A/N: HAPPY VALENTINES DAY! One of my personal favorites of the year. My beta hasn't edited, but I REALLY wanted to post on Valentine's Day. I should've posted the NEXT chapter today (wink wink)…but no. I'm not done with it(: I hope my beta forgives me…
I have used nearly all my ideas, and I intended to make this chapter later on, but I had no ideas so I decided "Well, might as well just use it now!" And so I did(:
Some of you may be thinking "Yay! Charlotte and Edmund are going to be together now! Whoopee!" But, I will be sad to tell you not yet(;MWAHAHAHAHA.
Firefly.1212: (from Charlotte and Edmund) We do NOT make a good couple! Why does everyone think we're in love?
We got 5-10 inches (I don't know how many, it is STILL currently snowing! Since 3 am!) so I'm out of school for the day(: 5-10 inches may not seem like much to you folk, but to me and where I live that's A LOT.
I started a "Writer's Blog" as I like to call it. It's a blog where I can post pics of stuffs like characters and banners and post about why I won't update or…stuff. YAY! Here's the link:/
*DISCLAIMER: I wish this was a claimer. But nope. This is a disclaimer. Narnia does not belong to me.
*CLAIMER: WOO! But not for the reasons I wish. I own this story and characters! NO STEALING!
Charlotte sat in her room in Cair Paravel, packing a few things into a saddle bag. It had been a year since her abduction from Narnia and the dreams still plagued her. Damian still haunted her mind. The scars were there, and they always would be.
Edmund was still as insufferable as ever. Still irritating, still annoying, still sarcastic and witty. And he always would be. They still had their fights, and no. They were not courting, or would be, anytime soon. There were those moments when a hunger overtook her, and the only one to fulfill it would be Edmund. Those dark eyes haunted her mind and it was hard to shake them, especially when they were very nearly black with lust.
Caruso had become her best friend. He was still her shoulder to cry on and it was he whom she went to after her nightmares. If it was a good day, occasionally Edmund, but that rarely happened.
It was weird, thinking she had been here in Narnia and away from her regular life for a year. Of course, she considered Narnia her regular life. London seemed foreign to her, which it was. She seemed to be forgetting her parents and Beth's faces. Except Will's. He stayed in her mind.
She and Edmund were going on a trip in the forest. Susan was getting tired of their bickering and sent them off to the forest for a few days so they could hopefully settle things.
"Susan! No! I will not." Charlotte crossed her arms defiantly, pouting like a little child.
"Yes, you will. I'm tired of you two bickering! Hopefully, after this trip, you two will be fine and stop fighting like children!" Susan said, sternly. Susan had that look about her that made her looklike a mother.
Charlotte gasped and stared at Susan. "We do not fight like children! I don't want to spend three days with the insufferable little-"
Susan threw up her arms in exasperation. "Admit it, Charlotte! You two love each other, but you're both too stubborn to admit it!"
"I am not in love with Edmund!" She stormed out of the room, and didn't speak to Susan for the rest of the day.
She scowled at the thought. She really didn't want to spend three days alone with him. It would be torture no doubt. She puffed out a breath of air and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.
"Almost ready?" She jumped and turned around to see Edmund leaning against a wall, his arms folded across his chest. She glared and went back to packing.
"C'mon, Char. You can't ignore me for three days." He walked up to her, stood beside her, and watched her pack.
She stood up quickly, but backed up realizing her face was inches from him. "I think I can try."
"Well, you won't succeed," he said, tauntingly.
"I think I will."
An hour later, they were set on their saddles and headed for the forest. The dawn was just breaking, casting an orange light over the tall trees that loomed ahead. Birds chirped, and the scene was perfect.
"I can't believe Susan is making me do this," she muttered to herself. Edmund's head whipped up and glared at her.
"Is it really that bad? Am I so horrible you can't spend a mere three days with me? I guess you obviously don't remember that night," he growled. "That night" was referring to the night he had saved her from Tashbaan.
"You think I don't? You saved me from a life of hell!" She glared at him as their horses continued walking through the trees.
"That's not the part I'm referring to," he snapped. Realization hit her. He was talking about...oh. She ignored him and trotted ahead of him.
"We can't ignore this Charlotte. Someone is eventually going to find out about...those nights. We can't hide it forever," he said, catching up to her.
"Edmund, just leave it alone for now! We can talk about this later."
