Disclaimer: I own nothing except for Annie Griffin and the Vanderbilt family, along with the plot. Those just happen to be mine. Narnia is not mine either... Though, it would be nice to make the characters do whatever I want. But that's what fan-fiction is for, right? Anyways... Don't own so don't sue. Plain and simple.
Warning (s): Brief language, some sensuality (minor), and teen angst.
A/N: I hope you all enjoy reading this! Now, onto the story...
The air was filled with the salty taste of the sea. The sea glistened like a sparkling, silver mirror as the moon hung over the waters. It usually changed colors with the light and the color of the sky, from green to blue to gray. At twilight, there is no way to tell the ocean from the sky. But for now, it was night and everyone was asleep.
"I never thought I would be coming to this place."
Well, almost everyone. Her name was Annie Griffin. The auburn haired teen gazed out onto the sea, her blue eyes scanning the waves for mermaids or even other sea creatures. Annie leaned against the frame of the Dawn Treader, sighing softly as the waves crashed against the port side. She brushed a strand of her hair from her face as a shadow loomed into the corner of the ship.
"Aslan has always had a strange way of bringing people into this world." spoke a voice.
Annie gasped and whirled her head around to see King Caspian in only his night clothes. The teen was wearing a simple white nightgown that the Telmarine had lend to her. The king strolled over to the girl and then stood next to her. Annie turned back to face the sea and sighed again, showing the sign that something was wrong.
"I wish that I could stay in this world." Annie murmured, turning her back towards the sea and leaning against the ship's port side.
Caspian quirked a brow. "Why?"
Annie bit her lip and turned her head away from the handsome king next to her. "My mother. Her name was Danielle Griffin." The girl started. Annie paused for a moment, gathering her memories as she closed her eyes and finished telling her story. "After I was born, she killed herself while still in the hospital. She had swallowed some sleeping pills from her purse. Turns out a friend gave her that bottle two days before it all happened. Caspian, I was only a few hours old. The hospital was spared from being sued. But, I was now an orphan. Sometimes, I wonder if it was my fault that my mother committed suicide." The blue-eyed girl finished, as a tear rolled down her cheek.
Caspian heard the girl choke on a sob and felt his heart being torn in two. "No one should blame themselves for the loss of a loved one. Including you, Annie. I believe your mother wanted a better life for you; one she could not give." Caspian whispered, his hand dropping onto her cheek. He gently wiped the tear from the girl's face and turned her to where they were face to face.
Annie sniffed. "Is is really my fault? Do you think she hated me?"
The Telmarine shook his head and pulled Annie into his arms. "No, I do not think she hated you, Annie." The teen sobbed into the king's night shirt, staining the white cotton with her soaking wet tears. The two stood silently in each other's company as the air grew cold and the breeze blew over the ship. Annie's skinned crawled from the sudden burst of fresh air and had created goose-bumps along her legs and arms.
"Go on back to sleep. And if you need me, do not hesitate to ask." Caspian murmured, pulling Annie's face to where they were only inches apart. The teen blushed a light pink and nodded softly. The king stroked the girl's face with a small smile. Annie broke away from the king and began to make her away towards Caspian's quarters. The girl knew that Lucy and Gael were already fast asleep by now; but she couldn't wait to tell them about her encounter with the king.
For all she knew, Annie just wanted to squeal and dance happily around the ship.
Annie could feel that something was wrong; even from the moment she had woken up. Besides the fact that Eustace was now a dragon and they all had no idea of how to change him back. Stupid dragon's treasure! The girl slipped on her clothes; a white peasant top that was made from the Southern roots of cotton and had off-the-shoulder sleeves. A red velvet corset that was laced in the back for closure and had black trim. She wore a black pants were made from cotton and are lined with elastic in the waist and bottom cuffs. Black leather boots gave the entire look a rustic feel and made the teen look a young pirate.
After changing, the teen slipped out onto the desk of the ship to see Lucy and Gael talking quietly to themselves while as Caspian was gazing off to the side. It was only yesterday where they had traveled to Ramandu's Island and received very helpful information... if you count that the last sword was on Dark Island as helpful.
Damn that stupid star. Annie thought, her eyes dark with jealously. She rolled her eyes at the memory as Reepicheep raced over to her and bowed with a small smile.
"Good morning, Annie. I take it you slept well?" The mouse questioned as Annie continued on her way towards the bow. Annie only laughed and nodded.
