Disclaimer- I do not own Narnia.

This, my friends, is the last chapter of The World as We Knew It. It came too fast for me but it was time. I really hope you enjoy it.

We arrived back in Narnia in three days time. I barely came out of my cabin during the whole journey. I only got away with it because I told Peter and Susan that I was still very weak from my imprisonment and wished to rest with minimal disruption. The two complied to my request with very little complaint.

The sun was blinding as I came numbly out of my cabin and into the bright Narnia sun. I squinted as I took a look around. We had landed on the beach close to Cair Paravel.

"It's good to be home, isn't it?" Susan noted as she wrapped one around around my shoulders and the other latched onto the arm closest to her.

I smiled weakly at the queen. "Yes, Susan. It is."

I lied.

Nothing was good now; not even being back in Narnia. I had spoken to Edmund since he was in his drunken stupor and now that I thought about it I was glad I hadn't seem him. Never in my life had someone looked at me with such rage and anger as Edmund did that afternoon and I hoped they would never again.

I understood that he thought I had betrayed him but I figured, when he sobered up, that he would come find me and apology but that was asking too much of Edmund. The king was much too stubborn for that.

"Lina, are you ready to get off?" Susan asked from next to me. I nodded a little.

Susan pulled me along the boat and down the rickety plank until we found our feet touching solid ground. Despite how I was feeling, I smiled. Oh, it was nice to not feel the floor beneath your feet rocking all the time.

"Lina!" A little familiar voice called to me. I smiled as I looked down to see Queen Lucy running toward me. She made it to me and knocked me to the ground from the force of her hug. Before this never would have happened because my strength was much greater than Lucy's but I was still in a very weak state.

The two of us sat on the coarse white sand hugging and laughing until Susan told Lucy to get off of me. "She is injured, little sister. Give her some space." The Gentle Queen said as she helped me to my feet.

I brushed my skirt free of sand and smiled. "I'm alright, Lucy, really. Your sister is making it sound a lot worse than it is." I jabbed Susan in the side gently, teasingly. "Don't scare her." I told Susan.

The queen rolled her eyes but said nothing in response. Deep in the back of my mind I figured she knew she was being over protective of me too.

"Where are the boys?" Lucy asked quickly.

Susan nodded toward the castle. "They took a boat in first. It seemed that Edmund was very eager to check something out."

My heart tugged slightly in my chest at the sound of those words. Had he really been that anxious to get away from me? I looked down at my feet.

"Come on, you two must be starved. How about we get something to eat, yes?" Lucy said as she took my hand in her own and began dragging us up toward Cair Paravel. She pulled me up the steep path that led directly into the outer gardens of the magnificent palace the Pevensie's called home. Compared to the Arabian castle in Tashbaan, Cair Paravel was was subtle and almost plain; but that is the way I liked it. I had lived in a flashy New York apartment my whole life, I was toted around in an obnoxious white limousine, and I went to a private school with a bunch of stuck up rich kids who loved to show just how wealthy they were by covering themselves in diamond jewelry.

Cair Paravel was simple but I had never seen something so beautiful in my life.

We walked into the great hall where the kings and queens' thrones sat in all of their regal glory. Mr. Tumnus and some other creatures of the court stood at the front of the room with Peter. They seemed to be deep in discussion. From the corner of his eye, Tumnus saw us and smiled slightly, giving a little wave.

Peter noticed Tumnus'es gesture and looked behind him to see his sisters and I. I expected him to smile but his face instead looked grim. I looked to Susan who had one perfect eyebrow raised in confusion.

Lucy gripped my hand a little tighter; something was happening that I did not understand.

Peter rubbed a hand on the back of his neck before walking over to the three of us. He stopped in front of Susan and shook his head.

"Peter, what is it?" She asked slowly, almost debating if she wanted the question answered.

Peter looked at her before looking over at me and Lucy. "Ed's gone." He stated simply.

