Hello, all my wonderful readers! I am back with a new chapter, and it hasn't even been a month since my last update. I think that is a record for me. Anyways, just a quick thank you to everyone who is reading this, and a thank you to the following people who left a review for the last chapter:

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And now, onto the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Chronicles of Narnia.

Careful What You Wish For

Chapter 14: The Ball

"You know, I think the last time I've seen this many colours all at once, my little cousin had drawn all over the wall with a package of 60 crayons," Cody said, looking around.

Taking my own look around, I had to agree. Never had I seen so many different shades and colours. It looked like a rainbow threw up. The decorations looked spectacular though; thanks to Susan; and everyone looked like they were having fun. Well, mostly everyone. Looking up to the thrones, I could see Edmund and Peter surrounded by girls and women of varying ages; those two didn't look impressed. The ball had only begun fifteen minutes ago, and they were already swarmed. It was pretty funny.

Susan and Caspian were on the dance floor, and Lucy was talking with some fauns. Susan and Lucy both looked amazing, but then, I wouldn't expect anything less.

Susan was dressed in a fitted, strapless, ice blue dress, which had a white crystal belt and had a slit up the side. Her hair was curled, with her golden circlet arranged neatly in her hair. Lucy was wearing a flowing red, spaghetti strapped dress, with a gold sash. Her hair was poker straight, and her silver circlet sat atop her head. Caspian looked handsome in a light blue tunic with some kind of symbol on the front, black pants and his crown sitting on his head. He was also wearing some kind of cloak. I noticed that he was also wearing his sword.

I couldn't help but wonder if Susan and Caspian had intentionally colour coordinated, or if it was just a coincidence. I had found out that Susan and Caspian were courting, so I didn't think it was a coincidence.

"So, how long do these things usually last?"

Turning my head to see who Jenn had addressed the question too, I saw Mia filling a sandwich tray that was located on the table directly behind us.

"They usually last until early in the morning. It mostly depends on when everyone leaves," Mia said, slapping at Cody's hand as he tried to sneak a sandwich before she had them all placed on the table.

"That's seems really straight forward," Cody said, rubbing his hand. Served him right.

"Do you have to work the whole time, Mia?" I asked.

"Yes, but I am glad that Tiffany was able to get the night off. She should be – oh, here she comes now."

I turned my head in the direction that Mia was looking, and saw a girl that was most definitely Mia's daughter, walking towards us. She was wearing a coral coloured dress, and her hair was half up half down, curled.

"Mother, are you sure you don't require my assistance?" Tiffany asked, glancing at Jenn, Cody and I curiously.

"For the last time, Tiffany, no," Mia said, before introducing us; most likely hoping that Tiffany would become distracted. "Tiffany, I would like to introduce you to Christine, Jennifer and Cody. Christine, Jennifer, Cody, this is my daughter, Tiffany."

"It is a pleasure to meet you," Tiffany said, giving a small curtsey.

"It's nice to meet you too," I said, holding out my hand. Hey, if I could get away with not curtseying, I would. She looked surprised for a moment, before shaking it. She also shook Jenn's hand, as well, while Cody gave her hand a kiss on the back of it.

"What?" he asked, noticing the raised eyebrow look that Jenn and I were currently supporting. "I don't know if it's customary to shake a girl's hand, so I went the safe route."

"Well, I have to get back to work. Have a good evening," Mia said, before taking her leave.

"Um, would it be okay if I socialized with you? I don't really know a lot of people who are here," Tiffany said, blushing a bit.

"Sure, you can." I said, smiling. "But I feel like I must warn you, we can be quite…uh…"

"Vocal." Cody said.

"Well, that's more yours and Tina's department," Jenn added, smiling at Tiffany. "They aren't the quietest people in the world."

"But you love us anyways," Cody said, pulling Jenn into a half arm hug. Jenn just rolled her eyes.

Tiffany's eyes suddenly lit up. I could pretty much see the light bulb go off. "Wait, are you the girl who is practicing sword fighting?" She asked, looking at me.

"Um, yeah," I said, a little caught off guard at the sudden question. "Cody and I are handling swords, while Jenn is handling a bow."

"Some of the ladies think that you handling a sword is simply barbaric," Tiffany said, before clapping a hand over her mouth. "I really shouldn't gossip. It is not a nice thing to do."

"It isn't, but I wouldn't necessarily call what you just said gossiping," Jenn said, "I would say you were just telling Tina what people were saying behind their back. Gossiping would be more along the lines of telling people something that may hurt someone elses feelings, or spreading tales that aren't true."

