𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭

𝚎𝚙𝚒𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚞𝚎

The Thirteen Friends of Narnia trailed behind him slowly. He continued his gallop, understanding that they would need time to process what they had just witnessed.

"Peter," Lucy began, "what do you suppose is this place?"

"I don't know," he trailed off.

"It reminds me of somewhere we went on a holiday," Susan looked around, "perhaps when we were very small."

"That had to have been a good holiday then. I don't recall there being a country this beautiful in our world."

Alex nudged William and pointed. "Exactly. Look at these colors, the sky isn't nearly so blue in England."

"I think this is in the Narnian world. Look at those mountains, and the icy ones up ahead!" Edmund pointed over, causing Emma to follow his line of vision.

"They look like the ones up Westward! Beyond the waterfall!"

"Those ones," Michael pointed over to the mountains they were talking about, "don't look like they're from Narnia. But over there," he pointed in the other direction, "those woody ones, look like the Southern Border of Narnia. Mom, you took me there all of the time, remember?"

"Like! They look exactly like Narnia. There's the pass to Archenland, and Mount Pire with the forked head," Thomas shouted out after a moment of silence.

"But yet, they're also not like. It's different, more colorful. And more," Alex trailed off and sighed. "I don't know."

"More like the real thing."

They turned to Professor Kirke in confusion as he continued. "We have all been blind! This is only the beginning. From up there, I've seen it all. Ettinsmuir, Beaversdam, the Great River, and Cair Paravel still shining on the Eastern Sea. Narnia isn't dead, this is Narnia!"

"How? Aslan told us older ones thay we could never return to Narnia, yet here we are?" Peter questioned as Eustace nodded in agreement.

"Yes, we saw it get destroyed!"

"And it's all so different," Lucy trailed off, still looking at her surroundings.

"No, you're not listening, guys," Polly stopped them from walking and stood in front of them. "When Aslan said you couldn't return, he meant the Narnia you were thinking of, but it isn't the real Narnia. It had a beginning and an end, where this world is forever. It was just a shadow of the real Narnia in Aslan's World. Just as our world is just a shadow copy of what's in Aslan's worlds. Of course this is different, as different as a real thing is from a shadow or as walking life is from a dream."

The kids all looked at her in shock as the Professor mattered, "Plato, it's all in Plato. What do they teach them in school, these days?"

"Come further up, come further in!" They could hear again, making them all smile at each other and run off. As they ran, they noticed how they didn't run out of breath. The rush of it was thrilling and exciting, only stopping when Eustace shouted.

"Steady! Look where we're coming too!"

They came to a screeching halt, looking around seeing Caldron Pool, and beyond that, there was the Great Waterfall. However, they didn't have time to admire the cliffs, or the glassy waters, before they heard Aslan shout for them to not stop again.

"This is crazy," William muttered as they walked again.

"Crazy, yes. But yet-"

"It's wonderful!" Emma interuppted Alex as she grabbed Lucy's hand and started running to the top of the Waterfall.

"Don't you guys feel what I feel?" Emma turned to them with a smile as they caught up.

Edmund smiled at her and grabbed her hand. "I don't feel afraid."

They jumped off the cliff, into the lake below them and began to swim. Despite the rough current, they were such powerful swimmers.

When they emerged from the lake, they were soaked. But nothing could take away the rush of adrenaline they were feeling right now.

"Further up and further in!"

They made it to the Western Wild, where no one but Professor Kirke and Polly Plummer have been before. They continued running and running until it felt like they were flying.

They made it to the top of hill and came across a golden set of gates. Upon the sound of a horn, the gates opened.

The Thirteen Friends of Narnia watched in curiosity as they waited to see who would come through. The first thing they saw was a feathered hat, on a tiny, but very brave mouse.

"Reepicheep!"

The Pevensies and the Walters ran to the noble mouse, each of them taking turns giving him a hug. He urged them to come further in, and they did so, revealing all of the Narnians they grew close to, along with Mr. and Mrs. Pevensie, and none other than Pamela Walters.

Thomas, Emma, Alex and William froze in their spot upon seeing the beautiful woman before them, who looked to be the spitting image of Emma.

"My children," she raised her arms, them immediately running into them in excitement. "How proud I am of you."

Michael stood off to the side awkwardly with his poppy. She looked over at them and waved them in. "Come on, we're all family here."

They continued to walk through Aslan's country, marveling at seeing Cair Paravel, along with Professor Kirke's house as Mr. Tumnus explained to them that everything good in those worlds remained here.

"The further up and further in you go, the bigger everything gets."

However, despite their happiness, a sinking feeling set in all of them. This was too good to be true, right? They were going to be happy here, only to be sent away again.

"You do not yet look so happy as I mean you to be."

They all looked behind them to see Aslan standing there looking confused as their somber expressions.

"We are afraid of being sent away, Aslan. You have sent us back to our world so often," Michael spoke up for all of them. In response, he smiled at them.

"No fear of that, have you not guessed? There was a real railway accident. All of you are what you used to call Shadowlands, dead. The term is over, the holidays have begun. The dream is ended, this is the morning."

And with that, the Thirteen Friends of Narnia turned to everyone behind them, all of their loved ones from over the years and smiled, knowing that this was now their forever.

Edmund and Emma looked over at Michael proudly, now finally understanding how The Complete and The Just created the Savior of Narnia.