Eleanor

When I finally managed to find Evangeline after Caspian had told me about the ball, up near the royals' bed chambers, I became surprised by the fact that he hadn't come running in flustered by how anxious she was. Maybe since he last saw her she had gotten worse, but it was pretty bad. When I approached her, I had to tell her to calm down, but I was quickly hushed as she swept me away to my chambers to get cleaned.

I was in the bathroom, rinsing my hair out in the shower, when Evangeline knocked on the door.

"Are you almost done, Eleanor?"

"I'll be out in a minute!" I called, and quickly shut the water off only a couple moments later. As I stepped out onto the glossy tile floors with wet feet, I grabbed the towel by the sink and wrapped it around my torso.

"Come outside when you're done," I heard Evangeline say. "I've got some dresses here you can pick from."

I wrapped another towel in my hair to avoid ruining the wooden floors of the bedroom and meekly stepped out to meet Evangeline. She didn't even seem that bothered by the fact that I was almost naked.

As if reading my thoughts, she said, "I used to work in the infirmary a long time ago. I've seen worse. Believe me."

I managed a small laugh as she moved aside to present each one of the dresses. Seeing them alone made me realize even more how different this life was than the one I had previously been living in.

"You never take that off, do you?" she said suddenly, with a small smile.

I gave her a quizzical look. "Take off what?"

"Your necklace, milady."

I instinctively looked down, laying my eyes upon the silver key necklace lying across my collarbone and onto my chest, managing to stay around my neck with a weak piece of string. It was something I rarely thought about, even in England. It was the only thing I had left from the fire.

"My parents gave it to me," I said, looking up to her while holding the necklace in between my fingers.

"It's lovely, really," she complimented. "Does it open something?"

I stared at her for a moment with my mouth agape, unsure of what to say, before I managed, "I gave the box to my sister before she got taken away to another family. We lived in an orphanage. I had told her I would never open it again, so she should have it."

"What was inside?" Evangeline asked curiously.

I swallowed, and a bittersweet taste began forming in my throat. To change the subject, I waltzed over closer to the bed and looked at the dresses.

"Where did you find these?" I questioned curiously, pretending to be completely invested in them.

She seemed to have let it go, from what I soon heard, but I didn't look at her when she explained, "Susan helped me get some. Remember when I had you fitted last week?"

"Oh right..." I acknowledged, closing my eyes. I had barely even made the connection between the two. I had been overtaken by their beauty. "They're all so big!"

"Well, this ball is a bit more formal than the rest," she explained, looking at me as I observed them all.

"How many balls do they have?" I asked, leaning against one of the posts of the bed, hand never leaving the necklace.

"A handful each year. The seasonal balls always remain the same, but depending on what ages the monarchs are turning, more could be added. The end of spring ball is always very formal. Creatures from all over visit for it. That's the same with the Christmas Ball, in late December. The rest don't require this type of garb. Some of the others even could be considered festivals," she explained, running her hand along one of the dresses.

"I don't know which to choose," I murmured helplessly, looking up to the dryad. "Could you pick, Evangeline?"

She smiled widely. "Sure."

The one she ended up picking was not the one I had in mind, but as I put in on behind a changing screen, Evangeline told me it suited my fair complexion. The dress was very dark blue, sheer-sleeved, and had silver embroidery running along the torso and the ends of the dress, which covered me all the way down to my feet. I walked out from behind the screen and watched as Evangeline smiled and brought a hand to her mouth.

"You look wonderful, miss," she said, approaching me and picked up one of the layers of her dress and examining it. "The new recruits will be all over you, I'm sure of it."

A blush rose up to my cheeks as I tried to ignore her comment, and went behind the screen to change out of the dress so she could do my hair and make-up.

"You're very talented at a lot of things," I said to her, looking at my reflection in the mirror of the vanity from where I sat.

I watched her hands as she worked, braiding my dark hair behind me.

"I've got to be the best for the best," she smiled, taking a pin that was stuck between her teeth and sticking it my head.

Awhile later, when my hair had dried, she undid the braid and let it fall just beneath my shoulder blades.

Turning me back around to look in the mirror when the rest of her work was done, the girl who had lived in filthy London was gone. All that was left was a girl who had been born and raised by royalty. Evangeline looked pleased, but at that moment, seeing myself right there as a completely different person, I couldn't tell whether it was apprehension or appreciation that finally got the bittersweet taste that had been in my throat to disappear. Even my necklace matched the beading of the dress.

"The monarchs will be so pleased," she smiled, proud of the creation she had made.

I turned and looked up to her. "Evangeline, will you be there tonight?"

She gave me a regretful look. "I'll be serving dinner."

"But you're a friend now," I said. "Surely you could dance if you wanted to."

She shook her head. "Doesn't matter. My job in Narnia must get done."

