Hey guys!

New chapter is up! I still need to edit this story (there're some things I want to change) but I wanted to give you guys the next chapter so here it is.

Also, in this chapter there are mentions of slavery so read under your responsability.

Disclaimer: It is painfully obvious I do not own this.

Thank you so much for reading and please feel free to review or fav this story. Also, you can check on the Narnia oneshots I've uploaded :)

"Once a King or Queen..."

"Rise and shine, our beautiful queen-to-be!" Lucy exclaimed loudly as she threw open the doors to Beth's sleeping quarters.

The sunrays were blasting through the windows making it almost impossible to sleep combined with the noise filtering through the now open doors but still, the large form laying under the covers didn't move an inch.

"Beth, seriously, I know you like to sleep but we need to get ready right now!" Lu sighed as she walked into the room, reaching out and pulling the covers back to uncover the large form's face "Oh dear god, what happened to you overnight? You look hideous"

"Get away from me now" Ed hissed without opening his eyes before turning around and taking the covers back from her deeply amused sister.

"I see you've found your brother" Beth said as she entered the room carrying a tray and laughing with Lucy when Ed groaned once again from under the covers "I think you warned me before about the allienated human being he is before his morning coffee but really, I didn't think it was this bad"

"Don't say I didn't warn you" Lu smiled as she patted her brother's shoulder before raising from the bed and facing her bestfriend "How are you feeling?"

Beth laughed nervously "I don't think I've ever felt this nauseous"

"It will pass" Lucy replied, smiling simpathetically "Since you are already up and presentable, I will give you an hour to eat breakfast and relax before the final preparations begin. Stay with Sleeping Beauty here. He will keep you too amused to feel nauseous"

"Thanks, Lu" the girls hugged before the princess approached her bed while the queen left, closing the doors behind her "Ed, as much endearing as this is, I'm going to need you to wake up really soonish"

"Do you have coffee?" Was the muffled answer.

Beth rolled her eyes "Do you really have to ask that?"

"You are truly amazing" finally, the covers came out and a wild raven haired king rose. He kissed his queen briefly and took the mug she was offering "I don't know what I would do without you"

"Probably go around looking like a decaffenaited zombie" Beth shrugged and shook her head when Ed offered her a biscuit "No, thanks. Too nervous to eat"

"Believe me, you should eat now. It's going to be hours before you have the chance again" Ed replied, smiling victoriously when Beth took a biscuit, biting the tip off "So, what were you doing up so early? Missed you in bed"

"I'm sure you did, judging by your snores" Beth rolled her eyes, laughing when Ed blushed "I went to talk to Aslan about my quest and how was he planning to bring Robin here"

"Oh, the quest" Ed suddenly seemed much more awake. He left the mug back on Beth's nighttable "What did He say?"

"He is sending all of my letters to Robin. That's where I was actually, writting him one last letter, explaining the choice he has to make"

"And you're sure of that" Ed stated evenly, cocking his head slightly in curiosity "that you don't want to write any more letters to him"

"Well, I believe I've reached a point in which my letters to him have become more diaries' entries than actual letters. Besides, I'm going to see him soon enough so they don't have much point anymore" Beth said. She glanced shortly at Ed and hesitated before adding "I know you don't approve of this quest, Ed. You can say anything you are thinking"

"No, it is your brother. If I were you I would have probably made the same decision" Ed shook his head as he reached forward, grasping both of Beth's hands in his "Besides, today is hardly the time to talk about this. You are being crowned today"

"Yeah" Beth gulped before smiling weakly, her gaze excited and terrified "I'm being crowned today"


"Hey, sorry I just got out of my meeting with the ambassador from Terebithia, what was so urgent?" Peter asked as he exited his study and laid eyes on his sister, who had been pacing from one end to the other of the corridor.

"Oh, thank Aslan. Don't worry, I just didn't want to do this alone" Susan said as she started strolling down the hall. Her brother struggled to catch up with her "The Calormene party was spotted nearing the castle. They should be arriving any minute now"

"Wait, and you are welcoming them?" Peter exclaimed, utter shock on his features "Of all people!?"

