Chapter 14

A/N: Hello friends, good week so far? I got a new job (which is good AND bad). More on that below, and so on with the story…

"I've known mornings white as diamonds

Silent from a night so cold

Such a stillness; calm as the owl glides

Our lives are buried in snow"

Alela Diane, White As Diamonds

The days began to settle into a routine as the group kept up a steady pace moving through the sun-dappled woods. Rising with the dawn, they would pack up their camp silently moving out with a nod from Edmund. Breakfast was snatched walking along, and lunch a quick affair pausing when they were tired. The only time they truly rested was after the setting of the sun when either Edmund or one of the red-headed brothers - whom Lucy had learned were called Ned and David - had scouted a safe place for them to stop. Edmund allowed them to light a fire as the evenings were chilly and he reasoned that if an attack were to come by night, best that they be warm and able to see their attackers. Plus, it deterred the larger hungrier animals from attacking them as they slept. The group took it in turns to keep watch at night, but Edmund flat-out refused to let Lucy do so, even after her numerous protests. She responded by pitching in with every other available task, if wood needed gathering for the fire, she was the first to collect it, she hunted and skinned the rabbits they ate cooked over the fire at night, and tidied the camp away in the morning and despite her shorter legs she endeavoured to walk twice as fast as everyone else. She knew she was only there because of Susan's prophecy but she was determined to prove her worth to the group and to Edmund. She caught and ignored her brother looking down at her with an amused expression as she trotted at his side, her bow out and eyes alert for danger. The only downside to the expedition and the constant thorn of guilt in her side was Corin. He had withdrawn completely into himself, speaking to none of them and refusing to make eye contact at all with her. He followed Edmund's order but with a supercilious sneer that her brother sighing disregarded. Luckily because of the group's need for stealth, they were all often quiet and Corin's silence was not as noticeable but Lucy felt it keenly, acknowledged herself as the cause and let the blame lie heavily on her shoulders.

Edmund, on the other hand, was more joyous and uninhibited than Lucy had remembered seeing him in a long time. He made no secret of his preference for her, his frequent smiles caressing her as they walked, if he spoke it would always be to her – quietly pointing out something as they passed. He touched her as often as possible, finding excuses to put an arm around her shoulders, holding her hand as he helped her over rough ground, his thumb stroking her skin sending electric tingles along her body. Unable to let her go even in sleep he lay curled around her, one arm supporting her head and the other draped across her waist, an itchy woollen blanket tucked tight around both of them.

Despite their exposure to the elements and their close proximity to the others in the clearing at night, it seemed he was incapable of not touching her. Lucy could feel his awareness of her, his heart beating fast against her back, his breath shallow in her ear as his hand would wander down her body beneath the blanket, stopping to curl round a breast, his fingers gently toying with her nipple. Lucy feeling her own arousal spiking at his touch, pooling at her core shifted slightly pushing back onto him, a teasing rub against where he wanted to feel her most, and revelled in his involuntary gasp, quickly hushed against her neck. He would bite her, a punishment as well as an act of seduction and enjoyed her small wriggle against him. Laying a heavy arm across her hip to keep her still he draped his fingers down underneath the band of her trousers to where he knew she would be wet and ready for him listening to her tiny intakes of breath as she fought to stay silent. Parting her gently with his fingers, he stroked one lightly against her, feeling the sensitive bundle of nerves at the tip. She was so wet he ached with the need to take her, to turn her onto her back part her thighs and have her, but he could not. Not so publically and not now. Forcing himself to slow, to concentrate on her pleasure, he dipped another finger against her tenderly massaging her clit, Lucy turned to press her face into his arm underneath her head, silencing her tiny moans against him. He deliberately kept his movements delicate and soft that they could not be perceived under the blanket, and they served a double-purpose in drawing out Lucy's pleasure, his light teasing fingers whipping her into a frenzy of need. She could not think beyond where his fingers were touching her, every nerve ending strained towards the maelstrom, she wanted it, needed for him to finish her, but he kept her teetering on the edge. Hours, days it seemed as if she was floating in this delirious state of pleasure. When all of a sudden Edmund pushed one long finger up inside her, then two as the pad of his thumb pushed roughly down on her clit. Choking back her cries against his arm, she desperately hoped in some distant place in her mind, that the crackling of the fire hid her moans.

Edmund could tease her no longer, had given her what he knew she wanted, but the feel of her coming, her spasming and clenching at his fingers inside her, the silken flesh pulling at him was almost his undoing. He was so hard against her back it was painful. The need to mount and take her so fiercely upon him that he could clearly see himself doing it in his mind's eye. He withdrew his fingers sharply from her without a word, rolled over and away from her onto his front, pushing his manhood down into the hard earth in a bid to bring himself under control.

Gradually he felt himself calming down and then the soft weight of Lucy curled up at his side, she had moved to drape the blanket back round the both of them, her soft breasts pushed against his arm as she bent forward to whisper in his ear "I love you brother", before settling down against him, an arm around his back as she drifted to sleep.

Stunned he lay there listening to her quiet breathing, the crackle of wood moving in the fire, the sounds of night animals hunting in the woods. She loved him, it was impossible and yet, she. Loved. Him. Edmund fell asleep with a smile on his face, if he had ever been this happy; despite the upcoming war, a rival asleep across the fire, and the imminent assignation of Rabadash to contend with, he could not remember being so.

