Lena had the sensation of something warm and bright bearing down upon her. She opened her eyes to find the sun shining through a break in the leafy canopy above her. She realized she must have dozed off. Lena found it curious because she couldn't recall laying down for a nap. The whole situation was made even more curious by the fact that her surroundings were unfamiliar to her.

Lena slowly pushed herself into an upright position. The weariness and soreness that usually permeated her every muscle was slowly fading into nonexistence. It was a rather curious thing as well, but one she could give little thought to as something else took precedence.

"Mamma?"

Lena heard her daughter's voice calling out to her and she whipped her head around trying to find her. "Meri? Meri, where are you?"

"Mamma!"

Another, younger, voice called out from the distance. Lena's heart beat wildly. Rising to her feet took a little more effort than merely sitting, but it too was much easier that it should have been. Lena braced herself against the trunk of an old tree and called out to her daughters once again.

"Meri! Sara!" Lena forced one foot in front of the other using the neighboring trees as a crutch.

At last, her daughters rounded an overgrown bush. Meri, the oldest, was sixteen with hair that was long, dark, and straight. She, thankfully, looked just like Lena did at that age and bore little resemblance to her father. Sara was five years old and she had a smile as bright as the sun, and a head full of bouncy curls.

"Sara, no!" Meri called out as Sara attempted to run towards Lena. Meri held her back by the hand.

"It's all right, Meri; let her come."

Tears came into Lena's eyes when, for the first time in nearly a year, she had enough strength to hold Sara on her own. Securing her around her hips with one arm, Lena wrapped the other around Meri's neck. She held them close as they cried with joy together.

"My daughters. My beautiful daughters. *Amore mio, cuore mio, vita mia!" Lena said, showering them with kisses. Sara giggled and squealed in Lena's arms.

Meri pulled back to wipe the tears from her and her mother's eyes. "Mamma, where are we? How did we get here?"

Before answering, Lena took a moment to fully assess their surroundings. They were in a lightly packed forest with a well-trodden path not far from them that wove seamlessly through the forest in both directions. The path was only wide enough for a single cart and had no road signs or path markers. Beyond the path, on the other side, the forest quickly thickened and blocked the sun. The only thing Lena could say with certainty, was that they were no longer in West London.

"I, I'm not sure, *Topa. But it's all right," Lena added hastily at the look in her daughter's eyes. "We're going to be just fine. We'll start by finding a town or a settlement. Do you remember your lessons with Babbo?"

Meri gave Lena an incredulous look that screamed, *Dio mio, Mamma!

Not knowing where they were, there was nothing more Lena could do but pick a direction and start walking. Two things quickly became clear on their walk:

Firstly, all her old strength had not completely returned as evidenced by Sara becoming too heavy to carry for very long; that, or, Sara had grown more than Lena realized since the last time she was able to properly hold her. Lena resolved the issue by putting Sara down on her feet and simply holding her hand as they walked.

Secondly, neither their dresses nor their shoes were made for long walks in a forest. There was nothing they could do about that, however, as it would be improper to strip to their undergarments and far worse of a walk for them to go without shoes.

The sun slowly moved across the sky and cast strange shadows through the foliage above. The thicket around them remained light and airy, much to Lena's ease. They stopped to rest their weary feet after about an hour of walking. Meri had picked up the trail of a little stream. The water was just cool enough to be pleasantly refreshing as they drank. Meri and Sara kicked off their shoes to splash their toes in the water while Lena sat on the forest bed and massaged her muscles, which—again she noted with curiosity—really weren't as sore as they should have been.

While she rested and her daughters played, however, Lena couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. She looked around casually for any sign to indicate that they were. She found none, but she knew better than to dismiss her fears as paranoia. Just because you couldn't see them, didn't mean that they couldn't see you; she knew that better than any.

The old myths and fables that Nurse used to tell Lena to warn against the dangers of venturing into the woods, the ones of monstrous beasts and life-leeching ghosts, came back to her. Of course, Lena never used to believe in the old myths; she thought they were silly tales boys said to one another in an attempt to see who among them was bravest. But when she was Meri's age, Lena learned the hard way that there was a fraction of truth to those myths and that monstrous men were as real as the *bestia.

