Sweet Fire
by astrogirl23
A/n: Everything except the plot and some new characters are owned by the genius C.S. Lewis. This is my first try at writing a CS fic, so please be kind with your reviews… And do review, please!
PS: (April 9, 2009) When I was reading this, all I could do was cringe in horrification and embarrassment at the way I had written this. I know, as many of you had pointed out, I made a lot of mistakes in this story, and I'm thankful that despite my errors, many of you still liked it. So here I am, after what, three years?- trying to give you a better, more accurate version. Enjoy! :)
Chapter 1: Fanciful Notions
"Ow! That hurts like the devil, you--you knave!" Aravis Tarkheena's face contorted in pain as Prince Cor of Archenland tightened the bandage on her broken ankle. It escaped her notice that the young blonde was looking very guilty and apologetic though none of her injuries were his fault. She did not miss his snort of laughter as he recalled how she came to such position though, and that made her all the more angrier.
"I'm sorry," Cor murmured, biting back a grin as he checked the building bruise below her knee and the scrape on her right palm, the one she had used instinctively to stop her fall.
"This is all your fault!" Aravis ground out, biting her lower lip while Cor poured some antiseptic on her wound. "If you hadn't accepted my dare, this wouldn't have happened!"
The young prince gave a huge sigh, blinked, and muttered, "It wasn't my fault you tripped over the tree root,"
Aravis huffed angrily, but chose not to reply. It really was her fault, after all. She should not have challenged him in the first place, just because she got furious when he had teased her about fancying the young groom who took care of her new horse, one that didn't talk like her old Hwin did. So she dared him to have a mock duel with her, but alas, just as she was about to attack him, her foot got caught up with a fat tree root, causing her to stumble and fall to the rocky ground. She deemed herself lucky that the sword she held did not hit her when she fell, for if it did, Cor would be taking her back to Archenland Castle in two neatly sliced pieces.
"We better head back to the castle now, it's nearly supper time," Cor said, stretching as he stood up. "Can you walk, Aravis? You can ride with me on my horse," he offered, his gray eyes filled with concern, but she stiffly shook her head stubbornly.
"I can fare well for myself, thanks." She stood up from the rock she had sat on while Cor mended her foot, and was unable to stop herself from cursing floridly when a searing pain shot up her injured leg.
The prince looked at the girl in a mix of concern and exasperation. Without saying anything he lifted her up in his arms, and he groaned at her not-so-light weight.
"Co-or! Put me down, I say, put me down!" Aravis was mortified to feel her cheeks burning and her pulse accelerating at the contact of their bodies, unused to being held so tenderly by anyone of the opposite gender.
"Oh, do shut up, Aravis, you're riding with me," Cor said firmly, setting the girl on his stallion's back. Aravis looked like she wanted to kick him in the face, but instead she gave a hiss and had concentrated on ignoring him on the way back to the castle.
As they returned, they saw that they had visitors--- Queen Lucy was there along with her brother, King Edmund, and their favorite Faun, Mr. Tumnus.
Queen Lucy had fussed over Aravis' injury like a concerned older sister, while Cor joined the men in his father's throne room.
"What happened?" Lucy asked as she sat by Aravis' bed while the girl herself soaked in a hot bath. "Cor was teasing me about Hector, so I challenged him to a fight,"
Lucy's blue eyes widened with surprise. "And he accepted a challenge from a girl?" she asked incredulously.
"Well, he was quite reluctant at the beginning, but somehow I managed to persuade him and he accepted. I don't think he took the fight seriously though," Aravis replied, unable to hide the disappointment in her voice.
"And how did you come by your injury?" the Queen queried with a curious expression. Aravis felt her cheeks go warm.
"Tripped over a tree root," she mumbled, and the queen had the restraint to control her smile. She didn't want to further embarrass the girl, so she immediately changed the topic.
They talked about the current condition of Narnia, how Susan was happily engaged to the river god's eldest son, and what she's expecting from Father Christmas this coming winter.
"Oh, and you'll be celebrating your birthday next week," Queen Lucy said thoughtfully as she helped Aravis into her royal blue satin gown. "What would you like for your birthday, my dear Aravis?" the queen asked, watching as the girl worked out the tangles from her long raven-colored hair.
"I really don't yearn for anything now, your highness, except to continue living in peace here and for my father to never darken the doorstep of this castle." was Aravis' simple response.
"Why, do you still think your father would come to take you away?" Queen Lucy asked, worry visible in her cerulean eyes. "King Lune and his sons would protect you with their lives, you know,"
Aravis colored slightly at this; she was eternally grateful for the King and his sons' kindness to her, though she still had a hard time accepting the fact that they truly care about her.
