Title: Blinded
Rating: T
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters, names, places, anything from The Chronicles of Narnia. This story is copyright to the owner and may not be used without permission. I have not affiliated with any of The Chronicles of Narnia cast, C.S Lewis (deceased). Possible quotes that appears on certain chapters belongs rightfully to the movies, books, and people who have spoken of them. All publicly recognized characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.
A/N: First of all...I'm so sorry for being you guys waiting for months! I never intended on keeping you guys waiting for so long which is worse and I feel horrible especially for those who kept asking for an update, and who kept checking an update. I'm deeply sorry for this overdue wait on this chapter and I know I keep giving the same excuses about school, and my academic studies interfering with my updating but they will never be lies. Homework and my habit of studying takes away my weekends and most of my free time, there just never seems to be a time for me to take a deep breath and relax in front of a computer. I tried my hardest to make this chapter long but as you guys know, I don't usually plan out my chapters because inspiration just comes to me and chapters just have to cut short because it seems like the perfect way to end it.
I would have gotten this chapter up earlier but while I worked on the chapter, my computer stopped responding and the webpage became unavailable so all my work hadn't been saved. This happened three times, once while I was working to finish the story, the other two times were editing some mistakes. Anyway, this chapter is very important to the characterization of Chloe, Edmund and Emma and there might be some parts that you guys might hate and there are some parts that might reassure you of those part but I'll tell you this, a lot can change in just a few chapters. So those who have already picked Chloe/Edmund and Alaura/Edmund, hang on ;)
Welcome to the story: danielscarfmanxx, Dreamergirl1556, remarkables, mistyeyedgirl97, bds2012, kristenoelle, XxTheWindBeneathMyWingsxX, Daughter of the Lion, Meggi13, ThreeDarkAngels, Shehunter, OffTheDeepEndx, KrisGomez07, LilKatez94, nycsinger16, klspun, ryleymurray97, NimbosaLuna, surething123, LissyHoneyBee, ShirahTan, Me x3, annalavega, lunalovebad04
Thanks for the reviews: The Awester, danielscarfmanxx, LadyBadass, Guest, sarahmichellegellarfan1, Daughter of the Lion, FairyPirate, Guest, ThreeDarkAngels, Potterheadzzz101 (Guest), Guest, Guest, Kate (Guest)
I cannot thank you guys enough for the love and support you've given. Thank you for all your feedback which casts a smile on my face every time and thank you for your patience.
Sorry for any grammatical errors and spelling mistakes.
Playlist:
- "Through the Trees" by Low Shoulder
- " When I Look At You" by Miley Cyrus
- "Stitches" by Shawn Mendes
Chapter Nine: A Glimpse to the Past
She stared hard at the beautiful yet casual dress that the maids had kindly laid out for her and wrinkled her nose. Her fingers trailed along the hem of the dress before looking around the bedroom she had been given remembering the generosity of the kings and queens, well excluding one. She sighed, no matter how extravagant the palace and her new home was, she could help the twisting in her stomach if she ever would be able to return home. She sat up from the edge of the bed, grabbed the dress and began folding it neatly. And no matter how beautiful the dress was, it was a vision of ugliness and discomfort to her. Once she had placed the dress away, she turned to her vanity mirror and began running her fingers through her long, dark raven hair wincing as her fingers hit the knots. She decided to pull it up into a bun, not caring as a few pieces fell from her bun and framed her face delicately.
"If this is a guestroom, then there must be clothes for both genders right?" she muttered to herself, and feeling quite stupid after realizing she was. She began searching through the many drawers, and felt a jolt of happiness when she found a pair of brown trousers, and a dark forest green tunic. Quickly she headed for the bathroom and changed from her tank top into the tunic and trousers, then placed back on her pair of sneakers. Turning back to face the mirror, she grinned wildly at how atrocious she looked and muttered, "Much better."
