Chapter 13; bows and arrows

She caught her reflection in the vanity as she pulled her hair up, before securing it with a band in a pony tail, tucking behind stray strands of stubborn hair that simply refused to be tamed. As she did, she wondered in what disposition a certain King would be in today. She remembered him last night, and the slight smile on her lips disappeared.

Aline sighed, staring back at her reflection, its eyes rising with hers as they skimmed her form from head to toe. The outfit she had on was tighter than her normal attire (at least in Narnia), the leather top caressing her upper body just as much as the trousers were, and she wondered if it was even considered appropriate in Narnia, but then, it was Lucy who had picked the training outfit, so of course she would not question the Valiant Queen. But from what she'd learned, as much as Narnia was traditional in the conventional way, the Narnians were quite more open to ideas, that what she'd expected from quite a Middle Age civilization.

Aline wondered if she looked good, and for some reason (that she refused to acknowledge) she felt her heart beat spike up. Wiping her palms on her trousers for no reason, with one final look she decided she looked set.

Making her way down the corridor which she knew lead to the training grounds, Aline noticed something significantly different. Stationed at intervals at the otherwise deserted corridors, stood soldiers, sword at their sides and a spear in their hands.

She knew very well that it was just an extra safety measure but yet, she couldn't shake off the feeling like she was being watched, her every move scrutinized... Aline bit her lip, taking a look around her, almost expecting the guards to disappear and everything return back to normal, but hell, who was she kidding? She didn't even know what 'normal' was anymore, for crying out loud!

Finding herself in a large open ground, a sudden clang of metal signified that she had this time, thankfully not lost her way.

"I thought I'd told you to not keep me waiting," she almost jumped at the voice at her shoulder, turning around abruptly, only to feel her head strike something, which unfortunately seemed to be his head. Again. "And, we should really stop doing that," Edmund Pevensie commented with a lop-sided smile, and she almost sighed in relief, great, so he was in one of his better moods today, though the heavens knew for how long it would last.

"I would not have kept you waiting, if you had cared to show me the way," she lied, this was like the first time she had gone from a place to another within this god-damningly huge castle without being lost at least half a dozen times, but he didn't need to know that now, did he? "and maybe we wouldn't if you stopped sneaking up on me like that."

"You ought to let me show you around the castle, you know." the lop-sided grin never left his face and suddenly she was acutely aware of the space- or rather the lack of it, between them. She took a good step behind, "I thought I came here to play with swords, or something of that sort not tour the castle with you," Aline replied as dismissively as she could, hoping her voice did not give away the speed of her heart beat inside her chest.

"Yeah. You're right," he replied to it seemingly indifferent, walking passed her making sure that their shoulders brushed as he walked by. "Lets get to work,"

"But.." Aline protested, "you can't be serious. I mean, I don't think me around sharp objects would be quite a-" before she could complete, he picked a knife from an assortment of items and suddenly flung it. Aline gasped, eyes widened as she felt it swish passed her, almost taking away a strand of her hair. She turned around in time to see it reach right in the middle of its target behind her. "Are you trying to bloody kill me?!"

"If I were, you'd already be dead. And to answer your question no, I'm not. But that doesn't mean someone else isn't."

She almost laughed, "You can't be serious right?", but of course, the look on his face told her else. Aline rolled her eyes, "Both you and I know that arrow was not meant for me! I mean, it obviously was meant for someone of more significance. And you, were right next to me."

"What if it was not?"

"What if it was?"

"You're stubborn aren't you?" he said, as he picked up two swords, one in each hand, turning it around inspecting them closely at an angle that light glinted off the blade and straight to her face. Edmund smirked as she raised her hands shielding her eyes, before he began twirling it around him in the air blades cutting through the air with a distinctive swishing noise, so fast that it made her quite dizzy following their paths.

"Show-off," she muttered under her breath, though loud enough for him to hear it.

"I only show off what I'm blessed with," he said with a wink in her direction.

"Well, what else have you even got other than that huge ego?"

