CHAPTER THIRTY THREE
ANNULMENT

His steps echoed swiftly through the halls as he walked with a jump in his step he would pray to share with all his siblings soon enough; even his sword had been left behind in his room for once, and the purpose his shoulders carried allowed him the almost too-small lift of his lips illuminating his features. The day had aged well enough, and the joy of his best friend's return, combined with the rarity of hope he had been witness to, only led him faster through the halls of the Northern wing as easily as if it were his own; he barely even had left Athena to fix her room again with all the things he had help carry alongside Susan, Lucy, Juliet, Peter, Peridan, and even Juno and Lune, but still he walked with determination toward the room he knew better than anyone he would be able to find his older brother after he had left them all to deal with Athena's things in the end, claiming he had something important to attend to on his own. In fact, it had been that very claim that had struck Edmund as strange, and that very strangeness that had led him to note the very reality that finally raised hopes within him strongly enough to lead him to walk through the halls of Cair as if his brother would disappear if he didn't move fast enough. Blessed be the day Athena Ashdown came back to court, for it had brought with her hope, joy, and even a little bit of the old banter he had definitely missed in the near-year she had been away; and above all, it had brought something else even Edmund had not expected to find after the amount of time that had passed, especially with his brother's latest actions, and thus, he walked.

The purpose, the hope, and the need were such within the Just King's heart that even his hand and voice quickly dismissed his brother's guard with a claim to need to talk to him privately the moment he reached the High King's door, and only once the two armed fauns had disappeared down the hall, did Edmund finally open the big door and freed the very thought that had even led him to Peter's private writing room in the first place: "I never thought I would see the day," Even with the privacy Peter's guard had allowed him, Edmund's hands swiftly moved to shut the big door behind him with a click, but even then his eyes refused to move away from Peter, who so mindlessly lifted his eyes to look at him and therefore halted his steady hand on its path along the royal document he had been signing.

Curiosity was evident in his deep blue eyes as much as on the halting of his actions. "What are you on about?" He wondered, studying his brother as if the answers could be found somewhere written on his clothes or what little could be seen of his flesh.

Of course, he found nothing to give Edmund's intentions away until the Just King's smile broke for the single admission that had led him there. "I'd given up almost entirely on this, but by Aslan, you're jealous."

"What?" That, at least, encouraged the High King to put down his quill and lean back strongly upon his big chair for the mere accusation that he was lucky Edmund could not hear ignite the wild beating of his broken heart. "I'm not jealous." He claimed, so softly and convincingly that if Edmund had not been witness to the actions of that morning as they all helped Athena with her things, he might have even believed him.

But as it was, he had been witness to Peter's pressed smile and quick escape, and for it, he didn't even think twice before walking towards the chair nearest Peter and simply counter: "Yes, you are." Whilst pulling the chair closer to the very desk the High King wrote on and taking a seat at last, "Very jealous, in fact."

At least that retort was met by nothing other than Peter's short roll of his eyes and a long displeased breath that hunched his back as both his hands rested on top of the very parchment he had been signing moments prior. "Ed, I don't have time for this." He told his brother; but what came after almost entirely negated the claim he had attempted. "How exactly am I jealous?" Indeed, his heart could give him away if he allowed it.

Still, encouraged, Edmund's smile widened shortly as his frame leaned back almost knowingly upon the chair he had chosen whilst both his hands rested on the armrests of the furniture. "Remember a couple of years ago when Lucy took the last slice of bell-cake at Su's birthday ball?" He wondered soulfully without looking away from Peter's now rather confused eyes as they shadowed by the coming of his frown.

Now the High King was even a little annoyed. "Yes, what of it?" He wondered regardless while his heart relaxed some.

Edmund nodded. "Mm-hmmm," He continued, clearing his throat and crossing one leg atop the other rather loosely; leaving his right calf resting on the top of his left knee. "And do you remember how you sat there for the rest of the banquet, fake smiling and replying to questions with one word answers?"

Peter's eyes rolled again. "What exactly is your point, Edmund?" He wondered quite annoyingly whilst his arms crossed atop his desk. "That is, assuming you're trying to make one."

To his surprise, though, instead of the very annoyance for Peter's wit, which would have met him right back if it were some other day, the only thing that answered Peter at that moment was his brother's young and unexpected laugh; but how could he not laugh, when the hope within his heart had been restored and the very intention he had carried from the moment he had discovered his own love for Juliet Capulet had found strength once more. "My point is," he finally replied, his arms matching his brother's crossing under his chest. "Not that I ever thought I'd see it happen with someone living, but that is exactly how you are when you're jealous." He paused, his eyes near challenging his brother to refuse the accusation once again. "And that is exactly how you were only a few hours ago."

