-_-Epilogue-_-
-_*(Annabelle's P.O.V.)*_-
"Are you sure you won't able to join us on the hunt?"
A small smile spread across my lips at the some-what pleading voice. The beautiful eyes of the man stare up at me while I fasten the cape over his shoulders. Despite his age and maturity, his lips sat in a perfect pout, barely seen under the facial hair that adorns his face. The sunlight leaking into the room not only allowed his cerulean eyes to shimmer, but they also caused the ring on the fourth finger of my left hand to glint magnificently. A quick glance at the ring caused many memories to pass through my mind. The cape's buckle finally snapped into place once I had allowed myself to focus on the task at hand.
"You know that I can't, love. There is much business that calls for attention today." My voice trailed softly. "business that could only be attended to by a woman."
Peter scoffed and rolled his eyes before rising from his crouched position. Unfortunately, the height that I had on him when he had been crouched disappeared instantly when he stood. He too noticed this, smirking at me when I returned to only reaching his shoulders. The smirk slowly slipped from his face as he placed his hands on my hips. The defiance I had in me fell away the second I leaned forward and laid my head upon his chest and wound my arms around his waist. Normally, he would chuckle in response, instead he embraced me in his arms.
"What's wrong, Belle?" His voice was soft and caring, like it had always been.
For a moment, my eyes dropped down to my stomach. A wave of heart ache washed over me momentarily. The muscles in my arms tightened slightly around Peter before I released him and stood back in his arms.
"It's nothing." The smile that I wore did not quite reach my eyes. "Now, you have to go on that hunt."
The façade I had put up had worked against Peter, for his attention was now back on the hunt.
"Yes, the hunt. I do wish you could join us." He sighed in defeat. "It's not everyday that your wishes are granted just for slaying a stag."
"What could the man who has virtually everything possibly wish for?" I chuckled.
The air in the room suddenly turned very solemn. The happiness had been quickly swept away and replaced with melancholy. A silence fell over Peter and I as we stood in the middle of the room motionless. The shaking of my hands grew slightly. The way his eyes raked over my face with such sorrow, it was unnerving. The warmth of his arms left my back and slowly came around to my front. My heart dropped when he placed a large palm on my stomach. A storm cloud of unhappiness floated into the room and began to rain. Metaphorically, of course. When the cerulean eyes met my green ones, every ounce of sadness that was held within them attacked my heart and soul.
Peter is the love of my life. My husband. My soul-mate, even though that sounds incredibly cheesy. There isn't anything that I wouldn't give him. Whatever is mine I would offer up to him gladly if he needed it. There was just one thing that I couldn't give him, no matter how hard I tried.
"I feel you know what I would wish for." His voice is as downcast as his appearance. "Whatever has left you barren," He crouched down to my height, looking me directly in the eyes. "I will fix it. No matter the cost."
A warm feeling of hope spread through me. The pad of his thumb moved absent-mindedly against the fabric of my dress comfortingly. For a moment, I allowed my eyes to close. Shutting out the weariness, sorrow, and stress. I sucked a deep breath of air into lungs. And, just like that, the hope left me.
"Some things just can not be fixed, my love. No matter how hard you try." A small smile lifted my face from its earlier sorrow. "But, that does not matter. I love you, and you love me. Our love is all that is all we need."
His lips parted as he was about to speak, but his mouth was shut when Lucy walked through the door of our bedroom. The crown atop her head nearly toppled over when she tripped on her dress. It caught our attention though, saving me from an argument. When she regained her balance, Lucy smiled at us as if she hadn't fell into our room. Normally, she would walk gracefully without difficulty, but the new dress she wore proved to throw her off-balance. In her hands she held a very familiar bag, I just couldn't remember where I had seen it. With her grace returned, she crossed the room and gave Peter a stern look, only to receive one in return.
"Lucy, what have I told you about knocking?" Peter asked sternly, but with a tone of playfulness.
"Peter." I warned with a chuckle. I now turned to face Lucy, who wore a semi-horrified expression as she went back through her memories. "Lucy, is there something you needed?"
"Oh, yes!" Lucy smiled brightly. "Peter meant to give this to you, but he left it on his saddle yesterday."
The bag that she gestured to looked nothing like the regular bags that Narnian women carried. It is definitely made for a woman, the detailed broidery and beading revealed that much. The feeling of familiarity crawled into he back of my mind. I know that I have seen it somewhere, but I simply just can't remember where.
"Where did you find this?" I asked, taking the bag from Lucy's hands.
"Yesterday, when we were searching through the remains of the White Witch's camp, one of the guards found it in a crushed tent." Peter explained.
Yesterday, the we all had gone out to the area where the Witch's camp was before the war. We had hoped that a few of her old followers would have taken up safety near the destroyed place. That was not the case, unfortunately. We found no creatures, we even searched the remaining tents. Going back there had caused me extreme anxiety, so I had to leave quickly. The visit had brought back an onslaught of memories, which caused my low mood today. That was the reason I wasn't going on the hunting trip, my nerves had been fried by the place that I once call hell.