Tiffany nodded. "Yes, I suppose that is true. I think it is quite admirable that you want to be able to defend yourselves."

"Thank you, Tiffany, but it definitely isn't an easy task to accomplish. I'm sure I would get my behind handed to me, if I tried to go against anyone else besides Cody." I said.

"Yeah, well, we could always find out," Cody said, drinking more wine.

"Yeah, how about no," I said, drinking more wine.

"Shouldn't you take it easy?" Cody asked, wearing a huge grin. "After all, it isn't lady like to get drunk."

"For your information, this is only my first drink, and, unlike you, I can handle my alcohol. Besides, it is going to take way more than this to get me drunk." I said, taking another sip just to prove my point.

"Hey, I can handle my alcohol just fine," Cody said, reaching for a third glass. Jenn grabbed his hand instead.

"Come on, Cody. Let's go dance," she said, waving to Tiffany and I before dragging him onto the dance floor.

"Well, you certainly do bicker a lot," Tiffany said.

"Sorry about that," I said, shooting her an apologetic look. She just laughed.

"Oh, do not worry. It was rather entertaining to watch."

I had to laugh. "Yeah, but you don't have to put up with it all the time. I am surprised that Jenn hasn't hung us from a tree yet."

"She does seem to have some patience. At least, that's what I've heard, anyways."

"Hey, Tiffany, why are all those girls crowded around Peter and Edmund?"

Looking at the pair, Tiffany shook her head. "Every ball that their majesties put on, all these different royal ladies try to get the attention of the two kings. This mostly consists of them talking their ears off all night. I think they are just too polite to tell them to go away. Well, Peter is. I haven't actually had a chance to talk with King Edmund, and if I may be frank, he kind of scares me."

I tried to hide my smile. "Oh, King Edmund isn't that bad. I think he is all bark and no bite." I paused for a second. "Okay, he is some bite. I agree with you about Peter being polite. Plus, you can't really tell a visiting royal to go away, since that wouldn't be good."

Tiffany giggled a bit. "Yes, I suppose that is true. Do you interact with King Edmund a lot?"

"Yeah, him, Peter and Pholus, if the other two are busy, are the ones who are training Cody and I with swords. They can be, no, they are, strict teachers, but they mean well."

"I wouldn't really expect anything different from Narnia's finest swordsmen," Tiffany commented. Just then, a new song came on. "Oh, I love this song." She started to bob her head to the music.

"Why don't you go dance?" I suggested, noticing her head bob.

"But I don't have a partner," she said, looking confused.

"Then teach the dance to me."

She thought about it for a few seconds, before nodding her head. "Okay, but we should stay to the outside, since we will just get in the way."

"That's fine."

And so, Tiffany tried to teach me the dance.

It failed miserably, but was quite fun.

"Well, I would say that this ball is a success," I said, sitting in the chair beside Lucy, who was talking with Susan. The ball had been in full swing for roughly three hours, and didn't look like it was stopping anytime soon.

"Yes, which is wonderful," Susan said. "I was a little worried."

"You would think that after all the years of balls that you have coordinated, you would not be worried every time," Lucy said, smiling at me. "So, are you enjoying your very first ball?"

"It's great! My feet hurt, but other than that, it's great!" I had never danced so much, and my feet were protesting loudly.

"You look amazing, by the way," Susan said, looking at me. "Very lady like. I am surprised that more men haven't asked you to dance, if I may say so."

"Thanks." I said, smiling. "Blossom did a great job. You two look completely stunning. As for the dancing part, I don't really care. I'm having fun dancing with whomever."

"I think they may just be intimidated by you," Lucy said. I raised my eyebrows in question. "What I mean, is that some of them saw you and Cody sparring the other day, and I do not think they know what to make of that. Aside from Susan and I, not many other females fight in combat."

"And that makes me intimidating? Guys are so confusing."

"That they are," Susan said, before something caught her attention. "And here come two of the most confusing guys."

Lucy and I turned our heads, and saw Peter and Edmund making their way over.

"Finally able to escape the masses, I see," I said, once the pair had come within earshot.

"I do not think I will ever be able to understand the female's capacity to talk," Peter said, "How do you do it?"

"Do you really expect us to tell you one of our secrets?" Lucy asked, eyebrows raised.

"I don't even think they know, Pete," Edmund said, rolling his eyes.

"Did you two want something?" Susan asked.