That, at least, had Peter's heart returning to the insane tune it had taken the moment Edmund had first accused him; and perhaps he should have admitted to his brother's truth, after all, it wasn't as if he was that great at hiding his emotions, specially not after his little adventure to Athena's cottage a few weeks prior when they had... oh, blasted be his emotions; of course he couldn't admit to the right of his brother's words. "Why would I be jealous?" He said instead, his tone convincing only the dust flying about his room under the twilight shine as his eyes fell to the parchment under his hands once again, as if suddenly it held more interest than the accusations from his brother.

But of course, Edmund could do nothing more than release the single "HA!" that built up within his chest by the amusement of the other's attempts at denial. "Why?" He wondered as sardonically as Peter was used to hearing him. "Well, let's see." He even leaned forward, his thumb and index caressing his chin as if he had even one hair to call a beard, the way he had seen old men do somewhere in a dream when they attempted to be wise and whole. "According to the conversation downstairs moments before you left us to help Athena with the rest of her very heavy things," He almost even complained, daring to look at Peter again. "King Lune is taking Athena on a small holiday to Archenland during your honeymoon with Juno." His hands dropped to his legs and the feigned shock returned to his features. "Which probably means he is finally going to officially ask to court her, or, hell, even marry her; and if she says yes, then it will mean the love you once had for her will be—"

"Alright, alright, stop!" Peter quickly requested, setting down the quill he had picked up again in his attempts at drowning Edmund out by the importance of his papers, and pressing both his hands upon the desk so suddenly that even some papers near his hands danced with the little wind his motion made. "Maybe I am jealous," he admitted for the sake of hearing no more; the mere thought of Athena with King Lune made his stomach hurt. "But even so, it's only a little bit, and it is none of your business, anyway."

At that, Edmund could do nothing other than snort. "Right, well, let's get something straight." He requested, his right leg falling again so both his feet rested on the floor while his hands pushed against his brother's desk to stand up. "I don't like jealous Peter," He admitted, leaning against the desk to look directly into his brother's eyes. "He's moody, and unpredictable, and even more stubborn than normal Peter." His tone was harsh, but true, and though his brother quickly attempted to deny that he was stubborn at all, all the Just King had to do was raise both his brows and truly look as serious as he had been unable to be for the past few hours for the good of his own happiness, before Peter simply rolled his eyes again and the interruption was ignored in the end. "So..." Edmund continued, anyway, once his own words had been taken as the ones to pay attention to against the very stubbornness the High King refused to have. "We've got to do something about it."

Peter's frown returned, and though his hands had moved automatically to push the now-signed parchment aside to rest with the other signed papers on his left, his eyes refused to fall away from his brother at all. "It's not as bad as that." He attempted, reaching his right hand for the next parchment as automatically as if he were getting dressed. "Is it?"

Finally, Edmund stood straight and simply crossed his arms on his chest as he spoke, "No, you're right, it's not as bad as that." He paused for the sake of the dramatics he was known for before finishing what he had meant to say: "It's worse." At least that had gotten Peter's attention. "For starters, you're getting married to someone you don't love whilst loving someone else, which, by the way, you almost even had me fooled thinking you'd moved on from her in the first place until today; second, that person you love, which I'm also rather sure loves you too, in fact, looks to be very close to either being courted or even married." He paused, if anything, for the sake of walking closer to him. "And as if that wasn't already awful on its own, two weeks ago you agreed for that someone you love to be bridesmaid at your bloody wedding," He paused, finally stopping his walk just by his brother's side, not at all surprised to find Peter's blue eyes focused only on him. "Am I missing something?"

With the same sort of sadness all had been witness to the moment Athena's death had been proclaimed what felt like a lifetime prior, Peter's eyes finally fell, a long deep breath left though parted lips, and his head shook shortly at once. "No," He admitted almost low enough to make his brother pity him. "Unless you count the fact that Juno doesn't love me either." His eyes even turned to the brand new parchment he had pulled before him to sign, but anyone would be able to tell that his eyes were not focusing on the words written there at all. "We don't even kiss when we're alone, or ever, really, unless it's politically required." He confessed; "We talk, and we laugh, and we get along, but..." His right hand moved rather frustrated to push his golden hair back, as if that would make him feel better at all. "It's no more love than the one I felt when I proposed to Juliet."

Well, Edmund would have loved to keep Juliet away from the conversation entirely, but even then, even by the mention of the reminder of one of the many reasons the two lovers kept their affair secret, the encouragement he had felt at Peter's admission of jealousy only grew for the weight of his words. "That's it, then," he attempted, uncrossing his arms and leaning sideways on his brother's desk for the sake of the seriousness he carried as the hope he had given up on resurfaced as swiftly as if it had never left. "We've got to fix this, Peter; you've got to cancel this wedding."

