I couldn't sleep that night either. I kept wondering what I would have to do if I went back, to continue moving around in foster homes, live with families who would never accept me, go to school with all the bullies and once I was twenty-one, I would be out in the real world. I would be more alone than ever with no one to look towards.

I couldn't bear the thought of living the life that I was living after my time in Narnia. I just prayed to whoever would help me to let me stay in Narnia. I had what I needed with me and I was totally fine with living in town. I could get a job and I could definitely try to change the way I talk. But again, it was too much of me to ask. 

There were two voices in my mind. Both of them wanted to stay here but one of them knew that it was wrong to ask this much from the King and the other wanted me to be brave.

In the morning, Nina woke me up with a cheerfulness in her voice. "Good morning!" She sing-songed.

I pulled the covers from my face and sat up straight. I had slept on the floor the previous morning and Nina had warned me to sleep on the bed. "Good morning." I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and made sense of reality.

"You haven't been sleeping at all, have you?"

I would've denied it but I would just get caught. "I don't sleep properly. I haven't in a long time. It's called insomnia."

"Would you rather have milk before you go to sleep? That helps a lot."

"I would love that." I folded the sheets. Nina had brought in something that I noticed now. "What is that?" 

"Oh this?"

I gasped. She opened it up and brought out a beautiful dress. The inner dress was white in colour while the coat wrapped around it was of a gorgeous deep navy blue. It was absolutely beautiful.

"You're joking."

"Why would I joke, sweetie?"

"I'm not wearing that!" Dresses weren't really made for me because I didn't have any experience with them.

"Yes, you are." I pulled my duffel bag from under the bed and showed her what it was that I wanted to wear. "You're not wearing that!" Nina shouted.

It was a black top and a long kalamkari skirt that was presented to me by one of the families I had stayed as a gift. They were the only family that I liked living with. It was sad when the usual news came up and I had to leave them. "Why not?"

"The King has requested you join him for breakfast." 

"What?" Why was I nervous all of a sudden? I needed to talk to him anyway. The sooner the better but I was going to be talking to someone royal.

"Now," She clapped her hands together. "Have a bath and wear this. I'll help you get ready." 

I did just as she asked because she wouldn't have let me be otherwise. "I look ridiculous." I told her after I wore the dress and looked at myself in the mirror. I looked different, and I didn't know if it was a good difference. I looked like I was right out of a period film.

"You look beautiful. Now, sit down and let me do your hair." I started to protest but she raised a hand to stop me. I sat down, pursing my lips on not being able to argue. "You are worse than little children!" She complained when I opened my hair up, making me laugh heartily.

I let her comb my hair. I wasn't used to such affection from the people I stayed with, or from anyone for that matter. I didn't know what magic Nina used but my hair became really smooth and wavy. She had plaited the hair from my ears till the back of my head and the plaited some more hair in the back such that most of the hair was actually open.

"Woah!" I exclaimed after looking in the mirror.

She clamped my shoulders as we looked at each other in the mirror. "Do you like it? This is Rumira's favourite style."

"I love it!" I laughed. "What did you do to me?"

"Just plaited your hair, dear." She chuckled. "Now, go down for breakfast."

We walked down and Nina helped me with taking care of the trail of the dress. She taught me the best way to lift the skirt up without actually tripping. We walked inside the kitchen and she started working. "It's on the other side of the door, Sophie." 

She pointed to a maple wood door at the end of the room. I took a deep breath walking towards it. I reminded myself to breathe. I pulled it open and cold air swished past my face. I saw the King and the Professor sitting at the long dining table, talking with each other. The King was sitting at the head while the Professor was sitting on his right side.

As soon as I started moving towards the table, they looked up at me. The Professor smiled at me but the King looked really.....how do I put it.....enthralled? No, that couldn't be it. But he was definitely staring.

He stood up just as I reached the table and knocked a goblet off the table by accident. I bent down to pick it up, but so did he and we knocked our heads together. "Ow!" Both of us exclaimed while smiling.

"I've got it, thank you." He picked it up.

"I'm sorry." I said as I sat down. Why was I embarrassing myself so much? First, the whole curtsy and now this.

"It was my fault really." He said as he sat back down. Was it just me or did he turn fidgety around me as I did around him?

The Professor looked at both of us back to back and then cleared his throat. "How was your day, my dear?" He asked me.

"I love it here. Your castle is really beautiful." I told the King.

"Thank you."

"But I did get lost a lot. It took me some time to walk in the right direction." 

The Professor started laughing. "I found it hard on my first day as well." He told me. "His pranks didn't help either."

"Professor...." The King started. 

"I'm not complaining, Caspian. All I'm saying is that you were a prankster and that I had some tough time with you."

"How many times do I have to apologise?" Everyone was having a good day I suppose.

Evelyn and Mark came out with plates filled with toast and a cauldron filled with porridge. I really wanted to help them but Nina had told me not to do so. I did thank them as they set it down at the same time that the King did, which made us smile at each other.

"How did you find yourself in Narnia, miss Adams." The Professor asked me as we started eating.

"Please, call me Sophie."

I told them everything and that time, I included the fight. I started describing the events from the punch to finding myself in Beruna and meeting Trumpkin and Sir Reepicheep. They were surprised when I called Reepicheep 'Sir' as well.

"And would you like to go back to the bridge to see if you can go back?" The King asked me. "I'm not sure that it would work though. Things don't happen the same way twice."

There it was. "If I may confess something...."

"Yes?" The Professor asked, eager to hear my point of view.

"I....don't want to go back." I looked at the table cloth because I couldn't meet their eyes.

"You don't want to go back?" The King asked. Did I note a slight satisfaction in his tone? No, couldn't be.

"Why is that, dear?" The Professor asked. I told them exactly why in the most least depressing way possible. He kept his cutlery down and rested his elbows on the surface of the table. "Well, then I guess there is only one option left."

"I can move into town and find a job. I really don't want to cause any more problem than I already have....." 

"But that's not what I was going to say, dear." The Professor said, making me look at him. My eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Since your schooling is incomplete, I was going to ask if you would like to become my apprentice?"

I was left shocked. "What?"

"Apprentice, dear. I've taught Caspian here all his life in this castle. I'm sure I can help you finish your studies."

"I....can stay in Narnia?"

"You can stay in the castle if you take up on the offer." The King stated.

"I....don't know what to say." I said. "Are you sure that it's okay if I stay in Narnia? I know that it is too much of me to ask that but-" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. People in Narnia were unbelievably kind. How was I going to repay them for it?

"I'm really sure." The King smiled. "Narnia is spacious enough for another Daughter of Eve to live happily."

I thought about that for a moment. "Sophie?" The Professor put his hand forward and I smiled. I shook it. "Welcome to Narnia, Sophie Adams."

"Welcome to Narnia." The King told me.

"Thank you." I felt content for the first time in my life. I was going to live.