𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭

-𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚎

We were walking through the forest, and that's when it hit me that Narnia really was not what I remembered at all.

"I don't remember this way at all."

Peter scoffed over at Susan. "That's the problem with girls. You can't carry a map in your heads."

"That's because our heads have something in them," Lucy shot back, making Susan and I chuckle.

"I wish he'd just listen to the DLF."

Edmund turned to me in confusion. "DLF?"

"Dear Little Friend."

Our DLF turned to me in annoyance. "Oh, that's not all patronizing, is it?"

I shrugged. "Tell us your name and we wouldn't have to give you a nickname."

Alex moved his way in a rock passage, looking momentarily confused but brushed it off.

"We're not lost."

"No, you're just going the wrong way."

Peter turned to the dwarf and gave him a pointed look. "You said you last saw Caspian at the Shuddering Wood, and the quickest way there is to cross at the River Rush."

"But, unless I'm mistaken, there's no crossing in these parts."

Peter and Alex began leading us through the rock passage. "That explains it then. You're mistaken."

I marched over to Alex and held him back so we were now at the back of the group.

"Has it occurred to you that's it been over 1000 years in Narnia time and that it may have changed?"

He rolled his eyes and went to walk off, but my voice stopped him. "We're all going through a hard time, Alexander! It's not just you. Stop acting high and mighty and like you have something to prove."

He didn't respond to me, but it looked like he was deep in thought. We made it to the gorge, only to reveal that it was now a small river all the way at the bottom.

"Over time, water erodes the earth's soil-"

Peter rolled his eyes at Susan. "Oh, shut up."

Alex sighed and looked over at the dwarf. "Is there a way down?"

"Yeah, falling. Come. There's a ford at Beruna. Any of you mind swimming?"

"Anything's better than walking," Susan started to follow him, along with the rest of us, but we were stopped by William and Lucy.

"Aslan? It's Aslan! It's Aslan over there! Well, can't you see? He's right," she went to point behind her, only to show us just empty woods. "There."

"Do you see him now?"

William looked at our DLF in annoyance. "We're not crazy. He was there. He wanted us to follow him."

"I'm sure there are any number of lions in this wood. Just like that bear."