Chapter 22: In Their World

When they arrived downstairs, they were greeted by two people. The first was a stern older woman who seemed very rigid and uptight in Ana's opinion. She quickly learned that the woman was Eustace's mother and the Pevensies' aunt. The second person was a girl about the same age as Eustace. She was every bit as rude and entitled as the boy used to be.

Their aunt was not pleased to see Ana, having not realized they had brought someone else into her house. Ana felt guilty when she berated her friends for not asking permission. Eustace was ashamed and looked at the ground. This was apparently not unusual behavior for his mother. But if the other girl hadn't been present, Ana suspected it would've been much worse. She was the kind of mother who believed their child was perfect and anyone who said otherwise was the problem. It explained where some of Eustace's behavior came from.

Although she wasn't, Eustace's mother did her best to make Ana feel welcome. She was polite and talked in a sweet voice, letting her know that she could stay for dinner. But every so often, Ana would catch the woman glaring at either her or her friends. She didn't care for their company. If Jill hadn't been there, Ana was sure his mother would've found some reason to yell at her. You could cut the tension between them with a knife. Even though Lucy and Ana helped with dinner, it didn't seem to please their aunt.

Jill wasn't much better. She thought the Pevensies were beneath her and, therefore, so was Ana. It seemed that Eustace and she had bonded over their mutual sense of entitlement. Though, she had learned that the two hadn't been on the best of terms until recently. She kept casting nasty glances in their direction throughout dinner. Every so often, she would lean over to whisper something to Eustace and Ana tried to keep from rolling her eyes. Her hearing hadn't been affected and she could easily hear the insults.

"Can you believe them?" Jill would whisper. "What fat-heads! Talking rubbish about something called Narnia. What gobbledygook!" Apparently, she had heard the Pevensies mention Narnia in previous conversations.

But Ana got the sense that all this was just a facade. That she wasn't as nasty as she was pretending to be and perhaps Eustace was the reason for this. It was like she was trying to fit in with the boy. She hoped now that he had changed that she would be different as well.

Eustace nodded his head but didn't say much. It was obvious he was embarrassed and maybe slightly offended. Narnia had changed him for the better. The old Eustace would've jumped at the chance to mock and tease his cousins. Now he seemed to realize how terrible he was and was ashamed of others acting the way he did. He kept looking away or at the floor any time one of them said something negative. Everyone could tell he wasn't quite up to the normal jibes and digs. But he also wasn't brave enough to confront them.

"So... Ana, was it?" Mrs. Scrubb asked with a strange tone.
Ana sent her a polite smile. "Yes, ma'am. Ana Cendre."
"Right," the woman hummed. "Where did you say you were from? How do you know my niece and nephew?"

Ana saw the Pevensies stiffen. None of them had told her where she had come from, but her question had drawn the attention of all the others. Including their uncle who had thus far remained silent and unbothered by the conversations around him.

"I don't believe we mentioned it," Ana answered. She felt like their aunt was trying to catch them in a lie. "I'm an old friend of Edmund and Lucy's. I knew them when they lived in Finchley." The two seemed surprised that Ana had remembered that fact and frankly so was she. It was something that slipped out at the last moment. "I was closer with Lucy at the time. I haven't seen them in a few years, but we reconnected a few weeks ago." She wanted to be as truthful as possible.
"Are you staying with family here in Cambridge during the war?" their aunt inquired.
"No, ma'am. I'm afraid not. Both my parents are dead and I have no living relatives." That was also the truth.
The woman had the decency to look at least a little saddened by the news. "I'm sorry to hear that. You're in a home, then?"

Ana merely nodded in response. She wasn't sure how much Mrs. Scrubb would continue to question her. But she knew she wouldn't be able to answer all of them truthfully. Nor would she be able to come up with an accurate lie since she knew very little about this other world. She hoped the Pevensies would be able to fill in some gaps if their aunt continued the interrogation.

Fortunately, it seemed her curiosity had waned and they finished dinner in silence. Though Jill kept sending nasty glares in their direction for the duration of the meal.