Quietly, she exited the room deciding suddenly to tour the palace. Wincing slightly every time her sneakers squeaked against the marble flooring, and every now and then she'd turn her head to scan if anyone had yet spotted her. Her eyes suddenly brightened as she spotted the library with its doors wide ope revealing the magnificent display of books and an armor of a knight just a few paces away. She began to run towards it, her sneakers squeaking loudly and echoing among the empty, and large hallways. She let a small smile grace her face as she lifted her hand to trace the small intricate details engraved on the side of the blade that was being held upright. She then dipped her head, her eyes peering down at the small rubies that were embedded on the handle. She shook her head in amazement at how much care and detail that was placed on the weapon and couldn't help but imagine how it felt to move with it. Her sneakers squeaked once again as she stepped around to the side of the armor, her eyes stopped suddenly and she raised a thin eyebrow at the red feather that seemed to emerge from the armor head.
"You know," an irritated velvet voice spoke up from the side,and continued to speak with the same harshness in their voice "Some people come to the library to read in peace, I'd appreciate it if your feet would stop squeaking."
She turned to the side to find Edmund sitting against the window, his back against the wall, one leg propped up allowing his muscular arm to rest upon the curve of his knee while his other leg was thrown carelessly along the edge of his seat, half falling so his feet was planted firmly against the floor. On that leg, a book was spread, on side being held up by the hand of the arm that was lazily draped against his propped leg. The sunlight coming from the window has cast light on one side of his face, leaving the other side hidden by the darkness of the room. From what she could see, his eyebrows were scrunched together in annoyance. His hair was tousled and fell against his unwelcoming, dark eyes framed by thick, elegant eyelashes. His nose was straight, his cheekbones and jawline were defined. His lips were pursed and his jaw was clenched as he waited for her reply.
"Hmm...never opted you as a book person," she commented by a sly smirk and in response he lifted an unimpressed eyebrow, "Shouldn't you be marching around the palace yelling at everyone's failures? Frightening poor servants whose only intentions were to make you comfortable and happy? You know whatever arrogant people do." At her words she saw his mouth turning up into an amused smile though his eyes remained dangerous.
"Disappointed?" he asked lowly, and she nodded, "Good."
Her eyes narrowed as his large hand slammed his book shut, carelessly throwing it on the seat he sat on as he stood up. He stopped, his dark eyes raking her figure, his eyebrows pulling in as he did so and she resisted the urge to cover herself at his obvious examination but forgotten to do so as he pulled his eyes away from her body back to her eyes and she could see a hint of amusement in his eyes.
"You look atrocious," he stated, "Can't you be a bit more considerate to those who kindly offered you a place to stay by putting on something a bit more flattering?" She pursed her lips feeling a sudden rush of anger towards him before releasing a sigh and turning her head away from him.
"I wasn't aware there was a dress code," she simply said before smirking, "And last I knew, it was only your siblings that offered their home to me, not you." He leaned against a bookshelf, grabbing a random book from the shelf, his slender fingers flipping through the pages with mild interest.
"Exactly. Your presence here is very much unwanted and here you are parading others with that hideous attire and being inconsiderate to others who have to see it all day, and put up with you." Her jaw dropped at the cruelty in his words though his voice remained casual.
"Did I hurt your feelings?" he asked in a mocking tone, closing the book in his hands and began walking towards her with a dangerous smirk that kept her feet planted firmly on the ground. His head dipped down, his lips slightly brushing the edge of her ear and his voice dropped low "I would have been much open and kind about opening up my home to you but last I recall, you made a mockery of me and my position as King. Feel free to leave before I make your stay here a living hell alright precious?" With that he straightened up and brushed past her, leaving her fuming and clutching her chest.
"It's Chloe, not precious Your Majesty" she scowled. He let out a chuckle, and she turned to find his back still facing her. He was a couple paces away from exiting the door when she had spoken up causing him to turn his head slightly to the side to peer at her frozen but fuming state and smirk.
"I know, but I don't care".
The irony was that he ended up caring so much about her. Chloe let out a weak laugh, he had cared more than she assumed. He ended up caring so much about her that at the end, he was left with a broken heart. Tears sprung to her eyes, all because she had made a stupid, careless mistake. But in the end, it had worked out for him as his heart had been healed, he had moved on from the heartbreak she made him experience, and he found a girl who treasured every single part of him and the love he had given her. Now she was left with a broken heart from regretting that decision and grieving over that fateful night that ruined her life and made her lose everything that she grew to love and care for.
