goodbye.

20.

Lucy lay in her brother's arms and looked as if she was sleeping. Caspian stroked her hair and kept repeating how sorry he was. Just then Lucy made a slight mumbling sound. She sounded slightly dazed but scared. Edmund lifted his sister and her eyes fluttered open and she smiled up at the two kings, who both gasped with joy and sighed as they hugged her. "Don't ever do that again." Edmund breathed as he hugged her. Lucy nodded and laughed. Edmund soon was also chuckling as was Caspian. "How did you do it?" Caspian finally said pulling away. Lucy smirked and replied coolly, "A good friend of ours gave me a cordial that could cure anything." Edmund shook his head disbelief. "So I kept it in the petticoat and doused this dress in it." she continued. Caspian chuckled as Edmund stood up and helped Lucy to her feet. Suddenly the three heard footsteps- or rather hooves- and they saw a young faun. Lucy smiled and ran towards the young faun and hugged her. The young faun looked over Lucy's shoulder in surprise and shock. Edmund indicated she was safe. The young faun smiled and hugged back. "Thank you." Lucy whispered in her ear. The young faun smiled and sighed happily, "No- I ought to thank you, Your Majesty."
"Well thank you- uhm- I never caught your name?"
"Fauna Tumnus, ma'am."
"Thank you Fauna."
The young faun looked at the young Queen and hugged her again.

Walking towards the kings, Lucy stood beside them and exhaled and together the Kings and Queen walked out of the building towards Aslan who was stood on a great boulder. The sight of the fight was truly graphic. There were a few soldiers who had bandaged heads, some were obviously deceased and were covered by dirty cream coloured sheets. There were a lot of deceased guards that were of dwarves and minotaurs. The rest were patching people up and they all looked exhausted. Andrew was being helped and had a few cuts and bruises but nothing tragic. He caught the eye of the three and raised a cup of some unknown concoction. Aslan looked at the three young adults and sighed. "Aslan." Lucy said worriedly as the Great Lion sat down on the boulder then lay on his stomach.
"Child. I am older now as are you. I trust you are well." The lion purred. Lucy nodded. "Good." He continued. The three continued to look at Aslan who then sat up and looked into their eyes from his warm, amber ones. "Once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen of Narnia." He purred. The three looked at each other and nodded in agreement and recognition. "Where is the faun?" He continued as Fauna approached. She looked at the lion in amazement. "I appoint you as the Lady Fauna of the Northern Fjords." Fauna gasped and thanked him. Turning back to the three, he sighed as he said, "But as you know. King Edmund and Queen Lucy and their dear friend Andrew must return."
"Will we ever come back?" Lucy asked, her voice thick with sadness.
"When the end of Narnia approaches and when the stars rain down from the Heavens my Child." The Great Lion said looking at the young Queen. She furrowed her eyebrows at the answer but she understood. It was time to go home.