The Last Queen

Disclaimer: I don't own.

Chapter 9: No Need to Say Goodbye

Lucy took a deep breath as she and Caspian stood outside the throne room. "Are you nervous?" she asked.

"Perhaps a bit," he replied.

She chuckled. "Then you're better than I was the day of our coronation. I could hardly keep my knees from knocking." She smiled wistfully. "Susan calmed me down, though. One glance at her, and all I wanted to do was be as calm as she was."

He gave her a small grin and placed his hand on her shoulder. Trumpets blared inside. "Well," he said, "it seems to be time." He took a deep breath, and the doors opened. They walked in beside each other to meet Aslan, Who was waiting at the front of the room. Caspian sat on the throne, and the Narnian queen stood beside him. Aslan said, "I give you, Narnians and Telmarines alike, King Caspian the Tenth! Once a King of Narnia, always a King. May your wisdom grace us until the stars rain down from the heavens."

Lucy put the (Telmarine) crown on his head, and all cheered, "Long live King Caspian!"

Caspian called Trufflehunter to him. "I do hereby knight you in the Most Noble Knighthood of the Lion."

The Badger was flustered. "Sire, I don't know what to say! But I will perform this job to the best of my ability."

Caspian smiled. "That's all I ask, dear Badger." Next he knighted Trumpkin and Reepicheep, made Dr. Cornelius his Lord Chancellor, and told the Bulgy Bear, "I and my descendants will never forget the Bear's rights to be marshals of the lists."

The two then went outside, mounted, and rode through the streets amongst cheering throngs of people. Lucy kept a smile on her face, but inside she was sobbing. Oh, Aslan. I miss them so much. I hate feeling so alone. As she glanced about, though, she was pierced by a familiar and loving gaze. She gave Aslan a true grin. All right, so maybe I'm not completely alone. No. No maybe about it. I am not alone. You will go before me; You will never leave me.

.*L*Q*

The next day, Aslan approached Lucy. "Come with Me, child. We need to talk." The pair walked together to the courtyard area. "Yes, Aslan?" she asked.

"Lucy, today I will be offering the Telmarines the chance to return to the home of their fathers. And…I will need you to demonstrate that My suggestion is safe."

She nodded slowly. "All right; how?"

"By returning to your world."

She gasped. "But, Aslan-"

"I know, dear one. But remember, I will be with you always."

She swallowed hard and nodded. "Yes, Aslan." Lucy bit her lip. "When You return to Your country, would you tell Peter, Susan, and Edmund that I love them?"

"I will, dear heart."

She smiled widely and threw her arms around Him.

*L*Q*

Lucy, Caspian, and Aslan stood before a crowd of Telmarines and Narnians alike. A tree was behind them. Caspian said, "Narnia belongs to the Narnians just as much as it does to man. Anyone who wishes to live in peace with them is welcome to do so. For anyone else, Aslan will return you to the home of our forefathers."

"It has been generations since we left Telmar!" one man pointed out.

"We aren't referring to Telmar. Your ancestors were once seafaring brigands. Pirates run aground upon an island. There they found a cave, a rare chasm that led them from that world to this. The same world as our Kings and Queens. It is that island I can return you to. It is a good place for anyone who wish to make a new start," Aslan announced.

All were silent until a man's voice broke the silence. "I will go. I will accept the offer." General Glozelle stepped up.

"So will we." Prunaprismia, holding her baby, and her father, Lord Scythley also stepped forward.

"Because you have spoken first, your future in that world will be good." Aslan breathed on them. The tree behind Lucy, Aslan, and Caspian twisted and opened in the middle. Lucy's jaw dropped. "Whoa…" The three Telmarines (four if you count the baby) hesitantly moved toward the tree. They stepped through the hole and disappeared. A Telmarine somewhere in the crowd cried, "How do we know that he is not leading us to our death?"

Reep stepped up to Aslan. "Sire, if my example can be of any help, I will take eleven mice through with no delay."

The Lion turned and looked at Lucy. She sighed and stepped forward. "I'll go."

"You will?" Caspian asked.

"My time's up. After all, I'm not really needed here anymore." She unfastened Rhindon and held it out to Caspian, who took it.

"I will look after it until you return."

"Thanks. And don't worry; Aslan said I'd be back at some point." She winked. Then she turned away from Caspian to go to Glenstorm. She curtsied, and he returned the gesture by bowing. "It was a pleasure getting to know you, your Majesty," he said.

"And you, Glenstorm." Next, she turned to Reepicheep. He bowed. "Your Highness. It was an honor to fight beside you."

"It was an honor to fight beside such a noble Knight of Narnia, Reepicheep." Her tears were threatening to overflow as she finally turned to Trumpkin. She smiled through her tears. "DLF."

He bowed. "Lass." Both stood, looking at each other, for several moments before Lucy finally flew forward and flung her arms around her friend. He returned the embrace. After a few seconds, she backed away and gave him a small nod. The last person she had to say farewell to was the hardest: Aslan. She was sobbing by this point but still managed to look at Him enough to see the love in His eyes. "Goodbye, Aslan," she whispered, throwing her arms around Him and burying her face in His mane, breathing in His scent again.

"Goodbye, My child. We will see one another again."

Lucy pulled back and faced the tree. She took a deep breath and walked forward, squeezing her eyes shut as she passed through. When she opened them, she had been returned to the English train station where all her adventures had begun. She turned around, hoping against hope for one last glimpse of her home, but there was nothing. The squealing of brakes jarred her into action; her train had arrived. She quickly gathered her bags and quickly boarded. Suddenly, she searched her satchel. She huffed. I wonder if there's any way to get back!

I left my new torch in Narnia!

A/N: Because you can't have the end of PC without that line.

Also, I'm planning to (eventually) do a sequel regarding VDT with just Lucy, no Ed. If anyone has a good title suggestion, I'll gladly take it! The best one I've come up with so far is "Return of the Queen," which, in my opinion, is a bit lame, so any ideas would be appreciated!