Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia nor any of the characters and places associated with it.


Chapter 16: Honeymoon

"Ashley," I vaguely hear a gentle voice say. I groan and roll over onto my side. I refuse to wake up. I feel way too tired to do anything. "Ash, time to get up," the voice urges. I sigh and slowly start to open my eyes. The first thing I see is my left hand with the white gold band on it. Yesterday quickly floods back to me. "Good morning, Mrs. Pevensie," my gorgeous husband greets from behind me. I immediately drift at the sound of my new name being mentioned. I definitely like the sound of that. I feel his warm arms warp around my stomach and I instantly feel safe. He pulls me in close to his chest, my back to him, and kisses the hollow of my neck. If I can wake up every morning to this, I will be very happy. "How are you feeling after yesterday?" he asks after a long, comfortable silence. I unwind his arms from around me only to turn onto my other side and wrap my own arms around his neck.

"Fantastic! A little bit sore and tired, but still good," I reply, smiling at him. He smiles his famous smile back at me and kisses the tip of my nose. "When are we going?" I ask curiously as I take a glance out the window. The sunshine is beaming in through it which makes me guess that it's already quite late.

"Alright, I'm glad. I was afraid that you would be in a lot of pain today," he says before giving me a slow and deliberate kiss on my lips. All train of thought just vanishes annoyingly. Why does he do this to me? "Half an hour to answer your question," he answers after leaning away. What was my question again? Oh! That's right.

"Okay, I'll go and get ready," I state before giving him a quick peck on the cheek and jumping off the bed. I can feel him smiling at me as I stroll casually over to the door and unlock it before turning back to look at him. "I'll meet you down stairs." He's about to conduct a reply when I slam the bedroom door and wisp over to the bathroom. I hurriedly open the door and jump in before locking it so that no one can come in unexpectedly. I quickly turn on the tap to the bath and jump in once it's full. I rest against the side of the bath and stretch out my legs. I suddenly feel very relaxed. My mind begins to drift back to last night and I automatically sigh happily. We are going to have three weeks together with no one around. This is going to be great! After about twenty minutes, I jump out of the bath, only to feel myself starting to get worried. Why am I worrying? I dry myself off quickly and put on the beautiful dress that has been laid out for me; red, such a convenient colour for a honeymoon. I roughly brush through my brown hair until it's completely smoothed out. I put it into a bun in record time and skip out of our suite and down the stairs.

"Hi, Sissy! Did you like Aslan's present?" Bella asks me as I go into her bedroom to say hello.

"Yes, I love it," I reply as I run over to her and scoop her up for a cuddle. "So was that the secret that Aslan told you about?" I inquire, raising an eyebrow to add to the effect. She shakes her head.

"That was only part of it. The real surprise is coming soon," she tells me. I groan out in impatience, before placing Bella back on the floor.

"Are you coming down with me?" I ask her. She nods and quickly grabs my hand before she begins dragging me down the staircase.

"Good morning, Ashley. Are you ready for your honeymoon?" Malina asks as we arrive down on the first floor. I'm instantly swarmed with all my friends waiting silently in anticipation. I smile.

"Yes," I say simply.

"Does anyone even know what you do on a honeymoon?" Kabella asks with a curious frown. It's tradition in Narnia that you don't actually hear about…intimate situations…until a few days before your wedding. I almost had a heart attack when I found out about intercourse. Thinking about it now though, I don't know why I had freaked out so much. It's oddly fun and extremely pleasurable.

"Well I think it's basically a getaway. You just relax, play games, swim, things like that," I respond with a smile. feel two hands on my shoulders suddenly, dragging me quickly out of my thoughts.

"Are you ready to go?" Peter whispers quietly into my ear. I nod my head and let go of Bella's little hand before turning around to face him.

"Yes."

"Good, then come along; the horse is waiting," he says winking at me in the process. I laugh. This is going to be great.

"See you all in three weeks," I say over my shoulder as Peter pulls me out of the room. Bella follows us as he leads me outside and, sure enough, there's his gorgeous, black horse waiting for us, as well as all of his siblings.

