The Beginning of Lee and Narnia: The Story of the Pevensies
by Kassandra Lincon, aka Queen Susan of Narnia

Story Note: May contain spoilers about the Chronicles of Narnia series of books.

Lee stepped out into the landing, and bent down to pick up the card her sister left on the ground. It was a ‘jack’ and she noticed an ‘ace’ card was lying at the bottom of the stairs. The house Lee, her mother, and sister just moved into a week ago was small, but wasn’t the only two-story town house in the neighborhood. Lee lived in the livley city of London, England.

Lee heard it from her mother, who heard from her friend, who heard from her sister, who heard from her neighbor Clara’s son that the children living in the house next door made up an imaginary world called Narnia only a few days ago. Of course, Lee was astonished, as was everyone else, to hear that it wasn’t just the youngests, Lucy and Edmund, that were playing. Peter and Susan, the oldests aging 14 and 13, were playing, too. This land, Narnia, was made up by Lucy, but she eventually got the others into it, Lee was told. She, Lucy, says she and her siblings found Narnia when they were in that ‘old Professor Kirke’s place’ up in the country.

But presently, Lee’s mother called her down for dinner. She walked down the stairs and suddenly slip on another card Lee’s sister left that went un-noticed.

She *thump
thump
thumped* down the stairs and landed in a dusty pile of hair, cotton clothes, and dust.

“Oh, my!” said an unfarmiliar voice. Lee lifted her head and saw four children anxiously peering at her from the screen door. One was a small girl, around nine, with freckles and short, brown hair. The boy who looked next youngest was black haired and had gray eyes. The two elders were about your age, but a bit older. The girl had black hair like the younger boy, that went past her shoulders. She had beautiful hazel eyes. But the boy, the eldest, Lee was so embarrassed to be seen falling down the steps by him. He had blond hair and brown eyes and was handsomer than any boy she’d ever met in her entire 13 years of life.

“Are you..alright?” asked the girl with black hair, the elder girl. She was the one who had said ‘Oh, my!’ when Lee fell. Her voice was just as beautiful as her face and eyes.

“I’m, I’m…fine!” Lee gasped. She looked away from the boy, blushing. “Thank you,” she said as she got up.

“We’re the Pevensies!” says the little girl. She grinned at Lee. Lee felt something stirr inside of her.

‘So these people are the Marvia or Narbia people, or what ever it was called.’ she thought.

“This is Lucy,” said the girl with the black hair. “I’m Susan, and this is Edmund.”

Edmund turned out to be the younger boy, so she figured that the older boy is Peter. She couldn’t believe that he, Peter, actually played such childish games as making up an imaginary land inhabited by talking porcupines and rodents and Dryads.

“I’m…I’m Lee,” Lee told them, standing up. She really didn’t understand why these people were at her house.

“We were wondering if you’d like to come to our house tomorrow,” said Lucy. “We’re going to visit the Professor Kirke. We stayed with him during the air-raids.”

Lee nodded her head but said, “I… I wish I could but I’ve got…”

“Lee!” her mother yelled. “Dinner!” She came out of the kitchen and stopped dead when she spotted the four children on the doorstep. The color drained from her face.

“Auntie Edna?” the older girl, Susan, said.

Lee looked from the kids to her mother and back again.

“What are they talking about, Mother?” Lee asked her.

“Um…Lee, honey, these are my best friend’s children, the Pevensies. Lucy, Edmund, Susan, and Peter,” your mother said. “That’s why we moved here.” Lee’s father works with a woman named Alberta, who was the mother of a boy named Eustace, who was the Pevensie’s cousin. Lee’s mother and father attended a party with Alberta and Eustace’s father and met the Pevensive’s parents.

“What?” Lee gasped. How could her mother be best firends with the mother of…those kids?

