Rosemary wasn't quite sure what had happened the moment she fell through the mirror, but all she knew was that she was falling and falling fast. All of her other senses had been snuffed out. Her vision had gone dark, her body numb. There were no sounds, no sights, no other feelings except for the one obvious one that felt as though she were hurtling downwards.
A scream ripped its way through her throat and into the empty darkness around her, sheer panic coursing through her veins as the feeling of falling grew worse and worse.
Rosemary had no clue what was happening and she barely had time to process anything else before it was as though all of the color of the world had suddenly appeared before her very eyes. The darkness was brushed aside and she was met with a startling blue that was joined by swirling shades of green before her body slammed against the ground.
The brunette let out a loud groan at the impact, her back flaring up in pain while her head felt as though it were spinning. Above her was that startling blue which she quickly was beginning to realize belonged to the sky while the swirling shades of greens were trees that she had just fallen through before hitting the ground.
The breath had left her lungs and Rosemary gasped slightly for air as she forced herself to roll over onto her stomach. Her hands instantly gripped onto the ground, balling into fists around the mixture of grass and fallen leaves she found herself upon.
With a huff, Rosemary somehow managed to pull herself up onto her knees, groaning as she did so. Her body felt as though it were on fire and it didn't help that her dress was sticking to her sweaty skin awkwardly enough that each movement felt like she were fighting against herself and a mountain of fabric.
The girl closed her eyes and attempted to catch her breath, knowing she wouldn't be able to figure out what had happened until she calmed herself down. It took a moment, but her breathing finally returned to a normal pace and it was then that she felt her senses all come back to her.
She could feel the sun warming her skin, feel the cool breeze gently blowing through her hair bringing with it the sweet smell of flowers and leaves that had always provided the girl with comfort back when she was just a child wandering through the woods outside her house.
Her heart skipped a beat slightly as she heard the sound of tree branches and leaves rustling in the wind before being followed by a familiar song of joy that she had only ever heard in one place. She knew what the sound was in an instant and it provided a sense of relief that managed to bring a small smile onto her face.
The trees were calling out to her, after all. And she could hear every word as though they were actual people right by her side.
Home, they seemed to sing. You're home.
Her eyes shot open at that and Rosemary slowly began to pull herself up onto her feet as she took in her surroundings. She was surrounded by trees in an area she was all too familiar with. In fact, she had a feeling that if she looked around a little more she would eventually come across the very lamppost that had started it all.
The mirror had brought her to the Western Woods. The very Western Woods that she and the Pevensies had entered long ago back when Lucy had first met Mr. Tumnus and told them of a strange world in the back of her grandfather's wardrobe called Narnia.
That one word struck a chord in Rosemary's heart, tears beginning to sting her eyes as she whispered to herself in slight disbelief, "Narnia. I'm in Narnia."
Rosemary didn't know whether to laugh or cry, the emotions within her bubbling up to the point where she couldn't even decipher how she was feeling. All she knew was that after three very long years she was back in the place that her heart always longed for.
The brunette reached a hand up to wipe the tears from her eyes, but stilled as the light reflected off the small ring still sitting on her finger. The little diamond in the center of the gold star was shinning back at her and she distantly felt Edmund's touch lingering on her hand, his lips brushing against her cheek and his sweet words echoing in her ear.
Rosemary, my love, my darling, my Rose, will you marry me?
All the color had drained from Rosemary's face, her eyes now flickering down to her wedding dress which was torn and dirtied from her fall. More tears began to fall and an utter sense of panic washed over her as she suddenly realized that being back in Narnia meant she had left the wedding behind.
That she had left Edmund behind.
Rosemary felt as though she were going to be sick and she quickly shook her head, spinning around as she cried out, "No, no, no, no. This can't be happening. I need to go back! Edmund is waiting for me. I—I can't leave him."
Her eyes frantically scanned her surroundings, desperately trying to find the source of magic which had brought her to Narnia. There was nothing visible to her eyes and Rosemary could feel herself beginning to panic even more, so she picked up the skirts of her dress and ran to the nearest tree, her hand instantly grabbing on as she said, "Please, help me. I can't be here. I need to get back!"
