After the End (Narnia)

Chapter XXVI - Preparations

The party continued until first light, full of merriment and stories. The True Narnians had stumbled back to bed with smiles on their faces and music in their heads. Tomorrow was going to be heaven, and hell. Soreness from battle and soreness from parties had never been a good combination.

Lucy woke up weary but excited. Now that the battle was over, there were other things to prioritise, namely the weddings. The excitement of the previous night had only been heightened by Eustace and Jill's engagement, although she had only heard of it a little later when she had woken up from her nap. Two weddings to plan for! It sounded like a mammoth task, but Lucy was completely ready. The fact that her sister and her best friend were getting married only made the idea more thrilling.

She raced out of her room only to find the common areas empty. Of course they're sleeping in, she thought. Yesterday was a big day. The only sound reverberating in the castle came from the parlour, a sweet, lilting melody that lifted her spirits. She ventured downstairs to hear the song more clearly.

Suddenly she was met by a distracted Tumnus, a Narnian flute falling out of his mouth. "I'm so sorry," he apologised. Even in all the years Lucy had known him, Tumnus had never been impolite. Lucy smiled at him, retrieving the flute from the floor.

"What are you doing up this early?" she asked, wrapping her dressing gown around herself. "I'm just ready to start the wedding plans, if I'm honest."

Tumnus laughed. "Lucy, it's not early at all. Right now it's two o'clock in the afternoon. Check if you don't believe me." Surely enough, the clock in the hallway showed that it was indeed five past two in the afternoon.

Lucy shook her head. "I'm still tired, which is the worst thing. I was even caught napping last night, which means I most likely got more sleep than most of the others."

"Napping isn't necessarily a bad thing," Tumnus philosophised. "I believe it can be extremely beneficial."

"Well, I'll take your word for it and try to nap more often," Lucy chuckled. "I could do with some breakfast, actually. Would you care to join me, kind sir?"

"Certainly," Tumnus replied. "I think I know where Aravis hid some of her famous jam, and trust me, it's perfect for a morning like this."

The two sat at a small table in the kitchen in the afternoon light, chatting and laughing as they munched on a mismatched afternoon breakfast. The chequered tablecloth was covered in jam stains and toast crumbs, the last dregs of tea in the best teacups. The scene was messy and more than a little imperfect, but Lucy had never been happier.

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It was three o'clock when the Narnians finally emerged from their chambers, disoriented and sore from fighting. Yawns echoed around the castle as a procession of people and creatures made their way downstairs in search of breakfast. "They look like they're dead," Lucy giggled.

"I heard you," Susan grumbled as she moved around the kitchen. Lucy and Tumnus soon felt claustrophobic in the small space filled with people, deciding to move outside to a place with more fresh air and less grumpy Narnians.

Breakfast seemed to be survival of the fittest as each tired, sore and hungry occupant of the castle scavenged for food. Susan finally managed to procure a halfway decent piece of bread, fighting for a seat at the kitchen table. Jill sat next to her, laughing at her soon-to-be cousin-in-law's predicament. "You could have just gone around the perimeter, you know. It's a million times easier to get to anything that way," she suggested.

Susan sighed. "How are you so chipper?" She herself felt like she was slowly drowning in a tar pit of tempting sleep.

"Well, the excitement of getting engaged does give you a bit of energy," Jill explained.

"I guess. Can I please steal some of your energy?" Susan whined.

"I'm not sure that's something you can steal," Jill snickered. "Besides, I need this energy for wedding planning."

"Wedding planning," Susan groaned. "Caspian wants to get married in two weeks, the ignorant man. I understand he's excited, but if he wants it to happen that quickly, he better be helping with getting everything ready!"

Jill laughed. "I'm more than happy to help, and I'm sure the rest of the girls would be keen as well. You have an army of wedding planners on your side, Susan," she paused. "It might be a little cliche, and more than a little corny, but I think I just came up with a genius idea."

"Go ahead. I'm open to any suggestion at this point."

"How about..." Jill tested. "A double wedding."

Susan smiled. "I agree with you on the corny part...but it could work. We all know the same people anyway."

"Settled then?" Jill asked.

"Settled." The two women spent the rest of the breakfast discussing colours and table settings for the wedding. The tables were full of laughter again as everyone began to fully wake up, remembering the victory and the fun of the day before. A wonderful morning...of sorts.

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"Okay, I call this meeting of the wedding preparation committee to order!" Susan called.

"Is a committee really necessary?" Caspian doubted. "This whole meeting scene comes across as a little extreme."

"This committee is entirely necessary," Susan reassured. "We are attempting to plan the best wedding Narnia has ever seen in the space of two weeks - a mammoth task. We are going to need all hands on deck to make this dream a reality."

Jill nodded. "Our first motion will be to appoint research teams. We need to know what type of centrepieces will be appropriate." The Narnians scurried into small groups.

Eustace and Caspian sat next to each other in the corner of the room. "What on earth are they talking about?" Caspian shook his head.

"I used to think I knew about weddings," Eustace moaned. "Turns out that knowledge was just the tip of the iceberg."