They rode on all day, stopping to let their horses graze and get some water. During those times, Charlotte would gather water, nuts, and berries, and Edmund would hunt for animals. Non-talking, of course.
That night, Charlotte and Edmund sat at the campfire, Charlotte's head leaning on his shoulder. Their legs were stretched out on front of them, the fire warming their feet.
The clearing they were in was perfect; It was shaped in a circle with thick trees surrounding them, making them oblivious to others who might be passing. The full moon shone brightly overhead, casting long shadows over the two figures.
"Are we just going to stay here tonight and tomorrow? Then head back the next day?" Charlotte asked. He nodded without saying a word. "Come on, Ed. Please talk to me! You've ignored me this whole day."
Edmund chuckled. "Well, it seems I've taken over your job. Wasn't it you that was supposed to be ignoring me?" He looked at her, his dark eyes illuminated by the firelight. A teasing smile played on his face.
She hit him on the shoulder lightly. "It's kind of hard to," she said quietly. He sighed and shifted his position.
"Charlotte, what are we going to do? We really can't ignore this," he said, his hair sticking up in odd directions.
She sighed, and flopped back on the grass. "I really wish you wouldn't have brought that up," she said, folding her arms behind her head.
Edmund lay down beside her, propping himself up on an elbow to face her. "I'm being serious Charlotte. There's something going on between us. We're both just too stubborn to admit it."
She huffed, stood up, and went to the other side of the fire. "I was in a good mood until you said that." She folded her arms and looked everywhere, but at Edmund.
"Charlotte, you have to admit it to yourself! You know there's something, and I do too!" he said, angrily.
"Maybe there isn't, Ed! Maybe, this is just something we've made out of our own grief! We've both had trouble in the past, in both worlds! There was the war and your father with you and-" She stopped mid-sentence catching herself before she revealed any more.
"And what, Charlotte?" Edmund questioned, obviously suspicious. He stood up from his spot in the grass and went to stand in front of Charlotte. She crossed her arms and turned her back to him. Edmund put his hands on her shoulders and whispered very close to her ear, "Just tell me, Charlotte."
Her knees felt like jelly as his teeth nicked her ear. "Tell me," he whispered. She almost succumbed to him, but before the charm could daze her completely she stood up straight and yelled at him.
"Stop it, Edmund! Just…just stop! You can't do that to me! I don't want to tell you," she said stubbornly. In truth, he did do that quite a lot and it almost always let him win arguments. She hated it, but at the same time she loved it.
He sighed and dropped his hands down by his sides. "I'm sorry, Charlotte. I shouldn't have done that. If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. I understand." Charlotte eyed the king doubtfully. What was he up to?
"Alright," she started. "Fine. You want to know? I'll tell you." Edmund looked up in shock. Charlotte sat down, folding down her skirts under her, and patted the ground next to her. Edmund went over and sat down.
"A few years back, I, um," she stuttered, trying to think of a word he would understand. "I dated a boy named Charlie. At first, he seemed so nice and caring, but then, a few months into our relationship we went to a party. I was there for about an hour when Charlie came up to me, hopelessly drunk, and handed me a drink. So, I took it, thinking it couldn't do anything to me. Well, that night I ended up drunk. We dated for about a year, and during that year he convinced me to drink every night and do drugs." Looking at his confused face, she explained drugs, "Drugs are basically bad for you and can ruin your whole life." Once his face turned to one of understanding, she continued with her story. "Then I found out he had been in a relationship with another girl at the same time."
She looked at him expectantly. He kept staring at the ground, not making any movement. "Um, Ed?" she asked, poking him in the shoulder. He looked back at her in disbelief.
"Are you serious? You let him do that to you?" She stared back at him. He was blaming this on her?
"Yes, I'm serious! Are you blaming this on me?" she yelled, infuriated. "You know what? Fine. Go ahead, and blame it on me! Just like you do with everything else. I'm going to bed." She lay down on her side on the grass, folding an arm beneath her head to provide a pillow of sorts. The grass rustled beside her and she felt Edmund's breath on the nape of her neck.
"No, Edmund," she said simply. She got up and walked over to the other side of the fire, where she lay down in the same position.
She had nightmares that night, but she didn't know that Edmund came and slept next to her anyway.
Charlotte's eyes snapped open and she sat up, looking around for Edmund. The fire was burnt out and there was a faint trail of smoke rising in the sky. The horses were still tied to a tree, looking around, and pawing the ground in front of them. Their bags were still strewn on the ground. There was no sign of Edmund.
