Georgie opened her eyes, squinting against the bright sunlight. She glanced around, taking in her surroundings. I'm in my room, she thought. The sunlight was pouring through her window. I wonder what time it is. The sun seems too bright for it to be morning.

"Oh good, you're awake!" a soft voice came from next to her. Georgie turned towards the voice and saw Hailah, the lady's maid who had comforted her when she first arrived in Narnia.

"What happened?" Georgie croaked, her voice thick with sleep.

"You've been asleep since yesterday morning when you-" Hailah stopped when her voice cracked with emotion.

"When I what?" Georgie asked, sitting quickly.

"No, Your Highness, you must rest. You fainted yesterday morning in the garden," Hailah explained, attempting to press Georgie back to lie down. Georgie complied, mostly because her head was throbbing with pain.

"I fainted?" she asked softly, confused momentarily before the memories from earlier came flooding back. "There were no survivors," Caspian's words echoed in her head.

"They're gone. No survivors," she whispered, her eyes glazing over with tears.

"Oh my dear, my dear," Hailah whispered soothingly as she ran her hand over Georgie's head, smoothing her hair back.

"Please, let me be alone for a moment," Georgie said, struggling to hold back her tears. Hailah nodded and, with a final glance at Georgie, walked to the door to leave. "Wait," Georgie said, sitting up, ignoring the searing pain in her head.

"Yes, Your Highness?" Hailah asked, turning to look at Georgie.

"Where's Caspian?" Georgie asked. She thought maybe he could provide answers to what had happened. Hailah's face fell and she bowed her head, shaking it slightly before answering,

"His Majesty is with his wife. The poor dear lost the child she was carrying last night. . The worry and sadness over of the kings and queens being lost at sea was too much for the poor queen and she just wasn't strong enough." Georgie drew in a shaky breath and nodded, fearing if she spoke only sobs would come out. "Try to rest dear child," Hailah said softly as she walked out the door, shutting it quietly behind her.

Georgie laid back down and turned to her side, bringing her knees into her chest, which began to shake with her silent sobs as tears flowed down her face. Through her haze of tears she saw a small wooden box on her bedside table, opened to reveal the ring inside. The large diamond and orange stones glittered in the sunlight. Georgie reached for the box and brought it to her, removing the ring from the box and placing it on her left ring finger. As she stared, mesmerized, at the ring, she stood and walked to the door connecting her room to Edmund's. She opened it and walked into his room, feeling his lingering presence in there. Her eyes gazed the room, taking in all of Edmund's belongings which he would never use again, before they fell on the large bed in the center of the room. It was still unmade from when he had last slept on it, the maids under strict orders from Edmund to not worry with cleaning his room while he was gone.

Georgie walked to the bed, running her hands along the bedding as she closed her eyes, remembering the night when they had lain in his bed and how it had felt to be in his arms. I would have been his wife in this bed, she thought as she opened her eyes and stared again at the ring. It continued to cheerfully sparkle at her, as though it had no worries in the world. Georgie drew in a shaky breath and covered the ring with her hand. A sudden urge to be near Edmund overtook her, nearly knocking her to the floor. She gripped the bed tightly to steady herself, her breathing becoming shallow. "You promised me you would come back!" she screamed to the empty room, her tears pouring down her face. "You promised," she whispered as she leaned down on the bed, burying her face in the bedding. Georgie stayed there for several long moments, her tears soaking the soft red cover. She stood and climbed into Edmund's bed and pulled the covers over her head, wishing he was the one covering her instead. She continued to cry until she was finally worn out and fell asleep.

Cair Paravel was a tomb over the next week, its inhabitants mourning the loss of their kings and queens, as well as the unborn prince or princess of Narnia. Caspian's wife remained bedridden, her grief depleting her of any remaining strength. Caspian locked himself away in the Great Hall, immersing himself in work as he struggled to handle the hundreds of issues that arose from the deaths of the Pevensies. His eyes were constantly red and bloodshot, from lack of sleep and crying others surmised.

Georgie handled the loss no better than Caspian or his wife. She cried herself to sleep in Edmund's bed, where she had continued to sleep each night. She walked throughout the castle an empty shell of her former self, each day slipping further and further away from the happy woman she once had been. Her hair hung limp and unfixed and occasionally she was seen wearing the same dress days in a row; she found no effort to spend time making herself presentable, now that Edmund was gone. Her face was constantly tear-stained and red from the crying which seemed to never end. She spoke little and ate even less. Each morning she would wake before dawn and go to the cliff overlooking the sea to watch the sunrise, staying there for hours as though she was waiting for Edmund's ship to return.

