I was thinking about The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe and how it ended and the transition to Prince Caspian.

Quick sidebar who loved Edmund? He was the most relatable and went through the most growth… in fact no I’ll dedicate a post to him (also he was hot).

Anyway at the end of the first movie they are out riding horses doing royal stuff and chasing an animal when Lucy rediscovered the passage to the wardrobe (it’s been a while since I’ve watched/read the story) and they all ended up going through it and becoming kids again.

So in the books I can’t remember if it said how long they ruled for. Wait… let me Google this. Okay Google says fifteen years. So they stayed there for that long, grew up to young adults and that period is referred to as the golden age of Narnia, must be nice.

They were kings and queens whilst Peter was the high king and Susan was the high queen.

One of the points of contention in Prince Caspian is Peter having trouble adjusting to life as a normal person. And then when he’s in Narnia he has trouble letting go of control to Caspian. Although it should be said the trouble is hyped up in the movies. When I read the book Peter and Caspian did not have that much beef.

So I was thinking about that and someone online pointed out that they lived as adults only to get turned back into kids when they went back through the wardrobe.

In fact they even forgot about their old life. Lucy didn’t even recognise the lamp post. I mean, can you imagine living such a magical life for fifteen years only to get thrust back into the alternate reality and you don’t even get to say goodbye to anyone?

That got to me as a kid, they didn’t even get to say goodbye.

But back to my main point, they grew up. They went through puberty, Peter was a good king, a natural leader, Edmund was a boss and a great fighter, Susan and Lucy were great queens too. They fought in wars, ruled peacefully and they went through puberty.

In Prince Caspian the ending is bloodier? It’s more graphic? It’s not scary or anything as it’s a children’s book but it’s made clear that Peter kills Miraz. He does it without hesitation which is what shocked me. So imagine going back to the alternate reality in the first book and having to deal teenagers knowing you can take them all. Imagine having to deal with the disrespect on the daily. Ooh it would humble Peter quick! (Or frustrate him).

In the movie his troubles reintegrating into society makes sense. It’s a very jarring shift that he has to go through.

I feel like because Edmund has been through some things he’s able to take everything on the chin. Almost getting killed by the Witch can make you appreciate life in whatever form it takes.

And then there’s puberty. Imagine going through it once and then going back to the alternate and having to go through it again!

I’m not going to lie, after the goodbye thing this upset me the most. Puberty is such a turbulent time. It’s annoying, it’s distressing and confusing and your hormones are your enemy. You’re telling me they had to go through it twice?

Nah, I’d protest!

And yeah there is the possibility that because they’ve been through it once they’d have the wisdom to navigate it a second time but I think because they have the wisdom and they would be extra frustrated. They clearly retained the knowledge and skills they gained in the Narnia as ruling siblings so imagine having that and being a child again?

(Also if someone told me I could go and experience puberty again with my current mind I wouldn’t. Even if I would be wiser and make better choices I ain’t going through that again!).

Plus adults don’t take you seriously. I’m in my mid-twenties and I have this problem. I’ll be talking to someone older than me and a problem arises that I’ve encountered before so I’m like, “Try this…” and they’ll be like “Nah!” and then someone else says it, someone older, and they’re like “ok” and when it works they’re like, “Wow thanks!” And I’m sitting there like, “Really? REALLY MARGARET?”

So imagine dealing with that all the time.

So whilst going to Narnia seems like fun, returning to the alternate reality seems like a nightmare. I would highkey stay in Narnia. I would highkey get married and have kids and send my parents a letter like, “I ain’t never coming back! You thought!”

But that’s just me.

 

Ps: Phew! I didn’t think I’d make it this week with my musings post but I did! I actually wrote!! I’ve been productive recently so yay!