Disclaimer: I do not own Narnia; I just play with the characters a little bit.
Caleb turned to Emily with an incredulous look on his face. "Why did I have to be the one to have done something?"
She rolled her eyes, cocking her head to the side with a smile. "Because you were the one who ran behind the tree," she answered simply.
He scowled at her then turned around, trying to gather his bearings. "We should just go back the way we came," he suggested.
She scoffed and wrapped her arms around her body. The air was steadily getting colder and wearing a breezy, strapless spring dress was not exactly the best choice in attire with a setting sun. She glanced back toward the castle Caleb had pointed out moments before. The shadows that were being cast by the tall spires were beautiful, and she couldn't help but feel entranced by the magnificent architecture of the building.
"Oh I'm so glad I have you here! I'd never have thought of that," Emily said, sarcasm dripping from every word. "There is no 'back the way we came'!"
Before Caleb could respond, they both jumped at the sound of leaves rustling nearby, though they didn't find anything for the source of the sound when they searched. The noise came again a few moments later, though now farther to the right. Emily clutched Caleb's arm, though both of them knew that if it came to it, he couldn't protect either of them.
"You wouldn't happen to have anything on you we could use as protection?" he whispered.
She narrowed her eyes, shaking her head in response. "Sure, let me pull out my nun chucks. I'm wearing a dress!"
He grinned slightly. "Honest question. Who's there?" he called out suddenly.
She stepped back, shocked by his action, though never letting go of his arm. "That's your brilliant plan? Caleb, that's the beginning of the end of every bad slasher movie to date."
He scowled at her again. "No, standing in the middle of a field waiting to be attacked is. Show yourself!"
The sound of leaves rustling came again as they spun around, trying to find the source, though finding nothing. Emily found herself hoping that it was just the wind, but the timing of the rustlings was too convenient to be the wind. She glanced down when Caleb shook his arm, surprised that she had been clinging to him so tightly. She loosened her grip, but didn't relinquish his arm completely.
"No need to be so stern," said a soft female voice. "I was merely observing you before making my presence known."
The pair turned sharply in the direction of the voice, and Emily might have collapsed if Caleb hadn't grabbed hold of her arms. 'This has to be some sort of perverted dream,' Emily thought. To her, this couldn't be reality, especially since a badger, of all things, was now approaching them, smiling and carrying a basket of food.
Emily glanced up toward Caleb's face to find that his expression was quite calm, though she had no idea how he could be any more calm than she. After all, they were in some strange place, alone, with no way to get back home, and now a badger was talking to them as a human would. She took one hand off Caleb's arm and pinched her other arm quickly, to check for pain. She gasped when she felt the sting of the pinch. This wasn't a dream?
The badger stood in front of the pair, with a worried expression on its face, as if a badger could show worry. "Is she going to be alright?" it asked. "She looks quite pale."
Caleb laughed, he actually laughed. "Well this is one hell of a dream," he said. "She'll be fine. I'm Caleb and this is Emily."
The badger bowed with a smile. 'Maybe this was a hallucination, not a dream. It could make sense, feeling pain and all,' Emily thought.
"Pleased to meet you Son of Adam and Daughter of Eve. My name is Lyriel," the badger apparently named Lyriel said. Emily had no idea that hallucinations could become so vivid, giving the beings in them actual names.
She felt Caleb nudge her, finally succeeding in prying her stiff fingers from his arm. It was truly miraculous that she didn't fall over from shock.
"Don't be rude, Em. Say 'hello'," he insisted.
Emily whispered a greeting that could be interpreted as 'hello' though it was really just a quick mumble of sounds. The badger smiled again, and turned, motioning for the pair to follow her. She glanced over to Caleb, who smiled and followed the animal, ignoring all of Emily's silent protests. She huffed, and decided to follow them, not wanting to be alone in the woods at night.
"Are you from the land of Spare Oom?" Lyriel asked, trying to make polite conversation as we walked.
"We're from Chicago," Caleb answered when he could tell that I wasn't going to. "Where is Spare Oom?"
Lyriel laughed and slowed her pace as the group approached a hut attached to a dam that could only be her home. "That's where our kings and queens hail from. You aren't Narnian, of course, since you both are so oddly dressed. I'm sorry, I should not have assumed."
Caleb shrugged. "No need to be sorry. But can you tell us how we got here?"
They walked inside her burrow, Caleb being forced to stoop more than Emily, and Lyriel began to putter around, grabbing pots and pain and food in her basket. "I was more hoping you could tell me, Son of Adam."
"Why do you keep calling him 'Son of Adam'?" Emily asked, finally finding her voice, though she instantly wished she hadn't since the question sounded so rude.
"You are both human, are you not?" They nodded. "That's what we call male humans in Narnia. You would be a Daughter of Eve, miss."
Emily wanted nothing more than to run away screaming, wake up, or just something. She sighed and leaned against Caleb, who instinctively put his arm around her shoulders. She felt comforted by his familiar touch, and nearly lost all her anxiety. Nearly.
"Anyway, I can only imagine that Aslan sent for you two, what with the whispers of an uprising. Narnia probably needs more help."
Caleb and Emily exchanged glances, both now more confused than before. Being in a strange place with talking badgers was one thing. Fighting an uprising for a place they didn't even know existed until an hour before was something completely and totally different. The tea kettle which Lyriel had placed over the fire whistled, and she removed it, offering both teens a warm cup of tea, which they took gratefully.
"Who's Aslan? What uprising? Why would this place need our help?" Caleb asked. Emily found that she was glad that he was finally cutting to the chase instead of going with the flow of things with the badger. 'Maybe we're finally on the same page,' she thought.
Lyriel let out what could only be described as a high pitched giggle. "So many questions," she said, still laughing. "Aslan is, of course, the Great Lion, and King of Narnia. Of the uprising, I can only say what the trees have told me." She paused for a moment when Emily nearly choked on her tea. What the trees told her? "From the East, there have been rumors of a rebel group known only as the Hostiles, and they oppose the leadership of our great Kings and Queens of Narnia. For the matter of why we would need your help that is only a question the Great Aslan can answer."
"How can we help though? I've never fought anything a day in my life," Emily protested.
"Unless you count verbally," Caleb commented after taking a sip of his tea, causing Emily to glare at him.
"You obviously have the wrong people, Lyriel. We just want to go back home."
"Speak for yourself." Emily looked to Caleb, shocked. "When was the last time we had an adventure, Em?"
"I'd rather not die in a fictional land, thank you very much."
"Would you lighten up? You're always so negative!"
"Oh, am I? Forgive me for being realistic!"
Lyriel, who had been observing the two teens during their argument, spoke up. "Perhaps I could teach you both what I know of archery. After all, if it was Aslan who brought you here, then I imagine that you won't be leaving until your work here is finished. I could also make you both some clothing. You may as well look as though you belong in Narnia."
"That's sounds fantastic," Caleb said. "Thank you, Lyriel. We'll be happy to help you in any way we can, right, Emily?"
She glowered at the pair and crossed her arms, not wanting to amid defeat. If there really was no going back home then she would just have to adjust to be there until that time came. It didn't mean that she had to like it, and she certainly didn't. Caleb nudged her arm in an attempt to get her to answer his question. She sighed before uncrossing her arms.
"Oh fine," she finally said, knowing, deep down, she would probably come to regret it.
And there's chapter two! Thank you for the reviews, alerts, and favorites; it means a lot to me! Next chapter is all Pevensie, so get ready for that. What do you think? Like it, love it, hate it, despise it? I'd love some more reviews to tell me what you like and don't like, or what I could improve upon. Remember, I'm new to writing, so it would be great for some more feedback!