But it appeared the same enthusiasm that carried the Just King could not entirely be met by his brother, if anyone was to judge by the severity of the look in his eyes, or the tone of his voice the moment he asked "Are you mad?!" Even the inkpot fell on the desk with the harshness of the High King's movements, and it didn't appear to matter that the ink stained a couple of empty parchments, because Peter still rose from his chair without even a single doubt. "This wedding is meant to bring peace to Narnia, Edmund, or have you forgotten?" He wondered, his hand barely even resting on the desk as he looked into his brother's eyes. "I'm not marrying Juno because I love her, I'm marrying her because I signed a treaty; one which helped us defeat the Ettins in the Battle of the Giants a year ago, if you remember," there might even be a vein popping somewhere on his neck. "And, yes, I may regret having reinstated that betrothal every goddamn day, I may know I shouldn't even have agreed to marry Juno for the love I bear Athena, but she was gone, she was thought dead, and no matter how much I love her, no matter how much I refused to give up on finding her, or how much I wish she were the one walking down the aisle to meet me this winter, I have to marry Juno because her brother did good on his word of fighting by our side to defeat the Ettinsmoor army when we might as well have lost on our own. So, no, Ed, we can't fix it. It's much too late." The words had been so many and so quick that Peter had even expected his brother to try to interrupt him, or almost immediately respond with some sort of retort of his own to make him see the truth of his situation; hell, he even hoped for Edmund to have something to say, to prove him wrong, to give him a solution to the very issue that had kept him feeling as if he were carrying the entire weight of the world on his shoulders; but where he had expected to meet opposition there was only silence, and what was worse, there was a tiny smile lifting the corners of his younger brother's lips. It didn't make sense at all. "What?" He wondered, the frown on his forehead deepening as his feet took him one step further away from the youngest King, almost begging, almost praying for something to free him at last, even if it were just his brother's words; but why the hell was he smiling so strangely? "What, Ed?"

Though the Just King had straightened his posture the moment Peter rose from his chair, now all he could do was mirror the other's actions by taking a step backwards as well. "You just said you love Athena," He said, his arms falling to rest behind him and the lift of his lips simply reusing to disappear.

He wasn't even surprised to be met by one of Peter's single roll of his eyes. "Don't be such a child, Ed, you're a King, remember that." Peter unfairly said, using both his hands and the entirety of his attention to place his big chair back in place so he could sit.

But Edmund couldn't have it; "Mm, no, you said you love her," He repeated, pointing in his brother's direction with the very same sort of accusing tone he had used from the beginning of the conversation. "And what's more, you said you wish she was the one you were marrying," he continued. "So maybe the one who should remember he's a King is you, Peter." He easily countered, the hope still running free upon his veins, thus keeping him in as good a mood as he had been since before entering the room. "Remember that all you have to do is say the word, and cities can move at your command;" he attempted. "For Aslan's sake, you're the High King, aren't you? Call off the engagement, be with Athena, marry her instead if that's what you want, but end this engagement already before it's too late."

"It's already too late, don't you understand?" Peter repeated, turning to look at him entirely even as his hands attempted fixing the mess on his desk. "Part of the alliance has—"

"The alliance has been resting on thin ice ever since Athena was found alive and the Ettins began to regroup," Edmund quickly interrupted his brother, noting the mere tiredness in Peter's eyes as he looked at him; yet even through his words, the Just King could swear that was hope he saw in Peter's watery blue eyes. "Why else do you think the tension in court returned the moment you said Athena was coming back?" He paused, trying to make his brother see; because now that the hope had returned, there was nothing that could make him let it go again. "They know, Pete. Lune, and Juno, and even their ambassador, Lark, they all know; so why keep pretending?" He wondered. "Just call off the engagement."

Peter's eyes fell again, but even his fingers had frozen on the parchments he had begun picking up, his fingers so easily tainted by the spilt ink immediately, but he didn't care; because could he dare hope? Was it fair? "I don't want to hurt anyone," he admitted, thinking of every single person around him as he set a neat pile of stained parchment somewhere far from the main stain on his desk.

But of course he had to look up the moment Edmund's snort echoed in his private writing-room once again; "And what do you think you're doing now by agreeing to this loveless marriage?" The Just King easily wondered, his hands almost even flailing by his sides until they fell again with a short slap to his thighs. "You're hurting yourself, because you'll be miserable in the long run; you're hurting Juno, because by marrying you she's also giving up the possibility of finding love on her own; you're hurting Athena, because even though she's only ever admitted it to me before, I'm sure you also know she loves you quite a bit; and above all, you're hurting the realm, because have we not been using love as a platform to our reign? The very thing Aslan himself showed us, showed me when he forgave me for all the bad I did?" Even his eyes showed the very wisdom he had accomplished in the time of their reign, and Peter couldn't look away, especially for the pride he felt within the depths of his heart as he looked into Edmund's deep brown eyes; for the silence, the youngest king simply continued to speak. "So, please, tell me, how can you even consider showing the people a loveless marriage when the love we have as a family, and the love we have for all of our people has been the thing to keep this kingdom afloat for almost eight years?" He asked, serious, curious, but above all, challenging the High King to try to contradict him again; when he didn't, Edmund simply repeated: "Cancel the wedding," and waited for the worst to come.