"We just came to see how our lovely, beautiful sisters were doing," Edmund said, ruffling Lucy's hair a bit.

"And Christine isn't?" Lucy asked, giving Edmund a look.

"No, no, no. That is not what I meant," Edmund said, holding up his hands. What did he expect me to do? Attack him? I just started to laugh.

"It is fine, I know you didn't mean it like that," I said, waving my hand. "If you will excuse me, I need some air."

Stepping out onto the balcony, I let the cool breeze blow gently across my face. It felt really nice and soothing. There were just too many people packed in one room, and the heat was a bit stifling. Hearing footsteps, I turned my head to see Edmund walking outside.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked, standing beside me.

"Hhhmm…do I want to be joined by a person who just called me ugly?" I asked, teasingly. "Oh, I supposed so."

"You know that I didn't mean it like that," he said, leaning against the railing. "You actually do look very pretty."

"Well, thanks. You look quite dashing yourself."

He did too. He was wearing a dark blue tunic, with black leggings and black boots. He also had a blue cloak, and carried his sword. Along with his silver crown, he looked sharp.

"Dashing?" This was followed by a raised eyebrow and smirk.

"Oh, don't go getting a big head now. Your crown won't fit."

"I can just get it re-sized. I've had to before."

I just rolled my eyes. Looking at the sky, I could see a full moon, and many stars. The weather wasn't quite cold yet, but there was the coolness that told of the leaving summer and coming fall. Looking out, Narnia was so peaceful and beautiful. It made my stomach twist to think that some unknown person wants to ruin this peace.

"Your face is going to freeze like that."

"Huh?" Was the very intelligent answer that came out of my mouth. Bringing myself back to the present, I looked at Edmund, who was looking at me with a smirk.

"I said that your face is going to be permanently stuck in that position."

"You know, my mom used to tell me the same thing when I would make silly faces in the mirror."

"Why exactly were you making silly faces in the mirror?" I could hear the amusement in his voice.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I was bored, and easily amused as a child. Besides, if you can't laugh at yourself, then you are taking life way to seriously."

"This is true, this is true."

"Has Caspian ever forgiven you for the prank you pulled on his last week?" I don't think I've ever seen Caspian so mad, but it was hard to be serious while small spiders were crawling all over him.

Edmund laughed. "Yeah, he got me back by putting itching powder in my armor. Worst practice session ever." I couldn't help but laugh. "I wouldn't laugh if I were you. I know where to get more of those spiders, and judging by the way you were keeping as far away from Caspian as possible, I would bet my crown that you don't like spiders too much."

I glared at him. "You do that, and I will never speak to you again."

He held his hands up. "Okay, I won't torment you with spiders. I just find it funny that you were scared of something so small."

I huffed and folded my arms. "Yeah, well, I bet if you had a traumatic experience with spiders when you were little, you wouldn't like them either."

"You know that you are acting like a five year old, right?" Edmund asked, raising an eyebrow, all the while smirking. I'm surprised his face hasn't frozen in that position yet.

"Takes one to know one." This just made Edmund laugh. Exhaling through my nose, I turned and started to walk back into the palace. I could feel myself starting to smile, I didn't want to let Edmund see. "I think I will just leave you out here." I kept up my annoyed act. I could hear him chuckling as he followed. We had just gotten inside, when he sped up so that he was blocking my path.

"Would you like to dance?" he was holding out his hand, and giving me smile.

"What?" My act of annoyance went out the window when I heard the completely random question. Talk about coming out of the blue.

"I said, would you like to dance?" he enunciated every word, as if I was hard of hearing or something.

I felt myself blush a bit. "I heard what you said, it was just kind of random."

Edmund raised an eyebrow. "Yes, because it is so random to be asked to dance at a ball."

"Oh, shut up. You know that's not what I meant." I gave him a smirk. "If I agree to dance with you, will you quite teasing me?"

"No," he said, giving me a smile. I blinked. Well, you had to admire his honesty.

"Eh, what the heck," I said, taking his hand. "I haven't stepped on your feet in a while." I gave him a cheeky grin as we lined up with the other couples on the dance floor.

"Yeah, let's try to avoid that," Edmund said, grimacing.

"Well, you could dance with someone else," I said, looking over his shoulder, and smirking. "I'm sure Assiya would love to take my place considering the death glare that I'm getting." Edmund just shook his head, not even bothering to turn around.

The music started, and we began to move around the floor. It turns out that the dance was one of those dances where you switch partners. After Edmund spun me, I found myself dancing with Peter.

