Disclaimer: Narnia and everything in it belongs to C.S. Lewis

A/N: Firstly, a heart-felt welcome back and thank you to all my loyal readers and reviewers of The Way Things Are! I think I've definitely made you all wait long enough for this, so without further ado, I give you the sequel! (hands out biscuits and tea to readers)

P.S. – I highly recommend you read The Way Things Are before you read this (and I recommend Switched! as well), since the sequel will make a great deal more sense if you do : -)

Your reviews, comments, suggestions, fav parts/characters are always extremely welcomed and very much appreciated!

The Approaching Darkness

In the year 900, Narnia fell into an endless winter due to the evil magic of the White Witch. There was no Christmas, no celebrations, and soon all Narnians lost hope that this winter would ever abate. However, there was one small flicker of hope remaining in a prophecy. When the four thrones at Cair Paravel were filled, the winter would end. Yet this was only a prophecy, and nothing had come of it yet. In the year 1000, however, four young children by the name of Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie entered Narnia, and the prophecy was fulfilled, bringing peace and happiness back to Narnia.

Their reign would be known as the Golden Ages, and those years were filled with laughter, justice, and adventure. Visits of state were paid to other countries, and those countries paid visits of state in return. Alliances were formed, wars in distant lands were fought, but the Kings and Queens of Narnia ensured that their country was always safe.

Eleven years into their reign, after battling in Calormen, Archenland, and north in the land of the Giants, and after fighting Sirrian and finally defeating him, there were several years of peace. Many unusual things had happened in those peaceful years, such as King Edmund and Queen Susan switching bodies accidentally, a young princess disguising herself as her brother in order to compete in the Narnian Annual Tournament, and of course the constant dealings with the royals of different countries – those tended to turn out more comedic of course. Then there was still the mystery of who exactly had helped the Kings and Queens of Narnia during the battle with Sirrian, a cloaked figure with unmatched swordsmanship, and the mystery of the amulets, the sort that always seemed to cause more problems than solve them. There had even been one point when Queen Lucy and King Edmund had to travel to the Far East to recover a stolen amulet that belonged to the Naiads of the Deep Sea, which had been quite the adventure itself. But that will be for a different story.

This story begins approximately one year after the switching incident of King Edmund and Queen Susan, eleven years into the Golden Ages of Narnia. There is a saying that if one knew just how much time they had left to live in the world, they would do all sorts of things that they might never have done. If the Kings and Queens of Narnia had realised just how little time they had left, perhaps things would have worked out differently…

--

"Too slow Ed!" laughed Lucy as she sprinted along the beach. She came to a halt, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Stop dossing about and catch up!"

"Just you wait, Lu!" yelled Edmund in retort as he ran after his younger sister. He forced himself to run a little faster, and Lucy shrieked with laughter, sprinting away. Only a few moments later, he managed to tackle her to the sand. "What were you saying about being too old?" He grinned, now sitting next to Lucy in the sand.

Lucy's eyes sparkled with laughter. "It's good to see that you still have a sense of humor, Ed. You're always locked up in the study, studying those dusty volumes. I wasn't sure if you still knew how to be sociable," she teased.

"Oi! I take offense to that Lu," protested Edmund. "Sue's worse!"

"I heard that," said the voice of their older sister from behind them.

Both Edmund and Lucy looked back at their sister, who was now standing only a few paces from them, along with Peter. "You were supposed to!"

"You two didn't even know we were here, how is that possible?" teased Susan as she sat down beside them.

"I have superb intellect, therefore I know all," said Edmund, attempting to look a little more intimidating. That failed when all of his siblings burst into laughter, along with him. "A chap can try, right?"

"Honestly you two, no one would know you were a King and Queen of Narnia with the way you were carrying on," said Susan with a shake of her head.

"Oh don't be such a wet blanket, Susan," laughed Peter. "Think of it as a way for them to release all of their energy."

"You make it sound as if you two were so much older than us," smirked Edmund, and he jabbed his brother in the arm. "You're only four years older than me, Peter."

