Legacy of Narnia

MrBob

Well-known member
I finally have chapter 1 of my Legacy story ready. I am still working on Ch. 2.

Chapter 1

A year had passed. One whole Narnian year had passed since the coronation of Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. They were still fighting the remains of the White Witch’s army, but the battles were becoming less frequent. Except for the battles, the four Pevensies had not left their Cair Paravel. It was not as if they minded, of course. Cair Paravel was a wonderful place to live.
Queen Lucy, however, had a sense of adventure that drove her. It was that sense of adventure that led her to explore Narnia when she first found herself there and met up with her first friend in Narnia, Mr. Tumnus. It was this sense of adventure that now was beckoning her to travel from Cair Paravel for a while. "Well, you know you are always welcome at my home." Mr. Tumnus told her after she explained to him how much she wanted to go traveling somewhere.
Queen Lucy and Mr. Tumnus, who had been made a Lord of Narnia by Queen Lucy herself, were walking along the beach near the castle. She stopped with a sudden burst of excitement. "That’s perfect." she exclaimed as the plans were forming in her head. "We could leave next week after the Terabinthian delegation takes their leave. I could stay a month at your home and we could..." she stopped in mid sentence feeling she shouldn’t be deciding on her own. "I do hope a month isn’t too long."
Mr. Tumnus graciously bowed to her. "My Queen, you could stay a year and not be a bother to me. Just as you have generously allowed me to stay here for so long, my house is equally available to you at any time."
"Wonderful!" Lucy called out excitedly. She bounded over to Mr. Tumnus and nearly jumped into his arms giving him a big hug. She let go and then became a bit more serious, "Now to get Peter’s permission."
"I don’t foresee that being a problem." Mr. Tumnus stated positively.
"I hope you are right, Mr. Tumnus." she responded in a hopeful manner.
The young queen was nervous to ask her brother, the High King and waited until after dinner, which she barely ate. She found him a few hours later in his room as he was preparing to turn in for the night. Lucy was in her own nightclothes and entered his residence when he saw her lingering in the hall. "Hey Lu, what’s up?" Their residences were nearly as large as their entire house was in London and she went to sit on an armchair which was on the far side. Peter followed her and sat next to her, noticing her nervousness.
"Peter, it’s been over a year now since we were crowned." Lucy was trying to remember the script she had in her head. "And we haven’t even explored much of Narnia."
"Well, it has been hard with the battles." Peter reminded her. She knew and that was part of what she was going to say, but she continued.
"Yes, but now it is much safer. I’ve been talking with Mr. Tumnus and we made some plans." She gave a nervous pause before continuing, "After the Terabinthians take their leave from their visit next week, I would like to take a month off to stay with Mr. Tumnus at his house. We haven’t been there since we first came into Narnia. I would love to see what else is in that area."
Peter did not need much time to think it over. "You know, that is a great idea, Luce. I think a vacation for each of us would be great. I’ll talk with the others about what they would like to do." As Peter was saying this, she was afraid he would put off her own plans. That is until he looked right at her with his special smile that he reserved just for his youngest sister. "And since you thought of it first and already have plans, you can go first."
Lucy was so excited that she just hugged her big brother happily. "Oh thank you, thank you Peter!" She hurried back down to her residence, bounding with such an excited gait. She could barely get any sleep that night thinking about all of the many things she wanted to do. Every time she had an idea, she would write it down, the light of the moon illuminating her parchment.
The days that followed were spent with Mr. Tumnus going over all the plans and doing some preliminary packing. "My queen," he said to Lucy, "If it would be fine with you, I would like to go to my house and prepare it for your arrival. I shall endeavor to be back here in time for the arrival of the Terabinthian delegation."
"You better." she giggled. "You swore that you would be at my side at the reception."
"Oh, and wouldn’t it be so terrible if I were late to that!" he exclaimed mockingly. Lucy got another laugh out of that, lightly punching him in the arm. Tumnus then got a little more serious, "If you have anything ready, I can bring some of your belongings to my house. That way, we will have less to carry on the trip."
"Wonderful idea, Mr. Tumnus. I do have some clothes for the month." Lucy had already packed up a few dresses and more utilitarian clothing that would be better suited for exploration. She had to leave herself her really good clothes for the visiting dignitaries. That day, Tumnus left for his home.
 
Ch 1 continued


The next days were now filled with preparations for the royal arrival. Lucy was lost in all of the planning to even think about her upcoming retreat. She was responsible for making sure the bedrooms were all clean and ready. She even brought a few of her things into the room where Princess Riyanna would be staying. Both girls were the same age and Lucy felt they were bound to be good friends.
Everyone was working hard in the days leading up to their arrival. Susan was deciding on the menu and making sure the maids and other castle help were ready. Edmund was responsible for the security and Peter was overseeing everything, making schedules of the activities and meetings they had planned for the royal family.
Everything was all set when the Terabinthian ship was spotted. In little time, it had tied up on a pier and the Terabinthians were debarking and coming up to the castle. Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy were there to greet them with Peter speaking first. "I am Peter, High King of Narnia. These are my sisters and brother, Queen Susan, King Edmund, and Queen Lucy." With each introduction, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy greeted them. "Welcome to Narnia and our Cair Paravel."
In response, the king of Terabinthia did his greetings, "I am King Stobal. This is my wife, Queen Gwendolina, my son, Prince Stobal, and my daughter, Princess Riyanna. We thank you for inviting us to your fair land."
They continued to talk as they came up to the castle. Inside, they were shown to the rooms readied for them. Lucy was delighted when she saw Mr. Tumnus standing in the receiving line that evening before the dinner and as Lucy looked back, though the King and his family had merely shaken other hands, they all bowed slightly to Mr. Tumnus. It was not until the feast that King Stobal gave an explanation in his toast. "I raise my glass here to celebrate the Narnian Royal family. King Peter, King Edmund, Queen Susan, Queen Lucy, thank you for finally arriving and fulfilling the prophesy by helping Aslan in doing away with the wretched White Witch."
"Here, here!" others shouted, taking a drink of the sweet wine. "And I raise my glass here in thanks to Lord Tumnus. He was the first to encounter the young Queen Lucy upon her first visit and chose to violate the law to keep her safe, at great threat to his life. The whole of Narnia and all her lands owe you a heartfelt thank you."
A round of "To Lord Tumnus" was heard around the table, putting a bit of blush on his face. After that, the conversations took off. Stories of battles, friends, alliances, and virtually everything else were passed across the table. Friendships were made by all, especially between Lucy and Riyanna. After the royal ball, the two girls went off together until they reached Lucy's residence.
They went together to a couch not too far into the first room where they could just talk girl things and be girls. Being a queen and a princess, it was hard for them to find time to just act like normal young girls, much less find someone their age to do anything with. They loved to be able to shed their titles when talking to someone else and be themselves. It was like this at the end of each day. The two girls met up either at Lucy's residence or the stately room where Riyanna was staying to play some card game or checkers or many other Narnian games as they just talked with each other.
Toward the end of the stay, Lucy decided to give her new friend a gift to remember her by. She chose a woolen tapestry that showed a sunset on a beach on an island of the great Eastern Ocean. It was in Riyanna's room and Lucy knew she had been admiring it all the week. "All I know is that the hermit lady Hepaba of Felimath weaved it. One day, I wish to visit that island and meet her in person."
"Oh thank you Lucy!" Riyanna grinned wide as she went over to the tapestry and stroked it, knowing it was now hers to stroke. It took her a few minutes to recover from that generous gift before she remembered what she planned to give Lucy. "Here, I also have something for you." Riyanna went to her bags and pulled out something wrapped in cloth and handed it to Lucy. As she unwrapped it, Lucy realized it was a foot tall silver replica of the lantern that stood in the woods, the one that greeted her upon first entering Narnia. She was speechless at first, just admiring the workmanship and how precise it was to scale.
"Oh my gosh, it is perfect!' Lucy said as she turned it over and over to look at the amazing details.
"A master silversmith named Daled Chai created it. No one knows how he creates so much of his art without ever leaving his home on Muil. You should see his rendition of our castle that he presented to us a few years ago. I daresay he will be making a scale recreation of Cair Paravel sometime soon."
Lucy and Riyanna were now sitting on the large bed, just relaxing in a contented silence. After a few minutes, Lucy spoke up, "Oh, I do hope we will be visiting Terabinthia soon. I cannot wait to see you again."
"Oh, I feel the same. It would be so fun if you just came back with us tomorrow."
"You know, I would have probably given that serious consideration if I were not going on a vacation in a few days." Lucy mentioned.
"Oh, where are you going?" asked an inquisitive Riyanna.
"With Lord Tumnus to his house for a month. We haven't been back to those parts of Narnia since we first got here." Lucy was thinking back longingly to her first encounter, but then a realization hit her. "In fact, the last time I was at his house was with my brothers and sister and that was right after it had been ransacked by the White Witch's police and he was taken away. Oh how horrible that was!"
The girls continued their talking until late into the night knowing that Riyanna was leaving the next day. It was with sadness that Lucy finally bid her a farewell the next day. They gave each other a long hug and promised to continue their correspondence with Lucy reiterating her promise to visit them as well.
 
