Princess Rose

[Author's Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned
except for Princess Rose. I just borrowed the rest for a flight of
fancy.]

It was a bright sunny day. The birds were singing and even the flowers
seemed to look more cheerful than usual. It was on this fine sunny day
that Rose Stephanie Nnylney, Princess of SummerLand, chose to take a
walk through the Sunlit Woods.

Skipping gaily over the well-worn path, she noticed another path
leading westwards, deeper into the Sunlit Woods. It piqued her
curiosity. And as it always happens in stories, Rose's curiosity got
the better of her and she followed the path.

At first, nothing was really very different about it except that it
went in a different direction. Deeper and deeper into the Sunlit Woods
she went. Was it her imagination or were the trees taller and larger
than usual? Soon Rose became aware that the wood did not have the same
feel as before. It was somehow more mysterious? More exciting? And yet
there was a feeling of calm underneath. She came to a clearing and
stopped. She looked around -

And found herself face to face with the sharp point of an arrow.

Rose started and gasped. Her gaze moved from the arrowhead to the
archer. The archer was a tall man, golden-haired and very handsome. She
then saw two more men - both also just as tall, handsome and
golden-haired as the archer. One, clad in grey, said something to her
in a queer, melodious language.

"I'm sorry. I don't understand," she said, noticing with some surprise
that they all had pointed ears.

The third Elf - for that was what they were - who wore garments of
green and brown, spoke. "He said you breathe so loud his archers could
shoot you in the dark."

"Oh." Rose was at quite a loss for words. She had a vague idea that she
ought to be somewhat insulted by that comment.

"What brings you here, little maid?" said the Elf. "And what is your
name?"

"I'm Rose. Rose Stephanie Nnylney." Somehow, she felt that her being a
princess would mean nothing to these men, who had such awe-inspiring
bearings and looks.

"Rose? It sounds like a Hobbit name," he said.

The Elf in grey interrupted him, sounding firm. He nodded.

"We must take you to see the Lady now, for you are trespassing in
L?rien."

"Um, o-kay," said Rose, uncertainly. She was definitely not in the
Sunlit Woods anymore.

"You must be blindfolded," said the Elf. "It is a rule." He held out a
cloth to cover her eyes with. Rose made no argument, knowing that when
in another's territory, it was wisest to follow their customs. She was
led through the woods with great care and found it amazing that she
never once stumbled over anything. Then she heard a gruff voice
speak.

"Hail, Legolas! What have you and Haldir brought back?"

"A young stranger, so it seems," said the Elf who had spoken to her.
"Where is Aragorn?"

"I am here, Legolas. What is it?"

Her blindfold was removed and she blinked in wonder. Beside her stood
the Elf called Legolas. There was also a short, stocky man with a long
beard and rough looks as well as a man who had a decidedly regal
bearing about him.

"Who is this?" said the man, looking at her.

"She says her name is Rose," said Legolas. "We found her wandering in
the forest not far from here."

"Well, little one," said Aragorn, bending down. "Tell me - where have
you come from?"

"SummerLand."

"SummerLand? There's no such place!" said the Dwarf, eyeing her
suspiciously.

"Perhaps it is another name for Rohan, Gimli," suggested Legolas. "Her
features are not unlike the Men of Rohan."

"That is true," admitted Aragorn.

"Unlikely," growled Gimli, still looking doubtfully at her.

A lady, tall and fair of face, came up to them and informed them that
the Lord and Lady wished to see the newcomer.

When she set eyes on the Lady, Rose instantly lost her tongue. She had
never seen anyone as magnificent and lovely as the Lady Galadriel,
resplendent in a gown of white and silver. Her long hair cascaded down,
framing her beautiful face in gold. Her husband, Celeborn, was no less
handsome than any of the other Elves Rose had seen so far. In her
opinion, these people - the Elves, or whoever they were - were an
exceedingly good-looking race.

"Who are you, child?" queried the Lady. Wise and gentle eyes looked
into Rose's brown ones. Her answer was followed by more questions, the
same as asked by Aragorn. Rose quickly tired of giving the same replies
over and over again but it was clear to her that they were just as
puzzled about where she came from as she was about what had happened to
her.

"Come now, she looks exhausted!" said a new voice that Rose had not yet
heard. She turned and saw a man - shorter than herself - about three or
four feet tall with hairy feet. He looks rather jolly and kind, she
thought. Next to him was another just like him, but that one looked a
bit more tired than he should be; as if he was carrying some great
burden.

After the unbelievably good-looking Elves, the noble Aragorn and the
wise and most beautiful Galadriel, these two were a bit of a relief for
Rose. At least they had a more down-to-earth look.

"Let her rest," said the little man. "You can see that she's tired and
dazed enough."

"The good Samwise speaks true," said Galadriel.

"Hobbits are the most practical people," commented Aragorn with a
smile. "They never fail to be pragmatic in any situation."

"I will have a place made ready for her," said the Lady. "Meanwhile,
you, Sam, can have charge of this young child."