"We shouldn't tarry long. I'd like to be out of this wood by nightfall," Lena said, rising to her feet. She tried to help Sara put her shoes back on, but Sara insisted on doing it herself. Lena did have to step in though when Sara put them on the wrong feet.

Shoes finally buckled, Lena took Sara by the hand and began to walk.

"Mamma, wait!" Meri called suddenly. "Do you hear that?"

Lena paused and listened. It was distant and faint, but fast approaching: the sound of horse's hooves.

"Quick, Meri, take your sister and hide!"

"Mamma, I can..."

"Hide!" Lena ordered, placing Sara in Meri's arms. "There, behind that bush."

Meri knew better than to argue further. Once they were safely hidden, Lena stepped aside so she wouldn't draw attention to their hiding spot. They were far enough away from the path that they shouldn't be noticed, but Lena didn't want to take any chances.

Lena, however, didn't take into account who or what was in the approaching party. It wasn't just horses but all manner of other beasts as well. There were birds that flew overhead, great cats and wolves that ran, and some strange creatures with the bodies of horses and torsos of men, and others with goat-like legs and horns on their heads. Lena's mouth ran as dry as the Great Desert; her stomach turned to lead.

Not here. Anywhere but here, she thought.

Lena tried to shrink away into the shadows and hide herself, but it was too late. One of the birds spotted her and the whole party came to a stop. Some of the larger beasts closed ranks around a horse and its rider, blocking him from view. A couple of the inhuman creatures approached her with long spears.

"State your name and business in these parts," one of them said. He didn't hold his spear in a threatening manner, but Lena knew it wouldn't take much to change that. The creature cast a wary eye to his comrade when Lena did not answer.

"You were asked to state your name and business," the second creature said.

Lena swallowed her fear and replied impassively. "My name is my own and my business is to return home."

"And where is home?" The creature looked around as though expecting to see a shack or a hovel of sorts.

"Not here," Lena replied plainly.

There was movement from behind the blockade as the rider dismounted his horse. Lena still couldn't see him clearly, nor did she try to look. She refused to take her eyes off the creatures before her, the very sight of them made her feel like she had ants crawling on her skin. When the rider spoke with a voice that was familiar to her, it pushed everything else to the side.

Lena turned to look at him as he stepped out from behind his guard. He was dressed in simple yet elegant riding clothes. He looked battle weary and yet as carefree and full of life as always. His crown of golden hair was longer than when she last saw him and his persistent stubble was now a full-grown beard. The most surprising thing to Lena though, was the simple fact that he now stood before her and looked as though he didn't know her at all when she swore she just saw him a week ago.

"Peter?" Lena said before she could stop herself. The rider continued to look at her without any recognition in his eyes. Lena took a step towards him only to have his guard rush her with their weapons barred against her.

"Peter, what is this? What are you doing here? How...how is this even possible? Where are we?"

"You are in Narnia, and you are speaking to the High King. You will address him as such," the goat-creature said.

"Stupido sciocco! I know we're in Narnia, but this...this isn't possible. We're not supposed to be here."

Lena could feel the cold grip of panic begin to set in. It took hold of her lungs and began to squeeze, forcing the air from her in little gasps. She placed a hand on her chest and tried to recall her breathing techniques, the ones Little King had taught her years ago. She slowly regained control, but she was unsure how long it would last.

"Peter..." Her voice came out weaker than before. "Peter, it's me. It's Ileana, your sister-in-law."

Amore mio, cuore mio, vita mia: My love, my heart, my life.

Topa/s, short for Toppalina: Little mouse/mice

Dio mio, Mamma: Oh my God, mom!

Bestia: Beast

Stupido sciocco: Dumb fool

-This story is rated M due to references of sexual and physical abuse.

-There will be some aspects of Narnia that will be more mature, or darker than the books/movies portrayed.

-This story will jump between multiple locations and years, but the location and year will always be notated with each new section.

-This story is AU. You can assume that everything in the books/movies happened up through the final book. With one exception, the Pevensies did not die in the train crash. Instead they lived, had careers, fell in love, got married and well...You'll see what happens next. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: The Pevensies, Cair Paravel, and Narnia are the property of C. S. Lewis. I just like to play in it.