Disclaimer:I do not own the Chronicles of Narnia or any of it's characters. I also do not own the song used in this fic. I only own my OC and her story.
I strongly recommend listening to What Do I Have To Do by R5 as it is the song featured in this fic. The italicized parts are either song lyrics, thoughts or flashbacks.
Mackenzie, or Mack as she'd often tell people, leaned over the railings. It has been exactly 5 years since the coronation. She was now around the same age as Ed, 18, whereas Lucy was 16. Peter just turned 21 a few weeks ago and Susan is about to turn 19 in a month. Things have been going well around Cair Paravel, well... for the 4 siblings. For Mack, she'd been pining over Edmund for about 4 years now. Yet, here she is, still thinking of ways on how to make Edmund notice her at the 5th coronation anniversary later. Mack dragged her finger on the cool metal of her terrace. Then, a random thought struck her.
"I wanna sing." Mack suddenly said, as if somebody was watching her. Unfortunately for her, someone is. Edmund has entered her room and was now leaning on the doorway that connects her room to the terrace with a small smirk in his face. Of course, Mack didn't know that, as Edmund was sneaky and silent, so she continued on. "Maybe I'll sing for him later. He'll definitely notice me!" Mack perked up in excitement. This brought confusion over the boy by the doorway. He? Notice? Was Mack interested in somebody?
Edmund had a knack of scaring Mack's suitors away. Mack didn't mind, he hated those boys anyway. Edmund is used to being the only boy, aside from Peter, in Mack's priority list. He's not gonna lose to some random prince who is pining over his... their queen! He decided to stay quiet and listen to the girl's mutterings, hoping for more information on her "crush". "Think about it, Queen Mackenzie the Passionate of Narnia and..." She paused. Edmund tensed, waiting for the name of his target tonight. Disappointment washed over him when all Mack did was sigh blissfully. "Patience, Edmund." He told himself and continued listening to the girl. He flinched when a sudden melodious voice penetrated his ears.
True to her earlier words, Mackenzie did sing.
"You've got them all hypnotized,
Dragging them 'round by the eyes.
Oh, they line up shoulder to shoulder.
Like dominos, you keep knocking them over."
Mackenzie suddenly stopped and grinned when she thought of the day she realized she liked the Just King. They were so young back then.
Edmund and Mack were 14 and running back from the gardens. Their plan is to not attend Susan's ball and sadly, the queen saw them lounging around the apple tree. Mackenzie was wearing a dark green dress with intricate designs whereas Edmund wore a tunic matching the dress the young queen was wearing. Sneaking around meant running, and as the young king ran, his crown fell off his head. "Edmund, you idiot, your crown is always falling off your head!" Mack scolded as Edmund sheepishly went back to where his crown fell. "I swear, if your body parts are detachable, You would be chopped up and missing right about now." Mackenzie followed up with a small huff as Edmund laughed and pinched the cheeks of the girl, claiming about how cute she looked while angry... which made her blush and get another round of laughter from the king.
"King Edmund?" Came a high voice from behind the two monarchs. Edmund immediately whipped around. Mack slowly turned with a guilty smile on her face. As soon as the pair saw who talked, they released a sigh af relief. They really thought it was a dyrad about to drag both of them off to Susan. All there was is a group of five girls around their age. "Yes?" Edmund replied to the girls, pulling off a leaf that attached to Mack's hair. "Ed, don't pull." The young queen whined, which forced an eye roll from the king before he directed a smile at the girls. The group introduced themselves to Edmund. Mackenzie realized they were trying to flirt with him.
Mackenzie felt a twang of pain and jealousy in her when Edmund lightly flirted back. "Edmund Pevensie! Mackenzie Daniels! You both come here. Right. This. Instant." Came a demand from the end of the hall. "Ed, we gotta go before your sister decides to behead us." Mack sighed. "Yes," One of the princesses said before fluttering her eyes rather unattractively to Edmund, reaching out to touch his arm. Edmund was her best friend so Mack can see he felt a bit uncomfortable at this. He's used to Susan, Lucy and especially Mack holding his arm. It made Mack wonder why he won't let somebody else hold it.