After dinner, which Lee’s mother “kindly” invited the Pevensives over to, Lee, her sister (Anna), Susan, Lucy, Peter, and Edmund all went to the back yard so that Anna (who is 7), Lucy, and Edmund could catch the fireflies. Lee, Susan, and Peter sat on the porch watching them. Lee was in the middle, very nervous about sitting next to Peter. Susan asked about Lee’s friends back in Edinburg, and what she liked about London so far. Lee told her about her friend Elizabeth and her old house, and then Lee told her she enjoyed the sites in London. That was when Susan exscused herself to go catch fireflies with the other three, leaving Lee alone with Peter.

“Let me guess, Lee,” he said suddenly. “You heard from your mother that me and Su and Ed and Lu made up an imaginary fantasy world called Narnia where there are Talking Beasts and Witches and dragons and that sort?”

She didn’t want to say, ‘yes, and I’m surprised at you and Susan’ or, ‘no’ or simply ‘of course and that Narnia place is a load of rubbish’. But she didn’t want to stay silent. So she said, “I did.”

“And you think it’s all funny that me and Su played along, right?”

“Sort of,” she said, embarassed.

“Well, tomorrow when we go to Professor Kirke’s, we’ll show you the truth. So don’t listen to what that Eustace says, if you’ve ever met him, or whenever you do.” He stood up and sighed.

“I’m sorry,” he said and sat back down. “I guess I was a little bit rude.” When Lee was silent, he said, “Come on, Lee. Let’s go with Su and the others.”

She followed him off the porch and they wandered down the street until they saw the others. Then, she felt something pull her from behind. She screamed and grabbed Peter’s shoulder, and felt the both of them being sucked back ward.

She looked around and saw that the St Barron Street, the street they lived on, her house, the Pevensies house, and Anna had..vanished.They were in the middle of a snow filled forrest, and right next to her, on her right for Peter was on her left, was a Lamp-post.

“Oh, my!” Susan gasped again.

“Lantern Waste!” said Edmund. He promptly dropped in to the snow like a little boy cross with his mother on his bottom, but his smile was happy, and crossed his arms..

“Aslan!” gasped Lucy.

“Aslan has sucked us into Narnia again!” cried Susan happily.

And for the first time ever, despite all the things her mother, Eustace’s step-mother or Eustace himself said, she was in Narnia.

Lucy suddenly said, “Mr Tumnus!”

Lee looked up and saw a Faun, an umbrella in one hand, and several brown packages in another.

“Oh, Lucy!” he yelled and drops both the umbrella and the packages. They ran and hug and dance and sang and told old jokes. “How wonderful! Oh, yes, and your Royal Majesties Edmund and Susan, and High King Peter, yes an honor to see you all again!” He bowed quite low to the elder Pevensives and Lee was astonished to see this.

“And who, pray,” said the Faun, Mr Tumnus, looking up at her curiously, “is this charming lady?”

“This, dear Tumnus,” said Peter, and she feel her herat skip a beat, “is the lovely Lee Wize. Our neighbor in our world.”

Her heart was going so fast because Peter called her ‘lovley’ Lee Wize, not just Lee Wize. Her heart stopped beating fast when Tumnus the Faun said, “It would be best, not, of course, to make me happy, but to make you happy, to leave the Lands of Narnia, O Kings and Queens and Lady.” Lucy stumbled back at these words, and nearly fell into the snow. Peter caught her and Edmund stood up and stood next to Lee. She liked Edmund and thought he was kind, but Lee was told that before he’d left that Professor’s house, he was a right snob, rude to Peter, rude to Susan, and even rude to Lucy. But after their stay at the Professor’s house (and everyone believed it was all the Professor’s doing) he was back like his old self… in short, he was no longer an ignorant, ghastly little beast.

“Why?” asked Susan, walking up to the Faun. “Mr Tumnus, as a Queen of Narnia, I *demand* to know what is going on!” she grasped his hand.

The four Pevensies and Lee walked him away from Lantern Waste and, Lee still very curious, lead him up a little hill, Peter holding the umbrella high over all of them, and Lee and Edmund and Susan and you carrying the packages, for Lucy was consoling Mr Tumnus and leading the way (by now, the Faun had broken into sobs).

