Chapter 4: The Stranger

When the party finally arrived at Cair Paravel, they were weary but content. The horses were taken to the stable, and the royal group separated, each going to their private chambers for a nice hot bath.
There's nothing quite like a hot bath, fresh nightclothes, and clean bedding after sleeping outdoors. Amy had been camping before, but never in a dress, so the rich, homey feeling of the clean sheets she lay in was much more dramatic. Eventually, she fell asleep.
The days went by, and Amy began to learn new things every day about palace life, tips on how to run a country, and other things. At the end of each day, she and her aunts and uncles gathered in her bedchamber to say goodnight. Afterward, she would usually lay in bed and think. One night, as she found it difficult to sleep that night, she thought she heard the sound of a violin being played in the distance. They have violins here? I knew there were pipes, and guessed that there might be stringed instruments like lutes, but a violin? Where is that chap? With that thought, she crawled out of bed and went in search of the delightful music.
Amy tip-toed down the halls, turning this way and that according to the sound's direction, and she eventually found herself at a door. The latch had not completely gone in, so she gently pushed the door open just enough to put her eye at the crack. It was a bedchamber. There were a few candles illuminating the room, but the crack only allowed Amy to see the musician's arm. However, she could tell that it was a young man, and that his back was to her. His playing was full of emotion. As the music continued, Amy gradually pushed the door further and further until her head could fit through. She could see the man now; he was short, dark-haired, and in good health. He stopped playing, having finished his song. Oh no! He's turning around! she thought. She started to close the door, but it was too late. The musician had already seen her. Her first instinct was to run away; however, knowing that he'd seen her, she re-opened the door.
The young man's face had a kind look upon it. "Oh! I didn't know that I had an audience," he said. "Did I wake you, m' lady?"
"N-no, Sir," Amy stammered. After an awkward pause, she asked, "Please, Sir, might I ask how you came to have that instrument? I've heard it called a violin where I come from."
"It was a gift from an old man, my lady."
"Who are you?" asked Amy.
"I am a traveler."
"Do... do you not have a name, Sir?"
The musician said nothing. Amy decided she wouldn't press the him any further, and so simply stood there.
"Might I play something for you?" the young man offered.
"Alright. Surprise me." The musician then proceeded to play a Calormene tune. Where have I seen him before? I do hope that the aunts and uncles know, because if they don't, I'll... I'll... I don't know what I'll do, she thought.
When the man was finished playing, Amy curtsyed, said "Good night," and went back to bed.
The next morning, Amy went about her toilet as usual while her dryad maid, Luned, made the bed. "You're rather quiet this morning, Miss," noted Luned. "Is something wrong?"
"No, I-I'm fine."
"Did you sleep well?"
"For the most part, yes."
Luned finished making the bed, turned to Amy, and looked closely at her. "Are you sure you're well? Did you have a bad dream? You appear disturbed."
"Luned, I'm fi..." Amy began, but she then saw the knowing look on Luned's face and said, "Alright, I am a little disturbed. It concerns something I mean to speak with my aunts and uncles about."
Luned pressed Amy no further. The two went to join their majesties in the garden for breakfast, and Luned began serving. "Would anyone like a special beverage?" she offered.
"Yes, I'd like some milk, please," replied Aunt Susan.
Leaning towards Aunt Lucy, Amy asked, "What's a special beverage?"
"Oh that! It's Luned's way of describing any drink other than water."
"Oh, I see. Yet another one of her coined terms." The rest in turn asked for the drink they wished to have with their breakfast.
After breakfast was over, Amy asked to have a private meeting with her aunts and uncles. She described to them what had happened the night before, and asked, "Do any of you know this young man?"
