Disclaimer: I own nothing.
A/N: Just wanted to clarify something once again. Everyone is of the legal age of consent. Thanks for reading, enjoy…. Btw is it just me or did 3 months fly by…
When Lucy reached the door to her room, she slipped quietly inside, careful not to make a sound. She took a deep breath and leaned against the doorframe for support. Her fluttering heart still beat wildly at the ivory bars of her chest, and the small smile that had been growing increasingly wider, now spread across her face. Her entire body trembled uncontrollably. It wasn't long ago that Edmund had her pushed up against one of the stone walls of the old abandoned ruin. Her mind was consumed by that moment. She could think of nothing else.
She remembered the start of it all; Edmund chasing after her in the dimly lit Forrest, then, the sudden change in his advances. Restraint turned to possession. He was no longer trying to command her movements; he was bending her to his will. Lucy remembered the fear, the swell of anxiety welling up in her, as well as the hurt. She didn't understand his aggression, or the look of turmoil splaying across the silver ocean in his eyes. With each step he took toward her, words dripping with venom; the smaller she became, and the more defiant she felt.
Lucy's heart skipped a beat, as the bittersweet memories crashed over her in waves. He was so close now. She could see that with each breath he took, he exhaled fire, extinguishing the cold air around them. She remembered the harsh words before the assault, and just like a silly cat that backs a coiling snake into a corner, it would only be a matter of time before the strike. Edmund's last words mimicked the paw of a curious cat; and Lucy lunged at him. They struggled like that for a while, Edmund advancing, and Lucy fighting to gain the upper hand. Their battle for dominance however, came to an abrupt end when the older boy's lips, unexpectedly, crashed into her own. Perhaps it was the initial shock of it all, or the heavy feeling of being hit by a freight train, but Lucy had never been so quick to surrender. Without question, or need of a second thought, Lucy gave herself freely to the older boy. She opened herself up to him, her soft ivory legs hugging at the hard torso pressed tight between her bare thighs. It was a forceful, violent, and possessive kiss. Lucy remembered the feeling of falling, but never quite hitting the stone floor. Lucy's heart fluttered with guilty pleasure. Even now, alone in her room, she couldn't stop smiling.
Lucy was yanked from her daydream however when an unexpected knock shook her tiny body against the thick door frame. She jumped, her small hands gripping the side paneling for support. "Young Miss," The unknown voice called. There was a silence followed by another knock. "I hope everything is to your liking?"
Lucy's brow furrowed questionably. 'I hope everything is to your liking?' Lucy peered around the room and understood what the person was referring to instantly. The terrible state her room had been left in only hours before was now completely restored and refurbished. The young girl's jaw dropped in awe and approval. The three castle designers did so much more than tidy her room. Her new and improved quarters were now fit for a queen of Narnia. Gone, were the pink frilly curtains' and porcelain dolls. The walls were replaced instead with majestic red and gold shades, while her antiquity consisted of sweet oils and a mature clothing station. When Lucy's eyes were done feasting on her new surroundings she promptly opened the door and tackled the unexpected stranger into a bear hug. Surprised, Lucy found herself face to face with the tall thin gangly looking man that she had met earlier that morning. He squealed in surprise. When Lucy finally released the reluctant designer, she stared up at him with a toothy smile. However, he wasn't at all happy about nearly being knocked to the cold marble floor, and Lucy's smile soon turned into an apologetic grin.
"Sorry." She mumbled, as she watched the tall man brush himself off rather briskly. In fact, he didn't seem happy or pleased with himself at all. His dark glossy hair was pasted back to perfection, while his brightly colored tunic was neatly spread across his chest without a wrinkle in sight.
"So," The glossy haired man stated with a raised brow, "I assume your new arrangements suit you."
"Oh, yes, very much so!" Lucy's smile widened, although she opted for restraint.
"Very well…" The expressionless man replied rather curtly, before studying the young girl's torn ensemble.