"Have fun," Edmund says suggestively as he walks up and pulls me into a bear hug. I blush. Well, it's going to be a little bit awkward when we come home I think. He might just tease us for the rest of our lives.

"Ignore him," Peter whispers in my ear as he walks past to give Lu a big hug. Edmund pulls away then, only to let Susan give me a hug.

"We are all going to miss you. I mean, seriously, three weeks! What if the castle burns down or something then what do we do?" She continues to ramble on as I pull away to go and stand by Peter. Bella jumps up into my arms then and peppers my face in little kisses.

"Stay safe, Ashy," she tells me happily before turning to look at Peter. Her face looks dead serious. "And you better look after her, Mister," she commands. I hold back a chuckle and put her back down on the floor. I kneel down to look at her in the eyes.

"We will, Bella. Don't worry; I'll see you in three weeks," I promise her. She nods.

"I'm going to miss you," she states, tears welling up in her little eyes.

"Oh, Bella!" I exclaim as I wrap my arms around her in a comforting hug. "I love you and I'll miss you as well." She smiles at me and pulls away.

"I love you too." I stand up then only for Peter to put his arm slowly around my waist and pull me quickly into his side. I sigh and put my head on his shoulder. I'm so content in this particular position that I almost cry when Peter pulls away and jumps up onto the horses back. He offers me his hand and I gracefully accept. Once I'm on, I wrap my arms securely around his stomach. I do not like being on the back of a horse. I feel really insecure, either though I know I'm perfectly safe.

"See you all in three weeks," I say before the horse starts trotting away through the town. Once we're out, we speed off like a fox through the misty forest. Hmm...Where's Aslan? He told us that he was going to lead us today, but I don't see him at all. There's nowhere out here where we could spend three weeks. Peter must sense my concern because the horse slows down at an extreme rate and he turns to face me.

"Are you okay?" he asks concerned. I nod my head. As soon as he speaks to me, I feel my insides bubble up. Three weeks alone. Seriously, am I already in Aslan's country?

"Yes, I was just curious as to where Aslan is? I thought he was going to take us to our honeymoon destination," I answer him. He smirks and gives my forehead a kiss.

"He's in front of us. I've been following him for the past ten minutes now, Ashley." My eyes widen. I look around, but, to my utter dismay, can't see him. I frown.

"I can't see Aslan anywhere." Peter smiles at me and points straight in front of the horse. I look to where he's pointing and sure enough the magnificent Lion is sitting patiently in a sunny opening, smiling at the two of us. I smile back at him widely. All concern suddenly vanishes.

"Are you ready to go again?" I nod my head and tighten my grip on him. We shoot off suddenly causing my stomach to fly up to my throat. It feels like hours before we actually slow down and eventually come to a stop. I look up and notice a huge hill, or should I say cliff face, in front of us.

"We're going up that," I ask shakily. Peter nods slowly. I gulp. There is a dirt path, but it's steep and narrow; not exactly the easiest thing to get up when you are on a horse.

"Don't worry, I'll keep you safe. Aslan wouldn't lead us up there if he knew we couldn't get up anyway. Just relax," he tells me before kissing the worry lines that are planted on my forehead. I nod and grimace at his reassurance. "Hold on tight," he says before he starts to push the horse up the steep incline. My grip tenses on Peter as I look over the edge. We are so close to it. It sort of gets me even more...scared? I look over Peter's shoulder and realise that Aslan is walking very slowly in front of us. That comforts me. He's the size of a horse so I suppose that we will be fine. After a few hours we finally reach the top of the mountain. We don't stop to have a look at the view though, we just keep going with Aslan still walking in front of us. We walk on a bit through massive rock faces. It feels like all we're going to see is rocks, well that is until we exit the rocky path and start walking along luscious, green grass.