Chapter 2

The next few days had Lucy scrambling to make sure she had everything ready for the trip to Tumnus' house. She had picked four knights to accompany them as Peter didn't want them to go alone. Among them was the Archenland knight Sir Jaylin who gave up his royal duties at the castle Anvard to devote his life to the protection to Queen Lucy, a task he had fulfilled on a few occasions during battle. Because of his chivalrous attitude and loyalty to her, she felt safe with him and she declared him her personal guard.
The other three knights that made up her royal guard for this trip were Rosso, a Galmian fighter as well as two dwarves, Legeth and Pognith.
Finally, the day arrived when Lucy would leave. She hugged her brothers and sister goodbye, not to see them again for a month. The trip, as they had scheduled, was going to take about a day and a half so they left early in the morning in order to get to Tumnus' house by lunch the next day. They left on horseback, Lucy taking a non-talking horse she named, fittingly, Princess. Lucy and Tumnus were riding in a trot, flanked on the four sides by her royal guards.
Tumnus decided to show Lucy the legendary Dancing Lawn of the Fawns and that route took them near the Stone Table where Lucy had, a little more than a year ago, seen Aslan sacrificed by the White Witch. Lucy dismounted and nervously walked up to the now broken table. She had seen Aslan both killed and rise from the dead at this very spot and that made it the most sacred of places for her. No one talked as she went up to the cracked stone table and knelt at it, deep in prayer and reflection.
When she returned, she had tears in her eyes but no one thought any the less of her. She allowed each one of the party a chance to pray to Aslan at the Table and each one took the opportunity individually. They stayed at the site for about a half an hour before continuing their journey. Within an hour, they made their way to the Dancing Lawn and their somber moods had lightened.
"I wish you could see the actual dance, but with only me here, and no snow, it would be impossible." Tumnus said after explaining the dance to Lucy. He did, however, show Lucy the steps and she followed him in the faun's part of the dance. She was laughing as they danced their way in the circle. "And imagine doing this with snowballs flying through the air right in front of you and behind you. It is such a dance like no other. So magical and beautiful."
It was midday by this point and the six of them set up their midday meal around in the trees surrounding the Dancing Lawn and close to the Great River. Lucy went over to the river to wash up and Tumnus came up next to her. "Is the queen enjoying herself?" He dipped his hands into the river as she was doing.
"Oh Mr. Tumnus, I am having a great time! It is so nice to just be out in the country like this." Lucy took a cloth to dry her face and hands. "Narnia is so beautiful in the Springtime." She reached out to cup some flowers in her palm, not picking them and leaned down to smell them. "It's coming alive so beautifully."
"It's even better than last year. Even more of the blooms are awakening from their long sleep." Tumnus said in his Narnian wonder. They went back to the picnic area and all six enjoyed the meal of bread and fruit with a special Archenland tea that Sir Jaylin had first introduced to Narnia. It was one of Lucy's favorites. It was a mixture of herbs that had been created by his family many generations ago.
They stayed in the area for about an hour longer before packing up and moving on northward. They were following the Great River to the crossing at the fords of Beruna, Lucy still trotting at a leisurely pace to admire the country. "Your Majesty," Sir Jaylin interrupted a short conversation between Lucy and Tumnus, "Pardon the intrusion, but the time is getting on and we still have a ways to go before reaching our planned encampment for the night."
"In other words, we need to hurry up." Lucy smiled back at him. "As soon as we cross the fords, we can go full gallop. I am not fond of the Haunted Wood myself. We must be extra vigilant as there are still some who are still loyal to the Witch living among the trees."
Within the half hour, they had passed over the fords of Beruna and sped up their pace. Lucy passed by the Haunted Wood with a bit of trepidation, happy to be going so fast. The party made its way almost due east and came upon the waterfall. It seemed to be so much less intimidating now that it was flowing and she could appreciate it instead of being scared and worried about Edmund. They traveled the Great River northward, stopping where the Great Narnia Lake, formerly the Frozen Lake, empties into the Great River. They set up their camp here as Lucy and Tumnus went to the river to try to catch fish for their dinner and hopefully breakfast.
Back in England, Lucy did not like fish that much, but Narnian fish were so much better in her opinion. In fact, she had taken to doing the dirty work when fishing such as baiting the hook and scaling the fish afterward. Together, they caught four fish, allowing Rosso, the best cook of the group, to make dinner. With some of his Galmian spices, he cooked up some nice filets
They stayed up about an hour after sundown, stoking the fire and telling stories. Queen Lucy was the first to turn in for the night, making her way into her own tent and falling asleep to the relaxing sounds of the Great River and Narnian animals.
She awoke early the next morning to see Sir Jaylin at his post. "Good morning, Your Majesty." he greeted with a bow.
"Good morning, Sir Jaylin." she replied. "I am going down to the river to bathe."
"Yes my queen." He followed her down to the river's edge to make sure it was safe before moving back up to afford her privacy. The water was still cold from the recent Spring thaw, but she enjoyed swimming, especially now after getting in a year's practice. She stayed in the cool, refreshing water for about fifteen minutes before getting out, drying off, and donning some regular clothes meant for everyday use. As much as she loved the royal clothes she wore at the Cair and for other official duties, she was also happy to be able to just wear regular clothes. Since this was a vacation for her, she had packed mostly those kind of clothes. Today, she had on a red blouse and white and red vertically striped riding pants.
Breakfast was eaten about an hour after her bath and after everyone else had freshened themselves in the river, they packed up and were off for the rest of the trip. In no hurry, the party went on a medium gallop, following the Great River northward. There was nowhere to cross it at this point. They would have to cross at the southern end of the Unnamed River which flowed from what once acted as the White Witch's castle. The stream up there was much shallower than anything else they would have to cross anywhere else.
 