For once the trees were quiet and Rosemary could feel the dread that was beginning to loom over her. Shaking her head, the brunette ran to the next tree, desperately putting her hand on the bark and crying out, "You don't understand. Edmund won't know where I've gone. He's going to think that I left him. I need to get back. Please!"
There was no response, but Rosemary could sense the sadness and guilt that the trees felt. She already knew what they would say once they decided to respond, but she didn't want to hear it.
She was too afraid to.
Rosemary stumbled back, tears rolling down her face as she looked up at the sky and yelled out, "Aslan! Take me back! It can't be my time. Not now! Please!"
She didn't know why she thought he would answer her, her mind already accepting that she was stuck until she had solved whatever dispute she was brought back for. But that didn't stop her heart from crying out in agony as she sunk to her knees and let out a heartbroken sob.
"Why now?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper as they broke through her quiet sobs. "Please, Aslan. Edmund needs me. Take me back and I promise I'll return after the wedding is over."
"Please."
There was only silence that followed and Rosemary lowered her head into her heads, her shoulders shaking slightly as she realized that every attempt she made was futile. She was stuck here until her job was done whether she liked it or not.
"I'm so sorry, Edmund," she whispered, looking down at the ring upon her hand before holding it close to her chest. "I'm so sorry."
Rosemary had never felt so distraught before in her entire life and never would she have thought it would be due to being back in Narnia. She loved Narnia with all of her heart and she always would, but Edmund was her other half, the one person that deserved more than all the world had to offer and she had left him behind.
Worst of all, she didn't even know why she was back in Narnia in the first place. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good, and she knew that she wouldn't have her friends to help her like old times. After all, much like Peter and Susan, Edmund and Lucy's time in Narnia had come to an end as well. And Rosemary didn't know how she knew, but something was telling her that Eustace wouldn't be showing up either. Whatever the reason she was here, it was meant for her and her alone.
A warm gust of wind brushed against her, forcing her to lift her head up and watch as leaves and flowers swirled through the air around her. She knew what was happening, knew that the trees were offering her comfort, but it only made her heart ache even more.
She felt awful for being upset about being in Narnia, the guilt eating away at her for she knew how happy a time it was when the land was once again blessed with one of the Kings and Queens of Old.
But she still couldn't shake leaving Edmund behind like that. Rosemary hoped and prayed that he would understand, that he would know her well enough to know that she wouldn't run out on him. That maybe, just maybe, he would even suspect that she had been taken to Narnia. Or even better a thought, maybe no time would pass at all just like back when she and the Pevensies had lived in Narnia for fifteen years and barely a second had passed in their world by the time they got back.
That thought alone was the only source of comfort that actually seemed to work as she pulled herself up onto her feet. She closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath, allowing herself one more second of pity before she knew it was time to do her job.
When her eyes opened back up, it wasn't simply Rosemary Claire Kirke that stood there. No, it was High Queen Rosemary, the protector and ruler of all the provinces of Narnia that had taken her place.
She would get this job done in order to get back to both her wedding and Edmund who would be waiting for her the moment she returned.
She was the Protector of Narnia and she would not let her emotions get the best of her even if it felt as though her heart was being torn apart the longer her and Edmund were apart.
Holding her head up high, Rosemary looked around at the trees, her voice strong and clear, "Okay, my friends, I need your help. I need to know what to do from here. Where to go. If you know anything, I need you to tell me."
To her surprise, the woods were dead quiet. In fact, they were almost as quiet as the time she had returned to Narnia after fifteen hundred years of being away, back during the time when they had all been so asleep and withdrawn that she hadn't been able to reach them. The only difference now was that she could still feel their presence, knew they were watching. . .waiting.
Rosemary furrowed her eyebrows, ready to question them further when the hair on the back of her neck suddenly stood on end. The brunette stilled, her eyes narrowing as she surveyed the woods around her where she could very clearly feel someone watching her from.
Her whole body was on high alert and Rosemary slowly bent down to slip one of the heels off of her feet. She may not have her sword, but anything became a weapon when in the hands of the Protector.