"I did. Could've been better." The teen replied. She paused for a moment to see that Dark Island was growing closer... it was only a matter of time before they had to retrieve the sword and take it back to Aslan's table. Reepicheep cleared his throat and swiftly left to climb aboard Eustace's scaly back. Annie ran a hand through her hair as Edmund moved past her and smirked.
"Mind telling me what happened between you and Caspian last night?" The boy asked, his eyes full of mischief. Annie whirled her head around to face Edmund who had his arms folded neatly over his chest.
"That is none of your business." The teen blushed and then let out a huff. Stomping away, Annie made her way through the crew members and up the stairs to where the helm was.
Caspian's face was calm but filled the power of determination as the Dawn Treader steamed onward to Dark Island where their own destinies were lying in front of them. Eustace blew out a breath of fire and flew on the port side of the vessel as Reepicheep held on tight to the giant dragon. Annie stood next to the Telmarine and leaned against the railing with a sigh. She glanced sideways towards the king and gingerly placed her hand on top of his. Caspian tensed at the sudden contact and whirled to see Annie smiling softly at him.
"I wanted to thank you for last night. For once, I didn't have nightmares." Annie murmured, her eyes misty with tears. Caspian nodded and then turned to where he was facing the smaller girl, his fingers intertwining with hers.
"There is no need to thank me, Annie." Caspian whispered, his eyes locking with blue orbs.
Annie opened her mouth to say something but she was stopped when Drinian called out that they were slowly approaching the entrance of the cave. The teen bit her lip and tore her hand away from Caspian. She could the tears gather into her eyes as she moved past the king and down the stairs. The Dawn Treader crew mingled their way towards the bow of the vessel and waited for their king to say a few words.
Why am so stupid? Caspian would never fall for me! I'm just a teenage girl from freakin' Virginia!
But last night, it looked like he wanted to kiss you.
He could've been drunk!
HE WASN'T DRUNK! AND HE DIDN'T WANT TO KISS ME!
Whatever.
Annie shook away her thoughts as the crew began to shout and cheer from the comforting words of their king. Within a few moments, they entered the cave and prepared their own weapons as a low noise rang in their eardrums. Caspian and Edmund gathered around the starboard side of the ship, listening closely at the sound.
"Sounds like a man..." Annie whispered as she, Lucy, and Gael approached the side.
"Go away! You will never take me! GO AWAY!"
The crew began to prepare their weapons for firing before Edmund grabbed his flashlight and spotted the person making the noises they were hearing. Caspian's eyes grew wide in shock; "Lord Rhoop!" The older sibling of the Pevensie children caught sight of the last remaining sword in the man's hands.
"Caspian! The sword!" Edmund called. The Telmarine quickly ordered his crew to be ready to take the last lord onto the vessel but he was interrupted when Eustace flew around the corner, picked up Lord Rhoop and dropped him onto the ship.
That's one way to take care of things... Annie thought as Lord Rhoop was able to get onto his feet. Caspian began to try to calm the madman down before he began to babble about "letting the island know your darkest fears". Caspian quickly turned to see Lucy's eyes wide with fear as Edmund's face grew pale.
"Edmund, what did you just think of?" Lucy questioned, her voice trembling.
The darker haired boy bit his lip. "I'm so sorry." And with that said, he raced over to the edge of the boat to see what horror they were about to face.
Annie let out a sharp gasp as an ungrateful pain struck her straight into her stomach. She grasped onto the railing as the ship lurched forward from a sudden force. The teen leaned forward and looked down at her feet. She watched as her shoes melted from her feet and her toes were beginning to turn a dark blue. Annie collapsed onto the ground as Caspian's head whipped around to see what was going on. He went over to the teen's aid and wrapped an arm around her waist.
"Annie! What's going on? Are you alright?" Caspian babbled. Annie shook her head as she cried out in pain from the morphing of her legs. By now, her legs were a dark blue and growing together, as if they were making a tail of some sort. Caspian's eyes widened in shock as Annie scooted herself towards the railing as she caught glimpse of what Edmund's greatest fear...
A sea serpent.
"Get me in the water." Annie whispered to the king.
"No! I am not going to let you get yourself killed!" Caspian barked. "If you get in the water then you'll die!"
Annie snorted and rolled her eyes. "And if I don't get in the water, we'll all die!"
