Tales of the Narnian Monarchs: Home Wasn't Built in a Day

The Emotional Impact of a Fictional Breakup

It was a 2 hour or so drive West of London to Marlborough, a quaint market town which housed but a few mansions on its outskirts- one of which Tom's Range Rover found itself driving up the drive of.

The journey had been mostly uneventful, but a time for the Pevensies and Sanya to experience all types of modern music thanks to the magic that was Spotify- not that Sanya had been paying much attention to it.

"Maybe you should go... announce that we- someone is coming." Sanya said, hiding behind Tom, looking and feeling as nauseated as she did when she had morning sickness.

He gave her a friendly smile, "Alright" and went in.

"Pops, there's someone... some people here to meet you." Sanya heard Tom say and her heart seemed to drop down into her stomach, beating erratically.

"Are your brothers here?" She heard a hoarse, slightly wobbly voice say and she couldn't help it, she pushed open the door which led to his private room and went in.

"No, it's me," She said, trying not to show how fucking HORRIFIED she was at seeing her boyfriend so old- confined to a wheelchair, hair grey, skin sagging and wrinkly, still slender but with a paunch now, oh but his eyes were still the pretty, sparkling brown she had looked into when they had kissed in the ocean under the stars.

"S-Sanya?" The old man- Peter, she hastily corrected herself- started to shake. He looked like he was about to pass out, but then he steeled himself and looked to Tom. "Tommy, I think my meds are off, I'm seeing a ghost."

"I'm not a ghost, Pete." Sanya clicked her tongue impatiently. "I WISH I was, though."

"It really is you." He said in a wondrous voice, looking at her- so familiar yet so different, as beautiful as she had always been.

"B-b-but you're dead." He stuttered, heart rate elevating at an alarming rate. "I saw your body, I went to your funeral, I named my daughter after you-"

"Pops." Tom put a calming hand on his shoulder. "Relax."

"I did die- we all did." Sanya confirmed, trying not to think of what else he'd said. "Then woke up here."

"We?"

The others, who had been stood rather unsure at the door, stepped forward, Susan waving her hand slightly in a small, awkward wave.

"Hey." She spoke, her greeting as small and full as trepidation as her gesture was.

"I- You're all... here!" Peter spoke, Lilith noting a light in his eyes as if electricity had been surged into a worn, dusty bulb.

"But how?"

The others glanced at one another, quite unsure of WHERE to start- yet Sanya seemed quite hurried to explain, and so she did, leaving the others to wonder whether it was her just wanting to expel the information or simply leave as soon as possible.

The thought which broke their hearts a little.

"God." The now much older said lightly. "Your lives really ARE full of fantastical magic, aren't they?"

Sanya wanted to cry. "Doesn't feel fantastic or magical at all, Peter, I never wanted t-" She looked at the others, and it was more of a glare so they all hastily left, except Tom, who stayed. "Never wanted to leave you."

"I never wanted you to leave me either." He said and his voice no longer seemed to belong to the 92 year old man but to the same boy who had shyly asked her out 74 years ago. "But... I'm sure your lives are improving now. And you're with Edmund, you two are meant to be-"

Sanya almost screamed. Here she was, trying not to break down in front of her boyfriend who she had last seen as an 18 year old and now was an old, old man and trying not to think that her lost child might be in the same way and here he was with all that 'meant to be' crap!