~

Narnia was absolutely stunning, if not cold. The children followed the beaver through forests and hills layered in blankets of snow. They finally broke through the trees and came upon a river which lead to a frozen pond. A dam was strewn across it and there was a small wooden house on the lake.

"Oh blimey," exclaimed Mr. Beaver, which is what he asked to be called, "looks like the ol' girls got the kettle on. Nice cup o' rosy lea."

Adeline gave a grateful smile. A warm cup of tea and somewhere to put her feet up was exactly what she needed.

"Finally," Peter whispered, his breath tickling her ear, "I thought I might have dropped from hypothermia."

"Well thank goodness you didn't or else we would have had to drag you all the way here," Adeline retorted with a snort, "I might have left you back there if you did.'

Peter pouted playfully at her, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief, "You would really leave me behind?"

Adeline followed the others, who were already heading down to the small house, "If it meant getting to warmth and food faster then yes." she called over her shoulder with a laugh.

Peter ran down to her with a shuffle of feet and poked her in the ribs, as a joke. Adeline returned the favor with a light punch to the shoulder and both children laughed easily as they all headed towards the dam.

~

"Is that you Mr. Beaver?!" a high voice called out. A beaver who looked very similar to Mr. Beaver waddled out of the home. "I've been worried sick! If I find out you've been out with badger again I'll- oh..."

The female beaver finally looked up to see the five children and a look of disbelief grew on her face. Adeline smiled nervously at the attention, "Hello." she said.

"Those aren't badgers." the she-beaver said. She waddled to Mr. Beaver and exclaimed, "I never thought I'd live to see this day."

Adeline shared an amused look with Lucy, who was grinning widely at the interaction.

"Look at my fur," she beaver turned to Mr. Beaver, "You couldn't give me ten minutes warning?" she scolded him.

"I would have given you a week if I thought it would have helped." he retorted back.

The children chuckled at the banter between them. Adeline assumed they must be married or something similar to that, or if they even had marriages in Narnia.

"Come inside," the female beaver invited, "And we'll see if we can get you some food, and some civilized company," the last bit seemed to be directed towards Mr. Beaver, who just laughed at the comment.

Adeline spoke up for all of them, who still seemed a little stunned, "That sounds wonderful, thank you." She led the way, following the female beaver inside.

Adeline had to bend down to walk through the door but once inside, she could stand up straight, her head almost barely touching the ceiling. The Beavers had a cluttered, but cozy, home. The inside was also made of wood and held together by sticks and branches. A fire was roaring in the fireplace and heating up the house, the warmth instantly hitting Adeline when she had walked in. A small table with even smaller chairs was in the center of the room and there were stairs which Adeline guessed lead to the Beavers bedroom.

"What a lovely home," Susan remarked, as she hung up her coat on a hanger near the door, Adeline followed her example and so did the others.

"Thank you," Mrs. Beaver said, working on something at the stove, "Although excuse the mess, Mr. Beaver always forgets to put his things away after he's done with them."

Mrs. Beaver turned to them with a plate of freshly cooked sardines, the smell making Adeline's mouth water.

"Dinner?" she asked.

All the children nodded rapidly, only now realizing that they hadn't eaten for hours. Following Mr. and Mrs. Beavers's instructions, they set the table and ate.

~

Dinner was a lovely affair, the food was steaming hot and was gulped down quickly by the children, who were seated around the table with the Beavers.

Lucy shared the story of how she had stumbled into Narnia and Adeline, Peter or Susan would sometimes add in little comments here and there. Adeline, however, noticed that Edmund seemed a bit off. He hadn't touched any of his food and seemed disinterested by the conversation, always looking towards the door. She assumed that it must just be that he was taking a little longer to adjust and brushed off the worried feeling, commenting on something Lucy had just said.

When dinner was over, Susan and Mrs. Beaver gathered the plates and put them in the sink. Adeline was completely full and was thankful when Susan brought over a kettle, a nice cup of tea to finish off the meal was exactly what she needed.