"Peter, relax, it's not like Rabadash himself is coming" Susan replied as calmly as she could. She took a deep breath as she felt the overpowering need to do something to keep herself occupied "Lu is supervising the last arrangements for the coronation and Ed is overseeing the preparation for our guests's chambers. I didn't want to bother Beth or Caspian either. They have enough on their plates as it is without me panicking over ancient threats"

"Well, you are allowed" Peter glanced sideways at his sister and sighed when he got no response.

Both siblings took their crowns from two fauns who were waiting for them before rushing down the stairs and into the courtyard. Peter nodded at the people waiting there as he mumbled irritably "I really hate the calormenes. Why did we have to invite them in the first place?"

"Because these events are all about making alliances" Su rolled her eyes as she stood at the front of the crowd. Her brother stood beside her "And Calormen is a country we cannot afford having as our enemy"

"It almost isn't worthy having them as our ally" Pete grumbled under their breath as the gates were opened and the first of the Calormene' comitee came through.

Two more horsemen carrying banners followed, before the most wealthy looking' carriage ever seen by the Pevensie siblings rode inside.

As it halted to a stop before the royals, Peter leaned towards his sister "I'm just saying that you don't have to be here"

Su glanced at him before looking ahead with a determined gaze "Yes, I do"

Silence reigned over the courtyard as a calormene usher climbed down from his seat and rushed to open its door.

A short, old man struggled to exit the carriage, grabbing onto the usher's arm for support. As he rested his feet on the ground, the Calormene Tisroc directed a cunning glance towards the King and Queen before he was offered his cane and the calormene' princess followed after him out of the carriage.

While they both inspired respect in their postures and their gazes, that's where their similarities stopped. Where the Tisroc glanced arrogantly at the crew gathered to meet him, the princess wore a more respectful, kinder glance. While the Tisroc could be described as nothing but cunning, the princess seemed wiser.

As the brunnette princess offered the Tisroc her arm to walk towards Peter and Susan, the latter subtlety elbowed the former "Peter, stop gawking at the poor girl already"

Peter immediately complied and blushing, he walked forward to greet their guests "Welcome to Narnia, Tisroc Andradin, Your Grace. We hope you've had a pleasant trip"

"We did, Your Majesty. Thank you for the invitation" The Tisroc replied with a cold smile, as he gestured towards the princess "This is my granddaughter, Princess Khiara"

"Your Majesties" Khiara courtsied. The Pevensie siblings replied to her courtsy, before Susan smiled and walked forward to stand beside her brother.

"We have your quarters ready for you" she said as a couple narnian maids walked forward to help the calormene ones with the luggage "I am sure you can use a break after such tiresome journey. We will talk further once you've rested"

As the Tisroc and the princess retired towards the castle, followed by their entourage, Peter turned towards Susan "I imagined the Calormene to be more...obnoxious. Perhaps our relationship with Calormen can improve with time, if we are lucky"

"I suppose so" Susan chuckled as she handed her crown away "But if you are going to gawk at every pretty princess that comes to Narnia, I'm receiving the next group of guests with Edmund"

As she strolled away and the Narnians dispersed back to their chores, Peter stood frozen on his spot, eyes wide and unable to come up with any sort of response.


As the last preparations were completed, the coronation room emptied, leaving silence to reign once more.

Or almost silence, with the soon-to-be queen' gown whispering as it dragged against the floor.

Her crown was being guarded at the moment in an isolated part of the castle, but her throne stood proudly amongst her family's and for the first time since she agreed to this, the solemnity of this event truly dawned on her.

At the young age of 14, she, the daughter of a talking lion, was going to be crowned High Queen of Narnia.