"Therefore I ought to be the voice of reason," pointed out Peter.

"If you're the voice of reason, then I think we're all done for," retorted Edmund.

"Oi!" protested Peter.

"He does have a point, Peter," laughed Lucy.

"Not you too, Lu!"

"It has been proven multiple times that you try and do too much, so how, exactly, is that reasonable?" asked Edmund.

"You do take on quite a bit Peter," agreed Susan.

"I'm the High King, I'm supposed to!" said Peter.

"We've had this argument before, and you always lose, so just give over already," smirked Edmund.

"You three," said Peter with a shake of his head, but he was laughing.

"Your Majesties!" called a voice, and the four siblings turned to see Mr. Tumnus hurrying towards them.

"What is it, Mr. Tumnus?" asked Peter as the four of them stood.

Mr. Tumnus bowed his head briefly and said, "We've received a message from King Feldhliem of the Seven Isles. They require our assistance, it seems something is attacking their ships, and without those supplies, the islands will suffer. The signature is similar to His," explained Mr. Tumnus, referencing Sirrian.

At the mention of Him, Edmund felt his heart beat a little faster, but he kept his voice steady as he said, "Is there any more information?"

"None, your Majesty," said Mr. Tumnus.

Peter looked thoughtful as he gazed out over the ocean, and then looked back at his siblings. Then he turned back to Mr. Tumnus. "We will discuss this and I will inform you of our decision."

"Very well, your Majesty." Mr. Tumnus bowed his head and hurried off.

Peter turned to them, and said, "They are our allies. We ought to try and help."

"If it's something that's similar to Him, then we'd have the most experience," agreed Edmund, though the thought of anything in relation to Him caused his stomach to turn.

"Perhaps it'll be something completely different," offered Lucy, putting a reassuring hand on Edmund's arm.

"But ships are still disappearing, regardless," said Susan.

"Then we're in accord?" asked Peter, looking at all of them.

"I should say so. Besides, it might be a grand adventure, and we haven't had one of those in the longest time!" said Lucy, excitement evident in her voice and eyes.

"It hasn't been that long ago, Lu," said Edmund with a chuckle.

"Either way, I'll pass it by the Council this evening. Then we will set sail immediately," said Peter.

"Race you back!" cried Lucy with a grin, and she started running towards the castle.

"You won't win this time!" yelled Edmund and he took off after her.

"Not if we get there first!" called Peter and Susan.

--

A few days later, they had set sail for the Seven Isles. Edmund stood on the deck next to Lucy, his fingers gripped the railing a little tighter than necessary. No matter how many times he had made a sea voyage, it always made a bit queasy. He supposed he ought to become used to it sooner rather than later – perhaps by the time he was old and gray-haired.

"Edmund!" called his Lucy from behind him, and Edmund turned to see his younger sister running towards him. "Would you come up to the crow's nest with me? I've heard it's a wonderful view, and you can see all the way to the horizon! It'll also take your mind off feeling ill."

"Yes, Lu," chuckled Edmund, knowing that he would be going with her even if he didn't want to. It was just how Lucy was, but he honestly didn't mind. Besides, Lucy was right, it would make him feel better.

He followed her to the ladder that led up to the crow's nest, waiting while she climbed. "Hurry up, Edmund!" she called down to him, laughing.

"Be careful, Lu!" he said as he began to climb the ladder.

"Oh shush, I'll be fine, honestly! You worry too much Ed!"

He chuckled inwardly and continued to climb, reaching the crow's nest a few moments later. Lucy was gazing out over the seemingly endless sea toward the Far East, resting her forearms upon the railing. Edmund smiled softly and walked over to stand next to her, leaning against the railing.

"Edmund, do you suppose we'll ever have the opportunity to see the Far East?" asked Lucy, thoughtfully.

"Oh, I don't know," responded Edmund, following Lucy's gaze to the east. "I suppose so, if it's Aslan's will." They had come close to the Far East in an adventure a few years prior, but they had never reached the true Far East. Edmund wondered if such a place even truly existed.