Again, Adeline noticed Edmund being strange and he stood up to go sit on the stairs alone.

"Is he alright?" Adeline asked Peter who was sitting on her right.

Peter glanced over for a split second before responding, "He's just being petty for earlier, don't mind him too much."

Adeline nodded, not completely convinced by Peter's answer but figured that since Edmund was his brother, he would know him better.

"Isn't there anything we can do to help Tumnus?" Peter's question brought Adeline back to the conversation at hand.

Adeline scooted forward on her small stool and smoothed out her dark green skirt, which by now was dry from when she had been rolling in the snow earlier. Her journal which she had forgotten she had placed in her pocket until now, had remained dry, the leather protecting her precious pages.

"They'd have taken him to the Witch's house." Mr. Beaver explained. "And you know what they say, there's few that go through the gates, that come out again."

Lucy, who was sitting on Adeline's left, grabbed the sleeve of her white wool turtle neck. Her face was fallen and tears pooled in her eyes. Adeline squeezed the hand on her sleeve, trying to comfort the heartbroken girl.

"Fish and chips?!" Mrs. Beaver interrupted the somber moment. She set the plate down and put a paw on Lucy's shoulder, "But, there is hope dear." she reassured. "Lots of hope."

Mr.Beaver choked on his beer at that, "Oh yeah! There's a right bit more than hope!"

He leaned over to them like he was about to tell them a secret. In curiosity, Adeline did the same. Mr. Beaver had a thing for suspenseful moments she noticed.

"Aslan is on the move."

Aslan. Why did that name sound familiar? A trickle of warmth traveled down her spine making her shiver. Her magic also seemed to react to the name and a rush of knowing and excitement shot through her, like her magic, which seemed to have a mind of its own, was ecstatic at the very thought of Aslan. Adeline felt calm when she heard the name and couldn't help but smile.

Peter, shuffled closer to her at the name and she couldn't help but look over, to see that he was smiling as well, and his shoulders were relaxed as if the burdens he was carrying had suddenly disappeared.

Soft fingers brushed over her hand which was on her lap, hidden from sight on the table. Peter, who hadn't turned to look at her, was silent. Adeline smiled softly and reached out to gently take his hand in hers, slightly scared that she would scare him away somehow. She was thrilled when he did the opposite and wove his fingers through hers, small shivers traveling up her arm.

The moment was broken when Edmund, who had not said a word this entire time, spoke up, "Who's Aslan?"

Peter, seemed to also have snapped out of the trance retreated his hand. Adeline was saddened by the loss but didn't show it, turning her attention to Mr.Beaver again. She reached up and fiddled with the flower pendant hanging around her neck, seeking comfort with it instead.

Mr. Beaver roared with laughter, "Who's Aslan?" he joked. "You cheeky little blighter." Mrs. Beaver smacked him on the arm and he suddenly stopped when he realized no one else was laughing with him.

"You don't know do you?"

Adeline shook her head in confusion, the others reacting the same way.

"Well, we haven't exactly been here very long," Peter retorted on their behalf.

Mr. Beaver stated, "Well he's only the king of the whole wood." like they were supposed to know who he was. "The top geezer, the real king of Narnia!"

Mrs. Beaver interceded trying to clean up the confusion, "He's been away, for a long while."

Mr. Beaver waved his paws as he spoke, "But he's just come back, and he's waiting for you at the stone table."

Lucy's small voice posed a question. "He's waiting for us?

"You're blooming joking!" Mr. Beaver shouted, "They don't even know about the prophecy!" he told Mrs. Beaver.

"Well then," Mrs. Beaver gestured to them.

Mr.Beaver gave an exasperated sigh as he began to explain, "Look." he counted off, "Aslan's return, Tumnus' arrest, the secret police, it's all happening because of you!"

"You're blaming us?!" Susan questioned defensively.