"Oh, but I do know people who would love to disagree with that," Edmund grinned, a twinkle in his eyes pausing his 'showing-off' for a moment turning his gaze towards her, "especially.. huge things." She blushed scarlet, averting her eyes from his- she had to admit, rather excellent- form, understanding exactly what he meant too, and then cursing herself for it afterwards. This was Edmund Pevensie afterall and she would do good to remember who he was.

Edmund couldn't help it as his eyes slid over her form, taking in her blushing gait. The way she'd pulled her hair back, emphasizing her forehead, highlighted her high cheek bones. And for a moment, Edmund stared making him wonder what made her look different, set her apart and then with a start he realized that in all the time he was in Narnia, he'd only seen people wear their hair down, unbound and free, in plaits or in a tight bun, and never once had he seen anyone wear their hair in a pony tail and most certainly not as high as she was.

A half of the hair held up in her pony tail fell down in a neat line onto her shoulders, brown in the sunlight contrasting the pale skin of her neck which only did serve to emphasize her slender neck. And then his eyes traveled further south.. The dress really did fit her well, he thought, or maybe a bit too well. Though not so revealing, he could still make out the distinct curves of her body..

Aline shifted, she felt his gaze sliding on her, and she felt almost undressed under his scrutiny, his eyes gliding over her almost as if was his fingers caressing her.. but strangely, it wasn't in a bad way when it was him checking her out like that. At most she'd feel uncomfortable, if it was some other average looking guy staring at her that way. But when it was a certain King who looked- well, like the way Edmund looked, with the tunic he had on drenched in prespiration- he sure had been training way before she'd arrived, she noted off-handedly- that it did little to hide everything he had underneath the piece of fabric.. she couldn't but help feel a bit light-headed at the thought itself.

Edmund turned away abruptly shifting his attention back to the collection of items lying on the table, away from her, a distinctive blush on his otherwise pale cheeks. "Come over here, Aline." he called, his voice coming out huskier and hitching at the mention of her name.

Edmund didn't have to turn around to know she was by his side.

"Well, we'll start with this, don't you think?" he said, holding out a bow whilst he went through some arrows lying there.

"What do you mean, 'start with this'?" Aline questioned taking it from him, "Feels heavy," she commented.

"Or maybe, you're just weak," he said, the smirk back on his features. One that she dearly wanted to wipe out.

"I am not weak," Aline snapped.

"Well, then show me." he simply replied, thrusting out an arrow which she took, glaring at him only for him to exclaim back, "Woah! Aline, I do know I can be sort of a jerk-" "You are a jerk," "Alright, agreed- but I don't think that is something to kill someone for. Also," he said backing away turning her around a 180 degrees, "thats the target."

Frankly, she had no idea what she had to do with the bow, other than fit the arrow in place and pull at the string. Aline tried to take her aim, pointing the tip of her arrow towards the middle of the bulls eye target placed there. And she let it go.

The arrow flew passed, missing the target by a solid five feet. Voila! she thought.

She closed her eyes, almost expecting him to laugh out or tease her, but it never came, instead she felt a warmth against her back and the weight of a hand at her waist, it was all she could do to not jump off her own skin. Aline turned behind, this time, careful to bend down her head so that it wouldn't collide with his again, only to be greeted by the strong muscles of his chest. She turned away, almost too quickly, though not before taking in his spicy scent, which momentarily made her head spin, before his voice called her out.

"Keep your feet apart," he instructed, his voice sounding from somewhere above her ear, and Aline complied, dragging her feet apart. "That's it, one in front of the other," he said and she thought his voice sounded surprising gentle, totally uncharacteristic, "now stop holding your weight on just one or the other and try to keep it balanced."

"Yeah, that's good," he almost whispered, his lips just millimeters away from her skin that it send goosebumps down her skin that she fervently hoped he did not notice. His long fingers pressed against her stomach a little as he shifted her to a side. Aline held in a sigh, as she felt his hot breath against her neck. Oh God, he was too close, way too close for her preference..

"Now, take in a deep breath," he instructed, to which she complied, "and relax, Aline." easier said than done, she thought ruefully, wondering if he knew exactly how difficult it was to 'relax' especially with him pressed against her that way, and the sound of her name as he half whispered it against her neck.. Aline bit her lip, feeling as if all the blood in her body rush up to her cheeks. No, she thought, she would not think of him that way. If she knew anything about him, she knew that he was the worst thing in the world for her.

