The Faded Portrait of a Bygone Era

Written in the Stars

When morning came, the soft light of the dawn filtered through the flap of the tent, coaxing Maggie from her sleep. It was much earlier than she'd normally wake, but she felt more rested than ever, having gone to bed in the early evening the previous day. Lucy and Susan were still asleep, so Maggie slipped out quietly, trying not to wake them.

The sun hadn't risen fully yet, and the sky was brushed with red and gold. Maggie didn't have a destination in mind, but something drew her outside. As she gazed across the camp, taking in the scene, she spotted Oreius out of the corner of her eye. He must have come back from rescuing Edmund. Sure enough, she saw the fourth Pevensie boy following Aslan up to a grassy knoll, no doubt for a lengthy conversation.

Oreius spotted Maggie standing there, and she waved uncertainly. He gave an amused smile, so she headed over to him.

"Hello..."

"My lady," he acknowledged, dipping his head. "Aslan said you might come to speak with me."

Maggie nodded.

"Yeah... I mean, yes. He told me you could teach me about the stars?"

"Indeed, I can... though, perhaps, not at this precise moment."

Maggie laughed softly. "Well that's understandable..." The last of the stars were fading now.

Oreius looked thoughtful. "There is one I can show you... it is fortunate you awoke at this hour. There..." He pointed out a small, glimmering star that almost looked like a miniscule moon. "Aravir, the Morning Star. She greets us every day once the moon has set."

Maggie watched the star in fascination.

"You must study the stars," Oreius said, "Learn their names. For once you know them each by name, you may better understand what they mean to tell you."

Just then, a curious thought occurred to Maggie.

"Will they actually speak to me, with voices?" She paused. "Maybe that's a silly question... it's just that, in my world, stars aren't alive. They aren't people, they're just objects in space."

Oreius, thankfully, was understanding.

"They will not be heard, my lady, but the stars certainly are people. On occasion, they are even able to come down to speak with us, in a form similar to yours. But they could never be mistaken for human."

"I think I see..." Maggie said. "So... it's important to know the stars by name because their movement will tell me what I need to know about the future?"

Oreius nodded.

"When you become acquainted with them, you learn to see how they move, and why. Aslan tells me you are his Oracle... the Seer of Narnia. Your dreams will tell you what the stars do not, and when your dreams lack clarity, the stars will provide it."

It shouldn't have made sense, logically, but to Maggie, it did. Everything Oreius told her made sense in her head. She knew what he meant, even through his poetic words.

"Come and speak to me tonight," Oreius said. "I will bring Clemendia, for she is most adept at teaching on these matters."

"Yes, sir," Maggie said with a smile. He gave her a bit of a funny look at that, but he said nothing more.

Just then, off to the right, Peter stepped out of his tent, looking around until he spotted the two of them.

Oreius didn't say a word, but directed his gaze to where Edmund still stood talking to Aslan. Peter's face morphed from confusion to disbelief, then relief.