Rosemary stood up straight, her grip tight on the heel as she grinned and called out, "You know, it's quite rude to sneak up on a lady." She looked around, her eyes trying to catch sight of any movement among the bushes and trees. "Although I'd have to say it's just plain idiotic to sneak up on the Protector of Narnia."
A small gasp suddenly filled the air and Rosemary twirled on her feet, holding the heel high as she stared at the bush that the sound had come from. Her eyes narrowed slightly as the bush began to move and she held her breath, preparing to have to fight for her life if necessary.
But before she could do much as blink, the person had stepped out of the bush to reveal the starstruck face of a little boy that couldn't have been any older than Lucy had been the first time they journeyed to Narnia. His blonde hair fell slightly in front of his eyes and he quickly brushed it back to reveal wide brown eyes that sparkled as they stared at her.
Rosemary faltered slightly and the boy broke out into a huge grin, his eyes flickering over her in disbelief and amazement before he whispered softly, "It worked."
The brunette tensed at his words, her eyes narrowing and her grip still tight on her heel as she gave the boy a confused look and asked, "Who are you?"
The boy walked towards her and Rosemary attempted to take a step back, but he was quick and already circling her. His expression was one of fascination and his smile never wavered as he said, "I'm Neo." His gaze seemed to take in her wedding dress before locking on her face. "You're her, right? The protector?" Rosemary blinked and the boy just smiled wider. "That is what you said after all."
Rosemary studied the boy for a moment before looking around them. It was only when she deduced that Neo seemed to be alone that she let the heel fall down to her side and gave him a hesitant nod in response.
She didn't know how he managed to do it, but Neo's smile seemed to grow even more and he practically was bouncing on his feet in excitement before he closed the distance between them, his arms wrapping around her waist as he dug his head against her side and hugged her tight.
Rosemary stumbled a bit, almost tripping over the one foot that still had its heel on before managing to steady herself. She looked down at the boy in surprise, but before she could even react, he was pulling away and grabbing ahold of her free hand excitedly.
"I can't believe you're here," Neo rushed out. "I've heard the stories, but seeing you is something else. Where were you before this? Were you with the other Kings and Queens of Old? How did you get here? Did you just appear or was there like a door that opened and you were able to walk through? Did you hear the horn? I didn't even think it was going to work to be completely honest with you."
Rosemary was almost unable to comprehend all that the boy was asking her in the couple seconds he had opened his mouth, but she instantly latched onto the last couple of sentences. "Horn?" she questioned, already having a sneaking suspicion of what the boy was talking about. "What horn?"
Neo hesitated slightly and gave the girl a shy smile as he reached into the small pack that was tied to his back and pulled out an ivory horn with a mouthpiece in the shape of a budding flower and the bell carved in the shape of a lion's head.
Susan's horn.
Rosemary's breath caught in her throat and she was quick to snatch it from him, her mouth dropped open in shock while her fingers nimbly traced the features of the horn. "Where did you get this?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Her eyes shot up to look at the boy. "Why have you called me? What is going on?"
However, it seemed Neo was barley even paying attention to her for the boy was already muttering softly to himself as he looked off in thought. Frowning, Rosemary reached down to take her other heel off to make herself more comfortable before holding the shoes and horn in one hand and waving the other in front of the boy's face.
"Um. . .Neo, right?" Rosemary asked instantly drawing the boy's attention back to her. "Listen, you seem like a sweet kid and all, but I am really going to need you to pay attention, okay? I need to get back to my world as quick as I possibly can so I'm going to need you to tell me what is going on and why you summoned me here."
"Right, right," Neo muttered, nodding his head slightly before looking around as if he were trying to remember where exactly he was. "Uh. . .follow me." He grabbed Rosemary's hand without another thought, quickly beginning to drag the girl after him and deeper into the woods.
Rosemary's frown deepened and she pulled against the boy's grasp, but his hold didn't waver. "Neo, you gotta give me something," she insisted, but she got no response. Huffing in annoyance, Rosemary looked up at the trees they were passing by and muttered, "Great, I'm being kidnapped by an eight year old and you're letting it happen. Can you at least tell me where he is taking me?"
