AN: I was going along, writing my story, when suddenly it hit me: I had completely forgotten about Susan! So there's a little Susan part in this chapter. Just to keep things balanced out. Don't worry, there's also a lot of Edmund in it too.

In this chapter, I mention that Anna is from Chelmsford. For the record, I don't know anything about Chelmsford. I just pulled up a map of England and picked a town that was not too far from London. Just want to be clear.

I am so sorry it took this long to update. It would have been sooner, but I wasn't home for a few days, and then I had gotten out of the habit of writing so it took a little bit longer than it should have. So I apologize. I hope this chapter makes up for it.

Chapter 10

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LUCY!"

The Valiant Queen made a wish and blew out the candles. The others cheered. Susan passed out plates so each person could have their slice of cake.

Peter, Susan, Edmund, Anna, and Lucy were all gathered to celebrate the latter's fourteenth birthday. King Lune, Cada, Cadin and Corin were throwing her a bigger party later that night, but Lucy wanted a more private affair. So the five of them curled up in the Valiant Queen's bedroom with a cake and their presents to have a small, pre-celebration.

Susan gave her sister a gorgeous gown, in a light blue color that matched her eyes. Peter presented her with a new sword, telling her that she should learn to fight with one. Anna's gift was a storybook full of exciting tales. Lucy crowed over all of these, but Edmund's present made her nearly bounce up and down in excitement.

"It's the necklace!" Lucy cried. "It's the necklace! However did you know?"

"Anna told me," Edmund said with a grin.

Lucy threw her arms around both of them. "Oh, thank you, thank you! Here, Susan, help me put it on!"

While the two sisters gushed over the necklace and Lucy's other gifts, Edmund pulled Anna aside. "Thank you so much for your help on her present."

"Oh, it was no trouble at all," Anna replied with a smile.

"It was easy to find. I just asked for the one Lucy loved, like you said." Edmund grinned and he pulled a small box from his pocket. "I also took the liberty of asking which one you liked."

Anna looked surprised. "Which one I liked?"

"Yep." Edmund opened the lid and produced a delicate silver bracelet, studded with emeralds. He fastened it around her wrist, while she beamed happily.

"Oh, Ed! It's beautiful! Thank you. You really didn't need to get me anything, though..."

Edmund shrugged. "Well of course I didn't need to. But I wanted to. I knew it would look good on you." He smiled. "The emeralds are the same color as your eyes."

Anna suddenly noticed Peter watching them from across the room. She accidently met his gaze and realized they were both thinking about the emerald necklace he had given her, now lost in the grass. Anna looked away from Peter and back to his younger brother.

"It's beautiful," she repeated. "Thank you." Anna pulled Edmund into a tight hug.

"You're welcome," he said.

Susan stood and clapped her hands. "Come on, people! Lucy's bigger party starts in an hour and we've all got to get ready!"

Edmund and Peter groaned.

Lucy jumped up. "Oh Susan, can I wear the new dress you gave me?"

"Of course! Ed's necklace will look marvelous with that as well. I'll help you get ready. The rest of you - get out!"

Edmund rolled his eyes affectionately. "Alright, Su. Call us when you're ready for us."

"Will do!" Susan called, holding up different earrings to Lucy's face.

The other three trooped out of the room. Anna accidentally bumped into Peter on the day to the door.

"Watch where you're going!" she snapped.

"I am the High King, and I will not be talked to that way," Peter replied, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"Well I'm a Lady, and I'll talk to you anyway I want to talk to you!"

Edmund stepped between them. "Hey, hey! Don't fight!"

Peter rolled his eyes and stormed out of the room. Anna and Edmund followed, stopping in the hallway outside of the now closed door. They watched Peter turn the corner and disappear.

"I'm sorry to ask this," Edmund said, "But I never did get a straight answer. You and Peter are definitely broken up, right? Really, truly, 100% over?"

"Yes," Anna growled.

"No more romantic involvement at all? Little to no chance of you ever getting back together?"

"No."

"Yes!"

Anna gave him a sarcastic look. "Your condolences are much appreciated."

"I'm sorry. It's just that Susan and I made a bet. I bet you wouldn't stay together, she bet you would. I won."

"Well, I'm glad that my heartbreak is benefitting one of us."

