The little girl with auburn-blonde hair hid behind a statue of a mermaid sitting on a rock in the courtyard and started counting. "...98, 99, 100!" She came out. "All right Mark Drayson! I'm going to find you!" The little girl headed toward the throne room of the castle which was Cair Paravel in Narnia.

     The girl ran through a big set of double doors. She spied around. Then she caught a glimpse of golden hair behind one of the four thrones. 'Aha!,' she thought. The child ran for it. Reaching it, she saw it was only a bit of hay. "Hmm! He thinks he can hide from me!," she said arrogantly, "I'll find you, Mark Drayson!" She ran for the stairs to the left of the thrones and ran smack dab into Mrs. Humfry, the guest and servant supervisor.

     "You Highness!," cried the female Faun, "Where are you off to in such a hurry?" She tapped a delicate goat-foot on the floor.
     "I'm trying to find Mark! We are playing hide and find!"
     "Well, Princess Elizabeth," said Mrs. Humfry, "I do believe I saw him running in a hurry toward the playroom." She smiled.

     The little princess smiled and said, "Oh, thank you, Mrs. Humfry!" She ran off to find her friend. She ran up the carpeted stairs to the first hall which contained four stair wells; the only one on the left led to her parents bedchambers, the one directly ahead led to her bedchamber and the two on the right led to various areas of the castle. She took the stair on the right that led down. It led to the playroom. after turning up and down various stairs and passages, Elizabeth found a certain long hall. She tiptoed down the hall until she came to her playroom. The door was open.

     The child princess crept in. She looked around. she looked behind the castle-shaped doll house, under the small bed and then she smiled. she could see a boy-sized lump behind the velvet curtains in front of the bay window. She went over to the window and carefully pulled the curtain back. "Found you!," she exclaimed, as she discovered Mark on the window seat.

     "You're too good at this," he said, "Let's go have luncheon with Father! It is bound to be ready!" The girl agreed and the two headed toward Mark's set of rooms. Moments later, they arrived. Mark's father and Elizabeth's teacher and guardian, Koran Drayson was reading a book. He heard them and put it down. "There you two are! I was afraid you would get lost. Let us eat this fine meal the cook has sent us." He and the children sat down. The three began eating the fruit, ham, bread and water.

     Elizabeth then began her ritual. She moved her water glass to right in front of her plate, with her bread plate to its left and the fruit to its right.
     Drayson asked, "So did you two have fun today?"
     "Oh, yes, Father!," said ten-year-old Mark, "Except Lizzie won at hide and find. But I beat her at darts!"
     Drayson replied, "Good lad. But we must not be too proud." Mark nodded in agreement.
     "It it so very hot!," said Lizzie, "I do hope Papa will let us take a trip on the ship to cool off."
     "Perhaps, Your Highness," said her guardian, "But if not, we could always go to the beach and cave." Elizabeth grinned at the prospect. She loved the little beach the three had found two summers ago.

     That night, Princess Elizabeth had supper with her parents, King Rilian and Queen Lillian of Narnia.      "What did you do today, dear?," asked Queen Lillian.
    "Oh, I played with Mark and had luncheon with him and Master Drayson. We had a lovely time." The girl chewed on a bit of ham.
     The King said, "Did you do any lessons?" He leaned back in his velvet chair and ran a hand through his blond hair.
     Elizabeth looked down at her plate. "No, Papa. But I will tomorrow."
     "There's a good girl," said Rilian, "I know what it was like at eight. I would have rather been outdoors doing something other than lessons. But you must do them, for they will help you grow up to be a good queen."
     "But I'm not eight yet!" The girl's blue eyes clouded a bit. She was a very literal little girl.
     The queen said, "But tomorrow you will and we shall have a party!" Her eyes twinkled with a secret.

     The next day, many lords, ladies and their children came to Cair Paravel to celebrate the Princess's birthday. There were also many Talking Beasts, tree and water spirits. They each represented their own kind. Mark and his father were also there.

     The party was held in the courtyard. Many tables had been brought out. Seated at the head of the main table was Princess Elizabeth. Her parents sat to her left and the Draysons to her right. Her blue eyes danced with excitement.

     King Rilian stood and called for attention. "I thank thee all for coming," he said, "At the request of my daughter, we shall have her gifts before luncheon. Bearers!" He motioned for the bearers to bring in the gifts. Elizabeth's eye opened wide when she saw the many gifts. The royal herald began to announce who the gifts were from. "From the leader of the Gentle Giants...." Elizabeth opened it. "A doll!," she exclaimed. The amount of gifts piled up; a pot of special honey from the Talking Bears, a giant oak leaf from the King of the Dryads and that sort of thing. At last they were down to the last one.