Of course, after that devastating war, we had plenty of other conflicts with other countries, but none of them brought me quite the same amount of anguish that being in that camp gave me.
"I think it's yours, from before the war." Peter added.
That information caused my eyes to go wide. Wasting no time to contemplate it, I opened the small bag and dug around through the contents inside. Inside were a couple of handkerchiefs, a picture of my grandfather, and an apple. Dismissing the other objects, I took the picture in my hands. The face that smiled cheerfully back at me is one that I haven't seen in ages. Even though I can hardly remember how we came to Narnia, I remember that I left my family, just as the rest of us did.
"Yes...it's mine." I spoke, smiling gratefully at Peter before setting the bag down on our bed.
He must have recognized the face of my smiling grandfather, otherwise, he wouldn't have known it was my bag. Unless he recognized the apple. Which, it took me a minute to pull it out of my memory. It had come as a gift from Peter, though the reason I received it, I can't remember. Even though the gifts from the past caused an aching to fill my heart, I still smiled at my husband and sister, thanking them for the return of my belongings.
"Peter, Lucy! Are you two ready to go?" Edmund soon joined us in the bedroom with an excited expression on his face. "We don't want to miss the white stag! We have to go now!"
A laugh left Lucy before she went to join her brother at the door. The pair simply stood in the doorway, watching and waiting on Peter. The man in question let out an annoyed sigh before he turned to face me fully again. The annoyance is clear in his eyes but he would never allow his siblings to see his true annoyance. That privilege is reserved for me, and me only. For, who could one turn to with their true feelings but their spouse? A comforting warmth trickled up my arms when he took my hands in his. A chill swept over my shoulders at that moment. It felt foreboding, as if it were a warning. A smile lifted the corners of my mouth as I shook the feeling away.
"I must leave, now. I do trust you'll be okay alone?" Peter asked, his eyes staring deeply into mine.
"You may be the High King, love, but I am the High Queen, it would do you well to remember that." I laughed softly. "I can take care of myself just like you can."
"That and you can turn into a lion at will." Peter laughed along with me. "I'll be back soon, I love you."
With his parting words, he leant down and pressed a quick kiss to my cheek. The scruff of his beard scratched against my face eliciting a small giggle from me. Though he is very handsome, that facial hair can become quite the nuisance. Once he lifted his lips from my cheek, he spun around and picked up his sword and satchel from the floor beside the dresser.
"I love you, be safe." I smiled happily as he reached his brothers and sisters at the door. "That goes for all of you!"
As they left with smiles on their faces, a wave of bleakness and dismay washed over the room. An odd sensation erupted at the base of my spine and sat there. It felt similar to the feeling you get when someone is watching you, but it is somehow completely different. The cheek that Peter had kissed suddenly went from warm to cold in a matter of seconds. A cold that emanated nothing but pure emptiness.
When the guards had burst into the room shouting about the disappearance of my family, I had no idea what to do. The people who I had come to love had vanished into thin air. At least, that is what I had thought at first. After restoring calm to the people, more information had surfaced. The horses of the missing were found by an old lamp-post, the same lamp-post that stood in the area where Lucy and had met Mr. Tumnus all those years ago. Though I didn't want to believe it, I knew that they had made it back to Earth. If I had only went on that hunt... Of course, they most likely didn't leave intentionally. They wouldn't do that to me. They wouldn't leave me behind to face this world all on my own.
The portrait's frame shattered into hundreds of little pieces as it connected with the floor. Another scream ricocheted off the walls of the room as I flung a precious vase at the wall. It had been my favorite, but it now only brought a bitter taste to my mouth. The glass exploded against the stone wall before it was doubled by another glass ornament. The tears are streaming down my face faster than they ever have before in my life. Even faster than the day that I died. A warmth exploded in my chest as I found myself on all fours.
A loud, agonized roar ripped from my throat as I lunged on to the bed and began clawing at the fabric of the bed sheets. The bag that had sat on the edge of the bed was caught by my claw, causing its side to slice open and the contents to pour out. The picture crashed against the floor, the handkerchiefs floated lazily to the stone floor, and the apple rolled out of the open balcony door before coming to a stop at the railing. The last sign of Peter that held life caught my attention. Quickly, I shifted back to my human form, my claw slinging out and ripping my wedding portrait by accident.
The heat that had consumed my body slowly seeped away as my feet padded across the chilly floor. Stepping out on the balcony caused a wave of goosebumps to sweep over my arms due to the cool sea air wafting up from below. The bright red apple stood out from the moonless night, drawing me towards its beautiful luster. That apple had survived years of weather and age, yet it still remained ripe and perfect.
