Disclaimer: Still not mine :)
A/N: So yay, chapter thirteen! And to think it's Friday the 13th... ANYWAY, so here's the next chapter of "When Two Worlds Collide". Do review afterwards. Enjoy!
Chapter Thirteen: The Welcoming Ball
All the Narnian soldiers left in Cair Paravel lined up in front of the castle. Hermione couldn't help but gawk, admiring their resilience as they stood under the scorching sun, their backs ramrod straight and their faces void of any emotion. It was a peculiar sight because some were adorable creatures (for example, Reepicheep) and yet they were able to pull off that expression on their faces.
Suddenly, the people around her bowed low in courtesy. Hermione turned around and almost rolled her eyes as King Edmund sauntered into the Great Hall. Her eyes met his onyx ones before lowering down as she, too, bowed down for courtesy's sake.
"Your majesty," she greeted when he stood beside her.
He inclined his head, his face a myriad of emotions. Hermione noticed that he was a little distracted, which she thought was perfectly acceptable.
Today was the day when High King Peter and the others will be coming back to Cair Paravel. It was, of course, a reason for the whole castle to celebrate, seeing that they had almost lost one of their rulers. But it was also a reason for apprehension, especially for the king standing beside her, because their travel could encounter some of the vengeful rebels.
"They'll be fine," she finally said, thinking she was obliged to say it.
Edmund looked at her at the corner of his eyes and stiffly nodded his head.
"Worrywart," she muttered under her breath.
He rounded at her, his eyes now narrowed into thin slits. "Excuse me?" he hissed, sounding deeply affronted.
Before Hermione could retort something back, the sound of carriages was heard. Edmund's head snapped back ahead, his face once again morphing back to its worried form. Hermione also looked ahead and held her breath, afraid that an injured royalty would greet them.
To the utter relief of almost everybody in the castle, no one was hurt. Hermione was able to take a peek inside the carriage and saw the exhausted, yet unscathed forms of the monarchs of Narnia.
Everybody around her once again bowed down and she followed suit. Edmund, on the other hand, broke into a run even before the carriage completely stopped.
"Peter!" King Edmund exclaimed, and Hermione could hear the genuine relief in his voice.
The carriage had stopped its movement and out came High King Peter. He held out his hand to help down Queen Lucy, whose face had brightened upon seeing her other brother. Next came Queen Susan, with her face positively glowing with her beauty and happiness. And last was King Caspian. He was wearing a sling made out of cloth around his left arm with a few scars on his face. The evidence of the assault on him could be seen by everybody, but all in all, the king was perfectly fine.
Lucy then launched towards Edmund and held him into a tight hug. Peter looked at the other soldiers and waved his hand, signalling for them to go back to their own posts. The Narnian soldiers bowed down for the last time and marched back to their proper places.
Hermione, slightly feeling out-of-place because of the family reunion unfolding in front of her, decided to retire back to the kitchens.
"HERMIONE!"
She jolted in surprise and whipped around, only to be welcomed by a mass of light brown hair. Softly chuckling, Hermione patted the back of Lucy.
"Oh, Hermione, I missed you so!" the queen gushed, tightening her hug around her lady-in-waiting. "It's been a week but ooh, I missed your company."
"I missed you, too," Hermione said, giving a light kiss on top of Lucy's hair.
The brunette looked over Lucy's shoulder and saw an enthusiastic wave from Peter and Susan. She waved back and was soon whisked away by the queen. Lucy led her to her own bedchambers, and immediately plopped down on her bed.
Hermione, with a fond smile at the younger girl, approached her and dutifully removed her shoes from her feet and placed them underneath the queen's bed.
"How have you been, your highness?" Hermione asked as the young queen sat up on her bed. The brunette approached Lucy and absentmindedly removing all the knots and ties on her hair as she ran a hairbrush through it. "I'm not really sure of the exact details that had happened, but I sure know it had been… stressful."
"Frightening must be the right word," Lucy mumbled, looking over her shoulder to stare at her lady-in-waiting. "That whole week that had happened to us was spent mostly in hiding and darkness, Hermione. Peter became stricter that time, refusing for Susan and me to at least stroll around the town." Lucy released a soft sigh and stared straight ahead once again. "Caspian's state when we arrived was horrifying. I've never seen so much blood in my life before. As the youngest queen, I've never been allowed to go to a lot of wars before. Susan was worse, though. My sister's always the calm and collected type. She was always calm because of her logic and whatnot. But when that happened to her husband…"
Lucy's words died down but Hermione had a gist of the emotions playing on Queen Susan when that incident happened.