"Oh," Lucy looked down at her dirt stained dress. "I-I was going to change…before dinner. It's…It's just that you caught me off guard with all of this, which is amazing by the way." Lucy swallowed hard before trailing off again.
"You were caught walking around the castle in that state?" The prude man raised a disapproving brow.
"Well not exactly. I was outside you see…" But the mention of outside only made the male designer gasp even more.
"Outside? What on earth were you doing outside dressed in that manner?" The young queen had clearly done something wrong in his eyes.
"As your Queen, I daresay I have to answer that!" Lucy replied rather hotly. She had heard enough of his misplaced disapproval. She didn't have to explain herself to him, she had enough people to worry about pleasing on this matter, and he certainly wasn't one of them.
"As a matter of fact, My Queen, I am not only the lead castle designer, but I am also in charge of the ladies of the house, which includes your castle etiquette." The man jabbed a long slender finger in her direction, before continuing his animated rant. "Which is by the way, the most HOR-rendous I've ever had the displeasure of witnessing." The prude man looked rather disheveled from having to raise his voice slightly, but quickly regained his calm demeanor. Lucy wasn't that good at forcing calm however, and stared back at him defiantly. The young girls hand went to the place on her waist which normally secured a faithful blade, but was disappointed to feel it was missing.
"Well," Lucy breathed rather heavily. "I'm sorry to say I don't charm you the way my perfect sister might!" To this the gangly man merely smirked. "There is a festival fast approaching in 3 days time, by then I will have made you a true lady of Narnia, worthy of a crown! Now, there are some clothes laid out for you for tonight's event. I will send a few ladies in waiting to help with the fitting."
"I can dress myself!" Lucy snapped. Her tone laced with offense.
"Uh-uh." The gangly man silenced her with a long swaying finger.
"It is impolite to talk over someone, much less interrupt. That is not proper etiquette!" Lucy exhaled fire, as dark fumes rose from the very depths of her chest.
"Now, If I see that you are capable of dressing yourself with what I have laid out for you accordingly, then you may dress yourself, however, and I do mean however, if there is one garment out of place you will lose that privilege." The man was insane. Privilege! She was a Queen for Aslan sake, since when did any of this apply?
"I guess we'll see how capable I am." Lucy said through gritted teeth. "Anyhow, what is tonight's event, and what's so special about it?"
"Every night is an event for the Kings and Queens of Narnia," The man continued with an upturned nose. "You have an example to set every time you step foot out of your bedroom door. Now, dinner is at seven p.m. sharp, and Queens are never late!" he finished smoothly.
"What is your name?" asked the Young Queen, taking every detail into account, including the rude man's name.
"Duav'ier, My Queen." The man replied, before lowering himself into a respectful bow. Lucy forgot herself for a moment and stared after him. When Duav'ier realized she was watching him instead of curtsying, he gesture her into the stance, but she made sure to roll her big blue eyes at him before following suit. When the overbearing castle designer aka 'man in waiting' excused himself from the Young Queen's presence, she slammed her heavy door shut with a huff.
How dare he talk to her like that, She thought angrily. How was he going to teach her to be 'worthy of a crown'? What an absolute mad man! She would certainly be talking to Peter about this. Besides, she didn't want Ladies in waiting, she preferred to do things herself, for herself, and she certainly didn't need or want someone else dressing her and putting her to bed! She didn't care what Narnian customs were; it was absolutely maddening. When Lucy was done fuming over her rude encounter, she decided to wash up for dinner.
Lucy was quick to clean herself up and was letting her long auburn hair air dry when she decided to take a peek at what the designer had laid out for her. On the far side of her four poster bed Lucy found what it was she was "suppose to wear". It was an absolute eyesore. Lucy was new to playing dress up, but she knew that puffy dresses were a thing of the past. It was something she may have worn when she were eight or nine, but certainly not sixteen! Lucy held the thick pink material up to her shoulders in disgust. She swallowed hard before turning to study herself in the full-length mirror. When her eye's caught a glimpse of her twin self an ocean of fear swelled up in her gut. There was no way in all of Narnia that she was going to let Edmund see her in this dress. After all, he still thought of her as a child from time to time, this would only fuel that idea tenfold.
