A/n: A big THANK YOU to those who reviewed the last chapter: elomeno, EC, aquafin, Anonymous, Anon, QueenElenaofnarnia, KesseGirl1, Connors, Emily, Emma, Lea97, GoldenAgeNarnian, Narniafan, PeterCaspianRlz, QueenLucyfan, sarahwood, and all the other guests. :D
(Telmarine Castle, Narnia)
~Chronicler's POV~
Lavinia was clad in a stunning ball gown in lavender grey. Never in her life had she worn such an opulent dress before; she was too used to old clothes in dull colors that were made of cheap material that sometimes chafed her skin, even. But she couldn't complain; it was the best that her parents could afford her already, given their low social standing. Being the eldest, she could be considered the luckiest already as she did not have to wear hand-me-downs like her younger sisters all had to.
The fabulous full tulle skirt she was currently wearing added a fairytale touch, while dazzling sequins and a jeweled waistband had fooled everybody into thinking she was a rich noblewoman, when she was in fact far from that, and probably never would be anywhere near 'rich' or 'noble', she thought. But she sure did catch a specific nobleman's attention. He made his way to her as she stood shyly by a corner of the ballroom, and curtsied at the nobleman whose name she had not known yet.
"My Lady," he kissed her hand. "Do I have the pleasure of knowing your name?"
"Lavinia, my Lord," she beamed sweetly. "And you are?"
"Julian Bulloch, 10th Duke of Kinross," he replied. "It's nice to meet you, Lavinia. May I have this dance?"
Of course, Lavinia said yes. As they danced, she revealed, "The other ladies in training seem particularly fond of you, out of all other noblemen. They can't seem to stop talking about you, honestly. It's like they're very avid supporters of yours, Your Grace."
"Really?" Julian looked amused, clearly oblivious to the fact that he's very popular with the handmaidens. "What about me do they talk about?"
"Well, to quote them, my Lord, your 'smoldering eyes', mostly," Lavinia giggled.
"Well, I hadn't expected that," Julian chuckled.
"And that's not all, Your Grace. They seem quite fascinated by your immense wealth. Not just by your good looks," Lavinia reported. "It seems to me that the whole of them just are pursuing you in their own minds. It's like, to them, they're duchesses already. Your consort."
"Ah," Julian tilted his head to the side slightly. "It isn't so easy to find the right person when you're rich and popular. I'm a bit tired of wondering if a lady is interested in me just because I'm famous or for what I really am. But I don't despair of finally finding that person," he explained. "I'm sure you'd understand how I feel, being pursued because of your social standing or because of your looks."
Lavinia smiled briefly. "Actually, Your Grace, I don't. I don't come from a family of wealth or status, and I'm not exactly blessed with breathtaking beauty."
"Oh, now you're just being humble," Julian winked.
"Oh, no, Your Grace. I'm just telling the truth as it is. I haven't got any peerages," Lavinia replied. "I'm from Bella Vista, and I'm from a pretty poor family, actually. My parents are merely commoners, and naturally, I'm a commoner as well. Please don't think of me less because of this."
"Oh, I would never think less of you merely because of that," Julian said in reassurance.
"Then I am glad, Your Grace," Lavinia nodded. "An elevation in my family's social rank is much needed. I have many siblings, and they're all younger than me, so I guess, in a way, I'm not really fortunate. But, I guess I am fortunate enough to be accepted into the ladies in training course, and more importantly I am fortunate enough to have met you, my Lord Kinross."
Julian grinned. "And I am very fortunate to have met you, as well, Lavinia."
The next day, none of the Narnian royals woke up with a hangover, which was definitely good news. Now they were having breakfast together and chatting about the banquet last night.
"How did you like the food last night, Edmund?" Queen Lucy winked.
"Loved it," King Edmund made a thumbs up sign as he stuffed two croissants into his mouth.
"You hardly danced though," Queen Susan commented to her younger brother.
"I did dance. Don't question my ability to charm ladies," Edmund replied nonchalantly. "I'm sure you all danced a lot as well."
"Yes, I have, now give me a foot massage because my legs are really tired," Susan said with the right amount of sass.
"You wish," Edmund replied humorously. "I see you've been flirting, Pete."