It was on the last day of the week when she finally broke, allowing her anger and grief to overtake her. She sat on the cliff, the sun high in the morning sky, when she felt a warm breeze swirl around her. Aslan, she thought. She knew the warmth was from him, as she had felt a similar breeze several times in the past. It usually brought her comfort when she was pained or worried, but this time it incited a rage she had been suppressing for days. Georgie jumped to her feet and stood looking to the ocean, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"Why?" she screamed. Hearing no reply, her tears began to fall. She felt a pressure building in her, causing her chest to constrict and her breathing to become shallow. I have to get away from here, she thought frantically as she turned and began to run. She ran what seemed like forever until she reached the edge of the woods. A familiar feeling overtook her as she entered, climbing over fallen trees and ducking under low hanging branches. Briars tore at her dress and arms, ripping both fabric and skin. Georgie felt nothing, as the pain searing in her chest was worse than the scratches on her arms.

She ran for hours, going deeper and deeper into the woods. The sun was beginning to set, making it near dark in the woods, but Georgie continued on. She had just stepped over a log when she lost her footing on the top of a small slope and tumbled to the bottom of it. She landed on her stomach, her face hitting the ground. Defeated, Georgie felt no need to bother picking herself up. Her tears, which had stopped hours earlier, returned as she curled up in a ball, hugging her knees tightly to her chest. Georgie allowed her grief to overtake her, not caring about her fate. Not caring if she lived or died here in the woods.

"Miss Moore?" a young girl asked, peering curiously at her teacher. Georgie looked up and saw Sally Bedgood, one of her students, standing in front of her desk. She was holding a piece of paper in her hand hesitantly.

"Yes Sally?" Georgie asked, coming out of her thoughts.

"I'm finished with my test, Miss Moore," Sally said, passing the paper to Georgie.

"Very good, Sally. Thank you." Georgie said, sighing inwardly as she took her student's test paper from her and watched her skip back to her desk.

Sally sat and glanced up at her teacher, who had resumed her daydreaming. Her classmates and she found Miss Moore both extremely odd and wonderfully mysterious at times. She was often their main subject of conversation during recess and, as young girls tend to do, made guesses about her past and came up with fantastical stories to explain their young melancholy teacher. Their favorite thing to discuss was the large ring she wore on her left hand. Some of the girls believed she was a spy during the war and had stolen it from a wealthy German while others, who were more practical, believed it was from her sweetheart who was killed in the war, the grief of losing him breaking her heart forever.

Georgie had woken up in the woods on the edge of her boarding school, dressed in her school uniform, the sunlight gleaming through the trees. She pushed herself up from the hard ground, groggy and sore. Did I dream it? Was it all an elaborate fantasy? her mind screamed. Her eyes trailed down to her left hand. The large diamond winked pack with her, the small orange stones gleaming like the rays of the rising sun. "Edmund," she breathed. He was real. Everything was. She felt her head to see if her bronze and silver crown was still there, only to find her hair loose and short. She stood quickly and glanced down, her woman's body gone and replaced by that of her teenage self. "I'm back. I'm back in England. It's as if I never left," she said aloud.

Seven years had passed since Georgie had returned from Narnia, the same number of years she had spent there. Georgie had returned to her school and graduated top in her class. She entered a local teachers' college in London and studied history. When she finished her requirements for her teaching certificate, she began a position as a history teacher at a small all-girls' school in London. She had eased back into her old life and her old routines effortlessly. Her teachers remarked on how resilient she was after the loss of her parents, how brave she was to go on now that she was alone. Her fellow teachers thought she was a wonderful daughter for living in her parents' house, keeping their memory alive. Georgie never told anyone how she had gotten over her parents' deaths years ago, how she only lived in their house because she had no desire to move on with her life, and how scared she was of being alone without Edmund and the Pevensies.

Teaching had become hard for her, the history of this world holding no interest to her. Often times she would catch herself beginning to teach the history of Narnia instead of the history of England. She would begin recounting of how the Telmarines had invaded Narnina when she was supposed to lecture on England's invasion by the Normans. She would begin to describe the Battle of Beruna and the defeat of the White Witch, instead of the Battle of Waterloo and Napoleon's fall. The tale of how four young children had discovered a world inside a wardrobe would slip out, rather than the travels of Italian and Spanish explorers who discovered a new world across the ocean. Her students would stare at her incredulously, wondering if their teacher had lost her mind.

