A/N: I apologize in advance that this chapter is quite short. Hold in there mates, it'll get better.

Chapter Five: Magic

They arrived at the How, greeted by Narnian's far and wide that had convened upon hearing the return of their old monarchy and accompanying them a Telmarine Prince who won their allegiance. They walked into what was a cloud of disorganization but that would soon be quickly corrected with some of the greatest military minds in the history of this world.

Susan had already set to exploring as she took a torch and headed down a hallway, but returned moments later looking at her siblings.

"Peter you've got to see this." she uttered.

Peter taking charge, briskly walked towards his sister and followed her down the hall. Kristen, Edmund, Lucy and Caspian too followed after and Kristen smiled as she simply sat back and watched her friends stare at portraits of themselves.

"It's us." Lucy said as she stared at the little painting of her.

"Look, Kristen it's you too." Edmund pointed to the painting of Kristen and she nodded.

"I know, it's strange isn't it."

"They even got your eyes right." Edmund turned looking back at her and Kristen laughed and pointed down the hallway.

"What is this place?" she heard Lucy whisper.

"You don't know?" Caspian asked and light slowly began to flood behind her.

Peter taking the torch gently from Susan started off down the hallway after Caspian first and soon everyone was piling into a large dark room. Caspian, seeing the trough, lit it and soon the fire was spreading like it did before, illuminating the reliefs and stone table for them to see.

Lucy stepped forward in awe, staring at the relief of Aslan. Her gaze was an innocent thoughtful kind as she merely tilted her head slightly to the side before looking back at her older brother.

"I think he's waiting for us."

"No, I think it's up to us now." he replied.

"Kristen?" Edmund asked and everyone now looked to Kristen who was walking up the steps, standing in between the two largest stone pillars and staring up at Aslan.

"They tell a story." she said carefully. "They tell the story of this world."

Kristen walked up the the relief, closer to the fire, and reached her hand out. The flames did not burn her as it would any other and her fingertips felt the stone and suddenly a roar filled the room almost deafening them. The relief began to move, much like the statue back in Kristen's world. But it looked down at her and then the walls began to rotate making the other relief's move too.

"What's happening?" Lucy gasped and Kristen stepped back and watched before closing her eyes and suddenly it stopped. "Kristen?"

"I-I need some air." she said as she stepped down and walked briskly around the stone table and back down the hallway.

She strode past many as she walked out of the How entrance and into a sunset filled field. Her heart was beating fast as she looked out at the lush green before her, and she clenched her hands and folded her arms shivering. The magic in that room was thick and coarse, as if it had been waiting a long time for someone who knew it's purpose to set it in motion. She saw the entire story, from creation, to the bringing of the White Witch into Narnia, from the Pevensie's first setting foot on these lands...Kristen had seen everything.

"You alright?" a voice said behind her and Kristen turned around to see Edmund.

"Yeah."

"You freaked us all out in there, especially Lucy."

"What did you see exactly?"

"We just saw the lion move and then it was like the lights in the room had gone out. Then when it came back you ran from the room like you had seen a ghost."

"So you didn't see...what I saw?"

"Unless that was a stone carving coming to life, and then the lights going out then...I assume, not?" he looked at her curiously.

"I don't know." Kristen shook her head. "The magic in that place...it's thick. It's like you can cut it with a knife."

"Well, maybe it's a good thing you're the only one sensitive to it." he said thoughtfully. "At any rate, I know it will come in handy."

"I just can't...never mind. Weird things always happen around me here...I have to get used to it."

"Come on, they're giving us quarters to sleep in. Just some empty caverns. Best catch up or you won't get one." he said turning around and gesturing her to follow. Kristen sighed and then smiled at Edmund's retreating form before catching up to him.

As they entered the How again Trufflehunter came up and bowed to them before looking up at them.

"Lady Kristen, Your Majesty, we have rooms for the both of you. Come along, I'll show you."

They followed the badger as he waddled along down another narrow hallway and then it opened up into a magnificent hall with pillars.

"It reminds me of the dwarf kingdoms. The miners." Kristen said in awe. "I've only seen pictures but, close enough."

