My Narnian Tale

Chapter 2

So, I said I came face to face with someone. I should correct myself. Right on the other side of the door was a young man, his back towards me. However, I was not paying attention and walked right into him, causing myself to land right on my tailbone with a small scream. I looked up and saw two other men, in what looked like knight costumes and the young man whom I had walked into. He was wearing a deep red cloak that blocked the rest of his clothes. Upon feeling me crash into him and hearing my scream, the three men looked in my direction. The two "knights" drew swords and pointed them at me. The young man turned around and I couldn't believe who I was seeing. It was Peter Pevensie from the Narnia films. He looked exactly like the actor that played him; William Moseley. He only looked a little bit older than he did in his cameo in Voyage of the Dawn Treader. He looked the same age as me. He looked down at me and smiled.

"Hello there, miss. Who might you be?" he asked in a kind voice.

"Ummm... I'm Elizabeth Ryan. Where am I?" As much as I wanted this to be Narnia, I knew it couldn't be. The Narnia books and films are works of fiction. There was no way they were real.... Right?

"You're in Narnia. Allow me to introduce myself: I am High King Peter. I think I know how you got here, but why don't you come to the castle with me and I can explain everything." He suggested. He held his hand out to me to help me up and I accepted it, in complete shock. I shook my head, not believing what I was hearing.

"No. I can't possibly be in Narnia. Narnia isn't real. It's in books and movies. It was created by C.S. Lewis. I can't possibly be here." I ranted. 'King Peter' looked at me concerned, and then a look of understanding spread across his face. He looked to the guards and nodded. They sheathed their swords and stepped away from me and Peter.

"Elizabeth, if you come to the castle with me, I will explain everything. I expected something like this would happen. Don't worry, everything will be fine. Alright? I looked back to where I had entered and saw nothing. Well, I saw more forest but I didn't see the doorway into my room. I looked back at Peter, slightly freaking out. He nodded at me reassuringly. I decided I might as well go with him since there seemed to be no way of getting back to my room. As much as I wanted this to be Narnia, I still had my doubts. And to be honest, I was a little scared.

"Alright. I'll come with you, as long as you promise to explain what is going on."

"Of course, now, come on. I would like to get back before night falls. My siblings will be wondering where I am. I only have one horse so you'll have to hold onto me. I hope that is alright." I simply nodded, still in shock at what's going on. He got onto the horse and helped me up. We then made our way to the castle.

After a silent, ten-minute trip, we broke through the edge of the forest and met with a giant castle. Not only was it giant but it looked exactly like Cair Paravel did in the first film. I gasped in shock. It was even more beautiful in real life. I saw the entire castle and behind it, I could make out what I figured were the cliffs that overlooked the sea. Peter turned his head so he was looking at me out of the corner of his eye.

"Miss Elizabeth Ryan, I welcome you to Cair Paravel." He announced.

"It's.... amazing" I breathed. Peter gave a light chuckle as we slowed down and entered the citadel. After a few more minutes, we arrived at the steps that led into the castle and someone that I figured was a servant came out to hold onto the reins. Peter got off and then helped me down. We made our way into the castle, Peter occasionally glancing at me to gauge my reaction. I was in complete awe at this whole situation. Peter led me down a corridor. I got my first good look at him. He was definitely around my age. He had no facial hair and his hair was perfectly styled. Even though he wasn't wearing a crown, he looked very regal. You could still see the boy from 1940s England, underneath the great king exterior. He looked towards me and saw that I was staring.

He smiled back and said, "Don't worry Elizabeth. My siblings and I will explain everything." We came upon a big oak door and a guard held it open for us. Peter and I walked in and were met with the other Pevensies. Like Peter, they looked exactly like the actors that portrayed them in the films. They all hugged Peter and looked at me. A look of surprise appeared on their faces and they looked towards Peter.

"Might I introduce you all to Miss Elizabeth Ryan. Elizabeth, these are my siblings, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. Elizabeth appeared at the northern doorway, which closed right after she came through. She seems to already know about all of us and Narnia as well as our friend, Mr. Lewis. I told her we would explain everything." Peter told his siblings. They all smiled at me before coming up to shake my hand. They each introduced themselves and Peter ushered me into one of the chairs at the small table near the fireplace. He took a seat next to me and his siblings sat around the table.

"So, Elizabeth, what do you know about Narnia and us?" Susan asked.

"Well, I read the books when I was younger and I saw the films when they came out. I know that it's a magical land and that you all are the kings and queens, Peter being the high king. You guys defeated the White Witch when you first arrived. You're from Finchley and you arrived here while World War II was going on. But I don't understand how you're still here. Time isn't supposed to pass in the real world while you're here but it has. I'm from the year 2017." Upon hearing this, the four siblings looked at each other, nervousness evident on their faces.

"The prophecy was right. Peter, don't you see? It was right. Oh dear. What happened to mother and father? What do they think happened to us? Elizabeth, you're absolutely sure of this?" Edmund ranted off.

"Well of course, she's sure. Who would lie about something like this?" Lucy said. I was so confused right now. What prophecy are they talking about?

"Alright. Elizabeth is obviously telling the truth and she deserves the same from us. Listen Elizabeth," Peter started "we figured this would happen eventually. The man you speak about, C.S. Lewis, he was a friend of ours. He appeared in Narnia just after we defeated the White Witch. We told him all about us and before he went back to his home in our world, he asked if he could write a book about us. We told him yes and he said that only one book would be a true story and he would make the others up. That's where the other books you read came from. A little while after he left, a prophecy was decreed. It said that the passing of time here in Narnia and back in our world would change. For every year here, 20 years would pass in our world. But, when someone from our world arrived, the original passage of time would return. You are confirmation that the prophecy was true. Well, at least the first part is true. We will eventually know if the second part is. We have had guards on every possible doorway into Narnia for this reason. When you arrived, I was making my daily rounds to the northern guards because they had sent word that a doorway had opened. Then you arrived in those clothes and I realized that time had passed in the other world. The guards at your entry point will remain there until the doorway reopens." Peter finished explaining to me. I sat there in shock. What if time didn't go back to its normal passing and 20 years would go by in the real world while I was here for a year? What would my friends and family think? I started to cry. This can't be happening. I have always wanted to find Narnia and now that I'm here, I'm scared. Peter put his hand on top of mine that was resting on the table. Susan came over to me and rubbed her hand on my arm, trying to calm me down.

"Here Elizabeth, why don't Lucy and I take you to your room. We can help you find something to wear and we can relax a bit. You can tell us all about the world that you know." Susan suggested. I nodded my head and stood up. Peter told me he would come and see me later on.