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Somewhere in time in the South of Archenland...

Two young men and two young ladies on horseback stopped at the crest of a small hill before riding down the wide beaten path leading close to where Archenland bordered the Land of the Calormenes. Kings and Queens of Narnia on an adventure. Only moments before all of their mounts had been startled by a stag that bolted across their path.

“Good thing you didn't take the shot, Susan. I think he was a talking deer. He looked like he was smiling,” Edmund teased. Queen Susan the Gentle was a master archer, but she had grown increasingly reluctant to put arrow to string for any animal.

“Be kind, Edmund,” Lucy reminded her brother, since he was King Edmund the Just, after all. He shrugged his shoulders in protest but quickly took his sister’s comment to heart.

“Sorry, Susan.”

Peter nodded in approval at Edmund and went to resume their course, but a stirring in a copse to their left grabbed his attention. He cocked his head and listened, but instead of the mewl of a badger or the yip of a fox they all heard a very human sob.

“A Daughter of Eve, my Queen?” Lucy’s mare remarked.

“I’m not sure, Fleetlady,” Lucy answered. Valiant as ever, so to speak, Lucy dismounted and walked over to the thick tangle of branches and called out.

“Hallo? Is there someone there? Are you alright?” She unsheathed her long dagger and used it to push a clump of branches aside, revealing a very scared-looking girl. Realizing she had been discovered, the girl rose slowly; her demeanor unsteady and frightened. Her clothing was disheveled, but instead of the expected gray peasant dress of a girl from Archenland, she wore a gown of silver and green silk, the garb of a Calormene princess.

“A Tarkeena,” Edmund remarked. He was about to add, ‘and a pretty one at that,’ but Lucy’s rebuke only moments before checked his tongue. The girl cowered slightly and looked away.

“It’s okay. We won’t hurt you,” Susan said. The girl shook her head in disbelief until Lucy stepped close and pulled her into an awkward hug. The girl went to push away, her face a mask of fear and what Lucy would note later was also a mask of shame.

“It's okay, little one,” Peter said softly, belying the majesty of his office. “We’re friends of all who travel within these lands.”

To be sure, the Calormene Empire befriended no one for the most part, though their people could be as welcoming as any Narnian the four had ever known. But it didn't matter since the girl was not a Calormene but just a girl of ages with them who probably was from Archenland or maybe even Narnia itself.

“You almost look like a real Tarkeena,” Edmund said with a soft laugh. He had genuinely meant his remark as a complement, but she lowered her gaze to the ground as she burst into tears, leaving Lucy to redouble her efforts to comfort the frightened girl.

“I…I’m sorry. I me...me...meant no harm,” the girl stammered. She would have torn the offending costume from her body but for the very sad and scary fact that she was not only not a Tarkeena, but she held a secret she feared would get her killed. She continued to weep and Susan dismounted; quickly walking to Lucy’s side.

“Oh, it’s quite alright. Where we come from, we play dress up and pantomime all the time. When we get back to Castle Anvard, you can even try on some of Lucy’s and my dresses, yes?”

Susan’s words were as soothing and welcoming as could be, but the girl cried even harder. Lucy pulled her close for another hug and stroked her hair as the girl shook in her arms. Susan joined them, kissing the girl on her forehead as she cooed softly like a mother or kind aunt.

"What's your name," Lucy asked.

"Ah....An..." the girl began to speak, but even the thought of saying her own name aloud proved too daunting and she just sobbed.

“Shhh. There, there. It will be alright. I promise,” Susan said in a near whisper; quiet but comforting she hoped. It would indeed turn out alright but for the head long falls and risings and fits and starts they all would endure as they traveled down a road with the dear, frightened child who wept in their arms.

They were destined to travel down that road, not with a Tarkeena from the kingdom to the South nor even a farm girl from the fields of Archenland nor Narnia itself, but instead with a child from Maidstone, England, ironically. And his name was Andrew Corey.

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A while later, shortly before sundown…

The trip to Anvard was proving to be longer than expected due to a sudden downpour that sent all five to take shelter in a cave just off the road. The boys grabbed a few parcels from the pack horse and placed them on a table-like rock toward the rear of the cave.

“We’ll just duck into this grotto,” Susan’s mare Flower said, using her muzzle to point. After removing their saddles, Edmund led the horses the short walk from the cave that was deep enough to shelter them. Peter and Lucy started a fire since the cave was open slightly to the sky via a large crack in the cave ceiling.

“Oh my Kings and Queens,” a small but determined voice spoke from just above the cave mouth. Peter looked up to find a friend smiling through a playfully curved tail.

“Welcome, friend Oaklord,” Peter said as the squirrel hopped onto his right shoulder before landing at Edmund’s feet. The squirrel bowed as he doffed a very impressive tri-corner hat complete with plume.

“With your Lordships and Ladyships taking refuge here, I hope I have not presumed by sending my son ahead to Castle Anvard to inform them of your delay?” The thought was greatly appreciated since Edmund had considered braving the elements to assure King Cor that apart from the rain, everyone was safe and well sheltered.

“Our thanks, dear friend,” Peter said. The squirrel bowed again and hopped onto a branch at the mouth of the cave.”

“Rest well, my Lords and Ladies,” he said and in a thrice he was gone. At the word ‘ladies,’ the girl backed even further from Susan and Lucy, turning away.

“You must be cold,” Lucy spoke.

“I grabbed a jacket from my saddlebag,” Susan said as she handed the girl the garment. Between their meeting and the abbreviated trip, it had been over an hour since they discovered the girl, and yet they still did not know her name.

“I bet those Calormene clothes aren’t warm at all,” Edmund remarked casually as he returned. The girl was stuck between a shiver and a nervous shrug accompanied by a low sigh.

Susan touched the girl’s arm, evoking a wince.

“Here. I have an extra dress, too. You can change out of that outfit if you like.” Susan stepped back to give the girl space.

“Or not.” Susan used her arm in a broad gesture to indicate an outcrop of rock toward the rear of the cave,

“We won’t look. We promise.” Susan said as she glared at her brother. Edmund grinned sheepishly before turning his back, all the while speaking in a rediscovered gentleness heretofore hidden the past hour.

“I’m sorry for being so rude. Let me help,” he said, his mere words evoking a nervous shudder from the girl. Susan was about to rebuke him when she noticed his back was still to them. He held up a couple of blankets and some rope in display.

“A few moments?” he asked even as he and Peter set about hanging the blankets as a divider for the cave.

“Go show, Ed!” Lucy remarked even as she touched the girl’s shoulder, urging her to look.

“I’ll take first watch,” Edmund said and headed to the mouth of the cave without waiting for a response. Truth be told, it was unlikely any of them would get much sleep. Even an unexpected trip into the refuge of a cave can feel like an adventure. And in whose world is an adventure an incentive to sleep? Peter joined Edmund, leaving the girls alone but for one final word.

“Miss?” The girl turned and faced him as he stood at the parting of the two blankets. He certainly had not meant to be serious, but even the most benign words can be sober.

“Susan and Lucy will take good care of you, you can bet your life on that.” He smiled and quickly closed the blanket curtain before joining his brother, failing to notice that the girl had burst into tears and was sobbing in Susan’s arms.

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A very brief while later, Susan turned at sound of crying. The girl was considering Susan’s extra dress; a dark green almost opalescent gauzy garment that fell to the girl’s ankles. She noticed that Susan was staring at her and turned away quickly, but not swift enough to hide her dirty, tear-stained cheeks that had reddened with shame.

Susan was going to walk over to feign a conversation with Lucy but instead stepped close to the girl.

“I…I’m so…” The girl stammered and put her hand in front of her face. Susan gently grabbed the girl’s free hand and walked her further away from the rest.