It was a curious group: Five children, six or seven packages, an umbrella, and a Faun walking up a path in the middle of the wintery woods (although Jadis had been defeated, winter still came into Narnia, but so did Christmas, and it ended quickly into spring). But soon, Lee discovered her astonishment and bewilderment did not end there. Lucy lead them up a little hill and to a mountain’s foot. There, a little wooden door had a plaque on it, reading:
MR TUMNUS the FAUN
high ambassador of the Fauns to her Royal Majesty, Queen Lucy the Valiant

“Oh, Mr Tumnus!” sighed Lucy.

The plaque had been put on his door when Lucy and the others reigned over Narnia. She led everyone into the cave and everyone sat down. Susan and Edmund and Lee put down the parcels in a corner, letting them dry by the fire, which crackled merrily. Peter set the umbrella down next to them. Mr Tumnus sat in his chair, and Lucy took one right across from him.. the first seat she ever sat in in Narnia, her favorite seat. Mr Tumnus told her he’d never allow anyone but her to sit there, and had promptly made another chair after the White Witch was defeated. “That’s Queen Lucy’s Chair, that is! I’m the first person she ever met in Narnia, I am!” he would tell anyone who tried to sit in it.

“Now, Mr Tumnus,” said Lucy, as Susan sat next to her. Edmund sat on Susan’s left, Lee on his left, and Peter on Lee’s, and on Mr Tumnus’ right. “What *is* going on?”

The Faun took several large gulps of a drink that had grown cold in his abcense, as though it had been hot when he left it there.

“It’s..oh so dreadful!” he gasped. “It’s..Prince..Oh, Queen Susan, it’s Prince Corin…” Susan jumped straight up.

“What’s wrong with Corin?” she said, her eyes growing fearful.

“He’s sitting now, in Cair Paravel, waiting for you..He says he’s..dying..but won’t go anywhere until he sees you!” cried the Faun.

Susan dropped to her knees and wept. When she was Queen of Narnia, Peter told Lee later, Susan had a bond with another Queen, who died and left her husband and Susan (who was her best friend) to look after Corin, her son.

“Sue, it’s okay,” said Peter, helping Susan to her feet. “We’ll go right now to Cair Paravel.”

“I’m sure Philip and your horses are still around,” said Edmund (his horse as a King was named Philip).

“I’m sorry, your Majesty Edmund,” said the Faun, now dabbing his eyes with a handcerchife (the same one that Lucy gave him when she first stepped into Narnia). “But the horses are at Cair Paravel. They ran back when you and the others left Narnia.”

“Well..” said Lucy, looking thoughtful. “We could always use another horse.”

And the children and the Faun (without the umbrella) walked down to the Lantern, and begun the journey to Beaversdam, and met along the way an Archenland merchant. He gladly gave his horses, Steaei, Rodeh and Speon by name, to them after Mr Tumnus whispered rather loudly to him that they were Queens Lucy and Susan, and King Edmund and, of course, the High King above all kings, Peter the Magnificent.

“Ar, yessir,” said the Archenlandian. “I see it in yer face, O Kings and Queens.”

He bowed and continued on his way without Steaei, Rodeh and Speon. Peter and Edmund helped Lucy onto Steaei, who was smaller, and Mr Tumnus on behind her. Edmund clambered onto Rodeh with Susan already in front, and Peter got onto Speon. He told Lee she’d be riding on the back of Speon with him. She felt your heart flutter and she prayed that her face didn’t glow. It did, however, and Edmund noticed.

“Hey, Peter,” he said, chuckling. “I think Lee here has got a little crush on someone.”

