The morning dawned clear and sunny with lively birds chirping outside her window as Susan rolled out of bed. How ironic that they were preparing a nest for the arrival of a new brood while she was getting ready to say farewell to sweet little Corin.
Indeed, she felt as if she was burying her own son. Lune’s queen had passed away when the boys were still infants so she and Lucy had naturally filled the maternal role in his life. Then as he grew older, he tended to view Lucy as more of a playmate but Susan had always been mother. Of course, it was also not lost on her that she was now young enough to be that handsome bearded man’s daughter and that irony twisted her grieving heart even more.
“A Naiad helped me during our Golden Age.” she conversed with an Archen lady-in-waiting as the young woman buttoned her black dress, “Lucy’s lady was a Dryad.”
“Ahh, that sounds lovely.” the woman’s eyes lit up as Susan completed the look by fastening Corin’s bracelet to her wrist, “You are beautiful.”
“Thank you.” Susan kissed her cheeks then slid out into the hallway to meet her siblings.
“How’s it going?” Peter asked them, looking absolutely dashing in his Narnian uniform as they wandered down the hall, almost losing themselves in their memories again.
“I never thought I’d be doing this, that’s for sure.” Susan sighed, a few tears tracing down her cheeks.
“That’s the truth.” Lucy murmured; her cheeks were damp as she gripped her old necklace.
“I dreamt about them last night.” Edmund, also handsome in his uniform, said, “All of them. Lune, Cor, Aravis, Corin. Nothing sad. Just wonderful memories.”
“Oooo, me too!” Lucy’s face lit up, “Although, I think I added Ram in there too.” She giggled, “He was a toddler and he kept walking around his hands on his hips.”
“I dreamt about that time Corin and Aravis were manning the fort while Cor and Lune were traveling.” Susan laughed, “I remember they had quite a time together!”
“They sure did!” Peter snorted with laughter, “I bet you were glad to see Anvard was still standing when you woke up.”
“I was, truly!” She had a twinkle in her eyes.
“Your majesties…” Caspian suddenly met them in the hall and the mood instantly sobered, “I-I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“You didn’t interrupt, Caspian.” Peter assured him, “We were just sharing happy memories. We dreamed about them last night.”
“That’s wonderful.” Caspian looked relieved, “Uh, ah, the horses have been saddled.”
“My goodness, are we late?” Peter’s face paled, “Golly, time sure flies when you’ve got a lot on your mind.”
“No, no, no…” the new King shook his head, “Everything is just ready. That’s all.”
“Well, then,” Peter nodded, glancing at his siblings with his jaw set, “Let’s do this.”
“Ready or not.” Susan whispered, looping an arm around the High King’s elbow as Lucy took Edmund’s arm. Caspian opened the door and took the lead as they stepped outside.
Every flag was at half-mast. Every man was in uniform. The horses’ tack was sparkling.
The Pevensies mounted in silence and the almost overwhelming feeling of grief returned as they neared the little chapel where the Archen royals worshiped.
The words of the old hymns flooded back into their minds and out of their mouths as they progressed into the church, making their way to the front pew while Caspian and the Archen royals sat behind them, acknowledging the Pevensies place of honor in the dead man’s life.
“Thank the Lion for His good grace in renewing our friendship with Narnia.” King Nain opened the ceremony, “We thank Him also for restoring to Narnia a king who loves the Talking Beasts and will uphold His covenant with them. We also thank Him for calling High King Peter, Queen Susan, King Edmund, and Queen Lucy back to this world. They are treasured both in Narnia and by my house. But, mostly, today we thank Him for returning to us a great son, Prince Corin. We have carried him in our minds for so long and we rejoice that he has come home at last.”
Caspian spoke next, shoving his awkward feelings aside.
