"I don't know if I'll ever get used to this." said Edmund, frustrated and annoyed.
"Well, it's that or celibacy. You're choice." replied Peter laughing, taking advantage of his brother's state.
The two brothers were walking quickly through the stone halls of their castle in Narnia. As kings of the land, they were required to attend weekly meetings that were rather boring for boys in their 20's, and would much rather be outside dueling with swords or wrestling each other for bragging rights.
After being in Narnia for years, they both grew strong and athletic. Both were very tall and fit and were the wanted by the girls where ever they went. Peter was taller then Edmund, but was no where near his younger brother when it came to strength. Edmund, being the younger then Peter, spent many years at the wrong end of bad jokes and learned early on he needed to defend himself. Soon after they landed in Narnia, Peter realized he lost his ability to physically bully his younger brother, but made up for it in other ways. Peter had long blonde hair that shone in the sun like glass. His blue eyes were the color of the ocean and his face was smooth and soft. Edmund couldn't be any different then his brother. His long black hair was messy and always in his face, which was just as beautiful as Peters, but in a tougher way and he always had a shadow of a rough beard.
"Why can't I just wait till I find someone I like? Like at home in England? Dating there seemed SO much easier then it is here. I'm a king, can't I just change the rules this one time?" said Edmund as they turned the last corner before entering the meeting.
Inside the ornate double doors stood a long wooden table with ten chairs. Each chair was filled with one leader in Narnia, from the Marsh-wiggles to the Beavers of the woods, all were there to report to the Kings and Queens of Narnia. At each end of the long table stood two chairs. The far end were for High King Peter, and Queen Susan, and the near end for King Edmund and Queen Lucy.
"I'm sorry Ed, but that's just how things work around here. Honestly, what kind of king would you be if you changed the rules to fit you're liking? Not a very good one, I'd imagine." Peter saw the look on his brother's face, and while he enjoyed a good joke on Edmund, he felt sorry for him. "Listen, we can't be late for the meeting, but as soon as it's over we'll talk to the girls and see what they can do to help."
Edmund sighed, not just because of the "girl problems" but because he hated these boring meetings more then anything.
"It's been peace in Narnia for two years already. Why do we have to have these boring meetings anyway? Can't we just position someone to head these and we can be off doing important things. Like riding. Or scouting the land? Or sailing!"
Peter look at his brother smiling, agreeing 100%, but pushed open the doors and the two walked in. Susan and Lucy were already seated at their seats, as were the rest of the members.
"Sorry to keep you all waiting." Peter said as he reached his chair, and the meeting began.
After three hours of addressing Narnian matters, the four brothers and sisters were finally free and were walking together in the courtyard outside the meeting room.
"Dating? Easier in England?! Oh no, Edmund, it really isn't TRUST me!" cried Susan after Peter and Edmund were discussing Ed's dilemma.
"Really, it's so horrible. There are no rules to follow or ways of knowing how a person really is! People go on dates! To horrible places... like the movies! How informal!!! Trust me, it's much easier here, Ed. You can tell so much about a person by the way they rule their land!" And Susan nodded as she said this, very sure of her reputation as a lovely Queen and fair ruler.
Lucy, on the other hand, was much more in tune with emotions and felt very sorry for her brother.
"Oh I agree with Edmund. It's not fair to be rushed into things with someone you hardly know!" she said as she pulled an apple off a tree.
"It's not THAT horrible. The people here are so nice and friendly....how can you not like them?" Peter argued.
"Yeah, easy for you to say." sighed Edmund.
Peter was set to marry Princess Julia from the Seven Islands. While this started as an arranged marriage to insure peace between Narnia and the Islands, Peter and Julia fell in love shortly after meeting one another. It couldn't have worked out better for the couple, or the lands they would bind in the process.
As King of Narnia, it was important for Edmund to marry someone with royal blood. Princesses and queens from lands surrounding Narnia had passed through their castle, seeking his interest in marriage. However, no one had gotten his attention, and he was being pressured from all sides to hurry and court.
Edmund ran his hands through his dark hair and sat on the wall of the courtyard, over looking the ocean and beach, and talked quietly with Lucy.
"Pete, isn't there anything we can do for him? He looks miserable." whispered Susan.
"I'm afraid not.. oh don't look at me like that, Su. You know as well as I do that he's had 100 girls come through here with interest in him. It's no one's fault but his own that he's like this." And Peter had a right to feel this way. While it may seem like Peter wasn't being sensitive to his brother's problem...almost every month a family would arrive to their castle in Narnia with a son or daughter, or both, to be introduced to the four. Often they would travel days or weeks to visit other families in the same fashion. This was normalcy in their lives now, and the only way for them to meet possible husbands or wives.
"Well....you are right...but I do feel sorry for him." Replied Susan looking at her brother. She suddenly felt very guilty for courting with Prince Desmund from Galma. The two met when the four went to Galma for some trades. Susan, being a very formal Queen, didn't mind being so far away from him for so very long, and was certainly not in love with the prince, though she was very fond of him. She had already decided that she would agree to marry him once he proposed.
"Don't worry Su, he'll find someone. This has been going on for ages...it's bound to happen sooner or later. Even with someone as daft as Edmund." Peter said joking, and the two laughed and joined Edmund and Lucy and they walked back into the castle.
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That night the four met for dinner, with Julia as their additional guest, as well as numerous others who lived in the castle. Julia had recently moved into the castle to get help in planning her and Peter's wedding, as well as to get situated in Narnia as her future home. Everyone loved her for she was as sweet and lovely as Susan and Lucy, and was truly in love with Peter. Everyone was so happy for the two. Julia was always at Peter's side, and the two made a beautiful pair. Just as Peter, she had long blonde hair that reached her waist and curled at the ends. Her skin was pale and flawless and her green eyes were bright and cheerful.
"Another amazing meal. Really, you have the most wonderful chief's here in Narnia!" Julia boasted about her new home. "Oh Peter, we have some things to settle for the wedding before the end of the week. Can you believe it's only a few weeks until we're married?!"
While everyone loved the fact that the two were getting married, so many last minute things needed to be "settled" that they were getting tired of the planning phase.
"Okay Julia, let's go do that now then. Goodnight everyone, see you all in the morning!" Peter said as he pulled Julia's chair back, kissed his sisters goodnight, and slapped Edmund on the back.
"I'll be happy when this wedding is over with. She's sweet but really, does Pete need to do EVERYTHING for her?" Susan was a very independent woman and couldn't understand Julia's way at all, and watched the two leave the dining hall.