The Guardian of Narnia

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1300 years later

The Kings and Queens left twenty-five years later. Elvira was with Aslan. She was not pleased with her behaviour, and Aslan knew that, so he took her back under his brotherly wing. He sent her back though, for the arrival. He wanted her to forgive. She promised she would. She, however, would not forget.

She waited in the Treasure Trove of the Kings and Queens in the ruins of Cair Paravel in her lion form. She heard four pairs of feet as she hid in the darkness. She watched the children unpack all their belongings. Peter found a golden plate with Aslan's face on it.

"When Aslan bares his teeth, Winter meets its death," he recited.

"When he shakes his mane, we shall have Spring again," Lucy finished, her face twisted with sadness.

"Everyone we knew. Mr Tumnus and the Beavers. They're all gone," she said. Elvira's eyes flicked. She'd seen their deaths. She watched their burials.

"Darkness in its wake," she said loudly. The four spun around. Peter held his sword out. Elvira ducked his head and walked out into the light.

"Vira!" Lucy said and went to hug her. Peter held his sister back. Elvira looked up at them.

"Where did you go?" she asked.

"We couldn't help it," Peter said.

"I know."

"Why did you ask?"

"Why. A horrible question. For example, why did you exile me after saving your sister from a worse fate?"

"What's this, Peter?" Edmund said, shocked.

"Did you not tell them?"  Elvira said, slightly confused. She did not observe until Aslan sent them back, so did not know this.

"After her transformation at the Southern Isles celebration, Elvira and I had an argument. It was rash. I was angry, and wanted to keep the friendship with Francis and Iris," Peter explained to his siblings.

"So that became the result of the Battle of the Telmarines," Elvira said, "the destruction of Cair Paravel and the near-extinction of Narnia. What did I say, Peter?"

"Bite your tongue. You're still not forgiven. The number of times I had to apologise to Francis-"

"Francis and Iris are dead. You do not know the amount of time you have spent away. It may seem like a year in your world, but it is 1300 since you left us. And 1200 since the near-extinction of Narnia and the Battle of the Telmarines," she said. Suddenly, her ears flickered to a distress sound she knew.

"No more questions," she said, "One of us needs help." She bounded up the stairs and ran down the hill, the four chasing after her.

"What do you mean, one of us?" Edmund yelled after her, "You said we were near-extinct!"

"Yes, Your Majesty. NEAR-extinct," she replied and sped up. A boat was sailing around in the deep waters of the sea, carrying something. A dwarf. A Narnian.

"Susan, arrows!" Peter called.

They held the dwarf, so as to drop him and drown him in the blue. The four Kings and Queens stopped on the white sandy beach and Susan drew her arrow. It hit the boat.

"Drop him!" she yelled. They looked up. They promptly threw the dwarf into the sea. Peter and Edmund ran to the sea and swam to him. The two girls watched in anticipation for them to resurface. They did, with a rather grumpy, tied-up, gagged dwarf in their hands. They reached the surface and cut him from his bonds. He spat up sea water and turned to Susan.

"Drop him!?" he said, throwing down his bonds with much force, "That's the best thing you could come up with?"

"A simple thank you would suffice," Susan said indignantly. Elvira walked up next to her.

"Son of Earth, I do beseech you, treat our monarchs with more respect," she said. He ignored her, and she looked up to the heavens. Dwarves were stubborn creatures.

"They were doing fine drowning me without your help," the dwarf said.

"Maybe we should have let them," Peter said.

"Why were they trying to kill you, anyway?" Lucy asked.

"They're Telmarines. That's what they do," Elvira murmured. The dwarf finally noticed her. His eyes widened.

"Where have you been for the last few hundred years?" he asked.

"It is not for you to know, Dwarf," Elvira replied coldly. The Dwarf's eyes widened as they transferred to Susan returning Peter his sword. He noticed the hilt. The dwarf's eyes looked to Peter then surveyed the four in front of him.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me. You're it? You're the kings and queens of old?" he asked. Peter held his hand out.

"High King Peter... the Magnificent," he said. It was left as Susan gently whispered.

"You probably could have left out the last bit." The dwarf chuckled.

"Probably," he repeated.

"You might be surprised," Peter replied. He drew his sword.

"Oh, you don't want to do that, boy," the Dwarf replied.

"Not me. Him," Peter replied. He looked to his brother who drew his own sword as Peter handed his sword to the Dwarf. He took it and dropped the sword into the sand. Edmund sent a cheeky grin to Peter and his sisters. Without warning, the Dwarf knocked Edmund's sword away and swung. Edmund ducked and the Dwarf hit him in the face. Edmund backed off quickly.

"Edmund!" Lucy said.

"Aww, you alright?" the dwarf asked, sarcasm dripping from his tongue. The two circled around and continue jabbing and lunging at each other. The Dwarf slashed against Edmund's feet, but he jumped with both feet off the ground so that the blow missed. A few seconds later, the Dwarf's sword flew out of his grip. He stared and fell down in the sand.

"Beards and bedsteads! Maybe that horn worked after all," he said. My eyes widened.

"What horn?" Susan asked. Elvira looked to the Dwarf, her gaze asking him, What do you know?