Ever since Sophie returned to Telmar after the voyage, people were curious to know her side of the story. Rumira and Sophie spent a lot of time together getting to know each other and Evelyn would join them too after her work was done. Nina was happy to see the Queen and Rumira walk into the kitchen and take the desserts that were prepared for lunch. 

Nina was going to protest but Rumira executed her part of the plan perfectly. "Mother, I think you have forgotten to add salt in this." She took a quick taste of the sauce in the pan and created the distraction that they needed while Sophie took the tray away.

That day, Sophie took Cassie out of her stall and both of them walked down to a place that Caspian and Sophie had claimed for themselves - a meadow. It was an open field that spread for acres and Sophie took Cassie out for a run there. It was a place that would hold a lot of memories for her with everything that was going on.

Sophie lay down in the soft grass where she counted her blessings. Cassie jumped on top of her and then eventually lay beside her. The two of them looked at the peaceful clouds, recognising the patterns that were forming. Cassie wanted to eat the clouds and let out a small bark when Sophie put her arm around her. 

"That looks like Thomas, doesn't it? I know, buddy. I know. Things really are changing this time. I'm getting....married. It seems strange doesn't it?" 

It was such a huge commitment which she was doubting that she was ready for. The Professor and Trumpkin were confident that she would be a wise ruler and that the lessons that she had been learning from them, though different from the ones that they would have taught a potential ruler, was more than enough for her to protect everyone.

The meadow was the one place where Caspian and Sophie sneaked to meet each other because the Professor had advised them to close down the doors to the towers. With such a direct connection to the north tower, they knew that it was better if they locked the towers and not directed attention to the fact that they had a new spot.

It was great to be back home.

Sophie thought about what Caspian had wanted her to think about. She couldn't really think about one person that she would wholeheartedly trust with her life. She didn't think that there would be any volunteers for the job either. Personal guard to the girl from the Other World? Sounds preposterous. But she wasn't only the girl from the Other World, was she? Sophie's time in Narnia had proved that she needed to stop doubting her abilities and stop thinking low of herself. But that was who she was.

She trailed her hand against the grass, feeling peaceful. This was what life was supposed to be - peaceful. All the social interactions and gatherings that she would have to eventually take part in was a detail she chose to ignore and only thought about how it took her so long to find herself. But once she did that, her life changed completely.

When she got used to the fact that she could start afresh and lead a new life in Narnia, her feelings betrayed her and she realised that she was in fact having feelings for the King of Narnia. When Caspian revealed his feelings, that changed a part of her, one that she had promised to never do ever again - hurt herself to protect others. And once that happened and she agreed to the reality that she had feelings for him as well, she got to know that she was the child of the original Rulers of Narnia - King Frank and Queen Helen.

Way to go, fate! Great way of dropping bombs on my emotional health! But this may be a direct reference to me though. After all, I'm the one telling her story to the world.

The next few years were hard. The White Witch of Narnia returned and created havoc. Sophie had to leave Narnia in order to protect Caspian from the same fate. She made friends with the Older Rulers in the house of their cousins and returned to Narnia with them and dealt with yet another Witch, who was also involved in the murder of her parents and the genocide of Narnians. Caspian proposed to her, and the Pevensies, Eustace and Reepicheep had to leave.

Her life had never been more exciting or emotional. And it was all worth it in the end.

If anyone had told her during any English class that she would get to live a fantasy, Sophie would have laughed right in their face. It seemed too impossible - nope, improbable - for it to come true. If she had been given a choice right then where they would have told her the ending of her story and asked her if she would want to continue, she would say yes without hesitating. Because even though her life had been difficult to think about, she was grateful for having met everyone that she loved more than herself. She got to meet Caspian and she was privileged to have his love.

She wouldn't choose herself over them in any world.

But I wish I could have told her all the hardships that were waiting for her to face, all the pain and misery that were coming for her. The darkness was only the beginning, for fate had other plans, worse plans, for the King and Queen of Narnia, as it always did.

But the next chapter of Sophie's life had begun. She was in Narnia and she had to start creating moments that she would take with her her entire life. She had to leave the Other World behind in a way that she didn't have to before.

She was going to get married.

She was only twenty-one years old.

The years after she returned, she had spent her time with the ones that she cared about - Caspian, Trumpkin, the Professor, Nina, Marcus, Alexandre, Evelyn, Rumira, Cassie, Thomas, Mr. Zahair, Glenstorm, Thunderride, Lilliandil, Coriakin and so on. She was grateful for having all of them in her life. That made her think about something. Caspian wanted her to have ladies-in-waiting for the sake of it. She was making friends slowly and thought about what it would be if she was able to get them an official position. They wouldn't have to worry about spending time with her so informally and she wouldn't have to worry about what people would think.

"Cassie? I think it is time that we head back."

It was time to make a pros/cons list about the possibility of asking her friends to be her ladies-in-waiting.

Ever since her powers surfaced, Sophie started to take lessons at the creek near the Telmarine Castle. The naiads of Telmar had been given strict instructions from Commander Octavian about them teaching Sophie how to control water. Thunderride was present there to help her with the training. The two of them had spent practically every morning together and she could notice that her Queen was in a mood that day. "All okay?"

Sophie huffed. "Caspian wants me to choose ladies-in-waiting and a personal guard."

The young centaur raised her eyebrows at Sophie. "Woah! You're making big decisions then."

Sophie sighed. "I never thought life would change so much, you know? My biggest worry five years back was to get through school and think about how I would be facing the world after I was out of the foster system. I have never been prepared to rule seven lands as one person."