“I’m so sorry… I’m so sorry, ‘she repeated. Susan leaned close.

“I know… I know,” Susan repeated, but the words were more than just understanding comfort. Susan had been struggling with how she fit into the grand Narnian schemes. As much as Lucy and Peter and Edmund embraced their roles in the kingdom, Susan had felt a pull homeward, but unlike at other moments when it had felt for all of them that their visit was coming to an end.

“You don’t fit in where you come from. I feel sometimes that I don’t fit in here,” Susan whispered. Susan was actually feeling increasingly out of place but there was more. Maybe Lucy might sense it. Susan did not expect her brothers would notice, and truth be told, she hoped they would not see what had become plain to her. She drew the girl into an uneasy hug, patting the girl on the back gently.

“Okay,” she said to herself. “Here goes.” If she was wrong, it would be an awkward moment; somewhat embarrassing and short lived. But if she was right? As uncomfortable as Susan had become, she still had faith that somehow Aslan would fix whatever was broken inside the girl.

But in getting so physically close, she noticed that the Calormene dress the girl wore was very sheer around the neckline. And the sleeves and the slight scoop neck back of the dress did little to hide what appeared to be bruises on the girl’s shoulders and arms.

“Who…who hurt you?” Susan said it as firm as she could without betraying her whisper. The girl was too frightened to not answer and she spoke softly even as she lowered her head in shame.

“I… I can’t… I just can’t,” she pleaded. She began to cry once again; sounding not so much like a girl but sadly like the almost soft whimpering bleat of a wounded rabbit. Susan redoubled her efforts of assurance, but she and perhaps she alone knew where the girl’s shame really resided.

“I…I know your secret.” Since the girl had already spoken and displayed the answer to Susan’s question, it had to be the secret; one borne of fear and shame and confusion. It was not timeless and hidden like the far country in which she stood, but perhaps rather mired in the war torn England of 1940. She began to shake even as Susan said at last,

“You’re not from here,” she said. Of course had her siblings been near they would have assumed Susan had determined the girl was perhaps from the Southern Border of Narnia just beyond the Kingdom of Archenland. But the girl knew immediately that Susan had discerned everything. And in that moment, Susan confirmed the girl’s fears.

“It’s why you’re here…now...” She glanced at the bruises on the girl’s arms.

“It’s why he hurt…why he hurts you, isn’t it? Before the girl had a chance to answer, Susan nodded as a cautious smile crossed her face.

“There’s no mistaking it. It’s why Aslan has called you here,” she said with a growing confidence and faith.

As quickly as she heard the name, the girl seemed to understand everything that had been hidden in her heart, and that somehow this Aslan, whoever he was, would rescue her. And that understanding played out as soon as Susan asked one final question.

“What’s your name?” The girl still wept, and she still was fearful, but the name...Aslan, coupled with the sisterly look in Susan’s eyes, gave the girl a sense of security, which in turn helped the girl to trust Susan one more time as she gasped.

“My name is Andrew,” she fell into the safety of Susan’s arms as she sobbed, repeating in relief,

“My name is Andrew…My name is Andrew…”

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After a few moments the girl pulled away slightly, her eyes pleading. Susan put her finger to her lips and gently raised the girl’s face.

“Shhh ,” she said.

“WHAT?” Edmund said as he walked up to the pair.

“Nothing, Ed. She’s scared and probably tired.” Susan pulled the girl closer in a protective hug.”

“I don’t suppose you’ve managed to learn her name,” Edmund asked almost as if the girl wasn’t there.

“Come on, Ed,” Peter called from the mouth of the cave.

“I’m sorry,” Edmund the Just had reasserted himself, and the younger of the two Pevensie boys sounded completely sincere.

“With the rope and blanket wall, you all can have some privacy.” At the word ‘privacy,’ the girl winced. Lucy noticed and walked over.

“It will be alright, you’ll see.” She rubbed the girl’s arm and the girl recoiled; a response mixed equally with residual pain and shame. Lucy’s gaze darted back and forth between the girl and Susan.

“Yehh…yes.” Just nervous with the storm and us being strangers,” Susan said as she shook her head ‘No.’ to Lucy. However many of the girl’s secrets might be revealed was worrisome, but Lucy’s expression told Susan that her sister had already figured out that there was a secret.

“The horses are in the grotto just to the right,” Edmund repeated to no one in particular, as if by declaring their horses’ safety that somehow might assure the nervous girl.

“I think we’re all tired. I’ll keep watch instead, just in case. Ed can spell me later.” Peter nodded to Susan and pulled the blanket’s shut. Lucy took the opportunity to gesture and shrug.

“Not now, Lu. Maybe later?” She turned back to see that the girl was curled up on the floor of the cave with Susan’s jacket as a pillow.

“What’s going on, Su?” Lucy persisted. She pointed to the sleeping girl’s right arm. Her sleeve had ridden up, exposing the bruises. Lucy touched her own arm and pointed to the girl. Susan shook her head and spoke; perhaps a bit louder than she had intended.

“Later!”

“What?” Edmund called from the other side of the blanket.”

“Oh, nothing, Ed. I was just telling Lucy I’ll take the third watch.”

“Well. No need, I don’t think I can rest anyway. Go ahead. Get some sleep,“ Peter said. Susan frowned at Peter’s correction until he added,

“Good night, Ed.”

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Elsewhere…

A dark silhouette was cast against the far wall of the hunter’s cabin, illuminated by a single candle. The man glared at the empty saddlebag lying open on the crude table in the middle of the room.

“I will get what is mine,” he said to himself. At that moment, a gust of wind whooshed through a crack in the door, blowing out the candle. As dark and cold as it had become from the moonless rainy night, nothing could match the cold darkness of the cruel man’s heart as he repeated one word.

“Mine.”

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Meanwhile…

“You seem to be quite taken by our new lady friend, Ed” Peter said with a half smile. He hadn’t meant to tease…much. Edmund shook his head.

“Don’t get all High King on me, Peter. She’s… I was just trying to be kind.” While Edmund was moving rapidly away from being self-centered, no one would expect a spontaneous effort at kindness, much less being polite.

“I mean she seems… well not like…” Peter hesitated.

“She’s not at all like Susan or Lucy.” The two turned their heads in unison, both staring at the blanket curtain.

Peter of course recognized the difference between sisters and other girls. But Edmund seemed very interested in the still nameless girl. Peter wouldn’t say this, but he was old enough to know that boys his and Edmund’s age display disinterest when in fact they are interested, even if they aren’t aware of that fact. Nevertheless he poked a bit more.

“It’s okay. I mean Aslan never said anything about…well.”

“I don’t want to talk about it, Peter!” Edmund snapped at him’

“I’m just saying,” Peter began, but Edmund spoke.

“I’m not going to talk about it.” He hoped that their conversation was low enough that with the howl of the wind and rain outside the girls would not hear.

“Alright. Sorry, Ed. Pax?”

“Pax.”

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Lucy had taken on the task of arranging things to serve as beds, although at that point as tired as they were, no one was remotely ready to sleep. The girl had risen and had walked to the back of the cave and had nearly completed drawing up to borrowed dress, with only her shoulders still exposed.

“There’s another sandwich here if you’re still hungry,” Lucy said as she turned to face the girl. Her words startled the girl, and she hastily completed the task of getting dressed, but not before a look of sad recognition crossed Lucy’s face. She went to speak, but to say anything might provoke the girl to silence. Instead, she paused before repeating the offer.

“Anyway, the sandwich is here if you like.”

The girl turned toward her and shook her head no, with a smile on her face that completely belied the fear the girl had shown moments before. Lucy nodded in reply, hoping that her own expression would not betray her. She closed her eyes, as if by shutting them she would somehow un-see the welts on the girl’s back.

