Disclaimer: Tis all property of the amazing C.S. Lewis, without whom we would never have been able to delve into an amazing world

A/N: Well, I think I've made you wait long enough, yes? XD First off, I just wanted to thank all of you loyal readers, who have continued to pester me throughout these past two years, and I'm so sorry for the long wait!

What follows is a little selection from Coming Home, the sequel to The Way Things Are.

You are more than welcome to leave your thoughts and reviews and comments, you know how much I love reading them!

Coming Home

Sneak peek

It was a brisk morning in the Seven Isles, and the four Pevensies stood on the balcony connected to Peter's room, overlooking the vast ocean. It was strange being on an island, completely surrounded by water, and Edmund had been nervous the entire way over. It was true they had paid visits of states to the Seven Isles before, but that didn't make it any easier.

"Susan?" asked Lucy, looking over at her older sister, who seemed to have drifted into a daydream. Susan's gaze was fixated out over the glittering sea.

Susan blinked a few times and then looked at Lucy, and then to Edmund and Peter, who both had questioning looks on their faces. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said with a slight frown. She glanced down and then looked back out at the ocean. "It's just, I suppose I'm not myself at the moment."

"Ruffles again?" quipped Edmund with a slight smirk.

Susan's frown deepened and she shot a look at Edmund. "No. I've just been thinking."

"You're always thinking," pointed out Lucy. "You really ought to do something else, Sue! Don't be so boring."

They all laughed except Susan. "I'm not that boring…am I?"

"No, not really," said Lucy, at the same time that Ed and Peter both said, "Yes." Lucy shot them both a pointed look.

"What?" laughed Edmund with a shrug. "It's true."

Lucy just shook her head, but there was a small smile on her lips. She looked back at Susan. "Susan, really, what is the matter? You've been ever so quiet as of late."

"She's in love with Ruffles," smirked Edmund. "Oh Ruffly," he began in a high-pitched voice, "you're so soft and fluffy and I love all your ruffles!"

"Stop calling him that, Edmund," snapped Susan, glaring at him.

Lucy and Peter were both trying to hide their laughter, but it was proving difficult as Edmund continued to carry on.

"- and Ruffly, you're so handsome!" continued Edmund.

"You're not any better!" retorted Susan. "You're always carrying on about Shalamane this and Shalamane that."

"No I do not," protested Edmund.

"Yes you do," the three other Pevensies said in unison.

Edmund paused and then laughed. "So you've caught me."

"Are you going to ask her to marry you, Ed?" asked Lucy, her eyes sparkling.

At this, Edmund turned a brilliant shade of red, very close to the color of the tunic he wore. "N- n – I don't know!" he stammered.

Peter was about to say something when a Seagull landed on the rail of the balcony. "Your Majesties," said the Seagull with a clack of its beak. "I have a message for you from Mr. Tumnus the Faun."

"Yes, go on," said Lucy as the four of them crowded around the bird.

"A messenger just arrived from Calormen. The Tisorc wishes to send his son, Prince Rabadash, to meet your Majesties, as soon as possible."

"Calormen…isn't that the place far south, where all the wars keep occurring?" asked Susan.

Edmund nodded, glancing at them. "They've kept to themselves, mostly, for ages."

"I wonder why they wish to meet with us now?" mused Peter. He looked back at the Seagull. "Please send word that we will be back at Cair Paravel in a few days, and at that time, we will meet with this messenger, and discuss further details of our meeting with Prince Rabadash."

"Very well, your Majesty." The Seagull ducked its head slightly, and then took off, flapping away.

"It is rather curious that they request this meeting," said Edmund, with a frown. "But I suppose we shouldn't refuse them, or we would be no better than they."

"Do you believe ill of this meeting, Edmund?" asked Susan, looking at her younger brother.

"I can't say until I've met the chap," said Edmund.

"Well, shall we talk to King Feldhliem?" proposed Peter. "We ought to let him know we'll have to leave a few days early."

"Poor Sue, no more Ruffly," teased Edmund as they walked towards the door.

Susan let out a cry of frustration. "Ooooo!" She leapt at Edmund, who yelped, and then disappeared inside, with Susan right behind.

--

Later that evening, after they had discussed their departure with King Feldhliem, Edmund was walking through the corridors of the castle when he spotted Prince Rouffian walking out of a room.

"Prince Ruffl – Rouffian!" called Edmund and the prince stopped.

"Your Majesty," said Rouffian, with a quick nod of his head. "You wish to speak with me?"

"Yes, I do, actually. Do you have a moment?"

"Of course, your Majesty."

"Let us walk, then." Edmund began walking, glancing at Rouffian as they walked down the corridor. Edmund thought carefully about how he was going to phrase his next words, especially since he was pulling from a memory of a conversation he had had with Rouffian when he and Susan had switched bodies accidentally. "My sister told us of your marriage proposal, and later that you wished it not to occur due to events here at home."

"Yes, Sire, I did not wish to put the pressure on Queen Susan," explained Rouffian. "She seemed rather stressed at the time."

If you only knew! thought Edmund. Being switched with Susan had been one of the worst times of his life, but he did walk away with more knowledge of his sister and a better appreciation of who she was. "Yes. But to the point, do you still wish to marry her?"

Rouffian looked at Edmund, startled. "Your Majesty? I thought you did not approve."

I can't believe I'm going to say this but… "My royal sister shall marry whomever she pleases, so long as High King Peter and I approve."

Rouffian smiled slightly and then stopped, looking out a window at the moonlit ocean. Edmund came to a halt beside him.

"Which brings me to another question," continued Edmund, and Rouffian looked at him.

"Yes, your Majesty?"

"If you are to marry my sister, there should not be secrets between us."

"Of course, your Majesty," said Rouffian slowly, as if trying to understand where Edmund was coming from.

Edmund turned and faced Rouffian at this point, locking gazes with the prince. Finally, he would get the answer to the question that he had been aching to ask for ages.

"Are you Sheridran?"

End Sneak Peek

So….just think of it this way! You'll know soon enough! XD XD I promise you this, Coming Home will be powerful, there will be adventure, there will be sadness, there will be character death (and not just a minor character), it will be the ride of your lifetime :- )

Are you ready to take that step, into the sequel of The Way Things Are? Come aboard! hands out biscuits to everyone

Please let me know what you think, your thoughts, and anything you'd like to see in the sequel!

Look for the first chapter of the sequel in the next day!