Ok, well I'm not quite as pleased with this chapter as I was the last one. I wasn't really going for any particular thing with this one, I just kind of started writing and ran with it. It turned out pretty good for being written in just a little over an hour.

Yes, I will probably make this romance-y too, because heart ache is probably the biggest source of angst. And God, do I love angst.

Suggested Listening:

"The Frog Prince" --Keane

"Back to You"--John Mayer

"Goodnight and Go"--Imogen Heap

"Secret"--Maroon5

"Beauty and the Mess"--Nickel Creek

and of course "Caring is Creepy"--The Shins

"It's a luscious mix of words and tricks
That let us bet when you know we should fold
On rocks I dreamt of where we'd stepped
And the whole mess of roads we're now on. "

Edmund was bored. Lets face it, dancing, or in his case, watching people dance, was extremely boring. He sat on his throne, chin propped on an elbow and observed with great scrutiny Peter's dancing partner. She was, no doubt, beautiful and she seemed to be genuinely interested in his brother. And that was the problem. He didn't want things to change around Cair Paravel. For so long it had just been the four of them, and now Peter and Susan's growing interest in the opposite sex threatened everything.

What if everyone grew up but him? What if they all got married and forgot to come rescue him when the sadness took over and he couldn't help but hurt himself.

The thought buzzed in his head as the music slowed and died. The other three royals walked gracefully up the few stairs to their thrones. Susan threw Edmund a sharp look, silently shouting at him to straighten up. He did, but not after rolling his eyes dramatically. Peter had a ridiculous smile plastered on his face.

Love, Edmund scoffed. Probably just infatuation. Why should I fool around with a bunch of girls, he thought bitterly, when there is only one out there for me. And he sure as hell wouldn't act that ridiculous when he met her. But love was not something he had worked into his future plans. It would only serve as a distraction or a nuisance. He was positive that love would be the end of the reign of the Pevensies.

It would work it's sickly way into their hearts and eat away at their instincts. It would leave traces of it's perfume every where and drug them until they didn't know wrong from right. It would pull them apart by the seams without them even knowing it. He was sure of it.

He tried not to dwell on these things too long as a toast was already proposed and nearly finished by some high ranking centaur. He quickly lifted his glass, just in time to bring it back down and take a good drink of it. He was thankful for the alcohol on a night like this. It burned it's way down his throat and the sensation made him feel alive, his fingertips started tingling. Susan disapproved of the drink, but he was, in Narnia, an adult and there wasn't much she could say to get him to stop consuming it.

Without warning, the music came alive again, as did many dancers. Lucy rushed from her seat to snatch up Mr. Tumnus for the next dance. Susan carefully chose one of the many men that had tripped over each other to get to her, and began romantically swirling about the floor. Peter returned to the lovely dark-haired woman he was so enchanted with and led her to a marble bench, out of sight to most, but not Edmund. He couldn't sit there and watch them do those disgusting puppy love things: holding hands, looking at each other in the eyes without moving, kissing on the cheek. He felt dirty just thinking about it, but somewhere in the back of his mind a thought evolved and became prominent. Would anyone ever truly want him?

Narnia needed him, but he wasn't sure if it wanted him. He was the traitor, the irresponsible one. However, he could make the best decisions while under pressure. Apparently, getting under that pressure didn't earn much respect, so he remained the irresponsible one. It didn't bother him much.

He was now pacing steadily along the edge of the crowd gathered around the dance floor. Noone really looked at him. Just as the grim thought popped into his head, he felt a pair of inquisitive green eyes on him. He stared back, blankly, and she raised and eyebrow and then turned back to the group of ladies she was gossiping with.

A rush of cool air hit him in the face as he stepped out onto a balcony. He glanced over his shoulder, into a room full of laughter, before letting out a sigh and walking to the end of the banister. It was as far away from the celebration as he could get, but he still felt suffocated. Breathing deeply, he bowed his head. He didn't even realize it had happened until he heard it clink and clatter against the cobblestones below. His crown had fallen.

Laughing sarcastically, he ran his slim fingers through his dark brown hair.

"Would you like me to get that?" A feminine voice came from behind him.

"No," Edmund admitted, finally turning around. "I rather like my appearance without it." He flashed the girl a wide smile, and she returned it. Her green eyes sparkled as a small giggle escaped her lips.

"Me too."

"I thought women liked shiny things." He joked, finding himself immediately at ease with the total stranger.

"Well, then, your Majesty, you'll be happy to know that I am no woman," Her tone dripped with sarcasm and good nature, "I am merely a girl."

He laughed,"How old are you?"

"I just turned seventeen." She was obviously proud of the achievement.

"Happy Birthday, then. But I am seventeen and am a man, so how is it that you are simply a girl?"

"It's a choice really. I don't do much with my hair," She pulled at a wavy golden blonde strand near her face, "I pretend to hate dresses," Laughter erupted from her throat as she fingered some of the deep purple material. "I convince myself that all boys have a disease."

Edmund found himself laughing without even knowing it, he had been entranced with her small movements. Could anything this lovely really refuse to be? He loved the contradiction.

"And what might your name be?" He inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh!" Her eyes widened, and she quickly dipped her head into a small curtsey, "I'm Addison Liloqui, your Majesty." He laughed again, he really loved this feeling he had around her. He felt carefree, but it could have been partly the alcohol.

"Please," He started, "We are practically old friends now. I'm Ed, to you."

"Alright, Ed, then I'm Addi." She giggled, and they locked gazes. After a short awkward pause, she added. "Shall we go retrieve that trinket now?"

"We shall." He walked close to her, before turning and offering her his arm.

Three pairs of similar blue eyes watched as their Edmund strode confidently through the hall. He had a lovely girl on his arm and they both were holding in violent laughs rather poorly. He looked happy, and not the temporary manic happy he sometimes had, genuinely happy. And...wait, where was his crown?

"...and when she woke up she was covered in seaweed. She freaked out, it was hilarious." Ed finished the story just as the couple walked out into the garden. Addi suddenly broke out into a run, nearly tripping over her long dresses. Edmund took off after her, realizing th game she was playing. She bent down and scooped up the crown and turned around to see the defeated Edmund jogging up to her. She placed the silver piece of metal on her head, striking a dramatic pose.

"What do you think?" She asked, opening one eye to look at him.

His face broke out into a smile. " I think you look better in it than I do." She relaxed, throwing the crown at his stomach, and he, surprisingly, caught it. "I feel ridiculous in it." He admitted, examining it with his fingertips in the poor lighting. The small statement brought both of them crashing out of the high they had been riding since meeting one another, less than an hour ago.

"It does attract those women though."

"Yeah." Her joke fell flat in the thick air between them.

"Would, um, would you like to dance?" She stumbled over her words, a light blush spreading across her cheeks. Edmund had still been scrutinizing the crown, stiffened at the proposal. He didn't suspect that she meant anything by it, but he looked her directly in the eye and delivered a message he didn't mean.

"No." It came out unfeeling and cold, and she bowed her head in embarrassment. He didn't wait for another word to be spoken, turning on his heel, he walked solemnly back into the great hall, crown still in perfect tact on his head.

He liked Addi very much, and wished that he could dance with her, but dancing meant being close to someone and moving together. It was a gateway drug to love. He couldn't take any chances. Why couldn't we just be best friends? He wondered, while seating himself once again at his throne, and downing another drink. God knows I could use one of those.

"Hold your glass up, hold it in
Never betray the way you've always known it is."

Alright, so this time, kids, I'm accepting no less than five new reviews before I go on. You can do it!

Just tell me how you felt about it, and if you love or hate where it is going.

--Tugging at Sunbeams--