the second occasion

[deepest_magic]

House. Wardrobe. Coats.

Comments

[neverbeatme]

"I know some kids my own age. Not a lot, because I live in a little town. I don't have any brothers or sisters."

[charning]

"I would very much like to meet your friends. You could bring them all to my palace, and there would be feasting and dancing and such excitement over the Daughters of Eve and Sons of Adam."

[neverbeatme]

"I'm sure they'd be very impressed by all that," she says. "I bet lots of kids would be excited to meet a real queen and go dancing in a real castle. It sounds amazing."

[charning]

"I would imagine so! Will you invite them for me? I can tell you where my home is."

[neverbeatme]

"Yes, please, your majesty," she says, carefully ambiguous.

[charning]

"Look, that way, you can see two hills rising above the trees. My house is just between the two. You should bring your friends, as many as you can convince - it's no good coming alone, but if you bring a few other little girls and boys with you I shall make you a Princess and your friends can be dukes and duchesses. Would you like that?"

[neverbeatme]

"Oh, I'd love to be a real Princess."

[charning]

"Then you shall! If you will bring your friends to visit me. It can be lonely without any of my own children, you see."

[neverbeatme]

"I understand," she says.

[charning]

"Excellent. And you needn't tell them anything about me. It will be a lovely surprise for them."

[neverbeatme]

"I don't think they'd believe me anyway, if I said I went to a magic forest and met a beautiful queen there," she says agreeably. "I'd have to say something else to get them to come."

[charning]

"Clever girl. I will take you to the lamp-post and beyond it is the door to the land of Men." She snaps her fingers and the dwarf drives towards said lamp post.

[neverbeatme]

"Thank you, your majesty!"

[charning]

"Of course. What is your name, dear child?"

[neverbeatme]

Not feasible to conceal.

"Elizabeth," she says.

[charning]

"What a lovely name. When you come back with your friends you must go straight to my palace, you know, and not talk to any seditious creatures you may encounter. There are all kinds of beasts in Narnia who might say anything to dissuade you from attending your party and try to send you on errands of their own instead."

[neverbeatme]

"I'll remember," she promises.

[charning]

"Good girl. You shall make a fine Princess."

[neverbeatme]

"I'll do my best, your majesty!"

[charning]

"I am sure." Jadis strokes Elizabeth's hair, and presently they are at the lamp-post. "Here you are. Hurry back."

[neverbeatme]

"Thanks for everything!" she says, and scurries off.

[charning]

"It is no trouble!" says the Queen.

Trees trees trees coats coats.

[neverbeatme]

As soon as she reaches the trees/coats boundary, well out of sight of the queen, Elizabeth takes off her backpack and scoops it full of as much snow as she can fit.

Then she zips it up and keeps going.

[alicornucopia]

Coats coats door.

[neverbeatme]

She compares timepieces.

Almost an hour passed in Narnia; barely two minutes in the house.

Okay. Time to go visit Bella, who alone out of all the kids in town might actually be able to handle this. Elizabeth gets on her bike.