It was a rainy fall afternoon when Georgie walked to the train station on her way home from school. It had been an especially trying day for her, as most fall days tended to be. They reminded her of that fateful morning when her world had crumbled beneath her. Georgie feared that Caspian's beautiful accented voice telling her there were no survivors would continue to haunt her the rest of her life. She stopped by a news stand on the street and bought a newspaper to read while she waited for her train. Walking down the steps to the underground station, she noticed several men in uniform. The war had ended a few years ago, but soldiers continued to patrol London's streets. Dilapidated buildings surrounded the city, reminding its citizens of the devastating war.

She walked to the correct platform and saw an empty bench. Pushing through the small crowd, she glanced up as she was jostled from behind. A crop of messy dark brown hair caught her eye, belonging to a tall man bobbing through the crowd ahead of her. Feeling a pang of sadness, she fought back her imminent tears and hurried to the empty bench, sitting and opening her paper.

Georgie flipped through the pages, barely glancing at the headlines. She rarely read the paper when she bought one; it was more of a prop to give her something to do so she could avoid the staring eyes of the crowds. She turned the page and saw the society columns, her least favorite section of the paper. She rarely read them because it made her miss her old life, the parties and balls she had attended, the lavish dinners they had held. But today, a picture towards the bottom caught her eye. Staring back at her was a beautiful, familiar young woman. Her dark hair was stylishly fashioned, her clothing impeccable. But Georgie noticed her smile, the practiced forced smile she had known so well in Narnia. She looked at the young woman's eyes and noticed the tightness around the corners of them. Scanning to the bottom of the picture she read "Charity League's Annual Tea, members left to right." She scanned the names until she read, "Pevensie, Susan."

"It can't be!" Georgie whispered, the sound barely louder than a breath. She stared at the picture, thinking her mind had played tricks on her and it was really another woman who coincidentally was named Susan. The face she had seen every day for seven years stared back at her. I would know her anywhere, Georgie thought. They're supposed to be dead. Why is she in this picture?

Georgie stared at the picture for several long minutes, the hustle and bustle of her surroundings disappearing. A small tear slipped from her eye as she realized what must have happened all those years ago. The ship didn't sink (Well, it might have, but that's practically irrelevant now, Georgie thought). Aslan had taken the Pevensies back to England, away from Narnina, as he did before when they pursued the white stag. Why would he do that? she thought, her face scowling. Her hands began to shake, rattling the paper. There has to be a plan. There must a reason! her mind screamed. She closed her eyes, taking deep breaths to calm herself.

A loud screeching roar suddenly came, followed by screams. Georgie felt something hit her, the force of it knocking her off her bench. She fell backwards and landed on the ground. The prickly feeling of soft grass tickled the her palms. Opening her eyes quickly, she saw the clear sunny sky above her. Rising slowly, expecting to be sore, she noticed that she felt no pain at all. She glanced around at her surroundings and saw she was next to a familiar river. If a cranky red dwarf shoots an arrow at me I'm going after him this time, she thought, a small smile growing on her face. Georgie looked down and saw she was no longer wearing her plain, dowdy dress and jacket she had worn earlier in the day to school. Instead she wore a long Narnian dress. She instinctively touched her head and felt her crown, a shiver of happiness running down her spine. "I'm home," she whispered.

Georgie began following the river, knowing it would eventually lead her to Cair Paravel. She walked for what felt like hours, but was surprised that she did not seem to grow tired. Glancing down at the water, she noticed how much clearer it seemed from her memories. The trees even seemed livelier as they danced in the wind. It has been a long time since I left. Maybe I've just forgotten how these things always were, she thought, not believing herself for a moment. She walked around a bend in the river and stopped suddenly, gasping at what she saw. A tall figure stood leaning against a tree, his arms crossed over his chest. Even in the shadow of the tree she could tell his hair was a dark brown, brushing his collar and slightly messy. A familiar grin that still made her heart melt smiled at her from under the tree. Georgie began breathing hard, her heart racing excitedly. "Edmund," she whispered.

Lifting the skirt of her dress she broke into a run towards him. Edmund pushed himself from the tree and began striding towards her, catching her as she flew into his arms. He held her tightly to him as she clung to him.

"I thought you were lost to me forever," she cried, tears streaming down her face.

"I would never let that happen. Even death wouldn't allow that," he said, stroking her hair. Georgie pulled back and looked up at him, confused by his words.

"Death? Are you dead? Did you really drown?" she asked.

"Drown? No," Edmund said, shaking his head.

"Then why mention death?" she asked.

"G, don't you know where you are?" Edmund asked, his dark brown eyes sympathetic.

"Are we not in Narnia?" Georgie asked.