Chapter 2 continued.

They were slightly off their time schedule and were crossing the Unnamed River at about midday. They chose not to stop as they realized they could make it to Tumnus' house within an hour. At full gallop, everyone was excitedly anticipating the finish of their trek and time to relax.
"We're finally here." Lord Tumnus announced when he could see his familiar stone facade of his home. Everyone dismounted as Lord Tumnus and Queen Lucy walked up to his door. They had been reminiscing about her first time coming to his house when he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. Lucy hadn't noticed what he did at first. "The door, your Majesty, it is not closed completely."
"Did you close it when you left last week?" Lucy asked, now a little nervous.
"That I did. I made sure of it." Tumnus replied confidently. "There can be only be one explanation, someone has been using my house. Come on." He led Lucy back to the guards. It was decided that Tumnus, accompanied by Rosso and Legeth would check out the house, fully armed. Queen Lucy would await outside with Sir Jaylin and Pognith.
It was a tense few minutes as the house was searched for intruders while Sir Jaylin and Pognith listened outside for anyone coming. Even Lucy had an arrow strung up on her bow ready to shoot. The situation ended when Mr. Tumnus called out, "All clear in here." adding, "But Queen Lucy, come here. There is something of interest that you must see."
Lucy went to Tumnus to see what he found so fascinating. She saw it when Tumnus led her into his house and to the fireplace. "What do you make of this?" He asked, pointing to something very dirty leaning against the fireplace wall. She could see it was a sword, but upon examining it more, she came to an inescapable realization.
"Why, it's a Narnian sword!" Lucy could make out the depiction of Aslan on the hilt. "But look how dirty and old it looks. It is as if it has been buried for years."
"Who would have a sword such as this here?" Rosso asked.
"More importantly, who would leave it in such a state?" Sir Jaylin wondered.
"I don't know, but it would make sense that they will be returning." Rosso said with a cautionary warning.
"Good thinking Rosso." Lucy started to formulate a plan. "You three, Rosso, Pognith, and Legeth go wait outside in hiding. Sir Jaylin, you stay in here with Lord Tumnus and I."
"But your majesty," Sir Jaylin began, "we know neither the number nor the intent of the intruders."
Tumnus spoke up, "I disagree, Sir Jaylin. Of the number, we know that either they are few or very neat. I have not seen much out of place here with only my bed slept in and a few dishes dirtied in the sink. Of their intent, the only thing we can find is this dirtied sword which I am sure has not seen battle in many years. No other weapons can be found."
"I see your point." Sir Jaylin acknowledged. The guards obeyed their instructions, leaving all quiet as they waited for the potential intruders to return. All were prepared with their weapons at the ready for a few tense minutes.
From outside, everyone could hear voices coming up toward the house. Soon, the voices turned to screams as the guards had caught them. That was when Lucy has a realization. "Why, they are nothing but children!" The tension in the room died down as she rushed outside to see the commotion. She saw as Rosso and Legeth each had a young child, each about Lucy's age, in custody. "Release them! Can you see they are but children!" she chastised. The guards let the children go, but they were too stunned to even move. The two dirty children just stared at Lucy inquisitively. They had never heard of a girl telling men what to do in such a manner.
"Your Majesty, what shall be done with them?" Legeth asked, with a bow.
"Presently, I would like to talk with them." She ordered, her royally calm demeanor returning. "You may go. The four of you may set up your encampment." She then turned to the two wide-eyed children who hadn't moved from the spot where they were released. She looked at them and, for an instant, almost recognized them, as when seeing a stranger that looks like a friend. "Hello, you two are not from around here, are you?"
"No." the girl answered nervously, "We don't even know where here is."
"Here is Narnia. And my name is Lucy." She held out her hand. Each child shook it during the introductions.
"My name is Sarah. We're brother and sister."
"My name is Julian. That man called you, 'Your Majesty'. Are you a princess or something?"
"Queen." Lucy said with the tone of her smile. "My brothers are the Kings and my sister and I are the Queens. We rule all of Narnia."
Sarah was confused. "But you can't be much older than I am. And how can brothers and sisters be kings and queens together?"
"By the will of Aslan." The children turned and jumped at the sight of Tumnus.
"Don't be frightened." Lucy gave her introduction, "This is my most trusted companion, Mr. Tumnus, or rather Lord Tumnus."
"W..w..what is he?" Julian asked nervously.
"I am a faun." Mr. Tumnus proudly replied. "And you must be another Son and Daughter of Adam and Eve."
The children looked at him strangely, so Lucy explained, "He means you are humans, like me." She took a breath and sighed. "Listen, there is a lot to explain and plenty of time to get to know each other. But first, we should go inside Mr. Tumnus' house and have some lunch."
"Good idea, my Queen." Tumnus said as he led the children into the house.
 
Chapter 3

After getting washed up, Tumnus, Lucy, and their two guests helped to prepare the lunch. They had some apples and some of the fish they caught the previous day. The girls set the table with the dishes and cups they would need while Tumnus and Julian brought the food and drink. They sat down and started eating. During the meal, Lucy narrated her story of how she first came into Narnia and the events leading up to her and her siblings becoming the Kings and Queens of Narnia. Sarah and Julian were especially interested in the fact that Aslan was a lion.
When Lucy finished her story, everyone was finished eating and after cleaning the dishes from the table, Tumnus suggested they retreat back to his den as he brewed up some after-lunch tea. Now all sitting with tea in hand, Lucy looked at the children.. "So, tell us about yourselves and how you came into Narnia."
Sarah took a sip of her tea and began. "My brother and I attend Sutton Private Academy, a boarding school where our father is the headmaster and our mother is a teacher."
"Was a teacher." Julian corrected his sister.
"Mum has not quit. She's on sabbatical." Sarah defended her mother and staring icily at her brother. Lucy decided to step in before the two got too emotional.
"So, tell us how you got to here to Narnia."
Julian and Sarah took a sip of their tea and calmed down as Julian began that part of the story. "This past winter, Father had talked about wanting to convert part of a field into a garden. He said it would be a great project for the students to learn about landscaping and gardening. Yesterday evening, Sarah and I were digging when we hit something."
"Actually I hit it." Sarah corrected him with a bit of a laugh.
Julian continued, "We were curious at what Sarah hit," he emphasized Sarah glaring at her, "so we carefully dug and found this sword." he pointed to the sword leaning against the wall that Tumnus had first found.
Sarah took up the story from her brother. "Part of it was wrapped in some clothes, but they were really battered. After we took the clothes from around the sword, we wiped some dirt off and noticed the lion head on the handle." She then turned to her brother who understood to continue.
"It was weird to hold it, like it was tingling. We then noticed that the lion's head moved. He seemed like he was growling, but without making any noise and in a nice way. Then when we looked around, we were here, well over near the river. We wandered for a few hours until we finally found your house."
"Yes," Julian turned toward Tumnus, "We are sorry for using your house, but it was the only shelter around. And we really needed something when we realized a storm was coming."
Mr. Tumnus put them at ease. "There is no need to apologize. Aslan called you hear for a reason. I feel honored to be host to so many first coming Sons and Daughters of Adam and Eve." He then winked at both of them, adding, "And you two are very tidy children. I thank you for that,"
"But why would he call us here?" Sarah asked.
"I do not know, but I am sure Aslan will let you know." Lucy answered. Talk soon turned to Narnia again as Lucy and Mr. Tumnus shared stories and descriptions of all of the different animals and beasts that live in Narnia as well as the people and beasts that inhabited the surrounding lands. Sarah and Julian had only heard about some of these creatures in fairy tale stories but could now see them in a new light. The tales and descriptions took on a new light as living, breathing beings when they hear it from the mouths of a faun and his friend, a girl-queen who ruled over all of them.
Tumnus offered to show the children around that part of Narnia and all eagerly accepted. Not even Lucy had been given a proper tour of this part of the thawed Narnia so the four of them went out on a mid-afternoon walk. They headed southward as Tumnus was explaining all of the plants and introducing all of the beasts to Queen Lucy, Sarah, and Julian. Of course, they stopped at the Lantern where Lucy made her entrance in Narnia and first met Mr. Tumnus. "Is it always lit?" Sarah asked realizing that, although it was sunny, the lantern was lit.
"Always." Tumnus responded.
"How did it get here?" Julian asked, noticing something odd about the lantern. "It looks as if it was planted."
"That it was." Tumnus said. "It was planted there at the beginning of Narnia herself. But that is a long story and we have more of our walk. I shall tell you the story, that I know of it, at a later time." They finally reached the river where Lucy and Tumnus heard some familiar voices. Lucy was laughing hearing the unforgettable good-natured arguing. "Oh, you have got to meet two more of my good friends." Lucy said to Sarah and Julian. They made their way to where the voices were coming from.
 