But it never did; instead, after a couple of rather torturous seconds, when he thought his brother was going to tell him to leave the room at once, Peter's lips lifted in a smile, and the space between the two disappeared as his arms wrapped tightly around Edmund's frame, breathing, relaxing tangibly even by the time he spoke at last: "When did you get so bloody wise?"

It was a question that surprised the Just King enough to simply respond to the embrace as the depths of his mind responded to his words with the single acceptance of what he couldn't say out loud: I just couldn't stand the thought that I deserved to have the sort of love I have with Juliet, when you couldn't even be with the one you wished to be. But, of course, shortly after, the true meaning of Peter's words befell him enough to pull away from the embrace and even feel the hint of a smile lighting his features once again. "Hang on," he said, his hands resting on his brother's biceps as his brown eyes narrowed with the very suspicion that finally became understood: "Does that mean that you're..."

Edmund seemed to not want to finish the sentence, but still, Peter simply nodded, his agreement with a single "Yes, I am." Before letting go of his brother so he could simply take the chair he had moved, in order to simply place it mindlessly in its proper place now that he didn't intend to sit down again; then he looked at Edmund again, and fully agreed at last: "Let's cancel the wedding."

Of course, it was all Edmund could do not jump up and down the way he had never done before for the mere excitement of what the cancellation meant for Peter's possibility for love; but now that he had agreed, it also meant that the two of them had to be careful and serious about the whole thing, because one bad word could mean the return of war, and though he agreed that no peace was worth it if it was forced, he also thought that his brother's freedom need not mean the end of the peace Narnia had found. For that, they simply couldn't plan on their own, and it was for it that the very next day they both went to find Lucy in her rooms for the sake of the Valiant Queen's help.

The next few days consisted in planning, talking to those they thought they could talk to (which was a very low number), and calculating all the good and bad things that could come out of the situation that had already caused problems enough within the once-peaceful Pevensie court; it was evident to many that Peter's spirits had returned, and something was going on, but there was no one who could either tell exactly what that was, nor suspected it to be something as serious as the cancellation of the wedding. Not only for the discretion of those involved, but because there was a celebration getting nearer and nearer, and that was the celebration ball to Peter Pevensie's twenty first birthday. So, of course no one suspected as the days passed, not a raised brow, not a curious question; even Juliet was kept in the dark for the sake of every single thing that could go wrong with the intention of the cancellation. And perhaps Edmund disliked not telling Juliet something the two had been hoping for a long time, but of course he was able to keep it secret for the simple fact that it was only a couple of days of secrecy; a couple of days in which both parties were so busy (one helping Peter with the cancellation, the other preparing the castle for the party to come) that it did not even allow the two to either suspect or let on that something was going on in the first place, since they were much too worried to spend what little time together they could doing anything other than kissing, sleeping, or... well, something else entirely.

On the day of the ball, though, nothing seemed to be going well enough for at least one of the two; and that one was Juliet, who seemed to have awakened on the wrong side of the bed that morning given the plates she had almost broken three times, the illness that had taken over her that morning, or even much later in the day whilst she had been getting ready for the ball when that illness took her over again. She wondered what was happening to her that day whilst her hands gripped the cold edges of the chamber pot as tightly as if it were a person she were trying to strangle, and a couple of strands of her hair became loose from the pretty style she had decided on for the High King's ball; nothing was the way it was supposed to be in a day as joyous as his birthday, and, for once, she was glad she never accepted Lucy's offer of giving her ladies of her own to help her dress. If she had accepted, then she wouldn't be the only one to see her free every single speck of her lunch into the chamber pot so violently that she was even lucky her dress had not suffered any consequence of her vomiting; and that was not something she wished anyone to be witness of, really. No, indeed, Juliet preferred the solitude of her big room and nothing but her furniture to witness her being sick; if she had ladies, then not only would they have seen the grossness of the situation and gathered around her to try and help, but she would not have been able to slide down into a sitting position on the cool floor of her bathroom to try and recuperate the energy that retching had taken from her the way it had done the few times it had happened in Verona. Granted, she hadn't done that in centuries (it was impossible to feel sick whilst being a mere spirit, and before that morning, she hadn't gotten as much as a cold), but still the exhaustion made her almost even wish the day were a different one so she could simply slide into the comfort of her covers and sleep instead of having to prepare to get up and pretend she was feeling wonderfully enough to dance, drink, and eat in pure joy of the High King's twenty first birthday.