"An old friend of mine" a voice behind her suddenly said. Beth hardly flinched as she figured someone would find her there eventually "Used to say that being King means wearing your best clothes at the most humble dinner in times of hunger. It means leading a desperate attack, and being the last to go in a desperate retreat"

As if remembering how to move, Beth slowly sank onto a seat by the first row, looking up at Susan as she stood beside her "Aslan said He knew we were ready to rule precisely because we didn't feel ready. I am wise enough to know you can never be truly ready to be a leader but this is my home. More than anywhere else, I belong to Narnia, and I don't want to harm it or it's people because I was granted an honour that we were silly enough to presume I was meant to have"

"You will learn from your mistakes, from your people's needs and from those around you who have experience in ruling" Susan replied, placing a comforting hand on Beth's shoulder as the princess let out an overwhelmed groan "Beth, I ruled over Narnia for 15 years and not once have I seen anyone so in tune with it's people as you. Not even Peter has as good instincts as you have. As Queen, you are being granted a voice, and as a girl who cares deeply for her people and their needs, I'm sure you will do great things with said voice. Ruling is in your blood. You are going to be a natural at it"

Beth closed her eyes, taking a calming deep breath before smiling broadly at Susan "I never thought you had such good faith in me, Su. I thought you hated me when we first met"

Su smiled sheepishly before taking a seat besides the princess "I am used to being summoned whenever any of my siblings needs anything. Ever since our father went to war and then when we came here, they all came to me looking for solutions, comfort or friendship. Then you came and suddenly, the three of them started going to you with their problems. It took some time to get used to it but that's all in the past now"

"Well, I'm glad" Beth replied before standing up and offering a hand to her friend "Because everybody knows that, when it comes to this family, you are our true leader"

"Thankfully. Only Aslan knows what would be of us if any of the boys were in charge"


Between the incesant meetings, new deals, treaties and the preparations for the coronation, for weeks the castle had been in a constant state of activity.

But when the kings and queens, princes amd princesess, ladies and lords retired to their quarters to get ready for the coronation, Peter took it as an opportunity to take a stroll through the finally silent halls.

As he arrived to the gardens though, he heard muffled hisses so, never being too careful, he placed a hand on Rhindon's hilt as he approached the source carefully.

As he walked into the center of the garden, where a large ivory fountain was situated, Peter took notice of a young woman in humble clothes hissing in pain as she clumsily attempted to bandage her wounded hand.

Assessing the situation as quickly as he could, Peter approached the girl carefully, trying to scare her as little as possible.

"Are you alright, my lady?" Peter spoke as softly as he could but still, the girl jumped in surprise.

"Your Majesty! I'm so sorry, I will leave right away" the girl tried to gather all of the items around her with her one good hand but Peter shook his head, motioning her to stay put.

"Allow me to help you, my lady" Peter said as he knelt before the young lady. He carefully cleaned the cuts with water, wincing when the girl flinched "This cuts are really deep. How did this happen?"

"My...masters do not forgive mistakes easily" The girl spoke slowly, shrugging when she took notice of Peter's shocked demeanor "I'm used to it, Your Majesty. Please, you shouldn't trouble yourself with it"

Peter frowned at that. Slavery was not something to be downplayed as normal ocurrence.

"What is your name, my lady?"

"My name is Fryda, Your Majesty. And I'm not a lady, I am a servant of the Tisroc...may he always live"

"Every girl is a lady in Narnia. If you don't mind me saying this, I don't think your name is common in your country. Where are you from originally, Fryda?" Peter asked and at Fryda's uncomfortable glance, he grabbed her healthy hand, grasping it reassuringly "I understand it must be hard to speak about this, Fryda, but I do not take this lightly nor do I agree with slavery. I would like to help you, if you allow me to"

The girl hesitated for a second "I was abducted when I was 15, Your Majesty. I am from the Lone Islands"

"Please, call me Peter" Peter patted her bandaged hand before standing up "Wait for me here. Do not move"

Just as he exited the gardens, one of Lucy's ladies turned the corner to the corridor he was racing to.

"Cordelia, I need you to find my siblings and bring them to the gardens immediately"


"You could expect Calormenes to evolve" Edmund chuckled darkly as he looked absently through the large shelves against the wall "And you would be disappointed every time"

After the four Pevensie siblings secretly led Fryda to Profesor Cornelius's study to have her hand healed, they retired to their joint study to discuss the most recent news.

Aparently, after centuries in which Calormen had fought against Archenland to conquer Narnia, when Telmar finally adquired Narnia as their colony, Calormen settled for conquering the Lone Islands to trade slaves.

