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　　 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐄 𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐋 𝐎𝐅 Cair Paravel felt odd after what had occurred at the Western Wild only a few days ago. Standing on a grand, empty balcony that overlooked the Great Eastern Sea, it was as though it had never happened. The waves flowed peacefully over one another until they reached shore where they lazily lapped onto. The birds chittered through the soft sound of the waves in the distance.

The castle of Cair Paravel was so vast, it was easy to get lost in the many corridors. It reminded Victoria of her first year trying to find her way through Hogwarts. Both castles were positioned on peninsulas, though Cair Paravel was built within the ruins of the peninsulas. It reached far down cliffs, the castle having been built in an intricate manner to be an extension of nature.

Victoria's earrings clanged together in the soft breeze, her hair being blown off her shoulders. She closed her eyes to feel the tickling tingle of the wind gracing ever so slightly against her cheeks. Her hands held onto a piece of paper, which she'd been too afraid to read for months. On the front was her name written in her father's handwriting. She recognised it from the inventory sheets and other administrative papers he had to keep track of.

Alexis walked onto the balcony from behind Victoria and stood next to her, her arms resting on the cool stone railing. 'Have you still not read it?' she asked when she noticed the slip of parchment in Victoria's hands.

'What if they're mad at me?' Victoria replied in a whisper, her breath floating out of her mouth for the wind to take it elsewhere. 'What if they've written that I should never come home again?'

'You won't ever know until you read the note,' Alexis said and laid her hand on Victoria's shoulder. She cracked a soft smile of encouragement, which she'd hoped would be enough to convince Victoria to finally read the letter. She knew Victoria's parents almost as well as her own, and there was no way they would ever tell Victoria not to come home.

Victoria glanced down at the slip of parchment with doubtful eyes. Since her bloodbound had been broken, she'd been worried that her mind would be overloaded with everyone's personal thoughts and secrets, and that the auras she could once see would return despite her refusal. However, it was quite the contrary.

The bloodbound helped prevent Victoria from seeing auras of people's truest intention, and stopped voices of others involuntarily invading her mind. Now that it had been broken, her gift was no longer bound, however, she'd gained a new perspective of better understanding the nature of one's mind and body and the connection between the two. Narnian magic began at the root of one's body—the heart where all hope originated—and was strengthened by the will of one's mind. Once Victoria had found that connection, she could focus on her heart instead of her mind at will. She'd found the cure to her gift within Narnian magic.

The only voice that remained in her mind was her own, and it wouldn't stop worrying about the note from her parents. She could put it aside for months as she was too occupied with Grindelwald and later on Tom, but both were no longer a threat. All that remained unknown was the note. With shivering hands, Victoria slowly unfolded the parchment, her eyes gliding over the words as she read what her parents wanted her to know before she left indefinitely for the sake of their cause.

Dear Victoria,

We are so proud of you for following your heart. Grindelwald's threat is increasing every day and you'd foreseen this when you met Anton Vogel. "Fabulous Fawley" may not have believed your claims, but there was never a doubt in our mind that what you saw and told was the truth.

We love you, sweetheart. You can conquer anything you put your mind to.

Love,
Mum and Dad

Victoria's lip slightly trembled at the words of her parents, as she quickly blinked the tears away. All this time, Victoria thought the only person who vividly remembered the day of the banquet and her bloodbound was her, but she was wrong. The same feeling of homesickness that she felt in the Thicket of Nightmares rumbled in her stomach, as she wanted nothing more than to go home, hug her parents and never let go.

Alexis secretly read along with Victoria, the smile on her face growing stronger the more she read. 'I think I've told you about a million times that I was certain the letter wouldn't be bad at all,' she said, trying her hardest to hide her contentment. Not that it mattered, since Victoria didn't look away from the note. A flash of black hair caught Alexis' attention and she turned around to see Edmund nervously waiting at the entrance to the balcony. 'Try not to lose track of time. We'll be leaving soon.' She grinned to Edmund as she skipped back into the castle to leave the two of them alone and set out to find Peter, who should also be somewhere within the castle.

'There you are,' Edmund said in a spontaneous tone as though he'd just spotted Victoria out on the balcony. He went to stand on Alexis' spot, though left a bit more room between the two. 'How are you?'

'I'm ready to go home,' Victoria admitted, her face falling at the thought of her parents so far away. 'I'm surprised you still dare talking to me, after what happened.' She glanced his way and while she desperately didn't want to wait to understand what was going on in his head, she refrained herself with every fibre in her being from making eye-contact and entering his mind.