Aline closed her eyes, mentally willing the fog clouding her brain to disappear.

His hands left its place at her waist and it wasn't long before she felt it at her elbows, moving it the way he pleased, "Now concentrate on your target," she couldn't help but glance sideways to see him looking at her and for a moment she couldn't help but imagine what would happen if she were to lean a little in front.. her head tilted upwards, and a little on her tip toes.. Besides, the way he was looking at her, his brown eyes trained on hers before sinking lower, down to where her lips ought to be..

Damn this girl! Edmund thought, how in hell was he supposed to look away when she bit her lip like that? And as dangerous as it was, he couldn't help but feel drawn back into her eyes.. why did she have to be so beautiful? Edmund appreciated beauty of any kind, but hers, it was something that called to him from when he first saw her. Even at the Beaver's place, as weak as she was, and dressed in the odd clothes and with her fiery temperance.. no wonder, he thought, he'd always liked a girl with spirit. And that was when she turned away, making a point of distinctly clearing her throat and surprisingly, Edmund found himself to be genuinely disappointed.

"Yeah, right. Now take your aim," and she did, "No," he said, "not that way," Edmund placed his hand on her arms, bringing it to a position he deemed correct. He could feel the rise and falls on her skin and he couldn't help but bite down on his own lip, the sudden tinge of pain bringing back his focus back, temporarily. It was all Edmund could do to keep his hands where they were instead of wander off in a mind of their own, especially when her skin under his felt so deliciously soft..

Edmund wondered if the effort was even worth it. Why not just kiss her already? a nagging voice in the back of his mind that was growing persistent by the minute. She would not not want it would she? If she didn't want this, if she didn't like this, she would have already pulled away from him wouldn't she? Not lean back into him, or look at him as she did then, through half-lidded eyes, that for all the world seemed suggestive. If she did not want this, her heart would not be beating this fast- almost as fast as his, would it? Almost as if she wanted him to.. Besides, the smell of her hair- jasmine with a hint of sandalwood, something distinctly Narnian- was driving him nuts. He wanted to pull them free of their harness.. to run his fingers through them, wrap them around his fingertips, breathe in her scent.. But then he remembered the look she gave him last night. One of fear, and was that loathing? Like all she wanted was to never see his face again..

Edmund breathed in deeply, with endeavor tearing his thoughts from the things he could- he wanted to do her.. "the arrow always ought to be straight along your line of sight." he explained, to which she nodded her head, his arms still on hers, which Aline then hoped she hadn't noticed right then for it conjured up a different memory of last night, his long fingers pressing into the skin of her wrists so hard that long after he'd gone, she could make out the distinct purple bruises on them.

"Now hold your breath," the Just King instructed, "take your aim by looking at the target through that small hole, right there." And she did. "Now let it go."

"To let go of the arrow or my breath?" she questioned, and when he replied she could almost hear the smile in his voice, "both Aline. Both."

And that was what she did. She let the arrow fly.

She watched it fly passed, shrinking on as it went.

And then.. it missed. Again.

Aline wanted to stamp her foot down in annoyance, but then remembering the person standing right behind her, thought better to be content with an exasperated sigh. "Its alright," he said quite soothingly, that she just had to turn around. His eyes, staring back at her an amused smile on his lips, "You've just tried twice, Aline. Even I got it right only on the third try, and no-one could be as good as me, except Susan of course, but hers are enchanted to never miss. Come on, try again." Was this really him? Encouraging her on, instead of teasing her or bringing her down something like that? For a moment, she felt light hearted, well, maybe he was not that bad as he was making show of. And then an unwelcome picture crossed her mind. No, Aline thought, enough was enough. She promptly took a step back from him.

"Well, then I guess I just have to try again." she said turning behind, entirely missing the look of confusion and the flash of regret in his eyes.

And that was what she did. After a long while of failed attempts and the occasional near miss and even rarer (two, to be exact) hits, she was tired. Aline flopped down on a tuft of grass in the ground next to the Just King, resisting the urge to throw the god-damned piece of weaponry.

