Not Children Anymore - for narniaexchange
Title: Not Children Anymore
Author: angel_in_tears
Recipient: narniaexchange
Rating: G
Possible Spoilers/Warnings: None
Summary: Every day was a struggle, how could they be ‘normal’ again?
Not Children Anymore
Peter struggled. Every day was different. Was hard. How would he continue? He didn’t know if the others struggled like this. Susan seemed so together. So grown up. Lucy was still her normal cheerful self. Maybe that slight sparkle that had belonged to her in Narnia was gone. But generally she was okay. Ed was Ed. Just a politer, nicer version of Ed.
As for himself, he knew that he had changed. His friends no longer understood him and found him too dull or too serious. His teachers named him a daydreamer and couldn’t understand why his grades had dropped. His parents put it down to the fact that the war had affected him, that being sent away had affected him. They watched him carefully, whenever they had the chance. They worried.
Why wouldn’t they understand? He wasn’t a child anymore. The others weren’t either. Not after what they had seen, what they had done. They might be stuck in these childish bodies, but inside, he was still High King Peter, the Magnificent. Inside, he could remember the laws they had set down in Narnia. He could remember reigning in Narnia, the battles, the golden age, the peace. He could still remember that last day, riding through the forest after the White Stag. And now he was stuck here.
He remembered when no one dared to pick on him. His sword hung gleaming at his side, the red lion shone on his chest. He was a feared opponent, Edmund with him always and they were unbeatable. Invincible. Narnians came to them for judgement, to the court in Cair Paravel. There, all four of them ruled, strong, wise, beloved. Whereas here, in this child’s body, he was young. Weak. There were others, older than him. And he couldn’t defend himself. He couldn’t fight back.
At least he still had the others. They could still talk about it. It would just take one of them to mention a moment and they would all be laughing or chatting excitedly while others watched them and wondered just what it was that made them so much closer than other siblings. Now though, they were all preparing to go back to school. One last day of freedom to reminisce about Narnia. One last day before life became too hard again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Susan stared out the window, watching the rain fall. The rain here was horrible. Not like in Narnia. It was always gentle, and everything seemed so clean and fresh. Here, it just fell and the world stayed grey and dreary and dirty. She sighed. How did the others stop themselves from thinking about Narnia so much? She could see Peter struggling. One moment he had been a King, a man to be feared, a man proven in battle, one who was listened too. The next he was a child, meant to listen to his elders. Didn’t he see that they all felt the same? They had ruled alongside him, adults as well. It was just as strange for them to be thrust back into this life.
She felt so helpless. At least Edmund and Lucy managed to handle it. Though it had been a surprise for their mother when they had come back from Professor Kirke’s. Edmund had been so much politer, and him and Peter were now firm friends. In a private moment she had asked Susan about it. Susan just smiled and said that the time away had been beneficial.
Susan had always been shy, less outgoing before Narnia. But being back here was just too much, and she threw herself into parties and outings, trying to forget. Trying to find her place here, in this world that she knew she would be stuck in. She smiled and she was polite, respected her elders and drew admiring glances from everyone. She had been an adult once, and she remembered the social graces they had followed in Narnia. Her parents were proud of her.
But at night, or on those odd times she was alone, the smile would come off and she would remember. She would close her eyes and she was there, dancing with the fauns, the beavers at the coronation ceremony, Aslan healing those who had been turned to stone. She could remember her bow and arrow, the feel of the fletching between her fingers. The sound of her horn when she called for help.
Tomorrow, she would return to school. No Peter or Edmund. Just her and Lucy. There, her life would be a continual cycle of smiles and work and smiles again. No thinking of Narnia. No remembering. She couldn’t afford for her mask to slip. Not after she had spent all holidays putting it into place. She wouldn’t let herself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Edmund would run around in the yard with a cricket bat if the weather was nice, pretending that it was his sword in his hand again, and that he was battling the White Witch and her army. He still felt guilty some days, for the way he had acted before. But now, Peter, Susan and Lucy were all that he had from his old life, and would not make the same mistakes again.
He watched Peter become sullen and withdrawn, only able to smile while with the others, reminiscing about Narnian times and memories. He watched Susan smile and laugh prettily. She dressed in nice dresses and went on outings with Mother, but Edmund knew it was an act. She had to be hurting, like they all were. At least here, she could still dress up. It might not be the finery she had as a Queen, but he knew that it made her feel better. Lucy still rushed around with a smile on her face, but sometimes he would find her with tears in her eyes and he knew she was thinking of Mr Tumnus, or the beavers.
As for himself, he tried to remember everything he had learnt. It was so strange, being back here, being in this body. It felt so clumsy compared to the strength he had known as a King. He had been known as “the Just” and Narnians would come from far and wide to treat with him. He remembered travelling by Sea, the treaties they had negotiated. The balls, the dancing, the battles.