"Edmund. Come on." Mack sighed as she heard more frustrated screeches from Susan. Edmund looked relieved at what the young queen said. "I gotta go, Princess. I'll see you at the ball." He said, bending down to kiss the girl's knuckles. Mackenzie and Edmund started to walk away. "Was it just me or were you flirting back?" Mack said, clearly frustrated and leaning closer to Edmund. Edmund looked at her with a gaze she can't comprehend and slung an arm around her shoulder. "Nah. I'm sticking with you." He shrugged. Mack shook her head and they both looked back in time to see the princesses line up. Edmund found it funny to wink at one of them, and he did. The girl let out a screech before fainting. The girls by her side fell one-by-one, attempting to wake her. Ed stopped walking and looked at the girl beside him in shock. All she did was smirk and laugh.
"Real smooth, Princess." Mackenzie taunted.
Mack chuckled at the memory and decided she should continue to sing her song.
"And all the fools got diamond rings just waiting for you.
And I can fool myself but we both know it's true."
Mackenzie stopped and stared at her hand. There rested 2 diamond rings, one that Edmund gave and one that was given by one of her suitors. Edmund silently leaned over her shoulder to get a glimpse at her hands. He retreated back to his previous spot with a frown. Of all the guys she'd pick, it was a suitor? Edmund couldn't remember which one of her suitors gave the ring, though. She had a lot of suitors. Damn, he might loose her sooner than he thought. Edmund raised his head, waiting for the continuation of her song. Mackenzie picked her head up and continued her song.
"'Cause you walk into the room, boy you know you got it.
Baby, look around, you got a lot of options.
What do I have to do?
What do I have to do?"
Mack stopped and remembered every single ball they'd ever held in the castle.
It was a drill. It has always been ever since she was fourteen. Mackenzie would walk down the luxurious marble steps as soon her title was called. She would avoid the gaze of any person with possibly malicious thought, and, as Edmund would always request, some specific suitors. She would continue on to her throne and wait as Edmund would be called. He would appear in all his glory, his messy hair, a frown etched in his face, his brown eyes dull. His eyes would roam the area before fixating his eyes on the Passionate Queen in front of him. His eyes would brighten up and he would smile as if saying "I missed you those ten seconds I didn't see your stupid face". As soon as his smile would decorate his face, the princesses on the dance floor will squeal and call desperately for his attention. All he will do is smile. He never showed interest in any of the girls fawning over him, though. It was a topic Mackenzie has been pondering over for years now. She still never got the answer.
Mackenzie stopped. "Why doesn't Edmund notice any of the girls who throw themselves at him?" She thought, then shook her head and continue to sing.
"You're looking like a..."
Mack faltered and threw her head back, trying to think of a proper word. God? Prince? King.
"You're looking like a king,
Walking through the palace.
Falling on my knees,
Baby, loosing balance."
Mack. smiled at all the times she tripped over something while stealing a look at him. Edmund grinned at the back. He often saw her trip everywhere... which was most of the time.
"What do I have to do?
To be the latest choice."
Mack sang as she fiddled with her rings.
"You're lips got me wondering why I'm tangled in lame pick up lines."
She stopped and snorted at that one time she tried to use pick up lines on Edmund. The boy also remembered this moment and threw his head back in silent laughter at the memory. If Mack keeps this up, he'd be discovered soon enough in fits of laughter at his best friend's antics.
Mackenzie and Edmund were fifteen now. They also started to plant more apple trees by the garden lake since they both liked the spot. Today was a simple day, though. They just rested by the shade of their favorite apple tree. "Hey, Mack." Edmund suddenly said, pushing down the book the young girl was reading beside him. "Ugh, what?" She groaned. "Get that apple for me, please?" He said, pointing at an apple that hung on a low branch on the apple tree opposite to them. "Get it yourself." Mack stated weakly, securing her book back in place in front of her. "Please?" Edmund asked, grasping the young girl's cheeks and forcing her to look at his puppy-dog eyes. Mackenzie groaned. That was her weakness! Mack begrudgingly stood up and plucked the apple off the branch while Edmund sat smiling in victory.
