Legacy of Narnia: The Enchanted Quest

Return to love

"WITHDRAWAL!" my voice echoed over the now quiet battlefield. Immediately the confused heads of the Narnians turned towards me. "What do you mean?" Rhincs' confused face turned towards me. "We have them right here. We can defeat them," Robin added with a confused tone.

"This is not our decision. Aslan has made his pick. This story is older than time and not in our hands to be decided," I explained in a firm tone. The confused looks turned towards Caspian. I could clearly see him thinking about what he was going to say next. "You heard her. Withdrawal. This is an order from Aslan himself. We return from this battlefield as victors. Let's not return as murderers," Caspian commanded. The confused looks of the Narnians turned into anger, but one by one they trotted upwards the hill. On their way, they collected our fallen and wounded soldiers.

As only Caspian and I stayed behind, the mad ones still not moving, Malothar rose from his stance. "What a dumb decision, little girl. Now you are all alone and you will sadly die," his grin started to spread over his face again, but a cold laugh that escaped my throat made his confidence falter. "Oh, but Malothar, I am not alone. I was never alone. Aslan is always with me." With a strong leap, the lion jumped over the rows and rows of mad ones, and I could recognize the shock on the wizard's face. He had forgotten about the lion.

"Return, my children," Aslan commanded us, and we turned our horses around, following the trail of our army. The deadly silence was sliced with a loud roar and a piercing scream. But I didn't turn around. I felt a heavy weight lift off my soul and I glanced over to Caspian as we left the battlefield behind us.Our eyes met, and I gifted him a warm smile. "Thank you for saving me," I told him. He returned my smile and answered, "I should say the same thing. Without you, Narnia would have been doomed. I am sure you've made your family proud." And with a somber feeling, we returned to the castle. We passed the secret cave, and with one last glance at the inscription,

"When Aslan bares his teeth, winter meets its death. When he shakes his mane, we shall have spring agai,"

I finally understood how much Aslan meant to the Narnians and how much he meant to my family.

We rode all day and night until we passed Rhincs' home. His daughter and wife awaited him on the front door, and with tears of joy, they embraced him tightly. "Thank you, your majesty, for returning him safely again. We will forever be in your debt," Gael and Rhincs' wife hugged the king tightly until they finally turned to me. "My Queen, you inherited the good heart of your family. We will forever be grateful for your help in freeing Narnia."

As we left the hut, we traveled further down the river until we reached a mess of a tavern. People were dancing around a fire in front of the tavern, packing their belongings and venturing in every direction. A spirit of optimism had packed every single Narnian, and as they recognized us coming through the forest lines, the cheers grew louder. The music was more upbeat, and everyone hugged everyone.

Hood dismounted his horse and came over to Caspian and me. "I am proud to have served under such great rulers as you, my King. I hope to see you soon. My Queen, you are the best thing that happened to Narnia in years." Hood gave us one last of his devilish grins, and with a quick bow, he disappeared into the masses. A big part of our troop followed the party movement, and from there, hundreds of Narnians returned to their homes. With the remainder of the military and the ones that lived around the Castle, we continued our journey in the morning until we reached the river where we had made our first stop, weeks prior.

After a quick discussion, we decided to set up camp for the night, to be well-rested to return to the castle in the morning. As the sun set and after I helped set up the tents and food was already cooking, I noticed an important person missing. I found him on the river bank, the same spot I had watched him bathe that one morning. The vivid images of his body were returning, but I quickly shook them off. I slowly approached Caspian, who watched the sun set, the castle being visible in the distance. With a heavy sigh, I took my place next to him.

"I can't wait to get back and finally sleep on a real bed," I muttered. But he didn't even answer me; he turned to face me and asked a question I had been dreading since we left the battlefield. "What are you going to do when we return? Will you go back to your world, or will you stay?" I let the thought glide through my mind until I lowered my gaze and finally spoke. "I have to return. I miss my family, and I had a life back in England." "But you could also have a life here, with me," he sounded almost desperate. "You know I can't stay. Narnia isn't my home." "But it could be. They all accept you as their queen, and you could stay with me." His Spanish accent was shining through again, and he was losing his composure. "But don't you understand? I could never live here without feeling guilty of leaving my family behind." "But they did the same. The first time they went here. Please Evony, I can't lose you too!" His voice sounded more angry now, and he rose from his place. I followed his example, and we looked deep into each other's eyes. "I am not leaving you, Caspian, and as much as I would miss Narnia and the fact that I never want to leave your side doesn't change the elephant in the room. I am a human that belongs to my world, and I think my path with Narnia has to end here." The pain in his eyes was visible, and it tore my heart apart, but it was the truth. "I'm sorry." But he had already turned around and left into the dark forest. Now I stood alone on the river bank, the singing from the campfire echoing through the trees, but I still felt alone in this world.

"This is the right decision." Aslan suddenly emerged from the forest lines, but I wasn't scared. "I know, but it breaks my heart to leave him." "Your aunt had to make the same decision years ago, but for him, it was only three. You have to understand his situation. He always seems to fall head over heels for the unreachable girl." He now stood next to me and looked over the water. "I don't think he's fallen for me; I think it's just the image of Susan he sees in me." "That is not true, my child. He sees you for who you are." His voice was calm and soothing. "But who am I?" I sounded desperate for answers. "You are Evony Pevensie, daughter of High King Peter Pevensie, rightful heir to the Cair Paravel throne, and the rightful Queen of Narnia. You, Evony, are a child of this country and the warrior who defeated Magothar. You are a Narnian." His words seemed to heal so many wounds within me. All my life, I wondered where I belonged and what my purpose was, but I think I finally found it.

As quickly as the lion had appeared next to me, he disappeared again just as quickly. A quiet murmur suddenly filled the bushes, and my eyes wandered wearily over the plant line. "You were right," Caspian burst through the undergrowth and came to a halt right next to me, towering above me. "About what?" I asked him, confused. "About me, about us, about Narnia. It is selfish of me to make you stay, and you have made your decision. I want you to know that you will always have a place of home here, and if you should ever need me, I will be here," he rambled, his eyes now happier than before. "I want you to know that you will always be a Narnian, and we are always indebted to you. I—" "Oh, fuck this," I broke off his talking streak as I reached for his face, and with my heart beating in my chest, I pressed my lips onto his. Firm but also lovingly. For a quick second of shock, I noticed what I had done and thought it a mistake, but after collecting himself, he grabbed my face and deepened the kiss. The butterflies in my stomach exploded, and I have never felt so happy. Suddenly, my whole life seemed to be complete as I felt him entering my mind and my soul. This was pure happiness.