"I know that, your highness, but as we all know, my father is still my legal guardian until I... I..." she couldn't bring herself to say it. She didn't even want to think about it.
"I'm sure you'll find the right man to marry, dear," Queen Lucy said kindly, giving her arm a sisterly squeeze. "And you shan't hurry, for true love waits!"
A sharp knock suddenly sounded at Aravis' door. "Supper's ready, m'lady and y'highness," her maid squeaked from the other side of the room.
"All right, thank you for informing us, we'll be coming down in a moment!" Aravis called out, and on the way to the dining hall she silently pondered what Queen Lucy said.
The men had already began eating when the two ladies arrived (Aravis had been assisted by a servant because of her sore ankle); they all seemed relaxed and cheerful as they listened and laughed at a story Corin was rehashing to them. King Lune nodded to the ladies in greeting as they sat down to join them.
"Prince Cor just told us about your injury, Lady Aravis," Edmund said, and Corin had the gall to snort on his pudding, while Cor gave Aravis a sheepish smile.
"They would notice your swelled ankle anyway," he said defensively.
Aravis gave him a cold look in return, unable to believe that Cor would be so mean, embarrasing her in front of so many people. "I absolutely abhor people who stab when the victim isn't looking," she said viciously, gaining the whole table's attention.
"What are you so angry about, Aravis?" Corin aked, looking baffled. "Cor should be the one who's spitting mad, after the embarrassing way he had to be rescued by you, while you got yourself injured because of his stupidity,"
Now it was Aravis' turn to be confused. "What precisely was the tale Cor told everyone?" she asked, staring at the man in question, whose cheeks had turned dramatically magenta, avoiding her eyes.
"Well, Prince Cor has told us how you had saved him from tripping over a tree root which he did not notice, in turn twisting your ankle trying to get him out of harm's way," King Edmund supplied, astonishing Aravis. She shot a half-startled, half-grateful look at Cor, but he was very careful not to meet her gaze.
"I do wish Queen Susan was here though," Corin commented wistfully at the middle of the meal, when they were speaking about Queen Susan's recent engagement. "I do miss her so,"
"Peter will be arriving with her tomorrow," Lucy said, and the boy quickly brightened up.
"However, I am quite curious, father, why we are suddenly having a number of visitors since last week?" Corin asked as he took a sip of his wine.
"Well, we will be celebrating dear Aravis' birthday in a few days, and a rather large festivity will be held," King Lune answered, giving young Aravis a fatherly smile.
"Oh no, sir, there's really no need to---" Aravis said hurriedly, her cheeks flushed.
"Oh, but there is a need to celebrate, my dear Aravis. You have been like a daughter to me for the last five years since my firstborn Cor brought you with him to Archenland Castle, and I must insist that we celebrate," the king said, reaching across the table to squeeze the girl's hand.
Aravis' eyes were beginning to well up with tears. "Thank you for your kind words, your highness," she whispered. "It's really nice to know someone appreciates me," her eyes then strayed to Cor, who was regarding her in an unfathomable manner.
The next morning, Aravis' ankle felt no better, and all morning she lay in bed, as bored as Lucifer. Lucy had kept her company the first hour, but had left because her assistance was needed in the decoration of the hall for Aravis' birthday bash.
By noon, when she thought she would expire from sheer boredom in her room, Cor entered, wearing his fighting armor and a broad grin on his face. He must have just finished his morning exercise, Aravis thought.
"How's the ankle?" he asked, settling on a chair beside Aravis' bed.
"It's feeling no better, all thanks to you," she snapped, recalling the humiliating incident yesterday.
Cor removed his helmet and shook the sweat from his golden hair, sprinkling Aravis with his perspiration on the process. "Cor, you buffoon, you just showered me with your sweat!"
"Sorry," Cor said with an apologetic grin. "My, it's stifling in here! Do you mind if I open the windows, Aravis?" without waiting for an answer Cor walked up to the bay windows and opened them, letting the fresh breeze in. Aravis wondered why he was a trifle bit cheerful today.
"Ah, that's much better," he said, sitting back on the chair. "I guess I should remove my armor too, before I start sweating like a pig,"
"You're already sweating like a pig," Aravis muttered. "Why don't you go have a bath?" she asked.
"Why? Do I reek?" Cor asked, looking mortified. Aravis shook her head, realizing that she had embarrassed him. She welcomed his scent rather nicely, she realized. She preferred his natural smell than the reeking colognes the other men in the court wore, though she'd rather die than admit such thing to him.
