Chapter 12

Narnia, 1009

Verlora

Lora wandered the castle looking for something to catch her attention. It had been thundering and raining since the previous evening, leaving her trapped inside the castle walls. It was quite different listening to the thunder from inside a stone building as opposed to the shelter of the tin roof she grew up under. It had only been a week, and she vividly remembered the rain from Montana. There was no pitter-patter as the rain threw itself onto the roof and drizzled down the side. She could only hear the glass hit the windows, not the massive amounts of stone, and it made the storm sound dull and lazy.

After meandering for quite some time through the maze of archways and corridors, Lora stumbled upon an enormous pair of wooden doors at the end of the hall. She quickly glanced over her shoulders, in case someone was watching, before lifting the heavy iron latch and pushing them open. It creaked loudly as it revealed the massive treasure of knowledge that sat inside.

Lora's eyes widened at the site before her. She had never seen so many books in her life. She couldn't imagine how many lined the rows upon rows of shelves that stretched all the way up to the tapered ceilings. A deep smell of old paper and dusty leather tickled her nose as she closed the door behind her quietly.

Her eyes scanned all over the room, looking for something to grab her interest. She poked her head around every corner and down every row, looking for something to jump out at her. However, the only thing that jumped out at her was King Edmund's echoing voice behind her.

"Verlora! I wasn't expecting any visitors." He casually smiled from behind a massive bookcase.

"Well, I wasn't exactly looking for you." Lora's wandering eyes perused everything around her. When her voice reached her ears, she swore under her breath. Dammit Lora, don't be such a witch. Trying to soften her expression, she asked, "Am I bothering you?"

His small smile vanished before he said, "No, not at all. I'm just doing a little research. Feel free to look around." He began to turn away before Lora stopped him.

"King Edmund! I, um… I'm sorry."

"For what?"

Lora pursed her lips and hesitantly continued. "Well, you know… for being lousy. The last week has been quite overwhelming, to say the least. But that's not a very good excuse to be an ass. So, I'm sorry." She fidgeted with her fingers and the fabric of her dress. She was never good at apologies.

"Asima told you to apologize, didn't she?"

"You think I'm that bad, don't you?" He was completely correct, but she'd never let him know.

"Actually, Verlora, yes."

Lora couldn't tell if he was joking or being serious, so she pretended it was the former. "Please don't call me that. Lora is fine," she nodded her head, hoping he wouldn't notice her lack of manners, "your Majesty."

"Edmund. No need for all the political labels, right?" He faintly smiled and nodded back. "And I accept your apology. I'm sure not much has made sense this past week, and I can only imagine how frustrated and angry you must be. However, I promise my siblings and I will help you."

She thanked him and felt warmed at the offer of help, but only for a millisecond. She was never one to accept help, especially not from strangers whom she'd known for a week. Queen Lucy had also been offering anything she could think of, and Lora could see it must be something that runs in the royal family.

Trying to avoid an awkward lapse in conversation, Lora quickly changed the subject. "So, what are you researching? Or is it a secret?"

"Hardly. I'm trying to read up on the history of the Calormen Empire. Maybe I can find something useful." He turned and walked to a table that was covered in open books and stacks of parchment. Lora noticed all the scribbles in fresh ink, and realized he must be taking notes.

"Find anything interesting?"

"Unfortunately, no." He frowned slightly while sifting through some papers.

Lora continued to skim over the open books, looking for anything that caught her interest. She heard the muffled sound of rain against a nearby window; the tranquil setting of the library and the soft storm outside made everything very lulling. As her mind started to drift away, it was harshly brought back to the present when her eyes fell on a sketch of a gruesome dragon. Its dark eyes burned through her.

"Are there really dragons here?" She pointed to the picture, allowing Edmund to see.

"I've never seen one. I do hope to, someday. I bet they're fantastic when they're not hungry." He laughed at his own joke. Realizing Lora missed it, he shook his head before continuing. "That dragon, in particular, was slain by King Gale. It was attacking the Lone Islands and he arrived to put a stop to the terror."

For a second, Lora thought the name was familiar, but she dismissed the idea. "He killed a dragon? How?"

"Well I can't exactly ask him, he lived and died centuries ago."

"But you're a King in a magical land."

"Not a time travelling King."

"Well I don't know how magic works."

"And you think I do?"

"Well, I don't know, maybe…"

"Magic is not something to be played with. It is powerful and can bring out the worst in people when it is not used with honest and true intentions." Edmund clenched his jaw, and she could see the side of his face flex with tension.

She didn't know why he was so serious all of a sudden, and she didn't care for it. She stared at Edmund with an unintelligent look on her face. For once, she couldn't think of something to say so she decided to try something new and keep her mouth shut.

He exhaled through his nose and relaxed his shoulders before continuing. "As I was saying, when he defeated the dragon, the Lone Islands named him Emperor and pledged their loyalty to him. Every King since then has inherited the title."

"Ahh, I see." She was never a fan of history, even though she loved to listen to stories. It was something Pa always teased her about. "So, are there other magical creatures in Narnia? Besides the ones I've met, of course."

"Are you blind?" he asked dryly.

"Yes. I just don't let anyone see me run into walls or stub my toes."

She rolled her eyes, and quickly found herself scanning more of the notes on the table. Nothing she recognized, of course. Lots of scribbles and chicken scratch and funny looking symbols danced across the papers in front of her, seemingly mocking her. She must have been looking at them for too long. She became agitated and antsy.

Silence surrounded the two as they both nervously thought of something to talk about. Lora cast a glance at Edmund, who quickly returned the stare. She noticed his freckles against his pale skin, his unruly dark hair that peeked from underneath his silver crown, and his dark brown eyes. There were faint flecks of honey and golden colors, making them appear much softer upon inspection. He looked much more pleasant when he wasn't agitated and brooding. At the realization, Lora became very self conscious. She realized Edmund was studying her as much as she was studying him.

He cleared his throat and cracked his knuckles. Rubbing the back of his neck, he turned around to peer out the window. "It appears the rain has stopped."

Lora glanced out the window as well. "Yes, it has. I think I'll go outside now. Maybe Asi would like to ride or something." She hastily turned to avoid the silence, but stopped herself before the door. "Would you like to come? I'm sure Philip is dying to get out as well."

The King paused and contemplated the idea. Lora mistook the hesitation for reluctance, and immediately felt silly for asking such a question. Of course he wouldn't want to waste time with her when all she seemed to do was annoy him.

"If you'd like, Philip and I can show you around a little more. I'm sure there's much of Narnia and Cair Paravel that you haven't explored yet." A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he looked to her for a response.

"I would like that very much, your Highness."


Sorry for the wait! Work is obnoxious and I've been trying to ride as much as possible while the weather is still nice. Yay for autumn!

Not much happening in this chapter, but I thought it was important (you know, as important as a filler chapter gets). I'm trying to get into Edmund's and Lora's characters a little more. Hopefully I didn't suck too hard.

I'd like to thank everyone for the reads, follows, favs and reviews! I know I don't get a lot of them but it means so much! I try to PM all of you, so thank you very much :)

On a totally unrelated topic - BLOOD OF OLYMPUS CAME OUT TODAY AND I AM SO FUCKING EXCITED! Unfortunately, I'm cheap and didn't buy the book yet. I'm hoping I can get my hands on it soon, before I go crazy with Leo withdrawals. Yayayayayayayayayayayay

Until next time! 3