While you've been away, things have . . . changed

Mina

"Yes, I do dare say that would be most appreciated," the Doctor calmly manages to say. "Now, either Fred the bear or Freda the cow . . . whichever one feels like it, please?"

The . . . talking cow decides to inform us of the goings on in these strange parts.

. . .

Granted, mind you, that I do rather find it . . . .odd that we should be speaking to an actual cow. . . having a actual bloody intelligent conversation with a cow. . .

. . .

Then . . .again, this is from a (no longer necessarily "proper") former Victorian woman turned female Oriental dragon, talking about the oddity of having intelligent conversations with talking farmyard animals. With talking animals, period?

. . .

Who in Heaven's name am I to speak?

. . .

What we do learn from Freda the cow is odd . . .but considering everything I have thus far seen while adventuring with the Doctor I cannot say that it is much more than "odd".

. . .

Strange turns ones life takes at times . . .

Well, what we DO learn from this talking animal (one member of the rather populous animals denizen of this realm, Narnia) . . .

. . .

Narnia? I would swear that I have heard that name whispered back at MI- 5, back whilst in the employment of Mr. Bond, but what exactly . . .

No, nevermind that right now.

We learn that Artizza and Fertal indeed were right about this place and that talking lion . . . which dear Allan unfortunately shot rather . . . hastily.

. . .

He has this thing about lions. Really! I surely cannot blame him for having . . . er . . . jumped the gun and jumping to conclusions that Aslan could have been hostile!

Right?

. . .

Well, maybe he was a wee tad . . .

Alright, he was bloody out of line doing that! Happy?

I just hope that the Doctor and the others can smooth this one out between Allan and Aslan

. . .

Right, back to what we learn from the cow Freda . . .

We learn that this land called Narnia had been under the iron grip of an evil witch called Jadis (according to Artizza and Fertal . . .wasn't that the name of that one strange woman who had stolen jewerly from one of my uncles long ago in London . . .nevermind). Now, according to prophecy this evil witch was supposed to be defeated by human beings and said human beings (plural) shall then take up the thrones (four thrones in all which I take as to mean that there would have been for human beings)at the capitol: Cair Paravel. However, somewhere along the line between the showing of the first fated human being, a young girl by the name of Lucy Pevensie (who shall never now be known as "Queen Lucy the Valiant"), and the second fated human being, a young boy named Edmund Pevensie (who shall now never be known as "King Edmund the Just") things started going awry when some eldritch land known as "Game 3" intruded into things, knocking things about.

When the dust settled instead of the Pevensie children having saved the day, Atrizza's old travel companions had a hand in matters (as well as a feminized but still human analog of Fertal) in putting Jadis down. The Champions, not being able to assume the throne (prior commitments shall we say to the Rules and Agents being the least of things), that left only that female analog of Fertal's: Winifred. She became through need and by luck the ONLY ruler of the land of Narnia, consolidating the four thrones into one. . . .which of course put to paid that prophecy in spades.

That and because a lot of the underpinnings of this rather odd world (a flat world) had been damaged by the intrusion of Game 3 into the works, Aslan (who had actually SUNG this place into being) had to do a LOT to get things back to right.

Oh, I guess he did a right good job of it, considering, but . . . a few things had to be . . . modified with the Deep Magic of this realm (which somehow had gotten tangled up with that now defunct prophecy).

Now that there is only one human in charge of this land of Narnia (and an immortal one to boot)? The backstory is . . .long and tedious at best so I shall be brief . Why . . .that means that no MORE humans can come in and I mean exactly that! If a pure strain (for want of a better term) human being steps onto the lands of Narnia . . .they shall find themselves PERMANENTLY transformed into non-humans. That means either the more "traditoinal" races of myth and magic, some kind of non-human species only found in the CS Lewis franchise, or . . . a talking animal.

Thus why we now have four cows.

To be sure, we have made it our business to make note which set of cows came with us (in case when they DO regain their senses after having to magically sedate them to keep them calm). . . .mustn't hurt feelings by calling newly transformed bovines by the wrong name, I gather.

God, they're going to be on edge enough as it stands, emotionally. Why add to it?

But when we DO finally have Aslan back with us, conscious (and manage to calm him down a bit . . .even HE has limits, you know) he informs us that, despite our hopes to the contrary, that while the cows are IN Narnia (which as it happens is a "pocket universe" from what I gather from how Aslan explains it . . .a term I picked up somewhere along the way from B'Elanna I believe during one of those "techno-babble" she sometimes is in the wont of giving off). . . he cannot undo what has been done.

"Very well that," Artizza finally says. "But what about this Earth that the children have gone? If we take our transformed friends . . . and these other strangers . . ."

Aslan allows that though somewhat weakened still from his efforts to put things to right here in Narnia (and giving a somewhat annoyed glance back Allan's way which seems to hint that ONLY because of that was Allan's shot even able to do what it managed)

And the next thing you know, we all are (cows magically in tow) are pushing our way first through low hanging evergreen branches . . . and then through coats on hangers?

1. "Do hope that Digory does not mind our rather unannounced arrival," Aslan says softly, treading ahead of us. He then pauses briefly as a doorway (to a wardrobe of all things!) opens with only a small nod from the loin, and then we step through.

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