κ§π‘½π’π’šπ’‚π’ˆπ’† 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π‘«π’‚π’˜π’ 𝑻𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓 ꧂

Jill left shortly after dinner. The three helped clean up while Eustace saw her off. Once their aunt was satisfied with their work, the Pevensies retreated upstairs. Eustace followed and the four congregated in Lucy's room. The two boys made themselves comfortable on the floor, allowing Lucy and Ana to sit on the bed. Ana's head was pounding by now and she had a hard time focusing as the conversation quickly drifted to talks of Narnia.

Eustace was curious about it and Lucy eagerly told him the story of how they stumbled into Narnia. He listened intently as she recited the story Ana and Edmund had heard numerous times. It was always her favorite one to tell. This time, however, Edmund interjected parts of his story. He didn't go into many details but he told of his betrayal and the events that happened because of it.

"You were only a twit," Edmund said after Eustace again apologized for his behavior. "I was a traitor."
"And you've both been forgiven for it," Lucy stated comfortingly. They were all quiet, taking in the moment.
"What happened after you left?" Eustace asked after the pause.
"For exact details, you'd have to ask Ana," Lucy said with a nod toward her. "But essentially after we left, the Narnian empire collapsed and left it vulnerable to invasion."
Ana nodded and continued the tale. "The Telmarines took over and tried to wipe out the Narnian race. They didn't succeed and those that survived went into hiding. Centuries later, they were drawn out of hiding by Caspian, who was then a Telmarine prince. It took some convincing but eventually, they rallied behind him and with help from your cousins, we reclaimed Narnia for the Narnians. He's spent the past three years rebuilding the Kingdom and the empire. Making peace treaties and battling with those that resisted."
"He kept his word," Edmund said, nodding approvingly. "He promised to give the Narnians back their Kingdom."
"But I'm sure he didn't do it alone," Lucy grinned and cast a glance at Ana.
She rolled her eyes. "No... He had several people to help him. He's done a lot of restructuring and rebuilding. His inner council was carefully selected and they've helped advise him on the best actions to take. And he had Cair Paravel rebuilt and reinstated as the Capital."
"He did?" Lucy asked. Ana nodded and she saw their faces fall.
"It's a pity we didn't get to see it," Edmund said. "But I'm glad it was restored to its former glory."

Ana sent them a sad smile. The castle had been in ruins when they were last in Narnia. It had been their home for over a decade and to see what remained of it was saddening. They were happy to hear it was rebuilt, but Ana knew they wished to have seen Cair Paravel standing once more.

"Who knows," she said, shrugging, "maybe you will have a chance to see it again. One day."

They smiled a little at that and Eustace asked more questions. Most of them were in regard to Ana's magic. It wasn't until he started asking them, that they realized he probably didn't even know she had it. But unlike others, he didn't seem to have trouble understanding how exactly it worked nor was he intimidated by the mention of it. Ana supposed being transformed into a dragon could make you understand magic a little better than most.

Their time was cut short, however, when Lucy looked back at Ana. "Ana... you're necklace... It's glowing." Everyone looked at her and saw the white glow surrounding the charm.
Ana stared at Lucy as tears welled up in her eyes. She knew what it meant. "It's time for me to leave..." Ana confirmed. The others frowned in disappointment as she stood up. "It's probably best if we go outside for this. It'll be one less thing for your aunt to question should she choose to interrogate you later."

Edmund rolled his eyes while Lucy let out an exasperated chuckle. Both knew they'd have to deal with questions regarding her at some point. Eustace merely looked embarrassed about it. But all three made their way to their feet without any comment on the matter. Ana covered the charm with her hand and they all made their way downstairs. She knew the glow would draw the attention of the adults and didn't know how to explain it away.

Edmund and Eustace reached the bottom of the steps first. Ana heard them say something to Mrs. Scrubb about going outside. They retrieved four coats and handed two off. Lucy threw hers over her shoulders as her aunt walked into the room. Ana turned to face the wall to do the same. The coat was a perfect fit, leading her to believe that it wasn't some random one and was meant for her.

Mrs. Scrubb was watching their every move. Her face was blank but her brows were furrowed. She was displeased about something.
"Eustace, dear," she said, "you needn't see your cousins' friend off. They'll be just fine on their own."
"But I want to, mother," Eustace answered, to her surprise. Ana assumed she wasn't used to him disagreeing.
Despite her protest, he was the first to leave. She stood with her mouth agape and looked at the Pevensies. "I don't know what you've done to my son, but I will not stand for it!"

