1Where the Sidewalk Ends

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

Chapter Twenty One: I'd rather marry you

((I know, sorry for the delay. Promise to make it up to you with this chapter! Thanks again to all the reviewers, you all keep me sane. Seriously, if I didn't have this story and people fuelling me to write, I wouldn't be doing it! So thanks!))

P.s-I've written in Susan's reflection. I hardly ever mention the Pevensies, so one by one they'll each be getting a few paragraphs of their beliefs and what not. Enjoy!

She looked at him. He looked at her. And without words, he gently took her into his arms and held her. He knew before any words were said what the result of the consultation with Aslan would be. And it killed him that he'd still have to marry the wretched girl. But it killed him even more to see Kristen so sad. He was used to the carefree Kristen; the one who would spontaneously start baking cookies or play games with his siblings. But ever since the marriage had become known to everyone, Kristen a long with the 3 other Pevensies had lost their lust for life. They no longer wanted to be King and Queens of Narnia. They wanted to be a family again.

"I'll always be here for you" he whispered into her ear as she pulled back to face him. With one look into her dark brown eyes, he felt as if his heart had been wrenched from his body and been repeatedly stomped on. Gently, he brushed a strand of her dark brown hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear, never taking his eyes off of hers. Slowly, she leaned towards him and brushed her lips against his, letting the kiss last for a tad bit longer then it should have. He kissed her back with the same amount of gentleness, knowing very well that this may be the last time he ever got to kiss her. She pulled away, but linked her hands against the back of his neck while his hands found their way to her waist. She pulled him closer.

"I don't want you to marry her" she mumbled to him, closing her eyes as if to savor the moment. They both knew it would be their last.

He sighed silently to himself. Searching for the words, he finally found the right way to articulately say what he had been dying to tell her.

"I'd rather marry you"

Ok, so his vocabulary wasn't the largest, but by the way she reacted, he knew his words had impacted her the way he wanted. With his heartfelt phrase, he had communicated to her how deep his love for her went.

She didn't say anything in response. Rather, she looked into his eyes to find the slightest trace of a lie or deceit. When she found none, she leaned in and pulled him towards her, letting her lips crash passionately onto his. He was slightly stunned by her forwardness, but before he could return the favour the door creaked open and an annoying voice filled the library.

"Now Peter, I thought you were my fiancé?" Isabel asked with a fake innocence to her voice as she shut the door and marched over to them. She wrenched the pair apart, throwing Kristen violently into the nearest bookcase. A sickening thud rang out in the silence and she felt as if a white hot blade had been pressed against her scalp. She blinked a few times as the world around her went back, only to reappear seconds later. Massaging her head, she looked up to find Isabel kissing Peter, making it clearly evident that her tongue was shoved in his mouth by the disgusting slopping noises she was making. It hurt her a bit, but she could tell Peter wasn't enjoying it.

He pushed her away and looked at her with pity. All the blonde haired, green eyed girl did to reply was snicker.

"Oh please. You loved it Peter. At least I kissed you with passion" Isabel sniped, emphasizing the last word while throwing an amused yet annoyed glance at Kristen. The Queen continued to massage her head but walked over to them slowly, since the world was still slightly spinning from her collision with the bookcase.

"You wouldn't know passion if it put on a tea cosy and danced infront of you" Kristen retorted back as the room became still again. Her head still throbbed, but she brought her hand down and brushed her bangs out of her face, her eyes staring threateningly into Isabel's, waiting for a challenge.

Isabel stayed silent for a second, but then threw her hair over her shoulder and walked towards the door, her nose held in the air.

"Doesn't matter. There will be plenty of time for us to get to know passion when we're married, Peter. There will be lots of time for us to really understand what passion means" Isabel hinted suggestively as she turned the brass door knob and stalked into the hall, throwing the door shut as she left. Once again it left the two in silence.

"It's no use" Kristen mumbled as Peter threw an arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek. He wanted out of his arranged marriage just as much as she did, but there is only so much one can do when up against the single handedly most powerful force in Narnia. There was only so much Peter and Kristen could do when up against Aslan.

--

Susan had always been the wallflower of the family, but at the same time, she was also the diplomat of the family. She'd always been the one who kept things calm and serene, even in the most desperate times. It was her responsibility to keep her family in check, and make sure things stayed reasonably calm. But lately, that responsibility of her's had gone to the dogs. Everything had changed, including her older brother Peter. He was suppose to protect them. But instead he was having his heart pulled and pushed by women. He had lost that lust for rights and freedoms, and instead was living a life he had been told to live. She had failed.

But as she looked at her brother how, his arm around the girl he deserved to be with, she had an odd sense of pride. It didn't take a genius to figure out what Kristen and Peter were talking to Aslan in private about. That and the fact that Mr. Tumnus had immediately found her and told her everything he had heard Kristen say. Peter was finally standing up for something he believed in; something he believed was right. She guessed that the result probably wasn't the one they had all hoped for however, since Kristen and Peter looked anything but ecstatic, but at least he had made his point known. He finally had grown a backbone. And she, for the first time in a while, was really proud to call him her brother.

--

"I'm sorry Peter. I really am," Edmund said as he clapped a hand on his older brother's shoulder. Instead of going back to the party, as soon as Kristen and Peter emerged from the library, the 3 other Pevensies had swept them upstairs and into their bedrooms and telling them to change before gathering back into Peter's bedroom. They all sat on the floor infront of a roaring fire, letting the burning logs reflect into their eyes with an eerie glow.

His eyes flickered slightly in acknowledgment to his younger brother, but he remained silent. His situation was just too bleak for words, and frankly, he had nothing to say. There was nothing to say.

"She's horrible. She's going to ruin this entire palace!" Susan exclaimed in a hushed voice, but none the less getting the point across that she was mad.

"Not necessarily Su. We're all ordained royalty, meaning its official. She'll only marry into the family, and yes she'll gain the title Queen, but she'll have no power. Trust me, there's no way I'm letting that wench run this castle. She's seriously mistaken if she thinks she's going to do that," Kristen said abruptly as she grinned at Su. Immediately everyone perked up.

"Serious? So I won't have to listen to her?" Lucy asked rather excitedly, the sound of her loud voice causing them all to jump.

Kristen laughed and ruffled the little one's brown hair and smiled.

"If anything, she'll need to listen to you!" Kristen exclaimed, sending them all into random fits of hardcore giggles.

For the rest of the night, they sat around and told jokes and stories, and at the same time, they bonded. It reaffirmed everyone's beliefs that Kristen, although not by blood, was indeed a member of their family. She was their sister and friend.

And something even more to the Eldest King of Narnia

((Author's Note- ok, ok I know. TOOK ME LONG ENOUGH. But hey, a girl has other things on her mind, like school for instance. I loved March Break. Why can't it be March Break again? Thanks for all the reviews. Fluffy chapter, but hey. Not every chapter can be perfect! Review it, m'k?))