Wish [Sequel to Hope]

Chapter 2

Ashlynn was never happier. She attacked each of the Pevensies with bear hugs, clutching them so tight, Lucy had the breath sucked out of her. Ashlynn couldn't believe her luck. She was back in Narnia and reunited with her best friends in less than a second. Lucy pelted her with questions about what she had been up to for the past year. Ashlynn answered every question patiently, even though she she wanted to explore the world around her. Thankfully Edmund interrupted. 

           "Where do you suppose we are?" He inquired. 

Peter gave him a look. "Where do you think?" 

           "I don't remember any ruins in Narnia," Edmund mused. 

Ashlynn followed Edmund's gaze to the cliff above them, finally noticing the looming ruins above them. She scoured her brain for any information on the ruins of Narnia, but she came up with nothing. She, like Edmund, couldn't recall any ancient rubble ever being present in Narnia. 

             "Maybe we should check it out then," she offered, already starting to walk towards the cliff. The rest followed her, too curious to argue. 

The small group hiked up the side of the mountain with surprising ease, finding a small path embedded into the side. Ashlynn couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity the place brought her. 

They reached the top of the cliff within the hour, hardly breaking a sweat. Ashlynn and Lucy immediately took off, eager to explore their surroundings. Ashlynn heard Peter mumble something along the lines of, "Every time," and she shook her head in amusement.  

Ashlynn memorized every inch of the ruins. She could hear Lucy wandering through the trees beside her. Ashlynn gazed in wonder, excited to discover what secrets the ruins held. She ran her fingers across a pillar, feeling the grooves and swirls of the past design. A sudden feeling of nostalgia overcame her. 

Ashlynn's curiosity got the best of her, and she soon found herself wandering far away from the crowd. She pushed her way through the gnarled branches of the overgrown trees and entered a large meadow, looking out over the glittering sea below. Ashlynn combed her brain for any recollection of the place. She couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity she received when she walked into the clearing.

A loud rustling interrupted her thoughts, and she turned to see the rest of the Pevensies also entering the clearing. Lucy walked over towards Ashlynn, a puzzled expression on her face. 

       "I wonder who lived here?" She asked, taking in the sight before her. 

Susan knelt down to pick something up off the ground. In her hand she held a small gold figurine, resembling a centaur. Ashlynn immediately recognized it as a piece of her and Edmund's chess set. 

       "I think we did," Susan murmured, showing the siblings her finding. 

       "Hey, that's mine! From my chess set," Edmund exclaimed, grabbing the piece. 

       "Which chess set?" Peter inquired. 

Ashlynn rolled her eyes. "Well he didn't exactly have a solid gold chess set back in Finchley, did he?" 

Lucy suddenly let out a gasp, running over toward the edge of the cliff. 

        "It can't be," she mumbled. 

Lucy grabbed each of the siblings and began lining them up in a straight line. Ashlynn stood on the far end, next to Edmund. 

       "Imagine walls, and columns there," Lucy explained while moving them. "and a class roof." 

Once Lucy had finished describing the ruins, Ashlynn knew where they were. 

        "Cair Paravel," Peter spoke, confirming their suspicions. 

The group broke out of their trance almost immediately, determined to find out what had happened to their once beautiful home. Ashlynn stuck to Edmund's side, knowing well that he would be the one to figure it out. 

       "Catapults," Edmund announced while kneeling next to a large rock. "This didn't just happen, Cair Paravel was attacked." 

Ashlynn couldn't believe her ears. Who would want to destroy such a beautiful place. Tears began to prick her eyes, but she fought them back, wanting to appear strong. 

       "And you know what we do when we are attacked." 

The group quickly rushed over to pull back the stone door next to them. Edmund and Peter tugged the door back, revealing rotten wood. Peter punched the fragile planks back, successfully opening up the dark pathway. Ashlynn watched curiously as Peter began tearing the edge of his shirt off, wrapping it around a stick. 

       "I don't suppose," Peter asked, tying the cloth off. "you have any matches, do you ?" 

Edmund reached into his satchel, a smirk on his lips. 

       "No," Edmund pulled out a torch. "Would this help?" 

Peter shook his head in annoyance. "You might have mentioned that a bit sooner!" 

The group chuckled as Edmund lead the way down the narrow staircase. As they rounded a corner, Ashlynn glanced back to see Lucy pause in her steps. 

        "Come on Lu," Ashlynn told her, gently pulling her arm. 

The small group entered the chamber room in utter disbelief, amazed that everything was just the way they had left it all those years ago. Ashlynn hesitantly walked up to her chest, pull the lid upwards gently. A small cloud of dust escaped from the sealed container, making Ashlynn cough. Atop mountains of folded dresses and mementos lay Ashlynn's silver dagger. She gripped it tight and pulled it out of it's sheath, admiring it's shine. 

       "I was so tall," Lucy spoke holding one of her dresses up to herself. 

       "Well you were older then," Ashlynn told her. 

       "As opposed to hundreds of years later," Edmund explained, "when you're younger."

Suddenly Peter slowly approached his chest, blowing away the layers of dust. Ashlynn could hear Susan and Lucy talking in the distance, but she was too focused on Peter's actions. She watched intently as he pulled his sword out of his chest, admiring it just as Ashlynn had with her dagger. 

       "When Aslan bears his teeth, winter shall meet its death," Peter read the engraving. 

       "When he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again," Lucy finished. "Everyone we know, Mr. Tumnus and the Beavers... they're all gone." 

Peter looked up at his sisters, a determined look in his eyes. "I think it's time we found out what's going on."  

Word Count: 1027

[Not Edited]

A/N: Holy crap guys! I am so so sorry for not updating! I've had some serious writers block and I've been working on some of my other stories. I'm going to try to update more frequently, but no promises. Thanks to all who have stuck it out!