So caught up in her thoughts, it hadn't occurred to her that tears were silently streaming down her face and crew mates were silently exchanging worried looks as she walked past them, clutching the wedding ring that hung from her neck. Consumed by the pain and regret she had felt that day when she woke up and found herself back on Earth, in her room with her hands clutching her wedding ring. The only reminder of his love for her, the love she knew would never resurface from the anger and hurt of her betrayal. Never would she see him smile lovingly at her, and she had no one to blame but herself and her stupid insecurities that she let control herself.
She stopped still, her breathing hitching as she spotted his lone figure hunched over the railing. His posture was rigid, his hair tousled as he ran his slender fingers through it in built up frustration. His jaw was clenched, his eyes were snapped shut as if he was begging for poisonous thoughts to fly from his mind. Though her feet and body were silent, somehow he sensed she was there as his shoulders tensed and his hands left from his hair. His body turned, his eyes slowly opening to land on her figure. She released a breath as his eyes locked with hers, cold, and lacking the fire that burned with compassion. Like he did before, his eyes raked her figure and to her amazement, the coldness in his eyes had softened but once his eyes made contact with hers, it had hardened again.
"Did you want something?" he muttered impatiently, taking her back in surprise. It was the first time she heard him trying to be decent towards her. He raised a narrowed eyebrow when she didn't reply quickly, nor did her eyes shine with amusement. Her mouth simply opened and shut, trying to form words while at the same time she tried to pry her eyes away from him but there seemed to be some intensity emitting from him that told her not to. She swallowed, images her him and Alaura flooded in her mind. Her heart clenching painfully, she looked down trying to relieve some pain.
"No" she whispered and looked back at him, failing to glare at him, "Nothing".
Then she ran off, tears once again blurring her vision. She entered a cabin, shut the door, went to the corner of the room, sank down the wall and buried her head against her knees as tears racked her figure, and soft cries escaped her lips.
He heard her soft sniffles as she scurried past him, her hands still wrapped around the object that hung from her neck. Strands of her raven hair that framed her face blew against her flustered, tear stained face. He caught the vulnerability in her brown eyes, the tears that threatened to spill unto her rosy cheeks and the way her lower lip trembled. He was stunned, amazed and nearly forgotten the vulnerable girl that was inside of her tough girl exterior. It still hadn't sunk into him that the girl who had once stolen his heart was back by his side, yet the girl whom he yearned to be by his side wasn't. But still, the girl who stood before him almost scared of him, shaken in tears and who had been timid had beautiful raven hair cascading down her sides. And that girl had been Chloe Carter, so completely vulnerable she wasn't recognizable until she widened her brown eyes the way he remembered she did. He had been taken off guard being so used to the sarcastic, tough, and unyielding, almost monstrous girl she had been during the entire journey. Chloe Carter had finally broken down, her tough exterior had slipped from her fingers and the girl he stood before him was a broken girl.
He leaned back against the railing, his elbows on the railing trying his hardest to smile at the thought that Chloe had finally hit a wall but he couldn't. He had seen her eyes, he saw the guilt, and regret burning so strongly in them that his anger towards her had dimmed slightly. He had seen her betrayal was eating her up inside but she refused to let it be seen by others, and it was only unfortunate for her that he had seen it. He saw everything that had broken her down because it was everything he felt, and that she had seen in him when he was a broken man, a broken King in Cair Paravel. He wanted so badly to reach out and do the same for her, but at the same time, poison surrounded her. Her betrayal still slapped him in the face. Her attempts at trying to manipulate him stabbed him in the gut, no matter how vulnerable she looked. In his eyes, he could only see the girl with wickedness in her eyes, and a cruel, heartless smile on her face as she stabbed the dagger in his heart.
"Edmund" a soft voice called out to him nervously. His eyes snapped over to Emma, her eyes twinkling nervously and her fingers playing with each other. Immediately he looked away and instead on the ground as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"What do you want, Emma?" He asked impatiently, needing to hear her name to convince himself that it wasn't Alaura standing before him. There came a inaudible, soft sigh from her and then he heard her taking a few steps towards him.