The sun being directly above us had cast a shadow over Peter's face. His hair was glistening in the sunlight, but his face was somewhat masked by a shadow. His eyes, however, stood out amongst the shadow. The twinkle of mirth was ever present in them.
Tear after tear escaped my eyes as I edged closer and closer to the apple. Once I had reached the devilish temptation, I bent over and reached toward the red devil. A knot began to form in my throat, as I had ran out of tears. The painful knot gave me an even bigger need to cry as it was increasing its tightness every time I swallowed.
"For you, m'lady." Peter bent down slightly on one knee and handed me the apple.
A dry heave shook my entire body at the memory. The sudden intake of breath caused me to momentarily lose my balance. My foot slung forward a bit as my body shook, hitting the apple and sending it flying over the edge of the balcony. Once I realized my mistake, my eyes widened and I lunged forward to the edge.
"NO!" I screamed desperately as I watched the apple fall into the abyss below that was the ocean.
The door to the bedroom burst open the instant that I screamed. My logical mind left me entirely as the only living thing to remind me of Peter and the rest of my family dropped beneath the surface of the dark ocean. Without even thinking about it, I began reaching over the edge, my feet lifting from the balcony floor. Further and further I reached.
"Your majesty!?" A voice behind me screamed.
Panicked footsteps raced to my location just as I slipped over the railing. A furry hand wound around my ankle, saving me from falling into the vicious crashing waves. If I wasn't screaming before, I definitely was now as I dangled above the ocean a thousand feet below.
"Your majesty, are you mad!?" Mr. Tumnus shouted as he struggled to heave me over the edge.
His weak arms are visibly straining as he tries to pull me up. In that moment, I realized that I am actually going to die. Permanently this time. Now that my family is gone, there isn't really a need for me here in Narnia. Without the other four, what is the fifth supposed to do? It may be cruel, but this is most likely some way to get rid of me as well now that the original Pevensies are gone.
A loud boom sounded erupted from the ocean below. My eyes quickly snapped to the once pitch black water. The water had turned from a iridescent black to a dark, yet shiny red. The color resembled the color of the apple that I had just idiotically kicked over the edge. It took only a few seconds to process what happened. And even fewer to decide what to do.
"Annabelle, I can't hold on much longer!" Mr. Tumnus shouted, his voice tired, strained, and desperate. "Just grab my hand and pull yourself up, please!"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Tumnus..." I whispered out, causing his eyes to widen and his arms to slacken.
The faun's hands finally slipped from my ankle. I fell with Mr. Tumnus' scream following me all the way down. The wind roared in my ears as I raced faster and faster, falling further and further.
The water crashed against my skin like needles, piercing every inch of my flesh. A scream bubbled in my throat, but was drowned out by the salt water entering my mouth. The massive amount of salt in the water began to cause my eyes to sting painfully and shut tightly. The most amazing thing about this was the fact that I survived. No one should survive a one thousand foot drop into water. Unfortunately, it seemed that my luck wouldn't last long, especially with the oxygen leaking from my lungs.
When I finally opened my eyes, everything looked as if it had been doused with red. It was most likely due to the red explosion earlier. In the midst of the deep red, there was a very bright red. It's glow provided a target that I could only hope led upwards. Despite my better instinct, I began swimming towards the glowing orb.
The glowing orb is only a few inches away from my face now. My lungs are burning though, I had been under the water's surface for a while now. The powers of being a lioness can't help me in this situation. Thankfully, past the glowing orb, I could see a clear sky and a beautiful sun.
Quickly, I snatched the glowing orb within my hands and began pushing myself to the top of the water. My lungs drug in the much needed oxygen as smiled up at the sky. In my hands was no longer a glowing red orb, but a half eaten apple. Memories of all sorts crashed into my mind. The way we got into Narnia. Why we were taken to Narnia. Everything.
A gleeful laugh left my lips. I made it back! When I looked down, I noticed that I am back in my younger body. In mere minutes I went from twenty-six to fourteen. If that isn't logic, I don't know what is.
Once I exited the pond, the ugly yellow dress that I wore into Narnia began to weigh me down slightly. Everything was back to normal. Unfortunately, normal is not what I want. But, at least I'll have my husband and new family to be normal with.
With that thought in mind, I began racing back to the house, a smile plastered on my face.
_-There you have it, the utterly (dissapointing, I'm sure) ending of A Rabbit Hearted Girl. The tale of Annabelle Kirke in the Lion, Witch, and The Wardrobe has finally come to an end. *Totally not crying* I had many, many loyal fans who read this story, no matter how long it took me to post. So, I thank you guys for sticking with me to the end. Thank you for reading! You guys have lifted my confidence and made me a better, more aspiring author. Really, thank all of you who have taken the time to read, it means so much to me. I'm not sure when the sequel will be posted, exactly, but I will begin work on it AND the bonus chapters very soon. Tatty-bye!-_
Until next time...