Chapter 3 continued

"I told you that wasn't enough wood now didn't I?" the female voice said to her companion.
"Quite right, Mrs. Beaver." Lucy giggled. The arguing immediately stopped as the two Beavers turned and saw Lucy standing there with Lord Tumnus and two children.
"Queen Lucy." they bowed together. "Lord Tumnus. It has been so long. What brings you to these parts, Queen Lucy?"
"A holiday." she answered Mr. Beaver with a smile. " I shall be staying with Lord Tumnus at his house for a month."
"That is wonderful. Who are your companions?" Mrs. Beaver asked.
Lucy motioned to them to come closer. Nervously, Sarah and Julian came up to where Lucy was standing. "Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, this is Sarah and Julian. Sarah and Julian, do you remember in my story? These are the Beavers I told you about who helped us cross Narnia and make our way to see Aslan." Sarah and Julian each gave them a polite 'hello,' still unsure what to make of everything.
"Well, it is good to meet you. Any friend of Queen Lucy's is a friend of ours." Mr. Beaver greeted the newcomers, "So where are you from?"
"England, just like Lucy." Julian answered, feeling a bit weird talking to a beaver.
"We were at school one minute and here the next." Sarah followed, not wanting to go into any more detail again.
"Ah well then Son of Adam and Daughter of Eve, a hearty welcome to Narnia." Mrs. Beaver said. Tumnus then began talking with the Beavers about everything that had happened in that area during his absence while Queen Lucy and Lord Tumnus talked about their time at Cair Paravel. Sarah and Julian were just taking in all of the stories. They spent about an hour before they had to leave in order to get back before the sun went down.
After having dinner, they faced a problem they hadn't thought about. Tumnus had planned for only one visitor, Lucy, for the stay, but now there were three visitors. Sleeping arrangements had to be made. After some discussion, it was finally decided that Lucy and Sarah would take the bed in Tumnus' room while Julian and Tumnus would sleep in the den.
Everyone got settled in for the night and were asleep quick after such a long day. A few hours later, Sarah sat up in bed with a start thinking someone called her name. She looked around but heard no other noise in the room but Lucy's deep breathing. Resigning to the fact that she must have just dreamt it, she laid back down on the bed. Just as she put her head back down on her pillow, she heard it again, only this time, it was clear. "Who said that?" Sarah whispered. No one answered, but this time, she saw movement outside of the window. Not wanting to disturb Lucy, she quietly climbed out of bed and stepped into her shoes. She left the bedroom to see her brother at the front door. "What are you doing?" she called to him in a loud whisper.
"Someone called my name." he answered in the same hushed tone as she walked to him..
"I heard someone call my name, too." She was now standing right next to her brother as they were looking out the open door.
"And he's outside. I think we should go see."
"We don't have a choice" Sarah replied without knowing why she used those specific words. She slowly walked out the door, followed closely by her brother. They could se some movement to their right and went in that direction. They walked for a few minutes, following an unknown movement through some trees until they reached a clearing where the moon shone in from above.
They heard a soft, but booming voice among the trees "Julian, Son of Adam, Sarah, Daughter of Eve, I welcome you to my Narnia." They looked at the place where the voice came from and saw the Great Lion emerge from the trees. They could barely look at his face, instead concentrating on his mane, shimmering in gold from the moonlight.
"You must be Aslan!" Sarah stammered out, both children feeling a sense of awe.
"That I am, Sarah." he purred. With that proclamation, the children suddenly felt a bit more calm around him, their nervousness leaving them.
"How did we get here?" Julian asked with his newfound confidence.
"I called you here. You two are the last children of Narnia." Aslan informed them proudly as a father talking to his children.
Both children looked at each other confusedly. "But Aslan, we were born in Richmond, London, not in Narnia."
"That is true, Daughter of Eve, but you still have Narnian blood running through your veins. Your ancestry is here in Narnia." After hearing Aslan say that, Sarah and Julian looked at each other in disbelief.
"Our parents came from here?"
Aslan gave a low roar that almost sounded like a laugh to Sarah, but never answered the question, instead saying, "You are here to discover your roots, to understand where you come from. First thing you should do in the morning is to bring the sword down to the Great River and clean it off in the water. After that, explore your world and have fun. You may be surprised what you find."
Aslan walked away back into the trees. Sarah and Julian sat down in silence recovering from their experience with the Great Lion. A tiredness crept back into them and while they wanted to go back to Lord Tumnus' house, they also knew that it would be almost impossible to find in the dark. Giving into their fatigue, they laid down next to each other on the soft grass and fell asleep.
 
I just finished Ch 4. It surprised me as I wasn't expecting to stop so soon but I felt this was a great time to complete it. Keep in mind that I am writing on the fly right now as I really do not know what will happen next. This is contrary to how I usually write where I have a definitive plot already in mind. This is what is slowing my pace. It'll parobably be my last update before the new year.

