- Chapter 24 -
It was the night on which the birth of Narnia's newest royal addition would announced. All seven rulers were rushing around, preparing for the ceremony. It was set to happen on the balcony of Cair Paravel, the one that overlooked the entire kingdom.
Not only was the child's existence to be announced, but her coronation was also to occur. The baby was to be crowned early in her life so as to get the Narnians used to the idea of her ruling them once her parents were gone.
Two hours before the ceremony was to begin, Lucy and Avaline sat on the latter's bed, with the three-day-old infant held tightly in her mother's arms.
"Are you at all nervous?" Lucy asked her friend.
"A little," she admitted. "I just don't want the rumors to get too terribly nasty. This isn't something that just me and Ed will have to deal with, this is something that will affect Adela's life for the extent of her rule over Narnia."
"Yes, but I believe you are doing the right thing by telling the public. They may not agree with the choices that you and my brother made, but they will support you no matter what. You know that."
Avaline nodded in agreement and looked down at her baby, who was looking up at her with Edmund's dark brown eyes.
"She really does look just like him, doesn't she?" she mused.
"I disagree," Lucy said. "In my opinion, she is a spitting image of you, Avaline."
"How so?"
Avaline examined her daughter, trying to see what Lucy saw.
"Well, she has the Telmarine skin. Just look at it! It has the pale translucency of Edmund's, but it's almost like there's a second layer underneath that is one-hundred percent Telmarine. And then there's her features. The shape of her eyes are just like yours, her lips are just as plump and curved as yours. But she has Ed's nose. Your hair color."
"I suppose you're right."
After several moments of silence during which both women stared at the baby, Lucy looked across the room at the clock.
"I think it's time to get you both ready," she said.
Her strawberry blonde hair, which she had tied up in a ponytail to keep it out of her face while she was working, swayed as she moved across the room to the dresser.
"Which one do you think she should wear?" Lucy asked, holding up two small gowns.
One was light pink with frills at the sleeves, hem, neckline, and waist. The other was a bright white with small ruffles all over it.
"I'm not sure, what do you think?"
"The decision is yours, Ava, but I personally think the pink would compliment her skin."
"Well, pink it is."
Lucy returned to the bed and held her arms out, waiting for Avaline to place her niece in her arms. Once the baby was settled, the young queen began removing the child's current clothing and redressing her in the gown.
Once it was on, Lucy turned around to show her. "See, doesn't her skin really appear darker next to the pink?"
"Yes, I can see what you were saying now."
There was a knock on the door.
"Come in!" Lucy called, and in walked Susan, holding a plastic garment bag.
"Oh dear." Avaline groaned. "What did you find this time, Su?"
Susan smirked and began unzipping the garment bag to reveal its contents. "Well, since you asked, I guess I'll show you."
Once the bag was undone and the dress was pulled out, Avaline was in love. The dress was a mahogany color that accented her lips - which had been stained dark red, Lucy's doing - and brought out streaks of red-gold in her chocolate hair.
"It's surprisingly beautiful," Avaline commented.
"Surprisingly?!" Susan cried. She reached over to smack Ava's arm. "Please, Ava. There hasn't been one single time that you've complained over a dress I picked out for you."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Avaline waved her off.
A whimpering sound came from the bed. Avaline looked to the direction of the noise to find her daughter's lip quivering and big eyes scrunching.
"Oh no," she said, moving toward her. She picked up the baby and began rocking her. "Shh," she murmured.
"You really do make a good mother," Susan commented, watching Avaline's back with Adela's head resting on her mother's shoulder.
"Thanks," Avaline turned her head to smile at Susan.
After five minutes of waiting in vain for Avaline to finish calming her child, Lucy decided she would go ahead and braid Avaline's hair while she held the baby.
It was decided on that Ava's hair would be a long, thick, side-swept braid. When it was finally done, it was beautiful. Her golden brown highlights stood out in the braid, and her loose, wavy flyaways framed her face.
Lucy held a mirror up to Ava's face. "It's beautiful, Lucy. Thank you."
"You're very welcome, old lady," Lucy laughed.
"What?!"
"I think she's referring to the fact that you're a mother now," Susan interjected.
"Oh, shut up!" Avaline teased.
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An hour later, Edmund and Avaline stood before tall, glass double doors. These doors, when opened, would lead to the spacious balcony above which there subjects stood below. Behind them stood their family. Analiese held Adela, and was to hand the baby to Avaline as soon as the announcement was made.
"Three minutes," Caspian leaned in to whisper to Edmund and Avaline.
"Okay," Avaline said, taking a deep breath. "Ed, you remember what to say, right?"
"Yeah, you?"
"Mmhmm."
Two minutes passed. Thirty more seconds gone.
"You ready?" Edmund asked.
"If I'm not now then I'll never be," Avaline replied, trying to compose herself. How she acted in the next few minutes would determine the future of her entire family.
Her boyfriend squeezed her hand tightly. "Just breathe, Ava."
Outside, trumpets blew to silence the chatting onlookers. Everyone recognized Reepicheep's voice above everyone else's, probably speaking into a loudspeaker of some sort.
