Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia nor any of the characters and places associated with it.
Chapter 15: The Wedding
One Month Later
"Ashley! Ashley! Ashley! Ashley! Ashley! Ashley! Ashley! Ashley!" I groan and flip over in my large, comfy bed. Why, oh, why does Lucy have to get so hypo every day? This has been my wake-up call for the past week and I am starting to get very annoyed with the little, tiny, bouncing terror. "Come on! Get up, lazy bum! You're getting married in five hours," she exclaims excitedly while jumping on me. Luckily for me, my cast got taken off a week ago, which means that we didn't need to postpone the wedding again – thankfully. Especially since, starting tomorrow morning, I will be waking up in the arms of my beautiful husband instead of getting woken up by this annoying, little, cutie pie. "Come on, please get up!" she pleads innocently. I keep my eyes closed firmly.
"Exactly, Lucy, five hours! Now please let me sleep!" I complain. She huffs and gets off the bed. Thank Aslan!
"Ashley, time to get up!" Susan exclaims while running into my room and gently shaking me. I sigh and sit up slowly in my bed. "Yay, now we have to start getting you ready. Your hair has to be curled and put up. You have to get into your wedding dress and get your make-up done," she explains excitedly.
"Fine," I say, giving in. Both of the girls grab my hands and pull me out of the warm comfort of my bed. They throw my morning gown on me before they begin to drag me outside. I frown. Couldn't they at least wait until I'm fully awake before pulling me out into the cold hallway? They lead me down the corridor and into a spare room at the end of it.
"Now sit down and stay still," Susan commands me. I do as she says and they get to work immediately. I feel something extremely hot touch my head then and hiss at the pain. "Sorry," she apologises. I roll my eyes and spend the next few hours trying to ignore the pampering that I'm getting.
Four and a half hours later.
"Done!" Susan exclaims excitedly. I smile and stand up before I look at myself in the mirror. It's exactly how I imagined myself to look on my wedding day. I smile brightly.
My hair is down and curled into little bouncy curls. My dress is perfect! It's exactly what I had had in mind. It's plain white and has gorgeous lace sleeves. It has a white ribbon that curls around the waist and joins into a bow at the back. The bottom spreads out in true princess style. Along with the dress, I'm also wearing a diamond necklace with a matching bracelet. My make-up is lightly put on and matches my dress to a tee. For shoes I have silver flats with rows of diamonds on them. I have a simple diamond tiara on my head and a long white veil that flows down my back and along the floor with a little piece that falls in front of my face. All in all, I look nice.
"Come on, Ashley! It's time to go down," Lucy exclaims while grabbing my hand and starting to drag me out of the room like a little, puppy dog. I smile down at her. I can't believe that I'm getting married. She leads me down to a huge, golden door where I notice all my friends are standing in a line along the wall. They're all wearing light-blue dresses and linking arms with a boy. I see my little sister standing at the back of the line. She looks so adorable in her little, white, flower girl dress – as does Lucy for that matter.
"Ashley, here," Malina whispers while handing me a beautiful bouquet. It consists of blue, white, and silver flowers. It matches up with my dress perfectly.
"Thanks," I say nervously. The butterflies in my stomach are starting to do back flips. This is so crazy!
"Are you nervous?" Lucy asks me while looking up at me and tilting her little head. I take a quick glance down at her and look up immediately.
"Yes, I'm very nervous, but also very excited," I explain while staring at the double doors. It's so weird to think that the love of my life is waiting for me behind those doors. I feel an arm link with my left arm, startling me a bit. I look to my left and notice that Oreius is standing next to me. He's wearing a long-sleeved, tuxedo top.
"You look beautiful today, Ash," he whispers quietly into my ear. I blush scarlet. I wish he wouldn't tell me that two seconds before I have to walk down the aisle.
"Thanks," I whisper back. Bella spins around then and her mouth falls open.
"Wow, Ashy, you look pretty!" she exclaims. I laugh.
