A/n: Big thank you to Muirgen79, ms, EC, Lea97, Narniafan, QueenElenaofnarnia, Artemis-hunt-goddess, QueenLucyfan, PeterCaspianRlz, Emily, Emma, GoldenAgeNarnian, CairParavel, KesseGirl1, WendyAliceJuliet, Hermanote, Aslanmane, Connors, and other guests. Hmm it seems that we're all frowning at Caspian in disapproval of his behavior. This time he's going to try harder to pay attention to Gilda instead of to Katrina, but will his attempt really be successful? Or will it just make things worse? Read on to find out! :))))))

(Telmarine Castle, Narnia)

~Chronicler's POV~

Today was the last day of the year 2303, so of course a feast was an inevitable part of the chain of celebrations. A lot of couples were quite excited about their New Year's kiss, thinking it would bring them good luck and good love as well as a smooth and fruitful relationship. Princess Gilda, on the contrary, was a bit stressed about it. So during the party, she approached the most cheerful and creative Queen Lucy.

"I think a most effective way of convincing my parents that my alliance with Caspian, with Narnia, is strong, is by kissing him," Gilda said seriously. "And…making sure that my parents witness it. Since they're the ones we need to convince."

"I agree, but...I'm not exactly sure if it's a good idea for you to just kiss him out of the blue. Like, at least the timing has to be right, right?" Lucy replied.

"Yes," Gilda nodded. "Any suggestions?"

"Of course. That's maybe what the New Year's kiss is for," Lucy snapped her fingers. "You. Caspian. Balcony. Kiss."

"Could I have some stage instructions please?" Gilda chuckled in a bit of embarrassment.

"You could try letting Caspian take the lead…"

"How do I guarantee I get the chance to kiss him?" Gilda inquired, as if kissing was more like a business transaction.

"Leave that to me. My siblings and I will arrange for that," Lucy said mysteriously, patting Gilda on the shoulder.

"But I see that Peter is talking to Ines at the moment and he'd basically admitted before that he has feelings for her, so I don't think he would want to be distracted. And Susan I'm sure is going to kiss Tyrone instead," Gilda pointed, searching the room.

"Well there's always Edmund," Lucy said.

"That's his sixth grilled chicken wing," Gilda joked.

"Not his seventh? Strange," Lucy giggled.

Gilda laughed. "We could enlist his help perhaps?"

"Of course we could," Lucy nodded positively. "So go enjoy the banquet. Leave the rest to us. The only thing you need to know now is to go to the balcony there," Lucy pointed upwards, "when they're counting down to midnight."

A few hours later, Gilda stood alone in the balcony. The air was a little chilly. The cold wind hit her face and her cheeks were tinted a little pink. Couples were gathering. It was almost time. Shouldn't Caspian be here already? Why still hadn't he shown up? Gilda was a little tense. She was not expected to be all alone tonight. She should have been with Caspian the whole time, so that he could parade her around and show to everybody just how happy they are to be engaged, and how 'in love' they were as a couple.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Go!" It was Lucy's voice. She wasn't talking particularly loudly, but echoes could be heard through the marble walls in the staircases.

"I'm not exactly sure what you want me to do, Lu. So, I kiss her, and then, what do I do?" Caspian was confused. "It just seems awkward."

"She's your fiancée, Caspian. For 4 months already. Just kiss her. It's simple," Lucy ushered, pushing Caspian out onto the balcony where Gilda was waiting. The Archenlander Princess let out a small gasp, looking uneasy. Out of bewilderment, the Telmarine King wanted to say something to Lucy, but the young Queen was already out of sight.

Kisses were supposed to be natural and from the heart, not forced. Gilda didn't want to do this, but she knew she had to. She didn't want to disappoint her parents. She wondered where they were right now, and if they'd notice that she was kissing her fiancé in one of the balconies.

The countdown was starting. Gilda's heart was beating faster and faster, but unfortunately not because Caspian made her heart race. It was because uncertainty had overwhelmed her. And it was common for humans to fear uncertainty anyway.

Caspian tried to explain, but his voice was drowned out by the clapping and chanting crowds. So he gave up and just decided to grab Gilda and kiss her at the right moment. But it didn't feel right at all. They would never admit that they were thinking of other people when their lips were joined. Caspian just couldn't wipe away his thoughts of Katrina. Sweet, beautiful Katrina whom he had missed so much. This was the first time he'd seen her in more than a week. Absence did indeed make the heart grow fonder. Pathetically, Edmund was the one who crossed Gilda's mind during the kiss, even though the kiss just seemed such a short and brief moment. Like, it just lasted one second. Probably not even that much. A quick peck. They broke away unnaturally soon enough.

"I'm…sorry," Caspian said, looking away.

"No, I'm the one who should be apologizing," Gilda said in utter embarrassment. "I'm guessing you didn't feel anything. No sparks flying. No magic. Because frankly I didn't feel anything either."

Caspian shook his head, then, avoiding Gilda's stare, turned away and went back to where Katrina was. Gilda was left all alone in the balcony, lost and saddened.

Another couple, Susan and Tyrone, who also had their New Year's kiss, was a striking contrast. They were in a secluded place, kissing rather fervently. Even though Gilda couldn't see them right now, how she wished that her love life could be like that of Susan's. But there was little she could do to change it now. She was quite sick of being stuck with a fiancé she did not love, and whom did not love her back either. Emotionally, she was drained. Physically, she was tired, as well, from the all the dances she had to do. Because her parents were in Narnia, she and Caspian felt the need to be around each other all the time and that meant a lot of dances. She'd already had two dozen dances today. In just one evening. She was pretty sure it was a world record. Her feet and legs were hurting and all she wanted was to rest and go to sleep, away from everyone's prying eyes and expectant stares, especially her parents'. So at the first opportunity she had, she left the ballroom and wound up in a private lounge, a bit like a common room exclusively for the royals. She sat on the couch and within a matter of minutes she had fallen asleep on it.

