Winter's Magic

Chapter Four:

Peter or Edmund, it certainly was not.

For a few brief seconds, she thought the Professor had appeared, having come downstairs to investigate the commotion in the sitting room. But then she realized this man's beard was paler and much longer than Professor Kirke's.

And tall as the Kings were, the newcomer was even taller. It could have just been a matter of perspective, but that was how he appeared to her from her seat on the sofa. Perhaps it was the fashion of his clothes as well, for the man wore a long robe that nearly covered his feet. The robe was of a crimson hue and appeared to be made of crushed velvet, with snowy white trim along the sleeves and hems. A belt was securely fastened around his waist; Jill thought she could see elaborate patterns etched in the dark leather and engraved along the gold buckle as well.

He reached up and pushed the hood of his robe back with both hands, letting it fall quietly behind him until the fabric fell upon his shoulders. Free of shadows, Jill was able to make out his face more clearly. Bright eyes looked out between a row of bushy brows and a set of flushed cheeks. His hair was lighter than his beard, the color almost matching the trim of his robe. And set atop of his head was a crown of holly and ivy.

He stared at each of them for several seconds, and with a wide smile on his face, he spoke.

"Aslan's blessing to all of you on this blessed day." His voice was deep and sounded as if it came from the very core of his being.

"And to you as well, Sir," Peter replied on behalf of his family. "We are well-met and bid you most welcome to this humble abode."

Jill noted the difference in Peter's tone as he greeted the man; here, he was more solemn and kingly than when he used the courtly language in jest with Edmund earlier. This was indeed the High King of Narnia speaking now.

The man bowed. "Your Majesties."

The Pevensies had been standing together in a row, with Edmund at one end and Lucy at the other. Their eldest siblings were between them, with Susan positioned next to both her brothers. As she looked on, Jill thought of the four thrones she had seen in the great hall of King Caspian's castle. She could picture a throne set behind each of Scrubb's cousins from where they stood.

When the man stood up from his bow, the four Kings and Queens returned the gesture; Peter and Edmund bowed as befitting their ranks of Knight and King while Susan and Lucy curtseyed gracefully as they lifted the hems of their nightgowns. Dressed as they were in the ill-fitting, secondhand clothing of wartime England, they still moved as if they were arrayed in their finest at Cair Paravel.

It was Susan who broke the formality of their greeting as she stepped forward. She slid away from her siblings and walked over to the fireplace. With a fluid movement, the dark-haired queen picked up the bowl she had set down on the table upon her entrance. Whatever was inside the vessel was still warm as puffs of steam continued to rise up from its center.

Jill thought the older girl would offer the bowl to the older man and was surprised to find the Queen had presented it to her brother instead. King Peter then lifted the bowl in salute to the man.

"Wassail, Father!" said the High King as he raised the bowl to his lips and drank from it. He then returned the bowl to Susan, who offered her own greeting and sipped from the bowl as well. This was followed with similar motions from Edmund and Lucy as each of them honored the man in turn.

Jill had never witnessed such a scene as the one before her. She came from a small family and was unaccustomed to any sort of real holiday tradition other than the exchange of gifts. With a glance at Scrubb, she thought it was the same with him. There appeared to be a mixture of confusion and wonderment on his face as he looked on. At the same moment she had looked at him, he had turned to face her as well.

"Wassail?" she asked in a whisper, puzzled as each of the Pevensies repeated the word.

Scrubb shrugged; he was at a loss to explain this to her. "It could be a Narnian thing," he murmured.

"Nay." The two children started as a deep voice answered them; neither of them had intended for their words to be heard by the others. They turned away from each other to find Father Christmas looking at them.

"'Tis an ancient tradition that began first in this world," the older man said. "Long before Narnia was sung into being. Though it has diminished here, the customs as remembered by King Frank and Queen Helen continue to flourish in the land that they were given to rule.

"And yet, every Christmas, there are still places in this world where the old tradition lives on. The number grows fewer every year, but I am certain always to find it here." Jill noted that Father Christmas now held the bowl in his hand. "And so, my friends," he lifted the bowl up, "Wassail to all of you!"

Queen Susan took the bowl from Father Christmas once he drank from it. As soon as his hands were free, he reached behind him and pulled a large leather sack to his side. Jill wondered how she had not seen the bag earlier, given its immense size; she thought several Narnian Dwarfs could fit inside it with room to spare.

The man loosened the cord around its neck and peered in. He looked up and Jill was startled to find him staring straight at her.