My heart stopped beating and felt a cold sweat on the back of my neck. Edmund? Gone?

"What do you mean he is gone? Where did he go?" Susan asked frantically.

Peter shrugged. "When we got off the boat before docking and came up to have a meeting with our advisors Edmund mumbled something about wanting to change before the meeting. I didn't think anything of it at the time...half an hour later he still hadn't come to the hall and so I went to his room. I didn't see him but found this on the bed." He held out a piece of paper to Susan. She ripped it from his hands and began to read aloud to us all.

"I am sorry to do this to you my dear family but I find myself feeling restricted within the walls of our beloved Cair Paravel." She paused to look at Peter as if this was a joke. He simply shook his head and urged her to continue. "I fear that life at the castle has become more than I cam bear in recent months and I need to find solitude somewhere far from here."

A sob broke from my chest as the impact of the words had hit me. He was talking about me. I have made things more than he could bear; this was all my fault.

I wrapped an arm around Lucy as she began to cry. Susan kept reading. "Please know that this is for the best and I do not wish to hurt any of you but this is just something I must do for myself. Do not feel guilty... I will be in touch. I love you all." Susan refolded the note as a tear ran down her own cheek.

I put an arm around her waist as I kept Lucy close with the other. I wanted to comfort them but I think I did this more for my benefit than theirs. I was having trouble thinking then, let alone standing, and leaned greatly on the sisters as they leaned on me in return.

"What do we do, Peter?" Lucy asked through her tears.

The eldest Pevensie pursed his lips and looked my way. I had to look down out of guilt. I heard Peter sigh.

"We do nothing."

All of our eyes shot up to stare at him in shock.

"Wha-you're not going to do anything?" I stammered out.

Peter shook his blonde head. "This was Edmund's choice. He made his decision and we have to respect that now."

He made his decision. Just like he said I did.

"Peter, you cannot honestly expect us to just let him wander-" Susan started.

"He has friends, Susan, plus he is not completely vulnerable. He has his weapons with him. He will be alright." He said, almost regrettable. I could tell he wanted to go after his brother but just couldn't bring himself to do it for some reason.

Peter sighed again before taking all three of us into his arms. "It will be okay, girls. I promise you Edmund will be fine."

Another sob escaped my chest as the tears began to flow. Right now it was not Edmund I was worried about: it was the people he left behind.

I finally managed to escape the three Pevensie's and find the solitude of my old quarters. It seemed so long ago since I had been in there but none of that mattered now. I bypassed the room and went straight to the marble terrace. I looked down over the ocean and closed my eyes. Nothing seemed real now. It was like a dream; I was freed only to feel more trapped than ever.

The sound of paper flapping in the wind caught my attention and my eyes snapped open. I looked around and noticed a piece of paper with a rock acting as a paper weight on the railing. I pursed my lips and stared at it for a moment.

It seemed too impossible to think it was from him. He wouldn't have...would he?

Slowly, I reached for the paper and slid it out from under the rock. I looked at the very blunt hand writing and read:

Lina,

I am sorry for all I have done. I know I said terrible things to you when I...when we were on the ship but I need you to know that I did not mean any of those things I said. You were right when you said you hadn't chosen and you shouldn't have to. That is why I have left. I wanted to make it easier for you...Peter cares deeply for you and will take care of you better than I ever could. I could have been selfish and stayed, hoping to win you back, but that would only cause more pain for both of us.

So I have made the decision for you and it is the right one. Please know that we will probably never see each other again...if I came back I do not think I would have the strength to leave... Have a good life, Lina, and take care of my family for me.

Yours now and forever,

Edmund

I collapsed to the floor. He left so I could be with Peter...he left because he thought this would make me happy. He couldn't have been more wrong. I broke down and began to sob and cry harder than I ever have in my life.

I felt a presence in front of me and looked up to see Peter looking down at me with sad eyes. I tried to wipe the tears away but they would not stop coming. Peter slowly made his way over to me and sat down, leaning against the railing and putting an arm around my shoulder.

