Where the Lamppost Flickers

Knights and seed pearls

It may comfort the reader to know that Peter had his talk with Edmund and was gradually able to get his squire to stop drinking. True, it was something of a hard running at first; and Susan was none too pleased with her brother, rather in the same way a mother is more angry with her own child rushing out recklessly into overt danger than she is with a stranger. Anyone else who had recently become a drinker merited pity from her, whereas her little brother got a scowl, tears, and angry facial expressions by the bucket-load.

Lucy was never told anything at all about this point of time in Edmund's life. This period was the dark age of the Philippe boy's existence, and he preferred not to harp on it. So, without going into detail, it would be sufficient to say that-with help-he kicked his own enforced habit, started going on more and more trips to where ever Sir Peter would send him (since he seemed less inclined to touch drink if he was away from the common, now-bleak, sights of his home village), and eventually qualified for knighthood himself.

In the meantime Lucy had been crowned queen in one of the grandest ceremonies seen in Narnia in at least a half-decade. A silver crown that was solid-but not at all heavy-with eight diamond diadems was placed on her head, and everyone shouted, "Long live the queen!"

One group of small animals-squirrels, beavers, and ermines-standing up on their hind legs, clearly talking creatures as opposed to the other kind, had come in and watched the coronation from behind the legs of a very tall black-and-white centaur, and had cried out, after everyone else had finished and the room was slowly retreating back into dead-silence, "Long live Queen Lucy!"

This was so unexpected, and so funny how it happened out of turn, that Lucy's serious, anxious little face that had, up till then, been peering down nervously from the great dais at her courtiers and high-ranking subjects, began to smile and then to giggle madly.

Everyone present-including Caspian, Rilian, and the small animals who had caused the laughter in the first place-thought she was a perfect darling for it, and adored the new queen all the more so. Even those who had stubbornly willed themselves not to like her couldn't help noticing the natural goodness in this child, thinking rather that with the passing of time she might grow up to be a very wonderful queen after all. She was already loveable; most of the castle folk at Cair Paravel thought they would willingly lay down their lives for her at the drop of a hat; so such an out-come was not unlikely.

"How do you feel?" Caspian asked afterwards, leading her down from the dais after the coronation was completed.

"I don't know," Lucy whispered, her cheeks flushed pink, "ask me later."

That very night there had been a ball in her honour and she'd danced with her husband the king, though they did look such a very odd pair to everyone except for apparently Rilian, who had at first loved his stepmother only out of duty but now felt the sun rose on her in the mornings instead of on the east, and said quite clearly that they were the prettiest sight in the castle since his dear first mother had been lost in death.

A week after this, a letter from Peter arrived which read:

My dear sister Lucy,

How are you? I hope all is well for you, and regret not coming and finding out for myself.

I am terribly sorry I missed your coronation-I apologize for this both as your elder brother and as a knight of the court of Narnia, as I'm sure the other knights were all present-and that I was not near the east as quickly as I promised. Some complications came to light that compelled me to send out a companion of mine on a much needed trip, and to do some traveling in Ettinsmoor myself. (Grandfather says Hello, by the way).

While in Ettinsmoor I had the misfortune of meeting up with some giants. As it is my duty as a knight of Narnia to fight and to keep the borders safe as far as it depends on me, I was detained. Now, don't get upset, I know you, Lu, and that as you're reading this, you must be panicking over my safety, but I assure you I am completely unharmed