Lucy tossed the hideous dress aside and went to her closet. If Duav'ier thought he was taking away the Young Queens free will and ability to dress, he was sadly mistaken, because Lucy Pevensie wasn't going down without a fight.
As Lucy made her way to the great hall, the anxiety of seeing Edmund again-so soon, was almost too much to bear. She changed her dress at least twelve times, and she never could find out what to do with her hair. Pinned back at the dinner table was 'proper etiquette', and normally that would suit Lucy just fine, but her new friend Duav'ier inspired her to be a bit freer this evening by wearing her long locks down instead. When Lucy approached the heavy doors to the great hall she stopped to regain her composure. The doors keeper, a tall black Tauren saw the Young Queen's hesitation, and waited for her queue to enter. Lucy took a deep breath and smoothed her hands over her pale blue dress. It was a soft silk material, and Lucy had to fumble with the thin straps more than once to keep them on her small shoulders. When Lucy was ready she sucked in a quick breath and nodded toward the doors keeper. He returned an encouraging smile before pushing the heavy doors open for her entrance.
The sound of the marble floor clicked under the soles of Lucy's glass pumps, and although she tried to enter the great hall with as little detection as possible; it was regretfully too late. The entire room's attention was on her. There were more guests than usual this night, foreign visitors perhaps. As Lucy made her way to her seat, she caught sight of Peter out of the corner of her eye talking in hushed whispers to Susan, who by the way refused to acknowledge her presence. Lucy smiled at all of the guests before taking her seat next to a strange looking gentleman with a bushy beard and beady eyes. They were sitting quite oddly today. Peter was seated next to Susan, who sat across from Lucy. And Edmund, well… Lucy dared not catch his gaze, but she thought she saw him seated at the far end of the table, just before she sat down. Dinner was mostly quiet. The only sound came from Peter who spoke briefly with each individual seated around the large marble table. Lucy stole a glance at Edmund as she stirred her soup with her spoon. The raven haired boy looked rather disconnected as he watched Peter speak, as if his body were here, but his mind was somewhere else. Lucy bit her bottom lip. She'd give anything to be able to read the older boys thoughts.
As their meal came to an end, each of Peter's guests dismissed themselves from the room and retired to their appointed sleeping quarters. Only then did the icy silence of the room become too quiet for any of them to bear. A hushed conversation between Susan and Peter was becoming increasingly louder. It was hard not to hear what they were saying.
"What do you want me to do Susan?" Peter asked annoyed, his voice no longer a whisper. "I can't just demand that he come back!"
"Of course you can!" replied Susan, her voice cold. "You're the high king."
Peter was now losing his patience. That was never a good sign.
"That makes no difference. He chose to leave Susan." Peter exasperated, before returning his attention to his food. "When he's ready to return he will!"
Susan's attention turned to the younger girl, and Lucy sunk in her chair a bit to avoid the heat the older girls terrifying gaze.
"I don't think he chose to leave Peter. In fact, I think he felt forced!" Susan's eyes bore into Lucy's skull as she spoke.
Peter rolled his eyes.
"Come on, Susan. What are you going on about? We've been nothing but kind to him."
"Oh I agree, too kind, perhaps. Maybe just a little bit too charitable as well!" Susan continued, her voice hinting at something, but her harsh words barely scratching the surface.
"And what's that suppose to mean?" Peter asked bemused, his mouth full of food.
"I don't know… ask Lucy!" mocked the older girl, her narrowed eyes full of obvious accusation.
"Shut up, Susan!" snapped Edmund. The raven-haired boy had been quiet up until this point. At Edmund's words, Peter stopped chewing, and Susan stopped talking. Both of them turned their attention toward the Just King. Edmunds expression was a mixture of exhaust and irritation. All the while Lucy sat in stone silence. She was just as shocked at the older boy's sudden outburst as the two Pevensie royals seated across from her. Peter, finally regaining some of his composure, turned his attention to Lucy. By his expression she could tell that he was piecing together some kind of misinformed explanation.
