Author's note: Long time no update ^^; I have a good excuse though! I recently moved countries and got a new full-time job. So things have been great for me, but crazy busy! So my writing has kind of fallen to the backburner in all the things I needed to do. Anyways, thank you to all who are still reading. I will try and get updates up for this story in a slightly more timely manner from now if I can. Enjoy the chapter!

...

Edmund Pevensie had never been more content in his entire life than he had been of late. Except maybe when Alsan forgave him after the witch, but really, what could compare to that?

Regardless, Edmund was beyond excited that not only had he and his siblings remained in Narnia, but now it seemed that their parents would as well. At least until Aslan said otherwise. But personally, Edmund wasn't worried about that. Aslan had told Peter once that he and his siblings were meant to rule, and he believed that with all his heart. They were meant to be here in Narnia, and Aslan wouldn't allow them to leave until their work here was truly done.

But although he was glad to still be in Narnia and have his parents here too, he could have done without his father's nervous energy.

It seemed that since they had come to the conclusion that all of the Pevensies would remain in Narnia, his father had grown more and more concerned about their safety. Edmund supposed he should be grateful he cared so much, but honestly, it was becoming a bit much.

Within the month since the incident at the lampost, his father had insisted on reviewing all battles and skirmishes Narnia had been involved in since the defeat of the witch, as well as going over records of their army and its provisions, and reviewing detailed accounts of historical enemies of Narnia. Which Edmund had to admit, there were quite a few. Many of whom, like the Calormenes, Narnia hadn't contacted in a long time. One of the many things they had to do, he supposed. But in their defense, they had recently had been preoccupied with restoring Narnia to its former glory.

However, his father's incessant questions and researching had been distracting him from things he needed to do. It seemed every time he turned around, his father had something new he needed to know, another thing he had questions about, or something he needed answers to. Frankly, Edmund was a bit put out.

All this to say, Edmund was feeling currently quite annoyed, as he, his father, and Peter stood on the training field, having been dragged there by their father after breakfast with very little explanation. Edmund had a lot of work to get done today. Being a monarch wasn't easy, especially being so young and also having to finish school work for his tutors! He didn't have time for an extra training session. But since it was their father, he didn't feel like he could say no, so he stood next to a confused looking Peter and tried to not look too put out.

"Boys, I've come to a conclusion." Their father began, pacing a bit back and forth in front of them, with his hands behind his back, like a general instructing his troops. "Narnia has historically faced many enemies and threats. Even now, you have attacks from fell beasts a constant threat. And in the north, I would bet anything that those mountains are still full of giants, even though they haven't been heard from in some time. I would also venture to guess that those Calormen in the south haven't become friendlier either. So it's of vital importance, that if we stay here, you are prepared for the inevitable hardships and war you will face."

Edmund's face twitched as he fought not to roll his eyes, at the same time Peter spoke up.

"That's certainly true, father." Peter conceded, sounding remarkably even-toned. "But we're already training under the best generals Narnia has to offer. What else would we need to do other than that?"

Their father smiled. "Why, the one thing I can teach you that your general hasn't!"

"I highly doubt you've learned how to build a revolver out of things found here in Narnia." Edmund replied in a deadpan tone.

His father smirked and let out a small laugh. "No, unfortunately, I'm still without my weapon. But I don't need a weapon for what I'm going to teach you. It would defeat the point actually."

"Ah, so hand-to-hand combat then?" Peter guessed.

"Precisely!" Their father responded with glee. "So get ready boys! We're not leaving this field today until I'm satisfied!"

Both boys shared a look and groaned. It was going to be a long day.

...

Peter's arms felt like lead. There were surely bruises all over his arms and legs both, and maybe his backside too from the number of times he had fallen. And he was sure it was past lunchtime as well from the grumbling of his stomach. Still, their father hadn't let up on them at all.

"One more time boys! Edmund, watch your stance. And Peter, don't hold back! Your enemy certainly won't on the battlefield."

Peter let out another groan, and stood to his feet, wiping the rivers of sweat off of his forehead and lunging for Edmund once again. They were both getting quite exhausted at this point. Surely he had to let up soon.

Edmund gave him a look, one that Peter couldn't quite read but was certain only spelled trouble, before completely ducking away from Peter as he ran towards him, causing him to let out a startled yelp and trip to the ground. He caught himself with his hands and fell to the ground with a groan before rolling to lie on his back in the grass. Their father let out a noise of protest, but before he could say anything Edmund threw himself down on the grass next to him with a laugh and a smirk.