"I'm sorry," Hermione muttered, not really knowing what to say.
The young queen softly chuckled in reply. "Why are you apologizing?" she asked. "It's not your fault."
The brunette bit her bottom lip. "Well, I just think that it's common courtesy to apologize upon hearing distressing news from another person, Lucy," she retorted back and the queen absentmindedly nodded her head in agreement.
"Well, how were you when we were gone?" Lucy asked after a few minutes of silence. "I trust that Edmund kept my threat to him in mind."
Hermione blinked in confusion. "What threat?" she asked.
Lucy looked over at Hermione. "He did not tell you?" she asked, and upon seeing Hermione's shake of head, the queen softly laughed. "I should have known… Anyway, how was Edmund to you when we were gone? I hope that he treated you right and forgot about you being fraudulent and all those mumbo jumbos he claimed."
The brunette smiled and was now fixing the queen's hair into a fishtail braid. "Surprisingly, he had been tolerable," she said. "Although we still bicker, you know. I think that's acceptable because we both have volcanic tempers."
"I heard he got injured one time because of you," Lucy said. There was no accusation in her voice. In fact, Hermione could detect mild amusement at the tone of her voice.
"Yes, well, that was my fault," Hermione sheepishly said, smiling when Lucy burst into laughter. "Well, we just had a fight in the forest and I ran off, afraid I might punch him or something." Upon hearing the scandalized gasp from Lucy, Hermione continued, "I'm not really the conventional lady, your majesty. I do tend to resort to violence when I'm angry." As she was saying this, a flashback of all the punches and slaps she had given to her best friends came into mind. Oh, and of course that famous punch she bestowed on Draco Malfoy during their third year.
Lucy once again laughed and shook her head. "You baffle me, Hermione," she said.
The brunette shrugged, her smile widening. "I've been told that countless times already, Lucy," she said. "I'm not really surprised you claim it, too."
They fell into a comfortable silence. Hermione added her last minute touches on Lucy's hair, grabbed a hair tie on her bed, and held the queen's hair in place.
"So, Edmund had been insufferable to you, huh?" Lucy started. "I'll give him a piece of his mind, if you like."
Hermione chuckled and shook her head. "No, no, that won't be necessary," she said. "His intolerable attitude only happened on the first few days that you were gone. Besides, I think it's understandable, seeing that he was left all alone in Cair Paravel while the rest of you embarked on a dangerous journey."
"What a worrywart," Lucy mumbled.
"I know," Hermione said with a smile. "But who wouldn't worry, right? I've worried constantly for you lot, too." She sighed as her hands fell back on her lap and the queen shifted on her bed so that she could now look at Hermione properly. "After King Edmund's… err, little accident, we decided to strike a truce until it's necessary for me to leave already."
A small frown then suddenly appeared on Lucy's face.
"What is it?" Hermione asked, confused.
The queen sighed and held both of Hermione's hands. "Are you really leaving?" Lucy asked. "Why are you, I don't know, rushing, when all of us make you feel welcome here. Even Edmund, too, since he accepted your momentary truce."
A sad smile appeared on Hermione's face as she squeezed the hand on the younger lady. "I don't belong here, Lucy," she earnestly said. "I feel that I don't belong here. I just… I think that if I stayed here longer, I might do something to the perfect balance in time and space."
Lucy then wrapped her arm around Hermione's shoulders and sighed. "Dear Aslan, I want to adopt you and make you my sister forever and ever," she said, leaning her head against Hermione's shoulder.
The brunette placed her hands on Lucy's back. "I'm sure that that's impossible, your highness," Hermione said as the battle in Hogwarts flashed quite vividly in her mind.
"Do I really have to?"
All Lucy answered was a raise of her eyebrow.
Hermione heaved a monumental sigh and stared at the now red dress that Lucy forced her to wear. It was more modest than the last dress that she wore. The red dress fell down until her ankles, her black shoes peeking underneath. Lucy's necklace, which the owner graciously lent her, was hanging down her neck. Her hair this time was tied into a loose bun, with a rose snugly tucked inside. Her make-up was simple, save for the dark red lipstick that Susan had forced her to wear. She looked all right, she thought, as she stared herself at the mirror of the queen's. Still, that did not give her comfort.
"You look stunning, love," Lucy assured, clipping her fringes away from her face. "And whatever happens, you must go."
