I know, I know...It's been a while. But good news, I have the final chapter, chapter 15, already written, and...I've started the first chapter of part three. So, please don't be mad at me.

Enjoy!

Never Say Goodbye

Chapter 14

A Garden Stroll

I followed the sound of familiar laughter through an unfamiliar hall. My ears brought me to an open door where Edmund and Caspian stood laughing. It was a pleasant sight. I knew Caspian had been waiting for a moment like this, a moment where he could laugh carelessly with someone he admired. The days following the end of the war passed in a whirl of meetings, and there had been little time for Caspian to simply enjoy his new position as a King of Narnia. Every moment had been spent trying to prepare him for his coronation, prepare him for the speeches he would have to give his people, and prepare him for ruling a country. I knew the last week had taken its toll on him, and I was glad he finally had this moment to just laugh with someone who had become a friend.

I didn't want to intrude on their moment, and I felt selfish for doing so, but I really needed to see Edmund.

"I'm sorry, should I come back?" I asked coyly, much like I used to when I needed to monopolize my husband's attention. Edmund's eyes caught mine and I knew instantly he recognized my ploy.

"Aaralynn!" Caspian barked in laughter. "Nonsense! Come in, come in. Ed and I weren't discussing anything important."

"I was just telling Caspian about the time we tracked a pack of wild boar through the Western Mountains," Edmund said.

"Oh?" I was familiar with the tale and I was familiar with the part that Edmund always left out. "And I am certain you recalled to mention that it was your dirty sock we found in that nest and not Lord Peridan's."

Caspian barked another laugh, indicating that Edmund had indeed forgotten to mention that part.

"Oh, and why do I need to recall that detail when you, my wife, do it so well for me?"

I couldn't help but laugh a little too; it was hard not to when recalling the boar hunt. However, my laugh was still a little forced and Edmund quickly picked up on it. So then, in a tone that was not rude but clearly indicated that we wished to be alone and undisturbed, Edmund dismissed Caspian with a friendly promise of more tales of our reign tomorrow. Caspian bowed out graciously, still laughing over parts of the tale. Suddenly Edmund and I were alone, and the crushing need I felt to see him returned.

I stood in silence, not knowing where or how to begin. Edmund saw my struggles and offered a solution.

"Would you care to take a stroll with me through the gardens? Perhaps the calm night air will help to soothe that pretty, but troubled mind of yours."

"That would be nice, but I'm not sure how to get to the gardens from here."

"Leave that to me, my dear." Edmund offered me his arm and I gladly took it.

We turned left down the corridor and meandered in silence for a bit. Then we abruptly took another left, and, sometime later, a right. It was clear to see that Edmund didn't know exactly where he was going either, but I decided not to chide him on that. Instead, I tucked my arm more securely through his and gently leaned into his side, allowing myself to take pleasure and comfort in his proximity. Such an act did wonders for us both, and he smiled down at me. Even without the soothing night air I felt a little stronger.

"I have met with the Professor Cornelius," I said.

"Yes, I thought as much," Edmund replied. "And…what news?" he asked gently, knowing that my current emotional state would be very different if the news were anything reassuring.

I softly shook my head in the negative, and Edmund sighed his remorse.

"I am sorry, Aaralynn. I know how much you were hoping for some news. How bad was it?"

"The good Cornelius knew nothing from the top of his head, but he welcomed me to search through his texts. We did so together. I was there for quite some time, but… It's been over a thousand years, Edmund, and records from that time are sparse. Many Narnians did not even consider writing down the history until details had been forgotten or names changed. You know so few of them even had the ability to write. What's more, once Cornelius was imprisoned here at the castle, Miraz had full access to his collections and he all but obliterated them. All that history Cornelius did have is now gone."

"I am sorry, Aaralynn, truly. I can hardly begin to imagine how this has disappointed you. But, you know, this doesn't have to be the end of our searching. There are still the Archenland texts. Heulyn and Corin were good friends before we left, and the twins fancied the Archen Prince a little. Perhaps Archenland will hold answers for us. We can begin looking as soon as you are ready. We will find something."

"There you go again," I laughed softly. This seemed to surprise Edmund.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, there you go again, speaking words that are very much like a promise, but not quite. It is the same thing you did when we first met. You never actually promised to find my siblings, in that you never actually said the word, but you meant it in every action and manner you did. I know you wish to promise me, Edmund, that I will find some news concerning my siblings, but you cannot. You cannot take that weight upon yourself. I won't allow it.

"The truth of the matter is, Edmund, that I may never know of the fate that befell my siblings, just as they never knew of mine. I must live with that knowledge; I must live with it, but not let it destroy me. I must believe that I taught my siblings all I could, and that they knew of my love for them. I must believe that they went on in that knowledge and lived and loved others. I cannot spend the rest of my life hoping and wondering. I must simply know and trust in Aslan."

At last we stepped out from quiet halls and into the night air lit by a full moon. We weren't in the garden he had intended for us to be in, but we weren't far from one. We began walking towards it, though we were in no hurry to reach it.

"I am glad you are able to find such peace with it, Aaralynn. I would hope that I could do the same if our roles were reversed, but I am not so sure I could." I could tell Edmund was sincere in that manner, and that worried me. I needed him to be as strong and as sure as I was.

"Oh, I think you might be surprised. After all, you were once willing to let me go to marry another man in disregard to your own happiness."

"And walking away from you that night was the singularly hardest thing I have ever had to do."

"It all worked out in the end." I reminded him with a gentle nudge.

"Indeed it did, but at no thanks to us."

"No, that was certainly Aslan's doing."

