Hey everyone! I thank those who have stuck around to see this to the end, and double thanks to those for leaving reviews because they mean a lot to me. Here's chapter 38. There's only four more installments after this one, so enjoy it while you can! Thank you Ewcom for being my beta!

Disclaimer-Narnia's not mine, else I would be rich :D

Chapter 38: Their Return
July 10, 1942; Friday

A soft whimper woke me up from my deep slumber. I opened my eyes and listened for it again. There was another whimper that sounded more like a suppressed sob, and it came from the other side of my bed. I rolled over carefully and faced the back of the Valiant Queen, who shook as she wept. Looking up at the grandfather clock, I found that it was nearly two in the morning—it made me wonder how long the young queen had been like that since we retired at eleven.

Slowly, I sat up. "Lucy?" I asked softly.

Said girl turned her head sharply towards me. I couldn't see much in the faint moonlight except for the distraught expression in her eyes. Holding out my arms, I enveloped Narnia's cherished queen in a comforting hug.

"I'm sorry," she said after a few minutes in the hug.

We pulled apart. "What for?" I asked with a small laugh.

I thought I saw a smile tug at Lucy's lips. "For waking you," she answered.

I shook my head. "I don't mind Lucy. You're hurting, and I want to help."

A small smile made its way across her face, and she nodded.

I smiled with her. "Now," I said as I lay against my pillow which was against the headboard. "What's the matter?"

Lucy joined me against the headboard. "A number of things."

"How about we start with the one that is bothering you the most."

The Valiant ducked her head. "I'd prefer to talk to Susan about that one," she confessed.

I nodded. "Then what's the next thing?"

"Narnia," Lucy said quietly.

I put my arm around her. "And how you'll never go back?"

She nodded mutely.

"You know, Lu, you were going to have to leave Narnia forever one way or another," I mentioned gently.

"I know," she said thickly. "But if I died in Narnia, I would at least be with Aslan now in His country."

"Yes but then England wouldn't get a chance to know this spunky girl who loves to dance, loves to laugh, and can hold her own in a duel! Now really, would you rather deprive England of such a girl?" I asked humorously.

I received a wet laugh for the effort. "I guess not, but I despise how most adults brush me off just because I appear young. I know adults tried the same while we were in Narnia, but they were also given a quick lesson on assuming."

"You could always to the same here, especially when it concerns something you excel at," I suggested.

Lucy pondered a moment. "How would I do that without sounding priggish?"

"It's a matter of being subtle, Lucy."

She nodded. "Okay."

"But I must say, if someone is arguing with you about whether you know a subject or not, you sometimes have to be bold and tell that person that you know your stuff … Of course, you'd probably do that anyway," I said smiling.

The Valiant Queen laughed again. "Yes, I probably would." There was a pause in where we enjoyed the thought of Lucy telling someone off. It would be a sight to see, and the question wasn't if it would happen, but rather when it would happen. My young queen then sighed and said, "The worst part about not going back is not being able to see Aslan. I know who He is here on Earth, for when we returned, Edmund, Eustace, and I noticed the crucifix above my bed, and it brought back many emotions for me and Edmund. But I know I am going to miss seeing Him and drawing comfort from being at his side," Lucy said sorrowfully.

I sat in silence for a minute thinking. You know, Lu, the Lord Jesus does show Himself to anyone He chooses. He could very well show Himself to you."

The Valiant queen turned her head towards me. "Really?"

I nodded. "Really. And I know a place where we can go and feel His presence."

Lucy's face brightened up. "Can we go tomorrow? Please Swan?"

I laughed as she was almost bouncing where she sat. "Of course! We'll have to wait for the boys to get here first because I'm sure they'll want to go as well."

"Yes, yes."

"Shall we go to sleep now?" I asked.

Lucy smiled. "Okay."

The two of us rearranged our pillows and fixed the blankets before we bid each other goodnight.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Lucy and I woke to the smell of bacon cooking. I sat up and stretched while taking in a deep breath of bacon scented air. "It reminds you of the kitchens at breakfast does it not?" the Valiant commented as she rolled out of bed and reached for her valise.

"Ah, it does," I answered dreamily.

As the two of us got dressed, we recounted kitchen stories to each other. Lucy spoke of the time she attempted to make Susan a birthday cake and she forgot the yeast. "It still tasted alright, but it was just so very dense!" she told me with a laugh. I in turn told Lucy of a time when I was teaching Mezinda how to make cinnamon buns and she grabbed cayenne pepper by mistake.

"Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed as we walked down the stairs.

"Yep," I said laughing. "Those buns were so spicy that we had to toss them out."

"Oh, poor Mezinda!"

I shook my head. "She suggested it!"

"Are the two of you making fun of my cooking?" called Polly.

"Of course not, Polly!" I answered as we walked into the kitchen/dining room area. "We were talking about past cooking blunders in Narnia."

"Oh, okay," she said with a smile. "Could your majesties set seven plates for breakfast? The men shall be over in a few minutes."

"Of course," the two of us chimed.

One the table was set I asked Polly if there was any milk in the ice box. "No," she answered. "I used the last of it making breakfast and haven't been able to get out to milk Bess."

"No trouble; I'll go milk her," I offered as I headed towards the door.

"Would you take Sam out while you're at it? He hasn't gone out yet this morning."

"Sure! Sam! Come on boy! That's a good boy."

I opened the door to let Sam out, and he immediately ran out front to where Digory, Peter, Edmund, and Eustace were entering. I waved to the four and said, "Good morning, Narnians! You may go right in. Sam and I shall follow in a few minutes."

"Thank you, Swanwhite," the Professor called back.

I continued my way to the barn. Once inside, I found the milking pail and made my way to Bess.

"How are ya, girl?" I asked her as I patted her flank. "Is it milking time?"

I pulled up a little stool, sat down, and got to milking. It wasn't long after I started that I heard Peter's footsteps coming up the barn aisle. "Have a hard night?" I inquired while I worked.

I heard Peter lean against Bess's stall. "A bit. You?"

"Lucy woke up once, but I managed to get her back to sleep. How about Edmund?"

"He woke up three times. Somehow, Eustace wasn't roused by him, thank goodness."

I grimaced. "Nightmares?" I asked in a low voice.

Peter gave a ragged sigh in response. I turned my head to look at my High King. He looked exhausted. His normally shining blue eyes were dulled with dark circles underneath them. My king's constant studying had begun to take a toll on him, and the addition of needing to calm Edmund down multiple times during the night was not something he could completely handle at the moment. My concern for Peter's health was always relatively high, but his current state sent my worry level soaring.

"What kind of nightmares? Past battles? What-could-have-beens? Happenings from the Dawn Treader?" I asked softly as my hands worked on Bess's udder.

"Yes," Peter replied.

My eyes drooped in sympathy. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

The Magnificent smiled tiredly at me. "I wish there was, but …"

I nodded. "There are some things that stay between brothers who have fought together."

"Exactly." There was a moment of silence between us with only the noise of the milk filling the metal pail. "Why did Lucy wake up?" my king finally asked.

"She said she was going to miss Narnia and seeing Aslan," I answered.

Peter nodded. "You reassured her?"

It was my turn to nod. "I also told her that there was a place to go and be in Jesus' presence, but I told her we had to wait for morning and the three of you."

Peter smiled widely. "Shall we go after breakfast?"

I returned the smile. "Yes."

I patted Bess as I finished, picked up the nearly full pail, and walked to Polly's house with Peter and Sam.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Upon dismounting the ponies, I saw warm and reminiscent smiles form on Edmund and Lucy's faces. Peter and I shared a joyful glance, as the High King had the same reaction his siblings now shared. Eustace was in plain awe of the beautiful architecture of Saint Augustine of Canterbury's church. I looked back at Peter again, and he gestured for me to take the lead.

Gracefully, I move to the front of our little group and acquired the attention of the recent Narnian travelers. "If you will follow me, my friends," I began, "the Lord awaits for you to enter His house."

"Please," the Valiant said excitedly, "do lead on."

I smiled widely and lead them into Saint Augustine. When we entered the body of the church, I heard three gasps from behind me. I stood off to the side to allow the three to explore the area on their own. Peter came to a stop next to me. He was positively glowing with happiness as he gazed around the church like his family.

Behind the alter area was a large carving of a crucifix with a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Jesus' right and St. John the Apostle at His left. High up on the walls were statues of Saints, and lower on the same walls were the fourteen Stations of the Cross. The windows of Saint Augustine were stained glass that told Bible stories. Upon the ceiling was a circular painting that depicted the Ascension of Christ into Heaven.