"But you're all hot and uncomfortable," she answered in an honest voice.
"Alright," said Cor, standing up. "Then I'll come back to keep you company alright?"
"Is that why you came here? To keep me company?" Aravis asked disbelievingly, and Cor nodded. "I'll come back later," with that he strode toward the door and closed if gently behind him. Somehow her anger towards him vanished in an instant. Well, she had the right to assume he had stopped by just to tease her about her ankle.
Aravis soon found herself anticipating Cor's return, but reasoned out that it was just because she was suffering utter boredom.
Half an hour later the future king of Archenland returned, wearing his usual royal outfit, his blonde hair still wet from his bath. He smelled nice, Aravis thought absent-mindedly, sniffing at the air around her with a contented smile on her face.
"Do you have a cold, Aravis?" Cor asked anxiously, and the girl hastily quit her action.
"No," she replied, taking notice for the first time that his eyes were a close shade to being silver--- which resembled the color of the silverware when hit by rays of sunlight… abruptly Aravis got a hold of herself, and she unconsciously rapped a hand against her forehead, muttering, "Stop acting like a dope, Aravis Tarkheena!"
"Aravis?" Cor called, worriedly peering onto her face. "Are you alright?"
Aravis found herself scrutinizing the prince's face that was inches from hers. What she saw made her stomach flutter and her cheeks color. Prince Cor had turned out to be handsome after all; his longish blonde hair had already reached past his shoulders, his gray eyes framed by long lashes a shade darker than his hair, his face tanned by outdoor training, his lips looking soft and touchable…
"Surely I'm going mad…" Aravis whispered, horrified at her train of thoughts. Was she actually beginning to fancy the mighty prince of Archenland?
But, why, oh why, did she only feel this now? Why not yesterday? Of the other day before? Was it because he was exceptionally kind today?
"Aravis…"
"Yes, I am feeling quite fine, your highness. Now kindly get your face away from mine…"
The prince immediately moved away, his face flushed all of a sudden, the pupils of his eyes obviously dilated with something Aravis didn't know. "Since when had you referred to me as 'Your Highness'?" he asked as he sat on the chair he had sat on earlier.
"Would you rather be called 'Dolt'?" Aravis challenged, going back to her old tactics. She didn't know why, but it was easier dealing with an argument with Cor, rather than something unusual, like her noticing his good looks and nice smell. "Now why would you call me as such?" Cor asked, unable to mask the hurt in his eyes.
"I haven't forgotten what happened yesterday, YOUR HIGHNESS." Aravis bit off, glancing away from him. Since when did she care how he felt? He certainly didn't care for her, so they were at the same footing.
"I think 'Dolt' would suffice if you would call me by that tone. But Cor would always sound best, my lady." Cor answered, quite unruffled by Aravis' sudden temper. He had known her too long not to get used to her mood swings. And he also considered that she was a woman, thus a little hard to understand.
"You caused this injury," Aravis ground out, pointing at her bandaged foot which rested on a mound of pillows.
"I did not," responded Cor in a calm tone. "It was the tree root; the tree root which was too stupid to see whom it tripped," at his last comment Cor couldn't suppress his rakish grin.
Aravis looked ready to kill him. "Are you implying that I'm an idiot?" she managed to ask in a calm voice.
"I implied no such thing," Cor responded cheerfully. "I pity the tree root though, I think it suffered a more grave injury from the impact of your humongous foot," he gave her a playful wink to tell her he was just jesting, but her ego had been wounded with his joke. Were her feet really that huge?
Aravis bolted up to give the prince a smack on the head, but stopped when the searing pain spread up her leg again.
"Be careful," Cor said, serious now, moving forward to assist her back to bed, but yelped in pain when Aravis managed to grab a fistful of his hair.
"Got you!" she yelled victoriously, punching him but his hands had already grasped her wrists. "No more violence, madam," he said as he dropped her back on the bed. "You just yanked strands of my beautiful hair!" he yelled when he saw some blonde locks on Aravis' fisted hand.
"Come nearer and I'll make you bald," the girl threatened. "You're indomitable! He's not one bit 'fanciable'," Aravis muttered the last statement to herself.
"I'm leaving," Cor said, heading for the door. "Good," Aravis spat out, and the prince walked out, this time slamming the door behind him.
"I could never fancy such a monster…" she muttered, glaring the door where he disappeared into for a long time.
A/n: So, what do you think of the edited version? I do hope it's a little better... -heads off to edit the next chapters-