... she wasn't sure. "Where exactly are we going?" She asked curiously, glancing up at Peter for an answer and feeling that strange sensation in her stomach again. It was lightly snowing out and the while landscape was both welcoming and majestic.

Elora could remember how harsh and unforgiving Narnia had looked during the film- simply because it had been under the White Witch's power. Do you ever think about her? She asked Peter silently. Do you ever wonder how you came to be here?

Peter gestured to the open courtyard and, blinking or of her revere, Elora fought to pay attention instead of being snared by her wandering thoughts. "Edmund and I thought you and your family might otherwise enjoy Narnia by partaking in one of our favorite winter festivities."

Elora's brows raised and she looked about her, a wordless question forming on her lips.

Peter smiled, "Ice skating."

It can be challenging to explain how one feels when looking out over a Narnian landscape. Sure- the snow stole something of the beauty of the place, but the pristine whiteness also gace the country a unique sense of beauty in and of itself.

The children decided that they liked Narnian snow and ice much better when they were bundled up warmly. Filing out of the castle after Fania and a few fauns, they set about to strapping ice-skates to their warm, winter boots. Dresses swooshing as excited Campbell Girls hobbled over to the bank of the great lake, which seemed to be frozen firmly over and nothing like their treacherous ordeal a few days before. The boys contented each other by seeing how fast they could race to the edge of the ice on the snow with their skates on. And Elizabeth met them all by the bank.

You should be pleased to know that her black eye was healing nicely, though it had now taken on a lovely purple-orangish hue. She was humming dreamily to nymphian music as she strapped on her skates and she looked up as she heard more voices approaching them from the castle. Peter and Elora were walking over, talking and laughing comfortably as the children scurried out onto the ice to meet up with Edmund- who was already skating about.

He greeted them with a wave and Peter shouted a hail in reply. "I see you had fun." Elizabeth whispered slyly as Elora strapped on her skates. Elora only smiled in reply and the two were soon joining the others, slipping and sliding cautiously about on the slick ice. Anthony had started up races and found, much to his surprise, that there was much more the King Edmund then there appeared to be as he zipped up and down with the ice.

Alysia was currently engaged in a game of tag with Elizabeth, Michelle, and Grace (all the Campbell Children suddenly knew how to skate- quite well in fact). Maria, Cecilia, and Tyler were making a vivacious cheering crowd as Anthony raced the young Narnian king until he was breathless and his cheeks flushed.

Elora was still testing out the ice, but eventually managed to join in the game of tag- which everyone was soon playing, including Peter and some other Narnians who had been watching on the bank. Fania remained a solitary figure on the bank though, her hooves touching the edge of the frozen lake as she gazed longingly at the others. But when prodded to join she would only shake her head and sigh. "Centaurs can't skate." She said mournfully.

Cecilia though Fania was just being silly and also though that the young centauress could have probably managed it... but, then again, Cecilia had never tried to skate with four legs before. They skated and romped across the ice until, at last, they trudged to the bank and flopped wearily on the snow- only to be rewarded by steaming cups of hot chocolate.

The funny thing was though that Elora didn't seem to be tired at all really. Her cheeks were flushed a pleasant pink from the kiss of the chill wind and from skating. But the children suspected that the presence of Peter had more to do with her breathless appearance then the chill in the air.

You see, Elora had flopped on the ice originally with everyone else, winded and quite welcoming the hot chocolate awaiting her on the shore. And once they had caught their breaths, Elora had ventured back onto the ice... and Peter had followed her.

Michelle and Grace sniggered as the Narnian king slipped his hand into Elora's as she slid precariously on the ice. Her face erupted in flames and she looked up at Peter in surprise as he gestured for her to continue skating.

"Pass the popcorn." Michelle whispered to Elizabeth, who was seated on the snow just past Cecilia and Maria on Michelle's right.

"This is better then the movies." Maria commented, smiling as she pushed her glasses further up on her nose and started humming a rather familiar tune in Grace's ear.

If you have ever been taunted for liking someone, then the age old song 'Someone and Someone Kissing in a Tree' should be familiar to your ears.

Grace smiled and the children settled back against their capes (which were doubling as blankets on the snow and were keeping them dry), to watch the show.

From Elora's view, she could hardly remember her eight sibling, plus miscellaneous Narnians and the second Narnia king, all lined up on the bank. Her mind was somewhere else- from the moment Peter had taken her by the hand she had been in that strange and magical place where people's consciousness float when they are in love.

He'd said, "I've got you" and from that moment on, it was over.

Doe-eyed and blushing from her toes to the tips of her ears, Elora could hardly pay attention to what she was currently doing as she found herself lost in Peter's depthless eyes. She might have slipped once or twice, but every time Peter was there to catch her as he slowly showed her how to really skate. Such things might be beyond your time, but even young children must recall the old movies when the couple goes ice-skating.

Elora was smiling and laughing the whole time as Peter twirled her about and pulled her into figure eights and circles. A strange sort of smile had formed on Elora's face, and soon she was laughing so hard that even Peter was laughing along with her.

"Kind of cliche... don't you think?" Whispered Grace to Michelle.

Michelle nodded. "Elora makes a first class 'Mary-Sue'."

"Nah." Maria contested. "She falls too much."

Anthony went through the gestures of pretending to pull out his eyes, eating them, and then puking them out as he watched his eldest sister skate.

"I think they're kind of cute together." Elizabeth said romantically, smiling as Elora twirled under Peter's upheld arm.

"What does falling have anything to do with it?" Asked Grace.

Maria held up her hand, "One- almost through the window, two- off the cliff, three- through the ice-"

They heard a thud and looked up and found Elora giggling as Peter tripped over her legs as she sat sprawled on the ice with the king draped unceremoniously over her lap.

"...four- on the ice."

"I think she did it on purpose." Cecilia whispered.

"Maybe." Maria continued, "But the point is, Mary-Sue's are perfect... they don't fall."

"So... they're a cute couple?" Elizabeth asked hopefully.

"Sure." Michelle conceded.

"It's her real first crush after all."

"Why not?"

"Yeah."

"Ok by me."

Anthony and Tyler chortled as Peter tried scrambling to his feet and the girls looked to Alysia, who had so far not inserted her opinion on the matter.

"What do you think Alysia?" Asked Maria, prodding her older sister who had a vacant expression on her face.

"Sure." Alysia murmured, though her attention appeared to be otherwise occupied by her staring at Edmund as he stood chatting with a few fauns nearby.

The girls shrugged off their sister's unusual behavior and turned their attention back onto Elora and Peter. Both were on their feet now, and the Narnian king leaned over and whispered something in Elora's ear- to which the eldest Campbell promptly blushed.

A/N: Don't Elora and Peter make a cute couple? Lol. :) Just realize that this is a parody- so I'm creating these romances with a comedic/cliche frame of mind.

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