Tranquility

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Chronicles of Narnia related, but I do own Natalie and Orecar

When Natalie and Lucy entered the dining hall, the boys looked up and smiled. "Good to see you again, Natalie," Caspian said as he and Edmund stood.

"Thanks," Natalie replied.

"How were your lessons with Professor Marcus?" The older of the group asked.

"They were great, thank you," she said. As they sat to eat, Natalie remained quiet, simply observing them. The three walked and laughed with each other in such a care-free manner. She remembered what Marcus had told her about them, how the three of them fought in a revolution to free Narnia from Miraz. Edmund and Lucy had been in many more battles, but how old where they then? The Professor had told her they ruled over Narnia for more than a decade, but that would mean, like her own situation, time-travel would be involved. She had to think of how amazing their adventures must have been, even as she was aware that battles and politics where not exactly thrilling. She still wished she could somehow become part of something meaningful as well.

"So what did Professor Marcus teach you?" Edmund asked after a bit.

Natalie looked up at him. "I leaned a lot about Narnian history," she replied.

"Anything interesting?" Lucy questioned with a knowing smile.

"Everything, like I said before, I love learning new things and I had a lot to learn about this place. I have a lot of questions about this place and you guys. If you don't mind, I'd like to know more about you some time?" Natalie answered slowly. She didn't want to push them for their past, but she was very curious.

Edmund was the one to answer. "We'll tell you all about our history at another time," he nodded. Natalie didn't want to push him, if they didn't want to talk about it now, it was their prerogative. She had to wonder why they seemed to reluctant to talk about their past though. She understood of course, she too had a lot kept to herself about her past and besides, she was sure some things they had to go through were not exactly pleasant.

After dinner, Natalie felt a yawn coming up but kept it down and declared she would again turn in early. As before, Edmund jumped to the chance to walk her out. As they left the dining hall, Lucy watched them, noticing how Edmund would walk very close to her and smile as often as he could. 'Curious...' Lucy thought, then turned to her old friend. "What do you think, Caspian?" Lucy muttered.

"About?" Caspian questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"How do you suppose Natalie feels about us?"

"Not sure, she's pretty quiet but she doesn't seem to be too troubled," Caspian smiled and nodded to the servants that began clearing the table.

"I think Edmund might like Natalie..," she said.

"Like? Well of course he does, we all like... oh. Well. Yes, perhaps. I see no reason why he shouldn't. She's attractive and kind and has something unique about her," Caspian observed, scratching his beard in thought.

"What do you suppose that is?" Lucy asked.

"She seems to observe a lot, question everything, and, yes that's it, she hasn't once tried to flirt with us!" Caspian snapped his fingers.

"Why should that be so note-worthy?"

"I can't remember how it was before I became King for Peter and Edmund, but I remember having women try to get closer to me quite often. I'm sure it was the same with Edmund in the Golden Age, was it not?" Caspian questioned.

"You're right, it happened like that for him too. I suppose it is different that Natalie isn't trying to flirt with either of you. But what strikes me as odd is Ed's behavior. Edmund had never really paid much attention to women, not even the ones that tried to flirt with him when we were adults. He always found those women annoying and never tried dating when we returned home," Lucy explained.

"Maybe he was waiting for the right one," Caspian shrugged. "There's a first for everything."

"And maybe Natalie just sees you both as friends, or worse, brothers," Lucy teased, though she was half serious.

"Now that's just crazy," Caspian grinned.

Meanwhile, Natalie listened to Edmund as he spoke of his favorite spots in Narnia that they didn't have the time to see, including a quiet brook in the woods between castle Caspian and Cair Paravel, and a nice looking lake he had seen nearby. "A lake, huh? Sounds nice, I've always enjoyed swimming when I was younger," Natalie said with a smile, savoring the fond memory.

"Really? Then we'll have to go down there and check it out some time!" Edmund grinned. "We could play Marco Polo," he suggested.

"Oh I love that game! I used to play it with..." Natalie trailed off and grimaced.

"With?" Edmund frowned in confusion, he had finally gotten her to smile and sound happy but suddenly she closed herself off again. "Natalie?"

"I'm sorry, yeah, um... I used to play it with my older brother," She admitted, looking at the carpet they walked on.

"I didn't know you had a brother," Edmund smiled.