Caspian was quiet after that statement.
I may regret this later... Annie grabbed the Telmarine by the neck and pulled him into a passionate, fiery kiss. She closed her eyes shut as Caspian reacted to the kiss, tightening his grip around the teen's waist. For once in her life, Annie believed that this was right... even if she forced him to kiss her... but that didn't seem to bother the king at all. Caspian inched his hand towards Annie's neck, tangling his fingers into her wild hair and kissing her with all the passion he had. Their lips moved together as one before Annie could hear the serpent roar from behind her and Caspian. She broke the kiss and pressed their foreheads together, tears slipping down her cheeks.
"I'm not going to die. Not today! I have too much to live for." Annie replied.
Caspian's eyes were pleading. "Please don't do this to me, Annie. I can't lose you."
The teen let out a huff before promptly shoving Caspian out of her way and slipping off the deck, straight into the water. Caspian raced to the edge as Annie disappeared and was now completely submerged under the darkened waters.
"NO! ANNIE!"
The sea serpent crashed its' body into the haul of the ship, knocking crewmembers and even the minotaurs off their feet. Caspian's eyes darkened with anger and feeling his fist clench tightly. He slowly got up to his feet, stared at the sea serpent, before racing up to the wheel. He couldn't believe it: Annie was gone. The king had a feeling that there was no way of bringing her back too.
Now that was a lie.
With a high pitch cry, Annie felt scales drift upon on what used to be her legs and created what looked to be a mermaid's tail. She looked around her area and then swam up to the surface. Under the dark depths, her navy blue tail swished through the water as she saw Caspian yelling out more orders to his men. Annie could tell that it was utter chaos.
"I'm no use to them now..." Annie whispered, her eyes quickly meeting a small group of rocks. She quirked a brow. Unless... With a smirk, the teen swam around the stern of the ship as the sea serpent prepared for another strike for the vessel.
But, the monster was stopped as Eustace dove forward and latched his claws deeply into the creature's body. The monster fought and fought, hoping to throw off the dragon but Eustace continued to keep a good grip. Annie swam behind one of the rocks and bit her lip as Eustace was thrown to another rock near the ship. The sea serpent launched another attack but Eustace was quick enough to stop him... by breathing fire into the monster's mouth.
"Nice one Eustace." Annie murmured, her eyes bright. It all changed though... for everyone. Lord Rhoop was still mad as ever and in distress, he threw his sword directly at Eustace, stabbing the dragon into his shoulder. Eustace let out a cry and swiftly began to fly away from the vessel.
"EUSTACE! COME BACK!"
"EUSTACE!"
The sea serpent resurfaced and by now had its' body wrapped tightly around the ship. Annie didn't think about what she was planning on doing... she just acted upon it. The teen let out a sharp whistle, loud enough for any man to fall to his knees and cover their ears. The sea serpent whirled its' head towards the sound and let out a hiss of fury towards the group of rocks.
"HEY UGLY! TIME FOR YOU MEET YOUR MAKER!" Annie shouted, flicking her tail through the water. Oh God, what the hell am I doing? The teen thought as fear washed over her face. She gulped and let out a whimper as the serpent appeared to glare darkly at her. On the side, Lucy whipped her head around to see the older girl in the water, attempting to distract the serpent.
"ED! Shine the light on Annie!" Lucy called to the older sibling. The former Narnian king pointed out his torch to Annie as the teen climbed onto the rock. He watched as the serpent rushed forward and opened its' jaws, as if it was going to swallow the girl.
C'mon, c'mon... Just a little bit closer...
Caspian's heart lifted at the sight of seeing Annie but it dropped as the serpent closed in onto the rock... just as Annie jumped out of the way and dove into the water. The sea monster had no time to react of move away as its' head smacked into the rock. The beast cried out in pain as it reared its' body to its' original place. Annie realized that she had made a terrible mistake... one that could cost her life.
Annie caught sight of the king looking at her and she waved with a bright smile. The blue-eyed mermaid ducked under the water and under the vessel, her tail disappearing from Caspian's view. She swam to where she was close to the port side and watched as Drinian appeared on the side of the vessel. He held out a hand towards her, offering her to take it. Annie jumped slightly and grabbed tightly onto Drinian's hand. Another crew member helped Drinian pull the mermaid from the sea and then placed her gently on the deck.
"Take the wheel Drinian!" Caspian called, jogging down the stairs and towards Annie.
