Chapter 1.

Chapter 1.
27th January, Barbados
Dear Peter, Edmund and Lucy,
How I wish you were here to enjoy everything with me. I feel sorry for you staying at Uncle Bert’s- and I wish I had been able to take you all with me. The Caribbean Islands are beautiful- almost as beautiful as Narnia. Well- what we imagined Narnia to look like. Please don’t be mad at me- but I have decided to stop playing Narnia. It was fun when we were young, but now I am too old for it. I am sure Peter thinks the same. As you all know, I am going to college in the fall, and I will have to be able to concentrate fully on my studies. I can’t have a childish fancy in my head the entire time- or I shall never succeed to pass my examinations. Up till now mother and I have gone with father to the beach parties every evening. I have even met a young man not much older than I- who has been living abroad for nearly a year now. The Caribbean Islands are his last stop before he returns to England. I am pleased to say he is a perfect gentleman. His manners are beautiful, and he is certainly very handsome. Even mother and father approve of him. He pays me the most delicious compliments (don’t worry, it’s only harmless flirting) Mother says I’m growing up- and that she doesn’t mind if I go out on walks with him and if he takes me riding in his carriage. Please send me lots of letters back, with all news from dear old England. I miss it too- you know- no matter how beautiful it is here.
Love,
Susan

‘’What?’’ Edmund exclaimed, after Lucy finished reading the letter.
‘’How can she not believe in Narnia anymore? Doesn’t she remember all the adventures we had? Doesn’t she remember Caspian?’’ Lucy cried out- almost in tears.
If you don’t remember, Caspian was the young king of Narnia- when they went on their second trip to Narnia. They helped him claim his rightful place as the heir of Narnia- and with that saved all the magical creatures in Narnia.
‘’Calm down- let me read the letter,’’ said Peter, the eldest. Lucy handed him the letter and looked up at him with eyes full of tears.
When Peter had read the letter, he was silent for a moment. ‘’If Susan chooses not to believe, we should let her. It’s not like we can do anything about it. I sometimes wonder if it all really happened. Maybe Susan is right after all.’’
‘’No! Not you too, Peter! You’re the High King! You’re Peter the Magnificent, remember?’’ Lucy cried out.
‘’High King? Peter the Magnificent? See? It sounds too… story bookish. It’s most likely it was something we thought up ourselves. Probably because we were so bored at the professor’s- so we decided to think up something, a game we could play. It was nice while it lasted- but like Susan said- it is something for children to play- not the adults some of us are now,’’ Peter looked at Lucy, who had tears rolling down her cheeks. His expression softened. ‘’Lucy- don’t worry. You and Edmund can still pretend- for a while. And maybe when you’re older- you’ll understand,’’
‘’Understand?’’ said Lucy, angrily. ‘’Understand? Understand what? Understand that you’ll just throw away a hundred years of beautiful times in Narnia? It is real, Peter. How can you think it is a fairy tale?’’
Peter’s expression hardened, ‘’Lucy, that’s enough,’’ he said, and with that he left the room. Lucy got a strange sense of déjà vu. It was exactly what Peter and Susan had told her when she had told them about the strange land in the wardrobe. Suddenly she felt like crying. How could he not believe her? How could he not remember?
‘’No! You’ve got to believe me! Don’t you remember?’’ cried Lucy, almost hysterical. Edmund threw his arms around her and held her close. She struggled, but eventually gave up and laid her head on his shoulder, still sobbing.
‘’Shh, Lucy. It’s okay,’’ he whispered. Deep in his heart he felt like Lucy. How on earth could Peter and Susan just forget all the times they had? How could they forget that they were the rightful Kings and Queens of old? A soft smile appeared on his face as he thought of the time they beat the evil White Queen- and how they walked up the aisle to be crowned. Queen Lucy the Valiant. King Edmund the Just. Queen Susan the Gentle. High King Peter the Magnificent. He could almost hear Aslan’s deep voice, calling out their names. He could almost feel the gentle touch of the crown being placed on his head. In his memory, he relived the balls and banquets thrown by them in the Great Hall of Cair Paravel. What he would give to be there again!
Lucy had stopped sobbing and lay limp in his arms. Softly, he loosened his arms. She lifted up her face and looked him in the eyes. It broke his heart to see his little sister so sad. She seemed heart-broken. Lucy had always been more close to Narnia than the rest of his siblings. That was probably why she took Peter and Susan’s decision so hard.
‘’Edmund. Do you think we’ll ever see Narnia again? I know Aslan said it was the last time we could go but… is there any possibility?’’ said she.
‘’I don’t know, Lu. I really don’t know,’’ he answered, handing her a hanky. She smiled through her tears.
‘’I remember giving Tummulus my hanky, the very first time I was in Narnia. I remember telling him he needed it more than I did,’’
Edmund laughed, ‘’I remember being such a perfect brat all because of some silly Turkish Delight that dratted White Witch gave me. I really was horrible back then,’’
Lucy laughed too, ‘’you still are sometimes, you know?’’
‘’Hey!’’ Edmund protested. But he felt better and he could see Lucy did too. She resolutely wiped away her tears and straightened her crumpled up clothes.
‘’There, there. What was I thinking, making such a fool out of myself? Why, Peter must have thought I was a baby,’’ she scolded herself, out loud. ‘’Well, if they won’t believe in Narnia, their loss. I’ll always keep believing in Narnia,’’
‘’Me too, Luce, me too,’’ Edmund assured her.