Chapter Text
Chapter 00
Prologue
The dwarf known as Trumpkin had always doubted the legends. Long ago, he had decided that ignoring them, discrediting them, and refusing to believe in them was better than being disappointed upon realizing they were lies. His father had told him that he was a direct descendant of the only dwarf clan that had refused to join the White Witch, and that when the two sons of Adam and the two daughters of Eve arrived in Narnia, the land had flourished so greatly that other countries, such as the Calormenes and the Telmarines, began to envy them
He also told him that the day the Kings and Queens of old disappeared, the union of the human girls raised by centaurs had been called off, and that the war against the Telmarines was ultimately lost when Queens Rei and Usagi chose to consummate their union, which had been postponed for many years. Aslan was last seen that day, when he officially named the Regent Queens as Queens of Narnia on the day of their wedding.
They were ambushed on their wedding night, and their bodies were never found.
Trumpkin had cast those stories out of his memory—until today, when he found himself unexpectedly rescued from death at the hands of Telmarine soldiers by none other than the Kings and Queens of old.
Now they were sailing somberly down the river, watching the trees and towering cliffs around them with quiet attention
He was pulled back to reality and forced to abandon his fantasies and worries when little Lucy spoke, sounding quite sad.
“They’re so still,” she said.
It took the dwarf only a moment to understand what the young Queen was referring to.
“They’re trees, what did you expect?” the dwarf asked, annoyed
“They used to dance,” the young Queen replied sadly.
Trumpkin remembered that both his father and his friend Trufflehunter had told him the same thing.
“Shortly after you left, the Telmarines invaded us,” the dwarf began to explain.
“Queens Rei and Usagi led us and fought bravely for Narnia, until one night when they were ambushed. The survivors hid in the forest, and the trees… well, they fell into a deep sleep from which they have yet to awaken.”
“I don’t understand—Aslan let this happen?” Lucy asked, distressed.
“Aslan?” the dwarf asked, incredulous. “He abandoned us at the same time you did.”
Trumpkin turned sadly back toward the trees, unable to hold the intense gaze of young Lucy.
“Rei and Usagi became Queens of Narnia?” Susan asked with a smile. “I’m sorry we weren’t there for their wedding.”
“They were Regent Queens for years. The only time Aslan was seen after you left was the day he named them Queens of Narnia—it's said to have been on their wedding day.”
“That can’t be…” Edmund said firmly. “The wedding would’ve been a few days after we left chasing the white stag—it was meant to be our gift to them.”
“Queen Usagi asked to postpone the wedding until you returned. It’s said that every night, after dinner…”
Every night after dinner, Rei would take her fiancée’s hand and, before all those present, kneel at the blonde’s feet.
“Will you become my wife tomorrow?”
And every night, she received the same answer.
“My love, you know nothing would make me happier than to spend the rest of my life by your side as your wife.” Then Usagi would kneel as well, take the brunette’s face in her hands, give her a tender kiss, and upon rising, she would continue:
“But I won’t be—until they return.”
Usagi truly believed the Kings and Queens would come back, and for a time, all Narnians believed it too—because they believed in her.
After a few years, as the war against the Telmarines grew more savage and merciless by the day, even the Regent Queens lost hope of ever seeing them again. Yet the answer each night remained the same.
All Narnians had stopped calling them Regent Queens. Though the Great Lion had not made it official, they were already the Queens of Narnia.
They managed to keep the people united and prevented Narnia’s annihilation at the hands of the Telmarines, who were beginning to outnumber the Narnians.
Ten years after the disappearance of the Kings and Queens, during a battle, they had to split into two fronts—one led by Queen Rei, the other by Queen Usagi.
Narnia won that battle at the foot of Cair Paravel, but suffered many casualties and even more wounded, among them Queen Rei, who asked to be taken to her fiancée.
“So I can sleep in her arms,” she explained sadly.
She was mortally wounded, and no one believed she would survive. When news of her condition reached Queen Usagi, she dropped everything and ran to her side.
Rei tried to rise upon seeing her, but the blonde stopped her.
“You’ll be fine. We’ll search through Lucy’s things so you can heal.”
Upon hearing those words, half the army scattered to find a way to save their Queens. They knew that if something happened to one, the other would soon follow.
The other half stayed behind to defend them in case the Telmarines attacked again.
That night, there was no dinner, and Rei could not kneel. But she took Usagi’s hands in hers, brought them to her face, kissed them tenderly, and while keeping contact with her right hand, she used her left to take the chain hanging from her neck.
She opened Usagi’s palm and placed the chain in it, from which hung a ring so vividly colored it seemed to be made of fire itself.
“Will you become my wife tomorrow?”
“My love, you know nothing would make me happier than to spend the rest of my life by your side as your wife,” Usagi replied, tears in her eyes. Then she placed a soft kiss on the brunette’s lips, who couldn’t help but smile at her fiancée’s stubbornness.