"Had, yeah, long ago..."

"Oh, well now I feel like a big jerk," Edmund frowned sadly.

"Nah," Natalie shook her head and chanced another smile. "It's alright, that was a long time ago," she reassured him. It was then she realized this was the first time that she felt comfortable talking to someone about her family. "My brother loved to swim, taught me how in fact. We would go out to our pond in our summer home and play with our parents all day. Then at night we would lay out on blankets, watching the stars." Natalie jumped slightly when she felt Edmund's thumb brush her cheek. She hadn't realized she had been crying. Looking up she felt her heart race at how close they were, their noses nearly touching. She had never been this close to a boy.

"Sounds like it was a lot of fun," Edmund said, his voice soft and soothing. Natalie could only nod, her voice lost. "Thank you for telling me," he said gently. Natalie found herself lost in his eyes. They were like swirling pools of silky dark chocolate, beckoning her to bask in them. She shook her head slightly, trying to clear it, and backed away. Edmund let his hand drop from her cheek and tried not to feel hurt by her actions; he understood how reclusive she was, and now understood a bit more about her, why she was the way she was. If he had ever lost his family like she did... he didn't even want to think about it.

"Good night, ...Ed?" Natalie ventured, relieved when Edmund smiled widely and nodded in approval.

"Good night," he nodded to her and walked over to his room one door down. As Natalie prepared for bed, she came to the realization that she had irrevocably made friends with these people, despite her – rather weak – attempts to keep them at bay. She wasn't even sure how they became friends! She hardly spoke to them and only smiled when absolutely necessary, never mind that she felt herself smiling more and more with each day. They seemed to like her so she supposed it was meant to be. Being honest with herself, she decided she really liked them too. Edmund in particular was very charming, even when it was obvious he wasn't trying to be, unlike Caspian. She shook her head, pushing the memory of his close proximity and gentle touch away and settled for bed.

As she fell asleep, memories of an old best friend popped into her head. He was a boy she had been friends with before the death of her parents, a boy she had a crush on, who apparently liked her too. He was also the first friend she lost. His house had burned down when he and his family were all asleep. Natalie fell into fitful sleep, dreaming of fire and smoke suffocating her while the voice of her friend screamed for her to save him. Suddenly the images banished and were replaced by a soothing presence. She only saw white around her but could feel something soft, like fur. Something told her to not fear the unknown, to not let her past dictate her present and predict her future. She had no more nightmares.

The next morning, Edmund and Lucy noticed a change in Natalie, she seemed a lot more cheerful than they were used to. "Good morning," she greeted them with a smile. Well that was different! Certainly good, but different!

"You're certainly in bright spirits this morning," Lucy smiled back.

"Yeah, I feel pretty good," Natalie shrugged.

"I'm glad," Edmund said, catching her eye.

Natalie could see a gentleness in his eyes she had not noticed before. 'His eyes, they really are pretty, aren't they?' she mused.

"Caspian said he had something planned for us today, I wonder what's up his sleeve this time," Lucy mentioned, snapping her out of her thoughts. She blushed slightly, hoping she hadn't gotten caught staring, and turned to the siblings.

"I guess we'll find out!" Edmund chimed. It turned out that Caspian had planned to go out horse-back riding across the country side.

"Hey- remember, I don't know how to ride a horse..." Natalie reminded them.

"Oh! Forgive me, I forgot! Not a problem, riding a horse is easy, I'll teach you," Caspian smiled. He led them to the stables and walked Natalie over to a – so called – gentle horse named Jack. Natalie was a bit surprised when Lucy, in all seriousness, asked if Jack or the other horses spoke. She was even more surprised when Caspian told her that not those horses spoke, clearly implying that other horses spoke. Now Natalie was aware of the talking animals around, but she hadn't realized every different kind of animal spoke! "Jack is a patient horse, Natalie, come on over and step on the spur here," Caspian gestured as he finished tightening the saddle over the horse.

"Ah, I'm not so sure..." Natalie said, feeling worried about this. She had been known to be a bit clumbsie when she was younger and wondered if she grew out of it. This horse was huge, she wasn't too sure if she could even pull herself up on it.

"Like this, it's easy," Edmund said, almost launching himself over the horse as he mounted it.