"Jill, Eve's Daughter," he beckoned for her to come closer. Eyes wide, she got up from the sofa and made her way to him.

"Sir," she greeted him softly.

"And Eustace, Adam's Son." There was a pause, and she heard movement behind her as Scrubb approached.

"You're supposed to be just a story," Eustace stammered "A legend."

The man that was supposedly a myth smiled, not offended by the boy's remarks.

"All legends are founded on the basis of truth," he said. "It is over time that truth changes and what was fact becomes fairy tales.

"Your cousins, Son of Adam, are a fine example of this. Before Caspian became King, the stories of the four Kings and Queens were known only as old wives' tales amongst the Telmarines. So many years had passed that even the Narnians thought this part of their history was just a myth. The Narnians had to see them with their own eyes to know and believe their past was real."

"Then why did we never see you before, Sir?"

Father Christmas turned his attention to Jill and held her gaze in his.

"I am as strong as your belief is in me, child. When your faith is strong, then it is easier for me to come to you and for you to see me." She recalled what the High King had said to Scrubb and now she understood.

He saw the clarity in her face and smiled. "And now, I think it is time for your presents."

As he reached into his bag, Jill wondered what her gift would be. A small part of her hoped that it would be a box of her favorite chocolates. Every Christmas, she looked forward to receiving it from her parents but she knew it would be more difficult this year. Sweets had been added to the ration list over the summer, and she had resigned herself to the loss this holiday.

She had not expected to receive anything at all this evening; it was treat enough for her to be allowed to spend Christmas with other people that had been to Narnia as well. Miss Plummer's letter and invitation arrived just over a week ago, and her parents' consent to let her come was their gift to her instead of the sweets.

He rummaged around in the bag for a moment and what he pulled out was completely unexpected. To her great surprise, the man handed her a bow and a quiver of arrows. As she stared at her gift in shock, he reached into the bag again and drew out a similar set that was then given to an equally stunned Scrubb.

"I give these to you not for you to fight, but for what you will earn by learning to use them."

Jill looked up from examining the bow. "I—We don't understand, Sir."

"It will be a part of your story, Jill." The young girl turned to Lucy, who looked solemnly at her. "I'm sure there will come a time when these gifts will help you and Eustace in some way."

"As it was with us," said Peter, "so it will be with you. Father Christmas once told us that they are tools, not toys." He cast a smile at the man. "I'm sure he means the same here."

"But I've never used a bow and arrow before," Jill said. She had kept only a knife on her during their travels in Narnia. Scrubb had a sword at the time, and Puddleglum had also lent him a bow since he had some experience with it from his first adventure. Even so, she did not think Scrubb would be able to teach her how to use the bow effectively.

She then wondered why everyone had suddenly looked to Susan. The Queen blushed at the attention and murmured, "Oh, very well."

"I'll help, too," Lucy said as she reached over and grasped her sister's hand. With a grin at Jill and Eustace, she explained, "Susan was the finest archer in our kingdom. She taught me archery while Peter and Edmund trained with the swordmasters."

"Learn well from these Queens," Father Christmas advised them, "and never forget to trust in yourself and your skills. And now, here is something for all of you..."

He then reached into his bag again and—Jill had never been able to recall afterward how he had done it—pulled out the largest tray she had ever seen and set it down on the table. Sitting on top of the silver platter were plates of food she had not seen the likes of since the dinner banquet she and Scrubb attended during their first night in Narnia. There were pies and puddings, breads and several types of cheese. She saw flagons of wine set between the plates and in the center of the tray was a large turkey, roasted to a golden color and surrounded by berries and other fruits as if they were jewels.

It had been many years since she had seen such a Christmas dinner. Almost everything that appeared on the table had been rationed or made entirely unavailable since the war began. She doubted that even King George would celebrate the holiday with such a feast as the one before them.

"And now I must take my leave." Father Christmas tightened the cord around his oversized bag and stood up. He turned to the Pevensies and said, "Please convey my greetings to the Lord Digory and the Lady Polly."

"We will," the High King promised. "May the Lion be with you on the rest of your journey this eve. Merry Christmas, Sir."

The older man smiled and then let out a booming laugh. "And a Merry Christmas to you, Kings and Queens, and Friends of Narnia. Long live the King!" Before any of them could react, he had disappeared and they heard the jingling of bells fading into the distance.

