An Ace among Kings and Queens

Meetings

Ace's Point of View.

We walk through the dimly lit hall, guided by torches, towards the center room crowded with working Narnians.

"So, what is this place anyway?" Edmund peers around in a circle.

"You don't know?" I ask.

He shakes his head in confusion.

"I'll show you."

We each grab a hanging torch and I lead him down one of the many dark, twisting tunnels. The light illuminates the engravings that dapple the wall.

There's a lamp. A faun. A witch and her castle. A battle. Four kids being crowned.

He walks slowly, examining every picture. 

Stepping past columns, we enter a dark cavern and while he walks towards the center, I ignite the coal that lies by the wall. Not a second after, fire quickly around the border of the room, lighting everything within. A ring of crumbling columns stand over a stone table, broken roughly in two. Directly behind it is a stone etching of a majestic lion, almost come to life by the dancing flames below.

Edmund stops dead in his tracks, staring at the table.

Now, he definitely remembers.

It's where supposedly Aslan was killed by the White Witch. I never was sure if it was all true, but the miserable look in his eyes confirms it.

Ugh, why did I bring him here?

"I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't have-" I start.

"No, it's fine. I needed to remember."

I nod and after a minute, we head back through the tunnel. As soon as we emerge, Trumpkin approaches us.

"Peter was looking for you," he tells Edmund. "In there."

He glances towards me. "Just me?"

"That's what he said."

"Okay, I'll see you later." Edmund tells me before walking off to where Trumpkin pointed.

"And we were looking for you. We need to actually catch up." A faint smile appears on the dwarf's face.

Finally.

We've been with the royals all day, so I haven't gotten a real chance to talk to my Narnian friends alone. I follow him into a smaller room where Nikabrik, Reepicheep, and Trufflehunter are waiting.

"You got everything you need from home?" Trufflehunter starts.

"Yes, I did." I pat the knives on my belt. "Thank you for keeping everything."

"Of course. We had a feeling you'd be back," Reepicheep joins in. "But it has been awhile."

I think about how tall and mature Caspian had become. I remember when he was still a child. Now he looks about my age.

"How long has it been?"

Two years? Three?

"Five," Nikabrik responds.

Shock invades my mind.

Five.

I've been gone for five years?

Last I remember Caspian, he was thirteen years old, which makes him eighteen now.

He's older than me now?!

The loss of age superiority might be the worst part of this.

"Wow," I sigh.

I can't believe it.