Edmund's face took on a gentler look. "I'm sorry. If you want, you can have half the money."

Anna shook her head. "Give it to Peter. He's the one that broke up with me."

"Oh."

"Oh?"

"I was kind of hoping you were the one who ended it with him."

Anna gave him a confused look. "And it matters... why?"

"Just because," Edmund said with a shrug. He began to move off down the hallway after his brother. Throwing a glance over his shoulder, he called back, "I'll see you at the party later! Save me a dance?"

Anna grinned. "I might even save you two!"

"Edmund knew that emeralds match my eyes."

Susan threw her a confused glance. "Of course. He's your best friend."

"But Peter - who loves me - or says he does - didn't," Anna concluded.

"Maybe Edmund loves you more?" Susan suggested cautiously.

"Well, of course - but like a sister," Anna said.

"...sure," Susan decided. "Shh, shh! Lucy's making her entrance."

The Queen and Lady applauded as the birthday girl appeared at the edge of the courtyard, grinning from ear to ear. Susan's dress looked gorgeous on her, and Edmund's necklace sparkled prettily at her throat. Every eye in the place was on her, and Cadin was practically drooling.

"Susan," Anna said simply, "You are amazing."

The Gentle Queen waved it aside. "I didn't do much. She's a natural beauty. I only made it all the more obvious." She smiled, though it was tinged with sadness. "Everyone says I'm so beautiful, but I'm nothing special; it's Lucy that's really stunning."

Anna suddenly thought of Mary. What would she have said in the same place? "Of course she looks pretty! I helped her get ready. And look at me, I'm gorgeous!" And Mary wasn't even as pretty as Susan was.

Anna had the sudden urge to hug Susan, so she did so. "I think you're beautiful, Su," Anna said.

"Thanks, Anna," Susan replied softly.

"Hey, it's the truth! I mean, look at how many men are looking at you!" Anna scanned the crowds. "Him, and him, and him - ooh, he's cute, too. (You know, I think I've been spending too much time with Cada.) He's looking at you and oh dear."

"What?" Susan asked, trying to follow her gaze.

"It's that creepy Calormene from the Harvest Ball," Anna said, pointing discretely to the man in question. "Stay away from him. He's nothing but trouble."

"Thanks, I'll make note of that," Susan said, as she departed to wish her sister another happy birthday.

Anna didn't appear to be able to follow her own advice. She had barely walked two feet before being intercepted by the Calormene in question.

"Greetings, O Most Beautiful Lady. May you honor me with a dance?"

Anna sighed internally. I should have seen this coming. "Fine."

The Calormene led her to join the dance. Again, Anna had the misfortune of being asked during one of the slower songs. Again, he held her too intimately. Unlike before, Peter was not there to save her.

"It displeased me greatly that our dance was interrupted at the Harvest Ball."

"Hm," Anna said, looking around for one of her friends to throw them a Help Me! look.

"I find you most enchanting, Lady Anna," the Calormene said. "Your beauty is beyond that of all those I have seen."

"Lies," she told him automatically.

"Lies they are not, for you hold me under your spell."

"Clearly you've never seen Susan," Anna said.

"Who is this Susan?"

"There we go."

The Calormene moved closer to her, making her even more uncomfortable. "I very much wish to know you better."

"Do you now?"

"Indeed. I must admit that I was very pleased upon hearing of your and the High King's disagreement. I still wish to offer you my condolences, for your pain is my pain."

"I'm sure."

The Calormene continued to speak of her beauty and his affection for her until she tuned him out, nodding and saying "Mmhm" at intervals. Meanwhile, her mind wandered.

Where the heck is Edmund? He needs to come save me! He can't have gotten far. I bet he's being attacked by his fan club. Does he have a fan club, or is that just Peter? I'm sure he does. Edmund has really grown up. He's just as handsome as Peter now. If not more. And that outfit Susan put together for him makes him look really good. The color makes his eyes pop and - wait, what is this?

Anna pushed the Calormene away from her. "What do you think you're doing?" she cried, "You can't just go around kissing girls in the middle of dances!"

The Calormene bowed. "My apologies. Perhaps somewhere more private?"

Anna was about to reply with something dignified, like "In your dreams!" when she noticed Peter was staring at her and the Calormene. He was glaring at the latter. A horrible idea came to her.