'You mean after I watched you crippling your ex-lover and exploding his head?' Edmund asked and shrugged as though it was just another day to him. 'I'll make a deal with you.' He turned his head to look her way and stepped a little closer. He stood so close to her, he had to look down at her. Her sweet scent of rosewater had become a familiarity to him that he didn't want to lose. 'If I promise to not turn into a psychopath like him, you'll promise to not leave me to the same fate as him,' he retorted with a chuckle.

'You're not scared of me?' she asked quietly.

Victoria's question sounded so heartbreaking, it made Edmund stop chuckling. He hadn't even come close to being scared of her, no matter what she did. Her magic and what she was capable of didn't scare him, nor make him feel inferior to her.

He gently took hold of her hands, careful not to make her drop the note, the chuckle on his face making place for sincerity. 'Nothing you have done so far has ever made me scared of you. You don't do anything with malicious intentions. I'm not afraid of you hurting me in any way. I'm not afraid of you, Victoria,' he said, his finger caressing her cheek.

'And,' he continued and cleared his throat. 'More than anything, I want to be with you. If you'll have me.'

'I'll take that deal,' Victoria whispered as her cheeks fired up from his touch. 'And you.' She inhaled sharply and let out a sigh of relief, before Edmund leaned further down to her and kissed her. Their arms wrapped around each other, pulling the other into their bubble of blissfulness.

All the way down onto the beach, Florence rolled up the ends of her trousers before she set foot onto the grainy sand, which tickled her toes and got stuck against the tiny pores of her feet. During the battle at the Western Wild, Florence had disappeared into her own portal, followed by a few Calormene soldiers. She'd managed to shake them off by running into another portal and closing it before they could reach it. However, she'd come back two days after the battle had occurred, her timing still being slightly off.

Hope filled her heart as an image of a giant sandcastle came to mind. She stood in the middle of a whirlwind of white-golden light and sand that created the image in her head. The freedom Narnia had given her made the recollection of her tie suffocating her even more restraining. She didn't want the future that was awaiting her in England, she wanted this chance to be free, but that thought fueled her guilt.

She wanted freedom over being in a world with her brothers and the Pevensies and Eustace. The Narnian magic had made the crossover between both worlds so easy for her, she wasn't sure she could go back to earth permanently.

The sand croaked behind her as Caspian stepped on it with heavy boots. 'Florence?' he said. 'The others are ready to go. They're trying to find you.' He moved closer to her, until he was only a step away from her. He watched her hair fall down like a blond waterfall, as wild and free as Florence herself could be.

He swallowed at the thought of her leaving, seeing the same eyes in a different hue of blue glancing his way as they disappeared into the light forever. He'd allowed himself once again to fall for someone from earth and without realising, he'd fallen so much deeper than before. His heart used to ache when he thought about Susan, but now it had changed to Florence. Watching her leave forever pressed onto his heart, but he couldn't ask her to stay.

'I've been hesitant in getting to know you,' he admitted to her as his gaze was fixated onto the sand. Suddenly, watching the different grains of sand before him, made him feel more at ease. It felt more like confessing to the sand than to the girl in front of him. 'Because I knew you'd leave too. I haven't done a good job at it, I suppose. . .'

He squished his eyes together as he tried to find a way to tell her how he felt. Nothing he could come up with made sense. His sentences weren't coherent nor was his confession. Everything blurred together into one pile of nonsense that no one could understand properly—not even him, let alone Florence.

'What I'm trying to say is. . .' he muttered, barely able to get out the sentence. His nerves blocked off his throat with a huge lump that was in the way of his bravery. He could fight a hundred enemies without fear, stood up to his uncle in his bravest moment, but here with Florence, he felt so extremely tense to tell her the truth.

She turned around to him when he wouldn't finish his sentence. It took Caspian a second to realise she had and for him to shoot up his eyes from the sand to meet hers. Florence's breath hiccupped in her throat, and while her anxiety had gotten the better of her on many occasions, it wouldn't this time.

'I like you too,' she whispered.

Her insecurity regarding her unconventional lifestyle completely vanished whenever she was with him. He never made her feel different or out of place. He made her feel like she belonged in Narnia.

'I don't want you to leave,' Caspian choked, tears glossing over his eyes.

'I don't want to leave either,' Florence admitted. It was the first time she'd declared this wish out loud and standing with Caspian on the beach, in the fresh sea air, it felt like it was the right decision for her to make. 'So I won't.'

Florence was never supposed to come back to Narnia, but with her newfound connection to Narnian magic, she could feel the strong pull of this world. It was as though Narnia was telling her to stay.

Caspian wanted to ask about her family, and the Pevensies and Eustace she'd leave behind, but he could see in the determination of her eyes that she'd thought about this long and hard. And her decision was final.