It was annoying enough that she had to deal with whatever it was that had made her ill, but to have to bite into a mint leaf for the sake of her breath and get up from the floor a few minutes later when the knock on her main door came... well, it was even more annoying; she even almost felt like sending the caller away with a great curse in Italian by the time she stopped in front of her mirror once again to fix the couple of locks of hair that had gotten free of their pretty intention on her head; the knock came again, and no more than a soft huff from her lips became evidence of her discomfort before she finally said "It's open!" and focused on reddening her cheeks from the pale colour they had taken from her being ill; truly, if it weren't for her constant affection of the High King, she would simply refuse to leave her room that night.

Barely a couple of seconds after she had spoken, the big door of her room opened, and in came Athena Ashdown, wearing a pretty silk dress of black and red surely meant to match the garments Lord Peridan planned on wearing upon that ball, as if they truly were brother and sister. "Are you ready?" She wondered upon entering the room, the smile upon her full lips as friendly and welcome to the young immortal for the sake of how much she had missed the warrior while she had been gone. Even dressed in ways it was very clear she would rather not dress, Juliet was simply glad to see she was still in Cair Paravel.

Perhaps it was too wrong of her, but even with the brand new title of General of Narnia's army (no longer just Cair Paravel's guard as she had been before), Juliet still woke day by day wondering if her good friend would be found within the castle's walls. "Not entirely," She confided, looking at herself in the mirror once again and frowning at the very paleness that stared back at her. "But I fear nay a thing more can be done for me this night." Even her hands fell to her sides as a breath of discontent escaped her lips slowly; only looking away from her own reflection the moment Athena's image stood beside her in the mirror.

"You're being much too harsh on yourself," the warrior said as her silk-gloved hands moved to rest behind her, the way perhaps she would have stood if she were wearing her usual armour; Juliet would bet five lions that her legs were also spread like a soldier's might under the long skirt of black and red. "You look wonderful," she admitted, giving more reason for Juliet's smile than her own thoughts by the time the amber of her eyes fell on the real-life Athena instead of the reflection in the mirror whilst the warrior herself smiled with the purpose of her jesting words. "Granted, a little pale, but I'm sure it's only the candlelight."

Juliet's eyes simply rolled, but even her ruby tinted smile refused to disappear. "I know it; nay, the candles are not to blame, for it be thus which I can seldom change," She paused, her eyes falling to the many things atop her vanity desk, as if they could ever come to give her the answer to what exactly it was that had made her so sick that morning and only moments prior. "But alas, no amount of rouge could gift me the colour necessary to hide my misfortune."

To that, at least, Athena finally frowned; all sense of her jesting aside as she studied the immortal's features once again to look at her paleness with more attentive eyes. "Are you alright?" She wondered for it, truly noting the other's unusual disposition with the single worry that carried her then.

With a single hand, Juliet got rid of the mint leaf she had been chewing on and bobbed her head in a single nod. "Aye, as long as I refuse to consume food or drink for the rest of this night, I believe I couldst ignore my tragedy." She paused, fixing the folds of her dress at last before fully turning to face Athena and encourage herself and the warrior to leave the room. "Whilst I hope those who labour under me heed my word to refuse to work, thus no one comes to find the horrors left within my chamber pot."

Though the warrior did turn around and start walking towards the big door she had left half-open, her big green eyes refused to look away from Juliet for the very confusion her words brought into her mind. "Wait, you're sick?" She wondered, reaching a hand to the other's arm even as they both walked out of the room and Juliet closed her door behind them.

"It appears so." The immortal admitted with the smallest frown upon her forehead. "I have been thus unable to keep a meal down since this morrow." And the strangeness of the situation was not at all lost on her; but, well, given the day...

"Shouldn't you stay in bed, then?" the marchioness wondered regardless of the continuance of their walk, careful not to trip with the silks of her dress as she went, but unable to fight the worry that came at the prospect of Juliet Capulet, the immortal being, being ill. "I mean, I'm sure Peter would understand."

The protector's head immediately shook. "I promise, I do not feel ill, not now," which, perhaps, was the strangest part of it all: that it was true; she had wished to stay in her room before, but just like that morning, all sense of illness was gone again, so what would be the point of staying behind? "'Tis uncomfortable, that's all. But nay'r a thing more to explain what rests behind it. Thus, forget it all," she attempted again, pulling the other noble close by the arm that she easily hooked hers through, "I promised to be thy companion to this ball, and so it shall be. Nay but a dagger to the heart could stop me."

