Hiii!! Finally some action! Hope you like it!
Chapter 3: His heart's true desire.
He opened the door, and there she was, tears flowing down her chocolate orbs, Lucy holding her in her arms, stroking her hair. The two girls jumped by the noise of the door. "Maram, I need to talk to you" said Peter ignoring the fact that his intromission had been extremely rude. Lucy got the hint, and left, closing the door behind her. Maram bent her head, so her hair covered her puffy and red eyes. Peter sat on her side. "Maram I... " but he was interrupted by her. "What do you want now, Peter? Can't you see that you've hurt me enough? That everytime I see you, I feel that mass of feelings swelling up again?" she shouted at him, new tears damping her cheeks. He felt like his heart was being stabbed when he saw the deep pain in her face. "No, don't cry, please! I came to apologize for being such an arse. I never wanted to hurt you" he said taking her hand. She took her hand back instantly and moved farther from him. "Do you think that an apology will ease my pain, High King? How wrong you are. How would you feel if love was denied to you, if coldness is all you get in return? That's what you have done with me" she said sobbing uncontrollably. He crossed the room and grabbed the girl by her shoulders firmly, but not hurting her. "Look at me Maram! I didn't plan to fall in love with you! I was confused, I didn't know what to do, it hurts me too to see you like this, suffering for something I'm the only one to blame for" and at that, he did he lowered his lips to hers, trying to somehow show her that he meant all what he said. She pushed him away from her and slapped him across the face. She ran to the door, but he was faster and blocked her way. "I love you" was all he said before letting her go. She ran as fast as she could down the corridor, till she crashed against someone, Caspian. She hugged him and began crying even harder, her sobs echoing in the corridor. Caspian knew who was responsible for this, and asking Susan to take care of his sister, went to look for the other king. He found him in the corridor close to his room, and went straight to him, his fist crashing against the man's jaw. Peter was thrown into the ground by the impact, where he stayed for a while. Caspian held his hand to him. "That was for making my sister cry, I'm sorry" he said helping his friend back to his feet. "Now tell me, what happened?". Both men entered the closest room. "I just apologized to her. I tried to make her understand why I acted like that, but she wouldn't listen. Caspian, you know how it feels to fall in love, how even the most insane ideas, look good when one is in such state. What else could I do other than kiss her? Show her how desperate I am to have her sympathy back!" said Peter, his hands running through his hair, tears dropping from his chin. "Dear friend, calm down. You have to understand the pain in her heart, but I know that even having all that anguish in her heart, my sister has understood your feelings, and that has confused her even more. Give her some time to think, to clear her mind, and then, spoke to her again, with your heart, and things will be different" said Caspian trying to give some comfort to Peter. "It hurts me too, to see her like that, being so distressed, so sad. I never wanted that, never"
Meanwhile, Susan was trying to soothe the painful sobs of the girl crying in her lap. "Maram, please, be calm" she whispered, softly stroking her hair. "I don't want to feel this love for your brother, Susan, but I can't stop it! it hurts so much and I can't make it go away!" said the girl. The queen stayed silent, not knowing what to say. Caspian came some time later, bringing a miserable Peter with him. "My Queen, I think it's better to leave this two alone, they have many things to talk about" he said. She didn't contradict him, and just followed him out of the room. Peter then, mustering all his courage, sat next to the princess, and gently lifted her chin with his hand. With his thumb he brushed the streaks of the tears in her cheeks, lingering there to stroke it softly. They stared at eachother's eyes, words useless for the moment. "I meant every
word I said to you" he said, his eyes fierce with determination. "I love you, and I will repeat it any number of times, until you believe me". The princess looked away for a second but soon returned to his eyes. "I believe you, but the pain in my heart is still there" she whispered, his blue eyes, bringing some peace to her. "Then let me soothe it, let me replace it with love" he whispered too, closing the gap between them, and kissing her for the second time in the day. This time, she kissed back, letting her heart took care of the moment. The kiss was sweet, innocent, but passionate at the same time. When they separated, he kneeled in front of her, took both of her hands in his and kissed them. "Then, Milady, would you allow me to court you as is only right?" he said. "That is a matter to be treated with the King, Your Majesty. I can only say that I'm honoured to be the one you chose" she said smiling. He then, rose to his feet, kissed her hand again, and left, pausing at the door. "You will hear of me soon, Milady" he said before vanishing through the door. To his shock, the other royals were standing right next to the door. "What are you doing here?" he inquired. "It was in case you needed to be separated again" answered Edmund, who seemed to be there unwillingly. "It was not necessary, was it? but well, now that the King is here, I may ask you a favour" he said looking at Caspian. "As you told me before, King Peter, there's no better suitor for my sister, neither someone that cares as much for her as you do, so if its your wish to court her, then feel free, as I have no objection" he said, his speech worthy of the king he was. Peter bowed at him, only to be straightened back by the hug from Caspian. Maram got out from the room, and was hugged closely by Susan and Caspian. She smiled whole heartedly for the first time in days. After all the congratulations, they noticed that Lucy had fallen sleep in the nearby chair. "That is our hint to retire to our chambers" said Peter taking her in his arms. "Goodnight" he dismissed himself, taking Lucy to her room.
