Where the Sidewalk Ends

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except Kristen, my very own, customize as you wish character.

Chapter Fourteen: Nice Try

((I got like a ba-gillion reviews on the last chapter. Is this really THAT good of a story? Maybe I underestimate my writing capabilities. Thanks to everyone for their kind words. Keep on reviewing and I'll keep on writing))

There she was. Standing down in the courtyard like it was no bodies business. Her long, flowing blonde hair was dancing in the wind as a gust of the spring air blew it upwards. The sun caught it and reflected it's golden rays straight to his eyes but for the first time, he didn't find himself in a trance because of her. He remained completely normal, his heart keep it's beat and his breathing remaining regular. For the first time, Isabel had no affect on Peter. Even with her golden hair in the curls that he loved, he found himself looking at her without a single sense of yearning. He had someone else now. Someone else that was twice the person she'd ever be.

"How pathetic can you get Peter? Honestly, I swear." Edmund muttered as he joined his older brother at the window. One glance downward and Edmund found what Peter was looking at. Down in the courtyard, strategically placed close to Peter's bedroom window was Isabel, who looked delightful in a pink and green sundress. She playfully smelt the flowers and then glanced upwards to the window, waving and smiling at the Pevensie males. Peter smiled politely; Edmund threw her a look of disgust.

"Nah it's not like that anymore Ed. I'm done with her," Peter said as he stepped away from the window and exited the room. Isabel had arrived minutes ago and Peter was contemplating whether or not to talk to her. He didn't know if he could resist her charm face to face, but he had to find out soon or later.

"Right and I'm the King of England," Ed replied sarcastically, his dark eyes rolling in scepticism. He knew his brother better then anyone and Peter had been obsessed with Isabel for over 2 years. What could possibly make his brother get over 'the girl of his dreams' so fast?

"Come with me then. Come and watch me resist her as I finally say good bye" Peter said as they descended down the stairs. They walked silently into the courtyard where Isabel scampered over and greeted Peter with and overly friendly hug, while Edmund got a cold smile.

"I was wondering if I could talk to Peter alone" she asked Edmund in a sickly, sweet voice that Kindergarden teachers use with their toddler students. Edmund raised his eyebrows and looked at Peter, who nodded once in dismissal. Edmund backed away but kept his focused on the pair, waiting for the sign that would signal his brother's weakness. Isabel linked her arm with Peter's as they strolled down the path and sat down in the gazebo in which she had first told him everything only nights ago. She took a breath in and looked into his eyes, batting her eyelashes a few times to get his attention. Once she was sure she had it, she started into her monologue of a speech.

"Look I know that you'll probably never forgive me but I've been a wreck without you. I can't sleep, I can't eat, I can't have fun. I know I said it was all a lie but really, I was just lying to myself. What I felt for you was real…I needed to deny it for myself because I've always had this reputation of being a party animal and the thought of settling down and actually having a serious relationship scared me. So what I guess I'm trying to get at is…would you ever possibly think that maybe we could have another chance? You know…be a couple again?" she said in one, foul swoop.

He wasn't surprised. He suspected that she would do this. She lied about her love for him. She faked feeling sad when he turned away. And she was lying again, straight to his face. He was smart enough to know that she wasn't the type of girl to get hung up on a guy, and word had gotten around of her current situation. Her father had disowned her. Her other Prince had run away with another women. Her mother had been caught having an affair with a centaur. Her family was breaking apart, and if they got back together, the publicity they would create would be fantastic for her image. But he was smarter then that.

"Wow" he said honestly as he tilted his head to the side. He examined her face and then smiled at her, brushing one of her curls out of her face. He felt genuinely sorry for her, because what she was going through with her family wasn't fair. But he was also angry that she thought so little of him.

She grinned. Her plan had worked. She batted her eyelashes, pretended to be honest and he'd fallen right into her trap. He was so easily manipulated.

"You almost had me there Isabel. I felt like you were being honest but then I looked into your green eyes and like always, they screamed a lie. Thanks Isabel, but no thanks. I've moved on," he said as he patted her knee and got up, leaving her alone to contemplate her thoughts. He walked all the way back to Edmund who was nodding and smiling at him in appreciation. Sometimes, Edmund really looked up to his older brother. And now was one of those times.

"Piece of cake" Peter said as they high fived and went back up to the 4th floor. Lucy and Susan were playing a game in the common room and Peter and Edmund joined them. Peter sat down and looked at his siblings and without warning, he blurted out what he had been dying to say.

"I've been thinking about it and I've realized how stupid I've been for not noticing Kristen…and I've thought even more about what I'm going to do when she gets back"

They all froze, their heads snapping to look at him. Lucy dropped the cards she was holding. Susan dropped the dice she was holding. Edmund dropped his jaw.

"So she's the girl that replaced Isabel?" Edmund spluttered, looking around for an explanation. Since when had Peter changed his mind about Kristen? What had changed his mind?

Peter thought about it for a second. Had his feelings for Kristen replaced his feelings for Isabel? He was now able to sit in Isabel's presence and not be intoxicated by her smell or look. He could talk to her without being tantalized by her hair or eyes. But he was waiting for the day that he could look at Kristen and have all the insecurities of a crush come flooding back to him. He was dying for the day in which he'd look at her and shee her in a different light. He was waiting patiently, but he knew that there might be a possibility that the day would never come. He knew that there was a chance that she would never come back. If he had to go back in time to do one thing over, it would be his decision to not go after her. You never really knew what you got till it's gone.

"Yeah. She has"

The sun seeped through the tent and cast a gentle, warm blanket on her, which was a comforting feeling since she was still very injured. She opened her eyes a few times and then snapped to attention, her surroundings not being the same ones she last remembered them. She had fallen unconscious in the forest and now she was lying neatly in a bed with bandages around her stomach where she had been wounded. Her eyes spun around to each corner of the tent as her heart started to beat. Had Baldur found her? Had her ridiculously un-thought out plan actually worked?

"Miss? Can I speak to you for a moment?" a masculine voice called from outside the tent. Startled, she covered herself from head to toe in the blankets before calling him in.

"Y…yes" she replied shakily, waiting in agony to see who it was. Her eyes gaped at the sight of the man as he entered and walked over to her, sitting at her bedside, looking at her with sympathy. His greasy black hair was tied back and his scruffy face was riddled with small scars from battle. Beady black eyes looked at Kristen hungrily and she recoiled in her covers, pulling them even close to her.

"I am Baldur, powerful Wizard and the true High King of Narnia" he said calmly. She fought the urge to lash out and argue with him but stopped, giving him a fake, quizzical look.

"Wh…where?" she stuttered again, putting on her fake I-have-no-idea-where-the-hell-I-am act. He smiled and she felt a wash of relieve come over her. He'd bought her fake innocent act. It was smooth sailing from here on in.

He smiled. So he had been accurate in his guess-imation of her plan. She fakely denied having any idea where she was and now he could toy with her as he wished. It was smooth sailing from here on in.

Someone's getting played!

((Author's Note: This chapter sucks because I'm on writer's block. I know how things are going to play out but I'm having trouble figuring out the small details. Sorry about the bad and short chapter. Keep reviewing! It means a lot and I promise to get things more interesting soon!))