Neo turned to the girl at the sound of her voice, his eyes lighting up once more as he watched the girl stare at the trees with a concentrated look on her face. "You're talking to the trees, aren't you?" he asked. Rosemary hummed in response, allowing her gaze to flicker back down to the boy before muttering, "They say you're taking me to some. . ." she hesitated for a moment, her eyebrows furrowing together in confusion, ". . .cave?"
Neo grinned in response, a small skip in his step once again as he squeezed her hand and excitedly said, "So it is true! All the stories said you can talk to the trees, but my brother insisted it was only made up. He's gonna be so shocked when he finds out he was wrong." Rosemary opened her mouth to reply, but the boy was already looking away and up at the trees with a whimsical expression. "Do you realize how cool it is that you can talk to the trees? I wish I could. They probably know all the best secrets."
Rosemary softened slightly at the boy's words, her lips turning up slightly as she was reminded of a young Lucy who had used to be so excited at everything she did. "It is pretty cool, isn't it?" she said, her shoulders relaxing as she determined that wherever this boy was taking her couldn't be too bad if he was this excited to be around her.
Neo glanced at her once more, his smile never wavering as he said, "I know this must be weird for you, being dragged through the forrest by a little boy you don't even know. I promise all your questions will be answered soon. I just think my brother may be able to explain things better than me, but do not worry, he isn't too far from here."
"Your brother?" Rosemary questioned. Neo nodded, "His name is Ronan. He's been taking care of me pretty much my whole life. He's kind of our leader if you will." "Our?" Rosemary repeated and Neo just grinned in response.
"You've got a lot of questions," he commented. "I could say the same for you," Rosemary retorted. "True, but I can't help it. I'm eight and you're one of the main characters of the stories I've grown up listening to every night before bed. I mean, you're the High Queen of Narnia. You're my hero!" Neo exclaimed. The brunette blushed slightly at his words, allowing the boy to pull her deeper and deeper into the forrest knowing that the trees were watching and not a single sound of protest had been uttered from their direction as they went.
"We are in the Western Woods, if I'm not mistaken," Rosemary finally said, breaking the small silence that had fallen over the two. "Yep," Neo replied, grinning ear to ear. "Although we are more on the edge of it, closer to Lantern Waste. Is this truly the place you and the Pevensies first entered Narnia? How did you even get here? What was it like?"
"Yes. We walked through the wardrobe from my grandfather's spare room. It was breathtaking to say the least," Rosemary replied as quick as she could in an attempt to keep up with his never-ending questions. "And extremely cold."
"Because of the White Witch," Neo said matter-of-factly and if Rosemary didn't know any better, the whole forrest seemed to rustle uneasily at their words. The girl gave a sharp nod and whispered in confirmation, "Because of the White Witch."
Neo hesitated slightly, his steps smaller as they came to the edge of the woods. He turned to her, his hand still holding onto her own as he whispered, "But you defeated her." His eyes flickered up to lock with her own. "The White Witch," he clarified.
"Aslan did," Rosemary corrected the boy. "But yes, I was there. I fought alongside the mighty Aslan and Peter and I led our army into battle. She was no match for us. It was a losing battle for her the moment we stepped into Narnia."
Neo let out a relieved breath at that and Rosemary gave the boy a confused look, but he was already smiling once again. "I knew it was a good idea to call for you," he simply said. Rosemary opened her mouth to question him, but the boy was already pulling her through the edge of the forrest and into a valley she hadn't seen in many many years.
Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of the little wooden door sticking out amongst the rock at the end of the small valley they now found themselves in. The first time she had seen that door had been back when her, Lucy, Peter, Susan, and Edmund had first entered Narnia together. And the last time she had seen it had been right before they left Narnia the first time, back when she had enjoyed one more afternoon tea with an old friend before journeying with Peter across the lands in search of the White Stag.
Rosemary couldn't help the tears that began to prick her eyes at the sight and her hand quickly left Neo's in order to grab ahold of his shoulder as she whispered, "How do you know this place?" Neo looked up at her, eyes sparkling as he said, "This is my home. Why? Do you know this place?"
