serendipity - narnia [EDITING]

chapter 13

Chapter 13
The End of a 1300 Year Nap

A lot can change in 1300 years, but not for Dahlia Fey. The mage had stayed in the same place, looking the exact same, and doing very little other than simply breathing for just over a millennium.

Her body floated over the Stone Table, protected by Aslan's How, waiting for the return of four siblings - the Pevensies. Or as the citizens of Narnia called them, the kings and queens of old.

Soon after the Pevensies left Narnia and returned to their own world, Narnia fell into an age of darkness. Narnian citizens were slaughtered and the few survivors were forced to go underground, hiding from the Telemarines who conquered their land. Hence why Aslan's How was built.

For the last 1300 years, most Narnians never lost hope that their mage would awaken and save them. None of them really grasped the concept that unless the Pevensies were in Narnia, Dahlia would remain in a state of unconsciousness being rather unhelpful to their cause (which was decidedly not her fault). The Narnians carefully constructed the How around her to keep her body safe, even going as far as to lay out new clothes for Dahlia should she wake up. The dress she'd worn during her thousand-year coma was much too big for her, an unfortunate side effect of her rapid de-aging when the Pevensie siblings left Narnia.

So there she stayed within the walls of the How, immobile and undisturbed. She didn't even have a single dream, until one night, when deep within the forest a horn was blown.

And the mage's mind woke up.

***

Dahlia sat up in a huge field of flowers under a pink sunset sky, her oversized emerald green dress billowing around her. She immediately felt that something was off. She'd helped the Pevensies rule Narnia for 15 years, and lived there for 17 years before that, yet not once had she seen a place like it. The flowers seemed to grow forever in every direction; despite its beauty Dahlia couldn't help but feel that she wasn't actually in Narnia. Her suspicions were technically correct.

"Dahlia." The mage spun around, beaming when she saw the source of the voice. A great lion stood amongst the multi-colored flowers, the last rays of sunlight creating an almost ethereal glow around him.

"Aslan!" Dahlia exclaimed, rushing forward to wrap her arms around the lion's neck. Hands still buried in his mane, Dahlia pulled away and looked out over the infinite field. "This isn't real, is it? It's just a dream." Aslan nodded and stepped back to look Dahlia in the eyes.

"Wise as always, dear one, even after a thousand years." Dahlia's smile fell from her face; she thought she must have misheard him.

"I've been asleep for a thousand years?" she asked, studying his face to see if he was joking.

"Roughly, yes. Let me explain." Dahlia plopped down amongst the flowers, swatting away a daffodil that smacked her in the face; Aslan chuckled and joined her. "As you already know, your soul attached to the Pevensies when they arrived in Narnia. As such, your mind and soul shut down when they were no longer in this world." He paused to give Dahlia a moment to comprehend his words, watching as she admired a light pink tulip next to her.

"So if I'm technically awake again, does that mean they're back?" the mage asked hesitantly, still not quite sure what was going on; she absentmindedly twirled a tall blade of grass around her finger.

"Exactly. Now there is much I have to tell you, but that would take time I'm afraid we don't have," Aslan said, leaning forward and breathing gently on her. The field and Aslan vanished, and visions flashed around the mage. Dryads carrying her body to the Stone Table, the construction of the How, the slaughter of Narnians by Telemarine invaders, the destruction of Cair Paravel, years of Telemarine rule (including King Caspian IX), the birth of Miraz's son, the attempted assassination of Prince Caspian X, his narrow escape with the help of his tutor, and the prince blowing Susan's horn.

Aslan and the field slid back into focus. A tear rolled down Dahlia's cheek; the beautiful Narnia she knew was gone and she'd slept through it all because her soul decided she wasn't allowed to function without the Pevensies.

"I could have helped stop it," she whispered, hanging her head as more tears fell. She didn't even allow herself time to be confused by her de-aged state. The mage felt as though she'd failed the one job given to her by the prophecy - protect Narnia. Aslan lifted her face with one massive paw.

"Don't cry, child. What's done is done, and what happened is certainly not your fault. What's important now is the boy, Prince Caspian. He and a group of Narnians are in the forest, at the Dancing Lawn. You need to go to them."

"But-" the mage started. Aslan cut her off, already knowing the cause of her concern.

"The Pevensies are in good hands. You would know if they were not," he said gently, nodding to the lion pendant around her neck. "This is where I leave you. Be safe, dear one."

***

Dahlia jolted awake, still floating mid-air. She squinted at the darkness as she waited for her eyes to adjust, knowing she was in the How she'd seen in her dream. Dahlia quickly got tired of waiting, so she conjured a fireball and left it hovering in the air. The stone walls were covered in carvings of Narnian creatures and the ground was littered with chunks of rock that used to be the pillars surrounding the Stone Table.

The mage gently dropped herself to the ground, landing beside the cracked Stone Table. Her legs nearly gave out, since she hadn't used them in over a millennium, and she braced herself on the table in front of her.

She focused on one spot on the floor, trying to steady herself and get rid of the spots swirling in her vision. She took a deep breath in and out and was immediately disgusted; apparently magic didn't apply to morning breath, and she'd slept through almost 500,000 mornings. Dahlia pushed aside the fabric of her too-big dress and found a small brown leather pouch attached to a belt that was also far too large. The mage flipped it open and sighed in relief. Inside the pouch was an assortment of different herbs and plants, preserved over the years by a bit of magic.

Because her parents were healers, Dahlia knew how to use dozens of different herbs and had a habit of carrying a sampling around with her wherever she went. She dug through the pouch until she found a few mint leaves, popping them in her mouth as she started to walk around the room; she was looking for the dress she'd seen the Narnians leave out for her in her dream.

She almost tripped over it. Dahlia snapped her fingers, magicking away the thick layer of dust that had formed on the fabric since it was placed there over a thousand years ago. The dress was a deep red color with gold embroidery on the waist and neckline. She changed out of her old dress and into the new one, pulling on the black boots that were also left for her. Dahlia refastened her sword to her back and checked that her crown was still on her head (she'd been wearing both the day she collapsed) then folded up her old dress and left it on top of the Stone Table, turning to make her way out of the room.

As Dahlia wandered through the halls of the How, her path illuminated by the small fireball she'd conjured, she couldn't help but admire the murals adorning most of the walls. One in particular caught her eye; a detailed depiction of herself and the Pevensies on coronation day. The Pevensie siblings were standing in front of their respective thrones, Dahlia positioned in between Peter and Susan's chairs as she was that day. The mage smiled sadly, recalling the vision of Cair Paravel's destruction.

Dahlia could've stared at the mural forever but she forced herself to keep moving; in order to see the Pevensies again, she would have to find Prince Caspian. She ran the rest of the way out of the How, an action she usually despised but it felt invigorating after not moving a muscle for 1300 years.

Dahlia faltered a moment when she burst out of the How's entrance, giving her eyes time to adjust to the light outside. Thankfully it was dusk, so the transition from dark cavern to open air wasn't as abrasive as it could have been. She broke into a run again, pushing off the ground and taking flight for the first time in much too long. The mage spun around in the sky a few times, allowing herself to enjoy the freedom of flight before refocusing on getting to the Dancing Lawn.

She had a prince to find.