"Thank you, Bella, and you look very pretty as well," I tell her. She giggles before spinning around again. I hear the music start and one by one the pairs in front of me start walking through the open doorway. I feel myself starting to shake with nerves, which definitely is not a good thing. I hear the soft music change which is obviously my cue to walk down the aisle. I take one deep breath in and start walking slowly. We turn the corner and I'm immediately overwhelmed. The courtyard is decorated beautifully. Roses and Carnations surround it. The colour theme is blue, white, and silver. I, at least, was told that. I look around at all the people and immediately feel even more nervous; that is until I lock my eyes with my soon to be husband. All nerves are suddenly thrown out the window.
It takes all my effort not to just run down the rest of the aisle and throw myself into his strong arms. It feels like centuries before I finally reach the end of the aisle. Oreius puts my hand into Peter's before backing away a little bit. I'm at home immediately. We turn to face each other, before Peter firmly grips my other hand. The priest starts to say something, but I don't hear what he's saying. I'm far too focused on the fact that I'm really here; getting married to this gorgeous man standing in front of me. He suddenly reaches up and pushes a loose curl that's on my face behind my ear. I smile.
"Peter, repeat after me," the priest says, pulling me back to the present. Pete smiles and nods once.
"I Peter,"
"I Peter,"
"Do solemnly swear to take Ashley as my lawful wedded wife,"
"Do solemnly swear to take Ashley as my lawful wedded wife,"
"To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, for richer or poor, to love and to cherish, as long as we both shall live."
"To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, for richer or poor, to love and to cherish, as long as we both shall live." I smile as he speaks and can't help the tears that come to my eyes at his words.
"Repeat after me, Ashley," the priest says, pulling me back to the most important moment of my entire life.
"I Ashley," he starts.
"I Ashley," I repeat my voice cracking. I clear my throat before nodding for him to continue. He smiles at me before continuing.
"Do solemnly swear to take Peter as my lawful wedded husband,"
"Do solemnly swear to take Peter as my lawful wedded husband," I repeat.
"To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, for richer or poor, to love and to obey, as long as we both shall live."
"To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, for richer or poor, to love and to obey, as long as we both shall live," I finish, tears rolling down my face. Peter wipes a few away with his thumb before tightening his grip on my hand. This is the best day of my life. If feels like hours before the priest speaks again.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife." With those words, Edmund comes up to us with a cushion with two, white-gold rings on it. Peter grabs mine and slides it onto my ring finger. I slide his onto his bare, ring finger. We both smile as soon as that's done.
"Your Majesty, you may now kiss your bride," he says, gesturing towards me with his free hand. I grin when I hear him use 'Your Majesty' instead of just Peter. I suppose it's a sign of respect. Peter gently lifts my veil and throws it over my hair so that he's free to kiss me. I feel him gently place his lips on mine then. There are quite a few little children at our wedding, Bella being one of them, so we have to keep it short and sweet. I don't mind though – as long as we get to kiss, I am happy. We pull away after about twenty seconds and just look at each other. I know what has to happen now.
Peter grabs my hand again and leads me into a little spare room with Malina, Susan, Oreius, and Edmund following us. We slowly walk up to the table and I watch as Peter grabs the quill and elegantly starts signing in all the places that the priest tells him too. He hands me the quill once he's done so that I can sign too. Once all that's over and done with, he grabs my hand and pulls me out of the room so that we can walk down the aisle. As soon as we're out of the eye of the public and into the empty hallway, we kiss passionately. Never in my entire life did I think that I would end up marrying the High King, yet, here I am, kissing him with all my heart. He pulls away after a few minutes and puts his forehead on mine.
"So, we are officially married," he says smiling at me.
"Yes, we are, and I've never been happier," I answer honestly. He grins down at me for a second before pulling away and grabbing me around the waist.
"Now we have to greet wedding guests, then we have our reception and then tonight..." he trails off and starts kissing my neck gently. As soon as he starts kissing it though, the rest of the bridal party starts to file out of the room. I blush a deep shade of red as Edmund winks at me when he walks out with Malina. I roll my eyes at him and look down just as Bella slams into me.
"Congratulations, Sissy," she exclaims as she hugs me tightly around my legs. I smile down at her.
"Thank you, honey," I thank her while I grab her underneath her arms and pick her up. I hold her on my waist so that I can talk to her while still being able to look in her eyes.
"Is it true that Petey and you are going on holidays?" she inquires while tilting her head a tiny bit. I smirk.