If anything, it was Juliet's smile which encouraged Athena to do exactly as the other said and try to forget the other's ailment for the sake of the very thing she had meant to ask the moment Juliet had even offered to accompany her to the ball: "Yeah, why did you offer to be my companion?" The warrior wondered, walking down staircases and through halls which slowly began becoming fuller as they got nearer to the guests' chambers. "Not that I am complaining, any moment spent with you is brilliant, but why not go with Edmund? Did something happen between you?"

"Shh!" Juliet commanded; her eyes growing wide as they searched about around her for any person who might have heard the warrior speak; fortunately, all the couples walking on the stairs around them were far enough, and clearly distracted enough to pay any attention to two nobles for anything other than a young nod of their heads. Once she had made sure no one had heard, she allowed the worry of her gaze to fall on Athena again; who was smiling so wide it was very evident the immortal's reaction had been even amusing to her. "Nay, all is well between us," The protector finally said, a voice low enough for only the warrior beside her to hear. "But we went together to the Winter Ball last year, alike Susan's birthday ball before that." She paused, begging with her eyes for the other to understand even if she easily explained it soon after. "If we were seen together again in such a setting, then word could spread around the castle faster than wind, and all prospects for his future could be ruined." To that thought, at least, Juliet's eyes fell, using the excuse of having to hold her skirts to not step on them the moment they reached the top of the stairs for the sake of trying to hide the single sorrow that the thought of the moment she would have to say goodbye to Edmund brought. "And not one of us wishes that." But did she mean saying goodbye or ruining his prospects?

Even Juliet didn't know anymore.

"I don't get it." Athena simply told her in a voice as discrete as hers had been while they reached the long hallway that would lead to the main entrance of the great hall, where all balls and political announcements or welcomes were made. "Why do you two still keep this whole thing secret if it's so clearly serious?" she wondered, her eyes trying to meet with the amber softness of Juliet's gaze to understand it all. "Why does he still need prospects? I mean..." Her eyes fell away again, curious as much as distant by the time she spoke again: "It's not like you're lower than him, you're a Lady. Hell, you're Narnia's oldest living creature aside of Aslan, what better prospect could he have?"

To that, at least, all Juliet could do was finally stand as straight as she could for the sake of guarding her heart; for the situation she found herself in, and for the very thing she and her beloved Edmund so dreaded, was one which could break her so fully even she didn't know the way to turn back. And all for none other than the very truth she had to speak as simply as she could for the sake of the great friend she had made in Athena Ashdown, so she, too, could understand: "One who could give him children someday." And nothing else was said after that.

She didn't need to say more, though, that much was clear; but what was also clear was the fact that the marchioness had not even thought of that single truth in the first place: that of course Juliet could not bear children... her immortality very logically made it so. It was unfair, and the gentle squeeze of Athena's hand on Juliet's arm was enough to make it evident she understood, that she was sorry, that she wished things were different entirely; and the truth was, for the sake of her own heart, and even the sake of Athena's, she did too. She wished very much that everything could be different, that she was a simple living girl who loved and lived the way any other did, with no promises, no vows to any higher beings, no duty to uphold anywhere ever again, just her; she wished that Athena had never left, so Peter could also find the very love Juliet had denied him for; she wished that no war had torn anyone apart; she even wished, for a horrible moment, that those Archenlanders had never come in the first place, even Juno. She wished so much that she even ended up feeling guilty the moment she and the warrior by her side finally entered the great hall and all the small conversations became evident within the big crowd all around them: Peter and Juno, who Juliet had come to think of as a friend as well, Susan and Lark Moor, the ambassador of a peculiar voice which had seemed to sway the Gentle Queen to smile more often than not; Mr. Tumnus, Queen Lucy, and Lady Jasmine, a lady of Princess Juno's household who had taken in with the noble faun so strongly Juliet could barely remember the last time she had seen him without the Lady by his side.

Indeed, she felt guilty for wishing all of them gone, because without them many smiles within that hall would be a little less bright than they were now. "I'd offer something to drink, but..." Athena began, pulling Juliet away from her small guilty reverie with the brightness of a friendly smile; one which, of course, Juliet answered to with a smile of her own and a shake of her head, even laughing at the single notion of doing anything that could make her strange illness return. Athena laughed as well, and at least, with that, they could start the ball with a brighter mood.