I look around at the new surroundings in awe. It is beautiful. Everywhere you look there are flowers and bright green trees. There's a shimmering, bright-blue stream that zigzags its way through the luxurious forest. I look ahead and notice that there's a little, bright-blue pool that has a huge, shimmering waterfall dropping softly into it. The place is truly like a piece of heaven. The only sounds you can hear are the joyful birds in the trees above us and the soft drumming of the water as it falls down the waterfall. I can definitely get used to a place like this. I want to jump off the horse and run around and pick flowers and swim underneath the waterfall, but I know that this is not the time. It feels sort of formal as we trot along the stone and dirt pathway and up a gentle slope.

Aslan leads us deeper into the beautiful forest until we arrive at a meadow. I smile brightly when I notice the gorgeous cottage that's planted right in the middle of it. It looks a lot like something out of a fairy tale. It's very old and is made of large stones made out of the prettiest rock. There are vines that grow up the sides of it and circle around large square windows. The roof is thatched and it has beautiful gardens surrounding it; bright-red roses that shine in the light of the setting sun and sunflowers that grow up the plain sides of it. It's pretty much my dream home. I notice we have stopped, so I do the only appropriate thing; I jump off the horses back and run up to Aslan. I throw my arms around his neck and bury my face in his mane.

"Thank you Aslan. It's..." I can't finish my sentence; there is no word that can possibly describe this little piece of heaven.

"It's perfect," Peter finishes for me while jumping off the horse and kneeling down in front of Aslan. Perfect, doesn't even describe it. It is gorgeous!

"I'm glad you both like it. I personally made this little valley for you two. I knew you would get married and I knew that you would both like to have plenty of privacy so I designed it accordingly," Aslan explains while smiling and nodding. My eyes widen. That's another one of the images. "You are very observant, Ashley," he says smiling happily at me. It's like he just read my mind.

"What do they mean?" I ask curiously. I move in front of him so that I'm sitting cross-legged next to Peter. He grins.

"That's for me to know and you to find out," he answers. I grimace. I hate how he always uses that against me. "Anyway, apart from that matter, would you like to have a look inside?" he asks while standing up. I hadn't even noticed that he had been lying down.

"Yes!" Peter and I both answer at the same time. He chuckles and walks behind us towards the forest again. He lays half on the ground and blows one, steady breath. Suddenly there's a loud echoing noise. It sounds like something's moving. Peter and I both keep on the ground. The earth is shaking beneath us. I hear a loud bang before I feel a strong wind and then nothing. I look at Peter and notice that he's standing up. He offers me his hand and I accept quickly. As soon as I'm up, Aslan's between us, separating Peter and I.

"What did you do?" I ask inquisitively. Aslan smiles at me and then at Peter.

"I closed the cliff walls together so that you don't get any unwanted visitors popping in," he tells us. When Aslan says, 'privacy,' he means it. I smile. "Come along," he says while walking up to the front door of the house. We follow him up the stone path until we're standing behind him. "Peter, open the door please," Aslan commands politely. He does as Aslan asks and turns the golden doorknob. The door flies open to show a gorgeous, little, wooden hallway. There's a staircase, that must lead up to our bedroom, and a few other doorways in the hallway, but that's it. Aslan walks in as soon as the door is open and enters through another door on the left side.

I look at Peter and he gestures me in like a true gentleman. I accept and enter the same room that Aslan did. It's a huge lounging area with an old, stone fireplace and a comfy looking sofa. I want to jump on it, pull out a book, and sit there reading in front of the fire. It's a very light room with three large windows surrounding it. The walls are a dark-cream colour and have lots of paintings on them. The floor is wooden and shiny and there is a large bookcase up against one on the walls. "Do you like it?" Aslan asks smiling at me. I nod my head slowly, wide-eyed. It's dazzling. I feel Peter's arms snake around my waist and I smile happily.

"Aslan, it's ideal. Thank you," Peter says. It's true. It isn't so big that Peter and I will feel lost, it's just the right size for the two of us for three weeks.