The teen still had her tail but she had a feeling that it would be over soon. The king knelt next to the auburn haired girl before placing a hand on her cheek. Caspian pressed a small kiss to her temple and sighed in relief.
"For I second there, I thought I had lost you." Caspian whispered.
Annie nodded. "I know. But you'll never lose me." She leaned her head up as if to kiss him but froze as the sea serpent launched another attack towards the two of them. With a loud thump! Caspian was shoved back by Annie who slid backwards into the water... just as the serpent was able to slice her in the side. Caspian whirled his head around to see that he had once again lost the girl he had now fallen in love with.
"YOUR HIGHNESS! THE SERPENT WON'T BACK DOWN!" Drinian called from his position of taking the wheel. Caspian couldn't move or speak or even breath. He just stared at the blood that was staining the deck of the ship. The king quickly jumped to his feet and once again began shouting orders to his men; he would defeat this monster and have his revenge.
As for the injured mermaid, Annie swam far from the ship and climbed onto a small patch of rocks, clutching at her now bleeding side. She lifted her hand from the wound, seeing that her entire hand was covered in blood and that her tail was being stained with red. Annie gasped from the sudden pain and glanced down into her reflection of the murky waters. The teen looked back towards the ship and prayed to whoever would listen for some kind of help. She could barely hear the shouts and cries from the vessel but all she really wanted to do was watch.
This wasn't going to end.
Annie closed her eyes as a tear escaped from the corner and dropped onto her skin. There was nothing she could do now, but watch helplessly as the vessel's crew began to battle out the serpent. She could feel the blood seeping through her fingers as she pressed onto her wound. Annie lay down onto the rocks and felt her eyes slip close from exhaustion... she couldn't handle it anymore... it was over... there was nothing left...
Only darkness.
"Annie? Can you hear me?"
The teen let out a tiny moan before slowly opening her eyes to see Lucy with a bright smile on her face. Annie's eyes shot open as she launched forward, splashing water onto the girl in front of her. As Lucy began to wipe some of the water from her face, the older teen noticed that her wound was nicely patched but her legs were still morphed into a tail.
PERFECT.
"What happened?" Annie whispered, her eyes curious.
Lucy's smiled widened as she told the complete story of how Edmund was able to fight off the serpent and Gael's mother was rescued, along with the other people who had been taken in by the Mist. Even where Eustace had returned back to the Dawn Treader as a boy again. The two girls chatted about Annie's brilliant plan to buy them time with the serpent until a knock sounded at the door. They turned to see the door now open and revealing the Narnian king himself. Caspian smiled softly at Annie as Lucy caught the connection between the two. The youngest girl excused herself and made her way out of the room, closing the door behind her.
"I think I could get use to this tail." Annie joked, flicking her tail and splashing some water. Caspian chuckled and strode towards the teen. He knelt down next to her and intertwined their fingers together. Annie's eyes met dark brown orbs and felt his breath on her lips.
"When they pulled you from the water... I thought " Annie cut the king off by pressing a finger to his lips, silencing him.
"But I'm not. I'm right here. With you." The teen murmured. Caspian nodded softly before leaning forward and connecting their lips together.
It was bliss.
Technically, it was more than bliss. It was love. Pure, unedifying, and never-ending love. Annie curled her free hand up into Caspian's locks before pulling him closer, deepening the kiss the two were sharing. The Telmarine pressed his chest against Annie, exciting a small gasp of pleasure from her. The two continued the kiss for several moments before breaking it off and leaning their foreheads together... as if they were lovers.
"I am so relived you are alright." Caspian replied in a husky tone. Annie felt a shiver trickle down her spine as the king traced his fingers along her jaw line. As a tear slipped down her face, the auburn haired teen threw her arms around Caspian's neck, sobbing into the crook of his shoulder. For a minute, the king was confused but he told himself that it would be best to just let the girl cry.
"Caspian?" It was Edmund. The couple broke apart as the former king stepped into the room. Annie was hastily wiping her eyes as Caspian stood up to his feet.
"Good to see that you're doing okay, Annie." Edmund nodded. The mermaid shrugged her shoulders and breathed out a sigh of relief. The former king turned toward the Telmarine and jerked his head towards the door. Caspian glanced towards Annie and smiled softly.
"I'll be back."
Annie bit her lip and nodded. "Okay."
