One interesting thing about the children of Lir was that while at first glance they were all physically quite different, looking almost unrelated except for the twins, their scowls were the same. Susan was the first to note this the next morning when Drystan’s siblings arrived to find him breaking his fast with the royal family. A long, thin blond girl with dark eyes, a lanky auburn-haired boy, and a shorter, blue-eyed auburn-haired girl all were shown into the throne room already bearing the furrowed brow and tight lips that their late mother, too, had let show when angry.

As though oblivious to their stares –though surely he couldn’t be; surely Drystan wasn’t that dense—he interrupted his own story and rose with open arms, beaming, “Ah, Caedmon! Cordelia! Moira! How delightful of you to join us! And just in time for breakfast.”

There was an uncomfortable silence during which the red dwarf that had shown them in coughed and announced, “Your majesties, the rest of the royal children of good King Lir.”

Another beat followed, then Lucy and Susan rose simultaneously, Susan smiling warmly, “It’s so good of you to come. Please, sit. We’ll have your things taken to your rooms. Do please sit.” Edmund and Peter rose, but it was all entirely pointless because quickly things descended into chaos.

“Yes, come on,” Drystan motioned with his hand, but his siblings didn’t budge.

After one final pause, the auburn-haired girl hissed, “I fell asleep on an ant mound last night, Drystan.”

“Oh,” Drystan made an almost comical attempt at sympathy. “Gee, that’s really terrible—“

“—Sticks in our hair—“

“—dew in our skirts—“

“—stalked by some beast—“

“—raccoons breaking into our stores—“

“ –ran out of water—“

“—raccoons!”

“For goodness’ sake, I only left you alone for one night—“

“Three!” the auburn-haired girl yelped. “You left us alone three days ago. If it hadn’t been for Jasper’s natural sense of direction and a rather charming beaver, we never would have found our way here.”

It was then that the Pevensies really took notice of the two further companions of Lir’s children, a girl somewhere around Edmund’s age that served as a handmaid to both of Lir’s daughters, and a slightly younger boy that had come along . . . well, in the event that Drystan ditched his siblings, because King Lir knew his son, and Jasper did have a slight sense of Narnia, having been also among the visiting party last time. He seemed just on the cusp of that age where boys double in height overnight; his ears arms and legs were beginning to look too long for his body.

Peter decided it was high time he stepped in and settled the chaos, so with a stern face and a hardset jaw he turned regally to Drystan and asked, “Is this true?”

“Well I suppose so . . .”

“All right then. Off with your head!”

“Finally, a king who knows the best way to handle Drystan,” the older blond girl laughed.

It had worked, and now Lucy and Susan felt free to rush forward and truly greet the royals, while Edmund and Peter hesitated a bit before bowing. They both always felt that awkwardness that comes from being young men and greeting new faces, a slight hitch in their social grace that would smooth itself out in time. At least that’s what Susan told herself with each blunder.

Everyone seemed appeased and content to sit down and eat except the younger girl, Cordelia, who continued to glower at Drystan over her toast until he finally groaned, “Oh, stop it already with the eyes. I’m sorry! Will you forgive me if I . . . take you down to the beach?”

The girl now looked torn between holding her grudge and seeing the sea, but when he grabbed her arms and twisted her, making silly faces the way one would to a child, she finally rolled her eyes, “Oh, all right. But I want to change first, as well. Elinor, would you come with us or would you rather stay here?” She said this to her handmaiden, who stood awkwardly nearby with Jasper, unsure of their proper place here.

Queen Lucy offered, “You really didn’t have to bring your own servants. We have plenty here.”

“It’s not a criticism of you, sorry,” Cordelia assured her. “It’s just that Elinor is also such a good friend of mine.”

“But do we treat them as companions to the royal family, or as servants?” King Edmund inquired, furtively glancing at Susan who would no doubt know the proper thing to do.

She was as confused as her brother, though, and so suggested kindly, “Well perhaps, since they are unfamiliar with Cair Paravel, and you are our guests, they might also be our guests? We could put them in rooms near yours . . .”

“That sounds charming. Hear that, Jasper? Now come sit near me and tell me how ridiculous my brother and sisters were when the raccoons attacked.”

“They didn’t attack, Drystan, and don’t be abrasive,” Moira scolded, giving him a pointed look. His teasing, of course, was aimed at Caedmon, who harbored a strong dislike for anything with beady or reflective eyes.

Jasper seemed perfectly happy to plop down near his former master-of-sorts, but Elinor, despite already fulfilling a more companion-like role in the lives of Cordelia and Moira, seemed uncomfortable with this proffered freedom. She perched tentatively on the chair beside Cordelia, listening silently as Susan and Lucy asked King Lir’s daughter about their travels. Edmund, Susan noticed with pride, at least had the grace to strike up a conversation – albeit somewhat forced – with Caedmon, while Peter listened to Jasper and Drystan with an amused grin, saying little.

