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❝ ✧ * 𝖜𝖗𝖎𝖙𝖙𝖊𝖓 𝖇𝖞: 𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗻𝗮 * ✧ ❞
DOZENSOF CENTAURS lined up with their swords raised, greeting the 5 children as they approached the temple structure with Caspian lingering behind them.
Once they got inside, Astoria looked around with raised brows and wide eyes. Creatures of all kinds, shapes, and sizes were forging new weapons and adding more food supplies.
She followed behind Lucy, having absolutely no idea what to do now.
"It may not be what you are used to," Caspian stated. "But it is defensible."
"Hey," Susan called from a few feet away. "You may want to see this."
Astoria climbed up the steps towards Susan and Lucy, the three boys closely behind. Susan led them into a tunnel, shining a torch onto the wall that had drawings carved into them.
Her eyes scanned the work of art before her. The one of two girls riding on the back of a lion—whom she came to realize was Susan and Lucy.
Astoria scanned the rest of the artworks when her eyes fell upon a certain carving at the end of the tunnel.
Astoria froze as she gazed upon the artwork of a couple, all completely surrounded by Narnians and creatures of all kinds. Her finger ran along the sketch of the couple. The woman looked so familiar it made her brain hurt as she struggled to come up with an answer.
But then she realized where she had seen this person before and her breath hitched at her throat and her eyes grew as big as planet Earth.
"Oh my goodness, Ria." Lucy gasped coming up from behind her, glancing at the carving as well. "That woman. S-She looks just like you."
"Yeah," Astoria whispered shaking her head. "B-But... how?"
Plenty of people could resemble the carving. It wasn't like Astoria had a unique face or anything. But the more she looked at the woman carved into the stone walls, the more it seemed as if Astoria was just staring at her own reflection. A small part of her wanted to deny it, for this being simply impossible. She had only ever one home—Finchley. Astoria had never stepped foot into Narnia, yet her picture sat engrained in the stone right before her.
"Are you alright?" Lucy asked.
"I-I'm fine." Astoria stumbled. "It just makes no sense..."
"You're sure?" Susan pressed on, and Astoria nodded her head.
Astoria whirled around and met Caspian's gaze. Something in his expression revealed that he had already known this factor about her. He nodded his head lightly.
He knew something, and she was going to find out why.
"What is this place?" Lucy inquired, switching up Astoria's thoughts.
"You don't know?" Caspian asked in disbelief.
He beckoned for them to follow, and they ended up in a room with odd statues of creatures built into the walls, one including that lion again, and before them laid large rocks, gathered around a stone rectangular prism that was cracked in half.
Lucy started towards the middle of the room. "He must know what he's doing," she mumbled.
Peter cleared his throat, a thick silence falling over them. "I think it's up to us, now."
***
Astoria sat on the grass outside of the temple, absentmindedly twirling her dagger between her fingers, staring off into the distance, until suddenly a shadow fell over her, and she looked up to see Caspian standing behind her.
He lowered himself next to her. She shifted, accidentally brushing her arm against his, but neither of them noticed.
"I was wondering when you'd figure it out." Caspian sighed.
She raised an eyebrow. "Well, do you care to explain? Because my mind is coming up with all of these insane theories and I just—I dunno..."
"Go on," he urged softly.
She hesitated, before turning to look away again, watching the sun set in the horizon. "That—that woman in the carving on the wall..." Astoria breathed out, "She looks just like me. I know time runs differently in Narnia than it does back home, so have I—have I been here before? Maybe I dreamt of it or something? I am just so terribly confused with everything that's going on right now. I mean I thought that I was going to go to school a day ago until the train station collapsed right before my very eyes."
Caspian chuckled lightly at her rant. "No, I'm afraid you have not been here before, Astoria. Your father was a brilliant and brave man. He was Narnian, a nymph to be exact. You're mother was a Telmarine that ran away from a Telmar.
"They helped in the waging battles between the Narnians and the bordering nations after the Kings and Queens of Old left. They ended up passing away in a war. I am not sure how you ended up getting whisked away from Narnia in the first place, but you are back here, home."
"So, that woman... in the picture. That was my mother?" Astoria repeated.
"Your parents were brilliant warriors. They fought very bravely. They lead many battles to victory. They were treated as if were royalty, in fact. That's why everyone was dazed when they heard your name."
"I never took by adoptive parents' last name." Astoria commented. "I suppose it just didn't feel right."
Caspian hummed, and a comfortable silence fell between the two.
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