Love. Fiction. 2020 : Hey am glad you're liking this and welcome to the story hope you enjoy this!

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Chapter 20; Part 2; "just friends"

They didn't have too long to travel, to get to the destination Edmund had in mind despite the heavily pouring rain making it seem otherwise. He could almost feel her shivering against his chest and just at that moment the sky above them lit up in a terrifyingly long flashes of lightening soon followed by thunder that he felt her grip around his neck significantly tighten as she rested her face along the hollow of his neck, and despite the cold Edmund Pevensie felt a strange sense of warmth shoot through his system.

"Hold on Al, we're almost here." he called to her shivering form in his arms as he stepped into the partial clearing in the woods. The siblings had discovered various abandoned cottages amongst the woods which had previously belonged to the Talking Animals of Jadis' time. Initiatives was taken to renovate them and to rehabilitate the population of Talking Animals however most prefered to carve themselves a place of their own in the new world closer to the Cair and thus leaving much of it abandoned though Edmund had taken it upon himself to set a select few as safe houses for him and his siblings, well just in case, noone could be too careful indeed!

Making his way into the dark abode Edmund opened the door setting her down on the bed before he made his way to light up the lamps. With it's glow now illuminating the room Aline could see she was in a small cottage, that seemed like a studio apartment in a sense that it had no walls to separate the kitchen, bedroom and also the sparsely furnished living room which consisted of a single couch, a rocking chair and a rug beneath it.

"This might hurt a little," he warned her, as she felt his hands hike up her dress to her mid calf and Aline knew at that very moment this was a very bad idea, the alarms in her head going off especially with his wet clothes sticking to his body the way it did that she could see the very apparent shape of his muscles underneath as he worked on.. She couldn't help but let a shiver run through her body though she could never be sure if it was of the cold or.. something else entirely.

To her utter mortification, he seemed to have noticed, but thank whatever deity who watched over them he mistook it for entirely something else, "You're cold!" the Just King exclaimed as if it just hit him, as he promptly made it to the fireplace, casting in some wood and fuel before letting it burn and Aline felt the instant warmth in the atmosphere. That was a close one! she thought to herself.

"Eh, you know I also might need something to change into," she said, looking down to her now drenched dress, there was no way it was drying anytime soon nor could she stay in it any longer and not catch a cold or something worse.

Edmund surely hadn't thought this through, damn it he cursed, inwardly. "I don't think we could find any gowns to wear but if it helps.. a shirt of mine would do?" She surely was petite enough that one of his shirts that he'd left here would completely engulf her form providing the modesty she needed. But, Aline in a shirt of his? The very thought of it sent blood rushing to his cheeks. Edmund turned away from her. He wasn't going to think about it, he decided as he handed over the piece of clothing towards the girl in question except that it called into question, what kind of madness had possessed him to think he could spend a night with her, the girl he simply couldn't stay away from for long nor did he understand whatever was the twisted attraction he felt towards her- alone in a cottage in the woods. Things between them were strained in the very least, at least it was so on his end though he could not speak for her, she seemed quite content in the state of their "friendship". That thought made him frown. But that was what he wanted, right? a sly voice snickered in his head.

What changes would this night bring, we shall only know come morning light.

"Ahem," Aline coughed as he made no move to turn around though that seemed to bring him to his senses as he turned away almost too quickly for her liking though not before she noticed the distinct flush on his cheeks, muttering something like, "let me know when you're decent."

Once she was done changing and comfortable on the bed her leg propped up, Edmund made his way back to her, a jar of flowers? a small mortar and pestle and some peculiar looking leaves in his hand. "It's for your leg," he explained as he proceeded to crush them together at ratio-ed proportions. "Of course it doesn't work as good or efficiently as a fire flower but these are much easier to find and give it a few hours your ankle would be healed as new."

"You never struck me as a healer type," she noticed in fact if anything he seemed the opposite, the kind that sent people to healers.