"Sorry Pete! I just couldn't be bothered anymore." He exclaimed, entirely too cheerily. Peter mustered the energy to turn his head and give him a half-hearted glare, which Edmund responded to with a laugh.

"I suppose it could be time for a break." Their father mused. "Although we'll certainly have quite a few things to work on for next time..." He mused aloud and began mumbling to himself about their next session. Peter let out a loud groan in response and covered his face tiredly with his hands

"Oh, chin up Pete!" Edmund said with a sickly sweet smile. "All the more chances for me to beat you soundly! Sounds like a grand time."

"Hush up, Ed." He said as grumpily as he could manage through the smile on his lips.

Suddenly from across the training field came the deep chuckle of a centaur. All three Pevensie's turned to see Oreius approaching them.

"It would seem I have not been pushing you near far enough in your training, your majesties, if such a short lesson causes you to be winded so." He said as Peter and Edmund rose to their feet once again.

Peter could never tell when Oreius was joking and when he was serious. Or understand the pure forms of sarcasm Edmund used if he was being honest. But his brother and father both seemed to think it was a joke, and began to chuckle.

"I think we're fine all the same Orieus." Peter replied, hoping that it really was a joke. Orieus was a brilliant general, but quite a hard teacher. Peter was already tired enough after regular training with him. He couldn't imagine having to do even more than they already did!

Orieus smiled slightly in response but didn't respond.

"Well, boys, let's get back to the castle." Their father said, waving his hand and moving into step beside Orieus, leading them back to the castle. Peter and Edmund walked behind them, quietly listening to their conversation as they tried to catch their breath.

"Say, general, I've been examining some of the Narnian strategies in those books you recommended. Quite an interesting read! But have you thought about improving...?" Peter heard his father begin to talk with Orieus, before his concentration was pulled away from their conversation by Edmund who had let out an exasperated groan.

"What now, Ed?" He asked, taking in Edmund's strange expression.

"I appreciate his knowledge and interest in Narnian history, but do you think he'll ever give it a rest?" Edmund asked, his voice raising practically into a whine.

"Father? Not a chance." Peter replied with a scoff. "Mark my words, he'll keep doing this until he's completely reformed the army and made sure everyone, not just us, is a master in hand-to-hand combat as well."

"Ugh, I hope not." Edmund replied, making a disgusted face. "Hey, wait a minute, did you see that?" He dropped his voice to a whisper.

"See what?" Peter whispered back.

"Father and Orieus just shook hands. Whatever do you suppose that means?"

Peter's lips quirked up into a smile. "I think that might mean we have a new general."

Sure enough, that moment their father turned around to face them. "Boys, I think Orieus here has come up with a splendid idea!" He exclaimed, happily clapping Orieus on the flank as if he were patting the back of an old college chum and not the most formidable centaur and general in the Narnian army. "How would you feel if I started improving Narnian strategies by adding some good old English strategies?"

Peter and Edmund shared a look.

"Told you so." Peter whispered with a laugh.

...

Helen Pevensie was a practical woman. She always prided herself on finding useful things to do. Be it around the house or at work elsewhere, Helen was nothing if not efficient and helpful wherever she went.

This was normally something she considered a good trait, but here, in this new strange land, her practical skills were of no use. All of the housework in Cair Paravel was taken care of by various creatures who bustled around constantly. And because of her children's status, she was seen as some sort of lady, and expressly forbid by many of the creatures from doing any housework.

She could visit the kitchens and help cook, and she often did visit the kitchen staff to chat and help bake different pastries and offer advice. But the kitchen was fully staffed, and although she could help, they often didn't truly need her there. They were happy to have her, of course, but they could easily get their jobs done without her there.

Every other skill she had, it was the same. The gardens were well kept, the staff of the castle's library didn't need any assistance, and she was helplessly lost when it came to weapons. So, with nothing to do, she found herself wandering quite a lot, her mind lost in thought.

Her husband, on the other hand, had seemed to fit right into Narnia, despite all his earlier reluctance. He'd somehow managed to cement himself firmly as Orieus's right-hand man, helping examine and improve various military strategies, and even personally teaching many of the Narnian's how to fight without their weapons. He was flourishing in his role and had made many friends amongst the Narnians. They'd even taken to teaching him sword fighting in return, as well as other traditional Narnian fighting styles, which he'd grown to quickly excel at as well. He could often be found attempting to explain a concept he had learned from the war in England to the Narnian's in terms they could understand, or happily joining them on the training field learning more about their techniques. Helen was quite happy for him, truly, but she couldn't help but feel it was unfortunate she hadn't found anything of the same to claim as her own in this new world.