"I can see why they kept you," I murmured, turning back to my reflection in the mirror. Evangeline smiled slightly, before her face turned to stone as she looked at me. "Oh, no..."

"What's wrong?" I asked worriedly, looking at her.

She gingerly leaned over and placed a hand around my ear. "You don't have your ears pierced."

She turned my head back to the mirror as I looked in horror. "No... I'm not doing that."

"Why not?" she whined, placing her hands on her hips.

"I don't like needles," I admitted, earning myself a look of disapproval from her. "Why do I have to get them pierced anyway?"

"Queen Susan had the nicest pair you could borrow..." she drifted off, biting her lip.

"I really would prefer not to do that, Evangeline," I reminded her. After a minute or so of watching her pace, she calmed.

"I will give you this time," she warned, and I couldn't tell if she was being serious or not. "But between now and the next ball it must be done. Promise?"

"All right, I promise," I drawled, looking back into the mirror. Her face seemed to have softened, as my hand went up and traced lightly over my ear, thinking about it. "Does it really make that much of a difference?" I asked aloud.

"Oh no, Eleanor, I'm sure it wasn't the earrings they'd all be looking at anyway," she joked, watching the blush come back to my face once again. She was lucky I held myself back from kicking her in the shins with these shoes. They did not add a terrible amount of height, but I'm sure they would hurt all the same.

"It's almost three o'clock," Evangeline noted from behind me, picking up some things around the room. "Can you manage to come down in one hour or shall I stay with you?"

"If duty calls, then go. I'm sure I'll manage," I said. She straightened up and smiled at me in the mirror, and then she was gone.

I stood up and walked across the room, the heels of the shoes making a clicking sound along the floor, thoughts reverted back to Sophia, and now, that box. All it held were pictures, and music, and letters. Most of which would not be considered important, but nevertheless, they still were a part of me.

But even in Narnia, how could I think of things such as those when in such a place as this?

They weren't important, I repeated to myself, pacing around the room, saying those three words in my head so many times that I began to wonder who had come up with the pronunciation for each.

I found myself feeling hot, so I stepped outside in the hallway and started walking. I didn't know exactly where I was going, but my body found itself craving fresh air so much that I just went where my legs began taking me. After walking up a set of stairs and down another few hallways, I had found what I had been looking for.

From the entrance of a large wooden door with a small window placed upon it, I found myself in a beautiful garden nearly the size of the armory. It was probably the most colorful place I had seen in Narnia, flowers of what appeared to be every kind surrounding some iron ornamental benches, the clicking of my heels much quieter on the open cobblestone pathways. In one corner, a swing hung from a large oak tree, and in another, there was a fountain spurting water of a fish's mouth. I continued walking, further and further, seeing how this garden looped itself around one side of the castle, before I was met at the end by a large stone wall. I turned on my heel and began walking back the other way, back to where I had come, taking deep breaths along the way to take in all that was around me.

I came back to the pathway that came right off the entrance, standing for a moment in the freshness of this garden and looking out at Narnia beyond the stone barriers. Some things were so beautiful, it was okay not to have words for them.

"Susan, I'm glad you're ready now," a voice called from behind me. Instinctively, I turned, meeting the gaze of King Peter, now surprised to see I hadn't been the person he had been looking for.

"Eleanor?" he asked, almost in disbelief. I nodded, but suddenly realized my fault.

"I'm sorry to be in this place…if you didn't want me here, I just needed to some fresh air," I said hastily, and began heading towards the door. "I'll go now if you want..."

"No, it's fine," he said, placing a hand on my arm as I walked past him. "I suppose it doesn't matter. It just caught me off guard that's all. You do like very nice, though."

"Thank you, King Peter, and I do apologize again. I should be going anyway, Evangeline said I should be going down soon," I gave him a quick smile before exiting, and then continued to berate myself as I walked downstairs for the ball.

The first floor of the castle was much more crowded now, filled with lots of creatures in royal garb. I suddenly got nervous, realizing that with Evangeline working, and the monarchs getting their own special entrance, I was alone.

I slipped into the dining hall, now also a ballroom it seemed, with the long table for all the guests to eat on one side and an open floor for dancing on the other. Another thought plagued me. Dancing.

I walking further inside, away from the crowd which had accumulated at the door and observed the thrones at the end of the room, perched on their own stage. Five. Five monarchs. A chair for each.

Suddenly turning from the thrones, I realized I should make my way back to the doors in hopes of not making it blatantly obvious that I was the black sheep in this scenario. A fanfare sounded, and the clusters of people at the doors parted into two. One man stood up at a podium and began announcing special guests from both foreign lands and in Narnia. As he spoke, the creatures of the crowds still buzzed with chatter. It was only when the Kings and Queens of Narnia began being called, the chatter dying down, did I notice that the small orchestra of many different instruments and creatures had been playing.