The two men walked out of the room and closed the door behind them, leaving Annie sitting in the tub with her tail flicking around. She could tell that she was going to end up being pretty bored by the time Caspian and Edmund would return. A few minutes had gone by before Annie felt a tingle start from her toes and travel its' way to her waist. She glanced down at her tail and then watched in amazement as her tail dissolved and took place of legs again.
As her tail disappeared, her former battle clothes took their rightful places upon her body and appeared as if they were dry. Annie gingerly stood up from the tub and climbed out of it. She stood onto her own two feet and then twirled around, giggling in excitement and disbelief. Within moments, the girl raced out of the king's quarters and onto the deck. Lucy whirled her head around to face Annie and stared at the teen.
"Caspian!" Annie called towards the dark haired king.
The Telmarine turned towards the voice and blinked several times as Annie ran over to him and threw her arms around his neck. Caspian quickly reacted and wrapped his arms around Annie's waist, holding her close and swinging her around in a circle.
"How did - "
Annie laughed. "Not a clue! It just happened!"
"Well, I am very happy for you." Caspian whispered, making sure that their faces were only inches apart. Annie blushed and heard a sharp whistle from Edmund. The couple turned towards the teen who was motioning his head out to lake of lilies. Annie sighed and laid her head on Caspian's chest, breathing in his scent... knowing that this would be the last time she would see him...
It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair.
"I see you have received your legs again, young one." Aslan murmured towards Annie. The teen nodded and glanced sideways to Caspian. The king's eyes were glassy and he looked as if he was going to cry. While still staring at Caspian, Annie sighed.
"I'm not coming back, am I?" Annie questioned to the great lion.
Aslan was quiet for a moment. "Fate has strange ways of bringing people together again."
I'll never see him again...
Annie turned towards the lion and then towards Lucy, Edmund, and Eustace. All three of them had tears in their eyes. The youngest girl threw her arms around Annie and hugged her tightly. Annie fully returned the hug while stroking Lucy's hair. Edmund and Eustace came forward and joined in on the hug. The oldest girl felt a tear slip down her cheek as the three younger children broke away.
"I'll miss you. All of you. I'm so glad that I had the chance to meet you." Annie spoke with a small smile. Lucy sniffed and wiped her eyes.
"Goodbye Annie." Lucy whispered.
"Bye Annie." Edmund replied.
"Bye Annie." Eustace murmured. The three children said their goodbyes to Aslan and made their way towards the water. First Reepicheep, then the children, and now herself. Everything seemed to be falling apart as time went on. The auburn haired girl turned towards Caspian and gently placed a hand on his cheek. The girl leaned onto her tip-toes and kissed the king gingerly on the corner of his mouth.
Caspian stared deeply into Annie's eyes as he laid his hand on top of hers. "Will you remember me?"
"I'll always remember you, Caspian." Annie spoke. The couple shared one last kiss before Annie broke away. She walked over to Aslan and thanked him for the time he had given her. The girl waved goodbye to Caspian before strolling towards the water and disappearing from the king's sight.
She was gone...
Annie's eyes shot opened as she swam towards the surface of her family's pool and could tell that someone was waiting for her. She broke the surface and found herself staring at her adoptive parents, Mr. and Mrs. Vanderbilt along with their daughter, Zoey.
"Sweetheart! Are you alright? What happened? Zoey told us that you tripped and fell in..." Mrs. Vanderbilt's voice trailed off as Annie pulled herself out of the pool, her tears streaming down her face. Zoey watched as Annie stomped past her family and towards their Virginian-styled home.
Annie paused for a moment as she found herself staring at her outfit. Her blue, black, and white plaid tank top, a pair of American Eagle cut-off shorts and white flip-flops. She couldn't believe that he was gone. She would never be able to see him again... It was all over. The teen trumped up the stairs, into the house, and raced to her bedroom, sobbing loudly along the way.
Both of the Vanderbilt's made their way towards the house, leaving Zoey to stare blankly at the pool... What happened to her?
Inside her room, Annie had her face buried into her pillow as her tears flowed like a waterfall, staining the sheets as her door opened slightly. The teen jerked her head up to see Mrs. Vanderbilt with a small mug of hot chocolate in her hands. Annie wiped at her eyes and sat up. Mrs. Vanderbilt took a seat next to the teen and handed her the mug. The auburn haired girl took a sip of her drink and smiled softly at the older woman.