“Sue? Are you okay?” Lucy came up almost behind her, giving her a start.

“N..No, Lu.” Her tone wasn’t urgent. She looked over at the girl quickly, glad that the girl was facing away.

“I’m okay, but it’s not me.” She used her eyes only to glance at the girl. Lucy nodded slowly and touched her own shoulders, indicating she had seen the same sad thing as her sister.

“We need to talk,” Susan said softly but avoiding the tone of a whisper that might raise suspicion. Lucy nodded.

“I…I saw. I saw the…. Just you and me and her, right?” Lucy asked.

“For now we rest but tomorrow? Within the safe walls of the castle, and just us girls for now.” Lucy nodded before walking half the distance to where the girl was getting ready to lie down once again.

“That looks like a terrific idea. Good night.” The girl nodded and spoke barely above a whisper.

“Good night.”

Lucy walked over to Susan and kissed her on the cheek.

“Night, Sue.”

“Night, Lucy”

Susan was glad that Lucy hadn’t noticed. Their sisterly times and talks seemed to be dwindling, and it left her feeling more and more alone. As much as she tried, she was struggling to hold onto the child-like innocence that Narnia provided. Some might say she had grown up because she was no longer interested.

But truth be told, somehow she of all her family had lost that innocent connection because she was growing up. And as she laid her head on her knapsack, she bit her lip, unable to understand why she had started to cry.

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“Peter?” Edmund rolled over and waved at his wide-awake brother.

“No. Ed. You’re not odd.” He suppressed a chuckle. Edmund went to protest but Peter held his hand up.

“So much of our times here we forget that there’s another home to go to. I’m a King here but back home there’s still the Blitz and we’ll still be off in the country while Mum is in London and only Aslan knows where Dad is.”

“I like it here, Peter!” Edmund insisted.

“So do I,” but this isn’t forever. And it’s not the end. You…you like the girl, Ed, because you’re a boy from England before you ever had become or will continue to be a Narnian King. I’ll go back to short pants and you’ll go back to being almost eleven. And that’s okay.”

“So….I’m not odd?” Edmund looked at his brother, almost desperate to learn the secrets of the Universe which could only be explained by the High King. Peter smiled back as only a slightly older brother can.

“Odd? No more than me, Ed.”

The following morning…

Edmund had considered offering to let the girl ride with him, but Susan announced that the girl was welcome to ride with her or Lucy. The trip took much less time than they anticipated and they arrived at Castle Anvard well before noon.

“I think we could all use a bit of cleaning up and rest before a late lunch, yes?” Lucy said to no one in particular. King Cor ushered Peter and Edmund to the kitchen for a pre-lunch repast while Queen Aravis showed the girls to their quarters.

“We can catch up later,” Aravis said. She hugged Susan and Lucy, but her attempt at an embrace with the girl was met by the girl stiffening in her arms.

“I’m sorry. I presumed too much.” Aravis said as she shook her head in a self-rebuke.

“She’s just frightened,” Susan replied. Aravis had gone through her own journey of self-discovery not too long ago and was quite familiar with feeling like she did not fit in an unfamiliar if welcoming place.

“I’ll have food and drink brought up to you in a while. Will that be alright?” she asked.

“Of course, dear friend.” Aravis nodded and walked out, leaving Susan and Lucy finally alone with the girl.

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Meanwhile...

Edmund and Peter sat with King Cor at a long table in a large hall just off the throne room. Plates and such were being removed by two stewards even as a young man approached King Cor.

“Begging your pardon, sire, but there is a man at the castle gate. He insists that there is something of his here and he’s demanding an audience.

“Demand? Of the King?” Edmund interjected.

“Easy… “ Cor said with a laugh.

“I know and you both know that I’m a reasonable sort,” he said; his laugh deepening even as he patted the scabbard on his belt.

“It might be entertaining to meet someone who makes a demand before meeting me. Never the less, we shall see him… shortly. Let him ponder his words as he sits outside in the sun,” Cor laughed again, and Peter joined in, leaving Edmund wondering what was so funny. Peter noticed Edmund’s confusion and punched him playfully in the arm.

“Not to lord it over anybody, Ed, but have you ever known anyone tell Cor what to do?” Edmund smiled at the thought and responded.

“You mean apart from Aravis?” Cor glowered only a brief moment before patting Edmund on the back as his hearty laugh returned.

“No, King Edmund. Not apart from my Queen.”

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Back in the Ladies’ chambers a while later…

The girls had finished the brief repast and had retired to the large bedroom just off the sitting room. Lucy sat in a comfortable wing chair while the girl and Susan sat across from each other on two large beds. The girl held a big pillow in her arms like a stuffed animal. Despite the warmth of the day she was shaking.

“There’s no hurry,” Lucy said as she used her arm to motion around the room.

“We can rest if you like,” she added. She almost said aloud what she thought about how the girl would have to talk eventually. Susan almost seemed to read Lucy’s mind, but in speaking, her words seemed to draw the girl just a bit out of herself.

“I…need…” she stammered before setting the pillow aside. Even in such a warm, welcoming setting, her emotions were almost raw and exposed. She looked at her arms almost as if she could see through the fabric of the dress to the bruises beneath, and she winced.

“No....I can’t,” she said as she stood up abruptly. She really had nowhere to go but went to walk out of the bedroom when she stopped suddenly.

“Oh…oh…” She put her hand to her face and began to weep as her shoulders convulsed. But in mere moments her sobs and shaking both ebbed. Susan went to stand, but the girl had sat on the floor, not falling suddenly but rather easing down in an almost comfortable fashion.

“Are you alright?” Lucy asked. It was only then that both sisters felt an odd calm, accompanied but a nearly familiar soothing sound.

“I’m okay,” the girl said calmly. She smiled for the first time, albeit nervously, as she looked down. And on the floor at her feet was a fair sized gray tabby tomcat. He was walking around her, rubbing up against her legs while uttering the loudest purr any of them had ever heard…

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Just inside the Castle Wall near the gate…

The stranger stood with his arms folded as his gaze looked past Peter and Edmund to Cor.

“I expect that you have accepted my claim?” The man went to pound his right fist into his left pal in demand, but thought better of it at the sight of Cor’s glare. Cor strode the few metres between him and the man and they stood toe-to-toe. Edmund nudged Peter and spoke.

“Well. Peter, I’m quite sure he’s not from around here. For one thing he makes no effort at any respect for Cor.” Edmund laughed softly as Peter poked him in return.

“Nor us.”Peter shook his head. All three of the kings were youthful, but still were charged as rulers or Narnia and Archenland to be fair and reasonable. All three of them had gone through their own trials to bring them slowly out of childhood into the beginnings of manhood, and it was the humility and willing to serve rather than their offices that gave them authority.

“I suppose it would be only fair to warn the chap that Cor can be a might testy?” Edmund suppressed a laugh.

“I think his choice to demand rather than request might indicate any warning on our part would be futile?” Peter used his ‘regal’ voice and continued.

“Besides, it’s been a long day already, and I’d rather walk over and sit on the steps in the shade of the awning. I do so enjoy when Cor is kingly. Let’s watch and be available should Cor require our counsel,” Peter looked at Edmund and the both laughed a bit louder than they had intended. And Cor continued to stand face-to-face with the man without a word.

“I have a legal claim!” the man insisted as he forgot the prudence of only minutes before as he pounded his fist. Cor stepped back.

“We recognize your claim, Sir, but we must take counsel with our lieges, the High Kings of Narnia.” He paused as the man’s eyes seemed to dim in confusion. He most assuredly was not ‘from there,’ since the word Narnia appeared to have no meaning. The man went to protest, but only was able to utter the word, ‘but’ as Cor silenced him with an upraised hand.

