AN ENCHANTER'S FORETELLING. [NARNIA]

CHAPTER THREE | MEETING

CHAPTER THREE
MEETING

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Not quite moving yet from her place, she remained laying down upon the pier. She listened to the soft waves of the lake beating against the shore; she felt the blazing sun beat down on her skin, as it began to descend for the day; she could remain there the entire evening if it was not for the dinner awaiting them, and her rumbling stomach. The calm breeze that brushed past the trees simply eased her, so it was reluctant that she moved to sit up.

Thus, taking one last look at the crystalline lakes, she spun on her heel to return to the house; where she assumed her Mother would be waiting for her, of course. Rose tugged at the hems of her skirts and rolled them into balls, not quite sure what to do with her hands anymore. She made sure no stray hair escaped her tight pins, and, almost at last, she sighed, and entered the house. She swallowed the lump that had formed in her suddenly-parched throat, one that would always form when it came to occasions such at this.

Rose watched as her Mother greeted, who she assumed was, Mrs. Pevensie with an embrace and smiles. She, however, leaned against the curved railing of the staircase, arms behind her back, for she did not know what to do in that moment. Except, watch how her older sister and brother headed outside to greet the two eldest of the four. In intrigue, she watched how they had been hesitant to get out of the vehicle: their expression were filled with wonder as they took in the architecture of the grand house.

Who she assumed had been the oldest, stepped out of the vehicle, with a young girl—much younger than Rose—holding his hand, and, on the other hand, a small teddy bear. The tall, blond boy leaned down to the little girl's level to whisper something that had made her smile. He seemed to have squeezed her hand to encourage her, and led them to stand by the embracing mothers. That was on one side of the doors, on the other side, two other children stepped out.

A girl—slightly older than Rose—stepped out; with dark-brown curls that fell in ringlets atop her shoulders, and a lovely dress that had made Albert begin to stare. Rose smiled; that was Susan Pevensie, whose blue-eyes could make anyone envy her. And last, but certainly not least, a boy, though she did not look at him much. She was much more amused by the sight of Albert Lovell tripping over himself in front of Susan. Though, when she did look at the boy, it seemed he was already looking at her.

They only watched each other for a few moments, before she turned to face her own brother and sister. Almost at once, he did the same, and his expression turned into a frown. She wondered what might have caused that, but then, she realized, their father had not come with them; so, it must mean, he must have been feeling that way because his father had been enlisted in the war. It made her heart ache for him, for she had been feeling the very same. However, none of the other Pevensie children seemed to share the frown Edmund Pevensie had, so perhaps, it had been something else.