Chapter 4

Awakened by the early sunrise, Julian and Sarah sat up, wet from the dew that had formed overnight. At first, they didn't remember where they were, but then recalled the meeting with Aslan and all he told them. The first thing they wanted to do was to get back to Tumnus' house, but looking at the clearing where they were, in the middle of a ring of trees, they realized they had no idea which was to go.
"What are we going to do?" Julian asked anxiously. Sarah thought a moment, looking around at the area and trying to remember the landscape from when they got there in the dark.
She pointed toward what seemed to be a nice path out of the clearing. "I say we go that way." With no alternative plan and no reason not to disagree with his sister, Julian agreed and they walked together out of the clearing. After about fifteen minutes, they both knew they had no idea where they were.
Julian gave in to the reality. He sat down in the shade of a large tree and said the words that were on both of their minds, "We're lost." Sarah joined him on the ground. "We're lost in a strange world we know nothing about." Tears were nearly forming, but he held them off, not wanting to give in just yet.
"We'll find our way back to Tumnus' house again." Sarah stated confidently, even if she didn't feel it.
They sat down together for a minute in silence, each not looking at the other for fear that they would start to cry. Their sad quiet was soon interrupted by a cheery voice from above them. "Hello." Both startled, they looked up to figure out who said that but all they could see was the rustling of the leaves in the trees as if something was moving along the branches. The same small voice greeted them again. "Hello, hello." This time, it was coming from another nearby tree.
"Who's there?" Julian asked, picking up a fallen stick on the ground for protection. He looked around for any trace of whoever, or whatever, was behind the voice.
"Behind you!" Sarah warned as she saw a squirrel, much larger than they saw at home, coming down the tree.
"Hello, hello. The name is Itterpitter." the squirrel said in a quick voice, his normal voice as squirrels were chatterboxes and naturally talked fast, at least Narnian squirrels. "And you must be Sarah and Julian. Nice to meet you."
"How did you know who we were?" Sarah asked with a mix of curiosity and humor. He behaved just how she would imagine squirrels would be have if they could talk.
"Another Son and Daughter of Adam and Eve arriving here on Aslan's bidding? Word does get around." Almost without pausing, he continued with a new subject. "And now you two are lost and want to get back to Tumnus' house where you are staying with him and Her Majesty, Queen Lucy."
"How did you know the second part?" Julian wondered.
"I was curious and have been watching and following you since you woke up this morning and couldn't help but overhear what you have been saying."
"So you were eavesdropping on us." Julian said in an accusatory tone.
"No, I just followed you. I can't help hearing you as much as the trees can." the squirrel said. Sarah and Julian looked at each other questioningly before remembering Mr. Tumnus and Lucy telling them about the dryads and the hamadryads, the tree gods.
Sarah was hungry and wanted to get back. "OK, Itterpitter, now that you know we are lost and are trying to find Mr. Tumnus' house, can you help us?"
"Of course." he replied as he scampered back up the tree. "Just follow me."

MrBob
 
Ch. 4 (cont)

"But how can we see you?" Julian was about to ask before he saw some movement in the branches and Itterpitter was already on the next tree. Julian turned to his sister, "I guess we have no choice. Let's hurry and keep up with him." That was easier said than done as they found themselves sometimes running to keep up with their squirrel guide. In only a few minutes, Itterpitter stopped where the trees stopped and came down the tree. They could see Mr. Tumnus' house from where they were.
"Thank you Itterpitter." Sarah said. "How can we ever repay you?"
"Oh, it's not necessary. But if you can think of anything, just let me know. I'm sure you'll think of something."
"Well, I guess this is goodbye for now." Julian said as he watched the squirrel climb the tree again.
"Yes. Goodbye. I'll see you again." They watched as Itterpitter ran through the branches of the trees until all they could see were the rustlings of the leaves. Happy now that they were no longer lost, they walked to Mr. Tumnus' house and saw Lucy and Mr. Tumnus talking with the guards stationed outside the house.
"Sarah! Julian! What happened to you?" Lucy asked running over to them. "We've been concerned for you."
"We met with Aslan last night." Julian replied. "He called us to follow him to a clearing in the woods."
"Ah, that explains how you got past us last night unseen." Sir Jaylin said.
Julian continued, "Afterwards, we got very tired and fell asleep where we were. This morning we got a little lost trying to find our way back."
"Yes. A lovely squirrel named Itterpitter helped us find his way back." Sarah added.
"Hmm, Itterpitter helpful? He must be having a really good day." Mr. Tumnus joked.
"Well now that you are back here safe, let us go back inside for a good breakfast." Lucy suggested. Sarah and Julian looked at each other.
"Actually, Aslan told us we should clean the sword in the Great River first." Sarah explained.
"Well then, the Great River it is." Tumnus said. He then had another idea. "In fact, it will be a perfect time for you two to have a proper bath in the River and change out of those clothes. Lucy has a good number of clothes for Sarah to choose from and I'm sure we can find something for Julian."
Lucy, Sarah, and Julian walked down to the Great River accompanied by Sir Jaylin, Rosso, and Pognith. Legeth stayed behind with Tumnus as they were to prepare breakfast. Sarah and Julian took turns carrying the sword, mainly because it was a bit heavy for each of them to carry for too long, but they did not want the others to know that.
They reached the Great River in about twenty minutes and, as Aslan had told them, together Julian and Sarah held the sword under the water and started to rub at it with a cloth that Pognith carried with him. After a couple of minutes, they lifted it out of the water to see the sword shining like new. They now had a better chance to look at the sword's decorations and saw just how much different they looked than the swords they were using. Pognith, the swordsmith of the group, examined it very closely.
"My family has been making swords since King Frank and Queen Helen's time. Never have I known a sword of this style to exist in Narnia." Pognith was holding it, inspecting every detail, "This seems to be crafted somewhere here in Narnia. From the looks of it, a royal sword. It is definitely, in my opinion, dwarf-made but other than that, I cannot recognize anything about it, including the emblem of the king." He turned to look at Sarah and Julian, "So you two found it at your home?"
"Yeah. Buried under the ground." Sarah answered.
"Well, I would be interested to know how a sword of such caliber found its way to the world of Men." Pognith commented.
"Maybe Sarah and Julian will find that out while they are here." Lucy offered.
"I don't know. Aslan didn't say anything about that to us." Julian said, "Although he did say that our ancestors were from Narnia and we have Narnian blood." This stunned everyone there as all eyes were focused on the two siblings.
An awestruck Rosso explained, "It is rare for men to return to their world. As far as I know, it has only happened twice in the history of Narnia. The first was the Lord Digory and the Lady Polly from the dawn of the world. The only other time it happened was with Her Majesty, Queen Lucy (twice) and His Majesty King Edmund. Never have I heard, however, of a Narnian to enter the world of Men. You two are definitely blessed."
Uncomfortable with the attention, Sarah decided to lighten the mood by adding, "And dirty." with a small laugh. It worked and everyone left to give the girls privacy while also maintaining their safety. Sarah went in first, glad to get out of her clothes that she had worn for so many days. About ten minutes in the cool water and she emerged, dried with a wonderfully soft towel, and put on some of Lucy's clothes, including a white knee-length skirt with a red shirt. Lucy did the same, enjoying another swim before cleaning. She climbed out drying with a deliciously soft towel and donning another everyday yet royal outfit, a soft-pink shirt and black pants.
Julian was next and was a bit more put off at the cold temperature of the water. Even with the coolness, it was also refreshing in a way that he could not explain. It was as if the water was giving him better clarity but he still could not take the water for more than ten minutes. He gladly took the towel to give him warmth and dried himself off after he emerged. Julian was a bit upset at first when the only thing they could find for him was some of Lucy's clothes (a pair of dark blue slacks and a light blue shirt), but he realized that her clothes nearly looked like what a boy would wear, and with the thought of being able to wear something else other than his dirty clothes, he accepted them gratefully.