"But I'm merely your lady-in-waiting, your majesty," Hermione retorted back, walking wobbly towards one of the chairs in the room. "I'm perfectly happy just preparing food in the kitchens and helping Babbity."
Lucy shook her head, adamantly refusing. "No, you will go," she firmly said. "Besides, I know quite a few who'd be very disappointed if you did not show up tonight."
A confused look appeared on Hermione's face. "What do you mean?" she asked, as a meaningful smile appeared on Lucy's face.
"Oh, seriously, Hermione," the queen said, slipping her feet into her shoes. "A lot of young, dashing princes asked who that young, mysterious girl was during Susan and Caspian's wedding reception."
A lovely shade of red sprinkled on Hermione's cheek and she cleared her throat to cover her embarrassment. "Hmm… yes," she said, sounding a little distracted.
Lucy laughed and stood up, linking her arms with hers. "I'm sure we can find you a suitable husband for you here in Narnia," she said.
Hermione's eyes widened, a look of slight horror on her face. "Me? Marriage? At eighteen?" she said, shaking her head. "I have a lot of dreams, Lucy. I'd prefer I reach them first before settling down."
The queen laughed and pulled the brunette out of her room. "Susan once dreamed of being an interior designer," she stated. "Look at her now. A queen and married at nineteen. What are the odds for you, Hermione?"
The brunette, thinking of Hogwarts then her unexpected arrival in Narnia, shook her head. "I don't know, Lucy," she said.
"May I have this dance?"
Hermione covered a growing scowl with a fake, sweet smile, which the Centaur thankfully did not notice. She stood up, grabbed the proffered hand of the creature, and he led her to the dance floor.
She had no idea how many males in the room had already asked her for a dance. Hermione truthfully had lost count and the forming blisters on her feet spoke volumes. She wanted to decline, fervently so, but each time a new and wonderful creature would ask her for a dance, Hermione found herself too mesmerized to say no.
"Forgive me, my lady, but I do believe I haven't seen you before," the Centaur started as soon as they swayed with the music.
"Well, I recently just came into Narnia, and truthfully, sir, I do not know how," she answered back, much to the amusement of the creature. "I am Hermione, by the way. And you are?"
"Call me Vestus," the Centaur said and Hermione smiled.
They talked, with Vestus mostly talking about his guarding duties. Hermione discovered that he used to be a slave to the Telmarines during King Miraz' reign and then was knighted once King Caspian and the others reigned over Narnia again.
Suddenly, a tap on the Centaur's shoulder had cut off his animated narration about one unfortunate encounter he had with Miraz. Both looked behind him and was surprised to see High King Peter, a small smile on his face.
"May I?" he asked, gesturing at the brunette. A small blush appeared on Hermione's face when Peter's smile was then directed to her.
"Of course, your highness," Vestus said as he gave Hermione's hand to Peter.
"Miss Hermione," he said, bowing down.
Hermione curtsied and cleared her throat. "Your majesty," she answered back. "A-are you sure about this?"
The High King looked fairly surprised. "Pardon me?" he asked.
A nervous laugh escaped from Hermione's lips. "I think you still remember the outcome of our last dance, King Peter," she reminded him, which prompted Peter to laugh.
"I do, and I remember I had a lovely time," he said.
The brunette released a monumental laugh and shook her head. "You're only saying that so that you won't offend me," she said.
Once again, the king merely laughed and they continued to dance.
As Hermione stepped left to right, forward to backward, she mused that she actually got better. Smiling secretly, she mentally thanked King Edmund for teaching her how to dance. She mentally counted her steps and cautiously looked at her feet.
"You've gotten better!" was the king's surprised declaration once the song ended. "Not that I'm… err, insulting your dancing skills before."
Hermione laughed, clearly not offended. "King Edmund taught me," she shared.
"Edmund?" he asked, fairly surprised. "Really now?"
The brunette shrugged. "It's hard to believe, I know," she said. "Trust me; even I was dumbfounded when he offered to teach me."
Peter's face lit up with a small smile. "That's good to hear," he said. "I'm starting to get a little alarmed of Edmund's impoliteness towards you."
"I can handle him," Hermione retorted back, slightly frowning.
"And quite well, mind you," Peter added, flashing a charming smile.
A small blush once again appeared on Hermione's face as she watched the High King lifting her right hand, meaning to kiss her knuckles.