“You do have a claim, and we shall address that in due time. I suggest you take lodging at the inn not too far beyond these walls. The man went to interrupt but Cor cut him off.

“We have spoken Sir. Return here on the morn before noon and your concerns will be settled.” Cor’s glare was accompanied by a deliberate gesture of grabbing the hilt of his sword. The man pivoted awkwardly and quickly walked out through the open gate. Cor turned around to see Edmund and Peter still seated on the steps by the large doorway. He spread out his arms and spoke.”

Do you believe that fool?”

“Yes… Nice touch with the royal ‘we,’ by the way," Peter said before all three young men laughed.

“His claim is legal,” Cor said but he shook his head.

“But how we honor that claim is not his call.” He paused and laughed.

“And by ‘we’ I meant my Kings with my respect for your wisdom. Peter and Edmund nodded. All kidding for the moment aside, the man did have a legal claim of sorts, since he had been denied compensation for the debt he was due. But the purchase he had made did not entitle him to reclaim his goods, since his purchase was ill-conceived and entirely wrong. Edmund duplicated the man’s gesture from only minutes before and hit his open palm with his fist.

“She’s a person, and by Aslan, he shall not have her.” Edmund was a High King living in the kingdom as a young man even if back in England he was barely eleven. Peter noted Edmund’s outrage and shook his head in realization. While his brother remained Edmund the Just, it was Peter’s little brother who was confirming that he was experiencing his first crush.

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In the ladies’ chambers…

Susan and Lucy tried with no success to urge the girl off the floor, even going so far as to pick the cat up. He in turn hopped back onto the floor, where he was bundled up in the girl’s arms. Susan and Lucy joined them on the floor.

“He…he followed me,” the girl gasped as the cat resumed rubbing up against her. Lucy would remark later that it was the loudest purr she ever heard.

“Followed you from Calormen?” Susan asked, but immediately realized the girl’s connection spanned more than a few kilometers. The girl shook her head almost manically before she lowered her face and began to weep once again. Lucy reached over and began to knead the girl’s right shoulder even as the cat duplicated Lucy’s efforts on the girl’s knee’ his purr leaving the girl to speak.

“He…he’s from where I…”

“England?” There, Lucy said it, and the girl nodded.

“I’m going to get some tea,” Susan said. Lucy and the girl nodded and a few minutes later Susan had returned with a tray holding cups and saucers and cream and a small jar of honey along with a plate covered with biscuits. She poured tea for all of them and resumed her place on the floor on the opposite side as Lucy. The cat walked over to Susan and accepted a saucer of cream.

“I…I guess I should…” The girl stopped and put her hand to her face. The cat immediately stopped lapping the cream and hopped into the girl’s lap. Whatever influence the cat had on her seemed to calm her enough to continue.

“I…” She paused and took a breath.

“My name is Andrew…” Her name came as no revelation to Susan, of course but surprisingly Lucy seemed completely unfazed by the girl’s confession.

“I’m… I could tell you’re not from here. At least once we got to the cave. You sounded all royal-like when you found me but when you…” She stopped and practically stared at Susan.

“When you were so nice to me it felt like being back home…at least when things were better.” At that the cat began to nuzzle the girl’s chin. She rubbed him behind his ears and went on.

“My mother… Air Raid...I never found her...” She sobbed.

“I never knew my Dad. When I was about eight, Charlie came along. He was okay at first, but then he was drinking all the time. He got hurt in the Great War. At least I think he did. He wasn’t… He stays home all day and goes out with his mates at night.” The girl’s eyes flashed angrily, evoking a scratch on her knee from the cat.

“Ow,” she cried out, but the cat returned to nudging and purring. The girl sighed and Susan looked at her sideways.

“I…every time I get angry and want to hate Charlie, the cat scratches me. It’s like my mum telling me not to be bitter. But Charlie….”

‘He’s the one who gave you all of those horrible bruises?” Lucy bristled. The cat turned and looked right at her with a disarming stare.

“My mother ... We’re from…My mum and I are from Maidstone but we ended up living in a walk-up near where she is…was a nurse.”

“Oh, Andrew,” Susan said, “we were shuttled off to the countryside. Our mum and Dad … Mum is safe so far and Dad is safe in service God willing, but we don’t know for sure.

“With Charlie away nearly every night…” Andrew looked down at himself and his face grew red.

“I…I’ve never really been like any boys. I took teasing and even slapping around at school. When Mum went missing… Oh God I hate myself.”

“You dress in her clothes?” Susan said sharply. She hadn’t meant it as a rebuke, but that’s how Andrew took it. Lucy held him as he sobbed in her arms. Susan shook her head at herself, but it was more out of confusion.

“I… I’m small for my age…fifteen and about as tall as Mum is…was. It wasn’t a problem until Charlie came home one evening. I think he was going to pawn Mum’s jewelry. He caught me in the bedroom. That was the first time he beat me. I should have figured out it was so stupid to keep at it, but he went for a very long spell where he was back to staying out.”

“He caught you again?” Susan’s words felt accusatory, once again communicating something she didn’t feel while masking how she feared she felt. Lucy shook her head at Susan.

“No,” Andrew said, “It’s okay. It was stupid. All the other times it was just because he was angry. The first time he caught me wearing Mum’s slip was horrible.” Susan winced reflexively as she imagined all the words that lashed at Andrew’s heart even as her stepfather also beat her unmercifully. And then Susan paused in thought even as Andrew grew silent. He had admitted he was a boy but Susan stared at Andrew and realized, at least to her, that there really was no way that Andrew was a boy. In fact, she would recall later, she shook her head at the thought that Andrew was ever a boy.

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Meanwhile…

“A contract is a contract. I get it. But we don’t owe this brigand a farthing,” Peter said.

“And that’s not even looking at him thinking he can own the girl,” Cor added. Edmund shuddered at the word ‘girl.’

“We should just…” Edmund spat.

“I feel the same way, but maybe paying him and sending him on his way? We can confront him and see where it goes but…” Cor paused and Edmund interrupted.

“No buts. He leaves here with a purse of gold and nothing…no one else.” Peter was tempted to tease his brother but he realized it wasn’t little brother Ed with the infatuation but instead King Edmund wanting to see Justice. He smiled warmly and patted Edmund on the back.

“Here, here, Edmund! Here, here.”

---

---

At the same time…

“Charlie grabbed one of the wooden hangers from the wardrobe and started hitting me. I went to run but he grabbed my wrist and continued hitting me,” Andrew said. It was only then that Susan noticed a red welt on Andrew's…the girl’s left ear.

“But just then I saw him,” Andrew pointed to the cat.

“It was like he came out of nowhere. He was sitting on the dresser and he began to growl, but it was like no growl I ever heard. And he got Charlie’s attention enough that I nearly pulled away. “ Lucy nodded intently and Andrew continued

“I managed to get as far as the bedroom door before he yanked hard on my left arm. I pulled hard, but we both ended up on the floor. He must have hit his head because he wasn’t moving. I had almost stood up when I heard a loud crash and then explosion. Then everything went black.

When I woke up I was still wearing the slip but some angry old woman was shoving something at me. I couldn’t understand what she was saying, but she motioned enough that I realized she was telling me to put on the dress in my hands. The same dress I was wearing when you found me.”

“It must have been a Calormene woman.” Lucy remarked.

“She kept patting my face. Then hers.” Andrew shrugged.

“Mum never told me but I found out Dad was…” she gasped.

“Please don’t get me wrong? I grew up…Not grown up but I’m… My Dad was already gone…back to work at a hospital in Addis Ababa….”

