- Chapter 25 -
Analiese sat at a round dining table with six seats around it. One for her mother, one for her father, one for Peighton, one for Peighton's fiancée, one for herself, and one left unfilled. A chair that had been unfilled for a while. It was the youngest Welch child's chair.
Analiese observed the outdoors through the large windows in her family's dining room. She loved their placement on the house. You could look outside without ever having to stand up.
She was the only person in the room. All of the special dining plates, cups, and utensils had been put away hours ago. But Analiese hadn't moved from where she sat.
It had been an okay dinner, or so she supposed. Her sister's fiancée, Lord Dupree, had finally returned to Narnia after his long trip to wherever he was. The man constantly left his future wife to go on trips, but he refused to tell anyone where he was going.
But as soon as he took his seat next to Peighton, the happiness in her eyes made Analiese think twice about her negative thoughts toward Dupree. His glances at her sister were not quite as love-filled, more satisfied and smug than anything, but Analiese knew better than to question their happiness. They were getting married in a matter of days, surely they would call off the wedding if there weren't getting along.
As the dinner went on and the future bride and groom discussed wedding plans with their family, Analiese's jealousy grew. As a single girl that was sixteen years of age, she had almost accepted the fact that she probably would never find a good man.
"Mother, do you think an ivory gown or a white gown should be purchased? I'm considering going with ivory," Peighton said.
"Yes, darling, ivory would go excellently with that skin of yours. It's practically translucent!" her mother replied.
"I can't believe my eldest daughter has found love," Wilson Welch had commented. The middle-aged man leaned back in his chair to observe Peighton and Dupree.
"Oh, stop it, father!" Peighton laughed. "The only one you have to worry about now is Analiese. Sixteen and she hasn't had a single man ask her hand, let alone show interest in her."
Dupree shook his head and smiled at Analiese. "Well, what can you do? I'm sure she'll be happy living alone."
"She's a very independent girl, you know," Carlyle Welch had said in her usual motherly tone. "I'm sure she'll make it out in the world just fine without a husband. I just would prefer her to be married."
"Will you all stop it?!" Analiese had cried out, rising from her chair. "Just because I haven't had men staring at my backside or watching me for my body doesn't mean I won't find someone eventually!"
Carlyle's eyes held her surprise at her daughter's sudden outburst. "My dear, please do settle down. You know that any woman older than eighteen is nearly impossible to wed."
"No, mum, it's not. Are you telling me that it's not plausible for a man to want me for something other than money?"
There was silence at the dinner table.
Analiese snapped back to the present, still alone in the dining room. She suddenly noticed her father standing in the doorway of their breakfast room, watching her.
"Hey, daddy," she said with a slight smile.
"Hey, kiddo," he replied. He walked over to the chair next to her and sat, looking in her eyes. "I'm sorry about dinner."
She shook her head and looked down at her hands. "It wasn't your fault."
"Well, your mother shouldn't have said those things about you."
"She is right though, don't deny it."
"No," he said, putting a hand on hers. "My dear, you will find a wonderful man for you one day. I cannot tell you when, but you will. He is out there."
Analiese looked up at him. "How do you know?"
"I just know, darling. Everyone falls in love."
The teenage girl looked at her father. A glimmer of hope danced in her eyes. "Really?"
"Really," Wilson leaned in to kiss his daughter's hair. "He's out there somewhere, Ana. You just have to find him. But for now, I think it's time you got to bed. Goodnight, little angel."
Analiese stood from her chair, preparing to head to her room. "Goodnight, daddy."
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The High Queen sat in her large bed. It was noon. Peter had risen hours ago to work on important papers on the conflict with Calormen. He had left quietly and without a word to Analiese, thinking she was still asleep.
He wouldn't have said anything to you even if he knew you were awake, she reminded herself.
The pain stabbed into her, sending a lump into her throat. Her eyes were burning now.
What had happened between her and Peter the night before had not been spoken about. They had neither the time nor the patience to talk about it. Analiese still wasn't sure exactly what it was that brought on her husband's cruel behavior.
After spending several more moments thinking through the previous day's events from beginning to end, her stomach growled.
"Oh, Aslan," she groaned. "Why now?"
She had decided early that morning that she would avoid contact with the other rulers at all costs. Surely Susan and Caspian had retold the story of their findings in the garden. As a matter of fact, half the palace likely knew by now.
But after debating the option of starving herself until later that night after everyone was asleep, the High Queen decided it would be best to suck it up and go to the dining hall.
