They stood solemnly in the train station as Helen pinned their papers to their coats. First Lucy, then Edmund, then Peter, then Susan and finally Katherine.
As she crossed over to each child she hugged them tightly and then asked them to do something for her. Whether it was listening to their older brother (Edmund), looking after all of them (Peter) or being a big girl (Susan) each child promised to do what their mother had asked of them.
Finally, she turned to Katherine and the Pevensie children began to move towards the train sensing their mother wanted to talk to the girl privately.
"My darling," she said touching her cheek. "Your mother would be so proud of you for being so brave"
Katherine looked up at Helen, her eyes shining with an appreciation for the woman's words.
"I know you haven't always got along with Peter but please look after him dear," Helen asked her as she pinned Katherine's letter and her ticket to her black coat.
"That boy thinks he has to look after everyone all the time and never seems to look after himself enough" Helen moved her eyes from the tickets she had pinned up to Katherine's face.
Katherine looked at the woman who had always been so good to her, a second mother even, and gave her a small smile.
"I promise to look after Peter"
The woman smiled softly at the child and brushed down her coat before saying,
"Thank you, darling, now run along and catch up with the others."
Katherine pushed through the crowd searching for the four siblings when she spotted the mop of blonde hair in the ticket line.
She hurried over quickly and reassured the youngest two who gripped her hands. Susan smiled, relieved that her friend had found them and the oldest turned around and gave a nod.
It was more of a "right everyone is here, good" nod than an "I'm glad you are here" nod but Katherine really didn't care.
As they neared the front of the ticket line soldiers could be seen marching by the wall of the station. She noticed the blonde was watching them and paid no attention to the ticket lady in front.
Sighing she nudged him and gestured towards the now agitated lady. He mumbled his apology as his ticket got stamped and moved along with the queue.
Susan now led the way to the train with Katherine and Edmund hand in hand behind her followed by Peter and Lucy. She heard him comforting Lucy as they moved towards the train.
When they reached the train Katherine helped Edmund up before lifting Lucy. Peter motioned for Katherine to get on before following her as the train doors shut behind them.
Katherine stared out the musty window at the tearful mothers waving their children off. She tried looking for Helen but she couldn't spot her in the crowd.
Susan found an open window and spotted her mother waving, she waved back and the rest of the siblings gathered in the window to wave goodbye as well.
Katherine didn't join them. There were just some moments that were meant for family. She would never want to intrude on moments like that.
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The train rattled on as they moved on from yet another station. They had been travelling for at least two days now and Katherine had run out of books to read as Peter wouldn't let her use any of his.
She sat quietly staring out the window as Lucy napped in her lap. Every so often she would let out a sigh of boredom.
Susan had her nose in a book and once in a while, she would start a conversation with her best friend only for their talk to turn to Susan complaining about how fast Katherine could read compared to her.
Both girls were avid readers yet Katherine had always been able to finish books quickly whereas Susan could only read books slowly to grasp their plot.
Edmund sat on the other side of Susan and complained every now and again about how cramped the compartment was.
Peter sat opposite them, all his precious books taking up the rest of the seat space which Katherine thought was completely unfair as four of them had to share a seat whilst he got one to himself.
Lucy shifted in her seat and kicked Edmund accidentally who bumped into Susan who dropped her book.
Edmund began to shout at Lucy who woke and started to tear up whilst Susan yelled at both of them for losing her page. Peter set down his books about to yell at them all when the train had a burst of speed and a jolt shook through the train.
Katherine, who had been silently watching the fields pass by whilst the siblings bickered, was thrown forward and hit her head on the glass very hard.
The arguing died down and Katherine stood up hand clutching her head.
"Susan, you can find your place again Ed didn't mean to bump you" she exclaimed.
She then turned to Edmund, "Ed, Luce didn't mean to kick you she was asleep"
Finally, she turned to Lucy and shrugged off her coat and held it out to the youngest Pevensie, "Here Luce, lie against the window using this. Try and sleep with you legs down"
She then began to move Peter's books away from the window and sat in the corner.
Peter still had more than half of the compartment seat and looked a bit ashamed as she huddled on the side.
Katherine loved the cold. She hardly ever felt it, to her it was refreshing. However, if she ever got sick or felt upset somehow the cold would creep its way into her body and make her shake.
She didn't know whether it would have been better to feel coldness all the time or to feel it occasionally and nearly freeze to death.
Lucy was fast asleep on her coat and even if she hadn't been Katherine would never have taken the coat back.
So she sat trying to concentrate on not letting her body visibly shake. She thought she was doing well until out of the corner of her eye she saw Peter shrug his own coat off.
He held it out to her and insisted that she wear it as it was cold in the train but after she refused the first time he added that he was also annoyed that her shivering was shaking his books.
She snatched the still-warm coat out of his hands and grumbled a thanks before putting it on. Goodness knows Peter could never do anything nice for her unless he got something out of it.
She couldn't help but inhale deeply when she put the coat on, although she tried to make it look inconspicuous. She couldn't help loving the musky smell on the coat. It wasn't her fault that all boys smelt nice.
The coat was too big and she enveloped herself in it. The smell, the coat, it was just a homely feeling to her. Like she was safe. For the first time on their train ride, she passed off into a dreamless sleep.