"I hope so! I'm sure it's full of wonderful things! Fairies, dryads, and fantastic beings we've only heard of in stories! It would be terribly exciting!" said Lucy excitedly, her eyes sparkling.

Edmund couldn't help but laugh. "Oh Lucy, only you could imagine such a place!"

"Aslan came from the Far East so it's very real. I'm sure it's beautiful. Do you think there could be stars there? They're supposed to be people, you know," pondered Lucy. "They would be lovely, I should think, and graceful, everything a star should be."

"Perhaps you would find the land of Spare Oom there as well," he teased.

"Silly," laughed Lucy as she looked at him. "Spare Oom isn't to the East, it's in Narnia!"

"Of course, Lu, if you say so," chuckled Edmund.

"Well I do. It might just be a dream, but I feel as if we really have been there before. It's difficult to explain," said Lucy as she looked back out at the sea.

"But Lucy, that would be impossible. We've been in Narnia for as long as can remember, we've never been anywhere else!"

"How do you know it really doesn't exist?" queried Lucy, looking at Edmund. "Anything's possible in Narnia."

"That's true, but I've never come across any land of Spare Oom in any of the books I've read, and I've already been through our library twice."

"It doesn't have to necessarily be written in a book, Ed, it's here," said Lucy, touching her chest above her heart. "When we first became Kings and Queens of Narnia, we had no knowledge of other lands, and we had never seen them, but it didn't mean they didn't exist! Just because you can't see something, that doesn't mean it's not real."

"I suppose so, Lu."

"You just have to have faith." Lucy smiled. "We didn't think it possible to defeat Sirrian, or the White Witch, but we did!"

At the mention of their past battles, memories of the past enveloped Edmund and he grew quiet, his gaze thoughtful. Thinking of Sirrian brought back memories of Sheridran, the mysterious figure who had aided them in the war. Now that we're finally going back to the Seven Isles, I'll have the opportunity to confront Prince Rouffian about Sheridran, and this time I will get my answer. There are just too many indicators that they are one and the same, yet it still baffles me that Ruffles could be a skilled warrior – it just doesn't fit.

Edmund was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't see the dark, ominous clouds appearing along the horizon. He felt something pinch his arm, the pain snapping him out of his thoughts. "Ow! Lu!" She had wrapped her hand around his arm, her fingers digging into his skin as she stared out toward the horizon with barely-concealed anxiety. "Lu?" Confusion crossed his features, and he looked out towards the horizon, startled to see the dark clouds that had gathered. However, it was not the dark clouds that caused dread to fill his heart, and an icy chill to run down his spine. Lightning bolts spread out across the clouds…green lightning.

"That is no ordinary storm," whispered Lucy.

Edmund continued to stare at the storm until he suddenly snapped out of his trance. "Come on, Lu, we need to help prepare the ship." He ushered her towards the ladder, following her back down to the deck. Peter and Susan had come up from down below and were now helping the crew in tying down the sails and securing anything that could possibly be tossed overboard. Edmund and Lucy joined in where they could, aiding the crew. The crew was made up of strong men, many from Archenland or the surrounding islands. Since most Narnians were not comfortable aboard a ship, they had gathered a crew from their allies.

As the black clouds drew closer, all four Pevensies moved to the railing, gazing out towards the storm. The wind had picked up, gusting fiercely, and whipping their hair and clothes around them. No matter what Edmund did, he found he could not stop gazing at the clouds.

Suddenly, the storm hit, and an icy wind cut across the ship as the waves increased, and the rain began to pour.

Then all was black.

Yes, I left it there. Evil cliffy (insert evil laugh here)

I warned you all that this would be the adventure fic :- ) and just because it's a sequel, doesn't mean that the adventures can't start now! Be prepared for quite the rollercoaster!

PS – I am going to be out of town for the holidays, but next week I'll work on uploading the next chapter.

Also, a quick apology for the rather brief chapter. I had a bit more written, but then my computer decided not to save it X.X so I had to start from stratch.