THE REMAINDER of our trek to the ruins is unexpectedly fun.

Edmund tells me all about his siblings and their time spent in Narnia. He tells of all the adventures, councils and battles they endured — all their friends and their life in the once-grand Cair Paravel. Though I can't help but notice how deliberately he avoids mentioning anything prior to the Battle of Beruna, which he treads quite lightly around to begin with. Though he tells me about the brief time he knew Aslan, his voice heavy with wistfulness and what seems to be even more regret. I can hardly imagine living every day with the amount of remorse he carries weighing me down. And yet, even though I sense the distress and sadness in him filling the air around us, the king keeps a lightness in his step and a smile on his face — making little quips and jokes that cause the both of us to laugh. We banter and tease like old friends and turn a walk into an adventure that ends too soon. Because we have a mission. We have a purpose and what time we have is not to be wasted.

Edmund leads me straight to the Treasure Room, making sure to point out where certain rooms and structures used to stand as we go. I take in as much of the ruins as I can before following him down the staircase into the earth. As we descend into the darkness, he mutters something about leaving his torch on the beach, which I don't understand.

Soon enough, light filters into the stairwell from a chamber up ahead. When we get closer, I realize it's at last the Treasure Room. The stone ceiling is cracked and slightly caved in, allowing sunlight to illuminate the dusty, ancient contents of the room.

I follow him down a spiral staircase, eager to explore. He catches on quickly to my excitement with a light laugh and reaches forward to push open the metal gates, causing them to squeak and whine on their old, rickety hinges.

He steps into the room, dust motes swirling thick in the musty air. The stone floor is cold on my bare feet but I hardly notice as I hurry inside past him, taking in the grandness of it all.

Four, life-size statues of the kings and queens of old stand regally in their respective alcoves, each with a large, ornate, golden chest positioned before them. Although the closer I look at the stone statues, the more I realize how little they resemble their living counterparts.

The High King is towering and large with a full beard and strong face. The oldest Queen is hardened yet graceful and looks like a well-weathered woman of status. The younger Queen does not look young at all, but full and mature and though her face is not shaped by innocence, her likeness radiates compassion and joy.

And the king who is supposed to be the same young man behind me, leaning against a weathered stone column, is a man with a sharp, angular face and a full, strong figure with eyes hardened by battle and sadness. I glance between Edmund and the stone statue, not bothering to conceal my confusion.

He smiles and crosses his arms comfortably over his chest. "When we first came to Narnia, I was thirteen; and we stayed for fifteen years."

That means he was nearly thirty by the time they disappeared.

"And time passes differently where we're from, so when we returned, all those years were just a few hours in our world and we were kids again." He sighs before continuing. "For us, it's only been two years since we left. But here..."

"It's been thirteen centuries," I finish in shock.

He nods solemnly. "We wanted to come back; we tried to." He shrugs. "Whatever door we used before wasn't there anymore."

I brush red strands of hair off my face. "You're here, now," I point out. "Dwelling on what's passed isn't going to change it."

Quickly, Edmund's eyes cast downward, having caught the deliberate double-meaning behind my words.

Still avoiding my gaze, he pushes off from the column and strides past me to his own chest.

"Some of Lucy's clothes should fit you," he says, lifting the lid open and sifting through the contents thoughtfully.

I pick up on the silent offering and cautiously approach Queen Lucy's alcove. The lid is heavy and causes a wave of dust to rise into the air on invisible currents. Inside, there are neat stacks of folded dresses, capes and cloaks, along with an odd assortment of items such as books, brooches, nondescript leather pouches, colourful ribbons, silky scarves, and a few small boxes I assume must contain jewelry.

"I don't suppose Lucy ever wore a simple shirt and trousers?" I ask, poking through the various items of clothing.

Edmund chuckles. "Not that I remember. But Susan might have some armour you could borrow. And..."

I look up as he spins to face me, holding up a sheathed sword.

"...I have an old sword you could use — if you know how to."

Now, it's my turn to smirk. "Aside from the fact that I was raised by Narnians, I grew up with a prince as my only friend," I reply confidently. "Can you handle a sword?" I dip into a dramatic bow, "your majesty?"

Edmund grins, shaking his head and throwing me the weapon. "Would you care to find out, Arryn?"

"Would you?" I counter smartly, running my fingers over the cool, metal hilt.

He draws his sword and I nearly do so as well when I remember what I'm wearing is completely unsuitable for a sword fight.