Even her children had roles they could call their own. They were all wonderful monarchs, and each had something special to offer.

Peter, she was not surprised to find, was a natural statesman. She often heard whispers of him being referred to as the "magnificent," and she couldn't help but agree. He was a natural at overseeing the large picture of the kingdom and seemed to at times radiate a kingly aura. He was truly a leader, and he grew more into the role every day. Helen could easily see the "magnificent" king he was becoming.

However, for all of Peter's magnificence, Helen could tell he was still a young man, and the stress of being a ruler could be too much for even grown men to bear. She often found him working late at night by candlelight in the library, pouring over paperwork with seemingly no end in sight. On those nights, she would lightly draw him out of his concentration with a hand on his shoulder and a soft kiss to his cheek, and send him off to bed. He usually put up a token protest, but then tiredness would win and he would say goodnight with a yawn before heading to his chambers.

She knew one day Peter would be a great king, but right now he simply had to be reminded to take care of himself as well as the kingdom.

Her Susan was a natural hostess, taking charge of keeping the castle in order and hosting various guests to the castle. She shone the most when planning the practical details of day-to-day life, or the greatest parties and feasts. But she was also approachable to each and every one of her subjects, seemingly always there to listen when they had a problem. The Narnians often called her "gentle," something Helen had never associated with her daughter before now, but could clearly see growing in her day by day.

With Susan, Helen often found it wasn't her time that was taken up by her duties, not like Peter. With Susan, it was her emotions. Susan could fret with the best of them, and Helen should know. She was an expert at fretting over her own family. But Susan often let the worries and troubles of her subjects weigh her down. In those times when Susan was overwhelmed, Helen would make her a cup of tea and let her spill out her worries and fears and remind her that even a Queen can only do so much.

Someday, Susan would learn to use her feelings to her advantage, but for now, she was still a young woman who was still learning.

Edmund was the most unrecognizable in his roles. He had become a determined young man, with a strong sense of right and wrong. The Narnians called him "just," and Helen could easily see him taking over judging the affairs of Narnia as he grew older. For now, his sense of justice shined in his daily studies on lawmaking, where he could often be seen discussing the best course of action in various scenarios with his tutors, and often stumping them with his hard questions in an attempt to get to the root of a matter.

Edmund often seemed to have some sort of misplaced guilt, but she couldn't always place why. Maybe it was his past actions he had shared with them, or maybe it was the pressure of being a monarch and the many chances to make a mistake that would affect many, she wasn't sure. But she did know that her youngest son often seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, a familiar, sad expression on his face. So Helen made it her mission to never let her son get lost within his own mind. She would sweep him up in a conversation about his studies, his hopes and dreams for what Narnia could become, and keep him from thinking too deeply and dwelling on the past. And she always made sure to tell him how much she loved him as often as possible. Although it sometimes made him embarrassed, she still wanted to make sure he never forgot.

One day, Edmund would become confident in himself, and maybe even learn to forgive himself as the rest of Narnia had. But, for now, she would have enough love and forgiveness for both of them.

As for her youngest, well, Lucy was simply Lucy. It simply seemed that Narnia had amplified Lucy's beautiful personality to an otherworldly amount. Her youngest's enthusiasm, joy, and loyalty to Aslan and Narnia were truly inspiring to see and inspired people and creatures alike wherever she went. The people called her "valiant," and Helen could easily see why. Her daughter was certainly a brave and wonderful soul. One day, she would become an amazing young woman.

However, for now, Lucy was still so young. Although she had grown, Helen could still tell her daughter was a child. Sometimes the stresses of being a monarch at such a young age could overwhelm her. Sometimes, she simply needed to be a child. For Helen, it was easy to make sure her daughter could find time to run and play. She would often sweep her daughter out of the palace, making her promise not to be back before supper and not to return without at least a few spots of mud on her gown from running or climbing or whatever else she decided to get up to.

Lucy would grow into a shining young woman someday, but for now, she was still Helen's little girl.

So although Helen often felt out of place here in this strange world, and wasn't quite sure what her place would be just yet, she did feel at home here in Narnia. Her family was here, and they were thriving and happy. And honestly, she couldn't have asked for more.

Maybe her place was simply this; to watch out for her children and husband and see to their happiness. Or maybe, someday, she'd find her own place like her family had. But for now, she was happy to take care of those around her and enjoy the peace that Narnia would bring.