He allowed me to cry until I could no longer. He rubbed my shoulder absently as I began to collect myself.

Peter finally spoke. "You love him, don't you?" He said with a monotone voice.

I looked at him and sniffled. "What do you mean?" I asked, unconvincingly.

Peter smiled slightly. "You love Edmund." This time it was a statement instead of a question. "I tried to ignore it but I cannot any longer. It all changed on the ship...I could tell." He said.

I wrinkled my forehead. "How?"

"Because you began looking at him the way you used to look at me." He chuckled and gave my shoulder a squeeze.

I just stared at him for a moment, waiting for him to yell at me for being such a little tramp but he never did say anything. He just looked at me with a small smile on his face.

"I'm so sorry, Peter." I said as I looked down at my hands, no longer able to face him.

I felt his hand go under my chin a second later so I had to look at him. "Never feel sorry for finding love, Lina. I understand."

I just nodded as the two of us lapsed into silence. I was still stifling while continued to soothingly rub my arm. It was then that I knew my and Peter's relationship changed. We were no longer involved; we were friends. I looked over at him and smiled. "So where do we go from here?" I asked.

Peter chuckled and ran his free hand through his hair. "We go to the stables."

I raised an eyebrow at him. He smiled bigger.

"Come on."

Peter helped me up onto a horse, named Rosie, and made sure everything was secure. He handed me my quiver of arrows and my bow. I put them on my back before I looked back down at him.

I shook my head. "This is crazy." I said, shaking my head.

Peter put a hand on top of mine. "It is crazy." He admitted.

I sighed. "I-I don't even know where to look. I haven't seen anything of Narnia past the palace and a small part of Lantern Waste."

"Lina, breath, okay?" I took a deep breath. "If I know Edmund, which I think I do, he will be somewhere he knows very well and where no one will be for a long while...I'm pretty sure he went to Tumus's house. He knows that Tumnus will be in court for a while and that his house is pretty secluded. He will stay there until he figures out his next move."

I nodded. "How will I find it?"

"Rosie will get you there. She knows the way so all you have to do is hold on tight." He told me.

I nodded again. "Should we tell Lucy and Susan? I mean they would-"

"Never let you go. I'll distract them as long as I can but you have to leave now before they get suspicious."

Peter began walking, tugging Rosie's reins as he went. "Just be careful, Lina. If you find yourself in trouble make sure you tell them you are sent from Cair Paravel...they will believe you since we are the practically the only humans in Narnia."

I nodded again, too nervous and anxious to talk. Peter nodded in return. "Okay, it's time to go. Are you ready?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Good," Peter said. He smiled up at me. "Go find him, Lina, and please bring him back before my sisters have matching heart attacks." He teased as he handed me the reins.

I chuckled once. "I will...Thank you, Peter."

He nodded his response.

I took one more deep breath. This was it, I was going to find Edmund. I took one more deep breath before digging my heels into Rosie's sides and we were off.

I held on tight to the reins as Rosie flew through vallies, mountains, and finally a forest. It had been around six hours since I left Cair Paravel and we hadn't stopped for one minute. I was too anxious to stop.

I was worried that I wouldn't get there in time if we stopped for any amount of time. Who knew if he would be there anyway? Peter was only guessing Edmund's location. He could be anywhere.

"Rosie? How long until we are there?" I asked for the four hundredth time as we passed a lantern post in the middle of the forest. Luckily, Rosie was a sweet horse and did not snap at me.

She waited a second before skidding to a halt. "We are here, my lady." She panted.

I stared ahead of us. We were not at a house but at the side of a mountain. I was just about to ask her if she was sure when I saw a door carved into the mountain.

"Oh," was all I said as I slid off of Rosie and began walking toward the door. I turned and smiled at the horse. "Thank you for everything." I said.