"I hate to break this unbearable sweet time between you two, but I must borrow her," Edmund suddenly proclaimed, appearing out of nowhere. He grabbed Hermione's hand and dragged her away from the High King. Peter called for Edmund's name multiple times but his plea fell into deaf ears.
He released a sigh for the umpteenth time and no one seemed to notice. Edmund grabbed a punch from the table and weaved through the crowd.
Like what he had predicted, the Welcoming Ball turned out boring to him. Susan and Caspian were having a blast. He honestly thought that his sister seemed to be latched to the injured king wherever he went. He couldn't blame Susan, of course. Caspian was badly injured and he was sure it had immensely scared her when her husband almost died.
'Still, I'm bored to tears,' Edmund said, emptying his glass of punch and placing it on a random table. He rounded about and almost choked. Princess Thalia, a half-nymph and half-Calormene, was whipping her head wildly and Edmund was willing to bet that she was looking for him.
Edmund mentally cursed, not wanting to be seen by the princess. She was beautiful, all right, but her incessant pining had annoyed the king. It was a well-known fact in Cair Paravel that the Calormene Princess was hopelessly in love with him. Peter had been pushing him to marry the princess, even telling him it would be better for the Calormen [1] to be an ally to Narnia, but Edmund was not going to sacrifice his happiness and sanity.
Her eyes had then landed on him and Edmund froze.
"Blast," he muttered, as the princess half-ran and half-walked towards him, her beautiful face lit up with joy.
Edmund turned away and almost ran, Thalia's pleas for him to stop completely ignored. He was sure that if she asked him to dance, she would never leave his side until the ball ends.
His eyes roamed around the Great Hall, looking for someone to help him. Usually, it was Caspian who would save him from the princess, but seeing that he was currently the star of the night, Edmund knew it would be impossible to ask help from them.
And then, his eyes landed on his brother and Lucy's lady-in-waiting. An idea formed in his mind and without thinking, he rushed towards the dancing pair.
His hand instantly grabbed the lady's hand and ignored the surprise look that crossed her face.
"I hate to break this unbearable sweet time between you two, but I must borrow her," he proclaimed and pulled her at the very center of the dance floor.
"Edmund!" his brother called, but it fall into deaf ears.
"With all due respect, King Edmund, I think it is rather impolite to force a girl to dance with you rather than ask politely," the brunette said with a frown.
Edmund couldn't help but smirk at the sour expression on her face and merely grabbed her hand and started to sway with the music. "I know you'd rather have a lovely time with my brother, but treat this is a payment for teaching you how to properly dance.
"I knew there was an ulterior motive," she mumbled under her breath.
"Oh, the irony, eh?" he said, which made her glare. "Look, Miss Hermione, I did not force you to dance with me to insult you and suspect you more." He looked around and spotted Thalia, making his grip around her tighten. "If you dance with me, you're doing me a huge favour."
Hermione grew confused and looked around, following the king's line of vision. "Favor?" she asked.
Edmund sighed and gestured to Thalia. "See that lady over there?" he asked. Hermione followed his finger. "That lady in pink?" When she nodded, he continued, "She is Thalia of Calormen. A princess and she is hopelessly in love with me."
A small guffaw escaped from Hermione's lips. "I am surprised a girl will be in love with you," she said.
"What does that mean?" he retorted back with a scowl.
Hermione smiled. "Oops, pardon me. A truce, remember?" she said, shaking his hand.
Edmund rolled his eyes and pulled her closer to the shadows, noticing that Thalia was nearing their place. "Just dance with me until she leaves me alone, okay?" he said, slight desperation in the tone of his voice.
The brunette looked at the direction of the princess again. "Why?" she asked. "She's a beauty, King Edmund. I'm sure both of you would look good together."
"Trust me, Miss Hermione, her beauty is merely outside," he said with an exasperated sigh. "I'm sure that if you interacted with her, you'll understand what I'm saying."
The king then suddenly froze when Thalia's eyes landed on them. Her eyes blazed upon seeing Hermione and the brunette, surprised at the hostile look on the princess' face, tried to free herself away from the king.
"I think it is best if you don't include me in this little chase you're doing with the princess, your majesty," Hermione said, but the king held onto her tighter.
"Blast," he muttered, now stopping their dance. Hermione was ready to walk away from the king but Edmund had surprised her; he grabbed her right hand and together, they ran out of Cair Paravel.
"Truthfully, I'd rather spend some time with you than some whiny princess," Edmund called as they ran out of the wooden doors and then into the garden of Cair Paravel.