"Yes, it is true," I answer her. She giggles just as something occurs to me. How does she know that we're going out on holidays? I didn't tell her anything, unless...I shoot an accusing glance at Peter who's totally oblivious to us. I will talk to him later about it; there's no point in starting an argument on the best day of our lives. I turn back to Bella then. She's staring at me intently. I vaguely wonder why. "How do you know we're going on holidays?" I ask her. She smirks before shutting her mouth and zipping it closed like she did last month. "Let me guess, it's part of the secret you were telling me about earlier, isn't it?" I presume. She nods. I sigh and put her down carefully before suddenly getting tackled by all my crazy friends.
"Congratulations, Ash!" they all exclaim in unison. I smile at them and take a step away from Peter with some difficulty. I don't really want him to be knocked over by one of them. I find myself surrounded with family and friends as soon as I do though much to my excitement and dismay. Peter has managed to grab me around the waist again as we greet all the different guests. I'm over the word 'congratulations' by the end of it. Once they have all headed off to our reception, Peter spins me around so that I'm pressed up against him.
"Shall we go to our reception?" Peter asks while smiling sweetly at me. I giggle and nod my head at him.
"Okay then, but if I get tackled again when we get in there, I'll be blaming you," I agree. He laughs before grabbing my hand and pulling me down the beige hallway and to the Great Hall. We stop in front of the double doors so the guards can open them for us. As soon as they're open, we take a few steps forward until we're standing in the doorway. I gasp at the sight in front of me. It looks gorgeous. The walls are decorated with flowers and banners and the giant table in the middle of the room is full of food and drinks. There's one great big 'congratulations' as we slowly walk further into the hall. It's all so beautiful and overwhelming. "Do you like it?" Peter inquires. I turn to him with fresh tears in my eyes.
"Peter, it's ideal. I couldn't have imagined this day to be more perfect than what it already has been. Everyone's put so much effort into preparing everything for us. It's just so overwhelming!" I answer him as the tears escape their confines. He gives my hair a kiss and pulls me further in so that we can talk with our friends and family. There's a soft beat flowing throughout the room as we chat about the wedding. After a while, I hear the music change to something a lot slower. I feel Peter tap my shoulder a few times before I spin around to face him.
"Care to dance?" Peter asks while offering me his hand. I smile.
"It would be my honour, Your Majesty," I say teasingly as I curtsey. I hear him chuckle.
"No, Madam; it would be my honour to be able to dance with the most beautiful, elegant woman in this world," he corrects as he bows to me. I blush at his words while he grabs my hand and pulls me to where there are lots of guests dancing. They all stop as soon as we walk onto the dance floor and make their way to the outskirts of the hall to watch us. I put one hand on his shoulder and keep the other one intertwined with his hand as he wraps his spare arm around my waist. We start to waltz – well, sort of – to the soft music. "You know, Peter, this has been the best day of my entire life," I admit softly, smiling at him.
"I couldn't agree more. I love you," he says. I smile, my eyes watering again.
"I love you too." He leans down before capturing my lips in a long, sweet kiss. I wrap my arms around his neck and knot my hands into his hair. I don't realise how long we've been kissing for until I hear someone clear their throat from behind me, making me jump a little. Peter moves away from me and laughs when I start to pout.
"We can continue later, honey," he pretty much promises me. I sigh.
"Fine," I give in.
"Can I cut in?" I hear Edmund ask from behind me. Let's have some fun with this. I spin around with a straight face and look down at him.
"Sure, you can dance with your brother. That's fine," I say, keeping up with the charade. He looks so confused that it makes me crack up laughing.
"Yes, sure, ha, ha, ha. Very funny, big sister," he says sarcastically. I smile at him.
"Yes, you may dance with me," I say while grabbing his hand and putting my other one on his shoulder. I can't believe how tall Edmund has gotten in the past year and a bit that I've known him. It's sort of scary! I suppose he probably will be the same height as Peter when he turns eighteen. He puts his arm around my waist then, pulling me out of my thoughts.
"So, have you had a good day?" he asks conversationally. I smile down at him.
"Yes, I have. It's been the best day of my life," I answer while starting to drift off into a daydream. I suddenly catch myself before I do though. "Have you had a good day?" I ask, trying to be polite.
