Eighty years later, a ninety-nine year old woman lay on her death bed. Her name was Mrs. Beth C. Pevencie Howard. The room was full of people; her children, her grandchildren, and even their children. Among their faces was a mixture of emotions. The oldest ones were a little sad, but mostly relieved to see that she would suffer no more, as all wise adults are able to look at death. The grandchildren were afraid and sad—who would tell them magnificent stories of adventure now? They wondered. The littlest ones were slightly bored; they still didn't understand.

Beth opened her eyes for the last time and smiled at them all one at a time. She was not afraid or sad. "There is no one left from the old days, what…" she said in a gravely and shaky voice. Her oldest child moved quickly to her side and took her old withered hand. "Yes, mother." She said kindly, stroking the old woman's wrinkled face. "But you will get to see them soon…Aunt Kate, Grandma, Grandpa, and Dad…" she said in a mystified whispered with a special smile. Beth remembered then that she wasn't the only one in to room who had had a magical adventure after all.

Beth smiled and focused her tired eyes on her daughter one last time. She laughed, tickled at the idea. "Yes, Edwina—oh, I can not wait to see my Ed again…I'll tell him you said Hi, shall I?" Beth asked in a stage whisper. Edwina smiled just like a certain king Beth used to know and winked.

"Who's Ed?" one of the little one's asked loudly.

Beth's son rested hands on the little boy's head and titled it back rather playfully and reminded him in a kind voice, "Ed was Grandma's first husband, remember pal? Aunt Eddie doesn't have the same dad as I do, remember me explaining how that works?"

"Oh yeah," The boy said. He went to the bed side and touched Beth's hand very gently, as if afraid it would break. "Won't you see Grandpa?"

Edwina and her brother laughed.

"Of course she will, buddy," Edwina told her nephew. When they turned their attention back to Beth, she was gone.

Beth had felt the pull like a pinch. With a small gasp of surprise and excitement, Beth watched the room around her fade away like the pain in her joints and chest. She felt eighteen again, and when she looked down at herself, she saw that she was young and thin and strong and dressed in the most beautiful gown she had ever worn.

Aslan was there. She smiled hugely at him. His chuckle was a loud rumble in his huge lion throat. "Did you have fun?"

Beth thought over her life. She could remember everything, even the bad stuff, but when compared to the good stuff the bad didn't even matter. She nodded, still smiling. "Oh yes. Yes, I wouldn't trade a thing."

Aslan's eyes closed as his lion mouth grinned. "Nor would I, My Dear Heart, but now I must ask you to leaeve it all behind."

Beth started guiltily. She had begun to worry about Edwina and John, and the kids…She looked into Aslan's eyes and, not for the first time, put her trust in him. Another pleasant rumble in his chest and Beth felt her worry drop away like threads of a spider's web. She knew that they would be all right without her, she had taught them well to believe in Aslan, though they knew him by a different name…

Beth looked around her. She was in the most beautiful meadow in a world more beautiful than even Ainra.

"My country," Aslan said. His ears pricked backwards as if hearing something. Whatever it was made him smile again. "There is someone here anxious to see you again."

Beth's breath caught. Aslan chuckled again, stood on all four of his massive feet, and took a step to the left, revealing the tall thin frame of Beth's first and truest love.

"Edmund," she said. Now that she was here, now that they could be together again, she realized that they had never actually been apart. She felt his presence as she had on Earth; the only difference now was that she could see his smile.

The bottom half of his face lifted and split wide open to show off perfect set of teeth; the cracked tooth she remembered was no more, not in this place. Beth's heart was already too full from seeing Aslan; it now burst open and became bigger than herself at the sight of Ed, now the truest of kings. She didn't realize it, but when her heart ran over, she looked like the truest queen.

Ed put his arms around her. "Now," he said in a tone she remembered well; his I-Told-You-So tone, "That didn't take long did it?"