Mackenzie stared at the apple she was holding. "Hey, Ed. Are you an apple?" Mack said, raising her head to meet the boys eyes. Edmund looked at her weirdly before replying "No, I'm a lemon." In a very sarcastic manner. Mack rolled her eyes before tossing him the apple. "Why'd you ask?" Edmund said, taking a bite of his apple. "Because you're the apple of my eye." The girl said cheekily. She meant it, but Ed didn't have to know that. Of course, the boy found it as a joke. Edmund scoffed, setting down his apple on Mack's book, and walked towards the lake. Before Mack could even react, Edmund scooped mud from the side of the lake and threw it to the girl in front of him, hitting her on the chest area, or rather, the most decorated area of her dress. At this, Edmund started to laugh. "EDMUND, THIS IS A NEW DRESS!" The young girl screeched before chasing the laughing boy around the maze of apple trees and back to the castle.
That was the last time Mack ever used a pick-up line on anyone ever again.
Mack smiled at the memory. Yeah, what she said was pretty stupid. She rolled her eyes and continued to sing.
"Oh, something is taking over.
You've got my heart set on rollercoasters."
She paused yet again and touched the place where her heart should be and smiled at a distant memory.
Susan, The seventeen year-old queen, rushed Mackenzie, now sixteen, towards a large door. "Mack, stop whining and get dressed!" Susan screeched in frustration. Both Mack and Edmund have been trying to run away from her all day until she finally got help from poor Peter who had no idea what was happening. They found the pair hiding in a cave by the beach to get away from "Susan's monstrous holds". "Edmund won't notice you if you stay in that hideous dress and that messy hair you're harboring!" Susan taunted. Mackenzie pouted and pushed open the door, stomping inside the room. Susan grinned in triumph. Mack may not tell her but she knows Mack has feelings for her little brother. She knows things like that.
"Here," Susan said, pointing at a dress on the bed. "Go get changed in that and I'll fix your hair." Mackenzie begrudgingly stumbled over to the dress and frustratedly picking it up. Once the girl was properly dressed, Susan started on an intricate braid on Mack's hair. "Su?" Mack shifted. "Is the braid too tight?" Susan asked, stopping her actions. "No! No! Just..." Mackenzie trailed off as Susan continued her braiding. "I got a question." Mackenzie said. "What is it?" Susan said finishing the braid and grabbing the girl's crown and some pins. The girl has a knack for losing her crown, just like her best friend. The thought made Susan smile.
"I—Edmund. Everytime I'm with Edmund I feel so..." Mackenzie trailed off, looking for the correct term to use. "Frustrated? Annoyed? Happy? Sad?" Susan suggested, gently putting Mack's crown atop her head. "Weird." Mack concluded. "Wierd how?" Susan questioned, securing Mack's crown in place with pins. "Everytime he smiles at me, I feel like there's a rampage in my stomach. When he slings his arm around my shoulder, I feel so... light. And everytime I'm with him, I feel like..." Mackenzie blushed. "Like my heart's set on a continuous loop of a rollercoaster ride." Susan smiled delicately at the girl, who finally admitted to her. "Are you telling me that you're hopelessly in love with my brother?" Susan asked, an eyebrow raised playfully. All the girl did was smile and say "Yes, I am."
Ever since then, Susan has set her priorities to making her dense brother see how he really feels about his best friend.
Mackenzie smiled. That was the day she told herself that she is in love with Edmund. She shook her head.
"I'm chasing you around, you got your leash on me, too.
I wish that I could fool myself but we both know it's true."
Mackenzie stopped and wince, holding her wrist. Edmund wanted to laugh out loud at a time when he was so infatuated with Mack he put her in a leash. Of course the girl didn't know about the infatuation part and almost ran him through with a sword. It was a struggle not to burst out laughing.