"Oh sure, show off why don't you," Natalie shook her head, earning a small laugh from her friend.

"Don't mind my silly brother, Natalie-"

"Silly?!" Edmund sounded affronted but Lucy ignored him.

"It's really not as difficult as you think it is," she assured her.

"You know, on second thought, I think I'll just wait here..." Natalie backed up a bit. Part of herself hated herself for being a coward and not at least trying this, but another felt like something would go wrong if she tried.

She was glad Lucy and Edmund didn't try to pressure her, but Caspian would have none of it. "No, no, come on, don't back out of this now! We would really like you to come with us! Come, it's easy! Here, step here, and hop up, I promise you'll be fine!" Caspian insisted, steadying the horse. Natalie took a deep breath for courage and nodded. She stepped on the spur and tried to mimic what Edmund had shown her, launching upwards and swinging over onto the saddle.

"Oh no!" Lucy gasped.

"Caspian!" Natalie cried in fear as she suddenly tipped back after pushing herself up on the spur too quickly. Caspian tried to move quickly to catch her, but just missed her the first time. Natalie felt her foot get caught in the spur as the horse reared up, having been spooked by her shout. Natalie felt her foot twist awkwardly as her body was flung down. Caspian caught her the second time, just before she hit the floor. From there everything was a blur. The shock of the pain from her foot silenced her, even as her face turned red from pain. Edmund and Lucy ran over, skidding to a halt beside she and Caspian.

"Are you alright?" Lucy asked with worry.

"Can you move your toes?" Edmund asked, but Natalie continued to stare into the distance in shock. "Natalie?" he edged closer, placing his hand on her cheek and making her look at him. "Natalie, can you move your toes for me?" he asked softly. Natalie seemed to snap out of it at his touch and her face contorted in painful concentration.

"I... I-I think so..." She stuttered, gritting her teeth from the pain and fighting the tears. She was eighteen, damn it! She would not cry!

"Good, it's not broken then," Edmund nodded, releasing her.

"I'm so very sorry!" Caspian said, still gaping in shock.

"Caspian, she needs a doctor, don't just sit there!" Edmund insisted.

"Yes! Of course! You're right!" Caspian pulled away and began running out.

"Wait a moment, what about-" Edmund sighed and shook his head. "Do you mind if I pick you up?" he asked, turning to Natalie as Lucy supported her in Caspian's absence. When he received a nod from her, Lucy moved away so Edmund could slip his arm under her knees and lift her up. Natalie's arm went around his neck, her face hiding in his shoulder as she gripped him tightly, trying to stop from crying out in pain with every jostle she had as Edmund followed Caspian. "I'm sorry," Edmund whispered to her when he had shifted her a little so she would fit better in his arms. Natalie shook her head and found herself moving closer into his embrace. Edmund felt himself flush at the contact, feeling her breath on his neck.

Natalie, on the other hand, was not oblivious to how nice it felt, despite the agony she was in. He had strong arms and smelled like leaves caught in embers, smokey and with a hint of spice of some sort. In her delirious state, she found herself enjoying being held by him. All too soon she felt herself lose contact with him and glanced around to see herself in her room with everyone, plus one other old man standing around her. "Hello, young one," the old man said gently, smiling tenderly at her, much like a grandfather would. "Let's have a look at that foot, shall we?" he said and traced his rough fingers along her ankle. Natalie gasped in pain and shot her hand to the closest person, grabbing Edmund's arm. Edmund blinked down at her and his eyes softened. He took her hand and held it in his, squeezing it comfortingly.

"How is she? Is she okay? Will her foot heal?" Caspian asked anxiously, feeling an enormity of guilt swarming within him. Lucy pat his arm comfortingly.

"Calm yourself, young master," the doctor said, chastising Caspian in a paternal manner, giving light to his relationship with the King. "I do not see any evidence of a break or a sprain, but her ligament here-" he pointed to her ankle. "-is swollen," he explained. "She'll be fine, her foot will heal if she stays off it for a few days."

"How... how many days?" Natalie asked.

"Four or five at least, dear girl. I'll be checking up on you periodically and we'll see how you are in four days, okay?" the doctor said softly. When the doctor left to get his supplies to dress her foot, Caspian and Edmund walked over.

"I am so so sorry, Natalie, please forgive me," Caspian begged.