"You should get a medal," he said, when we started dancing again.

"For what?"

"For getting my brother to dance," he said. "That is something really impressive."

I raised an eyebrow. "Does he not normally dance?"

Peter shook his head, smiling. "The last time he danced with a girl, she got it in her head that he was courting her."

"Well, that doesn't sound completely horrible." Peter burst out laughing at my statement.

"She was fifteen years his senior, and was the biggest gossip in all of Archenland."

I burst out laughing. "Okay, now I can see where he is coming from. I'm pretty sure it would take more than one dance for something like that to happen."

"Well, you never know." And with that vague comment, we switched partners again. I found myself back dancing with Edmund.

"What's got you so smiley?"

"Oh, nothing," I said, giving him an innocent look. "I just heard a very amusing story from your brother."

Edmund scowled at bit. "What did Peter tell you?"

"Just that you had a woman fifteen years older than you thinking that you two were courting after one dance." I said it in a way that made it seem like the most normal thing in the world. Seeing Edmund's horrified expression, I started to giggle.

"It isn't funny!" Edmund exclaimed, trying to suppress a shudder.

"Oh, come on. It is a little amusing."

"That's because it has not happened to you."

"So, you never really danced with anyone after that?" I tried to change the topic a bit.

"You could call that my traumatic spider moment," Edmund said, grinning.

"So, makes you think I am any different?" I tried to be completely serious about the question, but the look Edmund gave me had be smiling.

"Because you aren't completely crazy."

I raised my eyebrows. "Completely?"

Edmund smiled. "Well, you're still a little crazy at times."

"Pfft. I'm only crazy because of you."

"And how exactly did I make you crazy?"

"Have you met you?"

We looked at each other before bursting out laughing. Thankfully, we were able to get ourselves under control right before the song ended.

"Thank you for the dance, my lady," Edmund said, kissing the back of my hand.

I gave him a small curtsey. "Why, you are most welcome, your majesty."

Laughing, I walked over to an empty table in order to take of my shoes. I had just taken a seat, and was currently relieving my poor feet of the shoes, when someone sat in the chair beside me. Sitting up, I came face to face with the Tisorc.

Well, this can't be good.

"Hello, can I help you with something?" I asked, giving him a smile.

"Yes, actually, you can." He said, wearing a really fake smile. "You can stay away from King Edmund."

"Excuse me?" Smile dropping from my face as my eyebrows met my hairline. What is with all the random comments today?

"I said, stay away from King Edmund," the Tisorc said, smile leaving his face. "He is to be wed to my daughter, and I will not have anything ruining that." His eyes looked me up and down, as a sneer came across his face. "Especially, not some peasant girl."

Peasant girl? Who the hell does he think he is? I folded my arms, as my voice took on a frosty tone. "Oh really? And, does King Edmund known that he is to be wed to your daughter? Perhaps I should go inform him."

The Tisorc leaned in, as if to intimidate me. He did a bit, but hell would freeze over before I told him that. "Look, girl, I don't like people ruining my plans and you are a big nuisance. I'm sure you wouldn't want anything happening to that pretty face of yours."

I felt my eyes burning with anger. "Are you threatening me?" It took a lot of control to keep my voice down. "Because I don't take well to threats."

A sick smile made its way onto his face. "Oh no. I make promises, so you will do well to head it."

"Well, you will just have to keep that promise then, because I will not stay away from Edmund."

Stupid, stupid, stupid was what the logical part of my brain was currently screaming at me, but I was so annoyed at the moment that I didn't care.

"You will regret that. Mark my words," the Tisorc said before getting up and leaving.

"You know, that may not have been the smartest move." Turning my head, I saw Striker coming out from under the table.

"I know." And I did know that it was incredibly stupid to challenge the Tisorc like that, but he needed to be told off. "Were you there the whole time?"

"I heard the first part of your conversation, and snuck under the table to hear the rest without being seen. We need to tell their majesties about this."

"Do you really think he would actually try to harm me?" I started to feel a little bit afraid now.

"I am not sure, but I do not want to leave it to chance."

"Can we tell them about it tomorrow? I don't want to ruin their night."

"Yes, but I will stay with you tonight, just in case."

"Stupid. Stupid. Stupid." I said, banging my head lightly on the table each time.

Me and my big mouth that I can't seem to control. I really need to get a better handle on my temper. Maybe then, I wouldn't get myself into the situations.

This is one of my longest chapters yet!

So, what do you think? Let me know in a review!

Until next time!

Sweet Country Girl