      "And from the Dwarf clans....," went the tired herald. Elizabeth gasped as she opened the Dwarfs' gift: a square, mahogany box with a carved lid. The lid was carved with little Fauns dancing in a circle. Then she frowned. She was puzzled for it had no latch to open it. The head Dwarf stood and said, "If Your Highness would feel on the under side." The princess did and in the process found a hidden latch on the underside. She twisted it and the box opened. But she found it not to be a normal box, but a music box.  "How lovely!," she exclaimed. She smiled at the Dwarf.

     Then the party was over and everyone went home.

     That night, as the royal couple tucked their daughter into her yellow canopied bed, they brought out there present. Elizabeth gasped as they brought out a little box almost like the other. Her mother handed her a necklace. "Put it into the keyhole and turn it," said the queen.

     Elizabeth put it in and turned it. Then the box opened to reveal a pair of Fauns dancing to a wonderful tune. "Oh, thank you Mama and Papa! It's perfect!," she exclaimed. They engulfed her in a hug.

     The king said, "The best a Dwarf could ever make. Why don't you read the necklace."
     Elizabeth frowned. "How can you read a necklace?"
     The king laughed. "Hold up the necklace and look at it closely"
     Elizabeth held it up. The necklace was shaped like a heart, made of silver. She looked closely. "TOGETHER IN NARNIA.," she read aloud, "What does it mean?"
     "What it means dear," said Lillian, "Is that we all shall always be together here. And if you ever have to leave, it will bring you home." She smiled.

     Elizabeth hugged her parents again in thanks. Then they tucked her into her yellow bedspread and closed the door on their way out.

     As Rilian and Lillian went to their bedroom, the king said, "I don't know what our life would be like without her. It would be sad and dreary."

       The next day, Mark and Elizabeth went riding on their Talking Ponies.
     "Race you to the dead oak!," shouted the princess. Mark excepted the challenge and the two went to the starting  line.
     "Come on, Lucy," said Elizabeth to her Pony, 'Let us get there first!" The Pony neighed in response. The pair took off, leaving Mark and his Pony, Storm in the dust.
     "Go, Storm!," cried Mark. They took off after Lizzie and Lucy. They went over several small hills and along the cliff above the sea. heading North.
     "We won!," shouted Elizabeth, as she and Lucy reached the dead oak in record time.
     "Good show!,' said Lucy.
     Mark and Storm rode up. "Not again!," exclaimed Mark, "That's the third time this week!"
     "But I bet you could beat me at archery!," said Elizabeth, "Let's go back and have a contest!" The four rode back to Cair Paravel. After putting the Ponies away, the two children went and retrieved their archery equipment and went down to the courtyard. They set up everything.
     Mark bowed and said, "Ladies first."
     "Thank you," said Lizzie. She pulled an arrow from her quiver and fitted it onto her bow. she carefully pulled back the string and let go. The arrow whizzed down the courtyard, but missed the target, hitting instead the mermaid statue. Mark stifled a giggle at Lizzie's frown. But then she recovered and fitted another arrow in her string. Then she closed on eye. "One eye open to see and one eye closed to hit." She aimed at the target and let go. The arrow sailed smoothly down the courtyard and hit the target dead center.
     Mark was aghast. But he was determined to win. "My turn," he said. He pulled back the bow string and let it go. It missed the center by an inch. "Not again!," he exclaimed.
     "I told you Papa's eye method works," said the princess, "But you'll win next time. You just have to practice." She hated to see her best friend upset and tried to make him feel better. It worked.
     "You know," said Mark, as the two went inside, "You are the smartest eight-year-old I have ever met."
     "Thank you," said Elizabeth, "Next time you shall win." But there was not to be a next time.

     Two days later it was hotter than ever. Princess Elizabeth was sitting on her window seat with the window open, trying to cool She tried to amuse herself with her dolls, but it was "so very hot."

     Then an idea came to her. "I shall visit the underground caverns," she decided. The underground caverns were very cool and many a time Narnians used to go there to cool off in the giant underground lake. She ran down to her playroom and went out the little door by the window. She told no one. "I know Papa would not want me to go there without Master Drayson, but I will not be there long," she said to herself.

     A bit late, Elizabeth reached underground caves and went into the hole in the hill. She started down the rocky path in the dark.  "I've forgotten the lantern," she said, "But I can't go back now." She continued on.

     Suddenly, Elizabeth let out a sharp cry as she tripped on a stone and went crashing down the rocky slope. The sharp rocks cut her. The little princess landed at the bottom and hit her head upon a rock. Everything went dark.