"I'm not sure," said Uncle Peter. "You say that he did not say his name. Could you describe his appearance once more?"
"He was rather short, but not as short as a dwarf. He had black hair which was cut short and combed. He had a short, black mustache. His skin was relatively dark, but still Caucasian. His manner of speaking was very much like ours, and he wore Narnian clothes. He said not where he was from," explained Amy.
"I would have said that he was a Calormene, but the manner of speech confuses me," said Uncle Peter.
"You mean that you don't know who he is?" said Amy in surprise. "But... but..."
Aunt Susan slowly said with embarrassment, "They don't know. I do." Everyone looked at her.
"I found him on the beach late last night. He was unconscious, and I thought he'd stay asleep. I had meant to tell you about him when I had the opportunity."
"Well, there isn't much to be done about it now," said Uncle Peter patiently.
"What do you know about him, Susan?" asked Uncle Edmund.
"I'm pretty sure that he's Calormene. He was mumbling in the Calormene tongue while unconscious. He also wore a bracelet with that blue and white circular talisman. I don't know how he attained his Narnian accent, though," she explained.
"Do you know anything else?" Uncle Edmund inquired.
"No," Aunt Susan replied.
"Amy, what did you see in his countenance?" Uncle Edmund asked.
"His countenance was unlike what one would expect from a Calormene. He appeared quite chivalrous, really. He had one of those looks that honestly said that he put others before himself. I'm not sure how, it just was so."
"I wonder if he's up yet," commented Aunt Lucy.
All gasped as they realized that in the midst of talking about their guest, they had forgotten him. Uncle Peter sent a servant to see how the mysterious musician was while they royal family discussed what the plans for the day were. Amy was sent to fetch some letters from Uncle Peter's study. When she rejoined with her aunts and uncles in the court garden, she found the Calormene with them.
"Good morrow to you, sir," she greeted him.
"Good morrow, m' lady," he replied.
There was a moment of awkward silence, which was broken by Amy saying, "Here are the letters you wanted, Uncle Peter."
"Thank you, dear," he said accepting the stack of envelopes. "Oh, Amy, you have a visitor in the orange orchard."
"What? How very odd. Might I be introduced to our guest first?"
"By all means, my lady," said the Calormene. He looked younger in daylight, about Amy's age even. "I am Demma son of Qadri son of Mahmood of the province of Koordesh in Calormen. And you, my lady?"
Amy replied, "I am Princess Esterami, Duchess of Beaversdam, heir to the kings and queens of Narnia, high king of which is Peter the Magnificent. I'm very pleased to have met you, but I must go." With that, she curtsyed and went off to the orange orchard.
When she arrived there, the one who awaited her was none other than Mr. Starling.
"Good morrow, my lady," he addressed her.
"Ah... good morning, sir," she replied slightly confused. Why was he here? What did he want? Was he really as stupid as he looked? Thousands of questions ran through her mind as she looked at the odd bird.
"How have you been these past few weeks?" he asked.
"I've been well, thank you. You?" she replied awkwardly
"Very well, very well, thank you." A short silence lay in the air moment or two, which was broken by Mr. Starling saying, " 'T is a beautiful morning, is it not?"
"Mr. Starling, it is a lovely morning, but I'd rather not talk about the weather. Whenever people talk about the weather, it's always a preclude to something else, so let's just get on with what you've come here for, shall we?"
"I've taken a fancy for you, m'lady. I'd like to call on you from time to time. Is that acceptable?"
After pausing for a moment, Amy replied, "Yes, that may be acceptable." I don't have a fancy for you, though, Mr. Starling, she thought.
"Good day then, m'lady," said the Starling. With that, he flew off.
Where is his honor? thought Amy. Thought he that he could simply fly in, say, "I have a fancy for you," and and then leave just like that? Oy vey.
Amy went rejoined her aunts, uncles, and Demma. As she thought, she saw that she had seen in one morning the comparison of an honorable male and an dishonorable male.