"With pleasure, ma'am." Sam trotted over to her and took her hand.
"Come. You look like you need a good, long rest. Doesn't she, Mr
Frodo?"

The other Hobbit smiled. "That she does, Sam. Well, Rose - that's your
name, isn't it? - Sam and I will take you around a bit. We don't know
L?rien very well, though."

"That's all right. And thank you very much, Mr Sam," said Rose. "Thank
you too, Mr Frodo."

"Ah, no need for that!" Sam said. "Just call me 'Sam', if y'please. Do
you mind if I call you Rosie? You remind me of Rosie Cotton back in the
Shire."

"I do?" Rose smiled. "I'm afraid I'm not acquainted with your people or
your lands but I'll take that as a compliment. Call me Rosie if you
like. I don't mind."

As Sam and Frodo led her around, she gazed in ever increasing wonder at
the place. She barely heard anything Sam said but drank in the beauty
of Lothl?rien.

Suddenly Rose realised that Sam and Frodo were no longer with her. She
swung round. The trees, the wood - all had changed! The atmosphere was
different. The air was more damp and humid. The trees looked different
too. Now it was rather like a tropical rainforest.

Deciding that standing in one spot and gaping at the flora wouldn't
help at all, the princess walked on. All of a sudden something zipped
past her and blasted a hole in the nearest tree. She took a step
backwards in shock. A furry hand reached out and pulled her into the
undergrowth. Before she had time to cry out, another hand covered her
mouth, silencing her.

She turned her head in an effort to see her captor. She saw what looked
like a child-sized teddy bear covered in dark brown fur. The 'teddy
bear' chattered something in its own tongue. Then it peered out through
the leaves of the bushes, looking around. Rose tried to look as well
but could see nothing significant.

The 'teddy bear' released its hold on her. She turned to face it. It
babbled unintelligibly but its actions indicated that she should follow
it. With nothing to lose, Rose followed the black-eyed creature.

After what seemed to her like ages of alternately walking and crawling
through the bushes, Rose found herself standing in the middle of what
looked like a village. But most of the little buildings were up in the
trees. There were smaller 'teddy bears' running around and playing on
the ground. Several bigger ones - adults, she presumed - were talking
at the foot of a large tree.

Her little guide spoke and all attention was immediately riveted to
her. One of the other adults chattered back. More 'teddy bears'
appeared from the other houses in the trees, looking curiously at
her.

Then out of one stepped a tall, brown-haired man. He wore a black vest
open over a white shirt and black pants and boots. Next to him was a
very tall being, covered in long brown fur. The two looked at her in
surprise for a few moments. .

Without turning around, the man called, "Leia."

A woman with dark brown tresses falling down her back emerged from the
house. "What is it, Han?" Following his gaze, she saw Rose, who looked
quite lost and was feeling more than a little queasy. "Why, it's just a
girl!"

Leia came to her. "Who are you?" Rose, dumbstruck by all the sudden
changes, said nothing. "Don't worry. We won't hurt you."

"As long as you don't hurt us," Han muttered. Leia shot him a stern
glare and he shrugged.

"Ignore him. He's like that," said Leia. "I'm Princess Leia - from
Alderaan. That's General Han Solo and his friend, Chewbacca." She
indicated the hairy sentient beside the man. "He's a Wookiee."

Princess Leia? Did she just say Princess Leia? Rose was not expecting
to find a fellow royal anywhere in this forest.

"I - I'm Rose. Princess Rose."

"Princess Rose," echoed Leia. She paused a moment. "From??"

Here we go again, sighed Rose, preparing herself for the inevitable
interrogation. The questions asked were just like those the Elves had
put to her and her answers were the same. Eventually, Leia stopped
questioning her.

"You're tired. You should get some rest."

Just what Sam Gamgee had thought. Strangely, she didn't feel too tired
but she just nodded at Leia's comment. Leia brought her to a room where
she could rest.

"Tell me, please," Rose said. "Where am I?

"You're in the Ewok tribe. On the moon of Endor."

"Oh." Rose sank down onto the bed, feeling dazed. First, a forest of
Elves and now the moon of Endor. Where was this Endor anyway? It had a
moon, therefore it was a planet. But never had her astronomy tutor said
anything about a planet called Endor.

"You're lucky the Ewok scout found you when he did. Apparently, a
stormtrooper was about ready to shoot your head off."

Rose paled at the thought. Leia saw her mistake and hastily tried to
allay her fears. In the middle of a sentence Han called her and she
went outside. Rose knew that well-bred princesses did not eavesdrop but
she could not help hearing bits of their conversation.

"- I'm worried, Han."

"Luke will be fine -"

"He's going to face Vader alone!"

"He's Luke Skywalker, Leia. He's a Jedi."

Rose wondered who this Luke Skywalker was. Who was Vader that he was
going to face alone? And what in Summer was a Jedi? Princess Leia was
rather pretty in a way, Rose thought, sleepily. Elves, Dwarves, Ewoks,
Jedi? The names and images swirled in her mind as she dropped off to
sleep.