Edmund and Mackenzie were lounging around inside the library with the other monarchs. They had taken a "scandalous" position. Well, not that scandalous but one that would get the kingdom gossiping. Mackenzie was sitting on Edmund's lap, reading, while Edmund was reading over her shoulder with his arms placed securely around her waist. Of course, Peter and Lucy and the older castle workers paid no mind to it as they thought it was meant as friends. Susan, on the other hand, recently found out about Edmund's feeling for the girl and smiled knowingly behind her book. "Mack," Edmund whispered in the girls ear. "I've got a surprise for you." Mackenzie stopped, looking at the boy with a wierd look. "What?"
Edmund grinned, delicately lifting the girl and bringing her over to one of the shelves. He mischievously pulled out a thin piece of rope and tied it around Mack's wrist. "Ta-da! I put you on a leash! So you'd never stray away from me!" Edmund smiled, holding the other end. Mackenzie stared at the boy emotionlessly, not knowing how to react. "I love you~" Edmund said in a sing-song voice, hugging Mack from the back and slightly tugging the rope attached to the girl. "Who has a dagger or something?" Mack said. "Nope, sorry." Edmund said, letting go of the girl and tugging her out of the library through her "leash".
"Ed, let me go." The girl whined, struggling with the knots the boy put on her wrist. What made Mack frustrated was that there were multiple tight knots. "Noooo." Ed teased. Mackenzie sighed. They passed a knight. With her quick reflexes, Mack grabbed the knight's sword, cutting the rope holding her to Edmund and chasing Edmund around Cair with a sword.
Although eventually, It did result into a playful duel.
Mack groaned. Edmund did tie the "leash" tight. Although it was annoying, Mack smiled at the fact that Ed put her on a "leash" because he didn't want her to "stray away" from him. Pfft, like she ever did.
"'Cause you walk into the room.
Boy, you know you got it baby look around,
You got a lot of options.
What do I have to do?
What do I have to do?"
Mackenzie set her eyes on a group of girls who she recognized to be Edmund's fangirls with a scowl while continuing to sing.
"You're looking like a king.
Walking through the palace,
Falling on my knees,
Baby, loosing balance.
What do I have to do?"
Mack tilted her head up, looking at the sky.
"See I would fly you to Paris.
I'll even learn the language.
Vous aves de très beaux yeux.
Oh, so beautiful.
Climb the Eiffel tower,
Touch the moon and called it ours, yeah.
'Cause it never shined as bright as you."
Mackenzie stopped whereas Edmund's frustration turned into confusion. Paris? It was their thing! How could Mack tell one of her suitors about it?... Then again, all those words she sang seemed so... familiar. They line up shoulder-to-shoulder? Diamond rings? King? Falling on my knees? Pick-up lines? Paris? Edmund's eyebrows furrowed. Just who the hell was Mack singing about?
"Okay, Okay. King Edmund the Just is the most handsome man I have even set my sights on. Ugh. Ew." Seventeen year-old Mackenzie said, rolling her eyes as the now seventeen year-old Edmund. Edmund had been tickling her, forcing her to say that he was handsome until she ended up surrendering on the terrace of her room. They both stopped, erupting in fits of laughter. "I want to go to Paris with you, when we get back to Earth. Let's go up the Eiffel tower!" Mack suddenly blurted out. Paris was the city of love, Edmund was the love of her life. Of course, Mack would want to bring Edmund to the city of love! Edmund raised his eyebrow at her. "Do you even have any idea how to speak french?" Edmund taunted. Mackenzie scoffed. "Of course! Try me." At this, Edmund smirked. He did love challenges, that's why he loved Mack.
"What's the French for underwear?" Edmund grinned. Mack looked at him weirdly before sighing. How did she like this goofball again? "Sous-vêtements." She translated either way. "Chicken?" "Poulet." Mackenzie rolled her eyes. "Face?" "Visage." She turned to face Edmund who, in turn stared at her eyes. She smiled slightly. It was twinkling slightly in the moonlight. All she wanted to do is lean forward and kiss him... but she couldn't. "Vous avez de très beaux yeux." She complemented. Somehow, she knew Edmund would understand. Edmund smiled, turning his eyes away and kissing her forehead before slinging an arm over her shoulder, leading her out of her room.
