Becoming a Lioness (Book 2)

Chapter 44 The Portal

"How is she?" I asked as I peeked my head into Susan's room. Lucy glanced up at me, placing the rag back into the
bowl of the water she had been running across her sisters forehead, and rose to her feet.

"No change. She's been shivering a bit. Any word from Aslan?"

"Not that I know of." After finding Susan passed out Peter had carried her up to her room where she was immediately inspected by a few of our nurses who had left the room a little while ago saying they needed to speak to Aslan.

I changed out of my dress a few moments ago and was sure that Peter and Edmund were doing the same now. "Lucy, why don't you go change? I'll watch her."

She nodded sadly, rubbing her hand under her eye as if she was wiping away a tear that had yet to fall as she exited the room, mumbling an 'excuse me' to Peter as they crossed paths.

He quietly took a seat beside me and took my hand in his, focusing on drawing lazy patterns on my palm. I smiled lightly at him and brushed a few strands of hair out of his face. "She'll be okay." I whispered reassuringly.

"I hope you're right." Peter replied in a meek voice. "We can't have one moment of piece, can we?" When I didn't respond Peter took the opportunity to continue talking. "Those few months before the ball and the Pirates were the best months of my life."

"I bet. You actually had time to breath." I sighed, turning my full attention to him as he tilted my face towards his.

"No, well, yes that's true, but that's not why. It's because that was the longest I've ever been able to spend that much time alone with you. I loved showing you so many of Narnias secrets and watching your beautiful eyes light up with curiosity. You get the most astounding look on your face when you're learning something new, it's breath taking." I felt my heart rate speed up as he leaned closer, grazing his lips across my earlobe. "I can't wait to witness that expression some-" He paused mid sentence as someone cleared their throat and knocked lightly on the ajar door.

"I beg your pardon your majesties." One of the female badgers known as Raiplin bowed. "Aslan has requested your company. King Edmund and Queen Lucy have already been summoned."

"Thank you." Peter cleared his throat as he straightened his shirt and nodded stiffly in the awkward situation.

Raiplin smiled slightly at me in knowing as she bowed once more and quickly exited. I place my right hand against my flushed skin and felt my heart beating against it. "We should go, then."

Peter nodded and quickly stood, offering his hand to me, which I accepted, before escorting me to Aslan. We made our way to a room I had not spent much time in. It was almost as large as the thrown room and was painted the same color, with a large dining table in the center that nearly took up all the space.

Aslan stood at the head of the table with Lucy and Edmund to his right, leaving the two chairs closest to him on the left open for us. We each took a seat and sat in silence for a moment.

"What news?" Peter asked after a while.

"I'm afraid Queen Susan has been poisoned."

I sat back roughly, my back landing against the chair with a thud. "Is there a cure? Surely there is, right?" I asked.

"There is." Aslan replied slowly. "However, here in lies the problem. Susan has ingested a very rare poison, one that is not at all common to this world, and I'm afraid the same can be said of the cure."

"So what can we do?" Edmund asked, leaning forward a bit. "Just sit here while she withers and dies?"

"Ed!" Lucy exclaimed, smacking his arm.

"Wait," Peter started, reaching for my hand under the table and locking our
fingers together, pulling my hand to rest with his on his thigh. "If the cure is not common to this world, where is it native to?"

Aslan nodded to him. "That would be the question, wouldn't it? The particular poison comes from your world. I have a portal that will send you back to the exact place you were before you ended up here, as if no time has passed. Just as before, you will have your memories, but no one from your world will have even noticed your absence." He paused, glancing at each of us. "That will be the only way to save Queen Susan. The question that now presents itself is will all of you accompany her, or will some of you remain in Narnia?"

~Dun, dun, dun!! One more chapter before the end of this book:( But no need to worry! The third book in the series will be up shortly after and will be.... Let's just say, a bit more focused on Edmund and his love life;) Thank you all so much for the support :)