MrBob
 
Change in schedule and writer's block conspired to delay Chapter 5. But finally, here it is:

The next few days passed without incident as they all explored the new blossoming Narnian Eastern Woods, something that even Tumnus hadn't seen for over a hundred years. So many new flowers that had been in hibernation for all that time, the land seemed to be alive in such vibrant colors as red, yellow, violet, green, blue, the whole of the rainbow.
Sarah and Julian were also becoming more interested in archery and got some lessons from Rosso and Lucy who herself was becoming an expert marksman. They were also taught how to hunt with the bow and arrow, especially learning to tell the difference between talking animals and the dumb animals. Neither Sarah nor Julian, however, was thrilled at the ugly part of hunting for food, the skinning and preparing of the meat.
Each day that passed, the more the children were becoming a part of the world. The air and food were revitalizing their Narnian blood and making them stronger. No longer did talking animals make them pause, although they did still find it uncomfortable how they were treated as celebrities simply for being a son and daughter of Adam and Eve, terms they had to accept rather than simply saying human.
Exactly one week after Julian and Sarah had entered into Narnia, they heard the sound of hooves early that morning right after eating breakfast. A minute later, Legeth came to the door. "Your majesty, a visitor is here to see you, Sarah, and Julian. He calls himself Choronos of the Western Centaurs."
"Western Centaurs?" Tumnus asked puzzled. "No one has heard from the Western Centaurs for over 500 years."
"Did he say what he wanted?" Lucy inquired.
"Just that he wanted to have an audience with your majesty, Sarah, and Julian." Legeth replied.
Lucy thought about it for a second, "Inform him that we will be out shortly." As Legeth left, she turned back to Tumnus, "What do you know about the Western Centaurs?"
"Only that they were the most famous diviners in Narnia. They predicted all of the major events up to the defeat of the White Witch and your and your brothers' and sister's coming and coronation."
Lucy thought about that for a second, "Wait, you mean the prophecy that the Beavers told us, 'When Adam's flesh and Adam's bone/Sits at Cair Paravel in throne,/The evil time will be over and done.' That was written by the them?"
"Yes. It was in the last chapter of their final book." Tumnus went to his library and pulled out that book of prophesies. He showed Lucy, Sarah, and Julian the final chapter. Lucy marveled at how well they were written and their accuracy.
"I wonder if they have a new edition." Lucy mentioned before putting the book down on the table. "There is only one way to find out and that is to go out there. Let's not have our guest wait any more." They all left the house and went over to Choronos.
Choronos greeted Lucy with a deep bow. "We welcome your presence, Choronos." Lucy began a little nervously. Centaurs are creatures that elicit a deep reverence so to have one bowing in reverence to you is a little unnerving. "I understand it has been a long time since your people have ventured this far into Narnia."
"Thank you for your greeting and her majesty is correct. We are a solitary group. We have dedicated our lives to the stars and all the messages that one can receive from them." Choronos stated.
"And is it in that capacity that you have visited?" Lucy asked.
"My queen, just as you and your brothers and sister awakened Narnia after its long winter, so shall these other two, Son of Adam and Daughter of Eve, Julian and Sarah, awaken the Tree of Protection that has gone into its century-long hibernation."
"Us?" Julian asked dumbfounded.
Tumnus responded, "This seems to be the reason Aslan has called you here."
"But how are we supposed to awaken this tree?" Sarah asked.
"With the grace of the Lion." Choronos said. "I will assist when I can, but it will be you two who will have the ability to awaken her."
"May you recite the prophecy?" Lucy requested.
"As you wish, your majesty." Choronos' voice took on a deeper tone when he started to recite the prophetic words.

A full year after the long winter's thaw
Two shall come from the land of men
The Tree shall awaken by their call
And all shall be right in Narnia again.

"What is so special about this Tree of Protection?" Sarah wanted to know.
Tumnus answered her inquiry. "In the beginning of the world, the Lord Digory and Lady Polly went on a mission to retrieve a special apple from the Garden of the Western Wild at Aslan's command. They did this to atone for bringing an evil into the world at its infancy. The apple was planted by Digory to act as a protection against that evil, the White Witch herself. Somehow, the Witch managed to learn how to put a spell on Narnia that caused the hundred-years winter and hibernating the Tree of Protection. It was this tree that kept her out of Narnia for nine hundred years. As the story goes, the Witch ate of it's parent and could not enter Narnia as long as the Tree of Protection was around."
"So why hasn't the Tree waken up, yet." Julian asked.
"Only Aslan knows. But if it is your mission to wake it up, he may have been waiting for you.” Choronos answered.
"Where is the Tree?" Sarah wondered.
"It is along the Great River east of the Western Falls right where Lord Digory planted it under Aslan's direction on the second day." Tumnus explained. "It was actually not too far away from the place you cleaned the sword."
"Might we see it?" Lucy asked a little curious herself to see this legendary Tree.
"Of course, your majesty. "We may leave at your convenience."
"How about we make a day of it?" Lucy suggested. "We can bring a lunch and come back this evening."
"Perfect." Tumnus agreed. They spent a few hours getting ready for the trek. All of the guards decided to come as they all were interested in seeing the Tree. About an hour before lunchtime, the nine left south for the Tree.

MrBob
 
Chapter 6: The Dancing Forest (part 1)

They made their way to south to the Great River where they rested for their midday lunch. "From here, the going gets tricky." Tumnus stated. "The dryads and hamadryads that surround the Tree are very protective of her. It is known as the Dancing Forest, or to some, The Forest of Confusion. The trees move a lot to keep anyone from finding the path to the Tree or even to prevent others from finding a way out. They will probably not want to let anyone through."
"Not even the Queen of Narnia?" Lucy wondered.
"They see the Tree as a goddess, second only to Aslan. Her parent came from the revered Garden in the West. She was the chosen one to protect Narnia. Queen or not, it may take a lot of convincing to allow us to see her."
The group made their way to the start of the forest. The trees started moving and the group stopped when they saw two trees come toward them. "Halt. State your business." one of the trees with the shape of an old man said.
Lucy nervously stepped forward and answered. "I am Lucy, Queen of Narnia. My party is on our way to help awaken the Tree of Protection."
The trees bowed as much as Lucy could tell. It is hard to really say if a tree is bowing. "We welcome Your Majesty. I am Hister and she is Asher. Your trek may have been in vain however, many have tried and failed to awaken our Lady Tree. What makes your party think you will be successful."
"A prophesy." Choronos replied. "These two children are destined to awaken Her."
"We know not of prophesies." Asher said, barely looking at Sarah and Julian. "What physics have you brought?"
"We have no medicines or anything." Tumnus admitted. "The children will discover the cure after they arrive at Her place of hibernation."
“Wait here while we deliberate.“ The two trees returned to the beginning of the forest where they conferred for about an hour with their companions, also trees. Lucy watched as trees came and went in meeting with Aster and Hister. The meetings over, they slowly made their way back to the group. "Not all may enter. Her Majesty, the Queen Lucy may pass. The two children may also enter. None more."
Sir Jaylin immediately spoke up in protest. "You must allow one of us as well to accompany them. They are still young."
"We have made up our minds." Asher stated.
Jaylin turned to Lucy, "Your Majesty, I cannot allow you to enter alone. Who knows what is in there?"
"Lord Tumnus, do you know anything about what lies in the forest?" Lucy inquired.
"Not many ground animals can live in such an environment I would imagine." he guessed. "Not with all of the tree movement going on."
"Your majesty," Rosso began, "if you are wondering if it is dangerous, I would say that it is safe so long as you do not anger the trees. However, I do share Sir Jaylin's concerns regarding Your Majesty's safety."
"What do Legeth and Pognith say?" Lucy inquired.
"We are in agreement with Sir Jaylin and Rosso." Pognith answered, "The trek may be dangerous, but Her Majesty's age as well as that of Sarah and Julian may be an advantage."
"Do explain." Lucy urged. Legeth continued Pognith's reply.
"Someone of our distinguished age and prowess in battle may be seen as a threat to the trees. However, no one would see much threat from three children, no offense to the Queen's grace." he added with a bow.
"None taken." Lucy smiled. "Nonetheless, I think that a quiver of arrows for each of us will not hurt."
"I also feel that we should take the sword with us as well. I just feel it may come in useful." Julian said. He had carried it on the trek in a sheath that was fitted around his waist.
"My Queen," Jaylin began with a look of unease in his eyes, but was interrupted by Lucy.
"Sir Jaylin, I understand your objections and concerns. You should know that under normal circumstances, I would never hesitate to heed your instructions, but this is a special mission. I would actually feel safer with you at my side but for this mission, that will not be possible.” She turned to Hister and Aster, “How long will the trek to the Great Tree take?”
“It is impossible to estimate.” Hister began. “You can be in there for only minutes or days. Some never come out.”