"What happened, Lucy?" asked Peter, his tone quieter than before, perhaps in the hopes of not frightening her. Lucy opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it again. No lie would save her from Susan's probing eyes, and the truth would only anger Peter to the point of war. It was all she could do, but sit there, and pray that she would disappear into her seat before they forced her to say anything she might soon regret.
"Lucy?" reminded Peter. He was waiting for an explanation.
"It's my fault." interrupted Edmund. All eyes darted back to the raven haired boy. Lucy's heart constricted. She was afraid of where this conversation might lead to.
"I felt he was acting as a spy. It appeared he was using Susan's affections and Lucy's big heart to gain information." There was an unsettling silence followed by Edmund's quick words.
"You… What?" Peter sputtered, his mind still not wrapping around Edmund's confession. "That's ridiculous! Caspian, a spy?"
From across the table Lucy saw Susan's eyes well up with tears. The idea of being used by the Prince was probably blasphemy to her pretty ears.
"And what are your grounds?" Peter fumed, "You can't just accuse a Prince of being a spy without sufficient evidence!"
Susan's tears quickly turned to animated sobs.
"You're right." Edmund said calmly. "I admit; I was careless. However, I am in charge of this land's defense, and I felt we were being targeted."
"Targeted?" Peter scoffed; his mouth agape. "By who?"
"Infiltrators!" Edmund bit his bottom lip, his argument confidant, yet his expression unsure.
Peter's face went from white to scarlet.
"You had better fix this!" Peter growled.
"I will." The Just King mumbled. "There haven't been any real accusations…but I'm sure the Prince feels he may have been treated a bit unfairly during his short stay."
Although Edmund was agreeing to assume damage control, the Older Queen was still suspicious. "It still makes no sense. That can't all be true. There's more to it than that." Susan whispered, while drying her long dark chocolate lashes with the tip of her napkin. "I know there's more to it than that."
"Maybe there is, maybe there isn't," stated Edmund, rising from his velvet chair. "But that'll be my only confession this evening." And with that lie being told the dark haired prince disappeared into another chamber off the castle.
After watching Edmund leave, Peter looked from Lucy to Susan then back down to his empty porcelain plate with a sigh. Susan was still crying, however softer, with a few sniffs and hiccups in between drying her leaking eyes. And although Lucy wasn't crying on the outside, she was reeling from the guilt and shame of allowing Edmund to lie for her on the inside. It was all her fault. All of it!
Forcing calm, Lucy slowly rose from her seat, her head held high, unlike a person who had anything to hide, and to not seem so suspicious, she quietly walked to the golden exit from which she first entered, her silhouette composed, even though she felt eyes on her from every direction. Then, once outside the golden entrance, she let herself slowly fall apart. Regal composition turned to a traitorous escape. Lucy ran as hard and as fast as her slender legs would carry her. She was going back into the Forrest, back into the gardens, back to where all of this first began. In a way, it was all her fault, but there was someone else to blame. Sprinting around corners and dashing through empty halls Lucy made her way to the Rose Bush Fairy Gardens. It was here that things started to change; when innocent gestures and mindless words turned into prominent forces. Lucy stopped at the spot she thought she remembered. It was just like her dream. Lucy stood in the center of a tangled web of flowers. The cold air of the night tightened the young girl's dress as it whipped past her; and it shifter her tears like a river's current. The darkness of the night was only illuminated by the specs of gold dust in the air, allowing Lucy to see further than arms length, and because of this she was able to see the outline of a shadow coming toward her. Her labored breathing stopped her from asking who or what it was. However, she didn't need to ask. Tall, broad, and thick; combined, those three traits only brought one person to mind...
A/N: Sorry, sorry… I know it's not what you wanted, but it was necessary, just give it time and you will be rewarded.