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❝All good things must come to an end.❞
"So, what was it like when Aslan changed you back?" The voice of Edmund was the first thing Isabelle heard. She realised that she had passed out when Edmund grabbed her to get her to the ship. Lame, she thought to herself. The witch opened her eyes but narrowed them instantly from the bright light, which was why the other four, plus Reepicheep, hadn't noticed that she woke up. Her snowy owl was on her lap, sleeping. She smiled at the cute sight of Seb and thanked God that he seemed unharmed.
Eustace's voice brought her back to the conversation. "No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't do it myself. Then he came towards me. It sort of hurt, but it was a good pain. You know, like when you pull a thorn from your foot," he explained with a gentle smile. "Being a dragon wasn't all bad. I mean, I think I was a better dragon than I was a boy, really. I'm so sorry for being such a sop," he apologised.
Caspian, Reepicheep, Eustace, in his human form, and the Pevensie siblings were in the boat with Isabelle, and she quickly recollected that the boat was heading towards Aslan's country. She didn't notice it at first, but Edmund was paddling with Caspian, using only one arm, because the other was around her body, gently squeezing her so that she could lie still. His warm touch made Isabelle have goosebumps, but in a good way.
"It's okay, Eustace. You were a pretty good dragon." He smiled kindly at the younger boy, and it was a sight nobody had really experienced. The two cousins smiling at each other.
"Not as good as me though," Isabelle joked, in a rather raspy voice, which made them look at her. Seb woke up and hooted gladly.
"You are awake. Are you feeling okay?" Edmund cupped her face carefully with one hand because he still held the paddle in his other hand.
"You could have told us you can transform into an enormous dragon." Reepicheep chuckled, and Isabelle noticed how the four of them exchanged a look and looked back at Edmund and her, in fact, the Valiant Queen seemed very much satisfied.
"My family and me, we are Animagis, which means we have an animal form too. That's a dragon for me. It was surprising when I turned into a dragon for the first time, but it's quite badass, so I don't mind," Isabelle told them after she sat up. She looked down at her forearm which was tied up. She still felt the pain but it wasn't as strong as before.
"How's your arm?" Caspian asked.
She shrugged. "Barely hurts."
"You scared me. Again," Lucy folded her arms, pretending to be offended.
"My apologies," Isabelle puckered up her lips. "I must tell you something very important."
By the serious tone she used, they all looked at her with inquiring eyes. "Yes?" Caspian responded.
"I have to pee."
"My friends, we have arrived," Reepicheep stated, ending their laughter, and seconds later, he jumped to the sand. A huge wave was the only thing they could see, and Isabelle found herself staring at it with admiration. It looked so much bigger and more amazing than in the movie.
Edmund helped her climb out of the boat, and after they began to walk towards the wave, Isabelle noticed that he still hadn't let go of her hand. And she didn't do anything about it.
"Aslan," Eustace spoke up after he noticed the lion following them.
They turned around, and the Great Lion was in front of them. Isabelle gasped. He looked marvellous. As she stopped at his sight, she tumbled and almost fell, with that, she let go of Edmund's hand. The others grinned at the clumsy girl blithely. Seb started flying around Aslan, which made the lion let out a soft chuckle.
"Welcome, children. You have done well. Very well indeed. You have come far, and now your journey is at its end," he spoke. Once again, goosebumps went down Isabelle's spine after hearing his voice which was deep and smooth.
"Is this your country?"
"No, my country lies beyond."
"Is my father in your country?" Caspian looked at him, hope lying in his eyes.
"You can only find that out for yourself, my son. But you should know that if you continue, there is no return," Aslan replied to the king. Caspian walked closer to the wave and touched it, but eventually, he went back to the others.
"You're not going?" Edmund quizzed in surprise.
"I can't imagine my father would be very proud that I gave up what he died for. I spent too long wanting what was taken from me and not what was given. I was given a kingdom. People. I promise to be a better king," he said, looking at Aslan at the last part.
"You already are," the lion smiled gently.
"I think perhaps it's time we went home actually, Lu," Edmund told his sister, whose smile froze on her face.
"But I thought you loved it here," she said uncomprehendingly.
"I do," he replied and looked at Isabelle inconspicuously. "But I love home and our family as well. They need us," he put his hand on his sister's shoulder comfortingly.
Isabelle smiled, remembering that what he loved most was his family, and although she was there with him that moment and he was in Narnia, he only had Lucy and Eustace with him. The other part of his family were far from him.
"Your Eminence," Reep spoke, earning Aslan's attention. "Ever since I can remember, I have dreamt of seeing your country. I've had many great adventures in this world, but nothing has dampened that yearning. I know I am hardly worthy, but with your permission, I would lay down my sword for the joy of seeing your country with my own eyes."
"My country was made for noble hearts such as yours, no matter how small their bearers be," Aslan gave a satisfying response. The others agreed with him with bright smiles.
"I will miss you, drama queen," Isabelle told the noble mouse when he began to say goodbye to them.
"I will miss you too, you mysterious girl from the other world," Reepicheep smiled and gave her a high-five, which made her laugh. She taught him that. After saying goodbye to all of them, he stuck his sword into the sand and hopped in a tiny boat. With that, he left to Aslan's country.
"I think it's time for me to go, isn't it?" Isabelle's eyes were on the large wise lion right after the mouse was out of sight.
