Chapter 17: The Coronation

The coronation of the Two Sons of Adam and Two Daughters of Eve was the biggest event in the century for all of Narnia. All across Narnia, from the Farthest North to the End of South, Narnians flocked to the Great East of mainland Narnia, the castle of Cair Paravel.

Mrs Beaver was constantly on edge as the sun broke dawn over the faithful day. The motherly beaver was up since first light, scampering around the castle triple and quadruple-checking every single detail in near hysterics; while Mr Beaver and Mr Tumnus trailed her, exasperatedly reminding her that everything was and would be fine.

Even Aslan, the great lion, could not resist a smile as he caught sight of the strange trio running about the castle.

"Good morning," a soft voice called out to him. "Aslan."

Aslan turned and appraised the figure standing before him. Leia stood before the lion, dressed in the traditional colors and robes of the Ruben Phoenix family, a sight that was never seen since the last coronation of the Phoenix Erei almost two centuries ago.

"Are you ready?"

Leia knew fully well what the lion meant. "No."

There was a pause before Leia continued with a growing smile across her face. "But it is my destiny."

"You've grown, child," the lion remarked approvingly.

"There's an oxymoron there, Aslan," she replied dryly, referring to the lion's choice of vocabulary when describing her. She paused for a moment and answered an unspoken thought in Aslan's mind. "Oh yes. A child aged a hundred-twenty-one years old. I must be a late bloomer."

Aslan couldn't help but chuckled at her sarcasm. "I see you have recovered fully."

Leia grinned in response. Her grin lasted for only a moment as she picked up stray strands of thoughts from the lion.

"Do you have to leave, Aslan?"

The lion nodded. "There comes a time where the Kings and Queens will have to continue their journey in Narnia without me. Now is that time."

Aslan looked up at Leia, although knowing fully well she was able to pick thoughts from his mind, asked with his gentle, deep voice. "Do you wish to leave with me, Leia?"

Leia had heard the question from Aslan's mind but hearing it voiced out brought about another impact to her, nonetheless.

"Aslan, I…"

The lion took a step closer to the elf and she swallowed her words. His voice was low and grave, as he looked deeply into Leia's eyes. "You should know, my dear Leia, where I will be going, there is no return to Narnia. If you should choose to come with me, you will be reunited with your family. But you will never see the Kings and Queens again."

At Aslan's words, images of an unnatural tidal wave, shadows of her parents and Reico flashed across her mind's eye. Leia's heart ached and longed at the prospects Aslan offered, the prospect of meeting her parents and Reico after a hundred years.

"You don't have to give me an answer now. I will leave only this evening," Aslan continued in his low, quiet voice. "Come, dear one. It is time for the coronation."

The trumpets flared and the newly formed Royal Army stood neatly at their places surrounding the castles. The doors opened with a loud, resounding thud and before Peter, stood hundreds and hundreds of Narnia in stretched across the length of the throne room. At the opening of the grand doors, all the Narnians turned and looked at them expectantly. The royal sword bearers unsheathed their swords and held them above their heads.

He swallowed nervously.

At that moment, he felt a small hand wrap around his fingers, giving his chilled digits a warm squeeze before disappearing. Peter turned his head lightly towards his brother, who returned his look with a shy smile.

Aslan walked towards them and spoke, his low, deep voice putting the eldest Pevensie at ease. "It is time."

The Pevensies stood beside Aslan and followed his pace as they marched towards the four thrones carved in marble. As they entered the sword arc, many Narnians bowed and curtsied while the sword bearers held their swords back to their chest, their eyes shining with pride as they watch their Kings and Queens approached the thrones.

Peter saw familiar faces as he walked down the aisle and his heart leapt as he caught sight of the red-head standing before the throne with Mr Tumnus and the Beavers at her side. Even from the distance, Peter could see the sparkles from Leia's eyes, a sight he sorely missed.

Aslan paused before the steps to the thrones while the Pevensies stared at their respective thrones, each sporting an excited look on their faces. At Aslan's nod, the Pevensies continued their careful steps up to the thrones and took their places. The Beavers and Mr Tumnus marched up to the steps, each carrying a navy satin cushion with intricately designed crowns and tiaras resting upon them. They stood at the side of the throne, waiting patiently for the ceremony to begin.

As silence fell upon the ballroom, only one figure made a movement in its wake. All eyes were on Leia as she followed after the Pevensies and stopped on the top of the stairs, before dropping to her knees, her ivory gown spreading around her like the petals of a fully blossomed lily.

Aslan addressed the elf first.

"Will you, Leia, daughter of Lord Erei, take your name and duty as the Phoenix of your race?"

"I, Leia, the daughter of Lord Erei, hereby take my name and duty as the Phoenix of the Ruben race." Leia repeated solemnly.