"Mind telling me what's wrong?"
Annie sighed. "Have you ever fallen in love with someone and then the next moment they are ripped away from you?"
Mrs. Vanderbilt shook her head. "No, I haven't. But I do know what it's like to be heartbroken."
"It sucks doesn't it?"
"Yes, yes it does."
Annie and Mrs. Vanderbilt remained silent for a moment before the older woman decided to break the silence. "You might want to finish packing for tomorrow, since it will be your last day here."
Annie knew the woman was right. Midnight tonight would be her eighteenth birthday and tomorrow she would have to leave and begin looking for her own place. Maybe this was a sign of saying that this is her last few moments on Earth. First, she turned into a mermaid, was almost killed by a serpent, fell in love with a king, and encountered a giant lion. Just your average day.
"Call me if you need anything." Mrs. Vanderbilt replied. With that said, the woman made her way out of Annie's room and closed the door behind her. Annie took another sip of her drink and then placed it onto her nightstand. Not bothering to change her clothes, Annie laid back onto her bed and closed her eyes. The girl slowly drifted off to sleep, dreaming of Narnia and Caspian...
"Will you two quit staring? It's rude!"
"But you have to admit, she's beautiful!"
"Oh hush, you two! Hmph, that's odd. She looks just like the girl King Caspian describes. Auburn colored hair with a dash of freckles on her nose. This could be her! C'mon! Let's take her to the village!"
Annie could hear voices but her eyes refused to open. The girl shifted her body to where her eyes drifted opened to find two fauns and a centaur standing over her. The teen's eyes shot open and let out a screech, jumping back a few feet from the creatures. The youngest looking faun inched towards Annie and held out her hands in surrender.
"Oh, sorry about that miss. We didn't mean to frighten you. My name is Evaine. And that's Crissy and the centaur is Skye." The faun spoke.
Annie gingerly stood up onto her feet only to see that her regular clothes were gone and replaced with a gorgeous looking gown. The gown was covered with lace and even had a lace bodice. There were even lace pointed panels down the hips, clinging tightly to Annie's figure. The lace was trimmed with a rose-looking design, giving it a romantic feel. The gown laced at both the front and back waistline. There were wide straps and the sleeves were a soft mesh, with elastic around the upper arm. The beautiful sleeves were long and pointed. And lastly, the skirt was lined in polyester, and had a soft mesh over-skirt. All in all, a stunning gown, even with a sapphire encrusted circlet that was placed on her forehead.
The teen turned towards the creatures and smiled. "Uhm, hi. I'm Annie."
"I knew it!" Skye, the centaur, cried out. "She's the girl that the king always talks about!"
Annie quirked a brow. "Caspian talks about me?"
The youngest faun nodded vigorously, almost hard enough to snap her neck. Crissy, a dark furred faun, stepped forward and bowed towards the teen.
"If you would like, we can take you to the palace so you can see King Caspian." The faun replied, standing back up from her bow.
Annie nodded with a bright grin and the four were off. Though, it did not take long for them to arrive at the castle. The teen felt as if she was in a different world... in fact, that was the truth though. Annie caught some of the townspeople staring at her while Crissy and Skye had moved on ahead towards the guards. Two men nodded towards the creatures and let them pass through the drawbridge.
As the four continued their way into the castle, Annie found herself in front of a pair of large double doors... Must lead to the throne room or even Caspian's study. Annie thought as Skye pushed the doors open and revealed that her prediction was wrong. It wasn't the throne room or Caspian's study. The girl noticed to see that several men in armor were talking amongst themselves. The three creatures left Annie by herself as she caught sight of a very familiar face.
"Drinian?"
The bald-headed man turned to the sound of his name and blinked in surprise. "Miss Griffin?" Annie nodded with a grin and watched as Drinian made his way towards her and bowed in his respects. The teen curtsied in reply and then gave the man a hug. The bald-headed man patted Annie on the back and then drew back from the hug, smiling softly at her happy expression.
"How did you get here?" The man asked.
Annie shrugged. "No clue. I was just dreaming about Narnia and when I woke up... I was here."
"Hmm... why don't you come with me?" Drinian took Annie by the hand and led her away from the men in armor. The two traveled up the stairs and made a few detours until finally they reached a set of double-doors with a pair of lion's head for the handles.
