It is in Narnia that Jill first sees Eustace’s cousins. They are depicted in one of the books she picks up before the owls send them out to the mountains. All four of them wear crowns of gold or silver, are depicted riding and bear ancient, medieval weapons. She would not have known who they were if not for the description underneath and Eustace’s later confession about his cousins. The portrait didn’t much look like English children to her, and Eustace’s cousins were younger than him. The portrait certainly hadn’t depicted children. But when they return from Narnia with a much younger Caspian, and they catch a glimpse of the approaching Pevensies, Jill could almost believe the stories. But then Caspian is gone and the Pevensie’s are just children.

It is years later, when she sees Tirian in the room with them, the magic of Narnia seeping through the worlds. And now she is armed with stories and knowledge, and she sees it and believes it for the first time. Peter is firm, commanding and he expects to be acknowledged. Edmund is tense and calculating and he is expecting a trap. Lucy is eager, her fingers twitching and she is longing for an adventure. The magic of Narnia fades but Jill finds herself still able to recognize the people they were in Narnia. She had never realized just how much it had shaped them.