"It will be different this time, Aaralynn."

It would indeed be very different this time, but rather that difference would better or worse was yet to be determined. I was actually glad Edmund was the one to bring up "this time around," because I wasn't sure how to do it myself.

"About that, Edmund, I need you to know that I love you."

"Of course I know you love me, just as you should know I love you."

"I do," I said quickly, maybe too quickly.

"What's going on, Aaralynn? What has you so troubled now?" Edmund was concerned.

"Nothing," I said. "I mean not really, I don't know, Edmund. You're right; it will be different this time. By Narnian law and in the Narnian's eyes we are married, but in your world we are still only children. It doesn't matter what we've seen or lived here, we will still be children there. Even the Professor would have difficulty acknowledging that we are husband and wife."

"Yes, I suppose I can see that. But do you really think we will leave so soon? Last time we were here for years, and Narnia is just as in disarray now was it was then. Well, maybe not quite as bad. I do think Caspian will be a fine king, but he has much to learn."

"I agree with you on that, and that is no fault of Caspian's; it is merely his upbringing. That is beside the point though, Edmund. I don't really want to discuss Caspian."

"Right, sorry. We were discussing us and our future here."

He wasn't really grasping my concerns, and that's when I realized I hadn't actually told him.

"That's just it, Edmund. I don't think there is a future for us here."

"What?" Edmund stopped walking suddenly. "What do you mean by that exactly, Aaralynn?"

"I just mean I don't think it really matters how long we are together here. Whether we leave next week or twenty years from now, won't we still be the ages we are now when we do return to your world? Then we would have to wait to grow old again."

"Oh… I think I know what this is about now."

"Do you really, Edmund?"

"Yes, at least I'm pretty sure I do." Edmund turned our bodies toward each other and cupped my face in his hands.

"I won't forget you, Aaralynn," he whispered softly. "I won't forget us, or our love. No matter how many times we are forced to grow up together. I love you, Aaralynn, and I always will. That I will promise, and you will have to live with that knowledge and trust in Aslan to see it through."

My heart suddenly burst with gladness.

"Can you believe that for me, Aaralynn?"

"Yes," I said, nodding through my tears. "Yes, I can, and do you believe it is the same for me? It doesn't matter how long or what world, I love you."

"Yes, I know." He kissed my lips softly and then chuckled in amusement to himself. "Why didn't you just say that from the beginning?"

"I was trying to," I said as I shoved his arm lightly.

"I don't recall you having that much difficulty in telling Peter what was on your mind."

"I had great difficulty in telling Peter off like that, or I would have done it sooner and with a little more of Susan's poise."

Edmund laughed loudly at that.

We had finally made it to the garden and so we took our time to stroll through the many plants. The garden wasn't anything like the ones of Cair Paravel—how could it be when the Dryads weren't the ones cultivating it—or even like those of the ancient court of Red Haven, but the Telmarines weren't without their finer qualities and so the garden was still a lovely garden. Edmund and I didn't really talk about anything in particular, we just reminisced about the old days and how we used to stroll through a garden and hear the mermaids sing.

"Oh! I almost forgot," Edmund said rather suddenly, jarring both me and the night air. "I have something for you."

"For me? When did you have time to get me anything, and why would you?"

"No reason, just because."

"Your 'just because' gifts were usually the ones that worried me most. I never knew what to expect."

"That's the whole point of a 'just because' gift. And you'll never know what it is until you open it."

That's when Edmund pulled out a small wooden box that wasn't much larger than the palm of my hand. It was relatively light, but I knew that meant very little in Narnia. Some of Narnia's greatest swords were relatively light when crafted by the best smithy. The box was wrapped in a single large leaf and tied delicately with a pliable stem. I knew Edmund had sought the help of the Dryads for that part. I stared at the gift and eyed it suspiciously for a moment.

"Lion's tail, Aaralynn! It's just a gift for my beautiful wife. Now, please, would you open it?"

My own curiosity got the better of me in the end and I undid the tie, removed the leaf, and lifted the lid. Inside, on a soft cloth bed, was a necklace. The chain was simple and delicate, but I could tell it had been crafted by Dwarfs, which meant it was nearly unbreakable. The jewel of the necklace, though, wasn't just a jewel. It was a silver ring. The head of the ring was an open rose and its stem circled around to form the band. It was an old and familiar ring, one I had thought was lost. My hands reached for the ring on the chain, and the box dropped away with a soft thud.

"My wedding ring," I gasped out. "I…I thought I lost it in the battle."

"Strictly speaking," Edmund said softly, "you did. I think the string you had it on broke when you jumped off the How. Trufflehunter found this in the ruins and recognized it as belonging to you. You weren't around at the time so he gave it to me. I asked Trumpkin and the Seven Brothers if they could fashion a chain for it. This is what they came up with."

"It's beautiful."

"And very sturdy," Edmund added with just the smallest jest. "I asked them to make one for me as well." Edmund reached under his collar and pulled out his own silver wedding band that hung on a silver chain. I fingered the chain gently.

"I think that is a very pretty chain too."

"And sturdy," Edmund said with a cough. I laughed.

"Thank you, Edmund. This is a wholly unexpected but a truly remarkable gift. I only wish…I only wish I didn't need the chain."

I knew it likely wouldn't work, but I slid the ring on my finger where it belonged. As suspected, it was too big and moved with great ease. Edmund ran his thumb over the back of my hand before bringing it to his lips.

"Don't worry, Aaralynn, one day your finger will bear it again. But until then, it can rest securely against your heart." Edmund took the ring from my finger and placed the chain around my neck.

"Then that is where I intend to keep it."