The blonde ended the kiss and returned the ring Rei had just offered her
What happened in the following minutes surprised the Narnians and remained engraved in their memory as the moment when everything changed.
The blonde imitated the brunette’s actions from a moment ago and removed the chain from her neck, from which hung a ring so silver it seemed to be made from the rays of Moonlight itself.
“You must be strong and fight so tomorrow I can give you this ring that has hung from my neck, waiting to be on your finger for ten long years. Tomorrow, once we’ve exchanged rings, I will be your wife.”
Rei began to cry as well. She knew Usagi wasn’t saying it just because she knew the brunette would die—she truly wanted her fiancée to fight to live. Usagi regretted having waited so long; from the beginning, it had been obvious that the Kings and Queens would not return, but she wanted to give hope to the People of Narnia.
“Alright, I’ll wait until tomorrow,” Rei said, smiling but in pain from her wounds. She hung the chain with the fire-colored ring back around her neck, while Usagi hung the silver ring around hers.
“I love you, Rei. Forgive me for having made you wait so long,” she said, leaning over the brunette and kissing her with all her soul, completely surrendering in that gesture of love.
At the same time Rei and Usagi shared that kiss, the earth trembled, and in the distance a roar echoed in the ears of the Narnians until they saw the Great Lion approaching through the forest.
Amid cries and cheers, Aslan approached Rei and Usagi, who hadn’t noticed anything until he was beside them. The Narnians knelt before him and silently prayed for him to save their Queens.
“Oh Aslan!” Usagi cried upon seeing him. “If you’ve come to take her, I beg you to take me too. I can’t live without her,” the blonde pleaded with the lion as she hugged him tightly, tears covering her face.
“No, little one. You will both be well now that you’ve chosen to continue your union.”
“How do you know?” Rei asked.
“Because I will help you,” Aslan said, stepping even closer to Rei and gently letting his breath caress the brunette’s face, who little by little stopped feeling pain and began to regain her strength.
The Narnians were joyful—their Queens were safe, and now that Aslan had returned, the Telmarines would not stand a chance.
The next morning, everyone was gathered in the Great Garden of Cair Paravel to witness the long-awaited union of their Queens. The ceremony was presided over by Aslan himself.
“Narnians, as you know, today we are gathered here to celebrate the union between Rei and Usagi, both of the Ranetco Clan of the Centaurs… Rei, Usagi, are you both here of your own free will, without being forced by anyone and motivated only by love for one another?”
Rei and Usagi intertwined their hands, losing themselves in each other’s gaze, knowing this was the happiest day of their lives. Both nodded, smiling and never breaking eye contact.
“Very well, who is here to give away Usagi Metzli?” asked the Great Lion.
“I, Oreius of the Ranetco Clan, son of Wraith and Tristla, as her mentor and as her father.”
Rei and Usagi kept smiling. They both considered Oreius their father—he had raised, cared for, and trained them since they were very young. Ever since Aslan had brought them to him after finding them lost in the forest, just after the war with Queen Jadys.
“I, Arius of the Ranetco Clan, son of Oreius and Elineda, as her brother.”
The centaur smiled at the Queens. Rei was surprised—Arius had never agreed with their union and had never acknowledged them as his sisters, though he had always made sure they were safe, especially Usagi. A moment of silence followed, filled with indescribable calm and comfort.
“Is there anyone else who gives this woman away?” Aslan ventured to ask.
Usagi and Rei smiled sadly. They had planned for the Kings and Queens to give them away, and now that was impossible. Then the brunette had an idea.
“I, Rei Tletl of the Ranetco Clan, daughter of Oreius and Elineda, as her friend, sister, and lover.”
Usagi smiled playfully—she didn’t think it was allowed for one of the people getting married to give the other away. Aslan let out a hearty laugh, and all of Narnia smiled. Everyone knew they were meant for each other and that it had always been so, even if it had taken them ten years to understand their feelings and another ten to reach this moment.
“Very well, but then you must make a small change to your title…” said Aslan, once again drawing Rei and Usagi’s attention. “Repeat it, but instead of sister, say warrior, Rei.”
Rei nodded, took Usagi’s hands in hers, and tenderly kissed her knuckles before continuing.
“I, Rei Tletl of the Ranetco Clan, daughter of Oreius and Elineda, as her friend, warrior, and lover.”
“Who is here to give away Rei Tletl?” the lion then asked.
“I, Oreius of the Ranetco Clan, son of Wraith and Tristla, as her mentor and as her father.”
“I, Arius of the Ranetco Clan, son of Oreius and Elineda, as her brother,” he said, winking at Rei, who smiled even more.
“Aslan, I…” Usagi began, hesitant. Aslan smiled and nodded, encouraging her to continue. “I, Usagi Metzli of the Ranetco Clan, daughter of Oreius and Elineda, as her friend…” Usagi hesitated—should she say the same as Rei? Aslan noticed and whispered in her ear. The blonde was surprised but continued.