Soon Edmund's wandering hands became a regular nightly occurrence and Lucy grew to half-love, half-almost-dread, the way his clever fingers could bring her to forget herself as she fought desperately not to cry out and betray their activities. He would never allow her to touch him, always firmly steering any attempt away from himself and redoubling his efforts until it was enough that she could keep herself from screaming. Once when she had blushingly asked him during the cold-light-of-day why he did this, he had smiled a little bitterly to himself and replied that he did not trust himself to not roll her over and take her in front of the others should she touch him. Edmund had apologised almost bleakly for his need to continuously touch her, his eyes so sad even as she saw his arousal cause his cock to rise and twitch in his trousers at the memory of her shuddering against his hands. She was, she knew, a kind of addiction for him, he had revealed as much at the Castle, but she also knew that he loved her, and it was for Lucy, enough. So she let it go, and she let him touch her at night. After all, it was her pleasure he was addicted to, and she was fast becoming addicted to it too.

After a week the group had reached the grassy borders of Archenland, Edmund had deliberately taken them a circuitous route through the very deepest parts of the Great Wood. If they were followed, their trail would be hard-to-find and Edmund wanted no hint of a rumour reaching Calormen regarding their expedition. Crossing into the grassy plains and away from the camouflage of the trees, Edmund had the group on high alert but apart from a band of horses pawing the grass of a neighbouring field the terrain was still. They walked for several hours over hills and along the river, stopping when the sun was at its zenith to rest under the cool shade of a willow tree, it's long twisting branches draped gracefully onto the bank beside the winding river. Hot and sticky and aware that she had not washed in days, Lucy threw a mischievous glance at Edmund before kicking off her boots and trousers and wading into the sparkling waters, her shirt billowed around her in the water as she rolled onto her back, her eyes tracing the lazy clouds as they drifted overhead. A sudden splash sent a wave over Lucy, spluttering upright she watched in surprise as a beaming Corin pushed away from her into a vigorous front-crawl across to the other side of the river. Being back in his own country had seemed to change him and Lucy had watched all morning as his dark mood had lifted, shadows clearing from his eyes as he drank in the sight of Archenland. She was glad for him.

Two sudden almighty splashes jolted her as she laughing beheld first Ned and then David dive-bomb into the water sending waves over Corin who turning in mock-outrage proceeded to splash the brothers with gusto.

Looking up Lucy saw Edmund watching them from the bank, half-in-censure, half-in-amusement at their antics. She sent him a mocking frown, wiggling her eyebrows at him daring him to join them. The heated look he sent back at her fired her blood, she knew what he wanted and she wanted it too. Swimming over to him she let him pull her from the river without a word, and the two ducked back under the willow branches.

Without pausing or speaking he drew her round to the side of the trunk furthest from the others, his breathing laboured as he gazed down at her body, her nipples dark against the white of her shirt, his hands held the sides of her hips, his fingers kneading almost painfully, he wanted her so much she knew, had been denied this for days. Pushing her up against the trunk, he tugged her underwear down without a word, took himself in hand and entered her. Lucy sobbed at the exquisite friction, there was no time to be gentle, he pushed into her again and again, gasping as she took him all the way to the root. He would not last long like this he knew; he had been so desperate for her all week.

"Oh God, Lucy, my Lucy" he was muttering under his breath, his movements hard and fast. She was so incredibly wet for him, it fired his blood. Reaching down between them his fingers stroked against her, urging her to come so he could too.

With a sob and a constricted moan as Lucy buried her head in her shoulder to mask the noise, she climaxed setting him off instantly. He bucked into her a last few times, his body spasming with the sheer pleasure of it, he had needed her so badly, thought he might go mad if he couldn't have her. Bending forward he kissed her gently. Thank you the kiss said to her, Lucy slipped her tongue inside his mouth, licked his tongue teasingly; it was my pleasure, her kiss said to him.

Incredibly the encounter had only taken a couple of minutes Lucy judged. She could still hear Corin and the others shouting and splashing in the water.

"Come" she said smilingly to Edmund, and drew him into the river to wash and bathe with them.

"Where are we heading to?" Lucy asked Edmund much later as the group sat around the fire, sharing the rabbit Corin had caught that afternoon. Edmund had hesitated looking round at the suddenly sharp faces that were focussed on him. None of the rest of them knew the particulars of the plan, it had seemed safer that way but yet one look at Lucy's open curious face and he could deny her nothing.

"To see the hermit" he replied catching the look of surprise on Corin's face, before the boy shuttered his expression and turned back again to the fire.

"Why?" asked Lucy, curling up at his side her head against his shoulder as she gazed up at him. The urge to kiss her in front of them all was very strong in him, but he forced himself to look away across at the other members of the group.

"You shall see soon enough" he spoke, cutting off her next question with a kiss on her forehead. "Ned you are on first watch tonight, wake me in 3 hours".

The group knew that meant it was time for sleep, but as Lucy lay down next to Edmund, felt him tuck the blanket round them and his hand begin again its leisurely journey, she resolved to question him again tomorrow. If there was one thing Lucy hated it was being kept in the dark, for now though she would give herself entirely over to pleasure.

A/N: Wow, did not mean for it to be so smut-filled – it's just these two! They write themselves, it's not me I promise Your Honour!

As mentioned above, I have sadly (unsadly) got myself one of those proper 'grown-up' jobs that requires lots of travelling about, which means I might not have so much time for writing this story. I really hope that's not the case and I will try my best to keep frequently updating but if there is a delay, please be patient with me and know that it's not because I don't want to, I really do! Real life eh? If it helps I know where this story is going, and I promise you, we willget there. Until next time, much love and as always, let me know what you think x