"Beth and Caspian should be here" Lucy spoke from her seat on the windowsill "They are the ones making the negotiations with the tarkaans tomorrow. They should know of this"

"They have enough on their plates already. We can always tell them later" Edmund replied, before glancing at Peter with the ghost of a smirk "I guess this puts an end to your new crush, Pete"

"You have a crush?" Lucy exclaimed, eyes wide "Now I've seen everything"

"Cut it out" Pete growled as he neared their desk with a map. He unrolled it, and his three siblings surrounded it, looking at Calormen "There is no time for jokes. We need to start preparing our troops for war"

At that, Lucy shook her head vehemently "No, we've just got through a war. We cannot have our people endanger their lives and their loved ones again!"

"So we let Calormen continue slaving people we swore to protect?"

"Of course not, but we should try to be civil first!" Lu exclaimed back.

Pete banged his fist on the table and they all jumped startled, even Su who had moved to stand silently by the window. They had never seen their brother so angry.

"Why should we give them the courtesy?" Peter snarled, his voice laced with fury "They are obviously still so underdeveloped that they think it's correct to submit people's lives to a wretched destiny!"

"I don't think their forces have developed greatly since our time" Ed mused as calmly he could, turning back to the map and tapping it lightly on the dessert between Archenland and Calormen "They might outnumber us but if they failed in their attempts to conquer Narnia while we were gone, that means they still haven't figured out how to cross the dessert without exhausting their horses or finding water sources. Once we build enough ships, we could regain our old strength"

"Beth is the adopted daughter of the King of Archenland" Lucy added, her arms crossed and face showing indecision "I still don't think we should make any haste decisions but if it comes to war, Archenland could be an strong ally"

"I am Queen but still, the Prince of their damn country tried to abduct me because I rejected him" Su suddenly snapped as she turned around. She never talked about Rabadash or her experience in Calormen so none of her siblings dared to speak as they waited for her next words with trepidation "The Tisroc is said to be descendant of Tash, and that excuse alone gives them the liberty to act however they want with their people, while they continuously enrich themselves and their people keep growing poorer. Our fight is against them, not against the calormene"

"We do not have enough time for honour or clever plans" Peter retorted as evenly as he could "We are already late as it is!"

"You are right, we need to be as quick as we can, but a war will make us spend resources we do not have yet for something that could be solved in a far easier way" Su replied, her face brightening as a plan developed in her mind.

"With a treaty?" Ed frowned, unimpressed by his sister "What could we have to give in exchange that they could possibly want?"

"If it goes successfully, nothing" Su replied calmly "They still owe me for what they've done to me. And just as the Tisroc is a descendant of Tash, the daughter of Aslan is about to become High Queen in our country. They may fear Tash but I promise you that they fear Aslan even more"

"I remember Rabadash's expression when Aslan appeared to punish him for the attack on Anvard" Ed smirked with pride "I'm impressed by your plan"

"I like whatever plan that doesn't not include another war so soon but do you think the Tisroc will accept?" Lu asked.

"Perhaps, but only if Beth is the one to propose it" Su responded, shrugging "Whatever happens, we can be calm in that we did everything we could to avoid war"

Both Edmund and Lucy nodded before all three of them turned towards their eldest sibling. Peter glanced at the map thoughtfully before looking up to the Gentle Queen.

"If this fails" Peter warned slowly "we will have to go to war"

"Of course" Su nodded in agreement "But, as you said, we monarchs must defend those who cannot defend thenselves. We owe it to them to try every option we may have"


"Beth, could you check if my tunic is alright? I do not want Su tearing into me in the middle of the coronation for having a wrinkle on my shirt" Ed said as he opened Beth's door with one hand, adjusting his collar with the other.

When he heard no answer, he looked up to find his girlfriend standing on her balcony, staring into the distance, so deep in thought she hadn't heard him come in.

Ed stood extremely still as he studied Beth.

Maybe it was her blue dress that turned to silver as the fabric fell to the ground. Maybe it was her loose wavy blonde hair pinned in order to not let any loose strands fall on her face. Maybe it was how the light of the sunset made her hair glow golden.

Whatever it was, all he knew was that his queen had just taken his breath away.

