Woo, 2 chapters in one day, I am on a roll! Please enjoy, and don't forget to REVIEW! ('cause it makes me happy)

*I do not own Chronicles of Narnia

I ran from the sitting room where I had been waiting for Eleanor to finish putting William down for her nap when I heard the sound of the palace bells going off. I ran to the balcony, and what I saw almost brought tears to my eyes. The army was beginning to appear from within the trees. I had never been so happy in my life. The war was over. No one could hurt me or the ones I loved anymore.

Eleanor would have to understand why I didn't wait for her. I rushed into the courtyard, and gathered my rag tag team of nurses and physicians I had put together a few weeks ago. We set up a makeshift hospital in the open space so we would be able to treat the wounded soldiers when they got home.

Within the hour, they had begun to arrive, and my hands were busy for the next four hours, at least. With each man I treated, I learned more of the horrors of what they had been through. Part of me silently thanked Edmund for not allowing me to go.

I saw Peter across the way, and released the nurse currently working on stitching a cut in his arm. I took over in her place.

"Lydia, it is so good to see you."

"You too, Peter. We all missed you very much, and thank you with all our hearts for protecting us," I said, lightly tugging on the thread in his arm. Luckily, we had local anesthesia this time provided by an old herbalist, so he didn't seem to be in pain like when Edmund had his done months ago.

"Did you take care of my family?" I smiled.

"I did. Eleanor is a very strong woman, she was amazing, and the way she ruled in your stead was fantastic. I don't know anyone that could have done it better." Peter smiled. "As for your son, he has grown a lot, and has even been trying to walk, but he hasn't taken his first steps yet. I think he was waiting for his father to get home so he wouldn't miss it."

Peter's face was full of unaltered excitement to hear about his son, and wife.

"How has Edmund been, Peter?" I asked.

"He fought and led extremely well. I don't think he would ever admit this, but he missed you a great deal." I felt a blush tickle my cheeks.

"Have you seen him since you got back?"

"Come to think of it, I haven't." I finished his stiches, giving the high king the go ahead to find his wife. The moment they saw each other, it was like nothing I had ever seen before. They tried not to make a scene, as they were royalty, and the oldest at that. Peter grabbed her waist, and spun her in the air, as she brought his lips up to meet hers in a deeply passionate kiss that could only be shared by two that were completely in love. I smiled at the lovely sight, then turned back into the palace to give the two a small bit of privacy.

Inside the palace, warm and spicy smells permeated the air. They filled me almost completely with joy, but I could not help feel slightly upset Edmund had not come to find me, and I knew for a fact that he hadn't made it out of that fight unwounded.

Men and women of the court were already beginning to gather in the great hall for the coming banquet. It was to be the biggest feast since the coronation of the Kings and Queens themselves. Of course, this made sense, seeing as how Narnia had not been in a war this big, with allies and organized opponents and such since the battle with the White Witch so many years ago.

It was said that the festivities would most likely last into the latter days of this week. Children were running around, something I hadn't seen any of them do since before the war began. It was a heartwarming sight, and made me think of little William, and the young boy I had only caught a glimpse of riding with King Peter at the front of the company, as they rode into Cair Paravel.

I went into the kitchens, and got a large wooden tray, which I filled with warm crusty bread fresh from the oven, a decanter of red wine, some cheeses and meats, a bowl of clean water, and some linens. If Edmund was hurt, I was going to tend to it, whether he liked it or not.

The hallways of the upper levels of the palace were mostly deserted, aside from an occasional guard or maid. I checked Ed's room to see if he was in there, with no luck. Then I checked the library, sitting room, and state room, all with no luck.

His study was the last place I looked, and luckily he was in there. He had his back turned to me, as he stared out on his balcony over the growing festivities below. I entered slowly, not knowing what kind of mood he would be in, and he was very temperamental.

"Hello, Edmund," I said, keeping my voice even, and not screaming like I would have liked to. He turned to face me. There was a serene smile on his face as he moved nearer to me.

"Lydia," he breathed. His tone made my cheeks grow hot.

"You're hurt," I said rubbing my thumb whisperingly across a cut on his forehead. He smiled down at me.

"Same old Lydia," He stated. I laughed.

"Did you expect me to change in a matter of months?"

"No, I just thought you had come to see me, not to treat my cuts and bruises." Rationally, I knew he had not meant any harm by his words, but instead of being rational like I had been for months, I began to act irrational.

"Perhaps I wouldn't be trying to treat them now if you had come to find me earlier when I was working on all the other men. I missed you, and you obviously didn't miss me nearly as much, seeing as how you found it acceptable to…" I was cut off by Edmund gently pressing his lips against my own.

It was a sweet kiss, the sweetest I had ever had. It only ended when I needed to take a breath.

I tried to remember what my train of thought had been, but before I could, Edmund had taken the tray out of my hands, closing the remaining space between us, and had his lips on mine once again, this time far more passionately. I moaned into his lips, and felt his grin in response. My hands found their way around his neck, just as his found their way around my waist.

Edmund picked me up, and carried me to sit on his elaborate desk, without ever once breaking contact with my lips.

"I love you, Lydia," he said between breaths. My head was spinning with euphoria.

"I love you too, Edmund, more than you will ever know."

I meant every word of what I had said. Saying those words out loud, to him, sparked something deep within my body. I felt like I needed him, more than I had right now. My hands began searching for the hem of his shirt, while my lips found his once again. His large hands found mine, and helped them find what they were looking for, then helped me pull the shirt up over his head. My hands ravenously traveled all around his sculpted frame, learning every contour.

Edmund broke the kiss between us, and looked down on me lovingly.

"Marry me. Marry me, and we can do this forever. You are the only girl I have ever loved, and the only one I ever want to love. You consume my every thought, and being away from you is hell, so please, marry me."

A million thoughts filled my head at the same time, but the most dominant one was that I loved Edmund in a way that I couldn't even begin to describe. Being away from him for so long gave me time to realize all of that. Staring deep into his chocolatey eyes, I muttered one simple word, a word that both of us would cherish for the rest of our lives,

"Yes."

We didn't go to the feast that night.