"It has been a good day for me, simply because I'm happy to see Peter so joyful and in love," I feel a tear come to my eye at that. Edmund doesn't seem to be the sensitive type, but when it comes to his family, he gets really excited and happy to know that they're happy. "You know, you are the first girl that Peter has ever courted," he adds on. This shocks me a little bit. I would've thought that someone as attractive as Peter would've courted lots of girls.
"I'm honoured to hear that you know Edmund," I answer. He smiles.
"You are exactly what I had hoped for a sister-in-law, Ashley," he says. I'm about to reply when I feel a familiar tap on my shoulder.
"Would you like something to eat or drink, Mrs. Pevensie?" My fiancé, wait, I mean, husband asks me in my ear. I drift to the sound of my name new name. I definitely like the sound of that.
"Yes please, Mr. Pevensie," I answer him before spinning around so that I can hold his hand with mine.
"Excuse us, Ed. We are going to go and eat. Are you coming?" Peter asks politely. Edmund nods and leads Peter and I to our seats before sitting in his own. The food is beautiful. Everything that you can possibly imagine is here; different type of meats, salads, soups, fruits, and desserts. We eat for a while and cut the wedding cake in the process. After that Edmund reads out a speech that he has prepared that ends out with the entire company in tears from laughing so hard. By the end of the reception, I'm so worn out and tired that I just want to just clonk onto bed and fall asleep, but I don't care. There's nothing that can possibly destroy my mood. Peter walks me out of the hall slowly; I can tell by the look on his face that he's completely lost in thought.
"Are you okay?" I inquire as we reach the staircase. He shakes himself free of, what I guess is, an important idea before answering.
"I'm good; actually, no, forget that, I'm great. I'm just thinking about tonight. I want it to be perfect for you." I nod and instantly feel nervous. I have never been with a boy before in an intimate sense. I have a right to be nervous about this. He must sense my nerves for he's instantaneously drawing circles on my back. "Relax." That one simple word instantly calms all my nerves.
"Sure, I'm just –"
"Ashy," I hear Bella yell out before running speedily up to us. I spin around to look at her. She has a large grin planted on her face as she comes to a dead stop in front of us. She's simply bursting with excitement. She's bouncing up and down on the spot as Peter and I both stare at her like she's crazy. "Aslan is upstairs in your hallway waiting for you," she explains, her voice a tinkle of joy and excitement. I instantly wonder what Aslan has planned for us. "Come on," she urges as she pushes us both up the staircase. Once we reach the top of the castle, Peter grabs my hand and leads me into the candle lit hallway.
I look forward, expecting to see Aslan, but all I see is the white sofa we put in and the forbidden door. I let go of Peter's hand and raise an eyebrow. It's extremely quiet. I walk further in until I'm standing at the forbidden door. I'm about to take a peek inside it when I hear the glass door being opened. I spin around to see Bella taking Peter outside on the balcony. I instantly follow after them. I want to see Aslan again. As soon as I get outside, my eyes light up and I run forward as fast as I can. In front of one of the stone railings, sitting on the ground, is the Magnificent Lion Aslan. As soon as I'm in front of him, I kneel down and bury my face into his thick mane.
"Oh, Aslan, I've missed you so much," I tell him. He smiles gently at me, once I'm looking at him again. Peter kneels down beside me then before he grabs my hand and absent-mindedly starts to draw circles on the palm of it with his thumb. It's silent for a few minutes, simply because neither Peter nor I have anything to say to him. Aslan breaks the silence first.
"Peter, Ashley, I want to give you my congratulations to start off with. I hope you both have had a magnificent day. Secondly, I would love to give you my gift. Stand up and follow me; you are both going to love this," he promises us, smiling, before standing up himself and walking back towards the door. We both follow him back into the hallway where we all make our way back over to the forbidden doorway. It's only just now that I realise that the "Do Not Enter" sign has been taken away and replaced with another sign; "Congratulations!" I smile brightly as I realise we finally get to discover the secret that has been hiding for years. "Peter, you, as Ashley's husband and the head of the household, may open the door," Aslan says. Peter lets go of my hand and leans forward, before he turns the golden handle and takes a step forward once he has pushed the door open. He freezes in the middle of the doorway as he stares ahead of him.