As if sensing eyes on her, the young princess turned around, smiling as she laid eyes on her starstruck boyfriend. She walked towards him, ignorant to his expression "Don't you look handsome. Let me arrange your collar, Susan will destroy you if you show up any less than perfect"

Ed let Beth take him to the balcony with her, too dumbstruck to do anything but follow "You look so beautiful, Beth"

Beth smiled, glancing shortly into Ed's eyes before focusing again on his wrecked collar, her face slightly flushed "You are too sweet. I'm kind of nervous about the dress, if I'm being honest. This is the first time I've worn a dress with a train, however short it might be. I'm certain I'm going to trip and fall down the stairs or something"

"I don't think anyone will care if you do" Ed smiled, placing his hands on her shoulders reassuringly "How are you feeling?"

Beth bit her lip hesitatingly, as if afraid of being honest before breathing deeply and burying her face in her boyfriend's chest "I wish we could be done with it already; I'm too nervous. Were you nervous when you were crowned?"

"No" Ed smirked when Beth looked up at him disbelievingly "I was terrified"

"That's more like it" Beth laughed, pulling away to go back inside. She picked her old neckclace with Ed's ring hooked to it from her vanity and motioned him over "Could you help me with this?"

"I didn't think you would wear this" Ed commented as he clasped the chain around her neck. Then, he looked up and smiled at her through the mirror they were facing "It matches the dress, though"

"Well, I know I can do this...deep down" Beth shrugged as she toyed distractingly with the ring "But I knew I would feel much more confident if I had something of my best friend while I am out there being crowned"

"Well, I will say this not as your boyfriend, but as a king" Ed turned Beth to him, his face bright and solemn "You're going to be an amazing ruler. You already are"

"You're cute when you suck up to me" Beth smiled before leaning forward to kiss Ed on the lips longingly "Thank you, it really means a lot that you think that. I love you"

"Love you" Ed smiled back before kissing her forehead.

Beth sighed contentedly as they hugged but then, a knock on her door interrupted their moment.

"Your Majesties, you are required downstairs" a voice called from outside. Beth groaned lowly. Ed chuckled and pulled away.

"We will be right there, thank you" Ed called, turning to look at his frustrated looking queen "Is it worrying that they knew I was here?"

"Unless they bother us with that, I really couldn't care less" Beth smirked, hooking her arm with his. She kissed his cheek lightly "Could you escort me downstairs? Given we match and everything?"

Ed looked down at his blue and sliver tunic and black pair of pants "Su is really on top of everything when she plans something, huh?"

Beth chuckled as she reached forward to open the door "And you hadn't realized that until now?"


"Well, the room is being filled quickly" Lucy clapped excitedly as she entered the study "This is so exciting!"

"Ugh, I hate you" Beth grumbled from her place by the fireplace. She twirled her skirt absently as she breathed deeply "I hate you so very much"

"Remember when we were crowned?" Su smiled as she stood from her seat by the sofa to fix Beth's skirt. Beth glared at her "Pete almost puked"

"Hey, it is terrifying to be crowned at 15!" Pete exclaimed as the rest laughed "I had a right to feel nauseous!"

"It is outstanding how the same man who introduced himself to Trumpkin as 'Peter the Magnificent' almost puked on his Coronation ceremony" Ed added and Beth snorted.

"Now that I hear about it again, it kinda makes you sound like those magicians that entertain kids's birthdays" Beth said with a smile and Pete rolled his eyes as the rest laughed.

"Since when magicians have entertained children's birthdays?" Caspian frowned in confusion.

"Not ours. The english ones" Beth replied and Caspian nodded in understanding.

"If I knew I was going to be mocked, I would have waited outside with our guests" Pete grumbled as a faun entered with a silver tray and six glasses of wine.

"C'mon, old man, you know you're an essential part of this group" Ed laughed as he thanked the faun and took the tray from him "Grab your glasses, folks, we are toasting to this beautiful day!"

"Who makes the speech?" Lu asked as she took her glass.

"Let me say that waterproof eyeliners do not exist here so if you make me cry, I am going to be crowned looking like a mess and then Su is going to faint" Beth warned, the queen in question rolling her eyes as the rest laughed.