“Your Dad was a doctor?” Susan asked, this time asking as kindly as she had intended.

“From Ethiopia?” Lucy added. Andrew winced, causing Lucy to gasp.

“No… I just wanted to… I realized why Charlie and everybody else hurt you. Oh, dear, I am so sorry.” Both Pevensies by this time were adding their tears to Andrew’s At one point Susan had to get up and walk around in the outer chamber. Empathy was part of the connection they made, but this went beyond empathetic, and it frightened and confused Susan.

“Sue? Are you okay?” Lucy called out from the bedroom.

“Yeh…yes,” Susan answered. Nothing was wrong, per se, but Susan was far from being okay. She raised her hand and wiped tears from her face and walked back into the bedroom.

“I’m sorry I upset you, Andrew said in a near whisper; owing as much to all the crying she had done as to the shame she could not shake. Lucy rubbed her arm.

“We need to hear your story.” Lucy looked to see Susan was smiling; an odd response but for her own tears, still flowing freely despite her efforts to stop. She reached down and offered Lucy a hand, who in turn helped Andrew to rise.

“Here,” Susan said as she grabbed a pitcher from the dresser, offering a cup of water to the girl. Andrew received the cup eagerly as Susan poured a cup for Lucy.

I’m sorry,” Susan apologized.

“We all need to know how you ended up being in the old woman’s care.”

“I have no idea. I found myself with her almost as soon as I passed out back home. And just as quickly I was brought into an outer room. ‘Normally,’ she said to me. ‘you’d be in a courtyard not far from here being bid upon.’” Andrew gasped at the memory.

“But,” she stammered.

“I had already been sold. She tied my hands in front of me and shoved me into the arms of the man who bought me. He…” Andrew’s eyes widened in fear. Lucy went to hold her, but she pulled away, and whatever composure she had gained vanished in a heartbeat.

“Don’t you understand? I said he followed me here.”

“We thought you just meant the cat,” Susan exclaimed. The cat, for his part hopped onto the bed and then swiftly ran across and leaped into Andrew’s arms. His ever-present purring had a calming effect, but the girl still began once again to sob as she buried her face against the cat's muzzle. A few moments later she was sitting on the bed with the cat asleep in her lap.

Susan sat next to her and found herself wanting to mother the girl. At least that’s how it felt at first. And not the lord-it-over attitude she had frequently displayed with Lucy, but a real need on her part to protect the girl. And that was odd since Susan was younger than Andrew.

“It wasn’t the cat?” Lucy asked as she sat on the other bed opposite Susan and Andrew.

“Yes and no. I’ve seen the cat on and off for days, but it’s the man who bought me.” She shuddered enough to wake the cat. He started kneading her legs and she calmed enough to say,

“Charlie followed me. It’s Charlie. I’ll never be free.” She began to sob and fell into Susan’s arms.

“What should I do,” Susan mouthed silently to Lucy, who just shrugged. The cat then did a surprising thing as he hopped over into Susan’s lap. He began using his head to nudge Susan closer to the girl in her arms, as if that was even possible.

Susan found herself nodding at the cat, who then blinked his eyes closed twice as if to signal approval. It was only then that Susan realized there was a comforting familiarity about the cat. Whatever his intent, Susan’s response to the cat’s gesture was to clutch the girl even tighter and she found herself weeping in unison with the girl in her arms in a sad, confusing, but wondrous duet.

---

---

Only a short while later…

“Sue? You okay?” Lucy asked. She pointed to Andrew. The girl had fallen asleep in Susan’s arms after several minutes of Susan rocking back and forth as they sat on the bed. Whether out of relief or sheer exhaustion, the girl needed the break. Susan, on the other hand, still felt confused and more than just a little scared. She went to speak, but shook her head ‘no.’

“It’s… What’s going on?” Lucy asked almost as if she was interrogating her sister.

“What do you mean, Lu? What’s going on?” Susan snapped at Lucy.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to accuse you. You just look so upset….but almost happy at the same time.”

“I…I don’t know, Lu….I really don’t know what’s going on.”

“You remember when we asked Aslan what he and Edmund talked about? That he would no one any story but their own? I’m asking how you are. Not what, okay?”

“Uh…okay.” Susan went to continue but Andrew stirred and then awoke.

“I’m so sorry for being such a burden.”

“It’s alright. It’s been a very tiring day for us all,” Lucy replied.

Susan took a deep breath; an awkward pause that she hoped would deflect from Lucy’s curiosity and her own confusion.

“How did you get away?” Andrew shook in Susan’s arms.

“It must have been so frightening,” Lucy interjected.

“I…Like I said...He had the woman tie my hands in front of me…He made me sit in front of him on his horse. It…we rode…like hours.” She glanced to her left and began to shake.

The path narrowed and one side fell away into a ditch…a ravine?” She asked almost like a schoolgirl seeking approval for a correct answer,

“That sounds about right,” Susan said. Andrew had a wisp of hair that had peeked out from behind her right ear. Susan lifted her hand to brush it back, but quickly pulled her hand down to her side. Her face was already red from the crying all of them had done, but now grew hot with shame.

“His horse started to neigh. I looked past him to see a very large squirrel standing in the middle of the road…He almost looked like he was smiling.” She shuddered and her face grew redder.

“He...The squirrel was wearing a hat, You must think me a fool…I’m so sorry.” Andrew tried to turn away, but Lucy had drawn closer as both Pevensie girls sat close.

“No… I...We believe you...go ahead...please?” Susan interjected. She squeezed Andrew’s hand, evoking a gasp, but the girl continued.

“The horse drew up and I was thrown off and down the embankment. I ended up in a pile of wet leaves. I heard him… I was so afraid he would find me, but I looked around and saw that it was foggy like it had been raining. He…he screamed…’I’m never letting you go!’” She stifled a sob.

“He couldn’t find you,” Lucy said, trying to help Andrew feel at least safe for the moment, but the girl just kept repeating,

“I’ll never be free.” After only a few minutes, she calmed herself enough to continue.

“It must have been a few hours. I had fallen asleep. When I awoke the sun was lower in the sky and the fog had lifted. I saw I was all alone. I managed to get my hands free. I got up and started walking. There was a path and it led me to the road where you found me.”

“We’re very glad we did.” Lucy exclaimed as she patted Andrew’s back. Lucy noticed Susan had gotten quiet. She looked at her sister and raised an eyebrow, as if to say, ‘Well?’

“Yeh…Yes…very glad,” Susan said barely above a whisper.

“We can all put our heads together…first light tomorrow. I think we need to get some rest, she added. She joined Lucy and patted Andrew’s back awkwardly.

“If you like, Susan can sleep next to you?” Lucy suggested. Susan’s eyes widened a bit and she spoke, trying not to say too much.

“That’s a good idea, Lu. But I’m feeling a bit ill. Can you?” Lucy nodded, but inside she wondered what made her sister so reluctant. Never the less she went to the outer door to the suite, finding a girl ages with her about to knock on the door.

“Excuse me, my Lady? Queen Aravis asked me to see to your needs for the evening? There’s some cold supper, I’m afraid, but King Cor suggested that this flask of wine to go along with the meal might suit your Majesties’ needs?” The girl blushed a bit until Lucy drew her into an awkward embrace.

“All is good, dear girl. Thank you.” After several moments, the meal was served and just shortly after that all three girls were clothed and in bed.

“Thank you,” Andrew said to Lucy as the Queen of Narnia lay beside her, a hand reached out to touch the girl in assurance.

“Good night,” Lucy said softly as she squeezed the girl’s shoulder before turning over.

“Thank you, too,” the girl called out. Susan was lying on the opposite bed, covers drawn around her on an unseasonably warm evening. She had faced the opposite wall and struggled to speak. Her voice cracked only a little, but she honestly did not feel ‘well,’ if but for an entirely different reason.

