[seven: hop on buddy]

The five Pevensies, the Lee boy and Trumpkin walk through the forest almost silently as Peter directed everyones way - despite the fact that he hadn't been in Narnia for hundreds of years. All the trees were tightly-knit, just one strand in a massive web of life. Green leaves, yellow leaves, red leaves. It was a rainbow of rich, autumnal colours. The scent of earth and water drifted through the air. It was a picture of serenity, one which would endure for many long years.

"I don't remember this way at all." Susan admitted as she walked in the back with Lucy and Ronald, who were conversing about boys at each of their schools and which boys they had silly crushes on.

"That's the problem with girls. You can't carry a map in your heads." Peter stated and Lucy rolled her eyes as she paused her conversation with Ron to speak with her brother.

"That‟s because our heads have something in them." She retaliated and Genevieve laughed from the front as she eyed the letter that was addressed to her and noticing the familiar writing before putting it back in her bag - best not to read it in the middle of the forest.

"I wish he'd just listen to the DLF." Susan muttered to the younger children and Edmund gave them a confused look as he walked.

"DLF?"

"Dear Little Friend." Lucy said and Trumpkin rolled his eyes.

"Oh, that's not patronizing, is it?" He asked as he walked to the front to catch up with the Selfless Queen who seemed emerged in her own thoughts until the dwarf walked beside her and she gave him a small smile.

"How much do you know about Oliver, Trumpkin?" Genevieve asked in whispers as she looked towards the dwarf who seemed sigh at the question - unsure of what to say.

"There are some questions your majesty that I can't answer." Trumpkin stated as he watched the Queen's face fall. "Best leave it to Trufflehunter to explain."

"Trufflehunter?" Genevieve asked in confusion as she watched a small smile grow on Trumpkin's face.

"A badger, one of my dearest friends."

"You speak very highly of him, bet he's lovely." Genevieve said happily before Peter steps into a rock passage and stops the group.

"I'm not lost." Peter declared and Trumpkin only scoffed and Genevieve turned her head towards the dwarf in confusion.

"No... you're just going the wrong way." He said snarkily and Peter rolled his eyes as he looked at the dwarf.

"You said you last saw Caspian at the Shuddering Wood, and the quickest way there is to cross at the river rush." Peter said and Genevieve immediately understood the problem, the crossing had probably been eroded over the last few one hundred years.

"But, unless I'm mistaken, there's no crossing in these parts."

"He's right Peter. The river likely started eroding the crossing over the last few hundred years or so." Genevieve tried to say but Peter only huffed as he looked over the two proudly.

"That explains it then. You're mistaken." He says and Genevieve scoffs as they continue walking until they come to the gorge. The seven of them look down at the rushing water below, Genevieve and Trumpkin with triumphant smiles on their faces. 

"Over hundreds of years, water eroded the earth's soil..." Susan tried to reiterate what Genevieve was saying earlier.

"Oh, shut up. Is there a way down?" Peter rudely interrupts.

" Yeah, falling. Come. There's a ford at Beruna." Trumpkin begins to walk away before turning to the six children. "Any of you mind swimming?"

"Anything's better than walking." Susan said as Genevieve looked her like she was mad.

"Are you sure? Swimming's exhausting." She muttered before she turned to Ron who was falling behind the group. "Ron are you okay?"

"I'm okay, my legs are just getting a little tired." Ron admitted and Genevieve frowned before Edmund walked back, bent down in front of Ron with a smile on his face.

"Hop on buddy." He says and Ron's smile widens as he jumps onto Edmund's back leaving Genevieve to smile as they start to walk away.

"Thank you." Genevieve whispered in Edmund's ear before she pressed a kiss to his cheek -Edmund's smile widening as his mood ultimately lifted as he watched her walk away with his lip between his teeth.

He definitely missed this.

+++

The seven of them had been walking in the woods for hours, Ronald eventually falling asleep for around an hour on Edmund's back until he was awake again with a little too much excitement for the rest of the group to handle. Genevieve herself was becoming exhausted, the severe lack of sleep she'd had for weeks being the reason as she found herself trailing behind everyone else. It probably didn't help that Johnathan Pole, the man she was supposed to get engaged too back in England, had a mother who insisted that she had to lose a lot of weight to ever be good enough - which meant that she was unable to eat as much, draining her energy even further.

Edmund noticed it especially, watching as her face continued to pale as she barely stumbled forward as easily as she had before. Edmund quickly placed Ron down as the young boy ran to walk with Peter, who took the young boys hand as he told him his own versions of stories when he was a King himself - which Ron clearly loved due to the smile on his face. Edmund then walked to the back and bent down again as Genevieve gave him a strange look.

"Hop on." He demanded and Genevieve only laughed.

"I'm pretty sure I can walk by myself Ed, I have legs." She said and Edmund only shook his head with a smile.

"Not when you're stumbling in the back and looking like you're about collapse." Edmund whispered worriedly and Genevieve's eyes widened at the fact that he noticed. "Now hop on."

"Ed-"

"No buts Genevieve." He said and the Queen sighed before she gracefully hopped onto Edmund's back as he began to walk - getting a strange look from Peter and Trumpkin but smirks from Susan, Lucy and Ron. 

As they continued to walk, Ron looked to his left and stumbled at what he saw. With golden paws crossed before his snout and shaggy brown mane the lion's rib cage expanded and fell with the rhythm of one as if in deep sleep, yet he was quite conscious and alert. In the early summer daylight he was simply golden, the sleek fur laid over his elegant frame and lean muscle. His nose was broad and eyes a soft yellow-brown, large and dark rimmed. He seemed to smile at Ron who quickly ran to Lucy, who he knew loved Aslan as he was so sure that lion was him.

"Lucy look, a lion." Ron says as Lucy glances back, a smile forming as she looks at the Great Lion.

"Aslan? It's Aslan! It's Aslan over there! Well, can't you see? He's right..." Lucy says as she catches everyone's attention but they all looked confused. She turns back and sees nothing. Her smile fades. "...there."

"Do you see him now?" Trumpkin asked her and she only gave a sad look.

"I'm not crazy. He was there. He wanted us to follow him." Lucy stated and Ron nodded in agreement as he folded his arms across him chest next to Lucy. They weren't crazy.

" I think I saw him too, his silhouette at least. We should listen to Lucy and Ron." Genevieve concluded from Edmund's back but Peter only rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure there are any number of lions in this wood. Just like that bear." Peter stated and Lucy gave him a glare in return.

"I think I know Aslan when I see him."

" Yeah he looked... magical." Ron gushed, a wishful look in his eyes that Genevieve smiled at - he was honestly so adorable.

"Look, I'm not about to jump off a cliff after someone who doesn't exist." Trumpkin stated boldly and Genevieve only scoffed.

"He does exist!"

"How would you know? You didn't see him after the battle!"

"Actually I did! He saw me off the day I left." Genevieve stated and there was silence for a moment until Trumpkin scoffed with a signature eye roll.

"Whatever. Point stands that I won't jump off that cliff." Trumpkin concluded.

"The last time I didn't believe Lucy, I ended up looking pretty stupid." Edmund admitted and Genevieve smiled. He was right, in the nicest way possible he did look pretty stupid back then.

Peter looks at the clearing where they claimed they saw Aslan with a sad smile.

"Why wouldn't I have seen him?" He asked rhetorically before Lucy gives him a sad look.

"Maybe you weren't looking." She whispered and Peter just shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Lu." He said as they walk away from the clearing as Lucy looks back before Ron takes her hand.

"Don't worry Lu, I believe you." He whispered and she sent him a grateful smile as they followed the others - the two with knowing smiles on their faces.