Ed, still chuckling, clasped Caspian in the back before kissing Beth's temple "Well, I think the two newest High King and Queen should be the ones to speak. After all, today is in their honour"

"If you put it that way...when I escaped my uncle's assassins and became a fugitive, I thought I was going to fight alone. I never thought the horn would work and I never thought I would have one of my best friends by my side. But not only did you all come to help, you also became my family and therefore, you gave me the best months of my life" Caspian raised his glass "So I would like to propose a toast in honour of the five of you, the best family I could have ever hoped to have"

"As cheesy as that was" Beth added to the amusement of the other five royals "As someone who family has been both her curse and her blessing, I couldn't have said it better myself. I'm extremely glad you are here and I could never have chosen a better family. I love the five of you immensely. Cheers to you all, lovely people"

"Cheers!" The other five chanted before clinking their glasses together.

As they all drank, they heard a knock on the door. The last of the guests had seated. The six of them were instantly silence, the four monarchs looking expectantly at the other two.

"That's our cue" Caspian finally said, trying his best not to be nervous. He turned towards his best friend "How are you feeling, Beth? Are you going to puke?"

"I don't think I am" Beth steeled herself before smiling "I might fall but at least, that should break the ice with our guests"


Trumpets resounded as the doors opened one last time, making everyone turn towards the entrance. Centaurs, in armour, stood on both sides of the aisle and in unison, unsheathed their swords before holding them up, forming in that way a sort of roof. Queen Prunaprisma and Glenstorm waited at the end on either side of the aisle, Trufflehunter and Trumpkin behind them, each holding a cushion with a crown.

Not unlike 1300 narnian years ago, the 4 kings and queens of old walked down the aisle but this time, no Great Lion accompanied them. While Queen Susan the Gentle, Queen Lucy the Valiant, and King Edmund the Just sat on their respective thrones, King Peter the Magnificent turned to address the crowd.

"If you would be so kind, I ask you to stand for our Prince and Princess, as the telmarine tradition dictates"

As everyone complied to the request, not without hushed complaints from some of the elderly lords and ladies, Peter sat down beside Edmund as Caspian and Beth appeared by the door, Aslan between them.

The aisle looked equally short and eternal to them. There was no turning back from here and to them, that was as exciting as it was completely terrifying.

Once a king or queen, always a queen or king.

As they reached the end, Aslan climbed the steps to the thrones and faced the audience while Caspian knelt before him, lowering his head.

"To the mysterious ocean beyond the Lone Islands, I give you High King Caspian, the Seafarer"

Prunaprisma carefully grabbed the golden Telmarine crown Trumpkin held and turned to stand before Caspian.

"May you rule better than those who preceded you" Prunaprisma whispered as she placed the crown on Caspian's head.

"I will do my best" Caspian mouthed as Prunaprisma retreated back to her place, before smiling at the Pevensie.

Caspian then stood and walked towards his throne. As he turned around, Beth took a deep breath and followed him towards her own before kneeling and lowering her head.

"To the enchanting Narnian stars, I give you High Queen Elizabeth, the Wise"

Glenstorm grabbed the silver crown from Trufflehunter and climbed the steps towards where Beth knelt. After placing the crown on her head, Beth smiled gratefully at him before standing up.

Aslan turned around to face the newly appointed monarchs.

"Once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen. May you be wise every and all the days of your reign"

As Caspian sat down beside Susan and Beth beside Peter, the chanting was so loud, someone not paying attention could have worried about the windows breaking.

"Long live king Caspian!"

"Long live queen Elizabeth!"

"Long live the king and queen!"


Once upon an eternity, when the Pevensie were crowned, the coronation had been planned to hold all the customary dances before the dinner.

Su hadn't eaten at all that day because of the nervousness so for her, having to em style="box-sizing: border-box;"exercise/em before eating for the first time that day was torture.

She was not putting them all through that misery again.

"This is the first time I don't find obscene the amount of food served at a feast" Caspian said as the six monarchs tried to eat as quickly yet as regal as they could "I could eat all of your plates and still have room for more"

"You could try stealing mine" Beth replied as she cut a piece of her fish "If you want to lose some fingers, that is"

"Eat more, speak less. The ball is starting in fifteen minutes and we're supposed to open it" Peter chipped in, never taking his eyes off his plate.