At her words, the figure of a fiery phoenix burst from the top of Leia's head, much to the astonishment of those present in the ballroom. Aslan blew at the fiery phoenix and watched as the flames magically wrapped itself into a thin fiery tiara before resting itself onto the elf's head. The flames dissipated, leaving behind a rose-golden tiara with the symbol of a phoenix atop the elf's head.

"From all Narnia, I welcome you, Lady Leia, the Phoenix of Ruben."

Then, the majestic lion turned towards the siblings.

"To the Glistering Eastern Sea, I give you Queen Lucy, the Valiant."

Lucy gasped in pure happiness and watched her dear friend picked a silver tiara and placed it upon her head as she bowed.

"To the Great Western Wood, I give you King Edmund, the Just."

Edmund was kneeling on one knee and almost stumbled in surprise at the title given to him, but he managed to balance himself and accepted the silver crown, standing up as gracefully as he could, for a ten-year old.

"To the Radiant Southern Sun, I give you Queen Susan, the Gentle."

Susan's gentle smile seemed a testament to her title as she bowed and accepted the golden tiara from Mr Tumnus.

"And to the Clear Northern Sky, I give you King Peter, the Magnificent."

Peter knelt with his head down expecting to see hooves. When the trains of a familiar-looking silken white gown appeared before his eyes, he looked up, to see Leia placing the golden crown upon his head.

'I am proud of you, my dear Peter,' Leia's voice spoke from within his mind. Peter felt as though his heart could burst with pride as he stood feeling the cool weight of his crown, his eyes never leaving the face of the elf.

Leia curtsied and spoke in a loud clear voice, "I, Lady Leia, the Phoenix of the Ruben race, declare loyalty and servitude to the Kings and Queens of Narnia."

The Pevensies took their seats quietly, but with excitement shining in their eyes, as Aslan turned to address them.

"Once a King or Queen of Narnia, always a King or Queen. May your wisdom grace us until the stairs rain down from heavens."

"Long live King Peter! Long live Queen Susan! Long live King Edmund! Long live Queen Lucy!"

Aslan watched the four children exchanged excited and ecstatic grins with one another. He knew as the moment these children took the thrones, it was the dawn of a new age.

The coronation party was held shortly after the coronation ceremony in the grand ballroom of Cair Paravel, a stunning room made of glass roofs and sky windows, turning the entire ballroom into glass dome, allowing the guests full view of the scenery from the castle.

Leia watched from a far corner of the ballroom, quietly sipping her drink while observing a particular Pevensie addressing a pair of badgers who had came forward to express their gratitude. His gentle smile and dancing dimple fell into her eyes and her heart skipped a beat.

She sighed.

Having spent the last century thinking she would not live past the age of Winter, being alive at the moment certainly forced her to look at her future from a new perspective.

Memories of her time in Aslan's camp, the nights where she had spent atop that overhang with Peter, sharing her past, her tears, her laughter replayed in her mind, each image sharper than the memories of her kinsmen's death, and each image tugging fiercely at the stray ends of her heartstrings.

Aslan's words echoed in her mind. To be with her family had been her only wish for the past century. Yet right now, as she watched Peter moved across the ballroom before he was interrupted by Mrs Beaver, she could feel reluctance slowly but surely eroding her resolve to seek reunion with her family.

From the corner of his eye, Peter caught sight of the beautiful elf standing alone in the corner. He gently excused himself from the exuberant female beaver and headed straight towards her, his heart pounding heavily in his chest.

"Greetings, my dear lady," Peter greeted, right before his breath taken away when it finally struck him just how beautiful she was.

While the signature of the Ruben race was fiery red, the traditional robe of the Ruben Phoenix was in a soft, opal white. Leia's gown and cloak both were free of patterns for the most part, lest for the embroidery of flamed-shaped patterns at the edges of the collar and sleeves. The train of Leia's gown was longer and fanned out wider than that of Susan or Lucy's gowns and shimmered mysteriously in the light of the sun. Leia's hair was loosely swept to one side without any intricate fashion styles, falling to her ankles, throwing into relief the contrast of her fiery red hair against the soft white gown.

"You look beautiful," he breathed as he bowed and kissed the back of Leia's hand.

Leia blushed furiously, bringing about a touch of rosiness in her cheeks that, in Peter's opinion, only complemented her exquisite beauty. "Thank you, my King."

"May I have a dance?" he asked, holding his hand out. When Leia hesitated, he leaned in and whispered in her ear. "Mrs Beaver told me it is customary for a King to start the dance."

She broke into a chuckle. "Do you know how to dance?"

"Of course not."

"Neither do I."

"…Oh."

Leia took Peter's hand anyway, her eyes sparkling brightly with thinly veiled amusement. "But I'll bet no one would dare to laugh at the High King or the Phoenix."

Peter grinned. "After you, my dear lady."

