To Learn

Chapter 7: The Unexpected Return

Fifteen Years Later...

Us Knights escorted, meaning chasing, the Kings and Queens while they gave chase to the legendary white stag. My paws dug onto the fresh earth and I was just trotting. I grown greatly over the years, apparently I'm just as tall as a horse, as a wolf I mean.

I see Edmund stop. "You'll catch the stag yourself." I mocked his deeper voice.

He blew a short dismissing raspberry at me. The nerve.

Only to be teased by his brother and sisters. Ha! I did felt sorry for Philip, fifteen years are a lot for a horse, even a talking one.

"What is that?" Peter asked curiously, getting off the horse; followed by his siblings. I frowned at the mysterious lamppost. After some musing Lucy said "Spare Oom." she then proceeded to take off to a think mass of tree branches behind her. "Lucy." Peter called knowingly; she was a trouble when her curiosity episodes attacked.

I stayed behind, worried. I howled, calling the other Knights. "What is it?" Brenna landed breathlessly. I wondered, just how far she was from here and how fast did she had to fly to get were I was? "Lucy." I looked at the last place were I saw them go in. "Honestly," Gabriel said as he walked to us along with Raphael "Shouldn't you keep your girlfriend in check?" he teased. The both reverted back to humans as they neared us "Stop it." Gabriel blushed.

"How 'bout you two just go and get your spouses back here, Brenna?" I waved my hand at them.

"Oh," she snorts "what about your dear Edmund?"

I walked forward "Already on it."

I push the strangely think branches and make way. My fellow Knights follow me and for the life of me cannot comprehend why the kept pushing me. Couldn't they walk slightly slower?"

I touch something solid, and feel a handle. "Wait-"

Next thing I know I'm on the wood floor of a room. I push myself up with my fore arms and see that they're those of a child; a ten-year old child. I see the others too have turned into children, our clothes... we were back in England. I look at my hand, the ring hung loosely on my small hand. I took it off and cradled it in my hands. I remembered clearly then, we were playing Hide and Seek, then You're it!. We had the idea of all of us hiding here and then... well, you know the rest. Were the Pevensies alright? Did they also go back to their home? I didn't know, and that scared me, a lot.

Brenna was once again barely fourteen, dressed like all the children that were sent out for safety, dull and sober colors, not even her blonde and well-groomed hair or her green eyes full of painful realization could change that image, I felt like it made it worst. The face of loss, that is how it felt.

Raphael was short and his hair back to the wild curls he had before, his green eyes looked around in disbelief.

Gabriel... he looked like someone had sucked the life out of him, looking at nothing in particular on the floor, his raven hair still in place like usual, and his ice blue eyes puffy with tears.

I just sat there, looking at the ring. I hear the jiggle of a handle and my head snaps back up. An aged woman enters quietly and appeared to be genuinely surprised to see us. "Now now, what do have we here?" She came closer and leaned forward, looking inquisitively at us. "Dare I ask what were you four doing inside the wardrobe?"

I looked at the dark-colored wardrobe behind me then smiled with doubt "I don't think you would believe us at all, Mrs. Plummer."

She smiled, a mysterious spark lit her eyes "Care to try?"