After breakfast had ended, Caedmon and the girls changed, then rejoined with Drystan, Jasper, and the Narnian royals. Peter was laughing at something Drystan had said, and Edmund was whispering to Susan, but Lucy beamed and announced, “Are we ready? I do love going down to the beach!”

“Peter, are you coming too, then?” Susan asked, as though he had already turned down the offer.

“Oh, no, I’ve got kingdom affairs to – you know, business,” he shook his head. As if on cue, a faun came striding over to ask his opinion on some matter.

“Well King Edmund is free to come with us, isn’t he?” Cordelia pressed politely, suspicious of the scene that had just played out.

Edmund answered for himself, “Of course I’m coming. That’s the good thing about not being High king. I can stroll down to the beach whenever I bloody well please!”

“Watch your language, Edmund,” Lucy scolded with a stern look. He just laughed and puffed his chest out for a joke.

Peter playfully backhanded his stomach, then apologized, “Unfortunately, I am High King, and I don’t have the same liberties. You’ll excuse me, ladies?” He strode off before any of the ladies could answer.

“You musn’t mind him,” Susan explained, offering her elbow to Moira with a friendly smile. “He gets a bit one-tracked when it comes to kingdom affairs.”

Cordelia retorted, “Well of course. Everyone enjoys being needed.”

“Yes . . . perhaps someday you’ll be needed . . . until then, you’re rather unnecessary,” Drystan sighed. Cordelia playfully punched his shoulder but laughed, slipping her hand into Caedmon’s elbow out of old habit. Even as small children, they had walked around in this fashion, earning much adoration for it: the little red-headed twins of King Lir’s with their adorable imitations of the adult world.

Edmund still felt the need to add, a second later, “Are any sisters necessary?”

As soon as their feet touched sand, Cordelia dropped Caedmon’s arm, gave him an impish grin, and asked, “Race to that rock?” Before he had answered, she took off, Moira yelling after them without an ounce of seriousness that really, they were being most improper.

“Edmund . . .?” Lucy asked, turning to look challengingly at her older brother. He had already taken off, though, ignoring her shrieks of protest.

“Oh, to be the youngest,” Moira laughed, shaking her head at both her younger siblings.

Susan nodded, “I know. You’re—“

“Same as you, in a way. I’m the third youngest. Except I’ve got more than just one older brother.”

“I can’t imagine. Peter is more than enough older brother for me!” Susan laughed. Her eyes followed Drystan, who had suddenly tossed Cordelia over his shoulder and was sprinting across the sand with her. She screamed and kicked, though not too hard, while Lucy answered a question of Caedmon’s concerning Cair Paravel, judging by the direction of their gazes. Elinor followed quietly behind the two oldest girls.

“Well, and I’m sorry, but they really don’t get any better with age,” Moira continued. “Drystan is . . . oh, for goodness sake, I don’t remember how old he is! Drystan! How old are you!”

“Ancient!” Cordelia answered for him as he set her back on her feet.

“Twenty-five,” he rolled his eyes. She wagged her finger at him, then ducked away before he could scoop her up again.

“So then he’s two years older than me. Is that about what you and King Peter are?”

“Yes, about.”

“Well good luck with that,” Moira laughed. The seabreeze whipped her wavy hair around her face.

“So Caedmon,” Edmund posed as they found themselves left standing together. Lucy had skipped back over to wrap her arms around Susan, and Cordelia was spinning Elinor in circles in an attempt to make her relax. “What do you do for fun?”

“Fun? Well . . .”

“Do you like to ride or box or—“

“I like to build things,” Caedmon offered hesitantly. This had been the cause for teasing from all of his brothers, who each preferred to destroy things.

Edmund, however, smiled and pressed with a sense of urgency, “Yeah? Like what?”

“Well lately . . . I have this idea for a sort of catapult . . . it needs some work, though . . .”

“I’ve just been doing ships in bottles, lately,” Edmund offered with a casual shrug. “They’re stupid but Lucy gets a kick out of them.”

“Yeah, I did that for my sisters for Christmas one year. Girls always take to that sort of thing, don’t they?”

Drystan was chatting with Susan and Moira, so Cordelia beckoned Jasper and Elinor to the water’s edge with her, whereupon Lucy joined them only a second later to hear Cordelia ask, “Do you think they’ve got sea glass here?”

“We do!” Lucy grinned. “Me and Peter used to come look for it after every storm. It’s been a while since we’ve looked though so maybe there’s some here.”

Cordelia smiled at her, “I’ve heard about it but never gotten to see it. There aren’t any oceans where we come from.”

“What about lakes? It can happen there too, you know,” Lucy suggested.

“Yes, well we haven’t got any lakes, either. It’s all woods in Alsatchia. Woods and caves.”

“We’ve got a few streams, though!” Jasper eagerly pointed out. But no, the woods were too dense for lightening to reach even the banks of a stream.

“Well, it’s a shame about no lakes; it really is. But you’ve come to the perfect place!” Lucy beamed, and they set to scouring the surf for any shards of the blue-green glass.