❝and if you're gone tomorrow, what was ours still will be.❞
There has been rarely a moment where tragedy has not riddled Lydia Nowack's life. The invasion of Poland, her homeland, killed her maternal grandparents. The very first night of the Blitz...
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☾ ☽
It was a late summer day when the last king of Narnia appeared to them.
But that may be getting ahead of the story.
Instead the story began early that very same morning, for on a train station's platform stood four of the eight Friends of Narnia—Lydia Nowack, accompanied by the Pevensies Edmund, Lucy, and Peter. The date was 13th September in the year 1949, what could have been considered a rather dull Tuesday to most. Perhaps things might have been better were it a dull Tuesday to them.
"Oh, they're together," said Lucy suddenly, cutting into the curious and anxious half-silence that had befallen them. (Half-silence in this sense meaning that Peter had been the only one speaking, and this to Lydia in an attempt to further understand her family's complex chess rules, in a further attempt to finally beat Edmund at the game using those rules; of course, Lydia couldn't help him at all.)
The young woman was looking down the platform at a pair of old friends with luggage of their own, animatedly chatting with one another as they came their way. Neither seemed to have noticed the four of them yet and seemed entirely involved in whatever consuming conversation they were having.
That didn't surprise Lydia, who tilted her head at them and murmured to her own companions, "Oh. I think New York is about to get very loud."
"It's already called the city that never sleeps," said Peter with a chuckle. "How much louder can it get?"
Edmund raised a brow at him. "Clearly you don't remember the dinners we've had with both of them."
"I'm sure I'll be reminded tonight."
A few moments later Polly and Digory came within twenty feet of them and finally noticed them waiting. Lydia was the first forward, launching herself at her grandmother and exclaiming as she embraced her, "Babcia!" with an addition of, "Uncle Digory!" as she moved to hug him next.
Polly heartily laughed and echoed by exclaiming Lydia's name in the same tone she had used. The next few seconds were a mess of hugs as everyone attempted to greet their visitors with hugs. Digory said in the middle of it, "It's wonderful to see all of you."
"We've missed you both!" Lucy told excitedly, stepping back from Polly so Edmund could hug her.
Some more hugs were shared on that fateful platform. Digory and Polly next seemed to realize, nearly at the exact same second, that there was a Pevensie missing from the group. He shared a brief glance with her before remarking, "I'd hoped your sister would be joining us."
The hope had previously been shared by the three Pevensies who were there. Edmund, Lucy, and Peter all fell silent at that, exchanging hesitant and reluctant glances of their own. Lydia looked at them sympathetically and reached for Edmund's hand, rubbing her thumb on the back of it. No, the fourth wouldn't be joining them at dinner this evening.
