It was the end. Sophie knew it.

The person's grip increased their grip on the knife, threatening to pierce through skin at any moment. Looking frantically on either side proved to avail nothing. 

What babbling bumbling band of baboons had she walked into? She only wanted to wash her hands! And why had her hand healed? Was she secretly a daughter of Poseidon? She couldn't believe that she was believing for the Olympians to be real. It was all because of Rick Riordan! 

Normalise blaming authors, she thought. Uncle Rick, what have you done?

The duffel bag that was calling to her was out of hand's reach, or more specifically, the dagger that she kept for safety was out of reach. She had needed it in the past and she would definitely need it again, but being in a headlock would not help if she wasn't smart.

"I said, who are you and what are you doing here?" The person had a deep and rough voice, and his intention was to scare, not harm her. It was known to both of them but the tension in the air was unmistakable.

Sophie was not used to being held at knifepoint. Her heart beat faster than ever but she tried to tell herself that she was going to be alright. She raised her arms in the air to show that she wasn't armed. She wasn't an enemy, she was just a teenager. "My name is Sophie Adams and I'm from London, England!"

"England?" Another voice broke the tension of the situation, this one chirpier.

The person's grip loosened, letting her free. Sophie gasped in relief, relieved that she wasn't withering on the ground surrounded by her own blood. She turned around immediately to face the threat and her eyes widened at seeing who was standing in front of her.

"Not to be rude but y-you're a dwarf!"

The red-headed dwarf scoffed. "Good news your eyesight is working. I was afraid that you were going to faint on me for a second there."

"Trumpkin, she's a Daughter of Eve from the Other World," the other voice spoke. "It's nice enough that she knows what you are. Or do you want to experience what happened with that soldier Antoine again?"

Sophie looked around, searching for the new voice, and frowned when she saw no one. The only other company was the auburn-coloured horse at a distance from her, whose rein was tied to the nail on the ground meant for boats to dock at the shore, the sound of waves unmistakable.

"I'm sorry," she started, growing confused by the second. "but where are you?"

Someone cleared their throat, making Sophie look down. Her eyes widened up once again at who she was looking at. Now this was certainly a scenario that her mind was making up and making her see.

"Yes, I am a mouse." 

Reepicheep was tired of hearing the exclaims of him being a talking mouse. It was easier to confirm who he was rather than hearing those exclaims again.

"No....uh," Sophie struggled for words. She was looking at a mouse that could talk! "I was gonna say that you are holding a sword." She cleared her throat. "It's small and really cute."

"It's a rapier, but close enough." Reepicheep jumped on top of her, making her fall on her back. He held the rapier to her throat like he had once, many years ago. "Don't call me or my rapier cute."

Sophie nodded frantically. Not two minutes in a new place and I've already been threatened twice, she thought. 

When Reepicheep jumped off of her, she sat on her knees and pinched herself. She was definitely dreaming. Talking mice? She was definitely asleep.

"She thinks she's dreaming," chuckled Trumpkin.

Sophie let out a shaky breath, chuckling at her own confusion. She had read so many fantasy books that she never would have thought she would walk into one, not that she was dismissing the idea of being asleep. Maybe the boys had caught up to her and now she was dreaming through the pain of being kicked at. 

"Where am I exactly?"

She was most definitely not in England anymore. There wasn't a bridge or a fjord beyond the woods behind her school - that much she was sure about. There was no way that mapmakers would have missed that and there was no way that the school authorities would have forgotten to mention that. 

"Beruna." The dwarf noticed that the girl before him was wearing clothes similar to what the Pevensies had worn when they showed him the ruins of Cair Paravel. School uniforms, they had called it. She couldn't be from Narnia.

"And where is that?"

"Why, dear, it's in Narnia!" The mouse exclaimed. "You are in Narnia."

"Narnia...." The name was very catchy, Sophie had to admit. "Which I'm guessing is not in England."

"It certainly is not," said the dwarf.

"Wait. Who are you?" She pointed to the two of them.

"Oh, how rude of me. I am Reepicheep." He placed the rapier back in its case, holding its hilt with pride. "The leader of the Talking Mice of Narnia."

"Talking Mice of Narnia? Is it like a club?" She tried to bring humour into that tough situation. She wasn't in England anymore, which was the only place that she had ever known. How was her mind not collapsing on her?

"It's my race." 