“I don’t feel adequate for this task. What can I say when it was my own ancestors who are responsible for the Prince’s murder? What can I say when they are responsible for the strife that has persisted between Narnia and Archenland for so long? What can I say when King Nain offered me his friendship before we even met? What can I say when he furnished my first ship and her crew so that Narnia could begin to rebuild her navy before we’d met too?” He swallowed hard, “The only thing that comes to mind is, I’m sorry…and…thank you.”
Peter stood up, “I laid awake many hours last night, trying to work out what I would say and I’m still at a loss for words this morning. Prince Corin was a brilliant kid. He was brilliant in getting into every possible scrape he could manage. He was brilliant at getting every adult within five miles to pull their hair out with worry.” He swallowed hard, “But in this brave steadfast man lying here today, I see the completion of the Lion’s plan for his life and I am grateful to have been a part of it.” He bowed low then knelt to kiss the Prince’s forehead, “Well done, Corin. Lion bless.”
“My brother is right,” Lucy stood before the mourners with her hands clasped in front of her, “it would take us weeks to tell you all our Corin stories. No, it would take months. No, probably years. At any rate, I too was awake a long time trying to pick just the right one and this just kept coming into my head. It happened on a day not long before we four were sent back to our own world. In fact, it was the last time until now that I came to Anvard. I was here for worldwide trade talks but I came a few days early so I’d have the opportunity to spend some time with our friends.”
“Lune greeted me at the gate. Corin was out riding with Cor and Aravis. They were supposed to be back in time to greet me but weren’t.” She paused to chuckle, “No offence was taken, I assure you.”
“Anyways, I went to my room and was helping the girl unpack my things when I heard the horses coming. I ran to the window just in time to see them dismount. They shooed the grooms away and took care of their horses themselves but when they came back from the stable they were all running. It took a moment, but I realized they were playing tag.”
She sighed with a soft giggle, “I was in my mid-twenties back then and hadn’t played the game in years. Of course, I also knew that Queens didn’t necessarily do such things but, at that moment, I couldn’t help myself.” She sighed again, remembering it as if it was yesterday, “It was such a lovely time, those few minutes that I got to run amuck with those three wonderful teenagers who I loved so much and who loved me and each other.”
Walking to the man now lying at peace with tears running down her cheeks, she curtsied deeply then knelt and kissed his cheek, whispering in his ear, “Thank you, dear, dear, Corin. I love you. Lion bless.”
Edmund was next, giving Corin a fond lopsided smirking grin before speaking as if no one else was in the room, “The stories I heard of you last night don’t surprise me in the least. You were a fine lad and I can see that you grew into a noble man.”
He paused to gather himself when the irony of everything hit him afresh, “I’ll never forget that time you and your father were visiting the Cair when you were eight and word reached us that a force from Calormen was heading toward the Lone Islands. We all rushed out and, dang you, you stowed away with us.”
He couldn’t quite resist taking a peek at his siblings’ faces. Peter was red-faced with embarrassment, Susan looked mortified, and Lucy was trying not to laugh. He remembered belatedly that his older sister had stayed behind to watch the young Prince.
“Well, I ended up being mighty glad that you came along when I got caught in an ambush outside Narrowhaven.” He continued, “You were supposed to stay on the ship with Lucy, you little rascal, but once again you didn’t do what anyone told you.”
He glanced at his siblings again. Lucy had stopped laughing. The older two looked pretty much the same.
“Well, thank you, dear friend.” the younger King sighed heavily as another wave of irony hit him, “Thank you for your fists, your smile, your laugh, and your love.” He bowed low then knelt and kissed Corin’s brow, “Lion bless.”
Susan’s legs felt like jello as she came forward and a thousand memories assailed her mind as she looked across the crowd. Closing her eyes for a minute, she gathered herself then turned towards the man she’d known, speaking to him as her younger brother had done.