"Aslan, you have got to be joking around with us," he says amazed as he grabs my hand and drags me forward through the doorway. As soon as I'm standing next to him, I gape.
"Aslan, this is too much!" I exclaim in shock. I take a few steps forward into the room, trying to take in the new surroundings. "Why did you do this?" I inquire.
"Well I thought it would be appropriate to give you your own space now that you're married. I'm sure that both of you would like some privacy for the next few months," he explains. I think over what he said and instantly like his reasoning behind the great gesture.
"Well, thank you, Aslan. It's perfect for Ash and I," Peter thanks him before walking up to me and taking my hand in his. I smile at his gentle touch.
"That's quite alright, Peter. Why don't I show you both around?" Aslan suggests grinning. I nod as I take a quick glance around the room. The room is very light, no thanks to the east wall which is pretty much made up of a huge glass window which looks out towards the glistening Eastern Ocean. The walls are a light, cream colour that matches the colour of the sofa that sits in front of a welcoming-looking fireplace. There's a beautiful rug on the floor that is seated in front of the fireplace. The hard floor is made up of a dark wood which seems to illuminate the beautiful, cream, dining table that is placed in front of three long stairs. At the top of the stairs is a small light kitchen, something that we will most likely use quite often.
I glance over to the other side of the room. There are a few paintings hanging up on the wall, but mostly it's empty. I feel Peter tug on my hand before we follow Aslan to another golden door. Aslan doesn't need to ask Peter to open it this time, he just reaches his hand out and the door swings open freely. Inside is a bright, white hallway that has multiple doors leading off from it. We walk through it to the end where there's another large window placed that overlooks the waterfall and the Great River. In front of the window there's another golden door placed on the side wall. Aslan gestures towards the entrance with his paw and moves out of the way so that Peter can get us inside. Peter undoes the lock and opens it up before he gestures for me to take a step inside. I smile at the polite gesture before taking a step inside the room.
Inside is a huge bedroom; even bigger than Peter's old one. It's a very light room, due to the oversized window, with golden walls and a huge four-poster bed right in the middle of it. There's white draping that floats down to the ground surrounding the bed. The top of the bed is overflowing with gold and silver pillows. It looks very beautiful. I can tell from standing at the doorway that the draping is worth an absolute fortune. The room is absolutely covered in rose petals and pretty candles, just another reminder of what's to come. I smile as I look over to the opposite side of the room and notice that there is a beautiful painting hanging above a small, silver desk. I raise an eyebrow and let go of Peter's hand so that I can get a better look at it.
It's a painting of the beach with joyous dolphins gleefully surfing through the soft waves. There's a breathtaking sunset behind the view that consists of fiery reds, rose pinks, and bright oranges. There's something else in the picture that catches my eye though, something that causes a tear to escape and roll down my cheek. If you look in the bottom left corner of the painting closely, you can very clearly see a couple sitting on a log staring out at the view. I gasp.
"Aslan, what is this?" I ask him shocked. I hear his soft paws stroll up beside me as Peter's warm hand makes contact with my freezing cold one.
"That is a picture, Ashley. I thought you of all people would be able to see that," he replies. I can hear the smile in his voice as he says it though; just proof that he's teasing me. I groan out with impatience. Peter chuckles beside me. "Well, if you want me to be a little bit clearer, that is a picture of the evening when your husband proposed to you," he clarifies. I hear Peter take a sharp intake of breath as he notices the couple, us, as well.
"How?" I ask, amazed.
"There are some things in this world that can be explained clearly, this is not one of them though. In other terms, I have my ways." He chuckles at his own little joke as I just stand here shocked. "I thought it would be a wonderful reminder of that magical day," he adds on. I smile brightly.
"It's perfect, Aslan. I never expected you to give us our own private little house. Thank you so much!" I exclaim while kneeling down and hugging his mane. I stand up slowly once I'm done and instantly grab onto Peter's hand again. We follow Aslan out back into the hallway. I look out the window that is next to us then and instantly feel nervous again. It's night time and I know that as soon as Aslan leaves Peter and I will be all alone in our own little private corner of the castle for the night. My heart speeds up a great deal as I think over what's about to come. Peter lets go of my hand as he and Aslan start talking and walking back towards the main entry. It looks like they're having an important discussion so I hang back a little bit. As soon as they're at the other end of the hallway, I start walking.