Peter ignored him and so did Lee. But as Lee put her arms around his waist to hold on, Edmund went into a silent laughing fit, which he turned into an audible yelp as Susan had Rodeh begin the journey in a canter. Lee and Peter came right in behind Lucy and the Faun, for neither were very good riders (Mr Tumnus admitted late he’d never ridden in his life, and Lucy’s legs weren’t as long as they were when she was Queen Lucy. Then, as Queen Lucy, she was a very good rider.), who went in right after Susan and Edmund. The journey to Cair Paravel was a very long one, taking about two days (by now, spring had begun and no more snow was on the ground). When the group finally reached the shores of the Sea, Speon, Rodeh, and Steaei were slowed to a walk. Peter and Susan and Lucy (they were all in the front of each of the pairs of people on horses) headed them toward the gates to Cair Paravel, Susan more anxious than any. She had not talked very much the whole journey, and when Edmund or Peter or Lucy made a joke, she didn’t laugh.

Lee noticed this, and, when they all slid off your horses (Lee’s heart doing jumping jacks when Peter took her hand to help her off), walked over to her and said, “Are you okay, Susan?”

She shook her head and the two let Edmund and Peter steer their horses to the Gates of Cair Paravel, Lee’s arm around Susan’s shoulders.

“Halt, ye forgien travelers!” yelled the gaurd as Susan and Lee tried to walk past them. “No one enters the Castle of Cair Paravel!”

“These, O gracious gaurds, are Lady Lee and Queen Susan,” said the Faun, bowing to the Gaurds. “And Queen Lucy, my self, her ambassador. King Edmund the Just, and his Majesty, O High King Peter the Magnificent.” The guards looked at him skeptically, as though rather disbelieving that a Faun was the ambassador to a great Queen, and that said queen, the other Queen, and two kings (one of which the High King over all Kings) and a Lady were dressed in the strangest garmets (well, garmets strange to them… a plaid dress, knee socks, and a blouse was what the girls were wearing, and shorts that went to each boy’s knee and a polo shirt was what each boy was wearing.). Then,
“Queen Susan!” a voice, rather like a young man’s cried out and a man came dashing out of Cair Paravel. He was, you could immediatly see, a Narnian Prince. He was not dressed in shorts and a polo like Edmund and Peter, but a strange sort of…robe.

“Cor!” Susan dropped to her knees and the man and her hugged. He then shook hands with Edmund, hugged Lucy tight and shook hands with the Faun, and dropped to one knee in front of Peter. His name was King Cor, and he was, Lee was about to find out, the twin of the Prince Corin who they came to see.

“Oh, stand up,” said Peter to Cor happily. They laughed and shook hands.

Cor then said, “Who is that?” Lee had sort of shrunk behind Peter and Susan, who, Susan, was holding hands with Cor now.

“This is Lady Lee Wize,” said Lucy. “She’s our neighbor in our world.” Cor and you shook hands. His face was rather like Edmund, not as attractive as Peter, but still handsome. Lee noticed, though, that he had been crying.

He led Lee past he amazed Gaurds who simply threw themselves down as the Pevensies passed, and positivley yelled, “LONG LIVE YOUR MAJESTIES LUCY, EDMUND, SUSAN, AND HIGH KING PETER THE MAGNIFICENT!” Lee was rather frightened of them for being so outstandingly loud, and shivered inside as Peter put his hand on her back and led her inside.

“Oh, pull yourself togther, Lee,” she thought. “You haven’t a chance with him. He’s probably got a hundred different girls fawning over him at school. You’ll see next week back when we’re in London…”

The inside of Cair Paravel astounded Lee. Completley marble, a wall facing them had a fire place running along about it’s length, a huge fire roaring inside. After the snow outside, and Lee in herr kneesocks and blouse (only with a cloak from Mr Tumnus to keep her warm) was extremely happy. Cor lead them up the marble corridor to a room at the very end. A huge sign said: Nurses and Dr Andar ONLY, Do not disturb. It was hung on a door which Cor opened and slipped in. The Pevensies and Mr Tumnus were not astounded by the size and decor of the Chamber, but Lee was. It was about the size of half a soccer feild (or, a football feild, American’s call it), and as high as an elephant. In a large bed with the canopy curtains drawn around it, was a small shape. Susan and Cor led the way toward it, and drew the curtains. A young manwho looked exactly like Cor was lying there, sleeping.

