And here it is! The final chapter. I'd like to thank those of you who followed this story to the end-I'm glad you liked it. I would also like to thank Ewcom for being my beta for this whole thing.

Here are everyone's ages for this chapter: Peter's 21 (turning 22), Susan's 20 (turning 21), Edmund's 18, Lucy's 17, Eustace and Jill are around 16, and Swanwhite is 21.

Disclaimer-I do not own Narnia in anyway...phooy. :)

Chapter 42: It's Only the Beginning
May 20, 1949; Friday

"How I managed to tolerate parties in Narnia, I will never know," I whispered jestingly to Susan.

The party the two of us were attending was by far one of the worst we had ever attended during our English lives. The music selected was rubbish, the hosts were doing a lousy job of entertaining the guests, the cuisine was horrific, and the guests had so little in common that it was very difficult to keep conversations up.

The Gentle snorted. "Oh, I know how. We had the opposite of what is presented to us here."

I nodded as if I just understood something complex. "Oh yes, yes. I forgot."

The two of us smiled widely to each other. "Thank you for coming with me, Swan. Though I'm sorry you had to miss the F.O.N. meeting."

I waved a hand dismissively. "You invited me to come to this party before the meeting was even arranged. Besides, you would have gone out of your mind trying to stay here."

We softly laughed together. "Ah yes, I would have," she agreed. Susan then shifted uncomfortably in her dress. "Do you think the designers could make a dress with any less fabric? I long for one of my floor-length gowns."

"I understand," I concurred. "Also, I do not comprehend the fascination with lipstick and rouge. There were no such things during my time there."

The Gentle shook her head. "Nor in ours, and I am glad for it—I face feels so stiff when I wear it! However, I have had to put up a front to appear to like it when I am around the girls who adore the stuff. Unfortunately, Miss Polly and Jill had seen my fake obsession and thought it real."

I frowned. "Did you get a chance to explain yourself?"

She shook her head again. "They saw my behaviour and stormed off before I received a moment to voice the reasons behind my actions. Eustace also has the worst timing for wanting to discuss Narnia—he always brings it up whilst I am surrounded by those who do not know!" Susan told me. Her frustration was clear in her voice.

I put a hand on my fellow queen's arm. "It will get better. Perhaps we could sneak away early, and you could explain yourself to them."

Susan nodded, though I caught some bitterness and sorrow in her crystal blue eyes. I rubbed her arm. "Are you alright, Su?"

My question brought tears to her eyes. "I am a queen of Narnia," she said softly and tightly. "I should not have to explain my actions."

I smiled sympathetically to my fellow queen. "I agree. However, this is a different place, and Digory, Polly, Eustace, and Jill were there for a considerably shorter period of time compared to the five of us. And they have never been kings or queens. A fact that might seem trivial to them, but the differences in our visits is extreme. They simply do not know what kings and queens have to do in their daily life or what each trait He attributed to us actually calls us to do. To rectify that, you have to explain why you are doing some things."

Susan offered a lopsided smile. "You have a point, Swan . . . you seem to do that often."

I smiled warmly at her. "He did send me to help the four of you."

The Gentle's smile became a full one. "And you have been doing a wonderful job. I do not think I would have gotten through school and university without your help. And I know Peter, Edmund, and Lucy feel similarly."

I bowed my head to my fellow queen for a moment before looking back up at her. "I am very glad to be of assistance."

To our dismay, Susan was asked to dance by one of the young men attending the party. She graciously allowed him to take her out on the dance floor. I watched, amused, as the Gentle easily guided the young man in a waltz. The poor lad was doing his best not to step on Susan's toes and trip over his own feet at the same time.

I closed my eyes for a moment, as I was getting quite bored without Susan's company. While my eyes were closed, a horrific sight came to me. Narnia was quietly being invaded. Dryads were being murdered as the invaders were chopping down trees without care to which trees they were taking. An Ape was deceiving Narnians to believe that a Donkey dressed up as a lion was Aslan. Narnians were also scared of this Ape. Lastly, I saw a human, who appeared to be the King of Narnia, tied to a tree.

I opened my eyes with a quiet gasp. My home was being invaded, and her current king could do nothing! Frantically, I searched out Susan on the dance floor. To my delight, she hadn't gone far from the spot I last saw her. Gracefully and swiftly, I made my way to her and her partner. The song was not yet over, but I needed to speak with Susan urgently.

Firmly, I place my hand on the Gentle's partner's shoulder. The two ceased to dance, and he turned to face me. "I am sorry, but I must talk with Su. Something at home has come up," I politely explained.

The young man was dismayed by the news, and concern spread across my fellow queen's features. In the blink of an eye, Susan was smiling again at the young man. "Thank you for the dance," she said with a small curtsy.

