A/N: DOUBLE UPDATE!

Chapter 38; a war in the heavens

Everything seemed to come together and made so much sense now after his revelation. It was the final piece of the puzzle that was the Dark King of Narnia and she was at long last close to seeing the whole picture. The only one who'd gotten this far as fate had it be.

"That was the first ever time we fought," she recalled a faint smile in her face. "When you snatched that book right off of my hands. And then we made a habit off of fighting ever since."

Edmund laid back on the grass below them as he looked up towards the blue sky. "It felt nice," he confessed, "to have least one person in this world who didn't look at me like I was the worst thing to happen to them. The spare King who barely deserves his Crown."

Aline could hear of it no more. How could he not see all that he was and all that he'd accomplished since the mistake of his tender years? She pulled herself closer to where he lay from where she was sat. On the impulse that she always had a hard time fighting, she brushed his hair off of his eyes, he was long due a haircut, Aline made a mental note.

"You are the best swordsman in this side of the whole world. You've led armies and won battles with forces five ten times the size of yours and not because of brute strength but as much as you are strong you are resourceful and intelligent. You are the right hand of Justice, never failing in your judgement so much so that people travel great distance just to witness your Court in session. Narnia is safe because she's under your watchful eye and there is nothing you wouldn't do to protect it. You are a King of Narnia because Aslan saw these qualities in you that make you a great King. One that would be spoken of for ages to come. The one mistake of your tender years, does not define you my love. You've spent enough of your life making up for it, you forget that it's all in the past now. That's not who you are, nor will ever be again."

Edmund could only stare at her. Each of his siblings at different points have made the same points but none of it had struck him the way it did when she said it that way.

"When you put it like that you make me want to almost not hate myself,"

"I don't see no reason why you shouldn't. I mean, I don't hate you after all."

Aslan, Edmund thought in his heart, For whatever reason you had bought this beautiful, smart creature into Narnia and our lives, I am forever grateful for it. Despite the turmoil of emotions that ran through him he could say nothing more other than crash his lips onto hers which she reciprocated with enthusiasm. His arms crept around her waist all but pulling her onto him.

"What have I done to deserve you?" he pulled away for a moment to question.

Aline smiled into their kiss.

"You know, only found a magical land hidden in a wardrobe, defeated an evil witch and become a King of it." she pulled away, only to be distracted by something else.

A smile lit her lips as she found a pixie cross her line of sight now come to rest in between the two of them, seemingly staring at her.

"Well they sure seem to be quite taken by you for some reason," Edmund commented whilst Aline looked around her to suddenly find them surrounded by what seemed to be a swarm of pixies. She couldn't help but feel a blush creep onto her cheeks at how they must've witnessed the quite.. passionate kiss she'd just shared with the Just King.

And that wasn't all, more seemed to come out of the trees and the flowers around them.

"What is going on?"

"I don't know," Edmund's voice sounded right next to her ear just as she felt his hand slip into hers.

With her other she raised it as if to touch one of them and to both of their surprise only found many swarm right next to it.

"Al?" Ednund called, "I think, they want you to follow them."

And so she did. To say it was a surreal experience was an understatement. "This feels like something out of a fairytale," Aline whispered much to Edmund's chuckle. Well they were indeed living one after all.

"I'm case you haven't noticed, we are living in one, my love." Edmund repeated as she thought back to the first time he'd told her those exact words. She couldn't help but blush as she thought of it.

Not much to the Just King's surprise however, the pixies led them to exactly where Edmund suspected they would. All the way across past the ruins of the alter into the Sacred Woods. Where once upon a time, he had unknowingly awakened the sleeping spirits of the oldest Fae spirits of Narnia.

They passed the ruins and the trees seemed to part to make way, the exact way he'd once gone through before he came to the Hidden Well. They were leading her right into the Circle.***

Just as they did step in, the branches that led them there shifted over themselves to go back to being undisturbed.

"Ed..?" Aline called, a tinge of fear colouring her voice.

"Fear not, Lady Aline." echoed a voice through the woods as dryads stepped out of their respective trees. "There is no need to be afraid. We're here to help you,"

"Help me.. why?"

Up close approached a single dryad, her skin the faintest tinge of coral blue. Flowers adorned her entire body hugging her slender figure like a living gown. She extended her arm towards Aline, "Give me your hand.. mi'lady,"

Aline looked towards the King, and his hand that held hers tight. Despite the strange-ness of it all, his eyes shone encouragingly as she pulled away.

The dryad took her hands into hers even as more materialised out of their trees around them in swarms of petals. "Fear not, my lady. You will do no harm here,"

Aline closed her eyes as she began to feel the inert magick that may dormant in her waiting for her call stir. This time stronger than ever.

"I can't-" she clenched her fists, if she could barely stay in control the last time how would she manage now that her magick seemed to flow through her unrestricted like an open dam. It stirred in her vehemently and with it did the feelings that ever since recently began to plague her mind. Except that now her mind seemed to be much more louder, stronger.. chaotic.

"Al," a voice seemed to ground her through the chaos in her mind that matched the threateningly swirling storm of dust and leaves around her once more. "Aline-" she heard his voice again cut through the chaos as she saw him step inside once again right up to her. His hands reached out to her outstretched arms. Fear flipped in her eyes, no she wanted to say, yell even. But the words died in her throat as tears streamed down her face instead the face of someone else swirling in her minds eye. It was the last time she'd seen her father, that fateful night, the night that she somehow knew should've been her gone instead of him— and for some reason, the sudden smug smile that seemed to stretch across Edmund's face angered her beyond anything. Did he not see all it took for her to reign it all in so that she wouldn't hurt him? Was he truly that cruel that he'd smile at her suffering?