"Hide behind the tapestry. I'll take care of Caspian. Give me a few moments." Drinian muttered, pushing Annie towards the curtains. The teen let out a huff and eventually hide behind the curtains. Drinian pulled back the doors and strode into the room, saying his hello towards the king. Annie bit her lip as she heard a mention of a special guest arriving this afternoon. Caspian's smooth voice replied with a sigh and said that he did not wish to see anyone today. The teen's heart ached painfully in her chest as footsteps neared the door.
"Now." Drinian whispered.
Annie slipped out from behind the tapestry and entered the doorway to Caspian's study. One of two minotaurs, possibly Tavros, that Annie had met on the Dawn Treader stared blankly at the girl who was standing in the doorway. Tavros cleared his throat as Caspian rolled his eyes and then turned to see what everyone else was staring at.
His eyes fell upon Annie who was smiling softly at him. The king stood up from his chair and moved around his desk, still taking in the fact that the one girl he had fallen in love with was only a few feet from him. Annie couldn't bare to stand it any longer. She broke free from her poise and raced towards Caspian. The king was able to latch his arms around her waist and connect their lips together.
It was almost no one was in the room. Annie could feel Caspian's hands wander along the small of her back while she held onto his neck. The couple's lips refused to break apart as Caspian was able to probe his tongue into Annie's mouth and indulge himself. Annie let out a gasp of pleasure before Caspian gently pulled away from their kiss. The two kissed a few more times as Drinian motioned for Tavros to leave quietly and let the couple have some private time to themselves.
The double doors closed shut, leaving Caspian and Annie alone in the king's study. Caspian placed a kissed onto Annie's hair before wrapped his arms around her and holding her close to his chest. Annie buried her face into his chest and clung tightly, breathing in the musky smell of her beloved king. The couple stood in each other's arms before Caspian broke their hug and sighed deeply.
"Lady Annie the Fair..." Caspian began. Annie blushed at her new title and watched as Caspian dropped down onto one knee, holding her hand close to his chest.
This was it.
"Only a week ago, I met a girl named Annie Griffin who threatened to beat me senseless with a shovel and then throw my body into the mouth of a lion if I did not sail back to Virginia."
The auburn haired teen giggled at the memory and brushed a strand of her hair from her face.
"She was the most beautiful, charming, and temperamental girl I had ever met. During that time of being in her scary presence, I fell in love with her. I almost lost her once and I do not intend on making that mistake twice. My question is, will you stand by my side, as queen of Narnia and as my wife?" Caspian finally finished his tale and watched as tears slipped down Annie's face.
The girl nodded. "Yes. Yes. I will."
Caspian smiled gently up at his fiancé and stood up onto his own two feet. Annie kissed the king gently on the corner of his mouth before the couple was interrupted by a familiar face... or voice actually.
"I am pleased to hear of this joyous engagement. I do hope that Lady Annie the Fair will be a good queen to Narnia." The couple turned to face Aslan, who was standing in the corner with a smile on his face. Annie watched as the majestic lion strode forward and stood only a few feet from the two.
The teen quirked a brow. "Why did you send me back?"
"Fate has a strange way of bringing people together again, young one. Your life in your world was over and it was time you had a life in Narnia." The lion bowed his head with a nod towards Caspian.
Annie broke away from Caspian and threw her arms around the lion's neck while burying her face into his golden mane. Aslan lifted a paw and gently patted the girl on her back. The teen removed herself from the great lion and walked towards her fiancé. The couple intertwined their fingers and were now wrapped tightly in each other's arms.
"Thank you, Aslan." Annie murmured, her eyes meeting the lion's. Aslan nodded once and turned to leave. Within moments, the lion had gone and both the king and his future queen were the only people in the room. Caspian brushed a strand of Annie's hair from her face and then pressed their lips together. After a few moments of kissing, Annie could only sigh in reply, break the kiss and drape her arms around Caspian's neck.
"Caspian, before you gladly take me to your room... we have to get married first." Annie stated bluntly. The king chuckled softly and nodded.
"Of course."
Annie could only smile.
Two weeks had gone by extremely fast for the people of Narnia. And now, today was the wedding of their beloved King Caspian X and the newcomer, Lady Annie the Fair. It was ironic that right after the wedding, Annie would be crowned Queen of Narnia and stand beside their king. The two fauns, Evaine and Crissy were happily helping their friend prepare for the wedding that afternoon. Annie stared into the mirror of her room as one of the lady maids was brushing her auburn locks and curling it into a fancy, glitter-encrusted looking style.