She brushed through her blonde hair, clothed herself, made sure she looked presentable, and made her way to where the food was.
Upon opening the double doors, she saw the entire family sitting down. They all looked up when they heard her enter.
Drat! she scolded herself. Why didn't I look at the clock before I left?
Of course it was noon, which Analiese noticed as she looked up at the clock on the wall opposite her. At exactly twelve o'clock in the afternoon every day, the seven rulers are their lunch. Analiese had interrupted the middle of their meal today.
"Good afternoon, wife," Peter said in a far too polite monotone.
"Good afternoon, husband," she replied in an equally-boring voice.
She then addressed each of her other friends and proceeded to sit down.
An off-white china plate was put in front of her. The plate was complete with servings of lamb, greens, and a large portion of potatoes topped with a rich sauce. Her glass was filled with water, as was everyone else's. It was Narnian tradition to only drink wine for dinner.
"So," Lucy said, "how was your morning, Analiese?"
Analiese gave her friend a small smile. "Well enough, I suppose. And yours?"
"It was great! You would have known if you had joined us for breakfast!"
"I'm very sorry, Lucy. My dear husband didn't wake me."
She gave him a pointed look, which he returned. He held his fork in his right hand, a piece of lamb stuck on it.
"Excuse me, wife, but I do believe you were already awake when I left," he said.
"Yes, excuse you, dear," she shot back at him. "Because I do seem to recall that the reason I was awake is because you were making enough noise to wake the Bears of their hibernation!"
"That's funny, because I remember making a conscious effort to be as quiet as possible."
Heavy sarcasm laid in her words. "It didn't work very well then, did it?"
"Apparently not. I will try better tomorrow; I wouldn't ever wish to wake the queen," he spat.
"Enough!" Susan shouted, dropping her fork onto her plate with a loud clang! and standing from her seat.
This got everyone's attention, especially the bickering king and queen.
"I don't know what has gotten into the two of you, nor do I wish to. All I know is that it needs to stop!" Susan looked to her brother. "You! Yesterday I found your wife laying in the gardens in a thunderstorm. And you," she turned to Analiese, "you refused to tell me why! Now I daresay there is something outside of our control going on here and I would strongly advise that you settle it!"
The so-called "gentle" queen sat back down, giving a huff of exasperation loud enough so everyone could hear.
Peter saw Analiese looking down at her food. Feeling someone watching her, she looked up and their eyes met. His were angry, and she could only hope that hers were as intimidating as his.
"Come on," he said. "Outside."
She reluctantly followed him out of the dining hall. They stopped at the corridor next to it, standing in front of each other. She waited for him to say something. She had spoken first in their argument yesterday, and it hadn't gone very well.
His voice was cold and calculating. "This has to stop."
"What has to stop?"
"Your public actions." She gave him a confused look. "Acting out in front of my family and our servants is a sure way to create trouble in Narnia. The second our people discover we're not getting along, fighting and problems will begin."
"And whose fault will that be?" she asked. Her arms were now crossed across her chest.
"Yours," he answered, his expression unchanging.
"I've done nothing wrong, Peter. We both know who's at fault here, and it's certainly not me."
"I don't see how you think that."
Her eyes narrowed and her arms flew up in anger. "I don't see how you can think that!"
"You're not making any sense."
"No, you're not making any sense!" She took a moment to breathe.
He took the silence as a chance to turn and leave. "I think we should get back to lunch."
"Not until we resolve this," she stopped him, her hand on his arm. She couldn't speak for a few seconds as she lost herself in his eyes. "Peter, please," she whispered, her face falling. "Tell me what I did... what went wrong?"
Was it... could it have been...? Had she seen a flicker of pain cross his face?
Her hopeful thoughts vanished as he retrieved his previous cold composure. He snatched his arm from her grasp and gave her one final answer.
"That's King Peter to you, my lady."
And then he was gone.
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Cair Paravel was quite busy over the week that followed. One long week in which Peter and Analiese had not spoken at all.
The entire place was bustling about as they prepared for the oncoming conflict. Peter, Edmund, Caspian, and Susan had decided to leave Narnia for Calormen in hopes of settling any bad blood between the two lands. Of course, they were to return if all went well, but there was that question in the back of their minds that bugged them all: When would they see each other next?
In the days leading up to their departure, Edmund made sure he spent as much time with his daughter as he possibly could. She was only several weeks old, but it was clear to everyone that had the pleasure of seeing her up close that she would grow to a beautiful girl.