"So apparently, archery just isn't for you," Edmund concluded, a smirk on his face. He couldn't say that he wasn't amused by her failures, one almost impaling a poor faun who had the misfortune to cross their path, or by the way she would glare at him when he pointed out she was doing something wrong. So when she gave up by herself, he couldn't help but feel amused. The girl had fire, he had to grant her that.

"Took you long enough to notice," she said sighing.

"Come on, Aline. You're not giving up so easily are you?"

Aline sighed, her lips parting before her tongue darted out wetting her lips, "What else am I supposed to do? You can see I'm hopeless at this."

"Remember when I told you it took me three tries to succeed?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, I lied."

She just looked at him, open mouthed, her eyebrows arching up, "Excuse me?"

"I lied that time. Actually, it took something like six or seven tries," he said grinning unabashedly at his own lie.

"That definitely beats a hundred," she replied dryly. "And whats your point anyway because if you think that's making me feel better, you're wrong."

"Actually, a hundred and twenty three," he replied, "and that's not counting after you managed to hit it the first time, but I would conservatively estimate the total of wasted shots at a mere four hundred and seventy five in total."

"Did you seriously count all that? I mean the hundred and twenty three at least."

"Well, I'm jobless, sue me."

"But you are the law around here."

"Yeah, a pity, isn't it? Kills the thrill of breaking the law, if you're never going to get judged."

"What?" he questioned at the look on her face.

"Nothing," she replied. Aline wished he would stay this way always, so easy to talk to as if they has nothing to be uncomfortable of, almost as if what had happened back there down in the dungeons, what happened last night, never had.. Or at least she had never come to know of it. And that was when she realised with a start.. this was who he was, the cold, sinister person that he was, an irrevocable part of him. And as much as the surprising gentleness in his voice as he taught her today, and that time at the ball and the night before that, or the way his eyes used to soften when he talked about something or the other, or the way he always spoke with Lucy, never harsh.. that was a part of him as much as this was. Aline looked down at her hand, of course, she would never know, nor did she want to. He was like an extremely confusing puzzle. And as intrigued she was at those, this one, she had no intention of solving.

Aline recalled a bio lesson in high school, the teacher a soft-spoken women who must be in her mid-30s, as she taught about amphibians or something or the other she couldn't recall, but something she said, in quite a serious voice stuck with her, the more exotic, and attractive the skin was, the more deadly was the specimen. And then she had joked that so were girls. But turning towards him, with his face silhouetted against the bright sunlight behind, in her minds eye she couldn't help but compare it to something else she'd admired, there down in the dungeons, with the moonlight falling in a perfect halo on his head.. Aline could not agree more. But when he sat there, talking to her like apparently nothing had happened, for all the world like nothing ever affected her.. no she would not let herself think of it.. couldn't let herself think of it.

"Are you even listening to what I'm saying?" he questioned, an eyebrow lifted a smile on his lips apparently at a joke he had just said.

"Huh? Yeah."

"Hey, Aline?" he called, placing his hand on hers, "are you alright?"

"Yeah, just tired, I guess." she felt a distinct sting against her eyes, taking her hand away from his as politely as possible. Aline turned away, entirely missing the look on his face. "And now that you can finally see I'm pretty useless, can I just go back to where I was before to the 'minimal possibilities of maiming myself' kind of lifestyle?"

"You've only tried archery, and thats not all there is. You could be good at something else. Like sword-fight for instance."

"You really want me to die, don't you?" she just replied drily.

"No," he replied, his voice low that she knew she wouldn't have heard him if she were sitting even a little away from where she was, "I have a feeling, you could be much more fun alive."

Edmund rose up suddenly, and for a moment she expected him to offer her his hand to pull her up, but he just stood there instead, the nonchalant look back on his face, "See you later, then." he said, "also, tomorrow same time."

Yeah, who was she kidding? Like hell, he was a gentleman!

A/N : Ive got to say I really did enjoy writing this in fact it might be my favorite so far. Anyways please tell me what you think in that little review box below. till the next chapter, adios!