“There are so many things I wanted to say to you, so many things we didn’t get to do.” She shook her head fondly, “But it looks like you did well for yourself even without me, Corin Thunder-fist. I knew you would, deep down, though my heart hurts to admit it. Your father, Lune, brother Cor, sister-in-law Aravis, nephew Ram…they helped shape your life as much as we did and they did an excellent job.” She sighed again, “Aslan too. I-I’m not surprised that things turned out in this way. It’s fitting. The Lion designs life with the utmost care and you are proof of that.” She curtsied deeply and kissed his cheek, “Lion bless, sweet Corin. See you in Aslan’s Country…some day.”
As she returned to her place, the room rose to their feet with a thunderous ovation for the dead man and another hymn was sung. Then Peter, Edmund, Caspian, and Nain came forward as pallbearers to carry Corin into the royal crypt while Susan, Lucy, Salene, Lake, and Lark followed behind, singing the final hymn of farewell. As they all emerged, Aslan appeared among them.
Peter swallowed hard as everyone dropped to their knees before the Lion, kissing his paws and accepting His rough tongue warm licks on their foreheads. The High King knew why He was here but the finality of the sudden moment seemed to crash into him like a train wreck.
“Rise Kings and Queens of Narnia and Archenland.” His voice was gentle and grave, echoing like a gentle purr in the warm breeze.
Stealing a glance at Susan as they came to their feet, Peter looked on as she spoke first. “It’s time for us to go back, isn’t it, Aslan?”
“Yes, beloved.” He answered.
“I’m ready.” she assured them, “I-I feel like my task is done here. Thank you so much for everything. These last days have been the most trying ones of my life, but also the most wonderful.” She took a step forward and wrapped her arms as far around Aslan as she could reach, lacing her fingers into His rich warm golden mane, “Thank you for letting us find them. Mr. Tumnus, the Beavers, Corin. I-I, we, have always wondered what happened to them and now—” She pulled back just far enough to hold up the bracelet, “Thank you for letting me find this!”
Her siblings joined her in that moment, wrapping their arms around the Lion and clinging to His mane, heedless of their audience as they shared their love with Him.
“Yes, thank you for letting us stay a bit longer, Aslan.” Lucy murmured through her tears, “I don’t wanna leave yet, but I understand we have too. It’s so hard though.”
“Courage, dear one.” He breathed on each one, “You must say goodbye now.”
The tetrarchs turned back, suddenly aware that every eye was on them. Caspian stepped forward and bowed low. He knew he would never see Peter and Susan again and he didn’t know if Edmund and Lucy would return in his lifetime.
“I-I don’t think thank you is quite adequate,” he murmured, “but I can’t think of anything else.” He blushed, “Well, maybe Lion bless and-and I-I love you all.”
“That’s the best farewell I’ve ever heard.” Edmund found his voice as they embraced, “Lion bless, my brother.”
“Once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen.” Caspian reminded Peter and Susan, embracing them.
“We’ll remember.” the High King smiled bravely, “A new adventure awaits, right, Su?”
“Right!”
“I hope we meet again.” Lucy pecked Caspian’s cheek.
“Me too, your majesty.” he embraced her, “but in any case, I’ll never forget any of you. You’re my family and you can count on me to look after Narnia.”
“That’s exactly what we are counting on.” Peter grinned as he and his siblings saluted the Archenlanders one last time then turned back to Aslan, “Alright, Aslan. We’re ready.”
The Lion’s roar seemed to echo through them as it ripped a hole in the sky and blasted them through it. The next moment they were trying to catch their breath on a train station platform in England.
“My, that was quite a ride!” Susan gasped, rubbing the sleeves of her school uniform, half-expecting her skin to have blasted off; her fingers brushed something on her wrist, “Oh, look!”
“All eyes turned to see Corin’s bracelet and Lucy’s hand immediately went to her throat.
“Oh!” she gasped, “He gave me my necklace too!”
“Well, I’m glad you girls brought home something that you wanted.” Edmund was suddenly frantically rifling through his school bag, “Because I think I left my new torch on the Dawn Treader!”
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