Story: What you Leave Behind…
Author: The Evil Pink Squirrel of Doom
Summery: Vienna (Edmunds wife) contemplates the past and the future.
Disclaimer: I do not own, I wish I did imagine the royalties.
Author's note: Thanks to all who have reviewed they really do make me feel good. A special thanks to my beta Morohtar. What your doing is absolutely wonderful, and I would be lost without you.
The Last to Come, Perhaps the First to go
Vienna bid the general good night and entered her chambers. At first she went to change into her own
night clothes but instead she found herself reaching for one of her husband's shirts. Gently she slid it upon
her lithe form. She slowly wandered into the actual bedchamber and smiled at the bed, there laid three
children, gorgeous children, children who were presently without a father.
Vienna sighed, Edmund would return home - he had to, although each moment that passed there was less
of a chance of ever seeing the crowns of Narnia again. She knew Oreius was taking it extremely hard,
blaming himself for not riding out with the siblings, for not protecting the monarchs he pledged his life to,
especially his wife. He had the entire Narnian army out searching, keeping only enough soldiers at the
castle to protect the royal family.
Mariska, dear sweet Mariska, was due anytime and yet she was running around demanding more and
more ships of the navy be sent out to search for her husband. Her father was supposed to be sending a
small fleet to help in the search. Vienna's own mother had sent word that within the week there would be
two hundred of her home kingdom's best blood hounds arriving at Cair Paravel to help.
Tumnus, on the other hand, appeared to be the most lost and confused. It was well known the this was
among the faun's worst fears. He had taken the news of his wife's disappearance with little emotion,
although she knew his heart had been breaking. He had joked perhaps that perhaps she was reliving her
childhood, playing hide and go seek.
It was difficult with the children, the younger ones simply assumed their parents had gone off to some
conference across the sea and would return within a month or two. The older ones however were not so
easily deceived. Cleopatra, Koen, and Hestia were quick to realize that something was gravely wrong.
Never before had such a search been launched, and never before had other nations been asked for such
help. Narnia had never asked for anyone's help to begin with, unless it was to aid in a war of their allies,
thus protecting several members of the Narnian army from having to leave the homeland. Vienna allowed
herself to sit in a reading chair close to the bed where her three young children slept.
She was the last to marry into the family. She could recall Edmund being given a hard time about that
when they had first begun courting but not by his sister Lucy. There had been such a grave
misunderstanding just prior to when they had begun their courtship. It truly had not been anyone's fault,
at least that's what she told herself. In reality her father had hoped she would wed the general of the
Narnian army, to help strengthen human/centaur relations in his own kingdom. Thus in order to gain his
country's help in a war against the tragirlands he had requested that General Oreius entertain his
daughter. It had been simple enough to convince the centaur general. Her father had begun by saying she
had a crush on the general, and that he would refuse his nation's help if the general told her he was
already wed to a queen. "Simply give her a few good memories of her first crush general, then you will be
gone, and you will never see her again. You need not even kiss her, just allow her your arm to dinner,
take her for a walk among our black sand shores." What her devious father had not told the general
however, he was trying to set them up to be caught in a compromising situation by his wife, Queen
Susan. It was only after Queen Susan had nearly assaulted her within the halls of her father's castle when
she came for a surprise visit at Vienna's father suggestion, that her father's plans came to light. Oreius had
not been fond of the idea but went along with it, in order to gain the help their allies required. It had
taken him only the trip back to Narnia and a couple days at Cair Paravel to convince Susan of his fidelity
and commitment to their marriage. From there on out the marriage had been perfect, which it normally
was between the centaur and Queen. From Vienna's understanding, Susan had only questioned Oreius's
love once, and the fight that followed concluded in him disappearing for two days from the castle, only to
return in the middle of the night and cause a right spot of gossip around the kingdom, when he
supposedly entered the Queens bedchambers without a chaperone. That incident had of course been
several years prior to her arrival in Narnia, and even a couple months prior to the marriage of Susan and
Oreius.
Edmund and her own courtship had been rather boring in comparison, although none of the royals had
anything close to rocky marriages, or courtships. Susan and Oreius had only fought twice, once because of
her, another time for a reason all Susan ever did was blush when asked about. Lucy and Tumnus fought
only in the months prior to the courtship, a time when Lucy had not even been old enough to court.
Peter and Mariska fought about things of state, but once they left the office of the High King they were
once again joyful. Edmund and her own marriage was like everyone else's. Each couple bickered over
stupid things, Susan never liked it when Oreius planned and/or went to battle, Mariska was driven insane
by Peter's refusal to take long vacations, or leave at the drop of a hat for a romantic night alone, Lucy
despised Tumnus's reluctances to show affection around others, and she herself was driven absolutely
insane by Edmund's constant need to know exactly what was going on in his lands no matter the time of
day.
Vienna smiled, biting back tears, those little quirks had been something that although all the women had
complained about to one another, their husbands were their worlds, along with the children.
She recalled when Edmund had asked her father for her hand in marriage. Her father had been thrilled at
the idea, what could be better then the general of the Narnian army if not a king of Narnia who had helped
to defeat the White Witch, and was hand-picked by the Great Lion. Of course the wedding had taken
place in mid-summer at Cair Paravel. She had always known her marriage would be a thing to behold, but
she could never have imagined what it would really be. She had been so happy, and it had been followed
by the birth of Hestia only a year later. Edmund had spoiled their eldest with attention, and love. But
when Avidan had been born two years after Hestia, he had been ecstatic. He had run up and down the
halls of Cair Paravel screaming 'I have a son, I have a son', he would stop every so often, usually when
he'd spotted a friend and say 'you have a new prince, you have a new prince. I have a boy, his name is
Avidan.' Then he'd go back to what he was doing, running about and reeking havoc. The young Princess
Billie had been born just three winters before, she was daddy's ultimate little girl. She would go up and
climb on him during meetings with the officers of the navy, or even every once in awhile while the
monarchs held court and she was able to slip past the normally quick eye of Mrs. Beaver. Often times she
could be found taking her afternoon nap in her father's study, Edmund sitting next to the small girl on the
couch, drinking a glass of wine, and reading over reports. Billie's head would be on his lap, and often
times she had entered the room to find out that Edmund had gotten her to sleep by reading the reports to
her.
Vienna stood, and slipped into the large bed beside her youngest daughter. Carefully she wrapped her
arms around the toddler and laid there. She did not get much sleep that night, and was left wondering
where her beloved was, what he was doing, when he would return to her, and what would happen if he
never did.
If Peter never returned what would Mariska and the children do?
If Susan never returned, well she didn't want to consider what Oreius was likely to do, nor Riordan and
Gavyn…
If Lucy never returned what would Tumnus do, his life had been centered around the youngest queen
since before the Pevensies were crowned by Aslan.
What would she do if Edmund never came home, what would happen to their young children?
What would happen to Narnia is the Pevensies never returned?
Vienna only knew, that she had a feeling that she didn't want to find out.
PLEASE REVIEW, it only takes a moment and can brighten someone's whole day. Please though no flames, I really can't take it anymore.
Author's Note: I am going to do a fic about the 'misunderstanding' and another perhaps about Oreius and Susan's courtship after I finish both 'What you Leave Behind', and 'Footprints in the Sand'. Thanks once more to everyone for reading.