Where the Sidewalk Ends
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except Kristen, my very own, customize as you wish character.
Chapter Nineteen: Clean Up in Aisle 5
((Sorry about the wait! I want to update sooner but I'm struggling to find the write words in which I want to communicate what's going to happen! Here it is))
"Oh"
Peter couldn't look at her. Not after everything that had happened. He'd finally been able to spend time with her and get to know her better before Aslan dropped the news. He'd gotten to hold her. Touch her. Kiss her. And then he had all of that ripped away from him.
"I never knew. Aslan told me yesterday when he finalized he plans with her father" he said as he finally brought his eyes to her.
She was looking at him with a profound sense of either confusion, hurt, pain or a even combination of all 3. Her eyes were glassing over and the tears glistened off the sunlight that was shining bright above their heads. The two of them were standing out in the rose garden, where the wind was presently dancing in Kristen's curly brown hair, the sun bearing down on them.
"You sure its to her?" she asked, her voice in a bear whisper, but holding the strongness she always had. The wind then ruffled around their knees, causing it to play with the hem of her knee length pink and green sundress. Her long hair waves in soft curls and her eyes seemed to be sparkling, up until only seconds ago when Peter had broken the news.
"I'm positive"
"Oh"
He took a hesitant step towards her, his eyes carefully watching hers, and when she didn't retract, he walked all the way towards her and held her in his arms. She stood numbly in place and didn't wrap her arms around him. Her eyes bore into the palace and then she pushed him away, mumbling something about not wanting to make any more trouble.
"I'm so sorry" he said, leaning towards her to kiss her. Instead of leaning in, she moved her face out of the way and his lips met her cheek instead.
"I'm not going to be the other girl. If you're going to marry her, then marry her. I can't...won't be able to stay in your life" she said as she walked back up to the castle slowly, leaving him to contemplate his life.
Slowly, she took steady steps up to the castle and as she was greeted by the playful voices of Lucy and Edmund, she began to walk to her bedroom. Up one step. Up one step. Up one step.
"Kristen? Kristen, what's wrong?" Lucy asked tentatively, carefully watching the stone, hard features of her almost sister. They could tell something was wrong. But what it was, was beyond them.
"Your brother is getting an arrange marriage" she said steadily, her voice monotone.
As she walked silently to her bedroom, the fact that everything was going to change started to sink in, and the tears began to roll silently down her face. She was no longer allowed to hug, or kiss, or touch him anymore. She was no longer allowed to call him her's. He now belonged to some skank from down south. He now belonged to Isabel.
He sat silently on a concrete bench. He, in 3 days, 4 hours and 6 minutes, would have a wife. He'd have a wife he didn't even want. He'd have a wife he would never learn to love.
"Tell me she's joking Peter!" Lucy said giddily, but scared as his two youngest siblings joined him in the rose garden. They both had pained expressions on their faces, but Edmund looked more angry then upset. He looked livid, actually.
"She's not joking" he replied softly, turning his eyes to the roses instead of his family. Lucy let out a cry, similar to that of a cat and Edmund had to fight back the urge to punch the daylights out of his brother.
"So you're going to sit there like a coward and just take it? You bitched and bitched to me back in the day that you weren't a coward and were just following Aslan's orders and now you're sitting here like a pathetic little girl taking this?" Edmund said, nudging his brother violently as he stepped infront of his older brother.
"Shut up Edmund" Peter said tiredly, not wanting to feel even worse about the situation.
"No you shut up. You're a coward, through and through. Yeah, Aslan is who we take our orders from. And we love him to death for being so kind and protective of us. But sometimes, we're owed an explanation or we speak up. Me, Lucy and Susan do it. You're the only one that takes shit sitting down" Edmund said loudly to his brother, letting off the rage of everything out.
Lucy gasped as she heard his brother swear, but stayed silent.
"He has his intentions" Peter said, his voice ghostly and empty. Aslan always had intentions.
"Fuck intentions Peter! Had it been the old you, you know you wouldn't have been so calm about it all. Mum always said we had to find the right girl for us to marry. And the right girl for you is sitting up in her bedroom right now, probably crying her eyes out. Mum and Dad loved each other Peter. You can't say you don't want that"
"I never said I didn't want that! God Edmund, sometimes you're so immature. Ever think Aslan may be right in arranging my marriage? We can't say whether or not this is 'what Mum wanted'. Mum's not here, is she?" Peter replied sharply, glaring as his younger brother.
Both Lucy and Edmund looked at him with looks of disparage and disbelief.
"Who are you?" Edmund whispered, before turning and heading back up to the castle, Lucy in tow.
Even Peter was starting to wonder that.
"Kristen we need to get ready, the ball starts in an hour" Susan said gently, knocking on her bedroom doors. Susan had been filled in on everything by Aslan and although she protested it, she had been put in charge of arranging the banquet and ceremony tonight. No matter how much she argued with Aslan about it, the wedding was going on. No ifs, no ands, no buts.
"I'm ready already. I'm ready for this wedding shower((A/n-it's a wedding shower, not the wedding))from hell" Kristen said as she opened the door. Susan gasped softly and looked at Kristen, who looked simply stunning. She was wearing an elegant black dress that went all the way to the floor and hung onto her chest and middle instead of her shoulders, leaving her neck and arms strap free. The dress was simple, but was cut and made as if Kristen was the only person allowed to wear it. A pretty diamond necklace framed her neck and her hair was down, the curls tumbling all over her shoulders. She was wearing some make up, but kept it to a minimum with only black eyeliner and mascara. In short, she looked gorgeous.