Susan dropped to her knees again and hugged the sleeping man.

“That’s Prince Corin, ” Edmund whispered to Lee. “He was Sue’s very good friend when we were Kings and Queens here.”

“Oh, Corin, Corin!” wept Susan.

“Susan?” it was a very feeble croak, but Susan and the others heard it.

“Oh Corin!” gasped Susan. The man had awoken. His eyes were barley open, but everyone knew he saw them all.

“Sue wasn’t as good friends with Cor as with Corin,” said Edmund to Lee in another whisper. “But they didn’t know each other as long. Su was in the same room when Corin was born, but left after that. She never knew that Cor was born until Cor and Corin knew they were twins.”

Mr Tumnus and Lee decided it was best if the Pevensies and Cor stayed with Corin right now, so they left the room. Mr Tumnus bustled off to get some hot tea for them all, as though he owned the castle. He did, however, live in it for a few days at a time with the Pevensies when they reigned there, he told Lee. Lee waited alone outside until a voice, sharp, and angry, yelled, “Get away from there, you stranger!”

A woman, about twenty, was striding up to her.

“Get away from Corin’s room!” she said. She pulled Lee away.

“But, but you don’t understand!” began Lee.

“I’m Queen Aravis, Corin’s sister-in-law, and Queen of this Castle! Get *away*!”

Aravis the Queen threw Lee onto the floor. The door swung open and Peter and Edmund appeared in the doorway, with Lucy by their side.

“Who are you?” she yelled at them. “Get out of Corin’s room! Right NOW!”

But she suddenly halted when she saw Susan, her hand grasped around Edmund’s wrist, who had appeared at Peter’s shoulder. Lee was still on the ground, but sitting up now, embarrassed for being seen on the floor for the second time by Peter.

“Q… Queen…Susan?” said Aravis in a hushed voice.

“Aravis?” gasped Susan.

The two hugged and Susan said, “This is Edmund! And Lucy! And my brother Peter! You remember him, right? This is Lee, she’s our…”

“An enemy of Archenland and Narnia, I presume!” said Aravis, glaring at Lee. Peter stepped forward.

“No, Queen Aravis,” he said. He put out his hand and Lee took it, her heart doing summersalts. He lifted her up. “She is Lady Lee of Narnia.”

A few hours later, Lee found herself in a hot bath tub in a marble bathroom.

Aravis had gotten several Maids and several Masters to fix rooms for Lee, Susan, Peter, Lucy, Edmund, and Mr Tumnus, who, rather confused, found the Chamber of Prince Corin empty, except for Prince Corin. A butler, laughing, pointed him and the tray of tea to Peter and Edmund’s room.

After their baths, everyone was given clothing of either Aravis or Cor’s. Lucy was given some of Aravis’ old clothes from when she was a Tashbaan royal. Lee and Susan fit some of the clothes she wore when she was their age, and Edmund and Peter could fit easily into Cor’s old clothes.

As Lee sat on her bed a few minutes later, Aravis knocked and entered the room. She looked at Lee and said, “I have different clothes for you and Susan. Susan’s in some of my clothes I wore two years ago, and Susan and I want you to wear this.” She had a maid hold up the most beautiful gown Lee had ever seen.

“Susan wore this at my crowning as High Princess of Archenland.” said Aravis.

She also gave her a cape to wear. It was the same color blue as the gown, which had silver woven in. “She also wore it when she was being crowned Queen Susan the Gentle here at Cair Paravel.” Lee couldn’t speak.

“And, we would like to crown you High Princess of Cair Paravel,” said Aravis.

“Beacuse you seem so close to the Majesties Susan and Lucy and Peter and Edmund. You have Narnian Royal blood in you.” she added.