MrBob
 
Ch. 6, cont

It was that last comment that put everyone on edge. Sarah had been quiet for the time, just listening to the trees and admiring the distinguished air about them. “I guess we had better bring some food with us then.” She looked at Sir Jaylin, “I have a strong feeling about this mission. I have a sense that Aslan is leading Julian, Queen Lucy, and me into this forest. There is something familiar in the trees. Familiar and friendly.”
“These trees are unlike any talking trees in the rest of Narnia.” Pognith told Sarah, “They are not all going to be receptive to you.”
“They are the first talking trees I have met.” Sarah explained, “But I feel about them almost how one feels about a nice dream. This is why Aslan brought Julian and me into Narnia. I can feel it so plainly here.
“Well, you heard Sarah.” Lucy said, “We will need food for our trek. Pognith and Rosso, please prepare some food for us.”
“How much Your Majesty.” Rosso asked.
Lucy thought about that for a moment, “About a day’s worth for each of us.” The two of them set off to find edible plants and fish.” She turned back to Jaylin. “We may also need something to sleep on.”
“We all will.” Sir Jaylin stated. “Your Majesty should know that we shall not leave from this spot until we know you have come out safe.”
“I wouldn’t expect any the less from you, Sir Jaylin.” Lucy grinned. She always felt safest when he was around. Tumnus and Legeth rushed back to the his house to find the camping equipment. Within four hours, they had everything ready. During their last meal together, an anxious pall fell on them, especially Lucy and the children.
Everything ready, the three nervous children stood at the edge of the new encampment, looking at the foreboding forest. Lucy turned toward Sir Jaylin. “I do so wish you could be by my side.” Her voice was now that of a scared young girl, but one with confidence to overcome those fears.
“As do I, my Queen.” Jaylin took hold of her hand. “But I am sure you can lead these children through the forest. You are much stronger than even you know.”
“Thank you, Sir Jaylin.”
“Good luck Your Majesty.” Rosso said. “And keep Aslan close to you.” he turned to Julian and Sarah. “You, too, my children. Keep Aslan close.”
Legeth and Pognith also bade them a good luck in the forest. For Tumnus, Lucy gave a hug. “Aslan lives in you more than anyone else in Narnia.” Tumnus reminded her. “His strength is yours.”
“He lives in all of us who are willing.” Lucy answered. “You showed me that.”
The three young children now were ready and walked toward the opening to the forest. The sun was getting low in the sky when they entered the forest, but the further in they got, the darker it got. They could barely see the sky as the canopy was so thick. The children were walking on dirt that seemed to be mixed from the movement of the trees and realized that there was going to be no real paths to follow. “Which way should we go now?” was a common question that they asked each other about every five minutes when the dirt they were following ended in a cluster of trees or went in two different directions.
About two hours of walking left them feeling tired and looking in the looming darkness for a place to sleep. One thing they found out early is that the trees would not answer their questions. The trees moving around in front and behind them so they wondered how they would be able to sleep if the trees around them moved into them or piled dirt where they were sleeping. Sarah, however, found a curious area in the forest where a patch of grass grew. “I wonder why they leave this alone?” Sarah wondered going over to the edge of the green carpet and touching the blades.
“These seem not to be talking trees.” Lucy noticed four trees at each corner of the patch of green. Looking up, they could see the twilight sky.
“Well, this would be a perfect place to sleep assuming they allow us.” Julian said.
“We’re going to have to try.” Lucy said. “I’ll go first.” She slowly and gently took a step onto the grass. Nothing happened so she took a few more steps in. “It seems safe.” she announced allowing Sarah and Julian to enter the strange green. They looked up and saw, to their amazement and relief, the twilight sky. She looked around and noticed that the trees in the corners looked like the bed posts on her bed at Cair Paravel. “This is Aslan’s Bed.” Lucy said as she laid on the soft ground, looking up at the canopy that was a red sky.
“And I don’t think he’ll mind us using it for the night.” Sarah joked as they began to lay out their sheets on the ground. Now sitting on the ground, they could still hear the rumbling of the trees moving in the Forest just outside their island.
“Do you think that we will be able to find the Tree of Protection tomorrow?” Julian wondered in the fading light.
“I hope so.” Sarah replied, a yawn ending her response.
“Let us sleep.” Lucy said. “We have big day tomorrow.”

MrBob
 
Wow, a lot longer than I thought it would take. Oh well, here is Chapter 7 of possibly a nine chapter story.

