-Chapter 14-
A/N: Okay, I lied. No, just kidding, but I'm not going to be able to fit in the flashback like I told you I would. I'm sorry, but I couldn't stand to put in yet another filler chapter. So... I skipped ahead a month. Oh, and there's a little question for you all at the bottom in the end author's note. Please answer in your reviews! Enjoy!
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-one month later-
Edmund stared at the ceiling above him. It was six o'clock in the evening, and the seven monarchs had just gotten finished eating their dinner. The Just King was lying on his back on his bed, his hands behind his head. He was thinking about Avaline, and what Analiese had told him a few weeks ago.
Analiese had told him not to say anything to Avaline, and that she would come to when she was ready. Sure, Edmund could wait for Avaline to talk to him first if he wanted to. But the fact was, Edmund really didn't want to.
Mustering up his courage, Edmund moved so that his legs hung off the side of the bed, slid until his feet touched the floor, and pushed off on them so he was standing right beside where he was laying only seconds before. He made his way over to his bedroom door, taking deep breaths to calm himself. He couldn't believe he was actually going to do this. The door opened and he slipped his head out to make sure no one saw him. When the coast was clear, Edmund made a dash for the girl's wing, where Lucy's, Susan's, and Avaline's quarters were.
A few minutes later, Edmund stood outside Avaline's bedroom door, contemplating whether he really wanted to do this. When she saw that he was there, would she slam the door in his face or let him in? Would she listen to what he had to say, or would she cut him off and yell just like last time?
It took a ton of courage, almost more courage than he even had, but Edmund finally knocked on the door. Once, twice, thrice. Then the door opened and the Just King stood face-to-face with the Telmarine queen. Her face fell as soon as she saw him and her eyes narrowed into slits at him.
"What do you want?" she asked through her teeth.
"We need to talk," Edmund replied. When Avaline didn't do anything, he said, "Alone."
"Well, I'm sure as heck not going into my room alone with you," she said, leaning back against the door frame and crossing her arms over her chest. "Right here is fine."
"Avaline, you know that we need to talk in private."
"Why? Are you afraid your sisters will hear what you did?" When Edmund didn't answer, her eyes widened and she snorted in disgust. "You are, aren't you? That's just pathetic."
"No, actually, I'm asking to speak in private for your sake, not mine."
"How so?"
"My family would be mad at me if they found out what I did, but they would be completely mortified if they found out that you allowed it," he replied, and watched as her eyes narrowed again. Edmund knew that even the heartless Avaline couldn't bear to have her reputation on the line.
"Fine," she growled. "Get inside." She closed the door behind them and turned around to face her ex-boyfriend. "Go ahead and say what you want, because you might not get another chance."
Edmund took a deep breath and began. "I made a mistake, and we both realize it now. It seemed so right when it happened that I didn't even think of the consequences it would have later. I came here to apologize, because I'm the one that needs to. You loved me and trusted me enough to risk everything you had, and I only gave you trouble in return. I know that I can never, ever make up for what I took from you, and I'm sorry for that, but you have to trust me when I say that I truly love you."
"That's it?" she asked, her arms still crossed, only now she was leaning against one of the end bedposts.
"I don't think there was much else to say," he replied, shrugging.
There was a long silence in the room. It was so quiet that when Avaline said her next words, Edmund almost didn't catch them. "Why did you do it?"
"Pardon?" he said, confused.
"Why did you do it? You know what I mean, so don't ask me to tell you."
"Heat of the moment, I guess," he responded lamely. There was a pause, then, "Why did you agree to it?"
"Because I loved you more than anyone in this world ever has or ever will, and I would have agreed to anything you suggested back then," she said, matching his tone.
Edmund winced at the past tense. "Would another apology help?" he asked, his voice going up hopefully.
"Ugh!" she exclaimed in disgust, turning around and walking toward the door. "You think that an apology can help every situation, don't you? Well, you're about to find out that it won't fix this one."
Edmund couldn't watch her walk away from him. He followed her and grabbed her arm, hoping she would stop.
"Get your hands off me, you filthy creep!" she shouted, shoving him in the chest to get him away from her.