"No," she said, "Here's fine." She swallowed her repulsion and kissed the Calormene back. That'll show Peter. I'm not hurt by him. The Calormene's hands moved dangerously low on her waist, and she uneasily added, Though maybe I should have chosen someone more gentlemanly...

And then he tried to touch her.

Anna shoved him away. "What do you think you're doing?" she cried indignantly.

"Appreciating the beauty of a Narnian woman," the Calormene said.

Anna was about to reply with, "I'm not even that pretty!" but he forced her to kiss him again. She struggled against him, but he was stronger than he appeared.

Suddenly he spun around and collapsed. Edmund was standing above him, his hand clenched in a fist from where he punched the Calormene. Anna collapsed into his arms, shivering.

"There now, don't cry. See, he's unconscious," Edmund murmured comfortingly.

A sudden scream caused Anna to jump. "What is this? Why does my husband lie bleeding upon the floor?"

Anna stared at her in shock. "Your husband!"

"Yes," said the beautiful black-haired black-eyed girl, "Ararish is my husband, and a prince!"

Anna and Edmund both tensed, realizing what trouble they got into. "A prince?" Edmund asked tentatively.

"He's the son of the Tisroc," Anna checked.

"He is the tenth son of the Tisroc (may-he-live-forever). And he is my husband, and I am Priscana, princess of Telmar."

"Highness!" spoke up one of her guards. "This boy was seen fighting him unfairly."

"Was he?" Priscana asked through clenched teeth.

"The girl was seen kissing him."

Priscana's eyes flashed angrily. "She did what?"

"He kissed me first," Anna said in defense.

"Lies! Ararish has been nothing but faithful throughout our three years of marriage."

"Don't laugh," Edmund whispered urgently to Anna. She nodded discreetly.

Priscana turned to her guards. "Kill them. Kill them both."

Anna clung to Edmund. "Ed, do something."

"Like what?"

"Your Highness," asked one of Priscana's guards tentatively, "Do you know who these are?"

"Narnian scum," Priscana sneered.

"The boy is King Edmund the Just. The girl is Lady Anna, his wife."

"I-am-not-his-wife!" Anna hissed at them.

"We are in Archenland, with a large Narnian party visiting," the guard continued, "If you murder these two, it is all too likely that you will not escape with your life."

"I should like to keep my life," Priscana murmured. She studied the two of them closely. "It is a shame you are royalty. If you were not, you would be dead by now. But hear me when I say this: you will be sorry for what you did here today. You will regret this for the rest of your life, however short it may be."

Anna returned to her room late that night, flushed and smiling widely. After the incident with the Calormene and Telmarine prince and princess, Edmund had refused to leave her side for the rest of the party. Normally, Anna would have found this behavior stifling, but then it was more comforting than anything. At the end of the night, he gave her a hug and a gentle kiss on the cheek.

And it was actually pleasant! Anna thought incredulously. The last time he had kissed her on cheek (Actually, it was the forehead, Anna recalled) she'd shoved him away and yelled at him. Well, we were only thirteen then, she remembered with a smile.

Anna quickly changed into her nightgown and laid down to sleep. After a few seconds she sat up again. Nope, not tired, she thought. Scanning her room for something to do, Anna's gaze settled on a book on a chair in the corner. She picked it up. It was the book about Jadis, the one that she and Edmund had been looking at only a few days earlier. Anna sat down with it on her lap and flipped through the pages. She froze when she saw her own name written at the top of a page in bold letters: Anna Parson. The article began, The White Witch was able to convince people to help her easily. It is well known how she seduced King Edmund the Just, but he wasn't the only human child who was victim to her. A Daughter of Eve named Anna Parson wandered into the woods in the year 987...

Anna didn't read any farther. She already knew what happened.

Anna sank back farther into the wardrobe as the sound of Michael's footsteps echoed down the hallway. Fur coats enveloped and hid her as Anna took step after cautious step backwards, waiting to feel the back of the wardrobe. It never came. Something prickly stabbed into Anna's back. She jumped back, only to step in a sludgy puddle. Anna stepped away and squinted into the darkness. Did she just step in melted snow? And the thing that pricked her - was that a tree branch?

Anna touched it experimentally. She was shocked to feel pine needles under her hand.