Susan woke up the next day surrounded by flowers. Every corner of her room was covered in them, from roses to tulips. She laughed at the gesture, knowing who was behind it. She got out of her bed and got dressed for the day, making a mental note to thank a certain king for the flowers. She met the rest of the inhabitants of the castle in the dining room for breakfast. "My Queen is looking radiant this morning" said Caspian kissing her hand and helping her into her seat. "You flatter me. You are looking very handsome yourself, My King. Thank you for the flowers in my room this morning" said Susan smiling to the king. "Can you leave all that sweetness for when I'm not around, please!" said Edmund making a disgusting face. As he finished speaking, Maram appeared and Peter jumped to his feet and escorted her to her place in the table. "Oh, please, no more!" yelled Ed in exasperation. They all laughed at him. "You shouldn't be talking, Ed, you were all attentive and charming to that girl at the ball" said Lucy. "What girl at the ball?" asked Peter. "You never told me that, Ed". The raven haired boy blushed deeply at this. "Come on Lu, tell us who she was" said Susan curious. "I don't know who she is. She is as tall as Susan, has long black hair, straight, reaching her middle back, not tanned, and I think she has green eyes" described Lucy. "Oh! That's Lady Lia, daughter of Lord Damian of Archeland. We were quite good friends while I stayed there" said Maram. "We should invite them over, to spend some days with us, as Edmund here, made such a good relationship with her" said Peter mocking his brother. "It is around time that you got interested in girls, Ed, I remember that when we ruled Narnia, at this age you had several ladies trying to catch your attention" commented Susan. "Lia is not like those monsters" said Ed. "Oh so you're on a first name basis now? Whoa Ed! You are in love!" said Peter clapping on his back. "Stop it! I don't get why you make such a scandal about it!" said the boy standing and leaving. "He is in love!" said Lucy excitedly.
Later on, Susan, Maram and Lucy, decided that it was a good idea to invite the Lord of Archeland and his daughter to a visit. The three made a beautiful invitation, and sent it away that same day. All of this, of course, was to be kept as a secret from Edmund,
who would most likely run away and hide in the woods, rather than stay and greet the guests. Susan left the other two to have a walk in the town. There she was saluted by all the villagers and even got presents from them. A group of 4 little girls approached her. "Good morning, Your Majesty" they said making a reverence. "Good morning, girls" she answered smiling at them. "Would you like to come and pick some flowers with us?" asked the girls looking at her hopefully. "Sure, how could I refuse to such an invitation!" said the Queen. Taking both her hands, the girls were ecstatic with their new companion.
