(Untitled)

[giftless]

If there is any finer feeling in this world than that of returning home after a long journey, to the arms of one's family and loved ones, I do not know what it is. It is nearly as grand, to be sure, as the feeling of being warmly welcomed in a place unfamiliar to you, having all your shyness and worries eased by a smiling face and the best

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[onceaqueen]

Susan had never known island tricks to come on each other one right after the other, so quickly, and if it weren't for the fact that Jon and Rickon were with her this time she would have wondered if it wasn't. Unlike the recent visit to England, she couldn't imagine anything that could go wrong here in Narnia (even though she technically shouldn't be there) and it seemed more like a holiday than an island trick.

What wasn't much of a holiday was chasing Rickon. Oh, the Narnians adored Queen Susan's son and made much of him, spoiling him with treats and attention and showers of love, and he was quite pleased with himself to the point where he shouted "No!" at her and ran away when she told him he could not go and play hide-and-seek with the Fauns. It wasn't that she thought he would get into trouble; she just didn't want him out of her sight

[teenagerenegade]

Only child or not, Charlie's immediate reaction when faced with a small child running towards him is to bend and catch him, lifting him off his feet and turning towards the woman that he assumes is her mother.

She looks enough like her brother that he recognises her right away, and he sort of freezes, standing there with her kid in his arms.

"I guess he's yours?" he finally manages, with a shy sort of smile. He's wearing Ed's clothes and he fidgets awkwardly, unsure of how to stand in boots.

[onceaqueen]

Rickon wriggled and squirmed, but Mother had that look on her face that meant he had better not say no again, so he settled for making unhappy noises instead.

"Naughty boy," Susan said as she took Rickon in her arms, with an affectionate tone she couldn't help especially when he looked at her with big puppy-dog eyes. "Thank you," she added. "I never would have caught up with him. Narnian clothes might look nice and feel nice and smell nice, but they aren't nice for chasing children."

She'd been so busy thanking him she hadn't realised she didn't know him. Was he someone the island had brought along? "I'm Susan, by the way," she said. "I'd shake hands, but they're a bit full... you've never been to Narnia before, have you?"

[teenagerenegade]

"Yeah, I'm not really used to them myself yet, either," says Charlie, fidgeting with the open collar of his shirt. He shakes his head in answer to her question, and refrains from telling her that he feels like he has, because he read all about it as a kid, which doesn't make it any less strange now he's actually here.

"Hi, Susan," he says, still smiling. "I'm Charlie."

[giftless]

Compared to their last trip off the island, this trick seemed more a treat to Edmund. He could have, perhaps, complained about the timing, but this was just where he'd left Narnia more than a year ago, and though whatever magic pulled them hither and thither would let centuries seem to pass before they arrived again, it never sent them back in time. So, really, they should simply be thankful only a few weeks had passed as opposed to decades

[eldestking]

"Oi!" Peter was standing through the main doors of the castle, and recognized the distinctive figure of his brother traipsing toward him. He smiled widely, happy. This was more the type of visit home he'd been hoping for, if he'd been honest. For all the trouble she caused and the fretting, Narnia was home. He pulled in a deep breath of the fresh, good air, and smiled wide, waiting for his brother to catch up with him.

[giftless]

"Good morning to you too," Edmund replied with a smart smile and another bite of his apple. His long legs made short work of the stairs, now that he had something to shoot for. "What have you been up to?"

[eldestking]

He grinned wide. "Morning," he let it out like a sigh, happy to be here, happy to have his brother here. "Not much of anything, really." He shrugged, glancing around the castle. "Exploring. Cair Paravel is quite the place."

[eldestking]

Peter had found his way around Cair Paravel well enough; it felt good to be back in Narnia again, in ways he couldn’t really explain. He hadn't expected to ever be back at all, so this was, needless to say, a treat. He’d missed this, really, and he felt in his element again, side by side with his brother and sisters. They had arrived at something of an opportune moment, the castle brimming with commotion, food, and festivity. He was quickly settled in some Narnian clothing, the soft breeches and fluid silks so familiar.

It had been quite some time since he’d really seen the castle, so he set out to get lost, winding through corridors and spare rooms, down to the kitchens and up to the rafters. He headed down a brightly lit hallway after a particularly fruitful trip through a kitchen-he bit into a small tart in his hand-blueberry, it seemed. He paused to glance at a wall-hanging, smiling softly. It was good to be home.

[teenagerenegade]

Edmund's gone riding, which leaves Charlie wandering on his own, no pockets to put his hands in. It's pretty fucking weird, suddenly being in the middle of a book that he read as a kid, but it makes Ed so happy that Charlie's pretty sure he couldn't disapprove if he tried.]

He's so lost in thought that he actually bumps into someone stopped in the middle of the hallway. Both hands come up in apology.

"Shit! Sorry. Lost in my own world, you know?"
More like lost in Edmund's.

[eldestking]

Peter's eyes fly skyward at the curse, smiling crookedly; clearly this wasn't a resident of Narnia (though being human might have been his first clue). He shook his head, "No, not at all, I totally understand." He paused. "Coming here for the first time can kind of throw you for a loop." To say the least. "I'm sorry, my manners-- I'm Peter Pevensie." He extended his hand. Even if they were both in Narnia, he still needed to introduce himself, extenuating circumstances or not.

[teenagerenegade]

Shit. Charlie's sort of been hoping that he'd have more build up to meeting Ed's big brother than this. Or, you know, that Ed would have been here to hold his hand.

Still. Needs must.

"Yeah, so I'm told." He reaches out and takes Peter's hand, shaking it warmly. "Hey, Peter. I'm Charlie Bartlett."

[healerofharms]

Jill didn't exactly feel out of place. The last time she'd been here she'd had an absolutely horrid time. Of course, Narnia itself had been fine enough (more then fine, really - it'd been the Golden Time of Narnia, when Peter, Edmund, Susan, and Lucy had ruled) but she'd been more than a bit preoccupied by her own thoughts, as sad as that seemed

[giftless]

"A thousand miles away from the looks of it," Edmund teased gently with a warm laugh, coming up alongside her from one of the garden paths. He'd never found his crown -- Edmund suspected it was lost forever somewhere -- but he still cut quite the royal figure in his richly embroidered clothes and sure movements. But then, Jill cut a similar figure, regal and feminine. "You look lovely, Jill," he remarked. "It's good to be in Narnian made clothes again, isn't it?"

[healerofharms]

Jill smiled widely. "It is, this time." She couldn't help herself from running her hands over her skirt, and then she remembered and dropped into a low curtsy, grinning even wider. "Your Majesty." She actually winked - really, she couldn't even remember a time when she'd been in such a good mood. "It's good to be in Narnia, period, I think."

She tilted her head to the side. "How are things for you, Edmund? And Charlie?"

[giftless]

He grinned at the formal greeting. It was such a novelty to receive from people he knew these days. Once upon a time, Edmund had greeted his own brother and sisters with courtly language and custom, but those times were long gone now. Edmund took a second to return the gesture, bowing to her with a grin. "My lady."

He straightened, still smiling, but the grin had that soft look around the edges that you get when you're thinking about someone you care about very much. "Brilliant, thanks. I never thought I'd be back here again, so it's difficult not to be pleased. Charlie... had a bit of a shock this morning, but I think he's getting used to it." Smirking faintly, Edmund explained, "Waking up in the wrong bed to talking animals is bad enough, but I think it's everyone referring to his boyfriend as 'Your Majesty' that's got him."