It was only moments later that King Peter, the very reason of the ball, was announced formally, and all those within the great hall clapped and congratulated their High King in the welcoming and happy Narnian way they ever presented; when the cheering finally died down, Peter loudly declared the party started, and that was how it had all began. Music began to echo all around them and the first dance begun, with Peter and Juno leaving almost the entire hall speechless with his golden garments and the long green dress she wore; a beautiful piece of silk and cotton that accentuated her frame to her hips and thereafter thickened into a beautiful full skirt that fell to the ground to sway about to look almost like a forest in full bloom when she twirled and turned, her long brown hair loose and adorned with emeralds that matched the beauty of the silver tiara she wore; both of them were a sight to behold, and it was very clear not only Juliet thought so. People around her whispered about the beauty of the future Queen and it was all she could do to not tell them to shut up for the sake of Athena, who continued smiling beside her so wonderfully that the immortal even began to wonder if the other's words and the very prospect of Peter marrying (not to mention her being bridesmaid in such a wedding) bothered her at all anymore. Only after the first dance ended did other couples begin to join the High King and his fiancé on the floor; from Susan and Lark, who smiled so wonderfully that even Juliet envied their joy, to Edmund and Lady Mary, another member of Princess Juno's household that the Just King had thought proper to invite to the ball that night, who seemed so amiable and polite that Juliet could not even be jealous even if she tried to be. Of course, Lord Peridan quite quickly appeared to ask Athena to dance, looking indeed gorgeous on the black and red clothes that stated his nobility; something which the marchioness jokingly refused to do for the sake of her companionship to Juliet, claiming that the two were meant to dance together, but something which was also easily resolved by the protector's reminder that she did not feel like twirling about that night and finally got the two to go ahead without her. Granted, it was not an excuse Juliet could use when another noble reached her with a merry proposal of joining the rest in their joy, but it had been enough to set her in the right mood regardless of the many things that had gone extremely wrong that day.

The mood remained as she twirled and danced with one partner to another as the songs continued, and even her stomach began rumbling with some sort of hunger she had not felt all day, but still, she dared not test the waters of her strange illness for the sake of the joy she felt; indeed, all seemed well, from end to end in the Hall there were laughs and chatter, and even though her own companion found means to disappear entirely from the hall shortly after King Lune asked her for a dance (thus leaving Juliet to accept another dance she did not entirely want) there appeared to be nothing to kill the very joy the young protector felt after the dreadful day she had had. In fact, it only appeared to get even better when, for the very same reason he had asked many other ladies along the night, Edmund finally asked her for a dance. At first it even seemed as polite as the dance he had shared with Lady Mary, surely so for the sake of those around them, but the moment the pleasantries of his asking and her accepting with a short curtsy had passed and they finally stood close to one another merged along the other couples, almost all pleasantries were pushed aside for the familiar and definitely secure hold of his arms as they turned, he lifted her, or they simply waltzed.

Only when he spoke did Juliet's worry return almost at once. "Promise me you'll stay close to Athena until the end of the ball," he whispered against her ear within one of the many times they had to stand really close for the sake of the swaying music and the steps that came with it; if there had been a smile across her lips when they had begun dancing, surely that smile disappeared with those words.

In fact, the single worry of his voice accompanied by the forced grin his lips kept would have been enough to stop her good mood short regardless of the words spoken; her eyes even focused on him for as long as she could before the next twirl guided by his hand forced her eyes away, allowing her to shortly see Athena herself stepping into the Hall again with a face much more sombre than the one she had left with, and a frowning King Lune following shortly behind her, which was the last thing Juliet had been able to see before the position of her body almost forced her to look at Edmund again; surely that sight and his words were enough to bring the worry into her own heart. "What is it?" She quickly wondered, her voice barely higher than a whisper for the sake of only her King listening as they got close for the good of the dance again.

"Something big is happening soon," the young King quickly replied, pulling her away once again for the step that followed, yet nearly begging her with his eyes as they turned with no more than their palms resting together. They could barely speak, and the music was recognisable to start going into a finish; thankfully, the last step allowed them a moment together again. "Just promise me." Edmund whispered again, taking the couple of steps he had to take away from Juliet for the custom of the song and the dance, so he could bow shortly in her direction whilst she curtsied low with the fading notes that ended the song.

What else could she really do other than nod as she stood again? Indeed, nothing, for she had no answers to the many questions Edmund's seriousness had brought into her heart, not even by the time he smiled at her again and turned away from her to walk in some direction Juliet couldn't even focus on for the worry that suddenly felt fill her; all she could do was walk to the sidelines in direction of Athena, who held her cup of wine so tightly she even thought it could come to break if any more strength was applied. "Art thou alright?" She wondered, finally reaching her side and finding easy worry of everything around her.

Suddenly people all around them started to clap and cheer, and though Juliet did not turn to look at the source of the newfound joy, Athena's own face shifted from the seriousness she had worn from the moment she entered the Hall again to a smile to match everyone else's as her hands clapped softly against the cup she held. "Not really," she said between her smile in response to Juliet's query, only daring to look at her for a moment long enough to keep her own concern and apology clear within green eyes. "But I'll tell you later," She continued, looking away from the protector again and in the direction everyone else seemed to be looking towards. "Not here."