"Why don't you want to train me in using these weapons?" she asked with frustration evident in her voice. His eyes drifted over to the twin daggers that she held before her, and right in front of him. He sucked in a breath and forced himself to look at her, amusement tugging at the corner of his lips when he spotted the frustration in her eyes and her scrunched eyebrows.
"Isn't it easy to understand?" he mockingly answered and she shook her head, "Because I don't want to."
She laughed suddenly, "That's a bit childish don't you think?" and he barked out a humorless laugh. He pushed off the railing and towered over her small figure, smirking when he spotted her shifting nervously.
"I'm not the one begging, and whining to someone to train them to wield a pair of twin daggers" he pointed out and began to walk past her when her fingers grasped his arm and he ignore the tingles that shot down his arms. He looked down at her, raising an eyebrow when he found her head was bent down and the grip on the daggers tightened.
"Please?" she begged in a whispered voice, "The last thing I want to know is that I've let them down, and that I practically handed their life in their opponents hand."
He had heard this all before a year ago. The same reason but it was more to protect him by fighting alongside him. His body shifted only slightly so it'd face her, his eyes hardening when she looked up, biting her lower lip before releasing it so she could speak once again.
"When I was up there at the podium getting auctioned off, I felt so defenseless. Then when the battle broke out, I felt defenseless once again that I resorted to running from my opponent and I felt so relieved when I bumped into you," she explained with a slight smile, "I don't want to feel like that again. I want to be able to protect someone from harm. I don't want to be a-"
By that time he had pressed a finger against her lips, his eyes were closed and the burning pain had returned, consuming him. Her eyes snapped up at him in shock. Then his hand tightened and he dropped a finger from her lips and instead ran his fingers through his hair.
"You don't want to be a burden, I know" he finished coldly. He reopened his eyes and watched as she blinked, her eyes switching from shock to amazement. For a moment he watched Emma's strawberry blonde waves turn deep red, the waves softening, and the hair that fell over her eyes pull to the side revealing her magnificent hazel eyes that would peer up at him in adoration.
"Then teach me" she said in a firm voice and Edmund saw the determination flash in her hazel eyes, the same determination he saw when he couldn't convince her not to fight alongside him. Edmund blinked, once, then twice and slowly watched as her fiery red hair shift back to strawberry blonde waves that obscured most of her facial features.
He contained a frustrated growl. He couldn't teach her to fight with the twin daggers, he couldn't satisfy his desires for wanting Alaura by his side by pretending Emma was Alaura. He turned his head away from Emma's questioning gaze and swallowed harshly, remembering the vulnerability that possessed her, the fear yet softness in Emma's eyes during his conversation with Caspian about the possibilities of her getting harmed.
"I can't" he choked out, scolding himself for putting so much emotion in those two words. As he expected, shock crossed Emma's features and her grip on his arm tightened that made him wince. Her eyebrow were scrunched together and her eyes were narrowed, scanning his expression almost worriedly.
"Why?" she stated in a hard tone, "You were saying all these things about me getting hurt but now you're refusing to help me." His eyes focused back on hers, his jaw was clenched as he glared down at her for trying to push him further.
"I suggested that you train with those weapons," his cold exterior was back but Emma wasn't fazed and instead glared at him which he returned with a smirk "I never implied that I would train you."
"Well that's just stupid" Emma snapped back, her face beginning to look flustered. Anger flared within him, his hand suddenly grabbed the hand that was on his arm ignoring as she visibly winced at his tight hold.
"You want know why I don't want to teach you?" he growled menacingly at her. She bit down hard on her lower lip and nodded, her eyes flashing down at the hold he had on her wrist.
Using that hand on her wrist, he unknowingly pulled her body closer so that their faces were only a couple of inches away and he could see the interest, yet fear in her eyes.
"Because I don't want to watch myself let down another person," he growled, "I can't have you build your trust in me by training you because I can't protect anyone, no matter how hard I try. I can't protect them from harm because I should have protected them from me."
