This is a rewrite of the original story. Don't worry, I kept all the same names so it won't be confusing. Sorry that I haven't updated in forever. You can hate me for that. I'm just working through all my stories; taking some down, rewriting others, and starting some new ones that I'm waiting till I'm done with before posting them. Anyways, enjoy this rewrite. See you next time.
"When will you leave?" A man asks. He voice stoic and cold; sounding nothing like the warm night and landscape that surround the two. A young woman frozen in the middle of the room, lowered to a curtsy with her eyes not daring to look at the owner of the voice.
"I leave at first light, Your Majesty." The young woman said politely, keeping her voice soft and her tone short. She knew the King was already in a foul mood, it would do her no better to anger him further.
"I wish you safe travels Milady." The King said curtly. The woman nodded her head, though the King could not see it.
"Thank you My Lord." The woman, still frozen in her spot, dared to look in the direction of the King. His back was turned towards her, his eyes trained at the crackling flames dancing in the fire place. What stood before her was the very image of the well respected and beloved King of Narnia; the man of legends, The Son of Adam, and chosen by Aslan himself. The young woman should've been terrified, if not intimidated. But all she saw was a broken man who hadn't shown the courage to even present his face to her. Though she couldn't blame him; she was sure that he hated her with all of his being. It was a surprise when he requested her presence in the private hall.
"If that is all you wished to know Your Majesty, I shall take my leave; with Your Majesty's permission." The young woman asked politely, feeling bolder then before and keeping her eyes trained on his back.
"You do not have my permission to leave Lady Griffin." The King bit back, the words falling from his lips harsher than the tongue lashing she had received earlier from her mother.
"Please do not leave." The King whispered out, his voice soft and weak as he spoke. In an instant the young woman's head shot up, no longer shy or timid about her open gawking, and stared straight in to the King's hazel brown eyes. Her own eyes brimmed with tears that were moments away from falling freely down her face. Hearing his voice broke her heart even more than it was already.
"I- I cannot do that Your Majesty." She stuttered out. "Please-, please understand why I cannot." She looked him in the eyes, bloodshot and puffy from what she suspected was crying.
"Do you love him?" The King whispered out. Lady Griffin hesitated to answer the King's question. Of course she already knew the answer but what she wanted to say was not the answer that was expected of a lady of her standing. She opened her mouth to answer but her words failed her; her voice failed her.
"Do you love me?" The King asked, louder this time; his question echoing off the walls and archways of the hall. At this moment Lady Griffin's tears started to fall, one by one, down her face. The King, seeing her tears and feeling his heart ache at the sight, rushed over to console Lady Griffin. She tried to find her voice to speak her answer before the King reached her but once more her voice failed her. In an instant she felt herself be enveloped in the King's arms, just like before; just like she'd always wanted to be, forever and always.
She looked up at him as he held her still. She could be forever lost in his eyes. His eyes were the same color as the Narnian earth beneath them. The same color of the land that they both loved so much; rich and warm, calm and strong. She could never forget his eyes, she didn't want to.
Before she knew what was happening, the King leaned down to brush a gentle kiss against her lips. At that moment she lost all sense of her self control. She kissed the King back, praying to Aslan that this tortuous nightmare would end soon. She wrapped her arms around his neck and intertwined her fingers in his hair. He tightened his grip on her waist as he deepened the kiss. He pulled her closer to him than he thought possible. They now existed in their own world, oblivious to the reality that was falling at their feet. Neither of them willing to acknowledge the cold breeze that blew through the halls.
The kiss was sweet but desperate as they clung to each other. They stood frozen in the spot, drenched in the moonlight as they continued their illicit kiss. If anyone was to find out that she had a romantic affair with the King it would only spell disaster for the both of them. She was engaged to another and he was in the talks of a betrothal to a foreign Princess. The kiss was filled with words of unspoken love and desperate prayers for the other not to leave. The King's hand brushed up against her cheek as he held her head in one but refused to let go of her all together.
Lady Griffin was dazed with pleasure and in a haze. Her heart was beating furiously against her chest as she tried her best to catch her breath. She opened her mouth to say that what they were doing was wrong; to try and deter the King from kissing her again; to do her best to put space between her and her Beloved King.
But she didn't have time. He leaned down again to capture her lips, silencing the words that would have otherwise hurt both of them. Her hands trailed down his arms and then rested at the sides of his torso. She fisted his tunic and pulled the King closer to her own body, desperate to feel his beating heart against her own. Slowly the King moved his lips from her mouth to the nape of her neck, making her moan at the sensation. She was practically weak in the knees and held onto the King to prevent herself from falling to the ground. However the sound of distant voices brought them back to reality. She opened her mouth to speak, knowing that she would regret her words as soon as she said them.
"Your Majesty must know that I love you as much as any other courtier here-" She said, rushing her words out so that he could hear her out. But he would not have any of it. It was a lie that she was telling him; and he knew it.
"Do not lie to me!" He shouted out, cutting her off before she could continue the lie. He had pulled himself away from her, letting her broken frame fall to the cold stone ground. She bit down on her lip as the tears fell in a crescendo. She would let herself cry over the King but she would not let him hear her sob.
"Do not tell me the lie you tell yourself. I know you love me more than any courtier here at court, so why must you lie?" He seethed out. He glared down at the woman whom he had loved for so long; his one greatest weakness.
"It is not a lie Your Majesty. It is the truth." Lady Griffin protested weakly from the ground. The King let out a humorless laugh. 'Oh how the mighty have fallen' the King thought to himself as he looked down at the crying woman. He was stuck in the middle of feeling hate and sadness. He hated the positions that they born into. He hated the social standing that restricted their love. He hated the way things played out between them. But most of all he hated that he was hours, minutes, seconds away from losing the love of his life. He felt her sadness as she continued to cry into the ground, wrapping herself in her own arms but wishing desperately that the arms were his.
"I know what the truth is Nafaria, do not try and hide it from me. We both know that this marriage will be a sham, it already is." The King hissed out. Lady Griffin took a deep breath and did her best to cool down her beating heart. She needn't look at the King to know that there was only hate and betrayal in his eyes. She could feel his glare fall on her, but it only made her heart increase its speed.
"Your Majesty, please don't." She begged.
"Don't what?" The King shouted out. "Oh please do tell me Lady Griffin, what don't you want me to do? Speak the truth? Tell you want a sham your marriage will be? Ban you from my court, wishing to never have you step foot on Narnia soil again? Is this what you don't want me to do? If so please do tell me now."
His voice was stern and cold, void was any warmth and tenderness that she had once enjoyed so much in private. Her heartbeat quickened with each statement that he made. Anything she said or did in the next few moments would determine her fate at the New Narnian Court. She would either leave on cold terms or never be welcomed back to New Narnia's Court. She took a few unsteady breaths, trying her rein in her thoughts and her words. Slowly she opened her mouth to speak.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Don't forget to leave a review.
