I am ashamed of myself. I have had ample time to update but I was too busy wallowing in self misery. I am terribly sorry, my dear readers. The truth is that the school I wanted to get into chose students with lower marks than me because they knew people from within the school. Hence I consumed copious amounts of chocolate in various forms, saw some Rom-coms, cried, wasted a dozen tissues and killed a few trees as a consequence. Writing was the last thing on my mind. And on top of that, now we are moving. Not even to a different state but to different country! My friends and I cried some more and threw a dozen parties. And now I am back!

Thank you, my lovely, lovely reviewers who have written reviews so painstakingly. I love you guys, seriously.

I thought Dante's Purgatorio and Paradiso were apt for this chapter. The reason will become apparent in the end.

Disclaimer: If I owned Narnia, I would get rid of nepotism! Ugh!

CHAPTER 8: PURGATORIO AND PARADISO.

I didn't know much about love. All I knew were alliances with a dash of tolerance. I had read about it, yes, it was supposed to be a giddy, heady feeling which made one's heart beat faster and one's knees tremble while one's true love smiled a roguish smile at them. If my mother somehow got to know I had read books about dashing vagabonds, she would kill me first and then die of shame herself.

So when Lucy entered our room (her sister, Queen Susan, was off to a place called America for two months with some friends) and asked me about my opinions on this frivolous subject, I had gaped at her like a salmon.

"Well?" Lucy demanded.

"It's supposed to feel…nice?" I said weakly.

Lucy sighed.

"I have never experienced it, you know. Of course, I love my parents and Peter and Edmund and Susan so very much, but shouldn't it feel different from loving your family?" She said.

I shrugged.

"I have never been in love either." I confessed.

Lucy's eyes grew round.

"You mean, you don't love Peter?" she said.

Too late, I realised my mistake. Oh no! she must think me to be some sort of a power hungry witch.

"Well..um…I don't know.. I like him, yes." I said lamely.

Lucy giggled. "I understand." She said." It must have been different for you."

I felt relieved. I couldn't bear it if I lost my friend. I had so few that they were really precious. Apart from Callisto, my horse, Kiara my maid, Alexander, my guard and his wife Maria, I really couldn't call anyone my friend. All the other girls in court were too busy spiting each other to get a powerful husband to be friends.

Suddenly Lucy got a mischievous smile on her face.

"I had a feeling that we both would be clueless about love. So I thought what better way to learn than to research up on it!" she sid, a twinkle in her eye and brandished a tattered book. "Alicia Kensington who lives down the street lent it to me. She is very fond of Edmund, I think. I promised I'd tell him about her."

I felt a sudden stab of something in my gut. Was this girl pretty? But then again what did I care. I hope that horrid, sarcastic King married a dull, dreary girl who would make his life broing and drab. I, of course, by that time shall have married a loving husband who will worship the ground I walk on and will have a loving family and lugh at him from afar.

"Have you?" I asked.

"have I what?"

"Told King Edmund about Alicia?" I asked.

"How many times, Arrianna, don't call us by our titles here. People will find it odd. Besides, I didn't know this would interest you." Said Queen Lucy , her eyes suddenly shrewd.

"Eh? I… I am not concerned. Or interested." I said.

Lucy smirked. And quite evilly I assure you. Mustering as much of my dignity as I could, I grabbed the book and started reading aloud. The book was called " My Meaningless Love." As the heroine simpered and sighed over the hero who was an apathetic young man who se passions could only be evoked by the heroine, I agreed more and more with the book's title. Lucy too looked sickened. After reading seven horrible chapters, we stopped.

And promptly burst out laughing.

"If that is love, I am glad I am not in it." I said, in between giggles.

"That seems to be a novel which Susan would read. She told me I would understand when I was older. I am older and I don't understand." Lucy said.

Then we laughed some more.

"Susan used to love reading Jules Vernes with me, you know. We used to read them together and imagine we were in the Nautilius. But then she became really grown up. She started to ignore me and preferred the company of Sarah Hewitt and the others. Well, I think they are pretty silly. They told Susan that I was wild! And just because I ran in the medow barefoot. Arrianna, I think Susan's..she's ashmaed of me." Lucy's voice wobbled at the end.

I gathered her in my arms.

"They don't know."I whispered. "What it feels to have the dewy grass tickle your feet or to feel the sandy grit between your toes. The wind in your face or the breeze in your hair."

Lucy looked up at me and nodded. Her smile was watery but it was a smile nevertheless.

"Well, now how about fetching the Vernes thing you wanted to read so much. I am sure I too could conjure up quite an imagination." I said lightly.

Lucy brightened and quickly brought out a book. And as we read the adventures of the doughty explorers, Lucy and I soon became enraptured. And though the mysterious Island was truly a marvellous place with strange creatures, I had to add my thoughts.

"It isnt the same as Narnia." I said.

Lucy smiled a strange smile.

"It never is. No matter how much you try and convince yourself, the smell, the taste, the feel is different. And what person could spend their lives in Purgatory when the have had a taste of Heaven?"