But the Just King did so for a reason. Looking at her the tears streaming down her face, and the hardened look in her eyes. Edmund knew how it worked. He could see now how her magick was tied to her emotions. He remembered that night, the first time he'd drunkenly confessed his feelings for her. The swirling wind that swept through the shelves of the rather closed library setting where even a breeze should've been impossible. He'd been too caught up in other affairs to notice then, but now he saw it clearly. And looking at her glaring at him now her brows knit and forehead creased, as the chaos brewing around them only increased in intensity Edmund reached to do the only thing he could think of.

He kissed her.

Aline's ethereally glowing green eyes flung open at it in surprise. He pulled away instead cupping her face now.

"I love you, Aline." the words rang true as he felt his heart unclench and a burden lift off of him. It was the truest thing in his life right now, he realised.

Aline shook her head but before she could say anything Edmund silenced her. "It is the truth. And whatever happens or wherever the future takes us, remember that this will always be true. I will always love you."

Aline could only stare at him half surprised half in disbelief as Edmund dared not break their gaze, he needed her to know each word that came out was his sincerest. Time seemed to slow down and in the corner of his eye he could somehow make out the debris swirling around them in angry clouds seemed to slow down, dispersing gradually as they did whilst something strange began to occur that he had no other choice than to avert his eyes at the glowing brightness coming from in between him and the girl in front of him.

Aline stared down at her hands. The energy around her seemed to shrink in coalesced into a ball of pure light that shone from her hands. It was one of the brightest lights she'd ever seen much more intense than an incandescent light bulb almost like she held a miniature sun in her hands yet it did not burn her eyes to gaze at it. It was the opposite in fact. It was a kind of light that soothed her vision, she could see each strand of gold that made it the way it was. It was beautiful, Aline marvelled in a daze right up until a groan broke her out of it. It was Edmund, he'd averted his face his hands now shielding his eyes, he surely wasn't experiencing the same thing she was. At the very sight of him, something stirred within her once again, something warm, light, her insides felt like they were on fire yet soothed at the same time. Her heart lurched in her chest yet it beat steady in its rhythm. She felt calm, at peace. She's wrestled too many sleepless nights with her own emotions. But now, she didn't have to any more. The path ahead seemed clear, ironically so considering the predicament they were in.

Lost in her thoughts, it was only when the faeries burst out in exclamations and cheer around her did Aline realise the golden ball of light shrunk to the point of dissipating by itself, it's wisps coming undone before they mingled into the air as one.

"What just happened?" she questioned in a daze at the dryads now jubilantly celebrating at her. She looked around for Edmund but somehow he seemed to be lost within the crowd.

"Lady Aline," it was the same voice that called out to her as the last time. "What happened is that you just mastered the skill of control over the magick that flows in your veins. Samuel was right about some things, but ultimately anger is an unstable energy. It is a scab on your soul that keeps getting painfully reopened each time you tap into it, until it eats away at your very being. The power of love on the other hand-" Aline shifted mildly at this her mind going back to the words she'd just heard come out of a certain King's mouth. The dryad seemed to notice as a smile graced her lips her wise eyes darting in between the two of them. "You've definitely a long way to go but none the less this is a distinctive first step. Maybe there is some hope left for Narnia after all. Her guardian has returned."

A look of confusion sat on her face at that. "What do you mean by that?"

The dryad only smiled, "Look up to the sky," she said. Aline raised her gaze towards the Narnian sky and it was just in time to witness a fiery ball of fire streak across the evening horizon. It was a red comet, she realised with a start and it burned with a fiery glow that dimmed even the glare of the Narnian sun.

Her hand reached out towards Edmund's relived as he wrapped his own through it as Aline couldn't help but feel an inexplicable sense of terror grip her heart.

But instead the dryad only smiled at her.

"Everything is as Aslan wills, to those with faith."

A couple miles away from Circe's Circle where Lady Aline and King Edmund the Just pondered on the words the dryad departed them with- in a fortress masked by Ancient Magick was the strong hold of the Brotherhood of the Centaurs. It was no secret amongst most who had the fortune of interacting with one, but for the rest of the general public, the cryptic band of centaurs were little more than an old myth they'd never spare a second thought to. The Brotherhood read the stars to discern workings of the cosmos, they served as Seers and Prophetesses, loyal to foremost Aslan's will and the Kings and Queens of Narnia. Why, even he esteemed General Oreius was a part of it, serving as an intermediary amongst them.

Alasios stood by the looking glass on the highest tower off Ourebours. As most in the Kingdom of Narnia, he too had seen the comet that flared the sky painting it red in its path.

"Baleos," he called towards his young son hiding in the shadows, he knew liked to spy on his father who he very much looked up at. "Saddle my horse son, the Kings and Queens need know of this immediately."

"What is happening father? Is Narnia in danger again? Is the White Witch returned?"

Alasios paused.

"I fear things are somehow more sinister, son. Lady Alambiel of Peace has crossed into the orbit of Lord Ares of War. The heavens are preparing for war. And they have chosen their champion. So should we. Ready my steed, I need to ride to the Cair."

A/N: If you have stuck with this story so far, thank you very much! I apologise for the late updates, but so much has happened in my life since. Went through having COVID, losing a family member, an extremely hard breakup and moving cities to restart my life from scratch. It is a particularly hard time right now but it really did lead me to connect with myself and re-discovered my love for reading and writing. And as promised, no matter how long it takes I will finish this fanfic I love Ed and Aline too much and I've been working on this for so long it feels almost as if they are a part of me. You have no idea how much all of you reading this have helped me through some of my darkest times. Thank you very much, I owe you a lot and I appreciate everything from the reviews, to the follows and favourites and especially the PMs encouraging me to update when I take too long. Love y'all through the Wardrobe and back! Please keep being awesome.