The morning sun pouring in the window woke Rose. The red curtains
flapped a little as a breeze passed nonchalantly through the room. She
stretched and sat up. Funny. She could have sworn there weren't any
curtains on the window the night before. She rubbed her eyes. Then it
hit her. This wasn't the same room. She looked around. No longer was
she in an Ewok dwelling with wooden floors and simple grass mattress.
The floor was of white marble and the bed she was sitting in was most
luxurious.

The door opened and a half-man, half-goat creature trotted in, carrying
what appeared to be a breakfast tray.

"Ah, you're awake!" it said, merrily, laying down the tray beside her
bed.

She had never seen such a creature before and gaped at it, quite
forgetting her royal etiquette training. She asked, "What are
you?"

It blinked at her. "I'm a Faun. Tumnus is the name."

"Oh," she said, weakly. This was too much. What was happening to
her??

"Where - where am I?"

"In Cair Paravel."

"Huh?"

"The palace. You're in the palace. In Narnia." The Faun looked
carefully at her. "You don't look very well. Wait. I'll fetch Queen
Lucy." Tumnus scurried out, leaving a very bewildered princess sitting
up in the bed. Narnia. So now she was in Narnia, wherever that
was.

The Faun soon came back accompanied by four people, two men and two
women, all dressed in grand robes. The eldest man - she estimated he
was about thirty at most - was tall and had the look of a great
warrior. He wore a crown on his head, as did the other three. The other
man, evidently younger, looked graver and quieter. The older lady was
beautiful; tall and gracious with black hair that cascaded down to her
ankles. But Rose thought that neither she nor Princess Leia could
compare with the golden-haired Lady Galadriel. The other lady was
blithe and fair-haired.

"Their Highnesses the High King Peter, High Queen Susan, King Edmund
and Queen Lucy to see you," Tumnus told her.

"Dear child, how do you feel?" asked the younger lady, who was Queen
Lucy.

"I'm fine, thank you," answered Rose. "But I'm just a bit
confused?"

"Confused? Why, pray tell?" enquired King Edmund of the serious
face.

"Brother," said Queen Lucy, reprovingly. To Rose she said, "Forgive my
royal brother. The King Edmund did not mean any offense."

"I beg your pardon?" Rose said. "I'm afraid I may have heard you
incorrectly, Your Highness. Did you say your 'royal brother'?"

"Yes," said the Queen. "Edmund is my brother. Just as the High King and
High Queen are my elder siblings."

"But - you are King and Queen? High King and High Queen?"

"Indeed, many are oft deceived by our royal titles," said the High King
Peter with a smile. "But we are truly brothers and sisters."

Rose was speechless. This was a whole new concept to her. Never ever
had she heard of siblings ruling together as kings and queens.

"What is your name?" said High Queen Susan, speaking for the first
time.

"I'm Rose." She decided to save them the trouble of asking more
questions and told them her whole story. When she was finished, King
Edmund shook his head in wonder.

"Here is a great marvel indeed!" he said.

"What queer adventures you've been through," said Tumnus.

"How exciting!" said Queen Lucy.

"I do not share the sentiment, fair sister" said the High Queen,
brushing a stray black hair away from her face. "The thrill of such
perils entices me not."

"Marry, it is an odd thing that you are going through," said High King
Peter, thoughtfully. "Fair consorts, it runs in my mind that perhaps
Aslan?"

"Oh yes!" Queen Lucy clapped her hands in delight. "What an idea,
brother! Of course Aslan can help her."

"But where is Aslan now?" said Tumnus. "Your Highnesses know He comes
and goes as he pleases. He could be anywhere now."

"Tumnus, my good Faun, you have taken the words right out of my own
mouth," King Edmund said. He addressed his brother. "Sir, we know not
the time and date of Aslan's coming and going."

"Wonder no more, Edmund. I am here."

All turned towards the door. The kings and queens abandoned all royal
demeanour and rushed to the majestic lion in the doorway.

"Aslan!" cried Queen Lucy. "How wonderful to see you again!"

Rose watched with wide-open eyes. Aslan? That huge lion was Aslan? The
one they claimed could help her? How would a lion help her? Indeed, it
was an exceptionally fine-looking lion but it was still a lion? Then
Aslan spoke. His voice was low and gentle. "Do not doubt me, Daughter
of Eve." Aslan came towards her.

"Rose."

The princess nearly jumped out of her skin. How did Aslan know her
name?

"I know many things," he said, as though he could read her mind. "But I
will not answer your questions now, for it is not the time for your
questions receive answers."

Rose was silent, regarding the lordly lion with a mixture of fear and
wonder.

"Now it is time for you to return to your own lands, Daughter of Eve.
Someday we shall meet again."

"Someday," she murmured.

Aslan came close to her. She could feel the lion's breath on herself,
warm and comforting. She closed her eyes? A gentle wind blew about
her?

She opened her eyes. A familiar path was before her. An even more
familiar castle was in sight. An equally familiar forest was behind
her. Rose blinked. Then she sighed with relief. SummerLand. She was
home at last.

THE END