The horse nodded and did a gesture that resembled a bow. I turned back around and continued to walk toward the door. The air around me was still and everything was quiet as I took hold of the door knob.

This was it. All or nothing. One more deep breath and I turned the knob, opening the door quickly.

I stepped inside the dark house and looked around. The house was charming and humble. There was a small kitchen connected to the living room where a fireplace sat dark.

I took another step in. "Edmund?" I called hoping he was around.

I got no answer. My heart began to sink as I called again. Once again, no answer.

I collapsed onto the floor. He was not here.

I took deep breaths and put my head in my hands. If Peter did not know where he was then there was no hope of finding him. He said that he would not be coming back to Cair Paravel.

Tears filled my eyes.

"Lina?" A voice called.

I froze. No, this was just another one of my hallucination that I had while I was in Tashbaan. Slowly, I turned around and saw a figure standing in the doorway with firewood in his hands.

I stood up slowly as Edmund continued to stare at me. "Hi." I said, no other words came to my mind.

Edmund dropped the firewood and made his way over to me. He stopped several feet in front of me as if scared to get any closer. "What are you doing here?"

I bit my lip. "Looking for you. Peter said you would probably be here-"

"Peter sent you out here? By yourself? Is he crazy!? You could have been kidnapped again and then where would we be!? Ugh, I swear-"

"Edmund." The sound of his name stopped his rant. "Peter and I...it's over."

Edmund stared at me some more before taking a few more steps toward me. "But I do not understand, I-"

"He figured out that he was not the right man for me...and that you are." I whispered.

Edmund took another step closer to me. He stayed silent and then sighed. "Walk with me." He said suddenly, holding out his hand for me to take.

I took it instantly, awkwardly, and we began to walk out of the house. The two of us lapsed into silence as we went on our way. I looked Edmund's way, waiting for him to say something. He felt my gaze on him and turned to look at me, causing me to quickly avert my gaze, embarrassed, to the evergreens around us.

We walked down the path further and found ourselves at the light post again. I stopped to look up at it. It was such a strange thing to be in the middle of a forest in Narnia.

I felt a slight tug on my hand and I spun to see Edmund closer than before. I smiled up at him as he stared seriously at me.

"Why did you come?" He asked again.

I looked down at our entwined fingers; they fit so perfectly together. I swallowed as I worked the words up. I was still not used to saying this. "Because I love you, Edmund." I whispered before looking up, his brown eyes locked with mine, and smiled. "I choose you. A thousand times over...it's always been you."

His free hand went up to my cheek and I leaned into his warm touch. "You don't know how good it feels to hear you say that...I love you, too, my Lina."

It was then that his lips captured mine in a passionate kiss that would have given any cheesy romantic comedy couple a run for their money. My arms wrapped around his neck and his hands went to my waist.

I had never felt more happy then I did then. Finally, that large hole in my chest where something had always been missing was filled. I was complete. I was home in Edmund's arms.

I took a step back to catch my breath and smiled up at Ed. He did the same down at me.

"Since we have that established. Now is the time I scold you for making this journey all by yourself..." He smirked.

I did the same in return as I slowly backed away from him as if I was terrified of his scolding. He took a step toward me. "Oh, no, you do not get to run away from me Carolina Foster. Come here!" He shouted teasingly as he began to chase me.

I laughed as I ran, now caught in the strangest game of tag I have ever played, but it felt good to play. It was something I hadn't done it a very long while.

I ran around a corner and decided to find a place to hide. Quickly, I jumped between two tall evergreens in a place I knew Edmund wouldn't find me for a while. I backed away from the entrance to my hiding spot until I ran into something. It was cold and rough; it felt like metal.

My eyebrows scrunched up as turned around to see subway doors. I looked through the glass and saw...me. I was curled up on the seat with my earphones on and my backpack next to me. I hadn't even realized what was going on until the subway car door opened and a bright light blinded me.

I was sucked out of Narnia.