He released his grip on her and she stumbled trying to gain her balance, and with wide eyes she grasped her reddened wrist. He blinked before he realized he had taken out his anger and frustration of not having Alaura with him on Emma. With wide eyes, he shook his head in horror that he inflicted some form of harm on Emma whom already internalized that he regretted his actions because she stepped forward and stopped his hand from going to his hair.
"I'm sorry," she said softly, her eyes wide with guilt, "I didn't mean to push you, I shouldn't have. And I know that I should have regretted pushing you but I don't, cause now I'm fully convinced that's something holding you back, haunting you, the source for why you put on this cold exterior and act like you don't care about anything."
He stared down at her, his eyes narrowing at her words and the small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. He refused to groan when he realized her intentions of getting to know him, and her determination for him to train her was stronger than it had been before. He switched their hands around so his hand was grasping the hand that stopped his from going to his hair and once again pulled her closer, nearly scowling at the small smile and amusement in her eyes.
"You're going to regret this" he warned her.
"I might but I don't care" she laughed softly which he raised an eyebrow at.
"You're going to get hurt" he growled.
"I like a challenge" she stated, a wide smile on her face. He pulled away slightly.
"Well then, meet me on the deck exactly before sunrise tomorrow for your first lesson or you'll be finding yourself another instructor." A smirk curled at his lips and he released his grip on her. She didn't respond and instead smiled softly and nodded.
He turned away from her, letting his thoughts invade his mind once again. Remembering when he pulled her close, he was immediately enchanted by the color of her irises - hazel, the curve of her nose, the softness of her lips and her rosy cheeks inflamed by his actions because they all were very similar to the red haired beauty that constantly invaded his mind.
"A sorted a few things between us after I realized a couple of things" he had said letting out a lopsided smile as she bowed her head before taking a step closer.
"What things, exactly?" Alaura asked and took his outstretched arm.
"That I cannot be your entire world," he murmured thoughtfully, "That Caspian and my family bring you as much happiness than I can bring you. Because when I hurt you, those are the only people you can run to because I was being a jerk. I can't restrict you from being happy with others, as long as your happy, than I am."
"When will you stop shocking me, Edmund Pevensie?" Alaura whispered in adoration and blinked as tears formed in her eyes. He had leaned forward and pressed a lingering kiss on her forehead, "I love you" feeling her grip tighten on his tunic and he smiled against her forehead.
He continued walking along the deck with his hands shoved deep in his pockets, and crewman accidentally bump into who later spluttered out apologies that didn't reach his ears. Finally he stopped and turned to the side, removed his hands from his pockets and placed his elbows on the railings. He looked down water as they crashed against the side of the ship, finally letting a smile grace his face.
"I love you too," he murmured, "Where ever you are, always."
"Well then, meet me on the deck exactly before sunrise tomorrow for your first lesson or you'll be finding yourself another instructor." A smirk curled at his lips and he released his grip on her. Shocked but pleasantly surprised by his words, she smiled and nodded in response. As he turned away her hand immediately went to her wrist, tenderly massaging it remembering the way he had forcefully grasped it and her skin burned at his touch. She bit down on her lower lip, her arms reaching up to brace herself from the cool ocean air hitting her exposed skin.
She didn't know what was happening with her body, and why she was suddenly reacting in a certain way towards Edmund. The way her body subconsciously began arching into him though he remained oblivious to it. The way her cheek flamed, and the way her mind immediately became drawn his sudden cold exterior, and the dark yet passionate look in his eyes. Her urge to unravel what was behind his unwelcoming exterior had intensified since the first time she had met him. Maybe it had been largely due to seeing the hardness in his eyes soften, he had an unreadable, burning look in his eyes that made her feel exposed yet beautiful at the same time. Almost as if he knew something or everything about her.
Spotting a barrel, she crossed over to it and sat down. Biting her lip, she shifted to pull out the dagger from its sheath. Her hand tracing the intricate details on the side before letting out a sigh, then she flipped the dagger over wincing as the light reflected off the surface and hit her looked down at the blade again, her eyes narrowing as she saw a reflection of the same red haired beauty smiling softly back at her.