She huffed and walked away. They took that as their sign to leave and followed Eustace outside. They walked to the end of the road and tried to stay out of sight of any windows. The houses looked strange and everything seemed unfamiliar to Ana. The only thing she recognized by name were the lampposts lining the street. Night had fallen so they were all lit and looked exactly like the one in Narnia.

Once they reached the end of the street, Lucy was quick to embrace Ana. She had held back her tears as they walked, but let them fall now. They covered Ana's shoulder as she buried her face in it. Lucy held on tight, not wanting her to leave. But they both knew she had to and all Ana could do was hug her back. It would be the last one she got from Lucy in a long time.

"Goodbye, Ana," Lucy sobbed. "Aside from Aslan, I'll miss you the most."
"I'll miss you too, Lucy. But I have faith we'll see each other again. Someway, somehow," Ana told her.

She felt Lucy nod into her shoulder before stepping back. Edmund moved forward, seeming a little awkward. The two didn't have much contact in the way of hugs, choosing to either bow to one another or give a comforting pat here and there. But neither felt appropriate for the moment. There was no reason to be formal when they were among friends.

So it was Ana who initiated the contact. She reached out and pulled him into a hug. It threw him off at first, but he was quick to wrap his arms around her. He was taller than her and her face was buried in his chest. She could hear his heart beating steadily. Though it was unusual, neither one was uncomfortable. It was exactly what they needed to say a proper goodbye.

Both pulled away slightly and Edmund shifted, moving so he could whisper in her ear.
"You deserve to be happy, Ana," he remarked and her brows furrowed. "If anyone does, it is you."
"I am happy," she replied.
He shook his head. "There's a sadness to you. You need to let your guard down and let yourself be a little vulnerable. I know what you're afraid will happen, but I promise everything will turn out fine."

All Ana could do was stand still, shocked. It wasn't like Edmund to offer such advice. Lucy, maybe. But he didn't normally delve into personal issues.

When she didn't respond, he pulled away and gripped her shoulders. "We care for you. So please promise me you will find what makes you happy. Truly happy." He said it like he already knew the answer.
Ana nodded. "I-I will... work on it."
"You better," he warned, smiling. Then he backed away and let Eustace say his peace.
"I-I just wanted to say thank you," Eustace muttered. His shoulders were hunched and he looked at the ground as if embarrassed.
"Whatever for?" she asked, confused. As far as she knew she hadn't done anything.
"For showing me kindness when I didn't deserve it."
"Oh... I would've done the same for anyone." She didn't really know what to say.
"Maybe. But I said some pretty nasty things and I'm sorry for that."
"It's alright, Eustace. You're a different person now." He looked up and smiled a little. "And who knows... Maybe we'll see each other again on your next adventure."

He seemed pleased with that. Ana felt the magic of her necklace grow stronger. They were almost out of time. She turned to Edmund and Lucy.

"Give your brother and sister my regards," she told them. They nodded and Ana felt the warmth of magic surround her.

The others stepped back as the glow from her necklace grew brighter, peeking through her coat. It swirled around her and Ana watched as their figures began to fade away. She could barely see Edmund comfort Lucy before they disappeared completely. They would see each other again, Ana was sure of that.

She felt herself being enveloped in a bubble of magic. It grew stronger as she was pulled from one world to another. Ana felt her magic returning as well and the pain in her head subsided almost instantly. As the light surrounding her faded, she could smell the beach and seawater. Then she took in the sight of two different yet very familiar figures. She was home.

So I have Jill as being a little snobby and brash in comparison to her book version. This is because in SC we know the two weren't on good terms. But in the movie, there's a brief mention of Jill stopping in. So I'm trying to imply that they were forced to hang out together and she's picked up some of Eustace's old habits in order to fit in better. These will later be rectified when she finds out he has changed. I hope it comes across this way and none of you give me too much hate for her character.

Also, I researched 1940s insults to be as accurate as possible so just in case you're curious...
1. Fat-head: an insulting term for a stupid or foolish person
2. Gobbledygook: talking nonsense
3. Twit: a silly, annoying person