"Dwarfs and Narnian's alike, milady help build this place. A sacred place to store the Stone Table." Trufflehunter said as he turned down between a section of pillars and through an archway. They were greeted with a hallway that had a honeycomb-like feel with arches in the walls with thick drapes hanging over them. "Ah, this is your room Lady Kristen."

Trufflehunter gestured to one and Kristen nodded and looked at Edmund.

"And this is for you sire." Trufflehunter said to the one next to it. "I bid you a comfortable sleep and a good night."

And then Trufflehunter left them alone.

"Wanna come in?" Edmund asked nodding to his room as he leant against the wall and Kristen grinned leaning against the wall too, in mimic to his posture.

"I don't know, would that be scandalous?"

"Very."

"Okay." she said brightly as she brushed past him and Edmund chuckled as he turned following her in. It was nothing extravagant on the inside, but a make shift bed had been made and a trunk sat in the corner. The bed was made of straw and had pelts and blankets holding it together. It looked comfy, at least, enough for what it was. "It's fit for a King, I must say."

Edmund rolled his eyes and took off his sword at his side and walked over settling it on his only table he had. He turned leaning against it and looked at this girl that had changed his world in many ways. He took her in, looking at her really well for the first time in a long time. Her hair was the biggest difference, and though he didn't not like it, he rather liked those rich auburn locks of hers that seemed to suit her well. The blonde however made her features more pointed and striking and her resemblance to an elf now was almost identical. If her ears only had a slight point to them.

"You look very different." he commented and Kristen reached up and felt her ponytail.

"I turned twenty." she said casually. "You, actually look the most different. How old are you now?"

"Fourteen." he said. "I'm just rather tall for my age."

Kristen could tell he didn't like the fact he was now much younger than her because he looked down at his boots as he said it. Kristen shook her head and walked up to him as she took off her belt and quiver of arrows and sat them by his sword. She hopped up on the table and sat next to him, nudging him gently with her elbow.

"You are still a forty-two to my forty-six, after our fight we kind of stopped keeping count." she said and he looked at her and nodded and then smiled gently after a moment.

"Yeah." he mused. "Well, I'll never catch up now."

"It's Narnia, not our world. The rules are different. Peter is a lot younger too mind you."

"Seventeen is still closer to your age than fourteen."

"I still love you the same, so it makes no difference to me."

"You shouldn't–,"

"Ed have you seen..." Peter came striding into the room, and stopped as he stared between Kristen and Edmund talking alone in his quarters. "Well...there she is."

"Looking for me?" Kristen asked with a raised brow and Peter nodded and then looked at Edmund expectantly. Edmund frowned and then stood straight as he strode past Peter.

"Come off it." he mumbled and then was gone.

"What was that about?" Kristen asked as she slid off the table and looked at Peter accusingly and he just shook his head.

"Nothing."

"Didn't sound or look like nothing."

"It's not anything you need to worry about. Come on, let's go, somewhere private." he said pulling her into him and she shook her head and pushed him away.

"Oh no...you're going to your room and I'm going to mine." she gathered her weapons and started out the doorway and went into hers. It was set up the same, except a screen had been put up for changing privacy. Peter had followed her as he watched her settle her things and start taking clothes packed down into the quiver, out, and fold them neatly. "Peter, you weren't invited in."

"That never used to matter."

"During the day." she turned, looking at him seriously and he sighed.

"Kris. I just want a moment alone with you."

"We are alone and it has been a moment."

"Why are you being so bloody difficult?"

"Oh so I'm difficult now."

Peter was becoming increasingly frustrated that he just strode up to her and took her face in his hands and kissed her. She went stiff, at first, but slowly responded to it out of reflex. When he pulled away she took a slow shaky breath and opened her eyes and looked up at him. Pulling his hands down away from her face she gently pressed her lips once more to his.

"Go to bed. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. We have an army to train."

"Kris–," he began but she placed a finger on his lips.

"Please. Just do as I ask, don't fight me on it. We'll have plenty of time to catch up...in the morning. Do you not understand how much I just want to sleep on that bed after sleeping upright against trees for the past couple days? Go...go."

He turned about walking towards the door, but not before giving her one last look and then he was gone. Kristen sighed and walked over, flopping face down on her bed before instantaneously falling asleep.