"Is everything alright, m'lady?" The maid questioned in a whisper.
Annie lifted her head slightly and nodded. "Yes. I'm fine."
Both of the fauns pulled the gown from the bed and gladly helped their friend into her wedding dress. The gorgeous white dress was equipped with a V neckline and waistline. It had a split down the front of the amazing-looking A-line skirt. The sleeves were fitted to the elbow along with long, flowing chiffon which split at the elbow. The dress featured an intricate but delicate silver embroidery on the bodice which also ran down the front of the split in the skirt and around the bottom of the fitted part of the sleeves. The dress had a lace-up back with a train that was approximately 1 1/2 feet long.
"Wow. You look beautiful, m'lady." Evaine grinned.
"Thank you. Both of you." Annie looked at both fauns and gave each a hug, thanking them for reuniting her with her Caspian and helping her with her big day. Crissy sniffled as tears formed into the corner of her eyes. Evaine was the first to break away and smiled gently at the soon-to-be queen. Crissy removed herself from the hug and wiped away any stray tears.
A knock sounded at the door, signaling that it was almost time. Annie turned towards the door as one the lady maids answered it. Drinian peered into the room and sighed deeply, staring directly at the girl in front of him. Well, maybe not a girl anymore. She was woman now. Annie strode forward as Drinian opened his arms to welcome the teen into his embrace.
"I do believe I have never seen such beauty in my lifetime." Drinian whispered, as he was speaking to Annie like a father would. With love, affection, and pure happiness of a father seeing his daughter off on her wedding day... giving her away to some stranger.
Annie sniffed and wiped at her eyes. "Gonna make me cry there, Drinian." The teen joked with a smile. The man could only nod.
"Shall we go?" Drinian questioned to the teen. Annie nodded, taking Drinian's arm and following him out of her room.
It would only be a matter of moments before she would enter the courtyard, with hundreds of Narnians and creatures, who were anxiously awaiting for this very day. Annie couldn't believe it for a minute as the double doors opened and revealed her to the world. She saw Caspian at the end of the isle with a bright smile on his face. Annie smiled back towards her soon-to-be husband and began to walk down the aisle.
Whispers and murmurs erupted from the crowd of people as Annie walked down the aisle. Women gasped at the sight of her dress and beauty as some of the children were gaping in shock. Hell, even some of the men were jealous of their king who was about to be married to this fine woman. Drinian gently led Annie to the altar as Caspian grasped onto her hand and pulled her next to him. Annie glanced sideways towards Caspian whose eyes caught hers. They shared a romantic gaze until the preacher began the ceremony...
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today..."
People were dancing, singing, and cheering as the magical creatures of Narnia began playing their festive music for the joyous occasion. Annie, after spending almost two hours talking with generals and their wives, was growing tired and had managed to slip away onto the balcony. She leaned against the white marble and gazed out onto the glittering stars that shone above her. With a sigh, she placed her hand under her chin and smiled as a shooting star crossed the night sky.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Caspian's smooth voice murmured.
Annie turned towards her husband and nodded. "Yes. It is."
The king strode behind his wife and queen, slipping his arms around her waist. Annie leaned back into the man's chest, breathing deeply of his scent and looking up at the stars. Caspian kissed the teen gently on the temple before turning back to the stars. The couple stood in each other's arms, listening to the soft murmurs of the music playing behind them.
"I find it funny though." Annie spoke.
Caspian quirked a brow and appeared to be confused. He cleared his throat as Annie unwrapped herself from his arms and smirked at him. "What do you mean?"
Annie kissed her husband on the corner of his mouth and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Looks like I finally found my fairytale ending after all, my king."
Caspian only chuckled and pulled Annie closer into his embrace. "Our fairytale ending, my queen."
The End
A/N: Wow. 13 pages... and over 7,300 words later. This is possibly, by far, the best I have ever written. I began working on this about two months ago and decided to take a break from it. After a while, I finally plucked up the courage and finished this one-shot. I am deeply proud of myself. I do hope to start writing more this summer and posting often. If not, well... there's always the school year as well. Thank you all who read and review my stories and one-shots. You all mean the world to me I cannot wait to see what you think of this one. Enjoy your summer and happy writing to you!
PS: FOR NARNIA AND FOR ASLAN!