Golden Days: The Chronicles of Narnia

Chapter 3: Festival Preparations

     The 'Festival of the Carols', as it was called, was scheduled for the week before Christmas, and that week began tomorrow. The festival celebrated all the traditional Narnian Christmas songs, along with eating and drinking excessive amounts of hot cocoa and cookies. The Pevensies were busy setting up for the festivities, while at the same time trying to keep their guests entertained.

      Edmund was bothered by the persistent thought that more time was passing than he had originally thought. He just had to return to the wardrobe and confirm his theory. The only problem was escaping everyone's notice, especially Lucy's. The opening ceremony was tomorrow at nine o'clock in the morning, and he thought that would be the perfect time to escape, since all his siblings would be preoccupied. As he was mulling this over, he had been hanging boughs of holly in the great hall, and was staring off into space. Princess Lyella walked past him carrying a box of candles. She said to him, "Edmund? Are you there?"

     He jumped in surprise at her voice, and turned around, "Oh, yes! Sorry, just staring off again!"

     "You seem to do that a lot! What goes on in that brain of yours?" asked Lyella.

     Edmund replied, "Oh, nothing!" and forced a smile.

    Lyella raised a brow, then laughed, shaking her head as she continued on her way. Edmund let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, and continued to decorate with thoughts of the beautiful Princess Lyella. After all, the union between the both of them would be beneficial for their countries! Narnia and Archenland could be united in peace between their marriage. Edmund stopped for a second. 'Marriage?' He had never considered the idea of marriage in his life! What was the princess doing to him?

     Soon, the great hall was decked out in every kind of Christmas decoration one could think of, and was ready for the festival starting the next day. It was getting late in the afternoon, and the High King called for everyone's attention. "We are going to be having a celebratory bonfire tonight! The countries of Calormen and Ettinsmoor will be joining us tomorrow morning for the festivities, so we wanted the people of Narnia and Archenland to have a sort of family gathering before the others get here." Everyone laughed knowingly, because they all knew the other two provinces really were a handful, and were not as pleasant to be around as each other. The Calormen royalty were very extravagant and proud, while the Ettinsmoor royalty was a bit dull and unrefined.

     Everyone turned in for the moment, and Edmund was planning his escape into Lantern Waste the next day. Susan saw him packing things in a satchel, and asked, "Edmund, where are you going?"

     "Oh, nowhere," he replied, "Just packing some things for the bonfire tonight!" He tried to ignore her questioning looks, and left the room. Susan suspected something was going on, but ultimately ignored his behavior.

     To clear his head, Edmund went to the outlook overlooking the Western Woods. After a few minutes of breathing the frosty air, Lyella walked up behind him.

     "How's it going?"

     "Oh, it's going." replied Edmund, "I don't especially enjoy the winter season, and having lots of guests over doesn't help either, no offense."

     "None taken, but can I ask why you don't like winter?"

     "I was influenced by the White Witch when we first came to Narnia, and was deceived by her nasty tricks. She was the cause of the Hundred Year Winter, and now, I hate her, along with her qualities, like ice and snow."

     "I'm so sorry that that happened to you! I wonder, might I be able to change your view of winter, if only a little bit?"

     "I suppose so. The Witch is still so prominent in my mind; I think about her every day!"

     "Here, let me try something," said Lyella, taking his hands. "Close your eyes, and feel the cold."

     Edmund replied, "I feel it, but that isn't really helping."

      "Just trust me. Now, feel the tiny snowflakes land on your face, your hands," she lifted his hands to the snow, "And your clothes. Now, think of all the tiny details each of those tiny snowflakes have. Each and every one of them has a different pattern! Isn't that amazing?" Edmund smiled, eyes closed, and his face toward the sky. Lyella continued, "At the beginning of this world, Aslan designed each snowflake, and decided exactly when it would fall. He created the beautiful, frosty forests and the bright, snowy hills. The White Witch isn't the source of winter, Aslan is. He created everything that makes this season so beautiful!"

     She looked at Edmund, and he opened his eyes, a smile on his face, "Thank you," he said quietly, "That was wonderful."

     "Anytime," replied Lyella with a soft smile, and left Edmund to ponder the beauties of winter.