Mrs Beaver, upon seeing Peter accompanied with Leia, hurried the orchestra to start on the dance tune. The Narnians parted ways to surround their King and Lady Leia in a perfect circle. Peter and Leia bowed at each other, both feeling very much self-conscious and awkward at the collective looks of their people. From the corner of his eye, Peter could see his siblings standing nearby, each sporting a cheeky grin as they waited expectantly.

Peter placed his left hand on her waist and held Leia's hand in his right; mimicking a vague memory from the back of his mind. When Leia return his grip and rested her hand on his waist, Peter could literally feel the skin of his face burning from the blood rushing to his head.

But when the lights dimmed and the music started, the sparkles in Leia's eyes was all that he could see. In an instant, gone, was the feeling of self-consciousness and the fear of embarrassment. The strong surge of emotions in his heart replaced his fear and self-consciousness with strength and confidence, and he led Leia smoothly and gracefully with the flow of the music. He felt her warmth underneath his skin and held her close to him, enjoying her presence in his hold. As the tempo of the music grew faster and faster towards the climax of the piece, he held his arm out and spun her, her hair and gown fanned out in a dazzling array of fiery red against opal white, drawing inaudible gasps from the audience. The music slowed at that point and Peter held her close to him before swaying gently until the music stopped.

There was silence for a moment.

And Peter and Leia were in a world of their own. He leaned in closer to Leia as though it was the most natural thing in the world, and Leia held her breath, watching Peter's face closed in onto her when…

The ballroom burst into thunderous applause, reminding the oblivious couple of the audience they had.

Peter and Leia exchanged awkward smiles with each other before bowing to the audience, who responded with yet another applause. As more couples joined in, including Mr Tumnus and Lucy, Leia pulled her hand away and ducked into the crowd, walking away briskly, almost fleeing, from the romantic atmosphere that Peter had unwittingly cast about them.

Across a shoreline of white glistering beach was an ocean the color of sapphire, meeting the darkening sky. Clouds were painted the colors of dark, mysterious amber as they stretched across the horizon, completing the majestic view of sunset upon the towers of Cair Paravel.

A figure with fiery red hair and white gown met with her most respected mentor with a heavy feeling in her chest. She looked back at the castle of Cair Paravel, where she had lost her heart. Aslan looked thoughtfully at the elf, even as they strolled down the beach.

"Lucy's crying, Aslan," Leia reported, her voice thick with emotion as she heard the girl's thoughts in her mind.

"Leia," Aslan stopped and looked at the elf. "Are you sure you don't wish to say goodbye?"

"I…"

Leia's answer was caught in her throat as she looked deep into the wise, amber eyes of the lion. It wasn't long before the lion smiled and chuckled in face of Leia's silence.

"Walk with me, my dear one," he requested, his voice low and gentle. Leia nodded quietly and followed the lion down the path of the beach.

Meanwhile, up above the castle, a faun was comforting his queen with a handkerchief.

"Lucy? Where are you?"

The Valiant Queen, as she was now named, turned back and greeted her eldest brother. "Peter."

"Lucy? What happened? Why are you crying?" Peter exclaimed as he knelt down and wiped his baby sister's tears away.

"Aslan and Leia are gone."

"What?" Peter exploded, thunderstruck. "How do you know this?"

Lucy pointed to the balcony overseeing the beach. "I saw them."

Peter dashed to the edge, only to see an empty shoreline. Without a second word, he dashed out of the castle, leaping down two steps at a time while inwardly cursing the endlessness of the flights of stairs in his castle. At the back of his mind, he made a mental note to convert half the stairs in this place into slopes.

He sprinted to the beach from the entrance of the castle, ignoring the greetings his guards and citizens thrown his way. Peter ran up and down the beach frantically, searching for a glimpse of the familiar red-head. Endless questions raced about in his mind as all that entered his eyes were nothing but the sight of an empty shore.

"LEIA!" He yelled, letting loose a cry as he came to the empty beach. His voice carried across the ocean before fading into a heavy silence.

How could she have left?

The pain of losing Leia pierced his chest once again, just as it had barely weeks before; Peter sank to his knees, clenching his fists till his knuckles turned white and shut his eyes tight as hot tears threatened to flow. He didn't know how long he knelt there. It might have been hours, or days, or mere minutes.

Nothing matters to him anymore, he realized. Nothing ever will.

How could she have left after all they went through?

How could she have left without saying goodbye?

And… how could he ever feel happy again, without her in his life?

"LEIA!"

Author's Note

Finally. One more chapter after this and I can conclude it with an epilogue. Sorry for the delay here, I was rather obsessed with a Harry Potter fanfiction lately, but now I'm back. Although going forward, I shall be working on both Coming of Age as well as this new Harry Potter fanfic idea I have.

Meanwhile, thanks to all reviewers of the previous chapter and all the silent readers out there. This amazing journey is coming to an end soon and I do hope you will enjoy the concluding chapter of The Phoenix!

With love
Rainremember