I present, Queen Lucy the Valiant, of Narnia.

I watched my friend enter the hall, followed by a crowd of soft cheers, in a very elegant looking dress, colored ivory. She was very composed with the presence of other Narnians, and even for her age it was easy to tell by her demeanor that she held the title of queen.

I present, King Edmund the Just, of Narnia.

Edmund walked in with the same regal air around him as his sister, dressed in what looked like very Narnian-styled clothed, colored blue. As I watched some of the ladies in the crowd, I realized Caspian was right about their drooling all over him, and I couldn't help but chuckle lightly to myself.

I present, Queen Susan the Gentle, of Narnia.

The cheers skyrocketed for as she entered, most of which came from new soldier recruits, and I was happy she handled the attention very well, smiling and waving but making no eye contact. Her dress was dark purple and shimmered as she moved down towards the end of the room.

I present, High King Peter the Magnificent, of Narnia.

Some girls swooned.

I present, King Caspian X, of Narnia.

And then some more.

Once everyone had entered, it was announced that the festivities would begin. For the first couple of dances, the monarchs stayed in their thrones, observing all their guests. I had stayed around the beverage table, wondering what to do with myself, when a middle-aged man and woman approached me with small talk. I had found out they were from Archenland, and I told them I was staying as a guest in the castle for a few weeks, but after I had revealed that, they had walked away in a small fit of laughter. I remained still.

Dinner was announced after about an hour of breezy dancing, and I made my way over to the table, all of us "guests" waiting for King Peter to make a toast before we sat and began eating.

"Are you Lady Eleanor, miss?" a dwarf in dark green next to me asked. I met his eyes and answered him after swallowing some type of delicious food which I didn't know the name of.

"I am," I replied. "May I ask who you are?"

"I'm Trumpkin, a friend of the kings and queens," the dwarf replied. "I've heard a lot about you from them."

I gave him a small smile, unsure what to say. He soon began talking about all the work he has been doing with the kings and queens since the beginning of King Caspian's reign in Narnia, which fascinated me more than I expected. He helped Edmund with the recruits, a soldier himself, and he held lots of interesting tales to tell about his experiences here. As I began talking with him more and more though, something became clearer to me, the concern in his eyes.

I had to learn to live with the idea that people, who hadn't even met me, wouldn't be skeptical of me because of the circumstances that brought me here.

After the meal, the dancing began again and this time I observed that pastime and less of the drooling girls who stood off to the side of the room. King Peter and Queen Susan took part in dancing as well, laughing happily with their partners like they had been in that position a million times before. I could see Lucy from the opposite side of the room, chatting with Trumpkin and a faun who I yet to meet. The dancing was quite simple, it seemed, most of which consisted of a waltz and easy ballroom. I wouldn't dare step out onto the dance floor, however. Every now and then I scanned the room for Evangeline but I'm sure she, as well as her anxiety, got lost within the crowds.

"You've remained near the beverage table the whole night yet you haven't had a single drink," a familiar voice said from beside me, making me jump out of my thoughts.

"I was just observing, Edmund," I said, not even looking at the youngest king. He chuckled. "So I'm sure you've noticed?"

"Noticed what?" I asked, looking at him this time. I followed his gaze as his eyes narrowed on a flock of swooning girls. I gave him a sympathetic look.

"It could be worse," I remarked.

"Yes, it could. I should remember that," he noted. I watched as he turned around and began pouring himself a glass of wine, looking between that and the one he held in his other hand.

"Two drinks, Ed? Really?" I wondered jokingly. He smirked at me before stretching out his arm, holding the drink he had just poured.

"Not for me. For you."

Managing a smile, I reluctantly took the drink, keeping it firmly in the grip of my hand.

"You know what would make them really mad?" he wondered suddenly, setting his gaze on me.

"What, Edmund?" I inquired, mock-annoyance present in my tone.

"If they saw me dancing with you," he answered. It took me a moment to realize he was serious.

"Ha-ha," I said, to brush it off.

"I'm not joking!" he told me, and then looked back at the flock again, which had already spotted us. "They would get so mad. Me dancing with a beautiful girl like yourself..."

"Beautiful?" I repeated, locking eyes with him. Edmund smiled.

"Beautiful. You're one of my closest friends, which is weird to say because I have barely known you a month, and you look lovely tonight. What other definition of the word is there?"

I looked down at my feet. "I don't know, Edmund. But in conclusion, I'm not dancing."

"Oh, why not?" he whined.

"You know I'm beginning to wonder what all that alcohol is doing to that tiny little brain you got up there," I joked, tapping his head lightly. He shook his head but with a smile on his face. "Absolutely nothing. Please just give me a reason why."

"Please just give me a reason why, what?" somebody repeated from in front of us. I was so happy to see it was only Susan, leaving the dance floor with pink cheeks and a smile on her face.