"This might burn a little," he warned her, as she felt his hands send tiny bolts of electricity up her bare feet, "Well, I courted this healer nymph a few years ago and she taught me all that I know."

A simple "oh," left her lips in a deflated manner just as she began to feel the burn he'd mentioned travel up her leg. "That was years ago," somehow the Just King felt the need to ensure her, "though the skills I'd picked up surely had come in handy many times over the years."

She couldn't help but feel disappointment and.. was that a sense of jealousy? as Aline laid her head back on the pillows. She had no right to feel this way, especially given that he was actually doing good on their agreement to stay friends. 'Friends' she thought ruefully, whatever that meant.

"Does it hurt?" he questioned quietly.

"Huh?" she perked up, surely he wasn't aware of her line of thoughts was he?

"Your leg." he said to her relief, just as Aline realised exactly how bone tired she was, the world spun and she could hear his voice come to her as if from far off. "The burn would subside in a while, and you might feel dizzy or tired due to the medicene's effect."

"Edmund?" she called drowsily, "What about you?"

"What do you mean?"

She muttered something like, "sleep.. comfortable.. couch," and before he knew it she was far lost to her own dreams. He pulled the covers up to her chin making sure her body was properly concealed and her modesty preserved, suspecting it was more for his sake than hers. The Just King couldn't help but tuck behind her ear a strand of her hair that fell onto her face, sending him back to a very specific memory. Her first night in Narnia, as he'd tucked her in bed. Who are you? he had questioned her sleeping form back then. A few months apart now and still he knew not the answer to that question. But now that she was asleep he didn't have to hide the visible concern he had for her anymore when her evil step-brother stated she'd run off into the Wild with no protection. She looked so peaceful as she slept, he thought. He would stay back and just stare at her peaceful sleeping form all night if he could but he wasn't sure he could take it, besides Edmund Pevensie had work to do.

Aline woke up with a start as she acutely realised she wasn't in the comfort of her own room, nor were these her pillows or bed sheet, or for that matter.. what she was wearing.. With a hand to her head she realised the series of events that led to her current predicament. The fireplace was still burning albeit faintly, shedding light throughout the cottage but looking around, her unconventional Prince Charming was no where to be found.

Aline examined her ankle, moving it gingerly to find to her surprise it didn't pain her no more! And carefully she set her feet on the ground testing if she could stand by herself and to her surprise(again) she could, almost like the accident had never occurred. Now, where was Edmund?

It was still raining heavily outside and the thought that.. maybe he'd abandoned her here all alone crossed her mind, but no he wouldn't do that! Or would he? A certain dark memory of him and a certain prisoner that she'd tried all her might to repress made a comeback before her eyes just as she dispelled it. No, they were on good terms and for some entirely absurd, in-explainable reason, she trusted him.

And that was when she realised with a start that the couch in front of her was sitting in an awkward angle across the room like someone had moved it. Aline decided to investigate. And she wasn't wrong, for beneath where it would've covered the space otherwise, laid a trapdoor closed but unlocked. She opened it with ease, "Ed-" she almost called out before stopping herself, whatever this was she wanted to know for herself.

She made it down cold stone cut stairs emerging at the foot to only find herself at a.. library? The walls were lined with various scrolls and books and amidst it all almost concealed behind a pile of books was the Just King. He looked up at her in surprise, just as he took a swing of alcohol from the bottle in his hand and letting the quill in his hands he'd been making notes with drop. She noticed another two empty bottles lying discarded on the table top. How much had he been drinking?

"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be asleep." he half admonished.

"I woke up," she said her voice coming out much smaller than she'd thought as she realised biting her lip with a start that, he was well, indeed.. shirtless.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing," he dismissed.

"Is there anything I could help you with?"

"No," his voice came out way too harsh. "You should just go back and sleep."

Aline felt a dash of anger course through her, who did he think he was to patronize her as such. Not after what they'd been through. "Don't talk to me like that Edmund! I thought we'd long moved past it."