He wasn’t looking forward to returning to school. It was still difficult for him to remember that he was no longer a King, that he couldn’t refuse to do the things he didn’t want to do, or question others. Especially not his teachers, they frowned upon that kind of thing. He would not be superior to all those around him, he would have to mind his place. Tomorrow would not be fun.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lucy sat in her room, trying to figure out just where her clothes had got to. Packing for school was always a stressful task, having to remember everything was getting harder and harder. She missed having dresses. Back in Narnia, they had been so beautiful. If only they hadn’t gone out to hunt the White Stag that day. If only she hadn’t seen the lamppost. Then maybe they would still be there, ruling together.
She shook herself. Time and time again the others had told her that it wasn’t her fault, and that they probably would have returned one day anyway. She needed to listen to them. No good would come from her torturing herself like that. Besides, she didn’t want to think of Mr Tumnus and the beavers anymore. It was too hard to accept that she wouldn’t see them anymore.
She finally found her clothes, already packed neat and tidy in her trunk. It was a wonder that she hadn’t thought to check there first, but she liked to do things herself, as she had told Mother, so many times. She didn’t want to be treated like a child anymore. How could she ever be a child again? She had seen people die, she had saved people with her cordial. She had sat on a throne and helped create laws and pass judgement. She would never be a child again, but people would see her as such. At least until she grew up.
She sighed again and got up. Instead of sitting here miserably by herself, she would go find the others. They should spend their last few hours of holidays laughing, and she knew the best way to do that would be to mention Narnia and the silly things that had happened. Smiling, she ran out of her room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The day was cold and dreary when they made their way to the train station. Luckily it wasn’t far from home, and with Peter and Susan arguing that they were practically adults, they were allowed to walk there.
It had been an interesting journey so far. Peter had got into a fight, and of course Edmund had dove into save him. Susan couldn’t believe how immature they were, while Lucy just rolled her eyes and ignored them. There had been an argument about how they weren’t children, but they were, and then the sharp pains had started, Lucy exclaiming about magic and Susan ordering them to hold hands. Before their eyes the train station fell apart and they were standing on a beach, blinking in the sunlight. Blue skies were above and blue water below, golden sand at their feet. They looked at each other and smiled.
They were home.
Original Prompt that we sent you:
What I want: I'm pretty okay with anything but it has to be limited to the characters from movies 1-3
Prompt words/objects/quotes/whatever: "they may have been in children's bodies, but they were no longer children." "What happened to the people the siblings left behind; their wives, husbands, children?"
What I definitely don't want in my fic: Nothing book related that can't be found by Googling it.
Author: angel_in_tears
Recipient: narniaexchange
Rating: G
Possible Spoilers/Warnings: None
Summary: Every day was a struggle, how could they be ‘normal’ again?
Not Children Anymore
Peter struggled. Every day was different. Was hard. How would he continue? He didn’t know if the others struggled like this. Susan seemed so together. So grown up. Lucy was still her normal cheerful self. Maybe that slight sparkle that had belonged to her in Narnia was gone. But generally she was okay. Ed was Ed. Just a politer, nicer version of Ed.
As for himself, he knew that he had changed. His friends no longer understood him and found him too dull or too serious. His teachers named him a daydreamer and couldn’t understand why his grades had dropped. His parents put it down to the fact that the war had affected him, that being sent away had affected him. They watched him carefully, whenever they had the chance. They worried.
Why wouldn’t they understand? He wasn’t a child anymore. The others weren’t either. Not after what they had seen, what they had done. They might be stuck in these childish bodies, but inside, he was still High King Peter, the Magnificent. Inside, he could remember the laws they had set down in Narnia. He could remember reigning in Narnia, the battles, the golden age, the peace. He could still remember that last day, riding through the forest after the White Stag. And now he was stuck here.
He remembered when no one dared to pick on him. His sword hung gleaming at his side, the red lion shone on his chest. He was a feared opponent, Edmund with him always and they were unbeatable. Invincible. Narnians came to them for judgement, to the court in Cair Paravel. There, all four of them ruled, strong, wise, beloved. Whereas here, in this child’s body, he was young. Weak. There were others, older than him. And he couldn’t defend himself. He couldn’t fight back.
At least he still had the others. They could still talk about it. It would just take one of them to mention a moment and they would all be laughing or chatting excitedly while others watched them and wondered just what it was that made them so much closer than other siblings. Now though, they were all preparing to go back to school. One last day of freedom to reminisce about Narnia. One last day before life became too hard again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Susan stared out the window, watching the rain fall. The rain here was horrible. Not like in Narnia. It was always gentle, and everything seemed so clean and fresh. Here, it just fell and the world stayed grey and dreary and dirty. She sighed. How did the others stop themselves from thinking about Narnia so much? She could see Peter struggling. One moment he had been a King, a man to be feared, a man proven in battle, one who was listened too. The next he was a child, meant to listen to his elders. Didn’t he see that they all felt the same? They had ruled alongside him, adults as well. It was just as strange for them to be thrust back into this life.