"No," Mrs. Beaver said, "Not blaming, thank you."

Mr. Beaver leaned in yet again. Adeline brought her stool closer so that she could hear his whispers.

"There's a prophecy," he began, "When Adam's flesh and Adam's bone, sits at Cair Paravel in throne, the evil time will be over and done."

"You know that doesn't really rhyme," Susan said.

Adeline furrowed her eyebrows. Thrones and bones? This adventure was turning even more dangerous then she had expected. She might not be able to protect the others from it.

"You're kind of missing the point!" Mr. Beaver became frustrated before his wife put a paw on his shoulder and continued.

"It has long been foretold, that two sons of Adam, two daughters of Eve and the last heir of Narnia will defeat the White Witch, and restore peace to Narnia."

Now Adeline was even more confused. There were five of them weren't there? And who was the last heir?

"Hang on." Peter interceded as if he had read her mind, "There are three girls - or daughters of Eve or whatever. Now I'm certain you've gotten us mistaken for someone else."

Mr. Beaver laughed again, as if their confusion was some sort of joke, "Of course not! You're all here. The two sons of Adam, you and your brother. The two daughters of Eve are your sisters and of course, the last heir is sitting right next to you."

All five gazes at the table shifted to her as she tried to process what was happening. Yes, she had magical powers or a curse or some sort of entity but she was born in England and lived on Earth her entire life.

"No," she huffed, "You must be mistaken. I'm not royalty. I'm a human girl. I was born in England and raised in the countryside. I've never even been here before."

Mrs. Beaver gave Adeline a saddening look. "My dear, I don't expect you to remember, you were a child, too young to comprehend what was going on. Your mother sent you to the other world for your safety."

The rest of the children were silent as Adeline stuttered out," My mother?! What do you know about my mother?"

"Why!" Mr. Beaver exclaimed, "We never met her ourselves but the stories say she was a very brave fae and the last queen of Narnia who had married your father, king Oliver, who was from the direct descent of King Frank and Queen Helen the first."

"Unfortunately," Mrs. Beaver said, "she and your father perished during the war with the White Witch and it was said that you would come back to us with the four humans and save us all."

Adeline's jaw was wide open and she clamped it shut quickly. She was royalty? Some kind of princess? That must have meant her grandfather had been lying to her the whole time. She reached up and clutched her necklace, hoping that it would provide some comfort for her, but nothing.

"The flower pendant," Mr. Beaver broke the silence, "Was your mother's crest. The crest of the fae people who have long been killed or sent into hiding. It is said that your magic will help save us all."

Adeline gasped, the words ringing in her head. He had said it. The word that had been haunting her for years. The word that explained the unexplainable within her.

Adeline looked at the three children who were staring at her in shock.

"Magic?!" Lucy exclaimed, "Whatever do you mean?"

"My dear," Mrs. Beaver said calmly, too calmly for Adeline's liking, "Did you feel different when you entered our world? Like something was pulling you here. Perhaps you even felt it in your own, if your magic is strong enough."

Adeline nodded, the lump in her throat growing bigger and bigger. She quickly swallowed it down before opening her mouth, her voice was small as she said, "It's always been there for as long as I can remember."

She could feel the sharp bite of the pendant in her palm as she squeezed it even tighter. She was breaking her grandfather's one rule for her. Never tell anyone about her magic.

"Adeline?" Peter broke into her thoughts, and she stared into his wide blue eyes, "You..." He shuffled his chair to turn to her.

Adeline nodded silently and raised her palm. Her secret was out, might as well get the shock over with.

She took a deep breath and let a sliver of magic loose within her self. Sapphire blue whisps appeared and twirled around her fingertips. Loud gasps arose around the table. Some were in awe but others in shock.

Lucy reached forward and touched Adeline's fingertips, where the whisps curled around her fingers as well. She let out a giggle and took Adeline's hand in hers.