This time he looked up at her, his eyes almost drooping, and reddish which she'd recognized as from the alcohol, "What do you want from me, Aline?" Good question, she thought to herself, what did she want from him? None of the replies that came to here were any she ought to be thinking of much less answering him with.

Her green eyes locked onto his and Edmund couldn't help but notice the visible sadness in them at his words. Then for a moment, a slight split second Edmund thought they had this sort of iridescent glow to them in the moonlight like the eyes of a cat glowing in the light of a lantern. But then he blinked, and it was gone. The lack of sleep and the drinks must be getting to him, he sighed inwardly.

She pursued her lips giving up, "If you really want me to, I shall leave." her voice was small, the hurt in it not escaping his notice as much as she wanted it to sound normal. He sighed.

"No, that's not what I want you to do," he started as he made his way towards her. His t-shirt on her fell to her mid thighs yet he could still make out the distinct curve lines of her body. In fact, as he moved closer, and closer, he could almost make out the outline of her breasts hard against the material of his shirt, probably due to the cold but..

"Really?" she questioned, "because that is exactly what it sounded like."

Edmund felt a spark of anger at her words. He was already slaving all day for no avail, no thanks to all the complications she had caused, and who was she to come barging into his private space and question him like she had all the rights in the world? Who was she to just walk in and steal his mind completely that now all he could think of was her and her almost perfect body in that shirt of his.

He took a step closer, just about noticing exactly how close they already were, she took one step behind, just when Edmund realised she couldn't help staring at his bare torso the same way he couldn't take his off hers. She jumped with a small gasp as she felt her back hit the cold surface of the stone wall.

His hands came around either side of her, to rest on the wall behind. He didn't miss her flinch. "That was not what I meant," he was a good liar and sometimes the very fact scared the shit out of him, but right now the Just King was the most truthful he'd ever been. "In fact, I don't want you to move any further from where you are right now. Is that clear enough or," his gaze involuntarily fell on to her lips, "should I make it even clearer?"

Her eyes wide and lips parted she averted her gaze down below, which to her dismay turned out to be his perfectly sculpted chest. This was so not going to end well for either of them.

His gaze was intense latched on hers scanning her face as if he were trying to read her like a book. He was undeniably attractive. Especially when he stared her down, a careless smile on his lips, his brown eyes seeming black in the shadows and his arms wound around both the sides of her. If someone were to walk in on them right now, Aline could only imagine what they would think. Well, she did hear rumors of the court and not to mention quite a few surrounding him. But she didn't want to think about that right now. She didn't want to think of any one of his former lovers, nor of some ethereally beautiful healer nymph or a certain fair lady from Archenland. No, she wanted to be in the now. And if anything, Edmund seemed like he wanted the same thing too. Off-handedly, Edmund thought, if he were to kiss her right then either she'd have to stand on her tiptoes or he'd have to bend his head down low.

"How much did you have to drink?" she broke his thoughts. His breath caught even as she said it.

Edmund closed his eyes for a moment before letting himself answer, "Not enough to make me forget you, apparently."

Her reply didn't come.

It was more than just a want, it was a need. To kiss her, to know if those soft lips of hers felt like, if it was the last thing he'd do. Of course, his thoughts were addled by the alcohol.. but maybe this would be the only time he'd dare do something of the sort.. Besides, not to mention the fact that with his arms around either side of her the way they were and the stone wall at her back, she was effectively trapped within.

If he wanted anything, he could just do it now. If he wanted to kiss her.. to touch her.. He could just do it. And she'd have nowhere to run. Nowhere to escape to. She could scream if she wanted, but she would still get nowhere. Would serve her right for wandering off into places she should not be in, especially in the middle of the night. She was completely at his mercy. The very thought spread through his brain like a monster slowing stretching its claws inside the confines of his head. He could see the rise and fall of her chest and the sharp intakes of her breath.