"Attention! Attention! All rise to give your respects to King Edmund the Just and Queen Avaline the Passionate of Narnia!"
Two dwarves opened the double doors for the King and Queen and they stepped out, squinting as their eyes adjusted to the setting sunlight.
The crowd went wild with cheers and applause as they appeared. As soon as they quieted down, Edmund began shouting out to them.
"Good afternoon, Narnians. You are all gathered here today to head a quite important announcement that we have decided to make. Three days ago, the best moment of my life occurred. For a while, all of you have wondered who will rule this country once the current kings and queens have passed. Narnia, I am proud to announce the birth of mine and Queen Avaline's daughter!"
The gathering outside the palace was dead silent. Avaline swore she could've been able to hear someone breathing, except no one was. Everyone's breath was held tightly, waiting to see this child.
Behind them, Analiese walked through the balcony doors and handed the baby to Avaline. She held the baby in front of her so as to allow the people below to see. She expected the crowd to erupt in cheers once again, but they didn't. They remained silent.
"The Queen conceived before marriage!" a centaur shouted.
"The King and Queen have set a bad precedent for our own children!" a woman said, grabbing her son and wrapping her arms around his shoulders.
Avaline gasped and locked eyes with Edmund. They exchanged glances of horror. In their worst dreams, they didn't imagine this reaction from their people.
"Stop!" one girl shouted. "This isn't an act of defiance or a cruelty to us, this is an act of love for one another! Do any of you believe that King Edmund and Queen Avaline would produce a child out of anything but love? Anyone who speaks against this is as good as a traitor. We need to stand behind our rulers, for surely other countries will begin fighting back."
Avaline teared up at the young girl's speech. This girl was a red-haired teenager with freckles on her cheeks. She was pretty, and looked quite intelligent for her age.
"Thank you," Avaline said to her. "We appreciate your support."
No sooner had the words escaped her mouth than gasps began sounding from below. Avaline, confused, turned around to follow the eyes of her onlookers and couldn't help but gasp as well. Standing behind her was the Great Lion himself, Aslan.
"Aslan," she said breathlessly. She dropped down to kneel before him, and Edmund did the same beside her. The baby fell silent and still in her arms.
"Queen Avaline, King Edmund," he greeted them in his deep, calming voice. "Rise and show me your child."
They did as they were told. Avaline held Adela out to him. The infant's large eyes reflected gold as she stared into those of the Great Lion.
Aslan took a step forward, his big paws pounding against the floor, and breathed onto the child's forehead. For the first time in the three days of her existence, Adela smiled.
Avaline and Edmund locked eyes and smiled at each other. It was hard for them to accept that the beautiful baby was their daughter.
Aslan walked between the king and queen, standing so he looked out at the crowd below.
"People of Narnia, hear me. Today you have come to celebrate the birth of Adela Pevensie, Daughter of Eve. Now, she becomes Princess Adela Pevensie of Narnia."
A silver crown with small, intricate flower shapes carved into it appeared on the baby's head.
Avaline gasped. "How did-?"
"Magic," Edmund whispered in awe.
Aslan shushed them, then spoke clearly: "From the south to the north, west to the east, I crown you Princess Adela the Gracious."
Their audience cheered louder than Avaline had heard anyone cheer before. Smiles broke out on all seven monarchs' faces as the other five of them burst through the doors and onto the balcony to embrace their friends.
The rest of the night was spent celebrating the princess' birth. The celebrations continued into the early hours of the morning. Bonfires burned, music played, creatures danced, humans sang.
But as soon as the sun went down, Aslan was gone.
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Analiese woke up to an empty bed. She sat up, examining the room. Everything looked the same as it had last night, except her husband wasn't in the room.
Where did he go? she asked herself. She didn't hear the water running, so he wasn't in the shower. She glanced outside, then looked to the clock checked the time. It was 8:30 in the morning, but still dark outside due to the storm clouds forming. Everyone was due down for breakfast in half an hour. Surely Peter hadn't woken up this early on his own?
Analiese decided to go find him. Before doing so, she chose a blue-grey, long-sleeved dress and put it on, then brushed through blonde hair and secured the half-up half-down style.
The High Queen made her way down the stairs and through numerous hallways, taking her time to look through the many windows of Cair Paravel. In the Golden Age, the palace hadn't had nearly as many windows but upon its restoration several years ago, more had been added to reflect the Narnians' happiness of their land being free.
Two servants stood outside the doors of the dining hall. They both stepped aside to allow their queen to enter. Inside, Analiese found Peter.
"Oh, there you are!" she said, a smile spreading across her face at the sight of her husband. She leaned down next to him to kiss him on his cheek, but no sooner had she leaned in than his hand blocked her.
She looked at him, surprised, and saw something she had been missing before: the look in his eyes. They were dark and angry. Intimidating.
The other three Pevensies, Caspian, and Avaline stared at Analiese, watching her interaction with Peter. She hadn't noticed they were there.
"Hey, what's wrong?" she murmured.
"Nothing. Go sit down," Peter said shortly.