Lee couldn’t believe that that night, she was in Susan’s old gown, in the Hall of Cair Paravel. A hundred Narnians and Archenlandians were in rows in the Hall. At the front of the Hall, there were four thrones. Lucy sat in the one furthest to Lee’s right (as she entered the Hall), and Susan was right next to Lucy. They all were donned in the clothes that they wore (Lee was told later) when they were crowned. Except Susan, who wore the gown Aravis wore when she was crowned. There was an empty throne next to Susan’s other side. It was taller than the other thrones and it had the words: “Wei pem doe ele ei pem doe Peter epen on eternitare” on the top. It also had, right above the words, a lion carved in. After that throne, the last throne was filled by Edmund. Each of the Pevensies on the thrones wore crowns: Edmund’s was a round, silver crown with one point on it, a round rubie in the center; Lucy’s, a delicate silver one with a diamond in the center and one point; and Susan’s, a very delicate gold with two points and a crystal set into it. Her long black hair stood out on the pink gown she wore, making her crown ever more obvious. It was also obvious that each of the young princes wanted her for his bride… for their fathers and their fathers fathers had when she was older.

Then, down the center asile came a beautiful dryad. After her came Aravis and Cor, for they were married. They walked up to the thrones that the three younger Pevensies sat on and bowed or curtseyed. Then, Lee felt someone take her arm. She looked sideways and saw it was Peter, slightly taller than her, and he had a sword in his belt. His crown was gold like Susan’s (for they were the oldests), but it had three points. Lee knew this was because he was the High King over all the kings that had (and would) reign in Narnia. Lee couldn’t feel her toes, she was so nervous about it being Peter. Then, when Aravis and Cor and the Dryad had moved to the side, Peter and Lee began to walk down the asile, toward the thrones. When they passed, the guests (the Narnians) rose in honor of High King Peter. Susan, Edmund, and Lucy all rose, too, when they reached, and Peter let go of Lee’s arm. She kneeled in front of the thrones as she had been instructed to, and Peter stood infront of the empty throne. It was his throne, and Lee learned later that the words on the throne said “May the great Lion and the great Peter live on forever”. She had no idea who the great Lion was.

Presently, the Dryad had brought forth a sliver velvet cushion. On it was a round, silver crown: No gems, no points. But it was an important crown: Aravis herself had worn it as High Princess of Archenland. Peter, who wore the same robes he wore when he was crowned High King of Narnia, raised the crown over Lee’s head and said, “The High Princess Leslie of Narnia. Here today, at the Hall of Cair Paravel, where my sisters and brother and I, and King Cor and Queen Aravis themselves were named Kings and Queens, she will be the next Queen of Narnia.”

Lee (her real name was Leslie, but she was called Lee in her own world. I assume we must now call her “Leslie”) was shaking inside as the delicate crown touched her head. She rose in the silence that filled the Hall, and turned to see that no one was standing. They were all bowing to her or curtseying. Peter stepped down beside her. The Dryad walked down the asile again, followed by Aravis and Cor. Next went Lucy, then Edmund, then Susan. Peter took Leslie’s arm again and they followed Susan slowly out of the Hall.
There was a great feast that night. At the Royal Table, Peter took his seat in the middle. Next to him was Leslie on his right. Susan sat on his other side, and Edmund on her right. Lucy sat on Leslie’s right, and Aravis on Lucy’s. Cor was on Edmund’s right. The rest of the guests sat at the other tables, or on the ground, whichever they perferred. Mr Tumnus sat with the other Fauns, despite being asked if he wanted to sit at the Royal Table.

Later that evening, Leslie told Susan she liked Peter. There was a knock on the door to their chamber and Peter came in. Leslie knew that he knew
that he had heard. She and Susan stood up. Peter walked toward them. He said, “Ah, well.” And kissed Leslie.

When she kissed him back, they heard Susan sigh and whisper as she fell back onto the bed, “My work here…is done.”

THE END
‘THIS IS MY NARNIA STORY’

Author’s Note: Hey, I’m a big Edmund fan, so sorry if it seems to be a lot about him. And if this story sucked and I’m way off, I’m really sorry, but I’m not C.S. Lewis. Well, I hope you enjoyed it, and send me comments at stormyfoal@aim.com

© 2006 Kassandra Lincon, aka Queen Susan of Narnia

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