"Hey!" he yelled, grabbing her wrists and holding them together in front of her. She looked down at her hands, locked in his strong grasp, then slowly allowed herself to look at his face. Edmund saw fear in her eyes, but he didn't care. Maybe she needed a good dose of fright to teach her a lesson. "No one talks to me like that," he growled.
"Obviously, someone should," she said quietly.
"You know, I just don't get you," he began. "I saved your life two years ago when a poisonous arrow went straight through your heart. You only had moments left until you were gone, but I loved you enough to risk my own life running you back to Aslan's How in the middle of a battle to make sure you would stay alive. You know why?" He answered his own question. "Because I loved you. If it had been Peter or Caspian that had found you, they would've seen that you were good as gone and let you die then and there."
Avaline glared at him. "Maybe you should've let them."
"Why? So you could never meet Aslan and get saved? So you could never discover what having a real family is like? So you could be forgotten in a few years, never to be remembered?" His voice became quiet at his next words. "So you could die thinking I hated you?"
"It would be better than knowing that you do right now."
"Where in Aslan's country do you get this crap?!" Edmund exclaimed, releasing her hands and throwing his own in the air in exasperation. "Why would you think I hate you?!"
"I don't think, I know. There's a difference."
"Not in this scenario, there isn't, because you're wronger than wrong could possibly get."
"If you love me so much, why have you been avoiding me for the past two months?" she asked.
"I haven't been avoiding you, you've been ignoring me! And if I have, then I apologize, but could it possibly be because you told me you didn't want to see me ever again?" Edmund shot back.
"I knew this would happen," Avaline whispered, looking down.
"What?" Edmund asked, his eyes widening, for the woman he loved suddenly had tears streaming down her cheeks. He had only seen her cry once in his entire life, and it wasn't something he wanted to see again. "Avaline, what's wrong?"
"We're fighting," she said.
"We've been fighting for nearly two months now, I don't get why you're just getting emotional now."
"No, that's not what I meant. I mean, I promised myself after our last argument that I'd accept any apology you gave me and that we could get over this mess. But when you came to my door, all I could think was my mother telling me not to let boys treat me like a tool, and to avoid anyone that did."
"I don't treat you like a tool!" Edmund defended himself.
"I know, that's not what I meant, either! But when I saw you, that was what came to my mind. So I couldn't help but be hostile toward you. B-But now- now, that I know the healer was right -I can't afford to fight with you anymore."
"What do you mean?" the Just King asked cautiously, his eyebrows furrowing in suspicion and confusion.
"You don't want to know," Avaline replied.
"Actually, I'm kind of thinking that I do."
"You'll kill me."
"I'd rather kill myself than even consider losing you again, Avaline."
"You can't say I didn't warn you," she muttered. The Passionate Queen took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."
Edmund raised his eyebrows at the girl, then laughed in disbelief.
"What's so funny?" Avaline asked, shocked at his reaction.
The Just King simply continued laughing, then shook his head incredulously. "I never get a break from this crap, do I?"
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Susan and Analiese were sitting in the latter's bedroom on the carpet in front of the fire. The girls were chatting about the Christmas ball that would occur in two days. Both were excited, but Analiese especially. She and Peter had patched up all of the rough spots in their relationship, and she really liked him. The blonde-haired beauty knew that a simple fondness of him would never balance out the love he had for her, but he didn't push her into anything and held nothing but respect for his wife.
What also excited Analiese was the guests coming in from other countries. She had invited Morgana and her brother John to spend an entire two weeks with the Pevensies at Cair Paravel, which had both the Courteous Queen and the Just King practically jumping off the walls in anticipation. They had become much closer to the Calormene girl by writing her every day, and reading her responses together. Also, Analiese had invited a family friend to come from Durham to visit. He would be staying for two weeks, also, only in a vacation cottage he owned in town.
There was no doubt that this Christmas would be a memorable one.
"I already had our dresses made for the ball," Susan said. "Yours is a dark green with gold. It's really pretty. We're all wearing Christmas colors, so-"
The Gentle Queen was interrupted by a frantic knocking on Analiese's bedroom door. "Lemme in, lemme in, lemme in, lemme in, lemme in!" a voice, that could only belong to Edmund, cried.
"It's open," Analiese called over her shoulder. She jumped nearly a foot off the ground when Edmund burst into the room and ran over to his sister and sister-in-law.
"Help me!" he said, grabbing onto Analiese's sleeve and pulling it.