Chapter 3: The Table

The next morning, they started off again towards the Ford of Beruna. When Amy asked why they did not have breakfast, her aunts and uncles told her that the people they were going to see would insist upon their eating breakfast with them, and so there would be no point in eating beforehand. As they traveled, they noticed that young Mr. Starling was following them again. Once more he attempted conversation with Amy, but this time she wasn’t as eager to please him. Finally, after a quarter of an hour of listening to the nuisance, Uncle Edmund politely, but firmly, asked him to leave. With a stiff bow, the bird left with a look that might have made you cry. However, Uncle Edmund assured Amy that the Starling’s look was no more sincere than crocodile tears.

The wood was beautiful that morning. The trees were gently swaying in the breeze and speaking to one another. The birds were joyfully singing, and all the woodland creatures were coming out to have their breakfasts. At last the party arrived at a bear cave where Uncle Peter called out. A sleepy brown bear bumbled out with a yawn. He began sucking his paw as Uncle Peter introduced Esterami to him.

“Good morning, very nice to meet you,” the bear said in a deep, slow voice. “Would you like some honey?”

“Yes, thank you very much,” replied Amy.

The bear went into the cave still sucking his paw, and brought back an entire beehive that had been emptied of its original owners. Behind him came two of his friends in the same slow manner. Amy, not knowing how she was supposed to eat the honey looked to Uncle Peter. He made a motion that told her that she was to simply stick her hand into the hive and lick the honey. This was a rather sticky process, and she had a little trouble getting her hand out. However, the honey was refreshingly sweet, which made up for the trouble of getting to it.

On the party went to where there were several oaks and a variety of nut trees. Aunt Lucy made a trilling sound, and a red squirrel appeared.

“Good morning, your majesties!” said the squirrel. “Wow, it’s a nice day. Whither do you go? Is that the new princess? What’s her name again? How old are you, princess? Wow, it really is a beautiful morning.”

“Slow down, Perky,” said Aunt Lucy with a laugh. “We’re on our way to the Ford of Beruna, the lass’s name is Esterami, and she’s… fifteen years of age?”

“Yes, that’s right,” said Esterami in answer to her aunt’s uncertainty.

“Nice to meet you! Would you like some nuts?”

“Yes, thank you,” said the party.

Perky came back with several different nuts and offered them to each member of the royal party, and each expressed their gratitude. Suddenly, several small animals called to Perky saying that they wanted a story during breakfast. “All right, all right, I’ll be there in a moment. I’m only bidding their majesties good morning.” The host of little animals came bounding out to join Miss Perky. After saying “Hello,” and “Good morning,” to all the little creatures, the party left. After all this, Amy got the feeling that she would see Perky a lot more in the days to come.

On they went only a little further to where there were several gray squirrels. Again, Aunt Lucy trilled, and a young squirrel came scampering towards them. She was introduced to Amy as Song. It was explained to Amy that amongst squirrels, the name Song was like the name Melody amongst humans.

“She’s a little different from the rest of the squirrels, because she used to live in Calormen,” whispered Aunt Lucy.

“Calormen! I didn’t know they had squirrels there,” exclaimed Amy.

“A small group of them ended up there during the White Witch’s reign. Song’s family stayed for three generations.”

This was something that had never been mentioned in the books about Narnia, and so Amy was surprised. A little timidly, she asked Song, “What convinced you to come back to Narnia?”

In reply, Song said, “I had always had a yearning to come back, but it had simply been too dangerous. I now wish that I had come back before things got better so that I could have helped their majesties in dethroning that evil, sadistic, daughter of a dumb pig. Sorry. Anyway, I came back a few years ago, and BOY is it great here.”

They spoke with Song a few more moments, and then continued on their way. After a few more miles, they came to Dancing Lawn, which was empty during the day, but lively at night. However, the stop was short, for there was much more to see.

The party left the woods and began to cross a field. Up ahead, Amy could see a steep hill, and so she asked what it was. The only answer she received was “You will see.” They kept going along on their horses for an hour or so. Finally, Uncle Peter gave a signal to stop.

“Leave the horses here, they’d best be left to rest,” he commanded.

The five walked until they came to where there were several centaurs standing about talking to one another. The majestic creatures turned their attention to the approaching party and bowed.

“Hail King Peter! Hail Queen Susan! Hail King Edmund! Hail Queen Lucy! And hail Princess Esterami!” cried an older centaur. “Greetings to your majesties. May your days be long and your reign prosperous.”

“Greetings to you, Oreus, gazer of the heavens. May your days be long and plentiful,” responded Uncle Peter.

The meeting with the centaurs was short and serious, but still had a happiness within the seriousness. The centaurs had a benevolent, mysterious air to them, and it made Amy sit in wonder. They had wisdom beyond what she’d ever known, and counsel of the deepest of thoughts. They said a blessing over Amy, and the five went their way.

The party joined back with the horses, and made their way towards the curious hill. The closer they came to it, the more Amy felt that there was something special, almost holy about it. Finally, they dismounted and began the climb up the hill. Once at the top, Amy knew exactly where they were. There in front of them was a gray table, split in two down the center, with ancient writing all round the edges, and frayed pieces of rope scattered on and about it. It was the Stone Table.