"Why Eleanor refuses to dance with me," he explained. I shot him an exasperated look.

"Don't make it sound personal like that. I wouldn't dance with anyone," I said.

"Why not?" Susan and Edmund asked at the same time, causing them to grin at each other. I tried to stand my ground in between the two of them by keeping a straight face.

"No, but seriously Eleanor, it's a lot of fun," Susan said with a face full of mirth. I shrugged, watching her set her drink on the table behind us. "Please just say why, and then I'll leave you alone."

A memory flashed before my eyes, one I haven't seen in a long time, of my family. Singing and dancing. Playing music...

"I just don't want to make a fool out of myself," I lied. "I don't really know how these things work."

Susan gave me a thoughtful nod as I explained, and then was taken back in by the crowd and left, just as promised.

I hated lying, but right now didn't seem like the time to give her my complete life story, especially with her being swept away to the dance floor every five minutes.

"I see that look," Edmund said beside me. "You're hiding something, I know it."

"Am not," I said defensively.

"All right, fine then," he took one final sip of his wine and then grabbed my untouched glass and set them on the table. "If I lead, you'll be fine. Dance with me."

"Ed, I'm not doing that. I already told you," I replied sternly. "I thought I would be left alone about this."

"That was from Susan, not me," he edged on. I realized it was only a matter of time before I gave in. "Come on, El, please?"

"Since when do you call me El?" I asked, more interested in getting away from dancing. He looked intently, which hinted to me he had saw through it.

"Since when do you call me Ed?"

I met his gaze on me and instantly regretted the decision I made, taking his hand and allowing him to lead me to the dance floor. The music was slightly upbeat, and as we got a spot on the floor he lifted my arm and I instinctively spun around.

As I turned back to him, I noticed his head was cocked to the side.

"How did you know to do that?"

"Lucky guess?" I tried. He let it go.

"Alright, well, just follow my lead. This one's pretty easy," he pulled me closer to him and put his one arm at my waist. I put my arm on his shoulder, and our others hands intertwined as he led me into the dance.

He was right about how easy this dance was. We began making our way around the floor, myself following the steps. Some memories flashed by, but the song was soon over so they my mind quickly. The next song was slower, so we stayed in a much smaller area than what the dance before had us cover.

"If anyone's asks you how you got so well, tell them you learned from me," he joked. I rolled my eyes.

"Go back to your gaggle."

His mouth opened slightly as he grinned and exhaled slightly. "You know, I could step all over your toes."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Why do you say that so seriously?"

"Because I'm not kidding. It wouldn't do you any good with the shoes I'm wearing," I explained, making him smile.

I watched his eyes meet mine. "I was serious about what I said before, though. You're a really good dancer. But you're too tense."

"Sorry," I muttered quietly.

"It's not your fault," he said. "You're just nervous."

"I am not nervous..."

"Oh yeah, sure," he said in disbelief, trying to make a joke of it all. I sighed.

"Just be quiet, Edmund."

"I can do that," he said melodramatically. I ignored this.

As we continued to sway to the music, I realized he had both his arms around my waist now, and mine around his neck. I'm sure that seemed more fitting for the tempo of the music, it just worried me that I didn't realize when that happened. Why on Earth was I dancing now, with Edmund, of all people? I'm sure I was most comfortable with him, but why did he give a damn anyway...

"Are you having a silent fit with yourself, or something?" he asked quietly, causing me to bring my gaze up to him.

"I thought I told you to be quiet," I said, flexing my thumbs which rested on his neck. He looked up and around the room, other couples still dancing, and leaned in closer to me.

"The gaggle is gone," he whispered in my ear. "We don't have to pretend like we actually like each other anymore."

"You're such a child," I whispered back. As the music ended, his slid his arms off me and I did the same.

"I'll see you at my funeral," he smiled, backing away from me and the dance floor until I couldn't see him any longer. I didn't even bother rolling my eyes this time as I made my way outside for some fresh air.

It was dark out, with the exception of the stars, colored across the sky like paint on a canvas. Seeing them all, I couldn't help but feel so tiny. I often thought about this when I looked up in the sky. It was just something that triggered in my mind when I saw them. There are million other things out there, and yet the world seems so much smaller than it actually is. My family is out there somewhere, thought I don't know where exactly, but it scares me to think of the infinity that is right in front of my eyes. Where does it end? Where does it go? How could one possibly begin to think they know a decent amount of information about anything when it just keeps going on? How could I ever have the hope to believe I'd see my family again, if there are so many unknown places out there?


Author's Note: WOOOOAHH! Nice long chapter, I'm surprised I did this all in one day. I've actually been looking forward to writing in Eleanor's POV for a while... I've missed her! Special thanks to SiriuslyAmazayn and MsIndependentGirl for following and favoriting my story! :* And also to Anna the Viking XD for following. I love youuuu.

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