Lucy, Edmund, and Eustace had different expressions of awe on their faces. The newest member of the Narnian family had his eyes wide and mouth agape in complete amazement. The Just smiled happily while looking lost in memories. Lucy's face was bright with joy. However, when she caught sight of the crucifix, she looked like she going to burst into tears. Just before she did, the Valiant's attention was drawn to the Tabernacle. Pure awe overcame her being. Edmund and Eustace picked up on the direction the youngest queen was looking in, and they too saw the Tabernacle. A satisfied smile made its way across the Just's features, and a happy grin came over Eustace's face. Peter and I smiled joyfully at each other like parents whose child had just said his first word.

"He's right there," Lucy said in soft amazement.

"That's right Lu," the High King agreed as he came up behind his sister.

"He's really there?" Eustace asked.

"Yes," Edmund replied confidently.

"That's amazing," the newest Narnian commented.

I smiled at the three's reactions, for I knew they felt His presence. "Yes it is."

-x-x-x-x-x-

We stayed at Saint Augustine for about an hour. We mounted up on the ponies to ride back to Miss Polly's house. Lucy and I rode Helen, Edmund and Eustace rode Fledge, and Peter rode Frank. During the trip back, I decided to bring up a delicate issue.

"So what should be our 'policy' on informing others about Narnia?" I asked out loud.

Edmund spoke first. "At the moment, we haven't told anyone about Narnia who isn't familiar with her already."

"I know but that hardly seems fair," I replied. "But when we have close friends we trust—such as our friendships—I feel that we can allow those friends a glimpse of what Aslan gave us to help them understand Him better."

"I agree with Swan," the Valiant commented behind me.

I looked to Peter. He frowned in thought as he rode.

"She does have a point Peter," the Just put in.

"I have told one of my closest friends about Narnia, and she believed me," I added in hopes that my testimony would help Peter make his decision.

The Magnificent looked up and made eye contact with each of us. He smiled. "I agree with Swanwhite. We may tell out closest and most trusted friends about Narnia if we feel they will believe us."

All of us let out a big "hoorah!" with wide smiles on our faces.

I looked to Peter with a mischievous grin. "It is good that we decided to do this, my King, because I would have probably told my girls about Narnia after this summer, and that includes Maggie!"

The High King's eyes grew wide in fright of what I might have done, the Just smirked, I heard the Valiant giggle, and Eustace was confused—for he was out of the loop about Peter and Maggie. "Who's Maggie?" the new Narnian asked.

"Maggie is one of my dearest friends, and I've known her since I was a little girl. Aaannnd Peter is planning on courting her," I informed everyone.

Edmund smiled widely. "She's a good one Peter. I approve!"

"I approve also!" Lu said with a laugh.

The High King groaned and looked to me for support. I smiled sympathetically. "I certainly think you two will make a lovely couple. And I know Maggie's interested in you."

Edmund finally took pity on his brother and changed the subject. "Now, what shall we name this group we've seem to have made?" he asked as he looked in the Valiant's direction.

I looked quizzically at the High King. He smiled. "Lucy was excellent at coming up with names for almost anything during our reign," the Magnificent explained.

"Was?" the youngest queen asked in exasperation. "I'll have you know, brother mine, that I did name a few thing during our last two stays in Narnia!"

Peter bowed his head to Lucy. "My apologies, dear sister. I have forgotten."

I heard Lu giggle. "Apology accepted. Now, a name for our group of friends that knew about Narnia…" she trailed off in thought. "That's it!" she exclaimed.

"What's it?" we all inquired.

"The Friends of Narnia!" the Valiant replied.

"That's a good name," Eustace said. The rest of us nodded in agreement.

"And those who've been to Narnia are the first members," Peter announced.

"Let's race back to Miss Plummer's house to tell Lady Polly and Lord Digory about the idea," I suggested.

"Do you think Helen and Fledge can keep up with Frank?" Peter taunted. "I mean, they're both carrying one extra rider."

Lucy and I shared a competitive glance. We then looked to Ed and Eustace. The former was smirking while the latter looked a bit nervous.

"There's only one way to find out," I challenged the High King.

We took off in the direction of Miss Polly's residence and left a cloud of dust in our wake.

What did you think? Love it? Hate it? Have constructive criticism for me? Please leave a review!

And don't forget to check out Narnia Fan Fiction Revolution. The site has many great fan fiction links so you don't have to go sifting through the crap yourself.

Aslan's Blessings be upon you and your family!

~Fierce