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Katherine woke up to someone gently shaking her shoulder. She rubbed her eyes and sat up to see Lucy standing with Katherine's coat folded over one arm.
The rest of the compartment was empty and all the luggage had gone including her own trunk. Lucy handed Katherine her coat and only then did she realize she still had Peter's on.
Her face went red with embarrassment as she shrugged off the warm coat and put her one on instead. She folded his coat carefully as Lucy hurried her out the train.
Lucy explained that they had only just stopped at the station now and that the other Pevensies had taken the bags whilst Lucy remained behind to wake up Katherine who had been asleep for five hours.
They watched the train start up again and soon it disappeared down the track. Katherine and Lucy picked up their luggage which had been placed on the side for them, then joined the other siblings.
They were looking at a sign that said 'Coombe Halt'.
They didn't have to wait for long until a motor car came up the dirt road behind the sign. They hurried down the stairs of the station quickly to meet it but it just hooted and continued it's driving across the tracks.
Katherine thought for one horrid moment that there might have been a terrible misunderstanding at the station and that they were at the wrong place. Everyone's shoulders sunk in defeat.
"The professor knew we were coming" Susan reasoned, trying to lift hopes.
Edmund picked up his ticket as if it could give answers itself as he commented, "Perhaps we weren't correctly labelled"
Suddenly a harsh voice was heard from down the road and a crack of the whip followed. Around the corner, a horse-drawn cart came into view.
A pure white horse trotted down the lane as a stern-looking woman sat on the cart holding a whip. She wore round glasses and as the carriage stopped gave them a disdained look.
Peter, Susan and Katherine shared a look before looking back to the strict woman.
"Mrs Macready," Peter half asked half stated. Mrs Macready looked back just as disappointed as they were as she replied.
"I'm afraid so"
She instructed them to climb in the cart and they set off down the windy dirt road that she had come up. Peter and Katherine loaded the trunks before they helped the youngest two Pevensies up.
Lucy, Susan and Katherine sat on the one side and Edmund and Peter on the other. Katherine took in the countryside as they moved on, feeling a bit like Anne from her book Anne of Green Gables. Everything seemed so new and exciting here.
The foliage deepened and Katherine caught the first glimpse of Professor Kirke's home. It was a large mansion, so historically beautiful in fact it took Katherine's breath away.
The Pevensies looked equally amazed. The cart stopped at the main door and the children took their luggage out as Mrs Macready called for a stable worker to fetch the cart.
Once the cart had disappeared from view, around the back of the manor Mrs Macready opened the main doors and ushered the children inside.
As they walked through Mrs Macready began lecturing the children on the rules of the house. Katherine really tried to pay attention but blanked out on her way up the stairs after Susan got a scolding for almost touching a 'stone artefact'.
Katherine did however notice the swords on display and wondered if they were balanced or not as she continued following Mrs Macready up the stairs.
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It started raining when Katherine tucked Lucy in for bed. Everyone was in the girls' room which had three beds covered in silky looking sheets.
Peter had turned on the radio a while ago, although Katherine didn't know how he could listen to the man's voice droning on and on when the signal was so bad.
As much as Katherine tried to comfort Lucy the little girl was so homesick it broke Katherine's heart. Susan stalked across the room and turned off the radio before signalling to Peter.
Peter got off of the chair he had been standing on to look out the window. Then they both walked over to Lucy's bed.
"The sheets feel scratchy," Lucy said forlornly. Katherine stroked the girl's hair in an attempt to soothe her. Peter sat down at the end of her bed and Susan stood next to him.
" Wars don't last forever Lucy" Susan tried to reassure the girl, "We'll be home soon"
Katherine couldn't help noticing how strained Susan's smile was and realized that she might be trying to convince herself more than anyone.
Edmund walked in and quipped, "Yeah if the home's still there"
Katherine was shocked at the boy's sudden pessimism but Susan just scoffed before replying wittily.
"Isn't it time for your bed?"
"Yes mum" Edmund exclaimed sarcastically.
Peter broke it up quickly. Edmund quietened down and dared a glance at Katherine across the room. Usually, Katherine would stick up for him when his siblings shouted at him but Katherine looked away.
Was this really normal for Edmund to act this way? If so Katherine wanted no part in their arguments. Lucy looked uneasily back at Peter and Susan.
"You saw outside," Peter told her, "This place is huge, we can do whatever we want here. Tomorrow's going to be great. Really" Peter reassured his youngest sister.
Katherine felt her relax after his words and she cuddled closer to Katherine who would stay next to her until she was asleep. Lucy gave a small smile to her oldest brother. As he got up though and shared a look with Katherine.
Then the boys left for their room opposite in the hallway. Susan got into her own bed and Katherine made sure Lucy was asleep before moving away. Susan snored softly as Katherine tip-toed out of the room.
Katherine had trouble sleeping sometimes and would often wander around her house before properly going to bed. Tonight was one of those nights.
As she wandered the halls she came across the Professors room. His light was still on and Katherine wondered what he did in his study.
A shadow from inside the room moved towards the door and Katherine moved as silently as she could down the corridor to her room.
For the rest of the night, she watched the rain falling steadily and she wondered whether tomorrow would really be great after all.
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