No one said a word. It was one of those places that seemed to ask you to be silent. If you’ve ever been to an old cathedral, it was like that, only ten times the feeling. Amy kept her eyes on the Table and took tiny steps toward it on tiptoe. She was unsure as to whether or not there was a “too close”, but kept a few paces away from it just to be safe. She looked over at her aunts and uncles. Uncle Peter had a noble, reverent, and sad look. Both aunts looked as if they would cry soon, Aunt Susan closest. Uncle Edmund was different, though. He looked as though he were humbled, but dazed, as if having an unpleasant flashback. Amy went over to him with concern.

Suddenly, breaking her thoughts, she realized that none of them knew that she knew what this place was and what had happened there. She touched Uncle Edmund on the arm and whispered, “I know. I understand how you feel.”

“Sorry?” he replied.

“What He did here. Aslan, I mean. It’s hard to take the thought in a place like this.” Does he even know what I’m talking about? She wondered.

Looking her in the eye, Uncle Edmund very quietly and slowly said, “Yes. It’s hard… to think about… every time… we come… here.” Amy gently pulled him towards her and hugged him in an effort to comfort him. He was shaking. Of all of the things that happened to Amy, no matter what adventures, trials, or victories she lived through, that moment always remained vivid in her memory.

At seeing Uncle Edmund’s state, both aunts began to cry. Uncle Peter lowered his head and said nothing. Amy tried hard to simply comfort Uncle Edmund in silence, but she could no longer hold in her tears. She wept with her new family for what Aslan had done. Noticing that Uncle Peter wasn’t nearly in the state that the rest were in remembered the quote, “He who has been forgiven little loves little.” He doesn’t know what it’s like to see a thing like that, nor to be forgiven so greatly, she thought. Yes, Uncle Peter had been faithful all along, caring for his people and family, and for that everyone was very grateful. However, he could never be as impacted by Aslan’s deed as Uncle Edmund. But neither can I, she thought.

Then they left the place in silence, and made their way back to Cair Paravel. It had been a day of joy and weeping.

Chapter 2: Many Meetings

Early the next morning, Esterami prepared to go meet some of the nearby Narnians with her aunts and uncles. Aunt Lucy gave her a few instructions and corrections as to how to control her horse better (of course, it wasn’t a talking horse). Amy had already had a little riding experience, so it came easily to her. When all were ready, Uncle Peter said, “We shall start at the woods and go on to the Ford of Beruna. Then we’ll return going along the river. That should allow for many meetings to fill the next two days.” And thus the five set off.

Just before reaching the woods, they came to a field with horses dotting the ground. Uncle Edmund whistled, and two foals, one a palomino and the other a buckskin, came trotting over. They gracefully bowed their necks to their majesties. “Juwy! Peahs! Good to see you, friends,” greeted Uncle Edmund.

“Good to see you too,” the foals whinnied.

“Amy, this is Juwy,” said Uncle Edmund, directing Esterami to the palomino.

“Pleased to meet you,” said Amy, dismounting.

“And this is Peahs,” continued Uncle Edmund, referring to the buckskin.

“Pleased to meet you,” said Amy.

“Juwy, Peahs, this is Esterami, our princess,” said Uncle Edmund.

“Pleased to met you, your highness,” the two foals replied with another bow.

Curtsying, Amy said, “I don’t know much about horse customs, so please excuse me if I do something wrong. If you don’t mind it, might I stroke your necks? You’re both so beautiful.”

Smiling, Juwy tossed her neck and whinnied, “Of course!” So Amy gently stroked the lovely cream-colored neck in awe of its satin texture.

“Me too! Me too!” cried the other foal. Sensing that it was the younger, Amy stroked the second foal as well.

The two foals were overjoyed when they were told that they were the first Narnians to meet Amy that day. They insisted on being allowed to introduce Amy to the rest of the talking horses, and the five consented. Every horse that Amy met was graceful, respectful, and beautiful. She decided that she would like to frequent this place, and asked the foals if they would be her playfellows, to which they accepted. Once finished with their visit with the horses, the aunts and uncles declared it was time to move on. Amy patted the foals goodbye, and the five headed for the woods.

The woods were very peaceful, full of talking trees, animals, and flowers. A river ran through it, and creatures inhabited it as well. Aunt Susan made a stop at the riverbed, and called. Up from it came a young naiad, only a few years younger than Amy. She was slender and lovely, and she moved through the water as smoothly as a dancer across a stage. Her skin was white as pearls, and her straight hair light brown.

“Good morning, Pearl,” greeted Aunt Susan.

“Good morning, your majesties. And is this the… new princess?” replied naiad.

“Yes, Pearl, this is Esterami,” said Uncle Peter.