I'm about to pass one of the other doors before curiosity gets the best of me. I stop in front of a white one and carefully open it to see what's inside. My jaw drops and I swear I almost faint! Inside is a solid gold bathroom. There's a silver and gold chamber pot in the corner of the room next to a gold sink. The other side has a large solid, silver and gold, spa bath. The walls are plain white which makes the gold stand out a great deal. That isn't what stands out though. What stands out are the hundreds of candles and rose-petals scattered around it. There is also some spiced wine with two crystal glasses sitting on one of the corners of the bath tub. My stomach does a flip. I quickly duck out of the bathroom and head for the next door which is very light yellow. I turn the handle and try opening the door, but it won't budge. I bang on it a bit harder, trying my best to be careful of my wedding dress. It doesn't move the tiniest inch. I look at the handle. There's no lock on the door. So why isn't it opening? I give up after a few more times and decide to ask Aslan later once he and my husband are finished talking. I look opposite that door and notice another one; this one's a light green. I quickly walk over to it and try opening this one too, but this one won't budge either. I walk over to a light purple one next and try that one, but to no avail. Maybe it's meant for another time? I walk over to Peter with a huff.
"What's wrong, honey?" he asks as I stand in front of him wearing a frown on my face.
"There are three doors in that hallway that refuse to open." I hear Aslan chuckling behind me and suddenly blush bright red as I realise that they're still talking. I quickly spin around to apologise before I see the smile on his gentle, lion face.
"Those doors won't open, Ashley, they're locked with magic. In fact, now that we're talking about it, this entire apartment is filled with magic. You both will find plenty of cupboards and doors in here that won't open until the time is right, but fear not, one day you will find out what everything is and will know this house back to front," he explains. I grimace.
"But, Aslan, I'm not patient enough for this!" I complain. I feel Peter's hand touch my back then before he's gently stroking up and down. I relax into his touch while smiling in contentment. It feels nice and is very soothing. I feel all my back muscles loosen up instantly. I see Aslan smile at the small gesture before he turns around.
"Well I best be leaving. I'm sure you two would like some privacy for the rest of the night," he says. I nod weakly. The butterflies in my stomach start bouncing off the walls now. "I'll see you both tomorrow." I freeze.
"What do you mean you'll see us both tomorrow?" I ask panicked. What's going on that I don't know about?
"Aslan is taking us to our honeymoon destination. Honestly, not even I know where we're going," Peter whispers in my ear, before gently placing a kiss on my neck. I close my eyes in hope of calming my nerves.
"See you tomorrow," Aslan repeats before he walks out the door. The room suddenly heats up an awful lot. I open my eyes and watch Peter as he closes the door, before ensuring that it's locked. He then turns to me smiling gently, trying to calm my nerves. I smile shakily. I'm being ridiculous. I know that, but I can't really find any way to calm down my nerves. He walks slowly forwards and grabs onto my hand.
"Are you okay, Ash? We don't have to do any –"
"NO!" I cut him off sharply. He's instantly quiet. "I'm sorry Peter, I just really want tonight to be perfect and we are going to do this and I don't care how much it hurts," I tell him. He nods and leads me carefully to the bedroom. Once we're there, he picks me up and carries me over the bedroom threshold, much to my surprise. I giggle slightly before he puts me down and closes the door. I smile as soon as he comes back to me. It's silent for a few minutes. "Um, can you please help me out of my dress?" I whisper quietly.
"Sure," he answers softly. I spin around and he gently flips my loose hair out of the way so that he can reach the buttons that hold it together. I feel him pop open the top one before he works his way down. I blush red as the beautiful dress falls down to my feet. I look down at the floor, suddenly very shy. "Did I tell you today how beautiful you looked?" I nod my head at him, but blush. He comes around in front of me and gently kisses my lips. "Well you did," he tells me smiling. I smile back at him.
"Thanks and you did look very handsome," I state. He kisses me again only this time it's a little bit more passionate. I moan into his mouth as he deepens it. And then it begins and doesn't end until the early hours of the morning.
