Lands Thereafter
(Chapter 12-13)
8/18/26
Come into the Dark, but find it Glory!
Meet your lifelong heroes, robed and crowned.
You had thought to lay your own life down,
But found you were in quite a different story.
Alien, enchanted, heavenly fruit
Waits patiently for hungry, eager hands,
Outshining all the food of other lands,
And growing from reality's truest root.
But even here, some stay prisoner to their mind,
Locked into their cleverest allegory.
They will not seek the truth, so they shan't find
Anything but Dark. The stable's rot, their glory.
Starfall
(Chapter 14)
8/18/26
Down,
Down,
Down they come
Lightning-haired and eagle-eyed,
To claim the last step of their dance,
When with Time's horn the Song has died.
They were the first to join His voice,
In the great dark before the dawn.
Now at last He calls them home
When all hope for the world is gone.
Finale
8/18/26
No good thing is to be destroyed,
And nothing whole and bright shall die.
Within concentric arms of love,
Even death will be a lie.
Oh! I almost forgot.
We have an illustration to share. ^_^
Let's see if this will attach...
...any more thoughts in closing, Ariel?
Been busy, so I'll probably still be playing catch-up for a bit!
Chapter 9
I suppose my word for this one is "entreat". Specifically used when Tirian tries to tell Jill and Eustace to go home to England, then to Archenland, his purpose was to safeguard them from battle and death. Jill and Eustace in turn beg to be allowed to stay, wishing to fight -- and die, if need be -- for Narnia than otherwise. Perhaps "entreat" is too strong a word, but the tender farewell Tirian and Jewel exchange does include an earnest request. One might also say that Shift entreats Rishda to leave him be in his misery.
Chapter 10
Belief -- and unbelief -- are powerful. The machinations of Shift, Rishda, and Ginger all stem from their unbelief, though they play the part of true believers. This they use against those who do believe... and even against some who don't (the Dwarfs). The Narnians who leapt at the chance to see Aslan within the stable believed not only that Aslan really was there, but also that everything would turn out well as it had in the past. Then they balked at the threat of meeting a bloodthirsty Aslan alone (and/or one who would strike them dumb), doubting their previous belief. The Dwarfs used Tirian's evidence of Puzzle in a lion suit against Shift, then mocked him for having nothing in the stable at present; then believed that while Aslan (true or false, it didn't matter to them because they no longer believed in any Aslan) was not in the stable, that there was some real danger there. One contrast in particular that stood out to me was the Dwarfs calling for Shift to bring out "Aslan" because "seeing is believing", while Emeth insists on entering without having seen anything but the evidence of unbelief and Ginger's fate.
Chapter 11
The word for this one is "fear". There are instances of fearlessness, of course, as when certain of the Narnians rally to Tirian, but there are the natural fears of battle and the fears (on both sides) of whatever is in the stable. The matter of the stable is an interesting point of contrast, as the possibility Tash's presence within isn't actually a concern to them: Farsight scoffs at Rishda's attempt to curry favour with Tash, and Tirian and Eustace seem more interested in simply distancing themselves from the "deadly door" than in what makes it "deadly". On the flip side, Rishda and a number of the Narnians are openly terrified of what lies beyond the door.
Chapter 12
"Life", both oddly and most appropriately. The word first stood out of me when our heroes drink of the water from the rock, described as the most delicious drink of their lives. Such is their thirst and focus -- and, perhaps, a supernatural restoration for the final advance -- that it consumes their every thought. (It actually reminds me in a way of the sweet water in VDT, in that they'd "never tasted anything like it" and they all fell meditatively quiet for hours afterward.)
The word stood out to me again when Tirian purposed to "sell his life dearly". A bitter kind of expression, and rather the antithesis of life, but in these last moments, hopeless though it be, Tirian was going to make his life count in order to fight for what he believed in.
And, finally, naturally, life beyond the stable door. After the darkness and fear and death they'd experienced, all light light and cheer and more alive than they could ever know....
I had written out my reflections for the last four chapters, but it all got lost because I trusted that the forum wouldn't force me to login again. Rather than attempt to recreate it, I'll end with this: My word for the last chapter was "wonder". My reflection was perhaps long-winded and rambly, but the wonder of it brought a not unwelcome mist to my eyes yet again.
