Chapter 9 When Eyes Are Opened

"Six to three," Susan said firmly, in her I'm-such-an-adult way.

"You haven't asked our DLF," Ron chuckled.

"Well?" she asked crossly.

"Well, if I must, I shall follow you on your adventure, but if worse comes I'll be following the High King, as would King Caspian would want. But if we must be going, we should start now instead of standing in place."

"Don't you believe me?" Lucy asked.

"You? Perhaps. But Aslan? I don't tend to believe in things that don't exist. Talking lions I have never seen. Invisible lions I have never heard of. And Aslan has only been in pictures and fairy tales."

"Well, whether you come with or not, I have to go. I must follow Aslan."

"She's crazy!" shouted Susan. "Peter, don't let her. She's being a brat."

"If she goes, I'll go," Edmund said, stifling a yawn.

"That goes for me," Ron added.

"Well, if Ron goes, I'll go," Harry stated dryly.

"Me too," Hermione said with a sigh.

"Five to five," Ron grinned.

"Well, I can't very well let half of us leave and stay behind, now can I?" grumbled Peter. "Well, let's go."

Lucy followed Aslan, all the while realizing how hard it was for the others to believe in something they couldn't see and something that wasn't making any noise. For Aslan, although He was a great lion, made no sound as he walked.

Soon they had passed the trees and were nearly to the gorge's edge. Aslan started walking a bit faster as he reached the end of the solid ground before Him. And then, all at once, He was gone.

With a small gasp, Lucy ran towards the edge where she had last seen Aslan. And once she was standing in that very spot, she saw that it wasn't the end at all, but a rather steep slope, and Aslan was there, waiting. Then, with a smile, she skipped down and out of view from the others.

"Lucy!" Peter yelled out, alarmed since his youngest sister was out of sight.

Moments later she head Edmund's voice behind and above her.

"She's alright. There's a pathway that leads down."

Within a minute, everyone was walking down the steep decline, Susan mumbling to Peter, Draco grumbling to Pansy, and Trumpkin complaining to himself.

"Lucy, what's that?" Edmund ask. He pointed towards a large shadow.

"Why, that's Aslan's shadow, Ed."

"I see it too!" Ron laughed. "Wait, I see…Aslan!" he yelled, running towards the large beast.

But Aslan continued walking, quickening his pace ever so slightly.

"I thought I saw something," Edmund sighed, frustrated at himself for not seeing Aslan.

But he had gone no more than two yards before his face lit up and he ran into Ron and hugged Lucy.

"I see Him, I see Aslan!"

Aslan finally reached the bottom of the gorge, and very carefully, He stepped on stones that rose above the water and when he reached the other side, He bent His head down to take a drink. When He looked back up, a little bit of water dripped from His main.

"Hermione, I see Him. He's across the Rush!" Harry said in exhilaration, a big smile on his face.

"Well, done Lucy," Peter grinned. "You've found the perfect way across."

"Aslan found the perfect way across," Lucy reminded him.

"I don't get it. I don't see Aslan," Peter said.

"You will," Ron said, dragging Edmund across the stones.

"Be careful, Ron!" shouted Hermione. "You can barely swim!"

As soon as everyone had crossed the river Rush, Aslan was on the move again. This time, instead of finding a passageway down, He found a passageway up. Soon, they were all climbing the gorge on the other side, the side they had tried to get to for a day but had failed.

Before Aslan had reached the top, everyone but Susan, Hermione, and the dwarf could see Him.

The moon was starting to disappear as the children reached the top, but it was still bright enough to see by. Besides, the path they were on was fairly easy compared to the path behind them. And then, Aslan was gone.

With smiles on their faces, Lucy, Edmund, Ron, Harry, Draco, and Pansy ran up the rest of the incline, Peter bringing up the rear of the running horde. And there, in front of them, half a mile away, was the Stone Table, Aslan's How.

"Cobbles and kettledrums," muttered Trumpkin. "What a great look-out we've got. By now we should have been challenged. Oh, this will be reported to King Caspian, you bet your…what are you two staring at?"

The moment Susan and Hermione had set foot on level ground, they had both seen Aslan. Their faces went slack and their heads were bowed. However, the rest of the group ran over to what he could only believe as Aslan. For the first time in his life, Trumpkin looked upon a lion, but not just any lion, Aslan.

He stood rigid, fear and foolishness tearing into him.

"Aslan! I'm so glad to see you!" Edmund laughed, hugging the great lion, pushing Ron out of the way to do so.

"Good job, both you Edmund and Ronald." The two boys beamed, next to Lucy.

"I'm sorry, Aslan," Peter said, humbling himself. "I should have listened to my heart. I knew Lucy was right, but, I didn't want to believe her. I wanted to do it by myself. I wanted to prove that I still am High King."

"Stand tall, Peter. You are forgiven, and let this be a lesson that you cannot do everything on your own, no matter how old you become."

"I guess we're in the same boat," Pansy said apologetically.

"We're sorry, Aslan," Draco said quietly. "I'm very glad you're here. I think we all have missed you."

"I know I have," Harry smiled sheepishly. "And, I'm sorry too. I won't doubt you again."

"I know you three mean it," Aslan said with a smile and a gleam in His eye.

"Susan? Hermione?" Aslan asked. "Have you learned your lesson, children?"

"I'm so so sorry," cried Hermione softly. "I knew You were here. I knew it, but. I'm sorry Aslan, and I've learned my lesson."

"So have I," Susan said meaningfully. "I'm so sorry Aslan, and I'm sorry Lucy. I've been horrid to you, haven't I? I'll try not to act too grown up again."

"That's ok. You were just being a brat," Lucy giggled.

"And how is your small friend?" Aslan asked, referring to Trumpkin. "Come here!" He nearly growled.

Trumpkin hesitated.

"Come here!" and this time, Aslan did growl it.

Trumpkin ran shakily over to the great lion.

"And now do you believe, small one?"

"Y-yes," the dwarf squeaked.

Aslan came within a paw's length form stepping on Trumpkin, opened his mouth wide, and let out a terrible roar.

Tears started flowing down the dwarf's cheeks, and he started shivering although he was anything but cold.

"Rise, Trumpkin," Aslan said with a smile.

Trumpkin did so, standing on fish legs.

"Son of Earth, shall we be friends?" Aslan asked.

"Y-y-yes," stuttered the dwarf.

Then Aslan laughed. It was the most joyous sound the dwarf had ever heard, and the children all began to laugh with Him, having heard it a few times before. Aslan's laugh started low as a rumble, but soon became as high as a roar can go, as if Aslan was in song.

Trees shook, the earth seemed to shift, and then, without warning, a wave of darkness rushed towards them. At first it looked like they were all trees, but they soon became creatures both familiar and strange, laughing, dancing creatures, praising Aslan's name.

And at the very moment Aslan ended his laugh, the creatures broke into a sort of game, one that the children never understood, but never forgot, and before long, they all joined in, happier than they thought was possible and feeling as light as air, and as free as the waves on an ocean. For the first time on their voyage, everyone was at complete peace and nothing could dampen their feelings of joy, not even the thought of what was next to come.

Find out one of the reasons they children were sent to Narnia in chapter ten, The Other Side Of The Door.

Courtesy of both C. S. Lewis and JKR