High Queen Layla, It Has a Nice Ring to It

Layla stood, her mouth open, watching as the four Pevensies began to stroll forward with a smile on their faces.

After giving a quick look to her sister, seeing if she knew what was going on, and only getting a shrug in reply, Layla ran forward towards the four. “Susan!” She called out causing the four to turn with surprised looks on their faces. “What just happened?” Layla asked stopping just before reaching them.

“Should we tell them?” Edmund asked cautiously.

“Tell us what?” Yvainne’s innocent question came from beside Layla.

Lucy smiled seeming to ask permission to do something when Susan nodded she turned to the girls and began to explain that they were in a place called Narnia. Then she jumped into the story of what had happened when they had been there the first time.

Layla listened as Lucy explained about Mr. Tumnus and The White Witch, The Beavers and Aslan, and how they all fought to keep the Kingdom safe, and afterwards ruled Narnia as Kings and Queens for 15 years before finding the place they had entered and accidently leaving Narnia and returning to find London the way it had been when they had left.

“Wait so we’re in an...” Yvainne began but trailed off trying to think of a word.

“A whole other world, dimension, whatever you want to call it... Oh my dear goddess! This is it!” Layla said with a big smile on her face as she strolled forward towards the ocean. “This is the place I’ve been dreaming of the last couple of days!” Layla’s face held wonder as she turned back to them. “Narnia.” She muttered as she smiled at them. She and Susan exchanged a look before Layla made for the ocean discarding her jacket, shoes, and tie along the way, the rest of the group following short after as they engaged in a full on splashing war. At one point Peter splashed Layla and she moved closer to him.

“You know I’ve never noticed before...” Layla began trailing off as she stood in front of him. Slowly she brought her hand up to his face and lay it upon his cheek, just staring into his eyes.

Meanwhile Lucy, Susan, Yvainne, and Edmund had stopped to watch the pair.

“Do you think she’s going to actually kiss him?” Edmund asked Yvainne.

Yvainne gave him a disbelieving look, “You are talking about Layla, right? Because this is the girl who swore she’d beat him to a pulp if he ever touched her.”

“I dunno, I mean it’s quite obvious how much Peter likes her. He’s not just after her for the gain.” Edmund told Yvainne, turning to look at her.

“And what about you? Is there anyone you truly like?” Yvainne asked him.

Edmund was shocked by the question but he knew the answer without hesitation. “Actually...” He began, but trailed off as they heard a big, ‘SPLASH!’

Kayla had splashed Peter when he had been a mere 2 centimeters from her. He looked at her in disbelief and the splashing war raged on once more.

After about 15 minutes they all noticed Edmund begin to stare off in the distance.

“Ed?!” Yvainne asked when she noticed he wasn’t participating anymore.

“Ed?” Lucy and Susan called at the same time as each other trying to get their brothers attention.

Peter stopped splashing Layla then and looked at his brother. “What is it?” He asked when Edmund looked back at him.

“Where d’you suppose we are?” He asked turning back to the ledge.

“Where do you think, nimrod?!” Layla asked him with disbelief. Hadn’t they just told her about this place?

“Well, I don’t remember any ruins in Narnia...” He replied. That caught the attention of the Pevensie’s who all looked up at the ledge then to find ruins.

The Pevensie’s all began to move out of the water then and towards the ruins. Layla exchanged a worried and curious glance with Yvainne before the two girls followed the other four.

-~**~--~*~--~**~-

When they got to the top of the cliff the Pevensies all went their separate ways.

“Stay close to Edmund. We have no clue what’s around here.” Layla told her sister. Yvainne nodded before following the younger of the Two Pevensie boys. Layla took her own path around the place.

'Anseo luíonn an fothraigh an chaisleáin ársa...'

Layla turned looking for someone who could have spoken. When she found nothing she turned back and ran her fingers over a column that had been knocked over.

'Anseo luíonn an fothraigh an chaisleáin ársa, I gcás an Rí agus Banríon na sean, Nuair a Sath ar a gcathaoireacha....'

Layla turned again and this time called out, “Who’s there?!” When no one replied she turned back and tried to find Peter.