"Get used to it, Your Majesty. This is only the beginning. I'm technically not supposed to address you with you name because, well...."

She was struggling for words. "The confident Thunderride is not able to talk today." Sophie teased. "I know, don't worry about it. I hope people realise that I'm still me and that I still like relying on people that make me feel....safe."

She nodded. "Well then, shall we start your training?"

The naiads taught Sophie how to expand her vacuum spheres so that conversations could take place inside easily. It was basically a sphere that would create a space free of water on the sea bed so people could talk to each other. The mermaids helped her control the extent of the sphere by slowing down the speed of water. But Thunderride was definitely Glenstorm's niece, and she was neither helpful nor easy. She was very strict and increased the flow of water while Sophie tried to hold the sphere. She put up a fight and was able to master it within a few days.

Then came the task that she was really looking forward to - controlling water over fire.

After finishing the training at the creek, Sophie shook the water from her hands and wiped the water droplets from her eyebrows. She walked into the forest and saw Thunderride holding a candle in her hand. "So?" Sophie raised her eyebrows at the centaur, who smiled and dropped her candle. Sophie was too late to realise what had happened until she was standing in a ring of fire. "Thunder!"

"Fight your way through it."

Sophie looked around her. She was stuck. There were no water bodies around and she had never tried to control water from such a distance. "I...." Panic surged through her as fear of burning took over her thoughts.

"Think, Sophie! Think! Don't let the heat distract you."

Sophie was hyperventilating but tried to control her breathing when Trumpkin's taunts entered her head. She couldn't disappoint him. Thunderride looked worried. After all the training, Sophie should have figured out one very important detail, but this would be the best way for her to be the teacher that she was appointed to be. "The creek is not the only water body here."

Sophie looked at her, her words starting to make sense. The creek wasn't the only water body around.

Sophie brought her hands together as if they were on top of the other and let out a deep breath. She closed her eyes and willed for the moisture in the air to come to her help, feeling a chillness seep through her as the water answered.

"That's it. That's it, Sophie. That's it," motivated Thunderride as she saw the queen's eyes turn blue, her energy and the water's energy combining together as one.

The heat seemed to die down and when Sophie opened her eyes, the last steam from the burnt out fire was escaping the ground. When she looked down, she saw that the hem of her skirt was singed, but she was unhurt. "Ah, I liked this dress."

Thunderride nodded approvingly when Sophie walked over to her. "Not bad, my Queen. Not bad at all." She had been expecting Sophie to take the water from the trees around from the perspiration but using the moisture in the air was another magical way. She had seen water droplets form out of nowhere and fall drastically on the fire to help their creator. This was what real magic was.

"Next time," Sophie breathed out. "Give me a fair warning."

"Well, to be honest, the enemy never gives you warning. This will be useful to you one day. Trust me." Thunderride winked. "How was your gravity bubble training?"

"Ah that!"

Gravity bubble was a technique that Commander Octavian had tried to teach Sophie in short when he helped the Dawn Treader from the tardiness of the Green Mist. It was a way of controlling water so that Sophie could ride it without the molecules acting up. At least, that was the explanation that she could come to because the subject of chemistry in Narnia was different from the one that she had learnt in her previous world.

Controlling the molecules was difficult because it required her to imagine what it would look like. And guess what? She did not like chemistry, and now she was regretting not paying attention to her classes. Imagining them came hard but Sophie's teachers were quite patient with her. They told her to imagine a block of wood and then think about shaking it. But she was improving on it. When Caspian asked her how she had managed to do it before, she didn't know how to tell him that she was trying to save him. That's what motivated her.

And that day, Sophie had found her key.

"It's going really well. They are impressed by my new motivation." Now that she had found the cause behind what anchored her powers, it was easy to bring about the motivation. She wanted to protect other people. That's all she had ever wanted.

"And how are the wedding preparations?" The look on Sophie's face made Thunderride break out laughing. "Come on, it cannot be that bad! I know there is a lot of pressure but you've got to enjoy this. After all, you only get married once. For you, I mean."

"It is that bad. I'm the bride and I'm not even worried about it."

"Nina is hovering over you, is she?"

"She wants everything to be perfect. And I am going crazy there! They are not allowing Caspian to see me. I have no clue what is running in their minds. Evelyn seems to be around me constantly and Trumpkin and the Professor aren't leaving Caspian's side. Even Rumira seems to be a part of this."

"All this will get over soon, right? The date is nearing. Glenstorm is getting the location ready. They are...." Thunderride didn't want to reveal too much. The preparations were taking forever because nobody wanted it to look similar to the coronations of the King and the Queen, and this may be an occasion where they may be graced by His presence. Everything had to go right. "They are....deciding on the flowers."

Sophie raised her eyebrows at her. "You are a bad liar, my friend."

"I didn't know what else to say!"

Sophie laughed. "Wait, that reminds me. Robin wanted to meet me. Oliver wanted us to confirm the location actually for the setting on the table and-"

"I get it. They need you to do bridal stuff." She stopped trotting. "Well, thank you for keeping me sane over all this fuss."

"You are stealing my lines. I should be saying that!" Sophie saluted with two fingers as she ran in the direction of the woods. "Have fun with the hidden location!"

"Have fun yourself!"

*****

I hope you have read 'Metamorphosis'

If you haven't, I suggest you do it right away!
If you don't, the rest of the story will not make sense!

I really love the gifs for this chapter