Fauns dancing around fires. Griffins soaring high. Unicorns galloping across wide fields and centaurs battling giants.
These are things Amelia Cromwell sees every day.
She doesn't know how they happen or why she sees them but every time she looks...
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The ground was covered in a blanket of snow – almost as if the Earth had pulled it on like a coat. Amelia's smile gleamed in the white forest; what a marvellous place it was.
She sat in the snow as many creatures passed by her; some even having the courage to look for affection; deer, beavers, squirrels, mice.
A voice sounded in the midst of the forest behind her. It rolled over her shoulder like the voice of a crowd roaring behind her back.
"Amelia Cromwell," as smooth as silk, it said, "Turn around."
She froze, fear suddenly swallowing her. Who could be wondering around the woods? Other than someone with bad intentions, that is. She faced this fork in the road, wondering what she had gotten herself into. Why had she come to the woods alone? A question that remained unanswered. She did as she was told, despite the anxiety bubbling in the pit of her stomach.
What she faced was definitely not what she expected.
A lion stood before her. His mane was lusciously gold and his coat seemed so antagonistic to its surroundings – he stood out like a drop of blood on a blank sheet of paper, but the light reflecting behind him and off his gold coat made him seem holy... godly even.
Amelia took a shaky breath but calmed herself soon after. There was no chance of the lion speaking to her, right?
"Come forward," he spoke.
She obeyed immediately, feeling like a child adhering to her angry parents. Still, she could not believe the sight in front of her. There was no doubt in her mind that she was going mad, but she could not stomach that odd feeling of recognition; she thought of her strange 'visions' that she saw... a lion roaring.
"W-w-who are you?" Amelia stuttered, the words floating away with her frosty breath.
"I am Aslan," he spoke again, "King of Narnia."
Her eyes widened to the size of saucepans. She scrambled to her knees, not sure what to do with herself.
He chuckled, "I hardly think you should bow to me, Amelia Cromwell."
Amelia glanced at him curiously, "What do you mean?" She could not believe she was talking to a lion – a lion king nonetheless. Although, she had never heard of a place called Narnia before.
"All in due time, dear one, all in due time," he spoke, "I'm afraid we cannot speak for long, but I had to enlighten you. There is something very important that you must know." He paused, Amelia hanging on the thread of his words, before continuing, "Magic is inside everyone, but some are better at finding it and using it. Look inside yourself, channel it, call it – it obeys you."