“…as her friend, princess, and lover.”
Rei blinked, confused, searching for an answer in Usagi’s eyes. Usagi shrugged and pointed to the Great Lion beside her.
“People of Narnia!!” Aslan began. “Do you accept the union in marriage of these two beings?”
All the Narnians shouted in unison: “We accept their union!”
The Lion smiled at the couple.
“Now it’s up to you,” he whispered gently.
Both reached for the chains around their necks and, at the same time, took out the rings they would offer. The blonde asked her almost-wife to let her speak first; the brunette nodded.
“I was told that loving someone means giving them the power to break your heart—but trusting that they won’t. For years, I’ve belonged to you in body and soul, and you’ve held my heart since I can remember. This ring is the physical representation of my heart. Rei, do you accept my heart?”
“Yes, I do,” the brunette replied, her voice tight with emotion.
Usagi slid the ring onto Rei’s ring finger, and the brunette felt herself filled with a strange but comforting light. The blonde kissed the back of her fiancée’s left hand tenderly. Rei took a moment to center herself and find the words she had planned ten years ago.
“I know that marriage is a great change, and we usually fear change the way we fear the dark,” Rei began. Usagi made a slightly uncomfortable face at the comment—she had always feared the dark and didn’t understand why the brunette was bringing it up. Was she trying to make her fear public?
“I was told that fear of the dark isn’t fear of the absence of light—it’s fear of the unknown. If you accept it, I would like to light our path, drive away the darkness, and discover the unknown together. My being has belonged to you since the moment I met you in the forest. My heart has been yours since I first saw you, my angel. This ring is its physical representation. So, Usagi, do you accept my heart?”
“Yes, I do,” Usagi replied, tears forming in her eyes.
Then Rei slid her ring onto the blonde’s ring finger, and Usagi felt herself wrapped in a blazing yet warm and comforting fire. This time, the brunette intertwined her left hand with Usagi’s left hand and held them up to their faces.
Oreius approached his daughters with a cord made of leather, cotton, and silver fiber, and wrapped it around Rei and Usagi’s hands, starting at their wrists.
“I, Centaur Oreius, leader of the Ranetco Clan, met you twenty years ago… I am proud that you found your path, and my heart rejoices knowing that yours are in good hands. I raised you both as my daughters, and it is an honor to share this moment with you. This cord represents your union on three levels: the leather is your physical bond, the cotton your mental bond, and the silver fiber represents the spiritual bond between you.”
With those words, the cord became invisible to all eyes.
“From this moment on, you are united by creation force itself, and nothing—natural or supernatural—can break that bond.”
“Now you are wives, and it is your mission to care for one another,” declared Aslan.
Rei and Usagi smiled broadly and shared their first kiss as each other’s wives. When they parted, still smiling, applause erupted among the Narnians, who were overjoyed for their Queens. Aslan smiled sadly, knowing that the end of this era was drawing near.
“One more thing, little ones.” Rei, Usagi, and all the Narnians turned in silence to look at the Great Lion. “You have done a fine job guiding Narnia through this war, and the Narnians adore you. Please kneel.”
The blonde and the brunette, surprised, did as the Lion asked. A deep silence reigned among the Narnians. Aslan placed one of his paws on Usagi’s shoulder and blew gently over her head, making a silver crown appear above her. Then he repeated the process with Rei, whose crown was red like Fire. The Narnians rejoiced—Aslan was officially recognizing the Regent Queens as the true Queens of Narnia.
“Rise, Queens of Narnia,” he said. They both stood. “People of Narnia, I present to you Queen Usagi, the noble, and her wife Queen Rei, the fierce. Once a King or Queen of Narnia, one is always a King or Queen of Narnia.”
The celebration that had begun was interrupted in the late afternoon, when news arrived of a Telmarine attack.
“They managed to repel the Telmarines,” Trumpkin continued. “Aslan disappeared before reaching the battlefield. Queens Rei and Usagi ordered the camp to be set up there instead of returning home. The Telmarine retreat turned out to be a trap, and during the night they attacked the camp, killing and burning everything in their path. The survivors said it was very sudden, and that the tent where the Queens were sleeping was the first to catch fire. Their bodies were never found or identified—the only things recovered were ashes and the burned crowns lying atop them.”
“We shouldn’t have gone after the doe. Usagi asked us not to leave,” Edmund said angrily.
“We didn’t want to abandon them,” Peter declared.
“But that doesn’t change anything, does it?” Trumpkin couldn’t help but feel anger at hearing the High King say that.
“Take us to the Narnians, that will,” Peter said firmly. With those words, he kept rowing, determined to set things right in Narnia. He couldn’t bring Rei, Usagi, or anyone else back to life—but he would free his people from the Telmarines.