"Who are you?" she whispered in a torn voice then lowered the blade down.
She stood up, immediately a wave of nausea came over her causing her to grasp the railing beside her. She sucked in a breath and decided to take another step, this time the nausea hit her even harder causing her to drop the blade in her hand to crash loudly against the ground. Black spots appeared suddenly in her vision which became disoriented. She took another step before her grip fell from the railing, her vision blackened and her figure crashed against the ground.
She was looking into a full-length mirror, her hand pressing against her abdomen. She was sickly pale, her eyelids felt heavy and her cheekbones were hollow and lacked the usual rosiness it held. Her eyes held a large amount of disappointment, frustration and determination. Her hands were sliding to the sides of her body, practically feeling the bones sticking out yet the image she saw in the mirror was the complete opposite, there was still too much weight on her.
"Honey! Come down for supper!" her mother's gentle voice called up to her startling her from her thoughts. She took one long look at the mirror and swallowed harshly, tears pricking her eyes, "Honey?"
Finally finding her voice she called back, "I'm not hungry!" her voice was hoarse but her stomach grumbled in protest. A protest that was silenced as it reached her ears.
In a lowly lit area, flames burning on the torches illuminated a lean, broad form resting against the hallway wall. His brown hair was tousled and falling against his dark brown eyes framed by long, thick eyelashes. He was tall, his shoulders were broad and his chest firm. His jaw was define, and his nose straight. His cheekbones were prominent, and his soft, nude lips were curved up into a beautiful smile. His muscular arms were crossed over his chest, his leg was hiked up against the rough, wall. He suddenly pushed off the wall, and a little more into the light.
Slowly he walked towards her wearing a lopsided smile that made her heart beat faster. His arm suddenly reached towards her, his large hand grasped hers, lacing their fingers towards and sending tingles up her arm. A smile graced her face as he pulled her closer, a hand raising to stroke the down the side of her face and instinctively she leaned into his touch. From her peripheral vision she saw him smirk at her actions then began to pull her along.
"Alaura, promise me something" he murmured under his breath, and slowed their pace.
"Anything" she breathed.
"Promise me you'll fight to stay with me." Edmund said, meeting her startled gaze.
"You want me to fight?" she asked in a hushed tone. He narrowed his eyes at her before tugging her back slightly, tightening his grip on their intertwined fingers.
"I'm not forcing you to fight. I'm not restricting you to fight, if you want to keep our promise to keeping each other safe, you'll fight to keep yourself safe" Edmund murmured, his warm eyes meeting hers again.
"I'll fight, but I'm not leaving your side" she replied in a determined tone, watching in pure amazement as he shot her a lopsided smile.
"Is that a long way of saying, I promise?" Edmund asked his tone held a hint of amusement and her cheeks burned.
"I promise" she said while letting out a soft laugh.
A/N: There you guys go! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Just a few things I wanted to talk to you about, as you guys can probably tell, Edmund is starting to gain those feelings towards Emma but he remains completely oblivious to it as in he doesn't even try to acknowledge them. While Emma on the other hand has feelings that she experienced as Alaura that are starting to resurface, and she is starting to wonder why he's making her feel that way. The other thing I'm super excited about is Alaura's memories are becoming stronger, in comparison to the last flashback it doesn't have the force that made her faint, as well the memories aren't as blurry as before that she can see Edmund's face and actually heard herself being called Alaura. Chloe on the other way, has finally broken down, her feelings that she kept bottled up has exploded and as you can see she is unable to handle and come to terms of what she lost and the horrible stuff she has done.
What can we expect in future chapters?
Certainly more flashbacks on the events that occurred between Chloe and Edmund, and Chloe as an individual. Edmund's inner conflict building. Emma becoming more persistent on uncovering why she is having flashbacks on events that was never mentioned to her before. Friendships being formed and tested. New feelings are put to the test. Lucy, Eustace and Caspian should be appearing in the next couple of chapters. More Chloe/Edmund and Emma/Edmund.
What did you like that happened in this chapter? Any song suggestions?
Can you do me a favor? See that POST REVIEW button? Do you mind clicking on it?
See you guys soon! Bethany
