Don't own! This is the concluding part of the story. I hope you all enjoy

~Yiva

Chapter: 3

The time had arrived. The guests were streaming through the front doors. Servants were running this way and that, making final changes. Lucy, from her spot above the ballroom, could watch all of the action without being seen.

She was waiting to make her entrance. Waiting on Peter that is. He hadn't yet returned from his outing with Rea. If Gershwin, the eagle, hadn't reported seeing them talking on the beach together as he flew in, she would have been worried. As it was, she was angry, she was furious, she was livid. "When I get my hands on him…" She muttered to herself.

"Get your hands on whom?" Lucy looked up at the voice and was startled to see her eldest brother standing over her.

"No one. You're late you know." She said.

"I know, and I'm sorry, Lu. I thought I was going to be back earlier, but we didn't realize the time was going to fly like that." Peter explained this contritely.

"I know," Lucy sighed, "just go get ready, please? I'm going to go join Susan in the greeting. Please, hurry?" Lucy begged.

"I'll be back in a jiffy," Peter promised.

"Thank you!"

Lucy skipped down into the ballroom. She took her spot at the head table, and smiled graciously at her guests. "King Peter says not to wait for him, he will be down in a bit, he was a bit late getting here, but we may carry on without him."

"Are you-" Susan began whispering to Lucy, but Lucy cut her off with a swift nod. "Please do join us. After dinner the dancing will begin." Susan smiled.

The meal was proceeding nicely. Mr. Tumnus was laughing at something Mr. Beaver was saying. King Lune was talking to Susan. Corin was laughing at the antics of one of the squirrels. All was well. And then, she came. Lady Rea entered on Peter's arm. They smiled at the subjects, indulgently. Peter took his spot at the head table, seated next to Lady Rea. The two made quite the couple, they whispered and giggled together.

Lucy thought she was going to be sick. She brightened herself with the thought that after dinner she would get to dance. She loved to dance. Noticing the time, the youngest royal decided to check herself over quickly before the dance started. She quietly excused herself from the gathering.

Glancing in the mirror she quickly adjusted her hair and smiled brightly at her reflection. Her smile turned to a frown when she saw Lady Rea stepping up behind her in the quest bathrooms.

"Oh, hello, Lady Rea," Lucy said flatly.

"Queen Lucy," Rea nodded. After a quick glance in the mirror she left. Lucy heard a click behind her. Glancing at the door she strode over to it. She pulled at the door. It wouldn't open.

"Hello? Anyone? Let me out! Please?" Lucy pulled at the door, and frantically banged at it.

************

Meanwhile at the ball, no one knew where Lucy had gone. "Have you seen her?" Susan asked her brother.

"No. Not since the final course. She had better hurry, the dance is supposed to begin soon." As the words were coming out of his mouth, Mr. Tumnus called everyone to order and announced that the dance would commence. Peter looked around the floor, perplexed.

"Peter, I haf seen Lucy, she has had accident. She has broken heel. She says that you and I vill dance. You and she will dance later." Lady Rea announced gliding into room.

Peter and Susan exchanged glances. "We could wait for her." Susan said.

"No. She says you cannot dance until commencing dance has happened. She wants eferybody to dance now."

"Well, if you're sure…" Peter conceded. Peter took Rea's hand and nodded to a surprised Tumnus. Tumnus gestured to the musicians and a rendition of the Water Nymph Dance commenced.

"Where is Queen Lucy," Asked the faun to Susan.

"We don't know, Rea said that she broke a heel," Susan said, confused.

"I thought Queen Lucy was wearing flats."

"I thought so too. Something is definitely wrong."

"This is my song! They can't play my song! I'm not there. Why would the-" Lucy banged on the doors again.

"Lucy?"

"Queen Lucy?"

"I'm in here! Please hear me!" Lucy sobbed, against the door. The door swung open, and a surprised Susan and Mr. Tumnus stood at the door.

"Lucy? What-" Susan asked, confused.

Lucy shoved passed the two, "That's my song." Lucy cried. She ran into the ballroom, and skidded to a stop as she saw her brother and Rea dancing.

"Lucy-" Peter began, seeing the upset look on his sister's face. He glanced sharply at Rea.

"Just- just forget it!" Lucy snapped, fleeing the room.

********

Lucy ran up to her room, and threw herself down on her bed.

At the knock at the door she screamed, "Just go away! I don't want to talk to you!"

"Lucy-" Susan's gentle voice floated through the door.

"Just go, please Su, just go."

The footsteps receded.

Soon, another set of footsteps tramped up. There was a knocking at the door, before it quietly opened.

"Hey," he said, dropping on to the bed next to her.

