High Queen || Narnia Fanfiction (DISCONTINUED)

the professor's house

We travelled for hours more on the train, and soon we were the only children left. It became quite a drowsy journey as the hours wore on, and it became a very silent train, too. Suddenly the train ground to a halt beside an old-looking train station in the middle of nowhere, with mud tracks instead of roads. We hopped off the train with our  cases, and waited above the steps leading up to the station. "The professor knew we were coming," said Susan. "Perhaps, we've been incorrectly labeled," said Edmund, checking his label. Suddenly a car drove up to the station. We ran down the steps to meet it, but it didn't stop. It drove straight past us, across the train tracks, and into a small forest with a muddy track, and was gone.

I sighed impatiently and bounced on the balls of my feet. "Where is he?" I said. "Surely he'd deign to pick us up, he did apply to take evacuated children!" Suddenly a woman on a horse and cart drove up, with red hair in a plaited bun at the back of her head. "Mrs. McReedy?" Peter asked nervously. "I'm afraid so," sighed Mrs. McReedy. "Is that it, then? Haven't you brought anything else?" she asked, looking us up and down. "No, ma'am," said Peter, "it's just us."

We drove up to the professors massive house, and we all looked on in awe as it got closer and closer. When we entered the huge front double doors, Mrs. McReedy instantly started talking. "The professor is not accustomed to having children in the house," she began, with her usual snappy tone. "So, naturally, there will be a few rules in place. There will be no runnin', or shoutin'-" Susan reached out to touch one of the marble carvings at the top of the stairs leading to the entrance if the house, "NO touchin' of the historical artefacts," she said, furiously. Peter, Edmund and I looked at each other with a look that said, 'jeez, what is her problem?'

** Hours later **

Peter, Susan, Lucy and I were in the bedroom I shared with Lucy and Susan, and Lucy was lying in her bed, the wireless was playing, Peter was looking out of the window, and I was at the desk that the wireless was on, making something for Lucy. She sniffed and said, "these sheets feel scratchy." "Wars don't last forever, Lucy," said Susan, as Peter sat on the edge of Lucy's bed and Susan leaned against one of the posts on the four poster bed. "We'll be home soon," she said. Peter looked at Susan approvingly, as if to say, 'well done Susan, that was handled very well'. "Yeah, if home's still there," said Edmund, coming into the room. "Shouldn't you be in bed," said Susan, not sounding happy. "Yes, Mum," said Edmund, sarcastically. "Ed!" Peter almost shouted. Edmund sighed and went back to bed.

I got up from the chair I was sitting in, and went over to Lucy, sitting on the other side of her bed. "Here," I said, handing her a toy aeroplane. "If it's a rainy day, just play with this, and you'll feel happy, it made me very happy when I went to school, before the war, but I think you'llenjoy it just as much" I said, smiling, as I handed her the toy plane that had given me so much joy before I'd left school. "Yes, she's a beauty," said Peter looking at the plane. "I am very jealous of you, Lucy!" He grinned. "Beth, will you sing to me?" Lucy asked. "Of course," I replied. I closed my eyes and began to sing Soldier, Poet, King:

"There will come a soldier
Who carries a mighty sword
He will tear your city down, o lei o lai o lord
O lei, o lai, o lei, o lord
He will tear your city down, o lei o lai o lord

There will come a poet
Whose weapon is his word
He will slay you with his tongue, o lei o lai o lord
O lei, o lai, o lei, o lord
He will slay you with his tongue, o lei o lai o lord

There will come a ruler
Whose brow is laid in thorn
Smeared with oil like David's boy, o lei o lai o lord
O lei, o lai, o lei, o lord
Smeared with oil like David's boy, o lei o lai o lord O lei, o lai, o lei, o lord

He will tear your city down, o lei o lai, o lord," when I opened my eyes again, Lucy was fast asleep. Peter crept out of the room, and beckoned me to come with him. "You really didn't have to give Lucy your favourite toy," he whispered. "Yes, but I think she needed it more than I did," I whispered back, trying to sound like I didn't mind. "Listen, I know you didn't want to give her it, seeing as you've always been so proud of it," he said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "Yes, I didn't really," I admitted, my shoulders slumping. "Can I talk to you for a second?" I asked Peter. "Of course, Beth, anything," he said openly, and we walked to one if the many spare rooms of the house and we sat down on the chairs. "Listen, nobody else knows this, but- but- but-," I trailed off, my eyes welling up with tears that I couldn't keep in any longer.

"We might lose the house," I blurted, putting it off no longer.  "What?" Said Peter, confused at this new information. "Yes," I said. "The money I've been earning in my job is hardly enough to pay for the house mortgage, let alone the groceries, the other bills, and sending you four to school! Thats why you haven't been getting as much pocket money recently, and why I've collected the post too," I said, putting my head in my hands, and starting to shake with tears.

This was the first time I'd had a proper cry and confided in someone in a while,  and it actually felt quite good just to let my feelings out. "Why have you been collecting the post?" Peter asked, confused. "Because the mortgage notices always come in the post," I explained, tears still falling down my face as I looked into my brother's worried one. "And just before we left, I received this one," I said, pulling a white envelope that had been torn open out of my pocket. It had a big red stamp emblazoned across the tiny lettering of the notice, which said 'FINAL NOTICE'. "This is the third one thats come in the past year," I said, crying hard. "I've just about managed to keep up the payments, but this time I can't, because we're away from home.  The house has gone I to arrears, Peter, I think we're going to lose it," I said,  the tears falling faster and heavier now.

Peter put his arm around me and said "does mum know?" "No," I said, "and please don't tell her, you can tell the others, just not her, please," I begged. "But why not?" He asked. "Because I don't want her to worry," I said, "she has enough to worry about already with dad going away, and if our house will actually withstand the bombing,  I don't want her worrying about anything else on top of that." "OK," said Peter,  and I could almost hear his brain planning to secretly write to her about it, but I didn't voice it. "I'm not going to tell the others, because they'll get worried, but if you don't want me to tell mum, I won't. Does anyone else know?" He asked. "Yes," I said, "the professor, and my boss, who I've already asked for a raise from, but because the economy's failing, he can't." "Beth," Peter said, in his comforting voice, which he saved for when any of us were upset or worried.

"You're too young to be worrying about this stuff, we're twins for goodness sake! We've known each other practically forever, we should ideally be in school together, but under the circumstances, we can't. I'm going to write to mum about it, but ask her if you can still keep your job  because you know whats she's like when we got stressed. She will try to remove you from your job because of whats happening, but there is absolutely no point to that. Try not to worry anymore," he said, giving me a big hug, before walking with his arm around me back to our rooms. I went into my room, but wiping the tears off beforehand, and I said "thank you Peter,  you've really helped me." "That's alright," he said, smiling, "we are best friends."
I went back into the room I shared with Lucy and Susan, and got ready for bed.