There was a moment of silence as they looked at the food and then to one another. Once again, it was Queen Susan who was the first to act. "Well, best to start eating before it gets cold," she said it in such a manner that allowed no contradiction. "Peter, do you think we should wake the Professor and Aunt Polly, or should we let them sleep?"

The High King considered this for a minute. "The Professor is a deep sleeper, though I believe Aunt Polly is not. But I think there's a chance they may still be up since they knew of our plans tonight. I'll go upstairs and check."

Susan nodded and then turned to her younger brother. "Edmund, would you mind helping me fetch some plates and cutlery from the kitchen?"

"And cups for the wine, Su," Edmund added as he indicated the flagons with a tilt of his head. He then strode to the door and held it open for his sister and brother. The two brothers allowed Susan to exit first before following her out.

Once the three of them left the room, Jill found herself with just Lucy and Scrubb again. Her friend had taken his seat on the sofa and was busy examining his new bow. She looked down at her own bow and traced the delicate scrollwork adorning the wooden limbs with her fingers.

"It seems very well made," Lucy said as she approached her friend. With an experienced eye, she admired its construction. Jill handed the bow to the Queen for further inspection so she could take a closer look at the quiver of arrows instead.

"Hmm." The fair-haired girl bent the bow to test its elasticity and then plucked the string. She smiled as the twang vibrated in the room. "Narnian make perhaps? It reminds me of the ones the Centaurs used during the second Battle of Beruna."

"I think you're right," Jill said; to her untrained eye, it did resemble the ones she saw the Centaurs carry as they brought Scrubb and herself to Cair Paravel at the end of the quest.

"It's a wonderful present," she said. "I hadn't been expecting anything tonight, but then all of this," she gestured toward the bow, the fire, and the food, "happened and—" She looked up at Lucy as a thought entered her head. "Oh! But you didn't get a gift! None of you received anything." She cringed first at the loudness of her words, and then when she realized it was inconsiderate of her to have brought the subject up. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have—"

"It's all right, Jill." The Queen smiled at her. "Do not be sorry for you are mistaken. We did get a gift."

"Do you mean the food?"

Lucy shook her head. "No, we received something better."

She was confused. The only things that Father Christmas had given were the bows and quivers, and the Christmas dinner. She did not remember seeing him hand anything to the Pevensies. "What did you get?"

"His blessing."

Scrubb looked up at that, mirroring her own astonishment at Lucy's response.

"In Narnia, we received jewels and fancy gowns and all sorts of beautiful and pretty things, but they paled in comparison to Aslan's blessing and love." Jill knew from her tone of voice that it was the adult Queen speaking to them. "When the boys went to war and Susan and I were left behind, it was always His blessing we asked for, to guide them on their journey and to bring them back safely to us. Our family—my brothers and sister, and our subjects—were more important to us than all the treasure that could fill the halls of the castle.

"And even though my siblings and I cannot return to Narnia, we know He is here in this world too. It gives us joy to know that he still looks upon us and offers us his blessing when we no longer serve him in our capacity as Kings and Queens. So Father Christmas' message to us was my family's gift."

Jill stared at Lucy; the Queen had spoken with such gravity that she was unsure if could find anything appropriate to say in response. Fortunately, she and Eustace were saved from answering as the door swung open and Edmund poked his head in. The King glanced around and his eyes settled on his cousin.

"Eustace, would you come and help us in the kitchen? Su's decided she wants to serve the rest of the wassail she's made and I could use an extra hand to help bring it in here."

"Ah... sure." Eustace wasn't sure exactly what his cousin meant, but rose to go help them anyway. The boy carefully set his gift down on the cushions before taking his leave. Edmund pushed the door wider and as Eustace walked through, Jill could hear her friend asking about the wassail.

It was just Lucy and herself now, as it was not so long ago. She could scarcely believe that everything happened in such a short amount of time.

"So you were right after all, Queen Lucy," she said. "There is magic in this world, too."

"Yes, and you were able to see and experience it to the fullest on this night." There was a pause, and then the Queen said earnestly, "But remember that there is magic around you, even on the most ordinary day. You just need to open yourself up to find it."

Jill nodded. She didn't think she would ever forget the events and lessons of this extraordinary evening.

"And Jill?" She had her eyes on the door as she began to hear voices in the hall; it seemed the others were returning to the sitting room. At Lucy's question, she turned away and looked at her friend.

The Queen smiled broadly at her as the clock struck midnight. "Merry Christmas."

End.