The young man nodded back, and the two of us made our way to our hosts to bid them good-bye. Afterwards, we retrieved our coats and headed out the door.

Once we were on the sidewalk heading back towards the Pevensie house, the Gentle asked:

"What is it, Swanwhite? What's wrong?"

I paused in my walking, turned, and looked at her with a distraught expression. "Narnia . . . she is being invaded."

The colour I could see in Susan's face—thanks to the street-lamps—drained rapidly, and she looked back at me in horror. She didn't respond immediately, and I feared she was going to faint. "B-by whom?" she stuttered.

I shook my head. "I do not know—I only saw some of what was happening."

The Gentle clenched her jaw. "We need to get back to the house and tell the others."

I nodded in reply, and the two of us started walking at a fast pace towards the Pevensie house.

-x-x-x-x-x-

To our surprise, Digory, Polly, Eustace, and Jill were all leaving the house when Susan and I arrived at the end of the block. Peter, Edmund, and Lucy stood near the doorway, watching them leave. My fellow queen and I exchanged a confused gaze, and we quickened our pace up to a run. The three caught sight of us when we were a house away and came down the walkway to meet us with concern etched on the faces.

"Why are they leaving so early?" Susan asked as we all came to a stop.

"We were just about to ask why you two were coming back so early," Lucy countered worriedly.

I looked into the other three's eyes—there was anxiety along with concern there. "I think we all know why," I commented.

The Four looked at me, and then we all exchanged glances. Together, we all said, "Narnia."

-x-x-x-x-x-

It didn't take long, after going back into the house, before we traded what we knew. When Edmund described the spirit who had visited them, I confirmed that it was the same man I saw in my vision. After all was said, we sat in silence for a few moments as we digested the information.

"So what do we do now?" Susan asked quietly.

Peter leaned forward in his chair. "Tomorrow, Ed and I are taking the train to London so we can dig up the rings the Professor and Miss Polly used when they were children to visit Charn and Narnia. We figured since Eustace and Jill have not been told they won't be returning to Narnia, they could use the rings to go and help out."

The Just picked up where his brother left off. "After we retrieve the rings, the Professor, Miss Polly, Jill, Eustace, and Lucy will come out on Sunday to pick them up."

Susan and I nodded. I glanced at Susan—she was staring at the floor. I could tell she was hurt about being left out of the plan. I looked to Peter and guided his gaze to his sister. Edmund and Lucy also looked to her, and their features softened.

"You know," Peter started. "London has great clothing stores. I was thinking about inviting Maggie to come along so she could have a bit of fun. Would the two of you also care to join us?"

The Gentle and I looked up at the Magnificent. He was wearing a smirk that was partly comforting and partly jesting. Susan and I shared a glanced and looked up at the other three—they were all looking hopeful.

"Well," the Gentle started with a mock roll of the eyes. "I think we could accompany you and Edmund."

The five of us shared wide and bright smiles. All of us rose and exchanged warm hugs. It felt like we were a family. After we all parted, Susan and I excused ourselves so we could change and rid ourselves of the dreadful makeup. We all slept peacefully that night.

-x-x-x-x-x-
Saturday

We arrived in London a little past noon and made our way to a café to get some lunch before we headed to Lord Digory's old house. We all agreed on the train that we'd clean the house first (as we would be staying there for the night) before the boys started ring hunting. Between the five of us, it did not take long. After we cleaned, all five of us went outside to look at the stump of the Narnian tree. Strangely, the stump was withering. We all looked at it puzzled.

"I wonder why it's like that," Maggie thought aloud.

Susan, Peter, Edmund, and I exchanged a glance. "Perhaps it has something to do with the secret attack on Narnia," Edmund offered.

Peter nodded as he continued to examine the Narnian wood. "That is possible. The Professor did tell us that it would billow as if in a wind when there wasn't even the hint of a breeze."

"Because it was still tethered to Narnia," Susan added.

I knelt next to the stump and slowly reached out a hand to touch the wood. While I relished in the familiar touch and scent of a Narnian tree, the wood was soft—not hard as it should be. I turned to face my fellow kings and queen. "It's been poisoned."

The Magnificent, Just, and Gentle's eyes grew wide in worry. Maggie's face contorted into one of immense confusion. "How can that be?" she asked.

"Since this tree remembers its connection to Narnia, it reacts as it also would were it in Narnia," Edmund explained as I rose to my feet. "If the soil around Narnian trees is dry, it would most likely wilt in thirst even though it may have plenty of water here in England. The Professor already told us it blew in the wind when it probably was blowing severely in Narnia, so there's no reason to doubt that it would react in similar situations to what was happening in Narnia as well as what was occurring here in England."

"So if the soil around Narnian trees were to be poisoned," Peter started.

"This tree would also react to the poison," Susan finished.