At that, the other five royals quieted down. They had all been in balls before so they knew that once the dancing began, the chances to see something edible that would actually cease the hunger were slim to none.

Those fifteen minutes seemed to rush to its end. The mood was high, the chatter loud and the smiles wide as everyone finished their meals. This time, it was Susan who rose from her seat, clinking her glass with a clean knife to call everyone's attention.

"Before we open the ball, in the name of my family and myself, I would like to thank you for joining us on this glourious day. We are confident that, with your assistance, we will build a new Narnia, one strong because of its people, and because of the international relations we have been strenghtening for the past few weeks" Susan said with a gracious smile "So, in that spirit, we would like you to join us in our traditional Narnian waltz"

In truth, it wasn't much different from the waltz we know if you didn't count the far more frequent twirls. Regardless, it was a very enjoyable dance, and one that gave the dancers the chance to talk so Beth and Caspian rose from their seats without complaints.

"I can't help to feel pressured with everyone watching us" Caspian muttered as they took the customary positions. Once the musicians began playing, they began dancing, always paying attention to the tempo "Are you sure you're not going to trip with that train?"

"You are the klutz in this duo, my dear brother" Beth laughed, halting the conversation as Caspian led her on the first twirl. She went back to his arms gracefully "I'm just worried Su and Ed won't cut us soon enough. If I have to dance with the prince of Galma, I will scream. He is just too annoying"

"You could have said so sooner. I'm sure the boys will have no problem helping me throw him out. I think even Lucy would join us" Caspian replied, trying not to laugh as he subtletly glanced at said prince. He had to admit he looked especially spoiled and irritating.

Just then, he felt Beth relaxing. Looking up, he noticed Su and Ed walking towards them. Al little to their left, Peter and Lu were already dancing.

He had to admit he felt relieved as well. Beth had a point, dancing could be something to enjoy or to runaway from, depending on the partner.

"May I have this dance?" Ed cut in as he offered Beth his hand. Beth placed hers on top of his with a broad smile.

"Well, if you must" Beth replied, laughing lightly when Ed twirled him into his arms. They danced away gracefully, leaving Su and Caspian on their own.

"My Queen" Caspian muttered before he kissed her palm. They waited in their positions and started to waltz in rhythm to the music. By then, most guests had stepped into the dancefloor so the spotlight wasn't on any of them anymore.

"You would think they would get less sweeter with time" Susan commented as they waltzed around the room. She glanced back at Beth and Ed with a fond smile "But it's great that they haven't"

"I don't think they can get anything but sweeter" Caspian pondered with a grin as he twirled her "It's just how they express their love"

"I'm glad we're not that sweet, though" Su said, turning to glance back at her boyfriend "I think I would end up snapping at you"

"Are you telling me you don't already?" Caspian deadpanned.

They were both still laughing when they were interrupted. Tisroc Andradin looked as cunning as ever as he offered Susan his hand with a smirk on his face.

"May I have this dance, Your Majesty?"

Caspian tried not to frown as he felt Susan stiffen in his arms. He knew she had a rough history with the calormenes but this seemed more than that. After all, Susan was never nothing but perfectly polite towards strangers.

Before he could come up with an excuse, however, Susan smiled too brightly for it to be real "Of course, Tisroc"

As Susan and Andradin danced away from him, he turned around and quickly set to find any of his siblings.

He had to know what was going on.


"So" Peter spoke as he plopped down on the seat next to Lucy "We figured something out last week"

Lucy looked up guiltily from her hidden plate, mouth full of Turkish Delight. She swallowed as fast as she could without choking "Should I be afraid?"

"Of something your favorite brother, obviously meaning me, came up with?" Ed spoke from her other side as he sat on a chair as well "Always. And you were supposed to save me half of the Turkish Delight"

"Finders keepers" Lu shrugged with a bright smile. She already felt tremendously excited at whatever surprise her siblings had prepared for her "Now, tell me what is this you've come up with!"