"Don't bother denying it; I saw it as well," Lucy added.
"Oh, really? And what exactly did I do that made you all think I was flirting?" King Peter chuckled.
"You seemed smitten with one of the ladies in training," King Caspian answered.
"You said you've already met her before when I introduced her to you. How did you two meet? And how come none of us knew about it?" Susan queried.
Peter then went on to tell his siblings and Caspian of the state Ines caught him in, and their tad bit of flirtatious conversation, causing everyone to giggle.
"I wasn't expecting you to flirt, you know. I mean, after…" Lucy's voice trailed off as she tried to not mention Helga.
Peter shrugged. "Weren't you the ones who kept telling me it might be time for me to move on? That wallowing in woe isn't going to help me get her back? And again, I wasn't exactly flirting. I was just behaving as I should, being sociable and agreeable and chat with everybody. No harm done. I mean, isn't that what you four have been doing last night as well? Just the way I acted when Helga was still around."
"If you're trying to persuade us, Pete, that doesn't sound very convincing," Susan said frankly.
"But enough about me! Let's talk about something else. Or better yet, someone else! Caspian," Peter patted his friend on the shoulder, eager to change the topic. The Telmarine seated beside the High King choked. "How did you enjoy yourself at the feast last night?"
"I danced a lot. It was pretty exhausting," Caspian answered.
"You danced with a very pretty girl. You've had, like, half a dozen dances with her? You're going to make the entire female population is jealous," Peter pointed out.
"Well I know Gilda won't be upset. She's free to dance with other noblemen as well," Caspian replied. "And it was Carissa who insisted on dancing with me. She was adamant."
"She's quite obsessed with you, is she not?" Susan asked.
"Almost like she's Edmund and you're food – she can't get enough of you," Lucy joked.
"Very true. A good analogy," Edmund remarked, his voice muffled.
"I don't know. She seems pretty eager to make friends. And she just is more outward and expressive and direct and straightforward than other girls might be, which really isn't a problem at all, I'd say," Caspian shrugged. "I'm still engaged to Gilda at the end of the day…so if Carissa's advances meant something more than just friendship, then I'm afraid she'll be let down."
"And what about you, Susan?" Lucy turned to her sister.
"What about me?" Susan pulled an innocent face.
"You were smiling a lot," Peter commented.
"Well of course I was. That's what people do when they're happy," Susan giggled, thinking of Tyrone. "Don't you smile when you're happy?"
"Come on, Su. You're missing the point. I'm glad that you're happy, but is it because of the party per se, or is it also because there's a specific gentleman making you happy?" Caspian asked.
"The former, of course," Susan looked at her empty plate while answering with a quieter voice than usual.
"But I can tell that you're lying, as can we all," Lucy laughed, judging from Susan's paralanguage that betrayed her.
"Lucy, you're overanalyzing," Susan lied.
"I don't think she is," Caspian piped up. "I think you've got something to hide, Su."
"Come on, Su, tell us who the lucky guy is," Peter prodded.
"And have we met him before?" Edmund queried.
"Yes, I think you might have," Susan gave in.
"There. We've successfully conjured up a confession from Susan Pevensie!" Lucy cheered.
"Lu! You shouldn't have. You put me on the hot seat!" Susan chortled.
"But we're your family, Su. Even Caspian counts as family now, since we're so close. You ought to trust us, right?" Peter added.
"Give us a name. We need to know who he is," Edmund urged.
"He's a councilor. Well, more accurately, he's the Treasurer of the Narnian Council."
"Baron Tyrone!" Lucy said right away.
"I can't believe you kept this from us!" Caspian said. "How long has this been going on?"
"Not long, really," Susan clarified. "And before you begin singing the wedding march –"
She was too late. Her brothers had already begun singing.
"Stop it! You two are always off key!" Susan guffawed.
As soon as everyone's laughter quieted down, Susan continued to explain. "I find Tyrone to be quite a gentleman, you know, we bumped into each other first in the handmaidens' training department when he was talking to his mother, the Viscountess of Newport, who is, I trust you know, in charge of the ladies in training program, and then next when I was reading in the Apple Orchard. We had quite a bit of a long chat, and frankly he's a pretty good listener; that's why I enjoy talking to him. You know, exchanging our views on a wide range of topics, and we both have a chance to express ourselves, so I'd say that our interactions aren't really confined to just council meetings," she said happily. "And I'm also growing to become a better listener as well. Besides, I feel like I can just be myself around him, so his company is definitely soothing and somehow brings tranquility."
