The Heir of Aslan || Narnia

Chapter 16- Forgiveness

Maybe I'm a fool
I no longer wanna play it cool
- Take Me In Your Arms, Edison Lighthouse

𝙰𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 the battle, Aslan made sure all of the Pevensie siblings were taken care of. They'd all suffered drastically due to the violence they witnessed and took part in, but no one had needed aid more than James. He had crossed one too many of his own morals, and it had taken quite a toll on him.

     They had been taken to Cair Paravel, and given the largest rooms to live in. Each was beautiful, and decorated ornately with the most stunning furniture. There was a colour designated for each room, relating to one of the Pevensie's, chosen by Aslan himself.

     Lucy had been given red, as she both loved it, and enjoyed flowers of the same colour. Edmunds room had been tinted shades of cool grey, for no reason other than his partiality to the cold. When Susan was shown her living space, she was ecstatic to view it as green: nature was the only place where she felt at peace in this world as it relates to home. Even Peter loved his room, the yellow tones feeling majestic and royal.

     However, when James was shown his, the reaction was different. It didn't matter how grateful he was for his room filled with purples and blues; everything was getting the blonde down.

     From the moment after James' cuts had been cleaned to the best of the worlds abilities, he had retired to his room. Truthfully, he had locked himself inside for most of the day. Every mirror inside of the room had been covered by drapes.

     If he couldn't bare to even look at himself, how could anyone else look at him?

     He had stayed out of sight, and hopefully out of mind for this time. But when there came a soft, commanding voice at his door, James knew that this hadn't been true.

     "James, will you open the door?"

     It was Aslan. He could never turn away the King of Narnia.

    So, reluctantly, he did. In reality he was embarrassed by the state of himself. The new clothes given to him were difficult to navigate, and so everything was messy. Every tie was undone, the collar stretched wide, with his trousers hanging low. He looked, in short, rubbish.

     He revealed himself to Aslan, who sent a small smile his way. Clearly, James had been having a difficult time.

  "Come with me." Said the Lion, and so, James followed him down the large corridors. There was silence for a while until Aslan broke the quiet, as he questioned. "I have been meaning to tell you something."

  "Of course, yeah."

  "You and your siblings will be crowned in a few days, and I would like you to see Mr Tumnus so you can adjust smoothly."

  Though James was glad to finally meet Lucy's friend formally, tears pricked his eyes. He didn't deserve to be King of anything, nor the Heir of Aslan himself. "Thank you."

  "What's made you feel so gloomy?" Quizzed the lion as they strolled, aware of the glossiness in James' eyes.

  "It doesn't matter, Aslan. Not anymore, there's nothing to be done."

  "James, if you have done something you deem unworthy, is it not in your moral wisdom to tell me?" The Kings words were true, which was frightening. James had always been honest, and he wouldn't change now.

  "I suppose so." The sixteen-year-old nodded, and began to explain, but froze.

  Aslan paused himself in step, and looked to the human boy. "You can take your time, young one. There is no need to rush."

  "I'm a murderer." James sobbed, afraid of the man he had become.

  "No." Said Aslan firmly, reducing the Pevensie boy's thoughts quickly. "If you were what you believe, then I would never have chosen you to take over from me one day."

  "You knew? And you still let me go to war?" James scoffed. He didn't know what to believe, not that there was much choice.

  "I did not know exactly, but I knew your truth and heart would never falter, even under the greatest pressures."

     There was a deep silence as they stood in the grand hallway, in front of a door made of oak. James was pondering everything that had happened since he first stepped foot in Narnia, all good and bad fortunes. The main focus was when the worst: every kill.

  "Can you forgive me?"

  "You had always been forgiven." Promised Aslan to the future King. "You only need to learn to forgive yourself."

     Aslan pushed open the door they were stood in front of to reveal a room with clothes hung from the walls. Each was beautiful, and intricately hand-sewn which only added to their magic.

     During the next half an hour or so, Mr Tumnus had entered the room, and Aslan had departed. The faun aided James in tying his shirt properly, and they attempted to fit his coronation clothes. Though it wasn't the most fun, physically, James was sure that Mr Tumnus was a friend for life.

     When James left to return to his room, knowing that later he would have to talk to his siblings, Mr Tumnus said one last thing. It wasn't something especially brilliant out of context, but with all that the eldest Pevensie had been through, he needed it more than he would ever admit.

  "I believe you'll be a great king."

  "Thank you." He breathed, glad for the faun. "But it'll take a while. I'm not ready yet."

  "That's what'll make you so great."

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Disclaimer!!!!
I don't own anything to do with Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. I'm just a fan of C.S.Lewis' books and the films.
The only thing I do own is the character of James Pevensie and his story line.