"Edmund!" Charlotte called. She jumped up, combed her fingers through her hair and smoothed out her skirts. "Edmund!" she called again. She swiveled around looking for him. She noticed some footprints in the mud beside her so she followed them.
"Edmund Pevensie, get out here right now!" She looked behind trees, and around rocks and bushes. She heard the soft rushing of a river so she followed the sound. She knew Edmund would be there. She was too preoccupied with listening to the river, she didn't notice a particularly large rock. She tripped over it, and it sent her tumbling on the forest floor. She cried out as pain shot up her ankle. She gripped it tight and put her head on her knees, breathing heavily.
Twigs snapped and leaves crunched, and she looked up to see Edmund. He was barefoot, and wearing trousers that were soaked. He was shirtless and his hair was drenched, and dripped onto his face. He had been swimming.
"Really, Charlotte? Can't you stay put for one minute?" he asked, scooping her up and carrying her back to the camp. She scowled at him and put her hands behind his neck. They reached the camp, he sat her down, ripped off a piece of the shirt he had, and wrapped it around her ankle tightly. She hissed when he wrapped it a little too tightly around her ankle. "It's not broken but it is sprained. You need to be light on it today. How did you even manage to do this?"
"Well, I woke up and you weren't here, so I went to look for you. I sort of um, tripped on a rock," she explaining, whispering the last part. He raised an eyebrow and she said louder, "I tripped on a rock, alright?"
He stared at her, wide-eyed and then busted out laughing. "You-you tripped on a rock?"
"Shut up, Edmund! It really hurt!" At the word hurt, the pain really registered in her mind. Tears slipped down her cheeks as she turned her head away from his capturing gaze. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed him reach out a hand to her. "No, Edmund!" she said harshly. "I don't need your comfort."
He pulled back, looking a little hurt. "I'll go get some water," he said, clearing his throat. Charlotte didn't reply but instead lay down on the soft grass and day dreamed, eventually dozing off.
Someone was shaking her shoulders when she woke up. Her eyes fluttered open and met Edmund's gaze. It was dusk and Edmund was just now starting to cook some dinner for them. She ran a hand through her hair and looked around, yawning.
"You've been asleep nearly the whole day. You missed lunch," Edmund explained, plainly feeling awkward. He avoided her gaze and tended to the deer meat.
"Obviously," she muttered, sarcastically. He sent her a glare and she returned the favor. She moved her ankle an inch, and pain streaked up her leg. She hissed and Edmund sent her a worried glance. She grabbed a tin cup of water and downed it, nearly dehydrated from no food or water all day. She fell asleep hours after Edmund, having slept all day, but when she did, she had a magnificent dream.
The new spring leaves twirled around Charlotte forming a dryad who waved. Charlotte waved back, and smiled. She walked over to a creek and the water was so clear she could see her reflection. Her blonde hair was down and loose. The dress she wore was pure white, loose and wispy feeling. The straps of her dress were a shiny material, which also went beneath the bust and to the back, where it tied. She was barefoot in a forest. She recognized it as Narnia, but…not Narnia. It had a fresher feel, and everything seemed brighter.
She turned and saw a beautiful majestic Lion in front of her. She dropped on her knees with her head bowed and said, "Aslan."
"Arise, child." She did as she was told, but kept her head bowed, afraid to look him in the eyes. "Do not be afraid, my daughter. Look at me." Once she did, she felt a surge of greatness and warmth, as if Aslan himself were made of the Sun. She had a sudden urge to hug him around the neck, but restrained herself.
"Why have you come to me?" she asked.
"I have come to tell you why you are here. You have had trouble in the past, yes?" She nodded. "You have come here to erase that trouble from your mind. You came here to be helped, and to help another. You are not a very trusting person, are you Charlotte?" She shook her head. "You will learn to trust here, by the most unlikely of people. You will teach him of trust also. You need each other, and that is the reason I have brought you here. To trust others, especially in love. There is trouble in the path ahead Charlotte. I want you to be prepared."
She looked him in the amber eyes and Will's face flashed in her mind along with Edmund's. Her heart pumped wildly at the sight of both of them, and she impulsively reached out and touched his mane. Appalled by her actions, she jerked back, but Aslan put his head forward allowing her to touch him.