"More to a funeral then a wedding I guess?" Susan asked mockingly, receiving one of Kristen's signature chuckles in return.
"You look fantastic Su, you really do" Kristen said as they exited her bedroom. The music of Narnia was echoing hauntingly off the hallway walls as they proceeded down stairs.
Susan smiled. She was wearing a pretty off the shoulder red dress that went just below her knees and red shoes. Since weddings were special occasions, the Royal family didn't have to wear Narnia apparel and all of them took full advantage of that. Susan's hair was straight , with newly cut bangs clouding her eyes adorably. She did look fantastic.
They both took breaths and instead of entering the hall, dived to the right and into the Crown room where the other Pevensies were waiting for them.
They all stopped to look, Peter and Edmund's jaws dropping like in those Droopy dog cartoons. Lucy squealed and ran over to Kristen, giving her a huge hug around her middle. The little girl was wearing and adorable pink gown with its own matching purse. Kristen laughed and then looked up at the boys. Unfortunately, they both still had to wear their Narnian approved robes, Peter in navy blue and Edmund in forest green, respectfully.
"You look beautiful Kristen" Edmund said, coming over to give her a hug. She returned it gratefully and smiled, before going over to the cabinet and putting her designated crown on her head. It was just as she remembered it, the strands of silver running through representing the wind and tiny diamonds and sapphires encrusted throughout. As she tired to place it on her head, a pair of warm hands met hers and placed it correctly atop her curly head. She didn't need to be told who's hands they were.
"Thanks" she mumbled as she smiled reluctantly and looked at him. She wasn't surprised to see his eyes full of sorrow and regret. He didn't want this to happen almost as much as she did.
"If none of us want this to happen, then why should he half to go through with it?" Lucy whined loudly, breaking the awkward silence.
"You can't argue with Aslan Lu. You know what as well as we all do" Susan replied effortlessly, as if the answer was automatic. It was, considering she had been telling herself that all day.
"We should get out there. Don't want to keep Isabel waiting" Kristen said with a small, but fake smile. Suddenly, the room exploded with anger.
"WHAT? SINCE WHEN? SHE'S THE ONE YOU'RE MARRYING?" Susan yelled, shocking the living day lights out of everyone in the room. Yelling was Edmund's department, and Susan never yelled.
"Aslan didn't tell you?" Kristen inquired, her ears ringing from the silence now happening.
"NO HE MUST HAVE CONVENIENTLY FORGOTTEN. SHE'S A MENACE! SHE'S AN ARROGANT, IGNORANT, SNOBBY, LITTLE WITCH. YOU'RE HONESTLY GOING TO MARRY HER? AFTER WHAT SHE DID TO YOU?" Susan yelled, her voice reaching volumes not known to man.
Peter nodded dully. They all watched as Susan wound up and gave him the hardest slap she could muster. They all gasped in surprised.
"Mark my words. If you marry her, Kristen won't be the only thing you loose Peter" Susan said in a furious whisper. With that, she grabbed her crown and exited the room, slamming the door with her. One by one, they all left silently, leaving Peter alone. He grabbed his crown, pyt it on his head and walked out, not even looking in the mirror to check his reflection. He was so ashamed, he couldn't even look at himself right now.
"Oh! Susan! Or should I said Soon To Be Sister In Law!" Isabel shrieked, scampering half way cross the crowded hall floor to greet the 4 Pevensies, sans Peter.
"Get away from me" Susan replied coldly, shaking off Isabel's attempt to hug her.
"Oh now now, let's not be mean. I will be your older sister soon" Isabel replied, her voice clearly showing that Susan was testing her patience.
"You will never ever, ever, ever, ever EVER, be my older sister," Susan said, her eyes narrowing to slits of blue, glaring at Isabel.
"I've tried to be nice, I really have. But once I'm married to Peter I'll be sure to make your life and the lives of all your other annoying little siblings a living hell" Isabel said threateningly, her green eyes glaring back into Susan's blue ones.
"Oh hell no. Look, Isabel. This would the point in the conversation where I say something really mean to you, and then you run off and cry. But why don't we just cut all that out and you leave with your dignity intact, ok?" Kristen interrupted, stepping in front of Susan. She was more the ready to give this girl a talking to.
Isabel scoffed, rolling her eyes and then looked back at Kristen. Suddenly everything clicked.
"Oh so you're the girl Peter dumped for me?" Isabel asked with a fake sense of innocence.
"I'm not sure you're feeling me on this one Isabel. I'm not ready yet to have to deal with you, so I suggest you leave before this gets any uglier" Kristen warned, her voice equally as threatening as Isabel's. As Isabel opened her mouth to retort, Kristen gave her an expectant look that had 'Bring it on' all over it. Isabel then proceeded to stalk off, the gauzy blue material from the dress she was wearing floating after her.
Sure, Kristen was losing a boy that she'd learned to love. But she wasn't going down without a fight.
((A/n– FINALLY A LONG CHAPTER! GAHH! I toyed with the idea of Kristen falling out of Narnia and then back in, but it all seemed very two toned. So here's this chapter, very fluffy but very important. Thanks for the patience you guys, now please press the GO button at the bottom left hand of the page and review it, m'k?))