A tree? she thought. She stepped forward, only to find that her foot landed in more slushy half-melted snow. Anna retreated quickly. The door fell open under her weight, and she tumbled out into the empty room.

A pair of footsteps paused outside in the hallway. The creaking of floorboards suggested someone shifting around.

"Hello?" Michael called.

Darn it, Anna thought. She had completely forgotten about their game of hide-and-seek. Spinning quickly, Anna scrambled back into the wardrobe.

She heard the sound of the door opening, and footsteps padding across the wooden floor.

"Hello...?"

Anna hurried backwards, not bothering that her feet fell in puddles of melted snow. Light flooded the enclosed space as the door was pulled slowly open. Anna moved deeper into the wardrobe.

"William, is that you?" Michael's voice called.

Pine needles pricked the skin on her arms and face now, but still Anna retreated from the light.

"Mary?"

The snow wasn't melted any more.

"Anna! It's Anna, isn't it?"

Michael's voice was very faint. Anna continued to rush backwards as the trees began to thin.

This is a rather large wardrobe, she thought.

"Anna, are you in there?" her older cousin called. "I know you are. Come on out. You're..." His voice faded out completely.

The trees continued to become less sparse and a light dusting of snow covered Anna's sunny hair. Her run slowed to a walk, and then to a complete stand-still as she emerged in a clearing.

"Oh my..." she breathed.

It had become quite clear that she was no longer in the wardrobe. Anna didn't think she was even in England. It had been fall there, and here it was winter. Also, in this place it seemed to be nighttime. Light was provided by the silver moon and a single lamppost, placed curiously in the middle of the forest.

Anna took several steps back. She wanted to run back to Michael and give herself up, just to be back where everything made sense, but she knew William would never let her hear the end of it. So she stayed.

After a moment, she noticed a faint jingling sound in the distance. She looked around, wondering where the sound was coming from. Anna ducked behind a tree as a majestic sleigh glided from the trees, pulled by four pure-white deer. A funny little man with a long beard held the reins. Anna didn't pay much attention to him. Seated in the back, a beautiful woman with terribly pale skin and lips the color of blood surveyed her surroundings with a cool eye. Her gaze fell on Anna, looking at her from around the tree.

"Come here, girl," the woman commanded. Anna obediently came forward, her head bent meekly. The woman surveyed her distastefully.

"What are you?" she asked.

"I - I'm afraid I don't know what you mean," Anna replied.

"Answer me: are you or are you not a Daughter of Eve?" the woman demanded.

Anna shook her head. "I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about."

The woman's eyes flashed. "Ignorant child! Do you not know your own race? Are you human?"

"Oh. Yes...?" Anna replied tentatively.

Apparently this was the wrong answer. Anna took several steps back as the woman stood, rising to her true height. A silver rod was held aloft in the woman's hand, poised to strike. Anna stood frozen. She waited for the worst.

She was distracted by a flash of gold out of the corner of her eye. Anna looked to her left, only to catch a quick glimpse of what appeared to be a large feline animal. It disappeared before she could get a good look at it.

The woman lowered her wand. Her eyes went dead, and she looked defeated. She lowered into her seat slowly, and motioned for Anna to come closer. She did, afraid to disobey the beautiful and terrible creature.

"What is your name, child?" the woman asked.

"Anna Parson."

"Where are you from?"

"Chelmsford, ma'am."

"Where is this Chelmsford?"

"... in England?" Anna suggested tentatively.

"I see." The woman appeared to consider. She twirled the wand between her fingers all the while, making Anna uncomfortable.

"Could you return home if you wished to?" the woman asked.

Anna nodded slowly. "I think so."

"Then do so. You must return to Chelmsford in England, Anna Parson. Narnia is a dangerous place for young girls such as yourself. Return to your world, and do not come back. Do you understand?"

Anna nodded.

"Go now!" the woman commanded. Anna turned and fled back through the forest, through the fur coats and out into the almost empty room.

Michael had just been leaving. He turned at the sound of her hitting the floor.

"You've been hiding there the whole time?" he asked incredulously. "I didn't even notice. Why did you run out like that?"

"I saw a spider," Anna muttered, climbing to her feet.

"So you're It now?"

"Yes," Anna said, "I guess so."