And her almond shaped eyes, those green orbs the definition of perfection. He felt like he could drown in them. God he could stay this way forever locked in the green depths of those eyes.

What sort of enchantment is this? he thought bewildered. It wasn't like he'd never known beautiful girls before, some might argue even more beautiful than the one standing before him. Heck! He'd even more than 'just known' most of them. But none of them called to him the way she did. None of them that made his blood boil just to even be in the same room with, as she did. Or keep him awake at night, her name on his lips in sync to the beat of his heart. None that treated him the same way she did.

He didn't know for how long they'd just stood there locked in each others gaze before Edmund felt a hand creep up his chest, before coming to rest to the back of his neck. Her face was close. Closer than he'd ever seen anything. Her green eyes dominating the whole of his vision.

Her eyes were on his lips and his hands as if on instinct went to the bottom of her jaw where his thumb, light as a feather, brushed her lower lip.

At his touch, her eyes flickered shut at the sudden sensations it sent through her body, something she'd never experienced before. Her hand at the back of his neck grabbed his hair as he gasped and before she knew it his hands flew to her waist pulling her flush against him. His eyes were dark and filled with want, lust even. A look she knew was not that different from her own. She wanted his hands all over her, to roam her body..

And Edmund did nothing to stop her, even drawing her closer as she leaned in to him their lips crashed. He kissed her back with everything he had in him, like he was a dying man and she the last drop of water left. He could take it no longer. Well, fuck etiquette or whatever his sister's would do to him if they knew of this and the fact that the girl in his arms right now is their 'friend' or even what would become of their own deal to stay "just friends", whatever it meant Edmund thought dismissively. Right now, this moment and this moment alone existed and they could deal with the repercussions later on.

He picked her up by her legs, placing her on the table he had been working on, "Aline," he whispered almost like a caress, "you have no idea how long I've been waiting to do that."

She could hear it all in his voice, the sincerity, the want.. and his eyes, boring into her own they never lied. This was exactly what she'd wanted too, "Actually, I think I might know exactly what you're talking about," she replied, to his surprise as she crashed their lips together again, her legs wrapping tightly around his waist and his arms roaming her body.

There was only a single coherent thought in his brain, she wanted me too!

It was then, just then that the sound of a low growl broke them apart.

Aline jumped behind with a gasp just as he turned to see a certain leopard seated on the desk, picking its paws. "Forgive me for the interruption, Your Majesty, but if I may suggest you back away from that particular book shelf, considering the fact that the scrolls are only document on Calormenian weapon craft in all of Narnia" his Sworn Shield spoke, in a rather curt voice.

With that, a look of disappointment on her face and a flick of a tail Lora turned leaving the both of them alone wrapped in awkward silence and tension so heavy that he felt like the atmosphere could be cut with a knife.

When he turned to look at her, she had leant her head back against the wall, her eyes wide open a look of shock plastered on her face. The back of her hand was pressed to her mouth almost as if to keep her from crying out loud. She scrambled to stand up pulling down his shirt that had now bunched up to her waist so that they were covering her perfectly sculpted thighs.

He clenched his jaw. This was his fault. He should have kept a cool head. He should have known this was going to happen. Damn! He did not think, not at all. She had this way of wiping his head of coherent thought when she was around him. But he should have known. It was his goddamned fault.

And now nothing would be the same again. Nothing ever.

He half expected her to yell at him or even say something, but she didn't move, her hand still pressed to the back of her mouth. "I'm-" he started but she cut him off with a shaky hand. "Don't. Please don't say anything."

And so he didn't.

Edmund wanted to do something, comfort her.. but how exactly could he comfort her when he was the cause of her distress?

"Aline, I-"

"So what is this place?" she cut him off.

Edmund was positive if his lower jaw wasn't safely secured to his face it would've fallen down to the ground that instant. Of all the things he was prepared for her to say.. this?