Reepicheep was instantly warming up to the newcomer. She had a great sense of humour as far as he had heard her talk. It wasn't often that someone would crack a joke after being threatened. Twice.

The two of them turned their heads towards the dwarf. Reepicheep eyed the girl, indicating that his friend introduced himself. 

"The name's Trumpkin."

"And do all animals talk here?" Sophie asked Reepicheep as she pointed to the horse.

"Only Narnians," replied the mouse. "You're taking all of this really well considering the situation." 

"Yeah, I'm surprised at that myself." Humour and adrenaline was what was keeping her going at that moment. If the two creatures decided to attack her at any moment, Sophie had to be prepared. There were talking animals, for Saints' sake! "What're you doing here, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Making sure that the bridge is all right," replied Trumpkin, walking across the bridge. He jumped up and down on it, knocked in several places and tightened the rope in some. Only his weight wouldn't matter but it could reveal the smallest discrepancy.

"It's newly constructed," explained Reepicheep.

"On whose orders?" 

Did this Narnia have a government or was it a monarchy? That was the information that Sophie needed before she could form any sort of plan. She didn't want to run through the woods again because she was on uncharted territory. She couldn't be Robin Hood in a land that she had never heard of before. She was most probably hallucinating, and though a small part of her wanted to be a writer some day, even she couldn't have been imagining this so much. 

"On the orders of the King, of course," said Reepicheep.

"There is a King."

"Yes, there is a King!"

Trumpkin jumped down off the bridge, tired of hearing the girl's questions. It was clear that he needed time to trust them, and it would happen faster if they could take her to the castle. There was a certain conversation with a certain badger that entered his mind.

"Where were you planning to go?" He asked, pointing to the bags that lay on the side of the bridge.

"Uh...." Sophie did not know how to answer that question and chose to ask one instead. And she asked the right question. "Wait, how did I get here?" 

Trumpkin and Reepicheep looked at each other. They had seen the Pevensies disappear through the willow tree themselves, but it wasn't on their part to know how Sophie could have reached Narnia. No one would have expected someone from the Other World to return.

"I'm sure that you have a lot of questions on your mind right now."

"Just a tad."

Trumpkin grabbed her arm like he would have any prisoner. "You need to come with us." 

"Are we going to meet the King? Can he help me?"

"The King helps everyone," Reepicheep said. "We must take you the castle if there is any chance to provide answers."

Sophie stood up and brushed her knees to get the dust out from kneeling on the ground, but Trumpkin started pushing her with the hilt of his sword. "Hey!" She grabbed it from him and held him at the sharp tip this time. "I can walk on my own, thank you."

Reepicheep smirked. Oh how the tables had turned! The girl was well-spirited. She would make a good fit here, he thought. "Trumpkin, come on." 

Trumpkin glared at her as he put his hand out for the sword, and after receiving, the two Narnians started to lead the way. They had to get back to court really quickly because the two had more than one news to impart on the King. Reepicheep wondered how their King would take it in though. This was certainly not a coincidence.

Sophie grabbed her bags from the ground and followed the two towards the horse. "Is the river magical? It healed my hand."

The two Narnians stopped walking and turned around slowly. Very dramatically, you could say. "The river healed your hand," Trumpkin said but it was more of a question.

"That's what I said." 

Trumpkin and Reepicheep shared another look. The girl wasn't ordinary. Of course she wasn't, Trumpkin thought. If they were going to meet a girl who claimed to be from the Other World out of nowhere, she was going to have magical powers. But he shared the same thoughts as Reepicheep.

This could not be a coincidence.

"You can't talk to each other telepathically, right?" Sophie chuckled. "Just want to confirm."

"Let's go," huffed Trumpkin as he took the bags from Sophie and tied them to the ropes hanging from the saddle. He didn't want to hear her whine about losing something because of him. "Do you know how to get on a horse?" He wanted to challenge her to see exactly how strong she was. If she was going to stay in Narnia by any chance, she would have to let go of all affections. But Sophie got on effortlessly, making him smile to himself.

This was only the start, he wanted to tell her. 

*****

It's beginning!!!!!!

Sophie IS part-British and part-Indian. Katrina is one of my favourite actresses and I'm glad she is my Sophie. I want to make this story as representative as possible

I hope you enjoy it!

Cast

Peter Dinklage as Trumpkin

Eddie Izzard as voice of Reepicheep