Meanwhile, King Edmund was searching everywhere, looking for Gilda. She had left without a word and he just found it strange.

"Pete, have you seen Gilda? I don't see her anywhere," he asked his brother after he decided to take break and have a drink.

"I don't know. Well the last time I saw her she was dancing with Caspian – but that isn't really helpful because that's literally what she's been doing all evening long," Peter shrugged.

"So, it means she'll be exhausted," Edmund said, snapping his fingers. "Be back in a jiffy, Pete."

Edmund then left the party and went upstairs to look for Gilda. He knocked on her bedroom door and waited but no answer came.

That's curious. Where could she possibly be? Edmund frowned. The door was unlocked. He decided to step in and take a look but nobody was inside. Not even one of her handmaids or a servant of any sort.

Edmund backtracked and paced back to the lounge. From the window's reflection he caught a sleeping figure lying on the couch. Of course, he had no trouble identifying the person as Gilda. Out of sympathy, he carried her in his arms and transferred her to her own room so that he could lie her down on the bed.

Isn't this what Caspian should be doing? Why is he so not sensitive to Gilda's needs? Edmund thought to himself as he took off her shoes and placed a blanket over her sleeping form. She looked quite beautiful and peaceful as she slept. Smiling giddily to himself, he turned around to exit the Princess' bedchambers. But when he whirled, he found himself facing none other than Caspian.

"Hey, Caspian," Edmund muttered, the smile on his face vanishing.

"May I ask," said Caspian in a clipped accent, without returning the friendly 'hey', for he did not look the least bit pleased. "What are you doing in Gilda's bedroom?" He raised his eyebrows at the young King as if it was a parent eyeing a disobedient child in disapproval.

"I was looking for her at the feast but she's too tired apparently. I found her sleeping on the sofa just then. So I decided it might a better idea to transfer her to her quarters instead. I hope the guests wouldn't mind that she took an early leave," Edmund explained kindly.

Caspian looked over Edmund's shoulder to inspect Gilda without saying a word.

"Well, rest your suspicions; come on, it's not like I was undressing her," Edmund said defensively.

"I understand you did this out of kind heart," Caspian said sternly. "But couldn't you have alerted me instead? If it were her parents, instead of me, who happened to witness this, they might get the wrong idea, and any explanation on your part could be futile."

"I am a man of honor, a model of virtue, and a King. My word is good. If you don't believe me just ask Gilda when she wakes up," Edmund sighed. "And besides, I didn't fetch you because – well in case you hadn't noticed, you looked so engrossed in conversation with Katrina. I didn't think it would be nice of me to interrupt."

"She's my fiancée, not yours," Caspian snapped.

"Yet ironically my siblings and I care about Gilda far more than you do," Edmund refuted. "You never are even attentive to her needs. You just don't care. At least Susan and Lucy visited her often when she fell ill. Peter was always there to guide her, to ready her for being a ruler. You're a good man, a good friend too, as well as a good King, but a sorry excuse for a fiancé."

"And you?" Caspian challenged.

"I was always the one who made her happy," Edmund stated simply.

"Are you saying I can't make her happy?" Caspian folded his arms.

"Maybe you can, if you tried," Edmund replied dryly. "Look, why can't you just appreciate what I've done here? If you don't like it, I can undo it, by all means. I'll just carry her back to the sofa, so that you can do the honors and be the one transferring her to her room."

"No, that won't be necessary, thank you," said Caspian coldly.

"Don't snarl at me; I didn't do anything wrong," Edmund warned.

"I know. You played a part, alongside Lucy, in arranging for me to kiss Gilda at midnight," said Caspian brusquely. "It didn't go so well. I think you know why."

Caspian then turned his back on Edmund and walked away, leaving Edmund exasperated. "Gilda and I are just friends!" Edmund said in a louder voice than usual.

"Sure, Ed. Interesting story," Caspian said sardonically. He was mostly disappointed with himself. He knew that Edmund would be a better husband to Gilda than he himself ever could. That was partly because he had yearned for Katrina instead. He was almost sure, from his conversation with Kat just now, that she must have felt something for him, even if it maybe wasn't as significant as a fraction of what he had felt for her. But he made a pact with the Archenlanders that he would marry Gilda in two or three years' time. He had to keep his word, simply because he was a person of integrity, and that reputation needed to be maintained.

What of Katrina then? He asked himself. Should he cast her aside and keep away from her just so he could let his feelings fade? But then it would be difficult to stay away from her anyway, if she was chosen to be a lady in waiting to a Queen.

Whilst Caspian was in his contemplation, neither he nor Edmund realized that whilst they were arguing, they had woken Gilda. Though she did not physically get up from bed, she could hear what they were saying, even if she had her eyes closed. And it troubled her, knowing that Caspian really did not love her, and that it was really Edmund who did. It made her realize that she could never marry Caspian if she loved his best friend more. She also saw that it was getting more and more obvious that Edmund had cared for her, because Caspian viewed his best friend as a threat now. It also confirmed her suspicions that Caspian was romantically interested in the aspiring lady in waiting, Katrina Farmington. But Gilda knew that she had to push away any possible feelings she had for Edmund. She had to continue her façade as Caspian's wife-to-be, because she was a Princess, and Princesses would never lose an alliance to a common lady in training.

A/n:

*shudders* the Caspian/Gilda/Edmund love triangle is brewing trouble for all three of them! Any advice for the characters on what they should do now? It's a mess as far as romance is concerned. *shakes head in despair*

Still...how was the kiss? Lucy tried to help, but it didn't work out so well. Thoughts, anyone?