September 24th, 2007

It was my fourteenth birthday and once again I was stuck with one of my parents boring parties where no kids were present and there was no one to talk to but my father's boring stock market associates.

I was sitting by myself on the large balcony of my parents' apartment on the 30th floor, staring down at the city I loved dearly. If only I was out there experiencing it rather than sitting here like I was locked away.

I huffed a breath and decided to settle deeper into the chair I was occupying. I had no plans to go in back in there until all of the boring chatter subsided.

"Hello, Lina." A British man's voice called to me for behind. I turned around and saw an elderly man standing there. He wore a tan suit and had gray hair; I have never met him before.

"Hello," I told him politely.

The man smiled. "Would you mind if I join you?" He asked as he pointed to the patio chair next to me.

I nodded. "Knock yourself out." I said.

The man thanked me before sitting down with a sigh of relief as if he had been standing for hours on end.

We were quiet for a moment before the silence began to bother me. "So do you work with my father? I don't think we have ever met..." I said.

The man smiled. "No, I do not work with your father. To be honest, I find finance to be terribly boring."

I chuckled. "That makes two of us."

"You don't say?"

I just nodded.

The elderly man stared at me for a moment, almost adoring, before a light bulb seemed to go on over his head.

"Oh!" The man exclaimed as he began to dig around in his inner jacket pockets until he retrieved an envelope. "This is for you." He handed it to me.

"Thanks." I smiled as I took the crisp envelope from his wrinkled hand. I noticed that he had no wedding band there and couldn't help but wonder if he was a widow or if he had never married at all. Either thought made me sad. Even though I did not know this man I felt a certain amount of concern for him.

"You are welcome, dear Lina. Happy Birthday." He said as he got up from his chair. "I should probably leave you to it then. I'm afraid I tend to ramble so I apologize in advance." He said as he nodded to the envelope in my hand. He came over to me and held out his wrinkled hand. "It was wonderful to meet you...I'm sure we will meet again."

I stood up and shook his hand firmly. "It was nice to meet you, too." I looked up at his eyes then and noticed they were a unique but familiar shade of brown. The man patted my hand that he held in his for a long while before releasing it and beginning to walk away.

Something inside of me forced my mouth to call out to him. "Wait!" I said.

The man turned and looked at me with...were they hopeful eyes? "You did not tell me your name." I told him.

The man's face fell slightly but the smile stilled remained. "Edmund. Edmund Pevensie." He said before turning around and disappearing into the crowd of my parents guests.

I watched him retreat until I knew he was long gone. I sighed as I looked down at the envelope. I went back to my favorite chair and fell down upon it. I opened the envelope to reveal a thick wad of papers inside of it.

It was then that I read the story of a girl who was called to a distance land called Narnia and how she was kidnapped by a prince, and how she had found love and courage through all of the trials she faced. The story was well written and I thought it was an excellent plot. It was full of adventure; just the kind of story I like to read.

It was one of the last line of the story that caught my attention above everything else, however.

"Don't run away, my love. Don't hide." The king called the warning to the girl as she ran, thinking it was only a simple game. Those words stuck with me for a long while, playing over and over in my mind.

Don't run away, my love. Don't hide. Stay with me. I love you, now and forever.

"Carolina, get in here right this instant. This is your party, after all." My mother called out to me.

I sighed as I tucked the papers into the pocket of my dress. Something was telling me that this story would be sticking very close to me from now on.

I looked down over the city below me one last time before feeling my mother's eyes burning a hole in my back again. I rolled my eyes and went into the apartment, ready to face an awful adventure full of bankers and fancy food.

This was life as I knew it...at least for now. One day, though, I knew it would all change. Just you wait and see.

Will Lina go to Narnia this time around now that she has met Edmund before hand? Will she stay there if she returns? I left that up to you and your imagination to decide. I thank you all for reading and sticking with the story till the end. As alway, thank you and please let me know what you think. Love you all! Until next time...