Pearl pushed herself out of the water with ease, revealing a dress of river plants dripping with water. Now seeing her closer, the young naiad’s bright blue eyes caught Amy’s attention. They were like the sky: big, blue, and beautiful. “My family is coming. They had to stop and deal with stubborn ‘you-know-who’.”

“Her youngest brother,” whispered Aunt Lucy to Amy.

Soon, three river gods and two naiads came swimming up. The first river god was tall, clean-shaven, had a big head, was jolly, and appeared to be the father. The second was not quite as tall, but very slender, and looked like a thinner version of the first. The third was much smaller, and very thin, with a scowl on his face. The first naiad was tall with red hair, and appeared to be the mother. The second naiad was very small with round cheeks and long red hair, and seemed like a nautical version of a cherub. All had blue eyes, and the children’s were like Pearl’s. They pushed themselves out of the water, and greeted the kings and queens. Amy met them each in turn. The biggest two water folk were Aras and Linte, father and mother of the family. The other children were the younger brothers and sister of Pearl. The river gods were Claviner and Masea, and the youngest naiad was Amethyst. After a good talk, the five moved on.

Next were the owls, the badgers, and the roses. The owls, of course, were sleeping, but a few of them got up out of courtesy. One particular barn owl caught Amy’s attention, for it seemed more alert than the others, and so Amy went to go talk to it. She found out that the owl’s name was Cara, and that she liked “staying up late,” even though she would have to sleep in on occasion. Amy had a little trouble understanding Cara at times, for she hooted quite a bit. However, they began to see that they enjoyed one another’s company. The badgers were very hospitable, and Amy absolutely adored the children. The father was quiet with a dry humor, while the mother was demonstrative and wore little spectacles on the end of her nose. They all had a bit of an accent that was lovely to hear. The roses were absolutely beautiful. Their faces were in the middle of all the petals. Two of these roses were Gwela and Sunshine. Gwela was a quiet rose with mostly white petals with a red fringe, while Sunshine was a social butterfly with peach petals.

After these were the black dwarves. One, named Miggle, boldly approached the royal family and announced that he had something prepared for the new princess. Esterami was a little suspicious, since she had heard that many of the black dwarves had been on the White Witch’s side. However, her aunts and uncles seemed to trust this one, so she let him proceed. With a magic trick, he whipped out a carefully crafted pendant in the shape of a heart made of opal. Amy bashfully accepted the gift, and put it in her pocket. Another dwarf, named Cassakin, gleefully greeted their majesties. She had a youthful bounce in her step, like a dance, and it put a constant smile on Amy’s face.

When the five were done at the dwarves, they headed on. As they rode, they heard the wind softly whistling through the trees and the birds singing. They each listened to different birds, trying to understand their songs. Amy heard most distinctly a starling, which was making quite a ruckus. She looked about to see where it was, and found him perched on a nearby tree. However, she rode on, trying to keep up with her aunts and uncles. The starling followed, perched on another branch, and squawked again. He proceeded to do this for the next few minutes. Becoming just the slightest bit uncomfortable, Amy addressed the starling, saying, “Please, if you have something to say to me, please do so, and stop that incessant squawking.”

The starling swooped down and landed on her shoulder. With a bow, he said, “Hullo, there. You’re new in the neighborhood, aren’t you? You seem to be well acquainted with their majesties. Where are you from? What’s your name?”

“One thing at a time, Mr. Starling. Yes, I’m new here, and I am indeed well acquainted with their majesties; but that’s because I’m the new princess,” Amy replied.

“Princess? Princess?! Oh! Of course, you’re that lass that they said was sent from Fazcan, and so no miniscupation could be made against you.”

“Pardon?”

“Well, I thought that that was what they’d said at the presentation.”

“You were there? Oh, well that explains it. No it’s not Fazcan, it’s Aslan. And Uncle Peter said that no discrimination, not miniscupation, could be made against me,” explained Amy.

“Is that it, eh?” said Mr. Starling. “I think that my hearing is a bit off. I like to go to Cauldron Pool and listen to the falls.”

The two talked for a bit, and Mr. Starling seemed to take a liking to Amy. However, Amy felt no special feeling toward the loud bird, and simply humored him in hopes that he’d eventually go away. Finally, he bid adieu with a bow, and flew off.