Chapter 7: Finding the Tree of Protection

The three children awoke the next morning wet with dew, but surprisingly refreshed. The only thing that could have made them better was having some water to wash themselves with or even a change of clothes, but that was not going to be possible. They did have their food, which they ate after a few minutes.
After a half an hour, they had eaten and packed up their things. “Are we ready?” Lucy asked as she looked around at the green island where they had slept.
“As ready as we will ever be.” Sarah replied with a smile and a squeeze of Julian’s hand. They cautiously walked out into the sea of trees which were already on the move as soon as they stepped foot outside of their sleeping area. They had not walked far before they came upon a wall of trees blocking their path. Turning around to find another way around, the three children noticed that they were boxed in.
“What do we do now?” Julian wondered.
“We wait.” Lucy replied. “This is their home. We wait until they either let us through or tell us what we are to do.”
“We must be close.” Julian commented.
Sarah looked around at all of the trees. “We are.” Julian looked at his sister curiously. Sarah tried to explain, “It’s the wind. It’s changed.”
“You noticed that, too?” Lucy smiled at Sarah as they sat down on the churned-up dirt.
“Noticed what?” Julian asked confused as what the two girls were talking about.
Lucy laughed a little. “You sound like my brothers. They’ve never been able to hear the wind as well as I have.” She paused before giving her explanation, “It’s hard to explain, but the trees use the wind to converse with each other. Although I can’t hear any words or understand any of it, I can get a sense of tone in the wind. It’s kind of like when you are hearing two people talk to each other a foreign language; you can’t understand anything they are saying, but you can tell if they are happy or excited or sad by the tone of their voices.”
“I’ll have to take your word.” Julian smiled, “It’s wind to me.”
They waited for about an hour, filling the time with a few thinking games and general chit chat. A female voice interrupted their talking. “Queen Lucy, I am Lisher. We welcome your presence to our home.”
“Greeting Lisher.” Lucy replied. “We ask for permission to pass. Our mission is to help the Tree of Protection.”
“We are aware of this. But what can three little saplings do to save our Most Venerated Mother?” Lisher made herself seen as a stately beech tree, now also in the form of a beautiful woman, while still retaining the semblance of a tree. Julian noticed her beauty immediately and knew that he would never again be able to see a beech tree again in the same way.
“Well, four saplings helped to defeat the White Witch and put an end to the Hundred Years’ Winter. We four saplings have also maintained the peace for the ensuing year. We believe it is Aslan’s will that led my two friends here to help the Lady Tree live again.” Lucy provided her argument with a calm determination.
“Yes, you are a member of the Royal Family who brought about the Growth again, but you had Aslan’s help in defeat of the Evil. Yet now, he is not with you. How do you know this is the destiny of those two children?”
Lucy thought about the answer for a moment. “The same prophets who correctly foresaw the rise and fall of the White Witch have also predicted the arrival of my two friends as well as their role in saving the Tree of Protection. The only way for them to correctly prophesize events yet to happen is for them to be influenced by Aslan’s will. Therefore, these two children, who have also been correctly prophesized to appear in Narnia, are also on a mission foretold by the prophets, also influenced by Aslan. Aslan is always with us.”
“But what can you three do?” Lisher inquired. “You have brought with you nothing.”
“We will not know until we get there.” Lucy answered, "I am not even sure what we will do.”
“And the other two, what have you to say? Lisher inquired.
“Aslan brought us here.” Julian began. “He told us that we would be surprised what we would be able to do. And this, I believe, is one of the main things he was talking about.”
“That is up to interpretation. What say the other Daughter of Eve?”
Sarah looked at Lisher and passed her gaze at the other trees, some halfway looking like men and women. She thought that she should feel nervous around them, but their presence was having the opposite effect. She remained calm. “No one, not even you trees, have known how to help your Lady Tree. We three, who all have been brought into Narnia by Aslan himself, are willing to see what we can do. We can make no other promise other than not to harm her.” she was about to finish but decided to add one more line, “She is of Narnia and, as Aslan told my brother and I, we, too have Narnian blood. “
“Are you not from the world of men?” the now curious Lisher asked.
Sarah and Julian looked at each other. They weren’t sure if she was asking what they thought, so Lucy told them “World of men means Earth.”
Sarah smiled and replied, “Yes we are from Earth, but as Aslan told us, one of parents or grandparents came from Narnia.” Lisher glided back to the other trees and they started to talk. Lucy and Sarah could feel the level of excitement in the wind. Five minutes later, Lisher appeared to them again in her woman form.
“Our Venerated Mother also had a sapling that was planted in the world of men. Maybe you, as the bridge between the two worlds could save her. We give you passage.” As Lisher spoke, the trees separated in front of them, leading to a path that seemed untouched by the movement of the trees.
“We thank you, Lisher.” Lucy said with a slight bow of appreciation. Sarah and Julian bowed also.
“We wish you luck, son and daughters of Adam and Eve.” Lisher said with a deeper bow. The other trees also, as it seemed to Lucy, also bowed as deep as they could.

(cont)
MrBob
 
Ch 7 (continued)

Lucy, Sarah, and Julian walked down the path. On each side of them were trees or piles of dirt piled neatly so that the path was untouched. They went on for an hour through so many dead ends and many forks in the road that they soon realized it was a labyrinth. The three stopped to rest and tried to get their bearings. “Do you get the feeling they don’t want us to find the Tree?” Julian smirked sitting on the dirt on the side of the path.
“Did you expect this to be easy?” Lucy asked. “I’m actually amazed at the ease that we are making our way.”
“You call this easy?” Julian asked surprised.
“We haven’t been threatened in any way. All we have had to do is walk and wait. If only all of my days were like this.”
“How long do you think it’ll take until we can find our way?” Sarah wondered.
“I don’t know. I hope we can find it by the end of today.” Lucy answered with her brand of optimism.
“Well it better not take too long.” Sarah said, “We were only given a day’s worth of food. That is about two more meals.” The other two realized that Sarah was right. The food situation may be much harder to deal with than finding the Tree.
“We can hope to find some small animals or, preferably, fruit.” Lucy stated. “I know that the Tree of Protection was an apple tree. Her offspring and their offspring may still be able to provide apples.”
“We’re going to need to find more food no matter what.” Julian mentioned, “It has taken us this long to get here. We won’t make it all the way back before we run out of food.”
“OK, so from now on, let us also look for some food.” Lucy said as they got up and started walking again. A short time passed before the inevitable happened. Throughout the day, the clouds had been building and now it started to rain.
“Now what do we do?” Julian asked as the sprinkling turned into a harder rain.
“What else can we do?” Lucy replied. “We have to keep walking and looking for the path to the Tree of Protection.”
“Can’t you take a little rain?” a wet Sarah joked with her brother.
“I just hope it is just a little.” Julian said with a slight laugh. His hope, however, was not to be as the rain started to come down harder. Unfortunately, they could not find any shelter where they were and just had to walk in the downpour. As the rain got worse, the three were finding it harder to be able to see that far in front of them. It wasn’t until almost too late that Lucy, who was in the lead, noticed that the path dead ended in a stream about three feet below.
“We’ll have to turn back.” Lucy called out to Julian and Sarah, still a few feet away. Before she could take a step, however, part of the ground where Lucy stood broke off into the water taking Lucy with it.
“Lucy!” Julian shouted as he watched her disappear over the ledge. He ran to the edge and looked down. He could see nothing but a rushing of water. “Lucy!” he called out once more.
“Can you see her?” Sarah asked her brother as she met up with him, standing just behind him.
“No.” he replied as the ledge where he was also collapsed causing him to plunge into the rising stream.
“Julian!” Sarah cried. The tears forming in her eyes mixed with her rain-soaked face. It was at this moment that she felt the strangest breeze, warm and comforting. On the breeze she could hear a high-toned voice whistling, “They are safe. Follow them.” She looked around to see who said that, but didn’t question it as she ran to the edge and jumped into the water below.
The current took her downstream but never pulled her down like she had expected. Somehow she managed to keep her head above water. There came a fork in the river and she was drawn into the calmer waters back within the forest of trees. She saw Julian and Lucy standing at the shore nearby and she swan to them. There was a bit of hugging amongst the three children in the slackening rain.
“Well that’s a fine thing to happen. Now we have no idea where we are.” Julian gruffly commented as he looked around.
“No, Julian. We are much closer.” Sarah explained the voice she heard that made her follow them.
“It is.” Lucy whispered as she noticed a very large and ancient-looking tree a few hundred meters away.

MrBob
 
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