Helena Pevensie (Caspian Love Story)

1. England Again

The Head of Experiment House was, Helena thought, not the sort of Head she personally would have ever wished to have. The woman was, as Eustace had quickly warned her, quick to play favourites and turn a blind eye to bullying. Even so, Helena was offered a handsome salary as the dance and French teacher and that combined with the added benefit of seeing Eustace every day was enough to convince her to take the job. Until the term began, Helena continued to stay with Eustace, Aunt Alberta, and Uncle Herold after going home to spend a few weeks with her parents, Susan, and Peter.

Now, however, Peter was paying a visit to his aunt and uncle, although Helena secretly suspected the main cause of his appearance was to see her. Their aunt and uncle were not particularly fond of Peter, but they still kept him near them often as he easily impressed and charmed visitors, handsome university med student that he was. However, they had managed to find a rare moment away from the chaos as Uncle Harold was at work and Aunt Alberta had been called away to tend to some sort of business or other.

Helena, Peter, and Eustace had gathered in what served as Helena's room, the same room where Eustace and Helena had first been summoned to Narnia. Peter was sitting on the floor, leaning back against the bed with his arms resting on his knees while Helena sat with her legs crossed beside him and Eustace sat across from them. As was usual when any of the five Pevensies or Eustace were gathered together without anyone else, they were talking about Narnia.

Peter had already heard about their past adventure from Edmund, Lucy, and Helena, but he was taking great joy in getting to know this new Eustace through their past adventures. The Eustace he remembered from childhood visits was snobbish, entitled, arrogant, and, if not for his great cowardice, would have been a frightful bully. Had he not believed in Narnia and the effects it can have on people, Peter would not have believed his brother and sister when they told him Eustace had changed.

As it was, however, any doubt was instantly cleared away the first night when, after diner and the washing up, Helena had forced both boys to come to her room and to talk about Narnia.

Helena derived great joy from speaking about the place. Her love for Caspian, while a pain to her at first, soon became an ember burning within her, an affection, but not a source of pain. Greater than her love for Caspian was her knowledge that they would see one another again soon. Whether soon was in five years or a hundred, she knew it would come.

Currently, Eustace was going back through his account of the final battle against the sea serpent and Peter, who had by now heard several of these retellings not only from Eustace but from his brother, was nonetheless pleased to hear it for the tenth time than he was to listen to it the first.

"And then the serpent coiled around the ship," Eustace was saying. Peter smiled half just out of politeness but also because to see his cousin actually passionate about something was such a wonderful change from the old days.

"Alright, Eustace," Helena said with a laugh. "I guarantee you Peter has already suffered countless retellings from Edmund." Peter laughed. He had grown much since Helena had regularly seen him last. He was taller, certainly, his voice was deeper, and now he even had something of a beard.

"It's all right, Lena," he said. "Better this than the monologues he used to give us all." Eustance grimaced as Helena let out a laugh.

"Well, I did think you lot were insane," he admitted humbly.

Peter smiled but only said, "Well, at least you know the truth now." Wrapping an arm around his sister, he added, "Both of you do." Helena smiled fondly at her brother, laying her head on his shoulder with a sigh of contentment.

"I do wish we could go back again," Eustace said wistfully. Peter smiled again, a nostalgic, remembering smile.

"Me too," he admitted. "Narnia is as much a part of me as my family is. To know I can't ever go back..."

"Well," Helena said slowly. "Even if you can't go back to Narnia again...maybe we'll still get to see the people again."

"How?" Eustace asked with a frown.

"Well, when we die, I suppose," Helena replied. "I mean...heaven is outside our understanding of the universe right? Maybe we are with people from every world while we're there." The corners of Peter's lips quirked downwards as he sat, deep in thought.

"Maybe," he replied. After a moment, he said, "I once asked Edmund what he thought would happen to us back home if we died in Narnia. We've talked about it a lot and never came up with a good answer."

"That would be strange," Helena said, brows furrowed.

They each sat pondering for a time until Eustace said, "Helena, I know I've told you some already, but there are a few things about Experiment House you should probably know." Helena was instantly pulled out of her wondering.

"Like what?" she asked curiously.

"Well," he began slowly. "The Head has the sort of idea that people should be allowed to do what they like which is all well and good in its own way until that applies to bullying." Peter frowned. He had never heard of bullying not being punished in schools. "She tends to just refer to them as 'interesting psychological cases' and if you've figured out the right sorts of things to say, she doesn't punish you at all."

"You can't be serious," Helena said in shock.

"I wish I weren't," Eustace said glumly. "Usually the students are a bully, help the bullies, or are bullied. There isn't really any other way to be."

"Which way were you?" Helena asked. Her tone was devoid of judgment and, despite what he was about to admit, put Eustace at ease.

"Well, I," he began. "I helped them, I suppose." After another pause, he added, "I shalt this term, but I can't change what I've already done so there's no point hiding it."

"I suppose this term will never be short of interest then, I suppose," Helena said with a small sigh. After a pause, she said, "Eustace, if you need anything during the year, you'll come to me, won't you? If they discover you're no longer going to help and that you're fighting against them even, there might be a deal of trouble coming your way."

"I will," Eustace promised.

"Good," Helena said with a kind smile.