"I did," Rosemary nodded, smiling fondly at the door as she distantly saw a memory of Mr. Tumnus waving at her from the valley, beckoning for her to hurry out of the cold and into the warmth of his home where they had spent countless afternoons laughing together over cups of tea. "But that was long ago."
Neo smiled and nodded his head towards the valley. "Come on," he said. "I can't wait to see the look on everyone's faces when they see you." He had grabbed onto her hand once more before she could even blink, but it wasn't until they had reached the door at the bottom of the valley that his words really sunk in for her. "Everyone?" she questioned, but Neo was already opening the door and pulling her inside.
Rosemary didn't have time to protest as she stumbled into the room and she was silently thankful she had taken her shoes off long ago or she was certain she would have fallen. Her eyes instantly flickered around the place, taking in the familiarity of the reddish stone, the large wall full of old books, and the fireplace. The decorations were completely different, with a few cots scattered throughout the main room and a big round table in the center surrounded by six chairs, five of which were occupied.
At the sound of their entrance, Rosemary and Neo were met with five pairs of eyes landing upon them. The brunette barely had time to get a good look at them before all five bodies were moving and before them in an instant, four swords suddenly being pointed at Rosemary while Neo was torn from her grasp by a different set of hands.
Rosemary blinked in surprise before holding her hands up as she allowed her eyes to take in her competition. To her surprise, the people that stood before her were nothing more than a few kids. All of which looked to be no older than her and the Pevensies had been when they first entered Narnia. She tilted her head in curiosity, her eyes flickering over each of the kids before her as she read them each as though they were open books.
There seemed to be two boys and three girls. The oldest of the boys stood closest to Rosemary, his sword angled close to her neck and preventing her from moving. His stare was deadly, but his olive skin paired with his dark brown eyes and curly brown hair that swept in front of his eyes that flickered from her to the others every so often only gave off a softness that told Rosemary that the boy's greatest weaknesses were the friends that surrounded him.
Beside him stood the only girl in the group who seemed to at least have some knowledge of what she was doing when handling a sword. Streaks of red stood out against her dark brown hair and the glare she gave was cold as she stood her ground in front Rosemary. Her grip was tight upon the handle of her sword and despite the obvious indication of having been trained how to use her sword, Rosemary could still pick up on the hesitation of her actions that spoke to her inexperience at being head of the pack.
Behind her stood the youngest of the girls – a small red head who held a fierce look of determination on her face despite the haunted sadness in her eyes. A think scar ran along the front of her neck and the way she swallowed thickly told Rosemary that whatever had caused the injury had done some severe damage in the process.
Standing closest to Neo and the boy who had grabbed ahold of him was a girl with beautifully tanned skin and dark brown hair that had been pulled back into a messy ponytail. Her brown eyes were focused solely on Rosemary. The way she stood between the boy and Rosemary told the queen all that she needed to know. After all, it reminded her of the way she had stood in front of Edmund back when she had barely understood why she was so protective of him.
All of the kids wore outfits similar to those that Rosemary and the Pevensies had dawned during training sessions with Orieus – the girls wearing wide legged pants and blouses held together by button vests all of different colors while the boys wore the equivalent in men's attire. All of their swords seemed to shine as they pointed towards her, but the way they were all held told her that they didn't have as much experience as the kids wanted her to believe they did.
Rosemary could disarm them within seconds and that simple thought had her lips twitching upwards slightly in amusement. "Interesting," she muttered before turning her gaze to Neo who was now fighting in the grasp of the other boy she could only assume was his brother due to the similarities between the two. "Let me go!" Neo cried out, struggling against his brother's grasp as he looked to Rosemary desperately. "Leave her alone! Don't hurt her!"
"Neo," the boy replied sternly, grabbing ahold of his shoulders and forcing the boy to look at him. "What did I tell you about bringing strangers home? This place is supposed to be a secret only between us. You know that."
"But, Ro!" Neo complained, confirming Rosemary's suspicions that this was in fact the brother Ronan that Neo had been talking about. "She's not some stranger. This is Rosemary! High Queen Rosemary!"
