Hello! I know, long time no see.. I am very very sorry! Sadly, I haven't had time to write anything other than homework..

Anyway, I hope you still like this story! Here is another short story!

Comments are welcomed and very appreciated!

Cheers!

Aravis tapped her foot impatiently against the carriage floor, staring ahead with an irritated look.

"Aravis, you will open a hole on the floor before we even get there" King Lune commented lightly, offering the Calormene girl a candid smile. Aravis blushed slightly at the remark and pulled her legs up, hugging them and resting her chin on top of her knees.

"We will get there soon" Cor said quietly, knowing why she was so anxious. "We saw Cair Paravel sometime ago, so we should be quite close by now".

"Oh, oh! I can see it! I can see it!" came Corin's voice, who had half his body out of the window and was now flailing his arms excitedly, almost falling off the carriage.

"If there is anyone more excited about our visit, it has to be Corin" King Lune said with a sigh, pulling his son inside. The blond twin was very dishevelled, hair standing out in every direction because of the wind.

"You look charming" Aravis commented sarcastically, her lips pulled upwards by a slight smirk. Corin stuck his tongue to her and grasped a silver plate pulling it up to his eye level.

"Ah! My beautiful hair! Cor hold the plate!" Corin said, tossing the plate at his brother without further announcement. Aravis looked at the arrangement. Cor, the Crown Prince of Archenland had his arms extended forwards, holding the plate in front of his twin (and utterly misbehaved) brother.

"Hold it straight!"

At that very moment, the carriage went over a bump on the road and Cor was thrown forwards, smashing the plate on Corin's face. The hit had been quite hard and the Prince was now bleeding through the nose, staining the front of his coat. Aravis had to contain a laugh at the image: Corin, his hair messy beyond repair, blood streaking down his nose as King Lune pushed a handkerchief up his face to staunch the bleeding and Cor lying on the floor, still holding the silver plate, looking stunned.

The carriage finally stopped and the boys hurried to make themselves more or less presentable, Corin still holding the handkerchief to his nose. The door of the carriage opened and the pale walls and grand oak door of Cair Paravel came to view, a thin dark green carpet forming a thin straight path leading to four figures waiting for them. King Lune descended first and smiled brightly, meeting Peter a few steps further. Both Kings clasped hands and exchanged greetings. By then, the remaining Narnian royals had joined them. Cor, Corin and Aravis descended next, Lucy and Susan gasping in surprise at his state.

"Goodness, Corin, what happened to you?" Susan hurried to ask, reaching forwards to inspect Corin's face, her gentle hand caressing his cheek and hair.

"Well, he may have been hit by a branch while he leaned out of the carriage…" Aravis spoke lightly, kicking a pebble with her foot.

"Not true! I am perfectly fine, Susan, I truly am" Corin said a bit nasally, grinning behind the handkerchief.

"I'll have you drink one drop of my cordial, just to make sure, though. However you definitely need a change of clothes, Corin" Lucy peeped in, smiling at the boy's utter dismissal of his own wellbeing.

"I am terribly sorry, sweet Lucy, that you have to witness the deplorable state I find myself in" Corin said, his jackanapes grin forgotten, his tone a very serious one. Lucy chuckled at him and ushered him towards the palace, all of them moving inside.

A few moments later, Corin had been told by the physician to rest and avoid exerting himself, yet everyone knew that this was an impossible feat for the young Prince. The Prince, however, was convinced to keep from straining movements by Lucy, who promised they could go visit Mr Tumnus only if he behaved.

King Lune, Susan and Peter sat under a tree, drinking some fresh juice and chatting casually, watching as Lucy, Aravis and the twins played a card game on the grass. Aravis soon grew bored of the game and decided to wander around the garden and into the apple orchard, taking in the marvellous scenery of the place and grabbing one of the shiny apples from a nearby branch. Then something caught her attention. There, on the tallest tree closer to the garden hung a delicate swing, the dark plank of wood held by two thick vines. Aravis stepped closer, applying pressure to the swing before sitting on it and swinging softly. She looked up as her body swung slowly, catching the glimpses of sun that seeped through the leaves. Ah, Narnia was so peaceful!

She was startled when she felt two hands pressing to her back, pushing her lightly forwards. She looked over her shoulder and found Cor smiling kindly at her. They remained silent, Cor pushing her slightly harder every now and then, the skirts of her dress billowing around her legs.

Lucy had left Corin in order to get some juice for herself and soon grew involved in the talk her siblings and King Lune were having, so the Archen Prince was left having to find entertainment on his own. He soon caught sight of a bright green grasshopper and decided to chase it, catching it with very little trouble. It was a very beautiful grasshopper and he thought of showing it to Cor before letting it free again, but his brother was nowhere to be seen. He heard some squealing coming from the orchard and he followed the sound, finding Cor and a swinging Aravis, who squealed when the swing would reach its highest point. And then, a mischievous thought crossed his mind. Minding to keep himself quiet, he slowly moved to stand behind Cor. In one, swift and clever movement, he shoved the grasshopper down his brother's collar, snickering like a possessed. As a result of Corin's prank, Cor hit Aravis forcefully, pushing her off the swing. When the Calormene turned to yell at Cor, however, the swing hit her with force and she fell backwards, unconscious.

Aravis woke up some time later, looking around quite disoriented, her head threatening to crack open in pain.

"Ah, good, you are awake" Susan whispered, smiling warmly and tapping her shoulder gently. "You shouldn't move, you received quite a strong blow there".

Aravis tried to nod, but her head only hurt more. Very slowly, she looked around the room, finding everyone there, all looking relieved at finding her awake. Curious, Corin was sporting a black eye and Cor was glaring daggers at him…

"Cor…" she murmured. The Prince moved closer to her and put his hand over hers.

"Yes?"

"You are a dead man"

So? You liked it? Please leave your comments! :)

PS: please forgive typing errors/mistakes, I didn't have much time to proof read :P