At last, the five stopped and made camp. Memories of old fireside songs came to Amy’s mind. However, she remained silent, since many were along the lines of “Mr. Ford had a puncture in his tire”, “You can’t get to Heaven in a red canoe”, and “I’m bringing home a baby bumble-bee”, and she felt that her new guardians would be very shocked at the lyrics. After the meal, all went to bed.

Chapter 1: The Task is Assigned

There once was a 21^st century English-American girl who was strange by the day’s standards. She was a bookworm and not very good at making friends. In fact, she was proud to be called “weird” or “odd”, and even her own relations did not understand this. However, those who knew her loved her, and for this she was grateful.

Now this girl was near coming of age, and she clung to the one child-like obsession of her life, The Chronicles of Narnia. Little did she know of the adventures that she would soon encounter.

One day, as our heroine was preparing for bed, she wrapped herself in her shawl and opened her bedroom window. The sweet spring breeze softly blew upon her face. Suddenly, she thought she heard music far off. She closed her eyes and strained to hear the lovely tune. It was almost magical. The song grew louder and louder as if it were approaching, but still the girl kept her eyes shut. The breeze grew warmer and warmer, and its pauses more often, like a great breath. The music stopped. The girl opened her eyes to find herself in a desert-like place with a few grassy plants dotting here and there. Right in front of her was the biggest lion she had ever seen in her life. But this was no ordinary lion. It was the lion that she had always wanted to meet, and yet feared: Aslan himself. The girl fell on her face before him, weeping tears of joy. Giving her a gentle lion kiss on the head, Aslan said, “Rise, my child, for I have a task for you.”

Obediently getting up, the girl kept her eyes on the ground. “I have been searching for one who could become a princess. What think you? Are you equal to the task?”

“Oh, Aslan, it sounds wonderful, but a princess’s job is to be an heir, and I know nothing about ruling.”

“You always were afraid of large responsibilities. However, you shall learn all you need to learn.”

“Please, sir, who’s princess would I be?”

“You shall be heir to the Pevensies, if you agree to the terms.”

“Oh, Aslan! I’ve always wanted to simply meet the four kings and queens; but to live with them is a great honor! What are the terms?”

“You must rule after them when they are gone, which means that you must bear the burden of their majesties leaving,” replied Aslan. “You will also be completely forgotten, so you must destroy any written record of you.”

“I’ll be their princess,” resolved the girl.

“Then wrap your shawl tight, for you may get chilly,” said the lion, and with that he breathed on her. However, as she felt herself traveling on the air, the girl heard Aslan telling her, “Now you must deliver this message to the kings and queens so that they know your purpose: ‘This is she of whom I spoke.’ Tell them I sent this message, and all will be well. Remember, it is for their ears only.”

Just as Aslan’s words ended, the girl landed in front of the great castle of Cair Paravel. She walked toward the gate, and timidly said to the guard, “I have a message for their majesties.”

The guard, who was a faun, started in surprise. “From who m-might a strangely c-clad girl bring a m-message from?” he stammered

“It is only for their majesties to know,” replied the girl uncomfortably. She looked down at her green polyester pajama trousers and cotton off-white camisole, and realized that her entry would indeed be a most awkward one. “Thank goodness I put on my pashmina shawl,” she whispered to herself.

The faun said, “Wait here,” and left her for what seemed like hours. When he returned, he said, “Come in, and follow the badger, daughter of Eve.”

“Yes, sir, thank you, sir,” she replied.

Down the grand halls the girl followed the badger. It was a cheery place with murals of past battles and merry-making scenes on the walls and beautifully crafted furniture. At last, the badger stopped at a large door. “Their majesties are just finishing a meal, so please wait one moment,” he said. He slipped in the door, but came back in only a few moments. He gently pulled the girl in the door, but motioned to keep quiet. “A traveler with a private message for you, your majesties,” he announced, and then he left the girl with the kings and queens.

Now the throne room was large with a simple dais where the kings and queens sat. All was made of white marble and gold, and the only other color was upon their highness’ clothes. The robes they wore were beautiful, but not complex, and looked comfortable to wear. Their crowns rested lightly on their heads, and they shone like stars. As you can imagine, our adventurer felt quite out of place.

“From whom is your message?” asked the first king.

He must be Peter, thought the girl, and she replied, “Aslan, sir.”

The kings and queens started at the name of Aslan, and looked at one another in astonishment. “Why did you not say so to our guard? Had we known, we would have admitted you immediately,” said the first queen.

