the second occasion

[deepest_magic]

House. Wardrobe. Coats.

Comments

[neverbeatme]

"I'm going to guess my part in it will involve fighting," says Elizabeth. "And I'm sure the sword and shield will be useful for that. I just don't think they'd do me much good at home."

[deepest_magic]

"Well, you could fence, but practical use I guess not. I'd soon run out of cordial if I tried to do much with it at home, too. I love my scepter though, I can probably run with this if I want to."

[neverbeatme]

"See? Now that's practical for every occasion."

[deepest_magic]

"Mm-hm! And the phone thing, although at home there's - you know - phones."

[neverbeatme]

"And flashlights."

[deepest_magic]

"Here we have flashlights. We brought them. I guess the scepter's more convenient, but maybe it's good for other things too." Tea yum yum.

[neverbeatme]

"We have flashlights until they break or we lose them or give them away. I have a feeling you'll be hanging onto that scepter."

Yum yum tea!

[deepest_magic]

"Yeah. I love my scepter."

Bella breaks out some of her other food - peanut butter and crackers and chocolate chips - which go well if blandly with the tea. Presently they are all fed and tea'd and Mr Beaver says, "Time to be moving on, now."

[neverbeatme]

"Yeah," says Elizabeth. "I wonder what to do with the tray and things?"

[deepest_magic]

"We can tuck them into the hideaway and maybe they will be useful to some other beaver someday," says Mrs. Beaver, and she sets about briskly doing that, and then they move on, Bella able to go quite a bit faster with scepter in hand.

[neverbeatme]

Along goes Elizabeth, then, once she's re-settled her sword and shield so she can wear her backpack comfortably.

[alicornucopia]

Around them, the winter thaws as they walk.

It is warm, and the ground squishes with snowmelt, and quite abruptly there are crocuses and bluebells growing, and the birds are quite a lot louder than they were the previous day. The river's ice breaks and dissolves, and the river rises, and they turn away from its course a bit south towards the Stone Table.

When they have been walking all day and the sun is beginning to hang low in the sky (there have been pauses to rest - the Beavers are certain the Queen cannot ride her sleigh in the mud - and to eat candy and granola bars) they come at last to a hill, which they climb in what seems like a very short time.

From the top of this hill they can see forest spreading in every direction except straight ahead, where they have a clear view to the sparkling sea. And on this hilltop is - a stone table. The stones of it have peculiar markings carved into their surfaces, which make one feel just as peculiar if one looks at them; and then off to the side of it is a glorious pavilion. Banners with the same lion design as Elizabeth's shield fly from it.

There is a swell of music.

Aslan is standing in the center of a great group of creatures, some of which have instruments. There are dryads, and naiads, and four centaurs and a unicorn and a man-headed bull and an assortment of more recognizable creatures, and two leopards attend the great lion, one carrying his crown and the other his standard.

He is enormous. He emanates a feeling of goodness all around him, yet is terrifying all the same. He regards the new arrivals with a calm, not curious but expectant, expression on his face.

[neverbeatme]

...Okay, wow.

Elizabeth recovers quickly from her first impression, though. She makes herself look at him even though she instinctively wants to look away, and she steps up in front of him and says clearly and calmly, "We're here."

[deepest_magic]

Bella can't think of anything substantive to add, but nods and flanks Elizabeth up to face the lion.

[alicornucopia]

"Welcome," says Aslan, a glint in his eye, "James, Son of Eve, and Isabella, Daughter of Eve. Welcome He-Beaver and She-Beaver."

He has a deep, rich, soothing voice, like the intersection of melted chocolate and a hot bath and velvet.

[neverbeatme]

For a second she's even more confused, and then it clicks.

Elizabeth—James—grins. "Thank you," she says, with a little bow.

[deepest_magic]

"...James?" says Bella.

[neverbeatme]

"I'll - explain later," she says. "It might be kind of a long story, and I think we have more important things to talk about right now."

[deepest_magic]

"...Okay. Aslan, what are we supposed to do?"

[alicornucopia]

Aslan rests an enormous paw on her shoulder; it's heavy enough that she has to lean hard on her scepter to stay upright, but she does so. "Come, both of you, and I will show you a far-off sight of the castle where you are to be King and Queen."

He unpaws Bella and leads them both to the eastern edge of the hill and shows them, in the evening golden light from the sunset behind them under rosy clouds, miles of the most gorgeous landscape, punctuated - where a great snake of a river meets the sea - by a shining castle. The light is glinting off all the glass of its windows and it looks like a star come to rest, all glory and spectacle.

"That," says Aslan, "is Cair Paravel of the Thrones of the rightful rulers of Narnia, in which you will sit."

[neverbeatme]

James thinks of saying 'nice castle', but decides it's probably too flippant for the occasion.

[deepest_magic]

"Are - there enough of us?"

[alicornucopia]

"Two have ruled before, and two may rule again, though there is room for four," says Aslan.

[neverbeatme]

James nods—

[pythbox]

—but before she can come up with a suitable comment for the occasion, there is an abrupt cut-off scream from the far side of the pavilion. Dryads and naiads scatter in every direction, some of them also screaming.