"Ed, what's wrong?" she asked, confused.
"Avaline, she just t-told me—" The nineteen-year-old king was out of breath and could hardly speak when he got cut off by Analiese.
"Breathe, Edmund, breathe!" she said, coaching him until his breathing was at a normal rate again. "Now, would you like to explain to me what in Aslan's name is going on?"
Edmund nodded frantically and opened his mouth to speak when he saw Susan out of the corner of his eye. "Can we go out in the hall?"
The Courteous Queen followed his gaze and nodded in understanding. "Su, me and Ed will be right back. You just stay right here, alright?" She didn't give Susan any time to answer before they were in the hallway, the door shut behind them.
"What's up?" she asked.
"I don't know what to do," he said.
"What do you mean? Why were you talking to Avaline?" A smile suddenly spread across her face. "Did she come to apologize?"
"No, I apologized to her." He winced when her eyes widened. "I know you told me not to, but it's been two months nearly, and I couldn't help myself."
"I get it, you don't have to act like I'm going to bite your head off." Edmund relaxed. "Now what was it that she told you?"
"Ava told me that she..." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes before looking back up at his sister-in-law. "She's pregnant."
Analiese gawked at Edmund in bewilderment. Avaline... pregnant?! Something wasn't right. "A-Are you sure?" she asked.
"Positive," he replied.
After Avaline had told him the news, he had felt quite sick. Memories flashed through his mind that were insignificant to him before now. The memories were like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Everything suddenly made sense.
"Where were you at breakfast this morning, Avaline?" Lucy asked. "I came downstairs a bit later than usual, but when I got there, you weren't at the table. I asked where you were and Susan told me you were sick.
"Yes, I wasn't feeling well this morning. The weird thing was, it passed very quickly. I think it must've been the smell of the biscuits," Avaline replied.
"What? But you love Mrs. Goose's biscuits! You've eaten them every morning for two years now!" Lucy exclaimed in surprise.
"I know, I don't know what came over me. I felt sick one second, and the next I felt better. It kept going on like that for about an hour and a half, and then it stopped, just like that. I sure am glad, though." Lucy raised a questioning eyebrow. "This turkey is good; it'd be a shame to have missed it!"
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"Did you go to the healer today, Avaline?" Susan asked during a break in a political meeting.
"No, I didn't have any reason to. As soon as I was halfway to the healing room, the nausea stopped, just like that," the Passionate Queen explained. "It's weird, really."
"Well, you had better find out what is soon, because word has gotten around Narnia that you have been ill. People are worried."
"It's fine, honestly," Avaline reassured her friend.
"Ava, I don't think it is. This has been going on every morning for a month now. There has to be something seriously wrong."
"I doubt it," Avaline said, waving her hand to dismiss the topic.
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"We're going to the beach later, Avaline and Edmund, if you want to come," Caspian said.
"Count me in," Edmund said with a smile.
"Who else is going?" she asked.
"Me, Susan, Analiese, Lucy, Reepicheep, and Trufflehunter."
Avaline was tempted to go; it sounded like fun. She was quite fond of Reepicheep and Trufflehunter, and besides, it'd be a nice way to clear her mind and enjoy herself. Unfortunately, though, she really just wanted to eat some cheese steak and cobbler while reading a book.
"That sounds like fun, Cas, but I have things to do today," Avaline declined with a smile.
"Are you sure? We'll be out there until dinner, and we'll have a picnic lunch and play games and everything."
"No, Caspian, I just told you. I have things to do."
"Come on, I'm sure we can slip you out of your queenly duties for a few hours," her cousin said with a wink.
"No, Caspian! Why do you have to keep nagging me about it!" she exclaimed irritably.
"I didn't think I was nagging you. I'm sorry. I just thought that you would enjoy a break from your work for once," Caspian replied, obviously hurt.
"Well, I don't want to go! Why can't anyone just leave me alone once in a while?" Avaline cried, bursting into tears.
In the long run, he guessed he should've seen it coming. There were just too many signs that he missed.
"When did she find out?" Analiese asked.
"I have no idea. A few days ago is my guess."
"Wow," she whispered. Edmund looked at her questioningly. "Avaline... pregnant. That's something I never imagined happening."
"Yeah, get used to it," he muttered.
