𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐝𝐨𝐦 || Edmund Pevensie

XXIII

"When death takes my hand, I will hold you with the other and promise to find you in every lifetime."
- Unknown

Narnia, 2557.

Olivia had a list of things she wanted to do before she died.

She had managed to accomplish most of them before her passing. Other things she managed to do after her death, but it still counted. One of those things was: do something very stupid, which she just did.

The girl didn't know how much time she spent there, just sitting on dry grass, pondering what the hell she had done.

She was going to meet up with Tash– the Tash. What in the absolute hell? It seemed difficult to remember that Aslan had a reason why he proposed such a thing to Olivia, why he asked it.

Olivia seemed to have trouble remembering everything would be okay; she would be okay, her kingdom would be okay. It was much harder than it seemed.

When the weather grew cold, Olivia began walking aimlessly back to the tower, only to find it locked– Tirian and the others had left.

For a moment, she didn't know where to go. She sat there in front of the wooden door, stomach rumbling in hunger and throat aching in thirst. The idea of home was so appealing, even though she didn't know whether home was Cair Paravel or Edmund.

"She's here!" A voice in the distance called, but Olivia was too confused and distant to try and recognise the voice. She needed food. And water.

Her eyes were watering, a tad blurry from tears– or what is because she was dizzy? At this point, she felt like dying. Again.

The last thing she felt before closing her eyes was a pair of strong arms holding her up, and then everything went black.

━ ◦ ❖ ◦━

Olivia felt a single drop of water fall on her cheek, stirring her awake.

Her eyes opened to a mossy green roof covered in tree roots, which wasn't very tall. Confused, she turned her head to the side, finding a small bedside table with a glass of water and a bowl of fruits. A blanket was spread on her body, and a wet towel was placed on her forehead.

She tried to recognise the place she was in, but it didn't ring any bells. It was unfamiliar, walls her hands had never touched, a ground she had never stepped in. Yet, she seemed to be treated too carefully to be in enemy territory. What kind of kidnapper who wanted to harm her would put her in such a nice state?

The girl took the towel off her head, carefully sitting up and gladly reaching out for the water. She drank the entire glass in a single sip. Next, she reached for the fruit bowl, grabbing a fresh and succulent pear.

A small head peeked inside the room, furry and curious. It was a cat, a white feline with blue eyes that reminded Olivia of Susan's eyes. Her mind clicked, remembering him as Henrie the cat, a member of her secret court of spies.

"Your majesty," He called, and she couldn't help the smile that etched on her lips like sticky glue. It felt nice to see someone familiar.

"Henrie," She responded, carefully getting to her feet. The cat widened his eyes and gestured for someone to come and help her. A familiar faun, Deborá, rushed into the room, steading Olivia as she got to her feet.

She felt a little dizzy when standing up, but with the help of Deborá, she got out of bed and went through the door, finding a cosy living room that reminded her of the beaver dam, where she took refuge in a time that seemed in another life.

In the living room, a couple of torches were glued to the walls and covered in glass, bringing light to the inside but careful not to burn the tree roots that formed the place. A big round table was right in the middle, next to a counter, and behind it was an improved kitchen. Sitting at the table were a couple of familiar faces, a number of her spies.

They all immediately got to their knees, bowing before Olivia as she walked in front of them. But Olivia hugged each of them, startling the Narnians– both human and animal– with the sudden touch.

"Your majesty," Began Ian, a man who had just turned 20 and a faithful member of her spies, commonly disguised as a Calormene. "It's good to see you're better."

She gulped, looking around. "How long was I asleep?"

"A couple of hours, your majesty."

"Olivia." She insisted, correcting him.

"Olivia." He agreed, but her name rolled off his tongue a tad weirdly.

The Queen looked around the room. "Where are we? Why aren't we in Cair Paravel?" She asked, confused.

The uncomfortable looks her spies shared didn't go unnoticed by Olivia, and it made her very uncomfortable. Her mind didn't have any space for bad news at the moment.

"Your maj– I mean, Olivia," Ian began speaking, clearing his throat. "We can't go to Cair Paravel at the moment."

"Why is that?"

"Cair Paravel has fallen, Olivia." He explained sadly. "There is no more Narnia."

It seemed like the world had stopped. Deborá's arms wrapped around her waist, keeping her from falling. Her mind seemed to be entering a state of collapse, slowly processing information.

Home. Fallen. When she decided to die in the other world, in England, she thought she would at least have a home. But now? Not even that she had. She failed as a Queen, as a wife, as a granddaughter, as a friend.

This was who she was now. A failure, a disappointment. And worse, this was not the first time she failed her kingdom, the place she swore to protect.

For years, everything she was– she was a Queen, everything resumed to that. And what kind of Queen didn't have a kingdom and allowed for her people to be conquered, massacred?

Who was she supposed to be now? Just... Olivia? She couldn't be just Olivia, not without Narnia, without Edmund, without her spirit.

"What about the people who were there?" She asked in a whisper, Deborá caressing her hand in a friendly manner, just like Lucy used to do.

"Killed or taken as slaves by the Calormenes," Ian responded, Henrie taking a seat on the stool near the table. "Very few managed to escape. We never saw the attack coming, 20 ships suddenly coming from the sea, with a brand new form of cannons."

She nodded slowly—a planned attack. Maybe, if she had been home, it could've been different.

A couple of other familiar faces entered the room, a few wrapping their arms around Olivia, others deciding to keep their distance. The few refugees, the survivors that didn't get captured, were all here, watching her cry her eyes out.

"Your majesty?" Called a little bear, being held by his mother, curling around her furry arm. "What do we do now?"

And for the first time in her life, Olivia said: "I don't know." With her voice croaked, a sob desperately trying to escape her lips.

"Are you sure?"

It couldn't be. It absolutely couldn't be. But, with Jill and Eustace also in Narnia, what was impossible?

So, Olivia turned her head towards the direction of the voice, only to find Lucy Pevensie with a smirk on her face and arms crossed in front of her chest.