I set the sword down, leaning it against Queen Lucy's chest and fixing the boy with a teasing look. "Allow a lady to dress properly before she kicks a man's ass, Edmund Pevensie."

The king grins wickedly and twirls his sword in his hand before returning it to its sheath. "I'll see if I can find some armour." He closes the lid of his chest and makes his way over to Queen Susan's alcove — the one next to Lucy's.

The two of us pick through our respective chests' contents in comfortable silence for a few minutes. When my fingers close around soft, light fabric, I immediately pull it out excitedly. A pale green dress with dark threading and details unfolds in the air, the typically long sleeves replaced by satiny, ruched straps.

Perfect.

I drape it over the front of my body, the silky soft material strangely smooth against my skin. It looks like it might be a decent fit. And if not, I could just change my body to fit it.

"Ed."

He looks over at me, eyebrow raised, and I wave my index finger in a circle, motioning for him to turn around. He nods once and turns his back to me before I can identify his tightly closed lips and pink cheeks as fluster.

"What size shoes do you wear?" He asks. "Or...do you not wear any?"

Turning my back to him — even though I'm positive the king is much too chivalrous to peek at me — I laugh and begin unbuttoning my tunic. "I do wear shoes," I say reassuringly. "But ladies' shoes are hardly convenient for hiking or fighting in, and they're even more of a pain when I shift." Not to mention how damned uncomfortable they are. "I'll be just fine like this...Thank you, though."

I lay the now-dry tunic on the golden chest and pick up the dress.

"So you were raised by Narnians, but grew up with a Telmarine prince?" Edmund questions.

"That's right." My attention is more on how well this fabric kept after so many centuries than carrying a conversation with the king while I dress.

The scoop neckline, along with the bodice and hem of the skirt, is decorated with intricate, forest green details. The skirt is made of a light, flowy material and ends just below my knees while the straps are of a darker green, folded silk. Although, the Queen must've still been quite small when the dress was fitted because I already know it will be too tight when it's all done up. With that in mind, I make my waist narrower and my stomach flatter as I lace up the front so I won't be uncomfortable or risk ruining the Queen's dress.

Feeling odd wearing such dated yet lavish clothing from the Old Queen of Narnia's personal wardrobe, I give in to the urge and do a quick spin, smiling as the skirt billows outward.

I grab Edmund's tunic and hold it out to him. "Your sister won't mind?"

"Lucy? No way." He turns his head slightly and accepts the garment, but keeps his back to me. "She'll probably be excited," he chuckles.

Really? I buckle the sword belt on with a laugh. "She's cute." I walk past Edmund to Queen Susan's alcove while he buttons up his tunic. Realizing I'm decent, he follows and extracts a silver breastplate from the chest.

"I think this should fit." He holds out in front of him, glancing between it and me.

I take the armour from his outstretched hand, shocked by its light weight.

I recognize the workmanship and designs etched into the metal instantly. "This is centaur armour."

Edmund nods. "One of the centaurs from the Battle of Beruna had it made as a sort of coronation gift, but Susan never wore it. She said it was too sentimental but I'm pretty sure she just didn't like it."

I choke back my laughter and give it back to him. "I can't wear this," I insist softly. "It was gifted to the Queen. And I'm more useful in a fight when I can shift between forms, anyways."

He shrugs and returns it to its place. "Alright, but I don't think Susan would miss it." He closes the lid on her chest and looks up at me with an excited smile. "You ready?"

"To kick your ass?" I tease. "Maybe later. The others are probably waiting for us."

Edmund nods, chewing on his lip in thought. When he meets my gaze again, it's with a delightfully mischievous glint in his cocoa eyes. "Race you there."

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author's note

y'all have no idea how much time i spend researching medieval dresses/clothing so now i know girls wore a nicer overskirt overtop of their basic skirt (you can see this with susan and lucy.) but who tf has time to whip off two layers of goddamn dress so you can turn into a dragon and kick some ass? not our girl arryn lmao so she's basically just wearing an overskirt, which is a lil risky, but better than edmund's shirt lol

and yes, i did change the descriptions of the pevensies' statues in the treasure room. i was in the zone and just wrote what made sense to me at the moment. after, i realized how different my description is compared to the film's portrayal but honestly did not want to go back and ruin the flow in this chapter over something that's not even a huge deal lol so i left it.

anywho, I hope you're all enjoying chimæra so far!