'Anseo luíonn an fothraigh an chaisleáin ársa, I gcás an Rí agus Banríon na sean, Nuair a Sath ar a gcathaoireacha. Uair sa suíomh álainn, Anois níl againn, Chun a thaispeáint dúinn gur féidir linn maireachtáil i Síochána....'

Layla quickened her pace as the voice rang in her head.

'Anseo luíonn an fothraigh an chaisleáin ársa, I gcás an Rí agus Banríon na sean, Nuair a Sath ar a gcathaoireacha. Uair sa suíomh álainn, Anois níl againn, Chun a thaispeáint dúinn gur féidir linn maireachtáil i Síochána. Na daoine ag gol, Maidir leis an gcaillteanas de na haoiseanna órga, Ach an glimmer an dóchais, Gcoimeádann siad i bhfolach, Feithimh...'

Layla slammed into Peter as she rounded a corner.

“Woah! What’s the rush Layla?” Peter asked her as she backed away. Her head was swimming with words, they were all jumbled up, some in the language it had been in before others in English. The last thing Layla saw before blacking out was Peter’s concerned face over hers as he called out her name.

~*~

“What happened?” Yvainne’s worried voice came from behind somewhere.

“I dunno!” Peter replied turning to look at her, “she just ran into me gave me this panicked look and fainted.”

“Oh c’mon Layla, you shouldn’t be passed out! You only ever pass out after...” Yvainne trailed off but knowing Peter had heard it she knew she would have to tell him anyways. “You keep your mouth shut about this or she will come after you.” Yvainne warned him as nicely as she could.

When Peter nodded she told him.

“Layla’s a witch. She can hear things, ancient things, and she can understand the ancient tongues and she gets visions in her dreams, and she can heal people. But it takes a toll on her and she passes out. She should be fine in a minute or two.” Yvainne told Peter as she swept a piece of hair from her sister’s forehead.

“Why does it take so much out of her?” Peter asked curiously.

“She’s not an adult yet. So it takes up her energy more than it would a witch who was an adult.” Yvainne tried to explain but then she said, “I’m not the best person to explain it.”

Layla began to stir and looked at her sister, “Gaelic. They were speaking Gaelic?” Layla said softly.

“C’mon, let’s get you one of those apples Lucy found.” Peter said helping her up.

~*~

When Layla ate the apple she told the others she’d be fine and walked away with Lucy and Susan and Yvainne.

When Lucy turned around from looking out at the sea she said to no one in particular, “Wonder who lived here.”

Susan came around a tree towards Lucy and must’ve stepped on something because a second later she bent over and picked up a gold chess piece, her eyes widening.

“I think we did.” She answered her sister softly. Lucy’s eyebrows knit together in confusion.

The boys came around a wall then and Edmund’s eyes widened as he went straight towards Susan. “Hey, that’s mine.” Edmund said pointing at the gold piece in Susan’s hand. “From my chess set.”

“Which chess set?” Peter asked, Edmund laughed at his brother's stupidity.

“I didn’t exactly have a solid gold chess set in Finchley, did I?” Edmund told him. Peter had a face that said he knew that that had been a stupid question but quickly shook it off.

Lucy looked out into the distance and had a face of devastation and curiosity all in one, “Can’t be.” Her voice was sad and disbelieving as she ran towards a section of the ruins.

Lucy somewhere along the way took her brothers hand and led him onto a platform.

“Don’t you see?” She cried out.

“What?” Peter was confused and it was obvious in his voice.

Lucy moved him in front of a little block. “Imagine walls.” She said walking over and moving her sister to stand in front of the block next to her brother’s. “And column’s there.” She said pointing to the side, Edmund had already moved to the other side of his brother and so Lucy stood in front of the last block and continued, “And a glass roof.”

“Here lies the ruins of an ancient castle, Where the kings and queen of old, Once sat upon their thrones. Once a beautiful site, Now all we have, To show us that we can live in Peace. The people weep, For the loss of the golden ages, But the glimmer of hope, Keeps them hiding, Waiting...” Layla recited the Small Gaelic bit that had been repeating in her head earlier.

“Cair Paravel.” Peter said, the pieces finally clicking in his head.

Layla swore she could see the shame in his eyes when he looked straight at her, and she knew what he was thinking.

‘How could I let this happen?’