"It's fine, Caspian... you were just trying to break me out of my shell, and I thank you for it," Natalie smiled, trying to ease his worry.

"But I promised you would be fine!" He all but whined.

"I'm fine!" Natalie laughed softly.

"Are you comfortable? Do you need another pillow?" Edmund asked in concern.

Lucy had been patient, she really had, and she did find this amusming, but enough was enough! "Honestly you boys are acting like mother hens! Be off and go play with your swords and leave her in peace!" Lucy scolded them, laughing in amusement at their blushes. The men nodded and shuffled out, both feeling bad about the situation, though it was clear that it would take some more time for Caspian to stop beating himself up.

"I've never had people besides my family care for me like that," Natalie admitted with a fond smile.

"It's nice, isn't it? Even if they were a bit much," Lucy laughed.

"Agreed!" The girls laughed. "Lucy? Can I ask you something about your family?" Natalie asked carefully. She hoped her friend wouldn't refuse again.

"Go ahead," Lucy nodded.

"How old were you guys when you first came here?" She asked. So Lucy told her about her eldest brother, Peter, her elder sister, Susan, Edmund and herself, revealing that they were in fact children when they were in their first war! Natalie was dumbstruck by this revelation. Edmund had told her that Peter and himself had to learn quickly to fight in a war, grow up quick, but if they had to do that when Peter himself was barely a teenager, that was ridiculous! Lucy explained that at first, Edmund had been a jerk and had fallen into bad crowd, making the rest of them search for him and cement themselves further into the affairs of Narnia, discovering a prophecy about them along the way.

When Natalie asked about Edmund, Lucy was reluctant to tell her, saying that it was best that she get his side of the story. Lucy observed her new friend closely. "Hey, Nat... what do you think about my brother?" she asked carefully. She watched as Natalie's cheeks turned a light shade of pink before the older girl looked away and cleared her throat.

"He's a nice guy," Natalie replied evenly, not meeting her friend's eyes.

'Oh she's good,' Lucy thought, grinning inwardly. "He is, isn't he?" Lucy smiled knowingly.

"Right..." Natalie continued to refuse to look at her.

'On second though, she's not very good at hiding it,' Lucy shook her head, giggling inwardly. She decided not to press her friend about this and instead, see if she would open up a bit more about herself. "Nat... could you... tell me a bit more about yourself? Only if you want of course," Lucy added quickly. She knew how iffy Natalie was about her past, much like Edmund was about his first experiences in Narnia, she recognized avoidance well.

Natalie smiled at her, feeling like she liked hearing the nickname her brother had called her from her new friend. "Well... my dad was an architect and my mom was a teacher... they had gone to get my older brother from college while I stayed at our neighbor's house when the accident happened," Natalie explained. She hadn't told this story to anyone before. "I don't know why I had refused so much to go with them, I mean, I was eager to see my brother but my fear of planes..." she shook her head. "If I had gone with them, I would have been... but at least I would be with them now..." she trailed off. She wiped the tears from her eyes and sighed. "Sorry," she apologized needlessly.

"You have nothing to apologize for, I'm sorry for asking," Lucy said sadly.

"It's alright, actually, I feel a bit better telling someone that story," Natalie smiled weakly. Truly, it felt like a burden had lifted, leaving her feeling lighter. "It wasn't long after that, that I lost a couple friends," she shook her head. "But I think I said enough about my past right now." Natalie took a shuddering breath and turned to look out the window. With what she had told Edmund earlier and what she revealed to Lucy now, she felt utterly emotionally spent. Maybe with time, she would feel a little better about talking about it.

"I'll be back later to check on you, okay?" Lucy said, wanting to give her friend some time to herself. "I'm going to go make sure Caspian isn't completely beating himself up still, and also make sure Edmund isn't doing the beating for him if he's not. He's been pretty protective over you lately, you know?" Lucy said, trying to lighten the mood. When she only received a silent nod from her, so she turned and began heading out without another word.

"Hey Lucy?" The younger teen turned. "Thanks," Natalie turned from the window again and this time, though tears shone in her eyes, Lucy saw the largest and most genuinely happy smile from her yet.

TBC...

End A/N: Development! Gotta love it! Hopefully the story will start picking up and being more interesting soon! Please R&R!