Avaline made sure that she was "in on all of the fun," as she liked to say. There was hardly a moment when the happy family of three weren't together.
Susan and Caspian had barely enough time to talk to each other, let alone work on their relationship. All they could do was discuss business matters with the rest of the family and hope that sometime in the near future, they'd have some alone time.
Lucy spent a lot of her time out in the gardens, watching the snow fall. It was a cold winter, one that wouldn't soon be forgotten. Some of the Narnians even swore it was almost as cold as the White Witch's winter.
Peter stayed in his study throughout of the day, flipping through important papers, researching the land of Tasbaan, and thinking up strategies in case their trip went awry.
Analiese, of course, was left on her own, alone in her room. Her problems with her husband had not improved or worsened at all. In fact, their little contact had instead maintained the steady rate of "bad" their relationship was going. She had nothing to do but sit in bed and wonder why her husband had suddenly become so angry with her.
Finally, the day came when the four monarchs were to leave and board their ship. While everyone was saying their goodbyes by the docks a little ways away from the palace, Analiese couldn't stop herself from wondering if Peter would even take the time to bid her farewell. She knew she should be thinking about saying goodbye to her new family, but she couldn't.
"Goodbye, Ana!" Edmund said, grabbing a strand of her hair and pulling it teasingly. He pulled her in for hug while laughing. When he pulled back, his face get serious. He held her at arm's length. "No, really though, I'll miss you. Listen... Please just think through this thing with Peter. Maybe the time and distance will make things better."
She nodded. "I will. Bye, Ed."
Susan was next. "Oh my goodness, Ana!" She threw her arms around her. "You have to write all of us! Make sure you tell us what's going on around the palace!"
Caspian came next, bidding his friend a farewell and hugging her, promising to keep her friends safe on their trip.
And then came the last person. Peter.
Everyone was watching them, even the servants who were already onboard of the ship. He walked over to her cautiously, as if he were afraid she would turn the other way.
"Follow me. I need to explain something before I go."
He pulled her a few yards away from the others so they were out of earshot so long as they spoke quietly. He stood a mere two feet from her.
"I need to apologize for my recent behavior," he said.
"All I need to know is why you acted that way. What did I do?" she asked.
"Analiese, you need to understand that your news was a lot to take in at that time. It took a while for me to process, and once I did, I guess I just-"
"Whoa, whoa, wait," she interrupted. "What news?"
"That you couldn't have children."
Analiese's eyes widened in realization. So that was what all this was about.
"Peter, I'm sorry. You know it upset me, too."
"Don't apologize. I shouldn't have reacted like that. It was rude and unfair. But now I'm leaving, so..." he trailed off as he leaned in to hug her. He lingered for a moment, his face next to her hair.
He let go, smiled slightly, and began walking toward the others. She watched his retreating figure for a few minutes. She hadn't fully forgiven him for the past week's behavior, but she couldn't keep from telling him...
Right then and there, Analiese made a rash decision to tell her husband.
"Peter, wait!" she called, running over to him as fast as she could. Her dusty-rose-colored dress fluttered at the skirt and her curly blonde hair blew behind her.
He turned around to look at her, as well as his siblings, Avaline, and Caspian.
"What is it?" He barely managed to say this before she was standing in front of him.
"Peter, you know what we just discussed?" she asked, out of breath.
"Yes, why?"
"You don't have to worry about that anymore."
"What do you mean?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.
"I'm pregnant," she said. Her eyes lit up as she spoke and a smile filled her face.
Mixed emotions ran through Peter at that moment. Happiness. Relief. Guilt. Excitement. Sadness. Anger.
Happiness because he was finally going to have a child. Relief because he didn't have worry about not having an heir anymore. Guilt because of his cruel behavior toward his wife. Excitement because... well, who wouldn't be excited about starting a family? Sadness because he was going away for an undetermined amount of time while his wife went through her first pregnancy, and might even give birth, without him. And lastly, anger, because as soon as his dream was becoming a reality, the Calormenes were going to take it away.
A/N: Review review review!
When I was reading my reviews for my last chapter, I was so happy when you all said I made you cry! Hopefully this one made you tear up a little too... let me know what you thought! Give me a look in your mind as the reader: where you think Analiese's pregnancy came from, what gender you think it will be, baby names, what you think will happen when they get to Calormen, if you think Ava and Ana and Lucy can handle ruling Narnia on their own, etc! And tell me how this chapter made you feel. Did you cry, smile, laugh? And should I continue focusing on Analiese or do you want an Avaline or a Susan chapter?