A loud horn split through them, which announced that it was time for departure. Caspian took Florence's hand as the two of them hurried back up the steps carved into the cliffside and through the patches of grass until they'd reached the courtyard where everyone had gathered. Florence let go of Caspian and slowly walked over to Peter, Edmund, Lucy and Eustace.

Lucy smiled sadly as Florence told them her decision, though she'd had a feeling of Florence's desire to remain in Narnia. 'You'll visit us, right?' she asked, her hands entwined together with two fingers softly pressed against her lips. 'Both of you?'

'Once I get the hang of this magic, I'll visit you every week,' Florence promised, stretching out her pink to Lucy, which Lucy gladly took. 'I just don't belong on earth and I think Aslan knew that too. That's why he brought me back.'

'As long as you're happy,' Lucy beamed.

Beaming less was Eustace, since Florence wasn't the only person staying in Narnia. Unlike Florence, he couldn't make the commitment of staying in Narnia. He didn't have the heart to leave behind his family and a world most familiar to him. Perhaps one day, but that time had yet to come then.

He marched over to Raiden and unsure how to tell him goodbye, he bowed to him like a knight would. Raiden frowned a little bewildered, but returned the farewell gesture.

The way Eustace's cheeks burnt and his stomach tingled were telltale signs to Eustace that he liked Raiden as more than a friend, though it confused him all the same. He'd grown up in a world where a man fell in love with a woman, that was how it was. But now, Eustace had fallen for a man, which had completely opened his eyes. He knew it would be frowned upon and his parents might even disown him, but he didn't care. He knew the Pevensies would love and accept him always, even if his own parents wouldn't.

'Will you visit us too?' he asked Raiden, hopeful.

'Only because you're such a delight to guard,' Raiden said with a mischievous chuckle.

Eustace could only stare at him in embarrassment. He didn't think Raiden had heard him mutter that back in Anvard castle as the knight had walked away from him, but he'd been wrong. Raiden had heard him and he'd remembered it well with a content smile across his face.

'I might see you soon then,' Eustace muttered a little cross. He leaned in and quickly kissed Raiden's cheek, before retreating back to the Pevensies. His heart was racing with how brave he'd been and when he finally had the courage to look over at Raiden, he saw him gently touch the skin of his cheek with the same content smile as before.

As Victoria created two new portals, shining in the brightest blues she could produce, Chrys wrapped her arms around her waist. Harry, Hermione and Charlotte would be going back to their time, but Aiden couldn't. His absence stung in her heart as it became more and more real that he was gone. She wouldn't only have to miss him, knowing he was in a different decade than her. She had to miss him, knowing he wasn't out there at all. Kiano gently held onto her hand as did Alexis.

'He did what he believed would be right,' Kiano said. 'He won't be forgotten. We won't allow it.' His arm slid around her shoulders as he squeezed Chrys closer to him. Chrys laid her head against Kiano's chest and sniffed through the tears that rolled over her cheeks.

'My father always used to say that it's often the kindest of souls we lose in battle, others have simply passed,' Chrys mumbled. 'As a kid, I never understood what he meant, but now I do.' She buried her head in Kiano's chest and sobbed, her shoulders shaking violently.

Kiano cocked his head towards the blue light and Alexis nodded softly in return. She too pulled Chrys in a loose embrace as the trio were the first ones to vanish through their portal.

Lucy pulled her brothers' sleeves and walked towards the same portal with them. She waved to Florence, the smile on her face faltering slightly as she was already missing her. The light absorbed them completely and Eustace followed suit.

'Keep your head up high, beautiful,' Erin said to Hermione and winked at her.

Hermione blushed, though her happiness was dampened because Erin wasn't coming with her. She linked arms with Charlotte, resting her head against Charlotte's shoulder as the pair walked through the other portal.

Victoria noticed that Harry was looking at the portal with hesitation. The corners of her lips curled up as she entwined her hands behind her back. 'Harry?' she called out for his attention as he turned his head to her. 'Tell them "hi" for me.' She vanished into her portal, leaving Harry with a befuddled feeling as he too went back to his own world.

The portals disappeared in time, leaving a hollow feeling in everyone's heart. Travelling back to their own world and their own time made it seem as though this journey had never occurred. However, history might often have been fabricated, the course of their journey could've never prepared them for the changed history they'd created. . .

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Helluuw,

Yes, yes, here it is, chapter 34 which is the last official chapter of this book! I'll write the epilogue probably soon and then the book is completely finished. I'll miss writing Bellicose so much, but it'll definitely be fun to dive into other stories as well. It has taken me long enough to reach 34 chapters haha.

Thank you for your continuous support of Bellicose, it means the world to me.

xx Theresa

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