"You're supposed to stay in bed." Lucy muttered, wiping her eyes.

"I am in a bed." Edmund replied lightly.

"What are you doing here?"

"I had Rogerston sneak down and watch what was happening, he told me."

"I acted childishly."

"So-" he prompted.

"So I shouldn't have. I should have grinned and bore it."

"Well, we all have are limits." He gently reminded her.

"Yeah." Lucy agreed.

"How are you feeling now?" He asked as she managed a watery smile.

"Better."

"Good. Let's go." He stood gently.

"Where are we going?"

"Dancing, of course." He explained. She then noticed that he had on his armor.

"You can't go dancing! You just had major surgery."

"One dance won't kill me. Come on, Cinderella." He grinned as she stood and grabbed his hand.

***********

The ballroom grew silent as the subjects saw the two enter. He walked stiffly. She had a watery smile placed on her lips. The crowded parted as Edmund nodded to Susan.

Lucy smiled nervously as Edmund held out his arms. "Gently, Lu, gently." He cautioned as the moved slowly around the floor. She grinned at him. "Now, don't expect me to dip you or anything."

"Ed, this really does mean a lot to me, you know." Lucy said.

"I know. And you know Peter didn't mean to abandon you. You know how he get's when there's a new girl in the house, I mean he is only twenty. Sometimes I think we forget that we're all still kids."

"I know. I know." Lucy agreed.

After the dance Edmund slipped off the floor to sit in his throne. Lucy immediately asked Corin if he would do her the honor of dancing with her.

"Shouldn't you be upstairs?" Edmund looked up at the sound of his older brother sinking down next to him.

"Probably," Edmund agreed.

"That was really rotten of me."

"Yes, yes it was."

"Edmund!"

"Well, what do you want, the truth or something to make you feel better?"

"The truth," the magnificent king grumbled.

"You shouldn't have done that to Lucy. I know what Lady Rea told you, but…"

The brothers were interrupted by the cries of three females.

"Tell me the truth, Rea, or you'll regret it," Edmund was vaguely shocked to hear the words tumble from his older sister's mouth, and from the gasps of the people, he decided that the subjects were as well.

"I haf no idea vut you are talking about." Rea responded, angrily. "Peter, aren't you going to speak up for me?"

"Oh. Um…" Peter hedged.

"You locked Lucy in the bathroom, and you know it!" Susan said clearly upset, if Edmund didn't know his sister better he would swear that she was about to hit the girl.

Lucy looked around anxiously, she looked near tears.

"You have been nothing but rude to us since you came here. You have insulted Lucy, the Narnians, and me. I will not have it." Susan thundered.

"Peter who are you going to beliefe? Them or me?" Rea smirked as she asked the question. She knew the answer.

"Them."

"Vut?" Rea gasped.

"I said them," Peter shook his head, a ghost of a smile on his handsome face. "It will always be them. I mean, you're pretty and all, but really, you're not very nice, and you just don't fit in here."

Instead of responding, Rea ran off in a huff of tears.

"Peter!" Susan gasped, shocked.

"Oh, I'm sorry; did you want her to stay?" Peter asked, unaffected by the affair. "Lucy, are you going to cut your cake soon? I think Edmund should get back upstairs soon."

"You know, we're probably going to have to go to war with Capeenland," Edmund remarked later as the four royal siblings sat around his bed, eating cake.

"Nah. We won't. When I entered Narnia in to defend Capeenland the king had to sign a treaty. They can't fight us unless someone steals a goat or something. Anyway, Capeenland can't defend itself against Telmar, what makes you think it can beat Narnia?" Peter asked.

"This is true." Edmund agreed.

"I'm sorry, Lu. I should never let a girl come before my family," Peter began contritely.

"Well, as long as you don't do it again, otherwise I'll have to kick your butt" Lucy began. Edmund snorted.

"What?" Peter asked defensively.

"Nothing. I was just thinking about Susan. I honestly thought you were going to punch her."

"I was," Susan said, daintily easting her cake.

"I really loved Rea's face when you chose us over her."

"Well, what do you think I was going to do? Choose her?" Peter scoffed. "I wouldn't have chosen her, even if it did mean a war."

"What if she was from a bigger country?"

"I'd still choose you guys. You know, when the world comes down, I want you guys sitting beside me." Peter said with feeling.

The sibling smiled, and Lucy led them all in a giant group hug which broke up as Edmund gasped in pain.

"Edmund, are you all right?" Lucy asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I told you, I just don't like that 'touchy-feely' stuff." Edmund grinned.

"If you didn't just have stomach surgery…"

"Surgry-murgry, little girl, I could still take you…"

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, really…"

The End

I hope you guys liked that! Please r/r and let me know