While Maggie silently took in what she just heard, I asked if the Professor ever told the four where he got the apple for the stump at our feet.

"He said he obtained it from the Tree of Protection," Peter replied.

It took me a moment, but I remembered where that tree was located. "Near Caldron Pool."

Maggie tilted her head in thought as her confusion left her. "So how would the ground around Caldron Pool become poisoned? By the people cutting down the Dryad Trees?" she asked.

The four of us shrugged. "It's possible," I answered. "Since spilling the sap of a Dryad's Tree is like spilling blood of a human or an Animal."

"However, we won't know for sure until we find the rings and send Eustace and Jill to Narnia to help," Peter reminded us.

"True," Susan commented. "We will go and buy some food to start dinner. You two just remember to wear gloves while you're searching for the rings."

Edmund and Peter bowed to their sister. "Of course, my Royal Sister," the Just said.

"We would not want to cause you three ladies any unnecessary alarm," the Magnificent finished.

We three girls laughed at the boys' antics and left them to their digging. By the time we finished making dinner, Peter and Edmund had found the rings. We wrapped the rings in a handkerchief and placed them in a cloth bag and put the bag into one of our valises for safe keeping.

The rest of the night passed with stories of Narnia.

-x-x-x-x-x-
Sunday

It was ten-fifteen in the morning when Peter, Edmund, and Maggie left to head to the train station to pick up Digory, Polly, Jill, Eustace, and Lucy when their train arrived at ten-thirty. Susan and I stayed behind to prepare a brunch for the travelers.

"Do you think Jill and Eustace will be able to help fix whatever is happening in Narnia?" the Gentle asked me hesitantly as she cut up various fruits.

I frowned sadly as I flipped a pancake on the griddle. Glancing over my shoulder, I caught Susan's gaze as she looked over her shoulder. "I don't know," I answered quietly. "I wish I did."

We turned back to our respective tasks more downtrodden than we had been the past couple days. Then, out of nowhere, there was a massive explosion that made the whole house tremble. Susan and I braced ourselves and tried to keep the food from falling. We shared a glance and put everything aside, and I turned off the stove. As quickly as possible, we snatched our sweaters and ran out the door. Chaos ensued outside as everyone was racing towards the train station. The Gentle and I didn't even look at each other—we just took off running. When we got arrived, there was a strong smell of smoke in the air, and we could see it pouring out of the building while the fire marshals worked on putting a stop to the fire inside. Susan and I looked at each other as we caught our breath. The same thought went through our minds.

Our Narnian family.

We moved closer together and held one another in an attempt at comfort. As we stood in each other's arms, I closed my eyes in attempt to keep the tears at bay, and that's when I saw the most heartbreaking event in my entire Narnian and English life.

The invaders were Calormenes, and the Ape managed to turn many Narnians against each other. The Narnian King had been freed, and I saw Eustace and Jill fighting on his side with other Narnians. The loyal Narnians dwindled in number, and soon they were captured. Eustace, Jill, and the Narnian King were thrown into a thatched stable. Soon after, Aslan stood at the door to the stable, and a large man stood and blew a horn which caused all that could move to run towards the stable door. Then, dragons and large lizards came out from the underworld and ravaged that which was Narnia. Once Narnia was completely and utterly barren, the stable door was shut, and it looked like it was Narnia's High King who shut the door.

When I opened my eyes, I did not understand the last that I saw. "How could Peter be there?" I asked myself. "He was never to go back." A moment's time gave me the answer, and I could not help but choke on a sob.

"What is it?" Susan asked tearfully with panic lacing her voice.

It took all I had to look my fellow queen in the eye. Her expression turned to one of distraught when she saw the look in my eyes. "They're gone, Susan," I said after a moment. I choked on another sob as she tried to keep her tears from falling. "Narnia . . . and the Narnians here . . . they're gone."

Together we broke down crying. It felt like we were standing in front of the train station for ages as we wept. Susan and I were going to have a hard future ahead of us, and we were going to need assistance.

Silently, I prayed, "Aslan help us through this."

El Fin

Well? Was it the ending you expected or did it catch you by surprise? :) I'll guess probably the latter since I was following the books.

If there is any concern as to the stance Susan and Swan have on makeup: I wrote it that way partially because I don't give a darn about makeup (I barely even wear nail polish) and partially because I think these two queens-who were beauties during their reign-probably are only using makeup because it is used in the society they're living in now, and they need it to be accepted so they can work with more ease to spread Aslan's Grace.

Anyway! Hope you enjoyed the journey! I do plan to write a sequel focusing around Susan and Swan in England. When it will be written, I'm not sure. However, it will always be in the back of my mind. And hopefully it won't be as long as this one :)

Aslan's Blessings upon you and yours!
~Fierce Queen