Hey guys! Sorry for taking such a freaking long time to update this story – life's been hectic lately, and probably will continue to be! But I'll try and get new chapters out as soon as I can :-) Thanks for the awesome reviews!
Narnia was one hell of a beautiful place, I had to admit. The sand was clean and soft, and the water swirling at the edges was a deep azure blue. As we headed further inland, tall pines rose up all around us. I breathed in the scent appreciatively.
I glanced over at my companion walking beside me. Ever since we'd landed in Narnia, Edmund had changed. It was almost as if he'd become bigger, yet at the same time he seemed the same size as he always had been. It sounded weird, but I felt like he was more real here. Maybe the air had magical qualities? I didn't feel any different, but maybe it took a while. I inhaled then breathed out deeply.
"Nervous?" Edmund asked, turning to look at me with twinkling eyes. I shrugged. Maybe I was a bit nervous. "Tell me about your family," I said, trying to recall what I'd read in the Chronicles of Narnia.
Was it my imagination, or did Edmund just quickly glance around as if he were afraid of something? I looked around at the sun falling in shafts between the trees. We were walking on pine needles now, and they felt soft and slightly springy beneath my feet.
"What do you know about my family already?" Edmund asked me. I hesitated.
"Well, you have a brother and two sisters," I began shyly. "High King Peter the Magnificent, Queen Susan the Gentle, and Queen Lucy the…" I paused, thinking hard. "Queen Lucy the Valiant?"
"Well done!" Edmund smiled at me, a warm smile that made little crinkles appear around his eyes. I felt a little flutter in my stomach. "Shut up," I whispered to myself.
"What?"
"Er, nothing," I laughed, slightly embarrassed. "So how old are they now?"
"Peter is nearly twenty-one, now. His birthday celebration will be next week, actually. Susan is nineteen, and Lucy is sixteen." He stopped.
"And you're eighteen, right?" I prompted. He nodded. "Yeah, just."
We walked along in silence for a moment. "So when is your birthday, Eloise?" Edmund asked, a trifle formally. I looked at him and he burst out laughing. "Sorry, I tend to do that sometimes," he explained. "I'm trying."
I laughed along with him, even though I didn't really get it. "I'm eighteen next week, on Wednesday."
Edmund stopped walking. "That's my brother's birthday!" He grinned at me, and I felt myself grinning back, though I wasn't exactly sure why. He started walking again, grinning and shaking his head.
"What's so funny?" I asked, curiously. Edmund laughed. "Nothing you'd understand," he answered teasingly.
"Oh yeah? Try me," I challenged. He smiled, but shook his head. "It's complicated. Maybe we can talk about it some other time?" I nodded, accepting defeat. We fell silent, and the silence was echoed through those warm quiet woods.
As we walked on, a sudden picture flashed into my mind. My mum. I felt a pang deep down inside and I stopped short, emotion flooding through me. Edmund stopped as well. "Eloise? Is everything okay?" he asked, staring at my face and unable to hide the concern in his voice.
"I… I can't do this," I said, turning to look at him. "I have to get home." Edmund opened his mouth but I quickly went on, the words tumbling over themselves.
"I didn't think. I just let myself go along with this entire crazy Narnia thing but I need to get home. I've left my mum all alone and she is probably freaking out right now. No, listen," I said, stopping Edmund from saying anything. "I love this place already and it feels so right but I can't leave my mum alone." I stopped, suddenly exhausted.
Edmund put his hand on my shoulder and moved me around to face him.
"Eloise, you don't get it. You… can't leave."
I stared at him. "You would force me into staying?" I asked incredulously. Edmund shook his head. "No, of course not. But people don't leave Narnia until Aslan says they can."
"You mean my mum could be filing me as a missing person to the police right now and I can't leave?" I asked, emotion making my voice quiver. He nodded.
"But I wouldn't worry about your mum. Do you remember reading how Lucy visited Narnia for the first time and we wouldn't believe her because it took no time at all?"
I nodded slowly, beginning to understand. "It's still the same. When you get back home, it'll be as if you never left." Edmund smiled at me but one of his words echoed in my head.
"Wait, you're not coming back with me to England?" I asked. Edmund didn't say anything. "It's not your choice, is it?" I said quietly. He nodded.
"But let's talk about something else," he said after a little pause. I smiled and nodded. Maybe I didn't want to go home after all. Edmund suddenly grabbed one of my hands and led me to a huge tree that was blocking the view directly in front of us. "What are we doing?" I asked, as he put a finger to his lips and peeked around the tree. I did the same.
"Oh my gosh," I whispered.