"Yes," he replied with a nod.
Isabelle turned to the others with a faint smile. "I'll miss you guys," she chuckled emotionally then stepped in front of Lucy, who stood the closest to her, pulling her into an embrace.
"I am so grateful that we met," Isabelle said sorrowfully.
Lucy was the first person who accepted the strange girl and was friendly with her, she was the first female friend of her, apart from the members of the Weasley-Potter family. That was something Isabelle could never forget. And their blooming friendship had already come to an end.
"Take care of yourself, okay?" Lucy eyed Isabelle carefully after they pulled away from their hug. "And don't forget me."
The witch chuckled and wiped away her tears. She barely let Lucy go when she was already in someone else's embrace. "Okay, don't need to strangle me!" she told Caspian with a giggle when he held her so tight.
"I will miss you on the deck. It will be a little boring without you," Caspian said with a smirk. "Although it will be a lot quieter."
Isabelle just rolled her eyes, then cleared her throat. "You are a good king, Caspian. Your people love you. Don't forget that!" she told him and hugged him once more.
"Thank you, vixen. I will keep that in mind," he replied.
"Do you really have to leave?" Eustace asked plaintively when Isabelle went to say goodbye to him.
"I do. Don't tell me you're going to miss me, Gally!" she said in a waggish tone.
"Believe it or not, I will," Eustace replied with a light blush which he didn't even try to hide. "Why do you keep calling me that?" he asked the question he wanted to ask for a really long time.
"Well, you look similar to someone named 'Gally'. That's all," she shrugged and smiled. "By the way, I will miss you too, dragon boy," the tall girl patted his shoulder, but then the young boy pulled her into a hug.
"Thank you," he whispered, squeezing her waist tightly.
"For what?"
"You were kind to me even when nobody was. I appreciate that," he said gratefully. "You gave me a chance to become someone better."
Isabelle simply smiled and blinked faster, refusing to start crying once again. After that, she went to the last person, the one who she was afraid to say goodbye the most. Edmund.
The Just King wore a smile. "As much as I would like to kiss you, knowing that you wouldn't mind either, I don't want to scathe our hearts even more."
Isabelle looked away and noticed the other two royals saying goodbye to each other and Eustace talking to Aslan. "I, uh, I tried not to fall in love," she said quietly.
"Me too," Edmund stated with a mild smile. She hadn't really seen him with that smile, but it looked amazing on him in her eyes.
"Looks like we both failed," Isabelle appointed.
"Yes," he said then pulled her into a tight hug and smiled when he smelt the usual sweet smell of her, which reminded Edmund of cupcakes. "I would like to give you something." He pulled away and put something in the girl's hand.
"Did you do this?" her eyes went wide as she saw the wooden carved fox figure.
"You told me you don't want this to be a dream. And I heard Caspian call you 'vixen' many times. So I made this to remind you of us, your adventure in Narnia."
"You made this in one day, or shall I say night?" As Isabelle asked this, he slightly blushed, which was totally unexpected from him. She smiled fondly and pulled him back to the embrace. "I will miss you, Eddie," she whispered into his ear and tightened the hug. The last thing she wanted to do was letting him go.
"So will I, Isabelle," he whispered back, and it sounded like his heart had already cracked. He placed a kiss on her forehead, which wasn't the easiest since her hight was the same as his, her being unusually tall for a girl. "I will miss you calling me 'Eddie'," he chuckled as they pulled away.
"I can call you that if you want me to," Lucy smirked joyfully then laughed after Edmund sent her an annoyed look for ruining their moment.
Isabelle stepped in front of them, so she could face all of them. "I had a very good time with you for these months, guys. I wish I didn't have to go home, but I miss my life," she smiled slightly. "I- I want to thank you for everything. For giving me a chance to be someone I want to be, to be someone who isn't judged because of the past or the family. Thank you for taking me in, for taking care of me," she glanced at Caspian, who slowly began to treat her like a little sister. After the last sentence, she took a deep breath, and she swallowed a lump in her throat as she spoke. "I shouldn't have been here. I wasn't part of the original plot. I had spent nights thinking about how I could affect your lives."
"We could never forget you, Izzy," Lucy grabbed the girl's hand and squeezed it.
Isabelle sighed in frustration. "I know. Which is why I decided to take action." She locked eyes with Aslan. "I know you know what I'm planning to do, and I would like to ask you not to stop me. You know I am right and my decision is good for them," she spoke. The others seemed more and more confused, and she couldn't blame them for that.
"What about you, child? It is not good for you."
"What is not good for you?" Edmund looked at her with anxious eyes after Aslan told her that.
"I need to do what needs to be done," Isabelle said, ignoring the boy. As if Seb understood what she was going to do, he flew to her shoulder and let out a sad hoot when she pulled out her wand.
Isabelle knew the spell was not the easiest, especially that she wanted to use it on everyone except Aslan and Seb. It would have been so much easier if a Thunderbird could help her to spread the spell with rain, but she had to do it alone. The witch took a deep breath, trying not to cry as she saw their faces. They clearly didn't understand her intention, but how could they? Isabelle tightened her grip on the wand and closed her eyes for a second.
"Obliviate."
A/N
I am very sorry for being inactive last week, I have been away, with no wifi, and to be honest, I haven't used my phone or laptop at all. But I am back, and I hope you enjoyed this quite sad chapter as much as I did writing it.