serendipity - narnia

chapter 16

Chapter 16
Back at the How

About halfway through their trek back to the How, Dahlia was reminded of just how much she hated walking for long periods of time. The fact that she hadn't had to do so in over a thousand years didn't help that hatred, so she'd resorted to hovering beside Susan and Lucy. Edmund had joined Caspian and Peter up at the front of the group and the bickering seemed to have ceased (at least for the time being).

The Pevensies, Dahlia, and Caspian fell into a straight line as they approached the How's entrance, stopping to watch as centaurs assembled on either side; Dahlia landed softly on the ground next to Susan. The centaurs held their swords out, making an archway for the group to walk through.

Narnia's old guardians stepped forward and walked down the path, Dahlia instinctively taking her usual place at the center. Caspian and the Narnians hung back for a moment to let the old leaders go first. The Telemarine prince smiled at how easily the mage seemed to adopt the position of ruler - how quickly she and the others straightened their posture and raised their heads to appear more regal as they walked together into the How. Of course they'd done it for 15 years, but Caspian never thought he'd see the guardians of old for himself.

They were different than he thought they'd be, but that certainly wasn't a bad thing.

***

The Narnians within the How were hard at work. The large main room was lit with the orange glow of torches, illuminating the construction of weapons and armor; they'd only been able to steal so many weapons from the Telemarines, and human armor doesn't fit non-human creatures.

Edmund, Peter, and Caspian stopped to overlook the progress. Meanwhile, Dahlia ushered the girls across the room and up the stairs that led to the winding halls of the How, turning back around just before she turned the corner.

"Boys!" The three of them turned to face the mage, who tilted her head in the direction of the halls. "You may want to see this." Led by a fireball in Dahlia's hand, the group made their way through the corridors. Dahlia stopped them once they reached the same mural that caught her attention when she first woke up in the How.

"It's us," Susan said quietly, reaching out a hand to gently touch the rock. "All of us." The queen's hand came to rest over the gold crown on her painted head; one of the four crowns lost the day the Pevensies left Narnia.

"I wish we knew what happened to your crowns," the mage said, reaching up with her free hand and carefully taking her own headpiece off her head. "I feel far too proper being the only one wearing mine." Edmund leaned over her shoulder, studying the detailed golden circle in her hands.

"You're the mage, can't you just...shrink it or something?" the just king asked. Dahlia turned her head to look at him with one eyebrow raised and he shrugged.

"No, I can't just..." Dahlia trailed off, moving her fireball so it floated above them instead of in her hand. She held the crown out in front of her with both hands. "Well, actually." The mage shut her eyes, focusing on the object in her hands. The rest of the group formed a semi-circle around her, watching intently. After a few seconds she hesitantly opened one eye; nothing had happened. Peter tried to stifle a laugh behind her, though not very successfully.

"Shut up or I'll shrink you instead," Dahlia said without turning around. There was no real malice in her words, but the High King stopped laughing nonetheless. Dahlia had made plenty of empty, magic-related threats during the Golden Age. She rarely followed through with them, but it happened enough for the Pevensies to know not to take the risk; Peter was especially cautious after having to spend several hours floating around in an energy shield bubble.

The mage re-focused on the crown, and that time it actually did shrink down to the size of a small ring. Dahlia slipped the tiny crown on her middle finger, holding her hand out to admire it.

"Much better," she said with a smile. Only Susan and Edmund laughed at that; the rest of the group had returned their attention to the murals. Lucy turned around and looked from Caspian to Dahlia.

"What is this place?" the little queen asked. Dahlia felt someone look at her, and she glanced over her shoulder to see Caspian's obvious confusion at Lucy's question.

"You don't know?" the prince asked, looking at each of the Pevensies. Dahlia nudged his arm and he looked down at her.

"This place was built because they left, it wasn't part of the Narnia they knew," the mage said. Caspian nodded slowly, recalling that bit of Narnian history. Dahlia returned her fireball to her hand and started to walk back to the room containing the Stone Table. Caspian followed her, turning back briefly to address the Pevensies.

"Follow us."

***

The Stone Table room was the only part of the How untouched by battle preparations; the Table was a sacred part of Narnian history and they decided it should be left alone.

Dahlia broke away from the group as they entered the room, walking over to the stone ring circling the space. She dropped her fireball onto it and the flames spread along the ring, illuminating the room and the carvings on the wall of various Narnian creatures and at the center - Aslan.

"Welcome to my home for the last 1300 years," Dahlia said. She stepped back beside Caspian as the Pevensies studied the room. Lucy slowly walked forward, her siblings following her. The youngest Pevensie gently laid a hand on the cracked surface of the Stone Table, then turned back to her siblings.

"He must know what he's doing," Lucy said softly. Dahlia looked up at the carving of Aslan; it hardly captured the sheer majesty of the great lion, but it still made Dahlia feel like Aslan was watching over them. He was, of course, in his own way.

"I think it's up to us now," Peter said. Everyone else stayed silent, staring at the carving of Aslan before them. Dahlia debated telling them that she'd already spoken to Aslan. She'd already told them about the visions, but had left out the lion because deep down she knew Peter was right.

It was up to them.