"Or maybe you should not answer that question," she suggested, a smile on her lips. It was a forced smile, he noted. "Plausible deniability."

"It's.. where original copies of certain documents on sensitive topics are kept at for safety reasons in case something were to happen at the Cair."

Another awkward silence engulfed the two of them. Aline could almost feel her heart as if it she had just ran a marathon. Pretend like nothing happened.. Pretend like nothing happened.. she kept repeating like a mantra in her head.

It was her. Her mind reeling back and forth replaying that moment. She who had initiated it. She who had enjoyed the way he looked at her, wanted more of it. Wanted to see if kissing him actually felt like how she'd imagined it to be, all fire and wild and passion. She turned away from him. It hurt to look him in the eye knowing he was only going to use her and then throw her away like all the other ladies he'd been with before. What she'd seen or thought she'd seen was just his alcohol contaminated mind, she convinced herself. Edmund would never want her the way she wanted him. Was it so selfish of her to try to not get her heart broken?

No, she thought resolutely. Considering the fact that she could not avoid him without acknowledging whatever it was this twisted attraction she felt towards him, their relationship was best platonic. So did Aline plaster a smile on her lips, forcing the creases on her forehead to soften themselves as she promptly took a step forward towards the desk the King had been working on.

"So what exactly are you working on?" she questioned in the most casual voice she could muster. "Or is it too secret for you to let me know?" Another forced smile here.

She did not miss the look in his eyes, lingering somewhere in the border of confusion and curiosity. But not hurt. No, it wasn't the hurt that was written so plainly on hers. He did not give a damn about her. And if this would not convince her that he was bad news, Aline prayed the Gods above help her.

He waved his hand dismissively, "Trust me, if it was something you shouldn't see, then you wouldn't see it."

The non-chalent tone of his voice.. it felt like a punch to the gut. She willed the tears to keep bay. She cried way too much. Instead the girl took a deep breath and raised a perfectly arched eyebrow as she peered in to the book lying open on the desk.

She smiled softly, looking up. "Isn't this some sort of a fairy tale?" she asked. "'The Mirror Pool'," she quoted turning the heavily illustrated pages to reveal the first.

Edmund rolled his eyes. "And you're one to judge," he retorted, "in case you haven't noticed, you're living a fairy tale, sweetheart."

She glared at him at that and he was almost inclined to apologise except that something else caught her eye and her expression completely shifted. Running her eyes over the open page she didn't realise she was digging her nails into something, before she felt the warm weight of something strong over hand. Warms fingers over hers, coaxing her own to loose their grip on whatever they had clamped on. And it was only when she lowered her gaze to look at them did she notice the crescent shapes intentions in the brittle, yellowed pages of the book that judging by it's state must have been older than her.

Her eyes widened in alarm, "It's alright," a soothing voice she'd never associated with the person standing behind her. "It's alright, Al. It's not a rare book. There are copies of this around."

But.. he was wrong, that was not what made her afraid. It was something else, something else she saw on the page that either had to be a huge coincidence or a huge mistake. She reached her fingers to her neck for comfort.

Edmund had been talking but she couldn't understand what it was that he was saying. Something was bothering her, that he knew and it had nothing to with- with whatever they had done.

"Edmund!" she called, pointing at something on the page, "What the hell does this mean? And don't you dare lie to me."

What she was pointing at was an extremely detailed illustration on the tale of Queen Swanwhite and her Mirror Pool and on one side dedicated to the Queen herself, was on her neck, Aline's necklace.

A/N : Whoops okay so almost 25 chapters in and the plot finally begins! Both romantically and plot-wise. I know I promised this chapter the day before yesterday but I wasn't satisfied about how it had turned out and took some time to revise and edit it. In the original draft I hadn't intended for the kiss but for them to more or less get interrupted before they could but I'm kind of tired of dragging this on for too long aha let me know what you think if you liked this or if I should've taken more time developing the chemistry between them. Please do let me know what you guys think and reviewww!