"Hush. Caspian's about to make an announcement" Susan's voice came from behind her as she leaned on the back of her seat. She pointed with a smile at the telmarine High King, who stood by the musicians, glass on his hand.

"Everyone, there is one last announcement we need to make" Caspian declared brightly as the room quieted "You see, when we started planning this coronation and set a day, we realized our beloved Queen Lucy was turning thirteen years old on the very next day. And since it's already past midnight, we are now also celebrating one of the most radiant person we Narnians know"

Just as he finished talking, and accompanied by a loud round of applause, Beth entered the room pushing a cart with a large golden and red cake on top of it. A large candle shaped like the number thirteen sat at the very top.

Lucy squealed in shrill excitement.

"You are the best!" She gushed happily as she rose to hug all of her siblings tightly "I had totally forgotten"

"Thankfully we didn't" Beth replied amusedly as she reached their table with Caspian in tow. Lucy rushed to hug them both before standing in front of her enourmous cake, almost bouncing from the thrill "You deserve the very best. Today and every day of your life"

Too moved to speak, Lucy could only watch as her brothers stood as well. Ed smied at her.

"We love you, sister" he said before raising his glass of wine "To Lucy!"

"To Lucy!" The room echoed before clapping as she blew out the candle.

"And we have another surprise" Beth whispered to her as servants started distributing the cake.

"Really? What?" Lucy asked as she ate her slice of chocolate cake happily.

"We are travelling to Cair Paravel in two days' time" Caspian replied this time, wearing maybe the most excited smile of them all "What better place to celebrate your birthday than in your actual home?"

Lucy could only hug her family as excited tears fell down her cheeks.


A few days ago, the six of them had decided the royal couples should keep their displays of affection to a minimum as to evade any sort of gossip from the visiting outsiders.

Really, they all should have known no amount of plans could have worked with the looks they gave eachother.

So, when Ed and Su cut the two newest crowned royals' waltz, everyone knew those four were taken.

And within a minute, Peter had become the most sought after bachelor of the ball.

Hence, the reason he was hiding in the deserted gardens. He was not about to be cornered by another multitude of wealthy men and women parading their daughters to him.

"Hello, Peter"

Peter knelt instantly as Aslan walked towards him "Your Majesty. I'm sorry, I was too preocuppied to pay attention to my surroundings"

"It happens to the best of us" Aslan chuckled "Please, rise"

Peter did so, smiling at the lion in the process "In our coronation, you had already left by this time"

"You didn't need me anymore" Aslan replied as he sat on his back legs in front of Peter. That way, they were the same height, which admittedly made Peter feel slightly selfconscious.

"We still felt sad by your departing. Lu especially" Peter replied before grinning to ease the seriousness of the conversation "And this time we need you? Is that why you are still here?"

"Exactly. There are some things I need to speak with the six of you, especially Beth" Aslan answered "One of them being that I have found a way to take the telmarines who do not wish to stay here back to their home"

"Back to Telmar?" Peter asked intrigued. From what Caspian told him, they had left Telmar centuries ago because it was not longer a suitable place to live in.

"Actually, I planned on sending them through a portal to where the first telmarines lived before they stumbled across a portal to this world" Aslan said, amused by Peter's shocked expression "They actually come from an island back in your world"

"Do you think they will trust us enough to go through the portal?" Peter asked, making a mental note to look for a book on the history of the telmarines "Won't they be to skeptical of us to give it a try?"

"No, without proof that it is safe for them to cross, I don't think they will willingly trust us"

Aslan's expression could only be described as sad and for a few minutes there was utter silence before Peter's grin slowly melted off his face.

"Has it ever happened to you? To hold on with all your strength to the last shred of hope, as slim as it might be? To have it taken away from you sudfenly? To stand in the dark, without knowing how to go on?

When you receive the worst news of your life, how do you manage not to drown in the pain?

Somehow, Peter managed to recover his voice, managed to momentarily resurface from the deep, cutting pain he felt. His face turned resigned, his eyes sad and his entire posture dropped.

"We are going back, aren't we?"

He didn't need an answer. He knew.

That last part was hard to write. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! More to come soon. Cheers for reading!