Back in the castle, Caspian was looking for Susan. "Lucy, have you seen your sister?" he asked. "She went to the town to have a walk" answered the Valiant Queen. "Is there something bothering you, little sister?" asked him back, looking the sadness in her eyes. "No, is nothing. I just feel lonely. Peter is too busy with Cair Paravel and courting Maram. Susan is in lala land most of the time, so we can't do anything together, Edmund is in a bad mood all the time, and you are busy as well. And well, everytime I'm doing something with Maram, Peter comes and takes her away" said Lucy taking all her frustrations away. Caspian hugged the little queen. "You should have told me! I'm not busy all the time, so whenever you feel alone or bored, we can do something together. A mouse told me that you wanted to learn to use the bow" said Caspian referring to Reepicheep. "And also, I got an answer from Lord Damian, he is coming in two days, and he's going to bring his other children" he said, knowing that this news were going to give some excitement to the girl in his lap. "Oh then there are a lot of things to do! I have to go tell the kitchens, and the maids have to prepare the rooms! I have to do it immediately!" said Lucy, jumping from her current position and running away, still mumbling frantically. Caspian laughed and went to the stables.
A little road from the castle, he arrived to the village. He, too, was received with greetings and reverences. "Have you seen Queen Susan, dear man?" he asked to a man selling vegetables. "Yes, she is in the entrance to the woods, with the children" he answered bowing to his king. He thanked the man and went to the place mentioned. He saw that Susan was sitting under a tree, surrounded by children. She seemed to be telling them a story, and the children were as attentive to her words. "So when did the High King kill the White Witch?" asked one boy, his excitement getting the best of him. Susan laughed at his eagerness. "No, dear, it was not Peter who killed her. When she was about to pierce him with her sword, Aslan arrived and got over her and finished her" said Susan. The little boy who interrupted her before, stood up and jumping around said: "When I'll be older I want to be like The High King!". Susan laughed again, it was then when she saw Caspian leaning on a nearby tree. The children saw him too, and ran to him. The stopped a few steps from him and bowed, then some started admiring his sword, others his horse, and the girls where already looking for flowers to make him a crown. He walked over to where Susan was, and sat by her side. "The children seem to love you, My Queen" he said looking at her. "They love the stories I tell them, I think they admire you and Peter more" she answered leaning back on the tree. A huge noise caught their attention; the children were having a fight. Susan went to them and separated them. "Hey! Why are you fighting? Things are not solved like that, kids" she said. She will be a great mother once day, thought Caspian watching the scene. He walked to where Susan was, trying to sort the situation. "What happened in here, boys?" asked Caspian. "He wanted to take your sword, King Caspian, but I told him that it was not right and he kicked me" said one of the kids. "It was only to see it!" said the other boy. "What is your name?" asked the king to the second boy. "F..Fenrir" he said scared. "Then, Fenrir, you should know that swords are terribly dangerous and you could have been hurt" he said, kneeling to be at the same height as him. "Yes, sir". Caspian, then, took Susan's hand and helped her to get up on the horse and, after having mounted the animal too, they said goodbye.
Arriving at the castle, Susan jumped from the horse and ran from the stables, calling Caspian to catch her if he could. He gave her some advantage and ran after her. He got her by the waist and both fell to the floor, laughing. "It was easy for you. This dress doesn't let me run properly" she said. The king laughed at her feeble excuse for getting caught. He rolled over, so he was on top of her, and kissed her passionately. Someone cleared their throat behind them. "Sorry to interrupt your... er... private moment, but Lucy needs some help, and she needs you Su" said Peter holding his laughter at their faces.
Two days went by with last minute preparations and a little more yelling. "Why do we have to wear fancy clothes?" asked an irritated Edmund. "Because the King of Archeland is coming, and it's not proper to be ragged and sweaty" said Susan straightening some wrinkles in his clothes. They were all reunited in the entrance, waiting not too calmly. Finally, a carriage approached them, coming to a halt not far from them. The doors opened, and a round short man descended with some difficulty. "Your Majesties, it is a great honour to see you again" said Lord Damian, reverencing. Short after him, came Lia, dressed in a long brown dress. She, too, bowed at them. Edmund froze, colour coming to his face. He turned to see his siblings faces to see them grinning madly at him. They are sooo going to pay for this, he thought. Then, two boys that looked a little older than Lucy, descended too and kneeled behind their father. After the formalities, Maram run to the lord and hugged him. "My Lord, I've missed our afternoon teas so much!" she said. "Milady, Archeland is less bright without you there" responded the old man. She then, went to hug the children. "Dear Lord, let's move inside, you must be tired" said Caspian. "Ed, can you escort Lady Lia? You may give her a tour by the castle, as well" added the king. If looks cold kill, Caspian would have dropped dead right there from the glance Edmund was giving him. He extended his arm to the girl. "Shall we?" he said trying to keep his voice steady.