“Good…good night.”

She began to drift off, feeling lost and confused until she felt a nudge against her back accompanied by the soft, reassuring purr of the gray tabby tomcat. Between her defenses being almost totally spent and her own unidentifiable familiar comfort of the cat’s presence, she pulled a large pillow close to her like a favorite baby doll from years past and sobbed herself to sleep.

---

---

---

---

The following morning, in King Cor’s Chambers…

“He cannot be allowed to leave with this girl,” Queen Aravis stood by the doorway leading to the throne room, her arms folded as she looked around the room. Her expression was more than angry, conveying disgust.

“I agree, by Aslan's Mane." Edmund exclaimed.

Edmund hadn't meant to sound exclusionary, but his posture was kingly in a moment that required understanding regardless of intent. Susan walked to the middle of the room and turned to face Lucy and Andrew. The girl almost cowered in the corner. As absolutely frightening as the next moments would prove for her, it was her decision to tell the company of friends her story. Susan held out her hand and beckoned. Andrew walked slowly, her head down in needless shame.

"My friend has something to say. Bear with her to the end and let her speak freely?" Susan grasped Andrew's hand almost gingerly as her own doubts tried to hinder her from her own unspoken fears. She continued,

"Go ahead, child," she said to Andrew as the motherly part of being a queen urged the girl.

"I...I will tell you my story..." She began but stopped, casting her gaze to the floor. She shook and went to turn to walk back to the corner until she felt a gentle urge by a hand that lifted her chin. She looked up, expecting to find Lucy or Susan staring at her. Instead she beheld the most precious sight she had ever seen. Edmund...King Edmund the Just....A High King of Narnia resplendent in the garb of the youthful king gazing at her with wisdom that could only come from being first an eleven year old boy redeemed by grace and forgiveness,

"I..I cannot..." Andrew began to weep; all the while trying to pull away. Gentle hands held her, not to prevent her flight but instead to convince her to remain. Edmund leaned closer and spoke; low, hushed tones not meant to keep secrets but rather soft words of comfort to disarm the secret the girl held.

Please know that no one has said a word? I...When I first came to Narnia I was a bully and a liar and a coward. Andrew shook her head.

"I am a coward." She gasped.

No...you are brave. I...I know... Edmund's gaze to the door seemed to see beyond; not just to the outside but to elsewhere,

We came here by accident, You came here by necessity because an evil man hurt you. He is here because he wishes to continue.

Edmund's Narnia confidence was tempered by the kind if still young enough to learn schoolboy he also was, Nevertheless, Andrew shook her head no. Edmund was tempted to grab her chin but something checked his actions. He waited for her to become calm and again spoke in soft, reassuring tones

You're not from here. I understand that. But you're not what you seem.

Andrew cringed at Edmund's words, Again he resisted the urge to insist being heard and smiled as tears welled in his eyes. More than anyone present, perhaps, he understood what it was like to feel like an outcast.

I'd like to think I saw you in a dream or vision, or that I figured things out. But I just know, is all. I don't understand why you are here dressed as you are, but no one but one understood me when I first came here. I don't need to understand. And that's okay. And you are okay. Edmund only then noticed the cat sitting at the girl's feet, staring at him with as much as an approving look that a cat can manage.

Andrew looked in Edmund's eyes and realized that somehow he knew... everything. Her face grew red and hot with guilt as she glanced down at herself...at himself..,? Every harsh word of judgment came back to her. In seconds every bit of needless shame rose up to smite the person she was. It was only then that Edmund reached over and cupped her chin with both hands as he saw the utter shame he recalled in himself. He spoke, and not in whispered tones.

"I had every reason to be ashamed for the way I treated everyone. You have betrayed no one. You have hurt no one. If I can be restored, how much more should you be relieved of the shame you never deserved?" His voice cracked like any other boy his age might do, but it was from compassion, and not pre-adolescent embarrassment.

He gently pulled her close and looked at her as a girl in need of care like brothers, even awkward boys, will do with their sisters? He kissed her on her right cheek. And he whispered in her ear much in the same way that Aslan had spoken to him no so long ago.

"Okay?" He asked. Andrew began to nod slowly even as she gazed once again at her body. Edmund gathered her into a reassuring hug and bestowed a kingly kiss to her forehead before nodding and stepping away. As he walked past her, Susan grabbed his arm gently and smiled as tears cascaded off her face,

"Good show, Ed...." She said before she returned to Andrew's side,

"As Aravis has said, we cannot allow that man to leave with this girl." Susan's voice had grown angry, and her demeanor was mirrored by every face in the room but for Andrew's. Edmund stood next to Peter by the door. He went to put his hand on his sword but Peter reached over and said almost casually,

"I don't think the Lion will need that today." Edmund turned to him and nodded.
Peter smiled and went to turn his attention as Susan was speaking, but he turned once again and faced Edmund,

"What was that all about, Ed?" Peter asked as he gestured to the center of the room.

"I will tell no one no story but their own," Edmund said with a smile, but added,

"I expect she might have something to tell everyone. I'll wait until she's had her say, alright?" Edmund wiped the remaining tears from his eyes and smiled once again, this time with a confidence that can only come from believing that come what may, everything would be alright.

---

---

A short while later...

Aravis and Cor sat on twin thrones as the girl sat on the dais at their feet. While Cor did not understand at all how a boy came to wear such girlish attire, Aravis understood completely in spite of never ever hearing of such a thing. A few times Cor would interject with a question about where Andrew had come from. He even asked why someone named Andrew couldn't possibly be a boy.

"My dear, sweet husband? It isn't that a boy sits before us? Do you recall how I realized my true self only when Aslan spoke to me? I was not of Tash. I was not Calormene no matter how my life began. I always belonged to Aslan even if I never knew. She," Aravis pointed to Andrew.

"She was always from here even if she began someplace else." Cor shook his head; more out of confusion than disbelief.

"Just as I discovered my true nature, I also realized I knew deep inside." Aravis smiled and playfully swatted Cor's arm.

"She has discovered something that she's also known deep down inside, even if she could not express it aloud. Do you understand?" Cor nodded slowly at her words. He really didn'tunderstand. But he wished to, and that would be enough.

---

---

Shortly thereafter...

Peter stood by the door, barely having moved. After Andrew had explained to him and Cor and Aravis who she was, Peter grew quiet, almost lost in thought. After a short while, he walked over to Andrew, who had joined everyone along with Cor and Aravis. Without hesitation, he grabbed her right and and kissed it gently as a courtier would a lady. He smiled without a word and returned to his place by the doorway.

Susan sat in a corner by herself, leaving Lucy and Edmund to talk. A few moments later, Andrew stood in front of her.

"You hate me," Andrew spoke in a flat tone almost devoid of emotion. Truth be told, her emotions were in turmoil, but she desperately wished to keep them in check. Susan lifted her gaze and only then did Andrew realize Susan had been crying."

"Please forgive me," Andrew exclaimed, She pivoted on her left foot, hoping to flee, but Susan grabbed her arm.

"No...I don't hate you. I..." Susan stammered as Andrew turned around to face her.

"Do you recall what I said... Like I didn't belong? Like I didn't feel like I fit in?"

"Ye...yes?" Andrew replied.

"I fit in here more than I will ever fit in at home. And i don't fit in here... Does that make any sense?" She put her head down, only to feel Andrew's hand touch her cheek.

"Oh...Susan? It makes all the worst sense in the world." Andrew went to lean closer but several very loud thuds against the front door interrupted her; an interruption that would prove to be arduous and protracted.

---

---

Moments later...