"Well, yes. I suppose you could say that," he started, but stopped and smiled at her. "We'll talk about that later. I've been away from you for far too long to not do this," he said, placing his hands on either side of her face and kissing her. Georgie moaned softly against his mouth and kissed him back fervently. It has been too long, she thought as she wound her arms around him. He moved his hands to her waist and drew her closer to him, never wanting to let her go.

When their kiss finally broke, both Edmund and Georgie were breathless. He smiled at her and said, "I've missed you, G."

Georgie swallowed hard and said, "I don't know how much longer I could have gone on living without you."

Edmund smiled sadly and took her hand, tugging it gently as he said, "Come on, let's walk." They began continuing to follow the river silently, both simply enjoying the nearness of the other.

Georgie broke the silence and asked, "What happened all those years ago?" Edmund sighed deeply and stopped.

"G, you have to understand. Sometimes things happen for reasons we aren't meant to know at the time. Our disappearance was one of them," he said quietly.

"I need to know, Edmund," Georgie pleaded.

"There was a storm, a terrible one. The ship was capsized by a wave, throwing all of us overboard. Peter and I were standing on the deck, trying to help secure a sail when it happened. We had thought Susan and Lucy were below, but they had come out on the deck as well. When we noticed them, Peter and I ran to them and grabbed them, yelling at them to go below. The next thing we knew we were hit by the wave and suddenly underwater. I'm not sure what happened next, but when we all broke the surface of the water, we were in back in the railway station where we had been before we came back to Narnia, years younger than we were when we were thrown overboard. We were disorientated for days, unsure of what had happened, but eventually fell back into our old lives," Edmund explained.

"How did we get here?" Georgie asked. "Actually, where is here?"

"We're in Narnia. The real Narnia, otherwise known as Aslan's Country," Edmund said softly.

"Aslan's Country? But how? Are we dead?" Georgie asked quietly.

Edmund nodded and said, "I don't know what happened to you. I was waiting on a train platform with Peter. There was this loud roar and we were hit, though not hurt, and then suddenly here. Lucy was actually on the train when it crashed, and she was brought here as well."

"I was at the train station in London! I was waiting on my train to go home when I heard the same noise and was knocked off my bench," Georgie said softly. A realization suddenly hit her and she cried, "I saw you in the crowd! A man with messy brown hair was a few feet in front of me. It must have been you!"

"If only I had turned around, huh?" Edmund grinned. Georgie smiled at him before a second realization came to her.

"What about Susan? Was she with either of you?" Edmund's jaw tightened and shook his head.

"Susan lost sight of Narnia. The others will dismiss her and say she's no longer a friend to Narnia. Which I suppose she's not anymore. But I find, deep down, I can hardly blame her for how she feels about it. She was hurt so many times here, it changed her. She stopped believing in Narnia and in Aslan. I can only hope that one day she finds the truth again and it brings her back to us," Edmund said, his voice growing distant.

"I see," Georgie said softly. She wound her arms around Edmund's waist and looked up at him. "But you're here. That's what matters most to me," she said.

Edmund smiled down at her and kissed her forehead as he wrapped an arm around her. "We need to continue walking. Further up and further in," he said.

What seemed like hours may have been minutes, or it could have been days, or only merely seconds. Time had no meaning here for Georgie. She was reunited with Edmund, the man she loved more than life itself. She had been brought back to her home and would soon see her family and friends whom she had missed terribly. For the first time in a very long time, she felt at peace. The two walked happily, talking quietly of no consequential things, enjoying the other's company. Georgie could hardly take her eyes off of Edmund and found it difficult to tear her gaze away when he said, "We're here. Look."

She turned her head towards where he pointed and saw Cair Paravel in the distance. Only it was a more stunning and beautiful version of the castle she had called home.

"Cair Paravel," she breathed, marveling at its wonder. Edmund took her left hand and saw the ring he had bought for her in Terebinthia all those years ago. He smiled, knowing she had accepted his proposal, even though he never had the chance to ask her, and kissed her hand above the ring. Georgie turned to him and smiled, knowing his thoughts. She had imagined saying "I will" thousands of times since she had found the ring on her night stand, but now knew that it was unnecessary; she had accepted his proposal the second she put on the ring.

As they walked closer to the castle, Georgie saw Peter and Lucy standing outside the gate, warm smiles on their faces. Caspian and his wife were also there standing with a young man who looked almost exactly like Caspian. I'm home, I'm home, I'm home, Georgie thought, a warmth filling her body.

Georgie felt strong arms wrap around her waist. She looked up at Edmund, his eyes filled with more love than she had ever seen in her entire life. Edmund leaned down, his lips close to her ear and whispered softly in it.

"Welcome home, G."