"... and this is the library" said Edmund, sounding quite bored. "With all respect, my liege, you don't seem quite happy. I can continue the tour on my own, if you wish" she said, her voice barely louder than a whisper. "Not at all. Is just that this castle is a quite boring, but I would be delighted if we could continue our walk outside" he said kissing her hand. They took the closest way out, and arrived to the vast garden. "I have ever seen dancing trees before. Narnia is indeed a wonderful land" she said amazed at the swirling leaves greeting her. "I'm sure Archeland is beautiful too, it has to be, for your beauty has to be surrounded by nothing less" he said. He was surprised by his behaviour, those lessons he got from Peter were coming of use. "You are definitely charming, King Edmund, I bet you have a lot of girls wanting your favours" said Lia trying to hide her blush. "I may have said some nice words to other ladies, but just for politeness, you, Milady, are the only one I have meant them" he said. They continued to walk, just admiring the surroundings. "I believe there must be a fine lady waiting for you in your world, isn't it?" asked the girl, embarrassment fresh on her face. "There's no –fine lady- in my world or here. I have never really had an interest in girls" he said disinterestedly. "Oh, you are interested in boys then?" she blurted out and then, and, realizing the huge indelicacy she made, she became beetroot red in the face. Edmund just exploded in laughter. It took a good ten minutes for him to get a hold on it and stop. "Oh my, I haven't laughed like that for a long time. Now, Milady, I reassure you that my interest lies on girls indeed, but what I meant was that I never had a deep interest in any girl in particular before yourself" he said. "Me? But Your Majesty deserves someone better, with a better title" she said embarrassed. "Titles don't make a difference to me. You are sweet and gentle, funny and smart, you have a sincerity that is adorable and, as an extra, you are beautiful. I don't think I can find someone better" he said turning to look deeply in her emerald eyes. She stayed glued to the spot, looking directly into his eyes, as if there was an invisible rope holding her rooted to the ground. His gaze was intense, and she could almost believe that he could read her
thoughts across her eyes. Edmund got a step closer to her, still holding his gaze, when she didn't back away, he advanced a little more. He's very close now, what can I do in a situation like this!, thought Lia. Ed bent his head and planted a sweet kiss on her cheek, not wanting to go too far, and maybe upset her. Lia was surprised, he indeed is a gentleman. The young king noted that she had a kind of sad expression on her face. "Did I do something that bothered you, Milady?" asked the boy in a concerned tone, upsetting her was the last thing he wanted to do. "No, no, I was simply caught off guard by your actions, My King". Edmund said nothing and turned again to face the path ahead. They walked for a few more minutes till Lia stopped, causing the young king to stop too. "Is there anything wrong, Lady Lia?" he asked. "I was just wondering if Your Majesty was upset" she said after a while. "I am, for being impulsive and invading your personal space" he responded, resentment surfacing clear as water in his eyes. She took his hand in hers and strokes it delicately. She was so close now, his self restraint wouldn't withstand longer. And then again, her clear eyes met his, and all the little control he had over his action was lost. His hand went to hold her waist and in a swift movement, his lips were on hers. The young Lady was in shock, but gave in merely seconds after, hands resting on his neck. Now Edmund really understood Caspian and Susan, a kiss was able to transmit so many things. They parted to catch some air, as both were holding it, unknowing of what to do. He took her hand in his entwining their fingers and continued strolling, happiness irradiating from both of them.
AN: thanks everyone for the reviews… finally I've uploaded chapter 3... sorry if it took too long... I haven't had too many ideas... hope you like it and please review!! If you like the story and ad it to your favs, then please leave a review. Any ideas or suggestions on the story are very welcome , as comments on the parts you liked the most!! Thanks again and cookies for everyone!