A heavy silence fell among the group at that, the swords all lowering slightly in their hesitation before six pairs of eyes had turned to her. Rosemary let her arms drop slightly and bowed before looking up at them with a grin, "At your service."
The girl with red streaks in her hair let out a scoff, waving her sword at Rosemary in disbelief. "This is the Protector? The High Queen of Narnia?" She gave Rosemary a once over before shaking her head. "She's dressed like a princess, alright, but I find it hard to believe that she is supposed to be the greatest warrior in history." Rosemary looked down at her appearance before glancing back up with a frown.
"But she is! Can't you see it?" Neo asked. "Neo, she's just a girl in a wedding dress," the other boy muttered. "She's Queen Rosemary," Neo insisted. "She confirmed it herself. She can talk to the trees. She knows things about the past that we don't. She even recognized this place before I told her what it was!"
Once again, gazes turned to Rosemary and the girl closest to Ronan and Neo frowned before saying, "She could have been lying about all of those things." "And the facts about the past?" Neo questioned. "She could've read them in a book," the boy spoke up, his eyes narrowing once again as he brought the sword closer to Rosemary's neck and let it rest against her skin. Rosemary merely smirked at the boy and took a tiny step forward, silently challenging him which only made the boy frown in response.
"Then how do you explain the horn?" Neo asked. "I used it and not even a minute later, she appeared." "Horn?" Ronan questioned causing the boy to wince slightly as he turned to his brother who had now caught sight of Susan's horn in Rosemary's hand. He turned his gaze to the young boy, his eyes already set in a glare as he said, "Neo, where did you get that?"
Neo hesitated, but the fact that his brother and all of their friends had now turned their eyes towards him had the boy lowering his head and muttering, "I stole it." "You stole it?" Ronan asked, his voice raised in anger.
The red head frowned and before Rosemary knew what was happening, she had returned her sword to its sheath in order to use her hands to begin a series of motions that the girl instantly recognized as sign language.
She was silently grateful for all of the language lessons she had received from Oreius so many years ago. Knowing the language of your allies was important, but knowing the language of your enemies meant being able to use it against them. It was a skill deemed necessary for her to learn and Rosemary had managed to learn quite a bit and still tried to keep up with the different languages she knew from time to time.
Sign language had been one of the big ones for it was also something her and Peter had been able to use during meetings with other nations back when they had ruled. And it seemed to be proven useful even now as her eyes took in the movements of the red head's hands and translated them into words.
It must have been during our last visit to the castle.
Ronan frowned and looked back to Neo. "You stole from the king?" he asked in disbelief. "Do you not realize how much trouble we could get into because of that?" "I'm sorry. I really am," Neo interrupted. "But none of you were going to do anything to save Narnia and I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands."
Rosemary perked up at that, but Ronan shook his head to shut the boy up. "Neo, I'm not having this discussion with you again," he insisted. "The King has already stated that he would handle this. This is not our problem nor our fight." "But–" Neo began. "No," Ronan said, his voice loud and clear. Neo looked away, a frown already on his face while Ronan just sighed and slowly turned his gaze back towards Rosemary.
"What should we do with her?" the older boy asked. "I say we tie her up and leave her back in the forrest where Neo found her," the girl with red streaks in her hair suggested.
But she knows how to get here now. Neo showed her the way, the red head signed.
The girl standing beside Ronan gently nudged his arm and the look she gave him made Rosemary's heart ache for she was reminded once again of Edmund who she had left behind. "What do you think we should do?" she asked, everyone watching Ronan who was staring at Rosemary silently.
The brunette didn't even try to hide it as she rolled her eyes at the group. This was obviously getting no where and seeing as she was already beginning to feel another round of panic setting in as she was reminded of Edmund once more, Rosemary decided it was time to take matters into her own hands.
She let the heels and horn fall from her hand without another thought and before any of them even had a chance to blink, Rosemary had swept a foot out to effectively knock over the boy who still had his sword against her neck. He fell back in surprise and Rosemary effectively elbowed his chest to throw him to the ground, her hand twisting his arm back in order for her to snatch the sword from his grasp.