That must be Susan, the motherly one, thought the girl. “I thought it best that it be kept a secret to prevent talk from spreading.”

“Speak, and give us your message,” King Peter gently commanded.

Taking a deep breath, the girl said, “Aslan says, ‘This is she of whom I spoke.’ ”

The second queen, Lucy, put her hands over her mouth in surprise and joy. Putting her hands down, she said, “Oh, my dear, come hither so that we may see you better. There. Oh, she is so wonderful! Our princess has come!” Queen Lucy embraced the girl as if she’d known her all her life, and they’d been separated for years. King Peter and Queen Susan soon joined their sister in a group hug. The second king, Edmund, stood back and stared at the scene in hesitation.

“What is your name, child?” King Edmund asked

Too overwhelmed with joy, the girl answered, “Oh, I don’t care! Call me whatever you like. Then you can claim me as your own.” King Edmund’s hesitation melted away when she said this, and he embraced her with a smile. “What shall I call all of you?” asked the new princess.

“Well, I suppose that you could give us nicknames or affectionate titles,” said King Peter.

“Might I call you my aunts and uncles?” offered the princess. Smiling, the four agreed, and that is what she continued to call them.

Now giving names is a rather careful procedure in Narnia. One does not give their child an ugly name unless they truly hate them, and that rarely happens. After days of much debating, the kings and queens came to the princess and announced to her, “We have decided to name you Esterami, which means ‘beloved star’.”

“If you don’t mind, we’ll call you Amy for short,” added Aunt Lucy.

“It’s a beautiful name. And I don’t mind being called Amy, for I had a very good friend by that name,” replied the girl.

“Well, your presentation awaits you,” said Aunt Susan. “Come, we’d best find you a good dress for you to wear.” She then took Esterami to her new chamber to do just that.

The presentation was a grand announcement to Narnia that the kings and queens had an heir. This ceremony had not been performed for over a hundred years, due to the White Witch’s reign. People from all over Narnia came, and some from Archenland too. There were fauns, dryads, naiads, dwarves, talking beasts, and humans. All were well dressed and adorned, and much chatter and excitement went about. Many questioned each other, “Where did this heir come from?” “Did they choose Tumnus?” “Have they adopted an Archenlander?” Suddenly, all chatter stopped as silver trumpets announced their majesties. The kings and queens gracefully strode onto a balcony, led by Mr. Tumnus the faun.

King Peter said to the people, “Narnians and Archenlanders, you have gathered here to be presented our heir. She has been sent by Aslan, so no harsh judgment should be made against this choice. I now present to you Esterami!”

Upon this, Esterami walked onto the balcony in regal clothes. As she looked on the crowd, Mr. Tumnus approached her with a starry silver crown on a pillow. She knelt down, and King Peter placed the crown on her head as she swore an oath to study hard in training for her future position, to be forever kind, just, and forgiving to the people, and to respect the alliances wit the surrounding countries. “I give you Esterami, Princess of Narnia, Duchess of Beaversdam, and your future queen!” announced King Peter. A cheer went up from the crowd, and all were happy. After the presentation was a grand feast with fewer persons attending, but still a great deal of introductions. When the feast ended, all said their goodbyes and went to bed.

This night was the first night that Esterami spent in her chambers, and it was very special to her. Once in her nightgown, having bathed and dried her hair, she hopped into bed just in time for their majesties to say goodnight. As they entered, she said, “You’re so kind, you don’t have to put me to bed. Besides, I haven’t been put to bed in years.”

“Well, we’ve never had a child of our own, so we want to at least keep this up,” said Aunt Susan. The other three looked at each other and smiled in agreement. The five of them talked of the day’s happenings cheerfully. However, Esterami noticed that every once in awhile one or more of their majesties would stare lovingly at her, but she said nothing.

At last, Aunt Lucy said, “Well, we’d best go to bed ourselves. Would you mind if we kissed you goodnight?”

Glancing nervously at her uncles, Amy slowly replied, “No, I don’t mind, just restrain it to the cheek.” Accepting this, the four sequentially kissed her cheek with a “good night”. This became a nightly tradition between them.

Just as they were leaving, Uncle Edmund said, “We’ll take you to meet some people on the morrow. Good night, Amy.” The door closed quietly, but left ever so slightly ajar to let a little light in. That night, Esterami slept a sweet deep sleep.