"You too, Mack."
"When you walk into the room,
I never had a chance.
Tell me what do I have to do?
What do I have to do?"
Mack sang as she stared at a princess taking a walk in the garden. She recognized this as the girl she saw Edmund kissing. It was Princess Elizane of Archenland. They were drunk, given that, but still. Edmund told Mack it meant nothing in small panic. Mack never knew why he panicked when asked about it though. What he knew was it was heartbreaking. Besides, he wouldn't kiss her if it meant nothing. Edmund wasn't barbaric like that.
"'Cause you walk into the room,
Boy, you know you got it.
Baby, look around you got a lot of options.
What do I have to do?
What do I have to do?"
Mack smiled slightly, tapping her fingers and forming some kind of beat that matched her song.
"You're looking like a King.
Walking through the palace,
Falling on my knees.
Baby, loosing balance.
What do I have to do?
To be the latest choice."
Mackenzie finished singing, gazing up at the moon. "Edmund," She suddenly spoke. This startled Edmund at the back. Did she know he was there the whole time. "Edmund, what do I have to do to get you to notice me?" Mack said, still staring up at the moon. This made Edmund panic, his heart fluttering and his mind hazy. How much she loves him?The song was for him?
What made Edmund stop short was Mack laughing harshly. "Nothing. I don't have to do anything." Mack said, nodding to herself. Edmund agreed silently. "She doesn't have to do anything because I already do. Because I love her." Edmund thought to himself. "Edmund would never notice me, What chance do I have against those princesses ready to shed their clothes for him? I'm so stupid." Mackenzie whined and started slamming her palm against her forehead repeatedly. "Stupid, Stupid, Stupid. Edmund doesn't even like you. Let alone love you." She said, continuing her pity party.
Edmund had enough. "Keep doing that and you'll bruise yourself." Edmund sighed. Mack jumped up and stiffened. Oh, for the love of Aslan. She slowly turned her head to him. "Ed, Hi!" She said in an unrealistically tense voice. "Why didn't you tell me what you felt?" Edmund said, his arms crossed in front of him. Mack's eyes lowered. "How long have you been there?" Mack asked. "Since the start of the song." Edmund sighed. "Oh Aslan." Mack whined and buried her face in her hands. Edmund smiled slightly, approaching the girl. He pried her hands off her face and lifted her head. "All you had to do was ask, love." And, there.
His lips crashed on hers. Mack couldn't even explain how good it felt. After four years, she won. Turns out, she didn't even have to do anything. Edmund on the other hand, savored the feeling. The girl of his dreams was finally there, pressed up against him and kissing him. Unfortunately, the need for air was too strong and they broke apart. "Ed?" Mack asked. "Yes, love?" Edmund said as Edmund pulled her closer to him. "Vous avez de très beaux yeux." She sang. Edmund laughed. "Vous aussi." Edmund replied, connecting his lips to hers yet again. "Je t'aime." Mack suddenly said as they broke apart. "I know. Me too." Edmund said, kissing her yet again. Truly, Edmund found her addicting.
"HEY!" Came a cry from somewhere. Mack pulled away and looked down the terrace to see Peter, Susan and Lucy. Peter looked pleased yet annoyed whereas Lucy and Susan were jumping around in pure happiness. "Are we going to have to be the one to announce your courting to the ball or are you going to stop making out and do it yourselves?" Peter asked in slight agitation. Edmund just grinned.
MEANING OF THE FRENCH WORDS:
Vous avez de très beaux yeux – You have beautiful eyes.
Vous aussi – You too.
Je t'aime – I love you.
The rest of the words have been translated in the story.
A/N: Hey! I just wrote this because it came onto my mind while listening to R5. I'm sorry if it looked kinda rushed, because it is. Well, in any case, I hope you enjoyed it because I enjoyed writing it! Bye~