Everyone went to lunge at her, but with a sword now in her hand, it took Rosemary a matter of seconds to disarm the others and send them stumbling back. Between one moment and the next, the brunette was now standing with all of their swords at her feet. She reached down to pick up one of the other swords and pointed it at the boy on the ground before pointing another in the direction of the others.
Rosemary stood up tall and held her head up high before the group, ignoring the way they were all now staring at her wide eyes. Well, everyone except for the girl with red streaks in her hair. She was merely glaring at her.
"Seeing as this conversation is going no where at the moment, how about we take a small pause so that I can change out of this dress, huh? It seems we have much to discuss and I'd rather not ruin my dress more than I already have or else Susan is going to kill me and I'd really like to get married before I'm murdered," Rosemary said, offering a small teasing smile at the group who did nothing but blink in response.
It was the girl standing near Ronan that spoke first, stepping forward slightly with an awestruck expression on her face as she whispered out, "You're her." Her eyes were sparkling. "You're actually High Queen Rosemary?"
"There's no way," the girl with red streaks in her hair insisted, her glare never wavering.
Rosemary didn't even glance her way and instead lowered both swords before setting one of them down in order to hold a hand out to the boy on the ground. His eyes were wide as he stared at her and it took a minute, but he eventually reached out to take ahold of her hand. She helped him onto his feet and the boy let out a small noise of excitement that almost sounded like a squeal.
Rosemary lifted an eyebrow in amusement and the boy quickly pulled his hand away with a blush while the girl chuckled and turned back to the others who were still watching her in silence, waiting for some sort of response.
Letting the other sword rest at her side, Rosemary lifted her head up high and a light seemed to shine through the small window of the door, landing on her and making her almost glow before them as she declared, "I am High Queen Rosemary, Protector of Narnia. I defeated the White Witch and ruled during the Golden Age alongside the Pevensies. I fought alongside King Caspian to overthrow his uncle and the Telmarines to bring peace back to Narnia and traveled across the Great Eastern Ocean upon the Dawn Treader to find the seven lost Lords of Narnia and free the people under the influence of the Dark Isle. I do not know why I was brought here this time around, but I can tell you that Aslan has never once brought me here simply for the fun of it. That means I do not have the time to try and convince you of who I am when there is obviously a reason I am here in the first place – a more terrifying and dangerous reason than that of a few non-believers. For now, how about that change of clothes? Anything shall do. Then we shall discuss why I am here and I will be on my way, never to return or bother you again. You have my word."
A heavy silence fell over the room and everyone seemed to be watching her with wide eyes, especially as the light shinning through the door seemed to have shifted to rest upon her head, creating a glow similar to a golden crown upon her head.
"See," Neo finally said, breaking the silence and causing Ronan to look to his little brother who was grinning wickedly beside him. "I told you she was the Queen." Ronan let out a breathy chuckle, his eyes flickering back over to Rosemary who was watching him with steady eyes, "I believe you."
"I'm going to faint," the boy Rosemary had helped up off the floor whispered and she looked to him in slight amusement while the red head gave him a small look and rolled her eyes.
Ronan chuckled at that, his friend's comment obviously having finally broken the ice for him and allowing him to be able to step forward and offer the girl a small smile. "That's Adler. Sorry about him. He's a bit of a fan. I'm Ronan. Although I'm sure you already know that because of my brother over here," he said before glancing back at his brother who gave him a sheepish smile. He turned back to Rosemary and gave her a warm smile before bowing his head. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty."
Rosemary smiled softly at the boy, lowering her head slightly in acknowledgement of his respect to her and her title. "No need for the formalities, my friend. Rosemary shall do just fine," she insisted, Ronan flashing her another grin as he stood back up.
"I'm afraid there's not many options when it comes to clothes for you," Ronan admitted, "but I'm sure we can find something that should do fine for the meantime."
Rosemary relaxed a bit at that and gave him a small nod. "Thank you. I greatly appreciate it," she told him. Ronan gave her a nod back before gesturing for her to follow him, "This way. There should be some spare clothes in the bedroom that you can change in to. After that, I'm afraid, you are right." Rosemary let her eyes flicker towards the boy and she gave him a questioning gaze while Ronan offered an almost sad smile.
"There is much to discuss."