"Will I go back?" she asked, quietly. She didn't want to go back. Narnia had become her home and the Pevensies, her family. Sure, she missed her real family and Will and Beth, but she liked Narnia. There were no bullying and no dull days. London was always cold and dreary, yet Narnia was always bright even if it was raining. Plus, Narnian life was always exciting.
"Yes, my child. You will, but not for many years." She looked down in disappointment.
"I love you, Aslan," she whispered. The Great Lion did what sounded like a growl, but she realized he was chuckling.
"I love you too, Daughter. Now, go back to your world." He started blowing, and she realized she was being blown off a mountain and in the sky. She was not scared, for she knew she was in Aslan's care. She laid back and waited to get back to the world.
Charlotte's eyes snapped open and she tried sitting up, but an invisible force was holding her in place. She looked down and realized the invisible force was Edmund's arm. She tried prying it off her but instead got pulled tighter into him. He nuzzled his head in her neck and she turned around to face him to find her lips centimeters from his. She backed up and contemplated on how to wake him up. She took her finger and flicked him in the forehead. His eyes snapped open and noticed how close they were. He jumped up and tripped over a stick in the process, sending him sprawling on the ground.
Charlotte giggled and said, "And you laugh at me for tripping over a rock." He sent her a scowl, and helped her stand up. She was standing on one foot, using Edmund for support.
"You need to put some weight on that, otherwise it'll only get worse." She shook her head, and hopped over to her horse Pip. She was a Talking Beast, and she and Philip, Edmund's horse, have been best friends since they were mere foal.
She went around to the other side of her horse so she could get on using her uninjured foot. She lifted herself up and felt hands go around her waist. She yelped, and looked down to see Edmund, holding her in place. "Let. Go. Edmund," she said through gritted teeth. He raised his hands in surrender, and backed off to his own horse.
They cantered off towards Cair Paravel. During their travel this time, Charlotte actually succeeded in ignoring Edmund. Edmund didn't know what he had done, but something had really set her off. It worried him. Normally, when he did something, she yelled at him about it for an hour. But not this time. Something was wrong.
"Charlotte, what's wrong?" he said, aggravated. "Just tell me, dammit!" She looked over at him, surprised. He never really swore unless he was extremely angry.
"Aslan talked to me last night." His face softened when she said that. He uttered an "Oh," and looked down at the reins.
"What about?" he finally asked, after about ten minutes of silence. She sighed, and looked up at the graying sky.
"He told me why I was here. He said that I was here to learn how to trust and love completely, and teach someone else along the way. And that there was trouble up ahead. And that I would be leaving." She looked over, and saw the color drain from his face. "Not anytime soon though," she continued. His face relaxed a little, but his grip on the reins remained the same.
They rode on the rest of the day, sharing little words. Once Cair Paravel was in sight, Edmund kicked (not literally) Philip into a gallop, and Charlotte did the same with Pip.
They reached the gates and a page took Philip from Edmund, who came over and helped Charlotte down from her saddle. Another page took Pip from her.
Using Edmund as support, she limped her way into the Great Hall. Chattering could be heard from the Throne Room.
She took too big of a step and almost fell to the floor, but before she could hit the ground, strong arms caught her. She turned and she was faced with Edmund whose face was inches from hers. If you looked at them, it would look like Edmund had dipped her and was about to kiss her.
That was when the doors opened.
Out stepped Lucy, Susan, Peter, and a boy neither of them recognized at first. Looking at their shocked faces, Edmund looked back at Charlotte and dropped her without thinking.
"Ow! Edmund!" Charlotte yelled. Lucy rushed over to help her up and realized she was hopping on one leg.
"Charlotte, what happened?" she asked, worriedly.
"I sprained my ankle," she said quietly. She did not want to meet this stranger. Instead, she wanted to go into her room and stay in there: forever.
"Charlotte, this is-" Susan started but when Charlotte got a good look at the boys face, her breath hitched in her throat.
"Will," Charlotte whispered.
No way.
Oh. My. God. My heart was likethumpthumpthumpthumpwhen I wrote the last part. REALLY fast. Writing the Aslan part was HARD. And the sprained ankle thing actually happened to me. Except, I didn't trip over a rock…I fell down some stairs…STAIRS SUCK. So yeah. This is my favorite chapter(: REVIEWWW!
P.S. You remember the ma li ka tey (or something) part in the last chapter? It means "my queen" in Arabic. I got it from the book our class read. Excpet the guy said it in Spanish, and I don't think Caruso would be speaking S