"I shall leave you now," Aslan says. I frown. "This is your honeymoon; I'm sure neither of you are going to want company besides each other," he explains to us. I have to admit it, it is true. I just want to be with Peter and only Peter. I like the fact that Aslan pretty much cut us off from the rest of the world for a few weeks. It just makes everything even more romantic. "See you both in three weeks. I will arrive at nine am on the last day. Have fun," Aslan adds on before exiting our little cottage. I smile. Alone at last! Who ever knew that Peter and I would get our own little valley for three weeks? Definitely not me! I turn to face my husband. He has a soft, gentle smile planted on his gorgeous face.

"Yes, Mr. Pevensie?" I inquire a little bit more softly than I would've liked. I love his genuine smile. That smile means that he wants to do something special and memorable for me that neither of us will ever forget. That smile brought me the best first date in the universe, the most romantic engagement, and the most unforgettable wedding day of my life.

"I just thought that it would be the perfect time to look around the house," he explains gently. His idea surprises me; it isn't as romantic as it usually is. I was expecting him to lift me up and place me on the couch so that we could cuddle up together in front of the fire, but no. He wants to look around the house; not that I mind at all of course.

"Um...sure; we can do that," I stutter out, unsure of what he has planned for us. He grabs my hand then and pulls me towards a golden archway in the wall. We walk through it to discover a cosy, little, dining room. There is a little, oak dining table in the middle of the room with four seats on each side of it. A beautiful bunch of red roses in a vase adorn the middle of the table that causes the entire room to smell sweet and delicious. The walls are a dark-cream colour with a wooden border running around the middle of it. There are a few, small windows scattered around the place, which overlook the little stream and green forest outside.

Attached to the dining room is a gorgeous kitchen that is pretty much all made up of wooden cupboards and white, granite counter tops. I let go of Peter's hand and wander into the kitchen. There are an awful lot of cupboards and draws, so I do the only appropriate thing; I tear open one of the cupboards and instantly feel weak in the knees. The cupboard I open is full of sparkling, white-gold plates and bowls that are probably worth a fortune. I close it and rip open the next one. Inside is six, sparkling, crystal wine glasses. They look very expensive. I shut the door carefully and stand back up from my crouching position.

"Are you alright?" Peter asks me, his voice ringing with concern. I nod in a daze. Why are we being spoilt like this? Because you're married to the High King you idiot! No, actually, it's because Aslan loves both you and Peter like his own children and so he wants to make both of you feel special. I roll my eyes at my inner argument and walk back over to Peter. I lace my hand with his carefully and sigh.

"I'm fine, but I am very curious to see what is upstairs," I hint while absent-mindedly playing with his fingers. I look up at his face and smile innocently. He smiles back and tugs on my hand while starting to walk out of the room.

"Why don't we have a look?" he agrees readily. I chuckle and quickly follow him back out into the main hallway. We walk up the stairs together before coming to another door. I yank on the handle, evidently tearing the happy door open, and pretty much drag Peter inside like a little, puppy dog. The bedroom is fairly small compared to the one back at the castle. It has a large, four-poster bed smack bang in the centre of it with a large glass window next to it. There is a glass door on the other side of the room that leads out to what looks like a pretty balcony and two other wooden doors that I guess lead into the closet and bathroom. The walls are a dark red and seem to fit in with the style of the cottage nicely. There's a small, stone fireplace in here as well on the wall opposite the bed. Peter wraps his arms around my waist then before placing a small loving kiss on my shoulder blade. "I have to show you something," he murmurs quietly into my ear.

"What do you want to show me?" I ask curiously. I feel him smile against my shoulder as he sneakily grabs hold of my hand again.

"The balcony," he whispers before leaning away from me and taking me over to the glass door. He opens it and gestures me through. I take a step out onto it and am momentarily shocked by the view we have from our darling, little cottage. The valley is gorgeous. The colours all seem so bright, especially as the sun starts to set behind the giant, rock faces. The reds, pinks, greens, and blues are a lot more pronounced here than they are back in Narnia (for I'm absolutely certain that we're no longer in, what is considered to be, Narnia). From up here the roaring stream is just a little squiggly line running through the green forest and the waterfall is just a slight streak of bright-blue falling off the rock face. The forest starts turning a dark shade of purple as the sun sinks low beyond the horizon.