And what else could Juliet do than accept her silence as well as Edmund's to turn around to look at the very thing everyone else seemed to be happy to welcome; and why not, when she finally did turn to see, she understood: it was Peter's birthday cake, a big five layered mountain of gold and silver frosting that made its way to the thrones carried by two happy centaurs who set the table it rested on right in front of the High King, who just happened to be standing steps away from his own throne upon that moment. Indeed, Juliet clapped as well, but her heart was not into it, for the worry that had come through Edmund's warning and Athena's own mood became enough to make her feel sick all over again; only... well, now she didn't really have anything to bring up. "Thank you!" Peter's voice echoed as his hands lifted with the cup of wine he had been holding, a smile to match the occasion shining bright upon his lips, whilst his feet led him to stand by the centre of the stone platform that held the four Pevensie thrones. "Thank you," he said again, his voice raising enough for everyone around him to begin to keep quiet, and so on until every single voice had died out within the Great Hall, and every single eye rested on the High King at last. "Thank you, all," He repeated as his arms lowered and held the attention of all the nobles and invited to his birthday ball. "For joining me on this day of celebration for what is to be another year of life," people shortly clapped again, every single face smiling as it looked up to the High King. "I once again welcome our guests from Archenland today, courtesy of His Royal Majesty King Lune the Second, and his sister, Her Royal Highness Princess Juno." His free hand moved to motion respectfully in the direction of the King, who seemed able to smile only forced, and the Princess, who stood close to the thrones, but at the same level as everyone else. "Your presence has been a pleasure this last year in our court."

From somewhere near Peter, Edmund's eyes met Juliet's, and nothing could be given away from his gaze or the short smile and nod he dedicated her, other than his own relief at seeing her standing beside Athena the way he had requested her to, until the end of the ball, bringing nothing more than a deeper sense of concern into the magic within her heart. "I stand before you today," King Peter continued, almost forcing Juliet's eyes to fall on him once again. "With the highest level of pride and love a King could possibly have for his country;" what the hell is going on? Juliet's worry would not give."Narnia has flourished from what was once a dark and troublesome past into a beautiful ecosystem of kindness and wisdom, and that is something for which I have to thank the Narnians, as well as the continuous support my brother, sisters, and the other members of the court have gifted to the country.

However, I do not wish to bore you all by spending my few words today thanking people." To that, many in the Hall found apt to laugh; and that joy surely reached the High King's lips as well, who waited until the laughter died down to continue. "Instead, I focus on love," the smile seemed to remain, and many eyes fell to the pretty princess in green standing steps away from the stony rise. "For it is a thing that has brought this nation into prosperity and peace, and has bound friendships and relationships nationwide," many people around Juliet agreed, nodding; and though she agreed as well, even the silence of Athena's attention beside her seemed reason enough to simply frown and listen. "We have established an alliance and an engagement under this foundation, but it can also cause us to do the most unexpected of things at the most unpredictable of moments." Did she imagine it, or were Peter's eyes looking directly at Athena for a couple of seconds? He looked away almost immediately. "Yet, because we do strange things for the people we love, I believe that love mustn't be restrained, or detained, or pushed aside; no, love has a purpose. My speech today has a purpose."

It was only until those words came that dots Juliet had been unable to put together moments prior only got together to lift a gentle hope within her heart, for the sake of one of the many things she had wished for at the beginning of the ball; if she was right, then Edmund's warning made sense, the short gaze she had caught the High King attempting to share with the girl at her side made sense, even the joy in the depth of his words made sense. "We raise a glass to love," Never before had Juliet Capulet wanted to be so right; and for it, she even wished she had a glass to rise alongside everyone else. "It is a force of nature that winds the fate of time and space; it discovers new paths for us to travel, it unlocks emotions powerful enough to wipe nations off the face of the world or construct empires larger than imagination can depict, and it leads me and this announcement here today:" She was right; she had to be, nothing else made sense otherwise. "It is my wish that love will guide us down a better route towards our future, and that the world can learn from this ever-growing love to better itself as a whole.

Therefore, I, High King Peter of Narnia, formally and before you all, end the marriage alliance between myself and Princess Juno of Archenland, and thus resign from all contents of the Treaty of Beruna, which signified the reinstatement of our betrothal." Silence seemed to haunt the Hall so deeply that it even appeared as if no one even breathed there, no one moved, no one spoke, and Juliet's heart was threatening to beat out of its cavity. "Thank you," Peter finally concluded. "Please, enjoy the rest of the night."

That was, finally, when all hell broke loose.

To Be Continued