Just then, the pair heard footsteps coming toward them from down the corridor. They got closer and closer until Peter rounded the corner.
"Hi," he greeted his brother and wife with a smile as he approached them.
"Hey," Analiese sat in a quiet, shy voice that Edmund took as her own way of flirting. And it worked, too. Peter leaned in to kiss his wife's cheek. "Are you done with your work?" she asked him.
"Yeah," he replied. "Biff and I settled for the deal the giants offered us, and all we have to do is get all seven of us to sign it in the morning."
Analiese gave Edmund a sideways glance and coughed out, "Eight."
"What was that?" Peter asked.
"Nothing," she told him, glancing at Edmund for his permission to continue. He nodded his consent. "I was just saying that pretty soon, there will be eight people needed to sign things and make decisions."
"What are you talking about?"
Peter began humming quietly to himself as he listened to his wife's explanation. "Peter, in a few short months, there will be eight monarchs. The eighth will have tiny little hands to sign the treaties with and tiny little feet to run in battle on." Analiese saw that he still wasn't catching on, but was still humming his random tune. She sighed in exasperation. How much clearer could she be?! "Peter, I'm talking about a baby!"
The High King's humming abruptly stopped and he began coughing uncontrollably as he choked on his own saliva. He reeled over at the waist, clutching his sides as he fought for air.
"Peter," Edmund suddenly spoke up, shaking his brother's shoulders frantically. "Peter!"
A few seconds later, the two nineteen-year-old monarchs finally had the twenty-one-year-old king calmed down again. When Peter got his breathing back to normal, his eyes flashed to Analiese's face.
"Are you saying that y-you're..." he struggled to get the words out of his mouth, "Pregnant?"
"No!" Analiese shouted, causing Peter to raise an eyebrow. "No, no, no, no! We're not anywhere near that yet!"
"Alright, I'm just making sure," he said. "But if you're not talking about that, then what are you talking about?"
Analiese turned to Edmund. "Are you sure?" she mouthed to him, and received a small nod in response. She then turned back to Peter and announced, "Avaline is pregnant." A pause. "Edmund's the father."
There was silence. Edmund counted how long the dead quiet lasted. He had almost reached thirty-seven seconds when Peter exploded, and the Magnificent King gave a not-so-magnificent reaction.
"What did you just say?" he roared, his face growing red in fury. Edmund slowly backed away from his brother. His back hit the wall and fear flooded his face as he thought of all the things Peter might do to him.
"I-it wasn't my fault," the dark-haired king defended himself.
"It wasn't, was it?" Peter's blue eyes glared into Edmund's brownish-black ones. "Do you have any idea how humiliating this is? That my brother didn't have enough freaking self control to wait until he was married? Narnia's reputation will be ruined. You know, unlike a wedding ring, a baby can't exactly be hidden. I could've secretly married Analiese and no one would ever have to know, but once a baby is born, family members tell friends, and friends tell neighbors, and neighbors tell strangers. Soon enough, the entire world will know what a rotten king you are!"
Edmund was taken aback by his older brother's harsh tone. However, he couldn't say that he didn't deserve it. After all, he had broken one of the greatest rules of all time. It was a big rule in England, it was a big rule in Archenland, but it was an even bigger rule in Narnia. And by breaking it, he had also broken his country's trust.
He had betrayed Narnia once when he sided with Jadis during his first time in Narnia. Aslan had forgiven him for that and in turn, so had the Narnians. But this was something they wouldn't forgive. This was something his baby and girlfriend would have to deal with for the rest of their lives.
This was the ultimate betrayal.
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A/N: I honestly was not planning on doing something like this. Avaline was never supposed to get mixed up with Edmund or get pregnant. I suppose it's just a part of writing, though, right? Expect the unexpected. But now that that's happened... baby names?
Please submit two boys names and two girls names that you'd like Ava and Ed to name their baby in your reviews. Not something too common or modern, but something, I don't know... Narnian-ish. Uncommon names that are unique but pretty. Who knows, maybe your name will be chosen! (I'll be sure to give credit to the user whose name suggestion I use.)
REVEW (Baby Names) REVIEW (Baby Names) REVIEW (Baby Names) REVIEW (Baby Names) REVIEW (Baby Names)!
Ed and Ava are waiting ;)