"I am here to claim what is mine." The man... Charlie...stood at the now opened door. He went to step forward but Edmund barred his way; his hand on sword's hilt. Peter touched his arm and spoke,

"Permit him to pass, King Edmund?" Edmund nodded and backed away. The man practically strode into the hall; his expression one of confidence born of cruelty and arrogance.

We have decided," Cor said as he used his right arm to indicate everyone in the room. including Andrew.

"You shall receive your reward." He turned and a page entered the room holding a leather satchel.'

"Thrice what you paid...for your investment, for your trouble, and for the sake of beneficence as we see fit," Cor said, emphasizing the royal we, which gained him smiles from Lucy and Peter.

"But what of the girl?" Charlie raised his voice and stepped toward Andrew. Peter walked quickly to him and grabbed him none too gently, spinning him around.

"We do not trade in people here, Sir! This girl belongs to no one save for any she might choose some day, and that solely as a person and not property. The man backed away, but still was unwilling to relinquish his claim. He managed to step around Peter but found his path to the girl barred by Queen Susan the Gentle. She had moved her right hand to her side in search of her dagger but found the sheathe empty.

"Susan?" She heard her name called from behind; the voice starting as an insistent purr but changing swiftly to a low growl. In an odd reaction she turned and fell to the floor, weeping. The ever present gray tabby tomcat walked to her prostrate form and spoke.

"It is alright, Susan. All will be well." He finished by resuming his purr as he nuzzled her face and began to lick away her tears. A moment later Lucy and Edmund had helped Susan to her feet, leaving only the cat standing between Andrew and her stepfather.

"A cat? You wish to keep me from what is mine by siccing a cat upon my person?" He had barely finished speaking when the cat resumed his growl. But the growl was no longer the growl of a gray tabby tomcat.

"She is not yours, Not before, Not now. And not ever." The cat's voice grew deeper and richer. Charlie was undaunted. He put his hand to the hilt of his sword and went to withdraw the blade, But as he returned his attention ahead, he did not find a cat in front of him, but rather a very regal looking and very large lion.

"Take your coin and go. You are not welcome here." The Lion uttered a short growl followed by a bellowing roar that moved the tapestries on the walls of the large hall. The man hesitated. Aslan stood and looked at Andrew and nodded. He turned back and used his muzzle to urge Cor, who then thrust the satchel into Charlies's hands.

"BE GONE," Aslan said, his words as powerful as the roar that swiftly followed. Charlie turned and walked quickly to the doorway, but stopped and turned; his posture and expression foolishly insisting on one final if silent appeal. Aslan took a few steps toward him and stopped.

"Take your money and leave. But pray you depart from here while leaving your greed behind lest it become your undoing." Charlie went to speak, but one last low intense growl convinced him to remain silent and he ran from the castle.

"Thha...thank you." Andrew said timidly.

"I'm sorry for everything I've done to put everyone...I don't know." Andrew would learn sometime later that we all do things for which we should regret or even repent. But this day was never a day for regret but rather a day for healing. She stepped away nervously but her escape was barred by Edmund, who did nothing but touch her back to gently nudge her forward. She turned to find him smiling with a grin that says, I Know, The smile that is given by one who understands shame and fear and doubt. A smile that urged Andrew to turn around.

"Come closer, dear child." She only then realized that his eyes were filled with tears.

"Ah..Aslan? That's your name? I... I'm not what I appear to be." As frightening as it might be to face an untamed Lion it was immeasurably comforting to face kindness personified. He nodded at her and spoke.

"You are exactly whom you claim to be, Daughter of Eve! Come near, child." Andrew blinked back tears and stepped forward, Aslan nuzzled her and leaned close as he spoke almost silently. After a few moments she stepped back, her face a vision of peace and even clarity. He leaned forward again and breathed heavily on her in one last blessing before saying,

"It is time." Andrew put her hand to her face. She would offer no argument because she knew he was right. Her tears came as she realized the most wonderful time in her life was drawing to a close. One by one, her new friends came close to wish her goodbye.

"I'm so ever happy to have met you," Lucy hugged her and stepped back. Aravis and Cor came and hugged her as well; Cor still looking a bit confused as if he was wondering what everything was about. Aravis simply nodded with a knowing smile.

"A supreme pleasure to have met you," Peter said as he shook her hand; his words both regal and sincere at the same time.

Edmund stood still as she and Aslan made their way to the door,

"Friends always?" He hugged her and shrugged his shoulders just like a High King who is but eleven years old and timeless all at once,

And Susan stood by the door, trembling as she hoped desperately that no one would ever learn what lay upon her troubled heart.

"Thank you, Susan." Andrew said as she drew Susan into an awkward hug. As they parted, Aslan stepped close to Susan and whispered in her ear. She nuzzled his mane before bursting into tears, leaving her brothers and King Cor looking clueless as Lucy and Aravis held her while she sobbed.

"Come, child. We must depart," Andrew heard the now familiar voice as the gray tabby tomcat circled her ankles, purring almost happily. He rose on his back legs and pushed her forward. And just like that, they walked through the open door and were gone.

Moments later...

Andrew found herself standing in the hallway, clad once again only in her mother's slip. She turned to find her way to the bedroom by blocked by her stepfather.

"I don't know what just happened, but I've got this," he said angrily as he pointed to the leather satchel lying at his feet. His face, as evil as it always was, seemed to become demonic. He reached down and began to unbuckle his belt.

"And look here, you bleedin' queer. I've still got you." Before she could react, Charlie grabbed her by her left arm and began to drag her into the bedroom. Whether magic or fate or the protection from above, Andrew would never be able to say, but in returning to 1940 England, they had been restored to how things were before they had been swept away to Narnia. She was still in a way a frightened boy and her stepfather was the same, cruel, angry man who was falling-down drunk.

"NO!" She said it for the first time ever. He let go of her, rearing back to hit her, but he lost his balance and fell sideways, hitting his head on the door frame. She stood in the doorway, sobbing, but no slap or punch arrived. Leaning close, she heard him murmur in his stupor. She breathed out only a bit in relief before she went into the bedroom, with no real plan as to what to do next.

Something drew her attention to the far side of the room She turned and found the gray tabby tomcat sitting on her mother's dresser., purring calmly. Outside she could still hear the bombs exploding, but they seemed to be far off. The cat hopped onto the bed and then to the floor. He looked at her as if to say, 'follow me.'

She walked behind him where he stared into the open closet before nudging a suitcase sitting on the closet floor next to its near twin. Andrew grabbed the suitcases and placed them on the bed, fully expecting to pack something to aid in her escape, She noticed Charlie had not stirred from his stupor. Opening one of the suitcases she gasped.

"This can't be," she said, her words belying what she saw. Her mother had packed the suitcase, For her own escape? Andrew's hand almost flew to her face as she began to weep. Her mother never did escape. Andrew opened the other suitcase, finding it filled with more of her mother's clothes. And lying on top was an envelope with the words 'My Child' written in blue ink. The cat hopped back onto the bed and resumed his purring as he nudged her.

"I...I.." was all she could say. The cat nudged her again and she opened the envelope to find a letter inside.

My sweet child. If you are reading this, it means I am gone. I leave this to you to lead the life perhaps you were always intended to live.

Andrew struggled to see past tears that were streaming freely.

Please forgive me for not protecting you. I am so sorry that you have been hurt so much.

Andrew covered her mouth to stifle a sob, feeling ashamed and overwhelmed for the fresh reminder of the loss she had already grieved,

I miss you and I love you with all my heart. Take these things for your own. I believe I knew how different you were before you even had a sense of yourself. I hope that you can build a new life with my blessing. Be well, my dear sweet daughter. Before your father left, we talked about names. Know he loved you and had every intention to return. I hope forgiveness includes a reunion for us, with a very long life ahead of you before you join us?