She felt so helpless. At least Edmund and Lucy managed to handle it. Though it had been a surprise for their mother when they had come back from Professor Kirke’s. Edmund had been so much politer, and him and Peter were now firm friends. In a private moment she had asked Susan about it. Susan just smiled and said that the time away had been beneficial.
Susan had always been shy, less outgoing before Narnia. But being back here was just too much, and she threw herself into parties and outings, trying to forget. Trying to find her place here, in this world that she knew she would be stuck in. She smiled and she was polite, respected her elders and drew admiring glances from everyone. She had been an adult once, and she remembered the social graces they had followed in Narnia. Her parents were proud of her.
But at night, or on those odd times she was alone, the smile would come off and she would remember. She would close her eyes and she was there, dancing with the fauns, the beavers at the coronation ceremony, Aslan healing those who had been turned to stone. She could remember her bow and arrow, the feel of the fletching between her fingers. The sound of her horn when she called for help.
Tomorrow, she would return to school. No Peter or Edmund. Just her and Lucy. There, her life would be a continual cycle of smiles and work and smiles again. No thinking of Narnia. No remembering. She couldn’t afford for her mask to slip. Not after she had spent all holidays putting it into place. She wouldn’t let herself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Edmund would run around in the yard with a cricket bat if the weather was nice, pretending that it was his sword in his hand again, and that he was battling the White Witch and her army. He still felt guilty some days, for the way he had acted before. But now, Peter, Susan and Lucy were all that he had from his old life, and would not make the same mistakes again.
He watched Peter become sullen and withdrawn, only able to smile while with the others, reminiscing about Narnian times and memories. He watched Susan smile and laugh prettily. She dressed in nice dresses and went on outings with Mother, but Edmund knew it was an act. She had to be hurting, like they all were. At least here, she could still dress up. It might not be the finery she had as a Queen, but he knew that it made her feel better. Lucy still rushed around with a smile on her face, but sometimes he would find her with tears in her eyes and he knew she was thinking of Mr Tumnus, or the beavers.
As for himself, he tried to remember everything he had learnt. It was so strange, being back here, being in this body. It felt so clumsy compared to the strength he had known as a King. He had been known as “the Just” and Narnians would come from far and wide to treat with him. He remembered travelling by Sea, the treaties they had negotiated. The balls, the dancing, the battles.
He wasn’t looking forward to returning to school. It was still difficult for him to remember that he was no longer a King, that he couldn’t refuse to do the things he didn’t want to do, or question others. Especially not his teachers, they frowned upon that kind of thing. He would not be superior to all those around him, he would have to mind his place. Tomorrow would not be fun.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lucy sat in her room, trying to figure out just where her clothes had got to. Packing for school was always a stressful task, having to remember everything was getting harder and harder. She missed having dresses. Back in Narnia, they had been so beautiful. If only they hadn’t gone out to hunt the White Stag that day. If only she hadn’t seen the lamppost. Then maybe they would still be there, ruling together.
She shook herself. Time and time again the others had told her that it wasn’t her fault, and that they probably would have returned one day anyway. She needed to listen to them. No good would come from her torturing herself like that. Besides, she didn’t want to think of Mr Tumnus and the beavers anymore. It was too hard to accept that she wouldn’t see them anymore.
She finally found her clothes, already packed neat and tidy in her trunk. It was a wonder that she hadn’t thought to check there first, but she liked to do things herself, as she had told Mother, so many times. She didn’t want to be treated like a child anymore. How could she ever be a child again? She had seen people die, she had saved people with her cordial. She had sat on a throne and helped create laws and pass judgement. She would never be a child again, but people would see her as such. At least until she grew up.
She sighed again and got up. Instead of sitting here miserably by herself, she would go find the others. They should spend their last few hours of holidays laughing, and she knew the best way to do that would be to mention Narnia and the silly things that had happened. Smiling, she ran out of her room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The day was cold and dreary when they made their way to the train station. Luckily it wasn’t far from home, and with Peter and Susan arguing that they were practically adults, they were allowed to walk there.
It had been an interesting journey so far. Peter had got into a fight, and of course Edmund had dove into save him. Susan couldn’t believe how immature they were, while Lucy just rolled her eyes and ignored them. There had been an argument about how they weren’t children, but they were, and then the sharp pains had started, Lucy exclaiming about magic and Susan ordering them to hold hands. Before their eyes the train station fell apart and they were standing on a beach, blinking in the sunlight. Blue skies were above and blue water below, golden sand at their feet. They looked at each other and smiled.
They were home.
Original Prompt that we sent you:
What I want: I'm pretty okay with anything but it has to be limited to the characters from movies 1-3
Prompt words/objects/quotes/whatever: "they may have been in children's bodies, but they were no longer children." "What happened to the people the siblings left behind; their wives, husbands, children?"
What I definitely don't want in my fic: Nothing book related that can't be found by Googling it.