"No wonder you always seem so happy to appear in council," Lucy remarked.
"You have no reason to dislike work then!" Caspian chuckled. "I do like being King but it's going to take time for me to get used to it. But, it's definitely something I can get used to."
"There will definitely be ups and downs to it, my friend, but take it easy," Peter said in reassurance.
"And don't forget, there's always food to cheer you up," Edmund said cheerfully. "A little food a day keeps melancholia away."
"I doubt if we can call your appetite 'little', Ed," Caspian joked.
Edmund was about to grab the last piece of toast when Susan stopped him.
"Oh, no, you don't. That piece of toast is reserved for my royal person. I deserve some reward for spilling the beans, something you insisted on," Susan shook her head at Edmund then took the piece of toast for herself. Edmund pouted.
"By the way, I'd just like to say that Tyrone and I…we're not courting or anything. Not yet, at least. Because if we were, I'd tell you," Susan added.
"And how does he feel about you?" Lucy asked.
"Well, I can't speak for him. But what I perceive is that he quite likes me," Susan explicated. "He likes me for who I am, which is definitely rare, because the rest of Narnia just sees me as their Queen and nothing more than that but I feel like Tyrone's actually trying to get to know me better, to see what I really am as a person. He's a good friend, whether or not we end up romantically linked."
"Good. At least he's not trying too hard or making too daring advances. That means I don't have to be alarmed when he's around you," Peter grinned satisfactorily.
"You've never had to be alarmed by any of my suitors!" Susan snorted. "I can jolly well take care of myself! I am a Queen and Queens do not rely on Kings. It's usually the other way round, actually! I hope I have made myself very clear on this matter," she sat up straight and spoke sternly.
"Aye, aye, madam!" Edmund pretended to salute but everybody at the table laughed.
"Let's just hope our beloved Baron Tyrone won't pull another Prince Rabadash," Peter added.
"He's nothing of that sort!" Susan reassured her siblings. "No fear."
"Rabadash was nice at first. But he's fake and if his excessive politeness doesn't put you off…well it puts me off," Edmund said disdainfully.
"Trust me, it put me off too, Ed. But I'm sure Tyrone won't be a Rabadash. And you know why? It's because things never happen the same way twice, dear ones," Lucy said smartly.
"I never really knew what happened with Calormen back in your Golden Age. I mean, sure, I've read books and I've heard stories, but I'd like to know the truth from you, if you don't mind telling me," Caspian piped up.
"Yes, we can tell you all about it," Lucy beamed.
"It's pretty sad that we didn't get to say a proper goodbye though," Susan said.
"But I know that all our friends are probably in Aslan's Country now," Peter replied.
"I'm a bit worried about Archenland," Edmund voiced out his concern, and explained to the others what Princess Gilda told him yesterday night at the ball.
"That sure sounds problematic," Caspian commented, now having a clearer picture of what'd happened between Calormen and Archenland. Gilda never told him about it, but it's not like she wanted to keep it a secret from him forever. It's just that it was pretty clear to the Narnian rulers that if King Nain had said it straight in Caspian's face that Archenland only wants Narnia for its troops and military power, then surely the pact would not have been signed, because Narnia would feel used. The truth was that Archenland did want to build good relations with Narnia, and that was not an excuse. Narnia did not want invasions and offensives from Calormen either. So frankly, at the end of the day, both Narnia and Archenland can benefit from the pact they'd signed. It was a mutually beneficial deal, neither side taking advantage of the other.
"The last thing I want is war, especially when Narnia has not returned to the height of its strength yet," Edmund added.
"Have a little faith," Peter advised.
"I'm sure with our experience in diplomacy we'd be able to avoid war," Susan replied.
"And Aslan will help us. Don't forget," Lucy added. "When in doubt, trust in the Great Lion. Then you will realize that your doubts are banished and you will find the strength to go on."
A/n: What are your thoughts on this chapter? Please review! :DDDD