Necessity of sorts had determined her father's and mother's path. While the words of the letter were comforting, they did little to help the girl see past the immediate to envision a future, She gasped and the cat nudged her once more as she resumed reading.

Your name is Andrew, but your father had wanted to name you after me had things been different. I think Alice after my mother has a nice sound to it. Alice Corey. We took my last name when we were married because people never understood. He was lighter than most and fit in...I'm sorry. It was so wrong. He used my father's first name. Adam. Simple and kind and strong. It sort of fits.

Andrew... Alice began to shake. The cat rubbed against her as she stared at the letter, already knowing and understanding what everything meant, both in Narnia and in London in that one moment. The words seemed to glow; a tribute to her mother's love and the redemption destined for her from before she was born.

My dear sweet Alice. Daughter of Eve and Adam Corey. All my love, Mother.

Andrew...Alice fell on the bed and sobbed. After a few minutes, she felt the cat on her back, his claws digging in almost urgently. She got up and retrieved the outfit she had ready from before everything that had happened, and hastily got dressed. A simple light blue plaid skirt and white blouse with white ankle socks and Navy blue flats. She pulled the Green Car Coat from the closet and pulled on a Red knit wool hat, hoping her short hair would not betray her.

"Thank you, Mummy," she said as she raised her gaze to almost see through the ceiling to eternity beyond.

"I...I love you," she said and she walked through the bedroom door,

"NOT SO FAST," Charlie said as he grabbed her ankle, As before her struggle proved successful as she pulled away and he fell back against the hallway wall. For the first and only time, the cat meowed as he sat atop the leather satchel still lying on the floor. She shook her head even as the cat's meows grew urgent. She picked it up and went to turn when the sound of explosions spoke of the peril outside.

"Come back! I won't hurt you, I promise." he said just like every other time, but nearly every promise he ever made had been broken with almost a cruel vengeance, His words, even in this stupor, were as sincere as he might ever manage.

"I'm sorry," he said finally.

"I...I know. I...I forgive you," Alice said as tears cascaded onto the floor. She ran down the hallway, turning one last time to see his angry affect return as he struggled to get up. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a pistol and fired at her. The wall trim at the stairwell shattered as the bullet barely missed hitting her She ran down the stairs and out the front door just in time to be thrust across the street as explosions ripped through the house as the bombs found their target...

---

---

A little while and only a bit of distance later...

"Missy? Miss? Here, Luv, let's get you all sorted?" Alice found herself staring into the kind face of a grandmotherly woman.

"A cuppa and to bed? We can figure out what to do come mornin', but you're safe fer now." Alice felt like she was almost walking on air as the woman led her up stairs and into a bedroom.

"This is my Moira's. She works in hospital down near Hastings. You'd get along with her, I bet. Anyway, sweet dreams...ah? What's yer name child?"

"Alice... Alice Corey."

"I knew an Eve Corey..." The woman's eyes widened in recognition even as the girl's eyes welled with tears.

"Oh where am I gettin' at? Yer Mum? Sweetest woman I ever knew. She bragged on you all the time. I am sorry for myself as for you for her loss." She leaned closer and kissed Alice on the cheeks, tasting the salt of the girl's tears.

"I know, luv, I know," she said as Alice sobbed in her arms.

---

---

A few days later...

The old woman placed a cup of tea in front of Alice as well as a piece of dry toast,

Sorry, Luv, but it's the best I can do." She sat down at the kitchen table across from Alice and continued.

"I expect you'll be like a lot of folks. Papers gone missing? Schools no longer standing? My brother is a Clerk for the City. He says he can fix up somethin' fer your schoolin' and such. And my Moira says they're always lookin' for help at the hospital. She says you can get a room and go to school fer cheap. Her boss says they can help. Seems your mother was quite loved when she worked there herself, 'Best nurse ever,' her boss says.

"I can go to school?"

"Funny thing, Moira tole me. The Sister said, an I quote, 'Alice Corey? well, any daughter of Eve is a daughter of mine.'" Alice looked away briefly as emotion began to overtake her. She notice the leather satchel lying next to her coat on chair next to her. It was only then that she realized where she had first seen it, and she breathed a deep sigh of grateful relief. The old woman smiled at her sigh, and for the first time in her life, Alice Corey felt like she belonged.

London, 1951

"Sister Alice?" The kind looking woman sat in the chair across the desk from Alice. her face practically beaming.

"We're finally in luck. Being short staffed and all I had given up all hope, but we have help from abroad. A nice young lady most recently from Canada but from here. Sad story. She was away and just two years ago every member of her family was killed in that horrible train wreck. She only returned just last month...well, I certainly understand with all that sadness," she said with the thought 'and no one to go home to' left unsaid. The woman sighed but continued.

"She got her certification in Halifax and every bit of her references say she's as kind and gentle as you'd ever want but completely thorough. Anyway, she's already on the floor. You can meet her in a bit, alright?" Alive nodded. The last few years had provided only a bit of a reprieve, but between those men still dealing with the hurts from the last war and now the 'police action' on the other side of the globe, the challenges for everyone there were daunting.

"Good. I of course welcome the help, but you and I and the other girls welcome the company as well."

"Give me a bit for a quick phone call?" Alice nodded and walked out of the office.

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Orthopaedic Ward, about a half-hour later...

"Oh, Sister. Looking good," the fellow said as he pivoted on one crutch, Alice smiled.

"Gettin' me leg today. Maybe you and I can go dancin'?" He laughed. Alice continued to smile. Inside she was sighing deeply, as she would put it. There were very few places where girls like Alice could go dancing. She felt a tap on the shoulder as the older nurse spoke.

"Our new girl might float for a bit, but she's here for at least the next few days," the woman used her arm in a broad gesture to indicate the many men on the ward. Alice nodded. Too many needs and never enough help. Still. Alice was actually glad, since in being able to help others, she had finally come to a place where she felt like she belonged. As she looked around she smiled and was pretty much in thought until the older woman got her attention once again.

"Sister Alice? Here's the cavalry come to help." Alice turned and came face to face with someone who seemed quite familiar. The woman tilted her head just a bit in thought and her eyes widened in apprehension.

"Alice Corey? Meet Susan Pevensie." The older woman wondered as Alice's expression was almost flat. But Alice extended her hand, waiting for a response. It might not have been apparent to anyone else that day, but both women smiled ever so slightly; the eyes only glistening with barely noticeable tears,

"W...welcome," Alice said nervously. The older woman noticed the slight stammer.

"Well, Alice?" the woman asked, forgoing the almost obligatory title. And Alice responded in the only way she knew how. Perhaps not quite the proper response her position normally required but acceptable none the less, even by the older nurse's standards.

"Welcome, Sister Pevensie," she said as she hugged the only person she had ever loved. A staid, respectable hug which quickly ended, but not before Alice saw the tears that Susan tried without success to hide.

"I'm sure that these past few years have been very trying on you as they have on us all," the older woman remarked, failing only a little bit in describing the moment. Susan turned to her and nodded.

"Yes," was all she could say. And of course her loss was part of her reason for crying. Even some professionals allowed for humanity in a world that could be quite inhumane. But the lion's share of her tears were not for what she had lost but rather for what she had just regained.

"Welcome," Alice repeated as she shook Susan's hand. She smiled a knowing smile before she said at last,

"I'm quite certain that you'll do just fine. That you'll find here is a place you'll fit in."

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based on characters and themes from The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis

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Excerpt from the original soundtrack of the BBC Televised Series, The Chronicles of Narnia, 1990, composed by Geoffrey Burgon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oClLr_qw9oc

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