After the End (Narnia)

Chapter V - Homecoming

By the time Susan had wiped away her tears, it had been hours since she had entered the house. Wincing as she exited the wardrobe, Susan realised that she had one more task to complete. The walk downstairs seemed drearier than before, her legs heavy, her eyes red and sore from crying. The darkness of the house now seemed perfectly normal to Susan.

The light outside seemed to burn her eyes as Susan picked up the neglected cleaning supplies. Locking the door and the memories behind her, Susan walked through the gardens surrounding the house. Ah! There. The perfect flowers. They were far from wilted, although they had been ignored for any number of years. Susan picked a bunch of the best flowers and walked through the grounds to the greenest forest clearing in the estate.

The place was more overgrown than when she had last seen it, but it still held a magical charm that Susan greatly appreciated. The clearing boasted nothing but nature - save for a few stones in the centre of the clearing. The graves of Diggory, Polly, and the Pevensie siblings rested in the clearing, with enough peace and quiet that even in death they could recount their Narnian fairytales. Pacing around the headstones, Susan laid a single flower on each of the graves, pausing for a second each time. Here were the people she had loved. The real world seemed to pale in comparison.

Quietly, Susan walked back to the village where she could take a cab home. Subdued by the rollercoaster of emotions she had just experienced, she barely greeted the driver before giving him the address. He was staring at her lipstick, she realised with a sigh. Make up had been one of her favourite hobbies for a few years now, but most people still saw it as indecent. It seemed the only people that wouldn't judge her were those lying in that forest clearing.

The rain began again on the journey back to London, little splats turning into heavy drops in mere minutes. The dirt road was becoming muddier by the minute. The sky grew dark, peals of thunder wracking the minutes of silence Susan had created. A sign appeared on the road, pointing to an unspecified direction. Did that say Narnia? No, she was still delirious. The windscreen wipers were a blur on the windscreen, and the driver was squinting to see past the sudden downpour. "Sorry, miss. We're going to have to pull over," the cabbie apologised. Susan nodded into the rearview mirror and murmured a prayer to Aslan as the cab turned off of the road. She heard a heart-wrenching shattering sound.The world went black.

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It was a beautiful sunny morning in Narnia. Peter woke up early, despite his late night. His archery skills were ridiculously rusty, and he intended to coordinate an archery competition in the next few weeks. A little extra practice wouldn't hurt. Donning a simple tunic, Peter ran outside to the armoury to collect a bow and a quiver of arrows. He laughed at the sheer number of replicas surrounding him. Almost half of Cair Paravel's armoury consisted of replicas of Santa Claus' gifts to the Pevensie children. Selecting a replica of Susan's quiver full of red-tipped arrows, and his own trusty bow, Peter walked to the archery range on the northern side of the castle with a swing in his step. Every day in True Narnia was a good day, but today would be especially good. He felt it in his bones.

Lucy had woken up with the sun that morning, eager for Aslan's surprise to the Narnians. It wasn't supposed to be a massive event, but Lucy felt she should prepare anyway. Grabbing some clothes, she headed towards the forest. There would undoubtedly be wildflowers there that would be suitable. Finding a patch of particularly sturdy daisies, Lucy began to make flower crowns.

Edmund made his way to the kitchen as soon as he woke up. The leftover food from last night would serve well as a make-do breakfast. It had been far too long since he'd embarked on one of his all-important morning walks, and today presented the perfect opportunity. The Narnian revellers would undoubtedly be asleep for another few hours yet, delaying any duties on his behalf for at least that time. Carrying his breakfast outside, Edmund stepped into the fresh morning air with a beaming smile on his face. He had never thought that he would enjoy walking. It had always seemed such a boring pastime as a child. But yet, here he was, slipping his feet into wellingtons and heading out into the wilderness. The sun greeted him like an old friend as he traipsed down the forest path. What a beautiful day.

Susan woke up in an unfamiliar forest. It was no longer raining, but the air was fresh and clean, birds chirping in the trees around her. Standing up groggily, she dusted herself off and observed her surroundings. Wherever she was looked somewhat like England, but the sun was brighter and the air seemed... fresher. A sudden burst of sound echoed from somewhere near the forest. A sharp, twanging sound, almost like an archer's bow. Susan walked towards the direction the sound was coming from, the sound becoming more and more rhythmic as she walked closer.

Finally, Susan stood at the edge of an expansive lawn set with targets. In the distance, a large structure dominated the scenery. A castle? Maybe she had found herself somewhere in the countryside. Walking closer, Susan could see a lone archer practising with red-tipped arrows, shooting with astounding accuracy. He shares my technique, Susan thought with a start. On closer inspection, she saw that the archer was surrounded by another two people, the archer pulling the arrow back while in some sort of conversation. Funny, they look a little bit like my siblings, Susan thought, shaking the idea off almost immediately. Still, it can't hurt to ask them where we are. Susan walked slowly towards them. Strange, the boys did really look like Peter and Edmund. Suddenly, Lucy was running towards her, blowing on Susan's own horn from all those years ago.

"Everyone! Susan's come home!"