Hermione was fairly surprised once they stopped inside the usual gazebo they always unintentionally meet. "Then, I'm concluding that she's worse than me? Me who's a girl who obviously is hiding some deep and dark secret from the monarchs of Narnia?" she asked.
"Yes, yes," Edmund said distractedly, plopping down on his usual chair. He released a monumental sigh and ran a hand through his face. "That was close."
The brunette sat down on the chair opposite him. "I think avoiding a lady who wants to dance with you is a little… caddish, don't you think?" she asked.
The king raised an eyebrow. "And I think insulting a king is very impolite, don't you think?" he shot back.
Hermione smiled, amused. "Touché," she retorted back, now slowly standing up.
"Where are you going?" he asked, a little confused.
"Well, I think I already helped you get away from Princess Thalia, King Edmund," she said. "So, I'll be going inside now and try to enjoy myself. I'm sure Lucy will have my head if she discovered I ran away from the ball."
Edmund sighed and merely inclined his head. "Yes, thank you," he said, standing up as the brunette turned away from him. As he watched her go, he properly saw how she looked tonight. As compared to her previous look during the wedding reception, he thought that she looked a little… better than before.
His mind grew conflicted, thinking if he must compliment her or not. As a gentleman, he knew it was protocol to always compliment a lady, whether it was true or not. But then, Hermione had pointed just a while ago that he acted like a cad.
'Maybe it wouldn't hurt if I act like a cad until the night ends,' he told himself, but felt a little guilty inside. The lady had helped him from having one of the worst balls he ever had.
"Miss Hermione," he called before he changed his mind. The brunette turned around and he found himself unconsciously taking in a deep breath.
"Yes, your majesty?" she asked.
A small blush appeared on Edmund's face. "Y-you look lovely tonight," he said, shifting his gaze away from her.
Hermione's face also flushed under the moonlight, although her eyes continued to scrutinize him. "Under normal circumstances, I will view that as a mere obligation of a gentleman, your highness," she said, shyly tucking a stray curl behind her ear. "But this time, I think your compliment is genuine, your majesty. And so, thank you."
Despite the discomfort he was feeling, he was able to raise an eyebrow. "And why do you say that?" he asked.
A small smile appeared on Hermione's face. "Because you stammered," she pointed out. The brunette then curtsied and turned around, leaving the king behind.
Edmund, on the other hand, found himself gently smiling.
[1] Just a brief clarification, "Calormen" is the name of the empire and "Calormene" is what you call the people who live here :D
A/N: So, how'd you like it? Good? Bad? Eh? Meh? Tell me in your reviews!
I've introduced a new character - Princess Thalia of Calormen. Oh, she will be back and I'm sure things would liven up with her in the story *insert idiotic grin here*
Let me also make this opportunity to answer some of the frequent questions I see in my reviews.
1. Hermione doesn't seem to mourn too much about being lost in Narnia while back in Hogwarts, everything was a mess - I've dedicated a whole chapter for that. Don't worry :D
2. When will Hermione have her magic back? - Soon, dear readers. Soon. All you need is patience. After all, once a witch, ALWAYS a witch.
3. When will Hermione's secret be revealed? - Again, soon. Dear God, everything will slowly unravel, I swear.
4. When will the Edmund/Hermione love story start? - Well, judging from this chapter and a few chapters back, I like to say that it's already starting. The REAL love story will start soon, though :)
5. Will there be love triangles/squares? - Eh, what do you think?
Lol, so there! I know I haven't really replied to your reviews but I'm feeling quite lazy now, even though it's summer, and well, I'm busy writing new fanfictions. The Merlin/HP crossover was startling going well. I'm going to start writing chapter 14 later. Everything is going according to plan for now.
Also, I'm starting to watch TV series now. Since I live in a country where they show sucky shows, I had to download a lot and even buy some just to read. Just a while ago, I started watching "Once Upon a Time" and dear Godric, I stopped at Episode 7: "The Heart of a Lonely Hunter". I couldn't go on because of all the feelings that episode gave me. I SERIOUSLY HAVE A THEORY. And well, I ship Emma/Graham so damn hard it had heart me so badly. So any fans out there? We can share our own theories about Graham's current "state". I haven't watched the rest of the episodes so I'm still clueless about the sheriff's future.
That's all for now! Until next time, my lovely readers.
With love,
WickedlyAwesomeMe