Peter wraps one of his strong arms around my waist then and gently pulls me over to a small, wooden love seat that is planted along the old, stone wall. I cuddle into his chest as the bright, white stars start to emerge in the now black sky. I sigh happily before I feel a kiss on the back of my hand. "Are you cold?" he inquires as he strokes my back slowly. Now that he mentions it, I do feel awfully frosty. My arms and legs are both covered in a thick layer of goose bumps and I can feel my body starting to shake automatically. My teeth chatter then, patently answering his question. I feel airborne all of a sudden as he picks me up bridal style and carries me back into the warm lodge. The goose bumps subside almost instantaneously as we walk down the stairs and sit on the sofa together. The fire's warmth is extremely pleasant as I nestle deeper into Peter's shoulder. A peaceful silence follows as we sit huddled up together. I hear a rumble fill the room then and automatically look down towards my stomach, which is still happily grumbling away. I giggle quietly to myself before looking up at Peter's amused expression.

"Can we please have something to eat?" I request, suddenly starving to death. He chuckles and pushes me off him so that he can stand up.

"What would you like, love?" he asks me, while smiling gently. I think about it for a millisecond before deciding.

"Salmon with a side of salad?" I solicit. He nods and quickly leaves the room to go and make our dinner. Sudden butterflies flutter around in my stomach, causing me to feel nervous. Something is going to happen while we're away. I can feel it in the depths of my bones. I instantly feel scared for Bella and the rest of the Pevensies. What if Starstone comes back to hurt them? I contemplate that thought for a while before Peter comes back out carrying two, white-gold plates, both full of fish and salad. The butterflies and my worries all flutter out the door instantly. My tummy grumbles again as Peter hands me my plate. I thank him before instantly digging into the delicious meal.

If there's one thing that I have learned since Peter's arrival in Narnia, it's that he can cook the most pleasurable meals in such short periods of time. Everything he makes is always so delicious! I finish my dinner at the same time as Peter and grab his plate so that I can put them in the kitchen. Once I have done that, we walk upstairs together before quickly slipping into our pyjamas. I slide into the cold bed first and instantly regret it. The sheets against my satin covered body are absolutely freezing. I feel my skin burst out with goose bumps again as I start shivering. Peter notices instantly and pretty much leaps into bed and wraps his arms around my waist effectively before pulling me into him so that I'm lying on his chest. My shivering calms down an extreme amount as I notice how warm his body is. I curl up on his torso and wrap my arms around his back in an effort to steal away all his body heat. His grip on me tightens a tremendous amount as I do it effectively warming me to the bone. I take one of my hands away from his back then before inattentively drawing random patterns on his chest. My eyes grow wide as I only just notice that he doesn't have a shirt on.

"Why are you staring at my chest like that, Ashley?" he asks curiously. I look up at his face only to discover that he has raised an eyebrow and is staring down at me expectantly.

"Because I only just realised that you're shirtless," I answer him dreamily while dragging my finger nails in patterns along his chest lightly. He chuckles and quickly gives my lips a loving kiss before laying back and closing his eyes.

"Mmm...fair enough," he replies softly. His voice sounds awfully dreary though and it's only just now that I notice the large, black bags under his eyes. He looks extremely tired and I vaguely wonder if I look the same. Either though mentally I'm wide awake, physically I can feel my body drifting in and out of consciousness.

"Are you tired?" I question simply. He smiles weakly and nods.

"Ashley, we didn't get to sleep until four-thirty this morning and we've had a long day. I think we're both in need of a little bit of rest." I know he's right. I can feel my eyelids closing more and more every second. Everything's becoming a lot more dream like.

"Yes, I know," I whisper softly while planting a quick kiss on his chest. I hear him sigh, so I look back up at him.

"I love you," he says as he drags me up a little bit to give me a kiss on the lips. I smile against his lips.

"Hmm, I love you too," I hum against his lips. He chuckles a little bit and softly pulls away from me. I snuggle back into his chest as he pulls the covers fully over us and close my eyes, instantly letting sleep overcome me.