"Please don't hate me for not telling you," Adeline said to the children. "Before today I'm sure you wouldn't have understood."

"Hate you?" Lucy said, "This is amazing! My friend has magic!"

Adeline noticed the two older siblings were still quiet. "Susan?" she asked, the nervousness biting at her stomach.

Susan took a deep breath before letting a small smile slip, "You're right. If you had told us sooner I would have called you a madwoman. But, this isn't the craziest thing that's happened so far."

She gave Susan a grateful nod. Finally, she turned to Peter, the person she was dreading an answer from the most. "Peter?"

His brows were furrowed and his eyes, which used to be so bright were now dark, "I don't know." He ran a hand through his dirty blond hair.

"Peter!" Lucy reprimanded.

"I just - I just wish you could have told me sooner."

Adeline huffed, "What was I supposed to say?" she said defensively, "Hello I'm Adeline, I have magical powers that I was born with and I don't understand, welcome to my home? You barely believed Lucy and you expect me to have told you the one thing I've been hiding my whole life?" Adeline's voice was loud and firm at this point, the anger almost boiling over.

"No." Peter said gravely, "You're right. I wouldn't have believed."

"Children." Mrs. Beaver interrupted, "You see. With Adeline here, the prophecy is coming true. You can't keep dwelling on the past and going over what-ifs when it'll doing nothing for you."

Adeline side-eyed Peter who didn't even give her a second glance. Her face fell for a moment before she shook herself out of it. If Peter couldn't accept her then she would just have to deal with it.

"Mrs. Beaver is right. You all are clearly the ones from the prophecy which means that we need to get to you to your army." Mr. Beaver said.

"Our army!" Lucy exclaimed and looked at the oldest two children.

Susan grabbed Peter's arm, "Mum, sent us away so we wouldn't get caught up in a war."

Peter stuttered, "You've made a mistake, we're not heroes."

"We're from Finchley!" Susan proclaimed. She stood up and pushed in her stool, "Thank you for your hospitality. But I think we really have to go."

"We're leaving?!" Adeline asked the same time Mr. Beaver shouted, "You can't just leave!"

"He's right." Lucy's meek voice contrasted against theirs, "We have to help Mr. Tumnus.

"It's out of our hands," Peter said sternly. "I'm sorry, but it's time the five of us were getting home."

Adeline didn't miss the fact that he had included her. "I can't."

"Why not?" Peter said coldly, Adeline frowned that he still hadn't gotten over their small tiff.

"If what the Beavers said is true then I'm a Narnian, a true Narnian. I can't leave these people to suffer." She took a deep breath, "You'll have to go without me."

A small hand made its way into hers, and Lucy gave her a gentle squeeze. Susan shot her a sympathetic look but said nothing. Her choice was already made up and so was Adeline's. She turned her gaze to Peters and stared him down. He straightened up but Adeline could see the sadness in his eyes, proof that he cared, which was somewhat reassuring to her.

"I'm sorry," his voice cracking a little, "But we're leaving. Ed." He turned to face his brother who to everyone's surprise wasn't there.

"Ed?" Peter called out, with no avail. Adeline stood up quickly, a terrible feeling making its way down her spine. Where was Edmund?

"I'm gonna kill him," Peter said, the worry rising in his voice.

"You may not have to, "Mr. Beaver said gravely. The four of them turned to look at the Beavers and Adeline feared at what he was hinting at.

"Has Edmund ever been to Narnia before?"

~

I got halfway through writing this chapter when my teachers decided to make all my final projects due in the same week. Fun.

This chapter is also really important to the story so even without the projects it still would have taken me a while to write it and make sure everything was in order.

ALSO HOW DO I HAVE ALMOST 900 READS!!! THAT'S AMAZING THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!

Question of the day:

~ Which Narnia book is your favorite? ~

Please stay safe, wash your hands and practice social distancing!

Don't forget to vote and comment

Until next time,

StoryTeller5678