"No, really, Peter. What's wrong?"
"Nothing! Now go sit down next to Lucy!" he snapped, eyes glaring into hers.
Analiese had never seen him like this. Ever. What had happened since last night that would make him act this way toward her? Her eyes teared up involuntarily in response. Nonetheless, she did as she was told and took a seat next to Lucy - which was odd in and of itself considering she had always sat next to Peter.
She fully expected him to be holding some family meeting this morning that she wasn't informed of. She was even a little hopeful that he would explain himself to her as soon as breakfast began. But that hope began to dwindle as the extended family continued to eat in complete silence.
His eyes were on her. She could feel them watching her. Analiese glanced up and their eyes met. He wasn't just staring, we was glaring.
When the meal was coming to a close, Analiese decided she would wait until everyone had left before she confronted Peter. Something was up. Before she could finish her plan, she saw him standing from his chair to exit. Practically falling over herself, she ran to catch up to him. She burst through the dining hall doors and called to him.
"Peter!"
He continued walking.
"Peter!"
Still no answer. It was as if he couldn't even hear her.
"Peter, stop!"
The aggravation was what gave her the energy to lift up her dress skirt a few inches and begin running after him until she caught up with him. She was aware of the change in scenery and realized they were outside in the gardens. It was raining, and the sky was dark.
When she finally was close enough, she pushed him with enough force that his back flew into the stone garden wall.
"Peter Pevensie, what in the Emperor's name is wrong with you?!" she shouted.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he lied, looking anywhere but her eyes.
She could feel her face growing red with fury. "Yes you do!"
"Analiese, if you want me to understand, you'll have to be more specific."
"Okay, let's start with you rejecting a simple kiss on the cheek at breakfast in front of everyone."
"I just wasn't in the mood."
"And what about when you glared at me throughout half of the meal?"
"I wasn't aware that I was."
"You're lying," Analiese stated, careful to keep her voice level.
Peter's face shifted into one filled with rage. He took a step forward until their faces were inches apart.
"I know you didn't just call the High King of Narnia a liar," he said, daring her to continue. She wasn't backing down.
She allowed herself to give him a smug smile. "You're wrong, I did. And I'll gladly do it again."
"You wouldn't dare to."
"As your wife and the High Queen, I have every right to do so."
Peter began laughing, but it was anything but joyful. It was wicked, one that looked as if it prided itself upon the pain and humiliation of others.
"You wouldn't have either of those titles if it weren't for me, so I suggest you listen up. This marriage has run down the drain. It's gone. Dead. Over. You and I have nothing more to say to each other, and there is no reason why we should. You are a disgusting woman with no class. If it weren't for the wise decision of Aslan, I would never have agreed to marry you. You're self-entitled, Analiese, and it has gotten the best of you. So now, I have to end whatever this is that we have... This relationship that is anything except love."
Analiese hadn't noticed that her mouth had fallen open while he was speaking. She felt varying degrees of hurt take over her body.
You know how sometimes, when someone hurts you, you can't fully process it until later? Later, when you're already out alone, thinking everything is okay... and then it hits you that you're not okay, nothing is. It's a bit overwhelming.
Analiese's pain was unlike that. The exact opposite, rather. It didn't hit immediately but as soon as he was done talking, the full effect of his words fell onto her.
She stared off in the distance, to the rolling hills beyond the garden wall and the black clouds hovering all around. The rain began pouring harder, but she didn't notice.
The last thing that really clicked in her mind was Peter leaving, his blonde hair turned brown from the wet. But he held his shoulders high with a satisfied look adorning his cold, masked face.
This isn't right, she thought. That isn't Peter.
But it was.
As soon as he was gone, Analiese's knees to buckled under her. She crumpled down on the path beneath her feet and allowed all the different bottled-up emotions to pour out of her. Loud sobs escaped her lips. She couldn't tell if there were any tears or not; if so, they just mixed with the rain.
After what seemed like hours in which the rain came down heavier and her emotions came stronger, she heard running footsteps nearby. Without moving, she counted how many feet there were. Two pairs. One pair belonged to a man, that was all she could tell.
As the footsteps became louder, she began to hear shouting over the pounding of the rain.
"I found her!" a woman's voice yelled. The man's running came closer, as well as hers, until they were standing right in front of her.
"By the Lion, Analiese! Are you okay?"
The voice was Susan's.
Then the man spoke up. Caspian's sarcasm kicked in. "Does it look like she's okay, Queen Susan?"
She ignored him. "We have to get her inside. You pick her up, I'll lead the way in."
Analiese felt Caspian's arms lifting her from the ground, and within seconds she was being held against his chest.
There was a dramatic change in temperature as they stepped inside the palace. Analiese hadn't noticed just how cold she was until the heat of the indoors hit her.
A few minutes later, she was being set down. Her eyes fluttered open to find she was sitting on the couch in Susan's bedroom, with Susan and Caspian staring at her. Both of them had furrowed eyebrows and wrinkled foreheads, clearly worried.
"Analiese..." Susan began hesitantly. "Would you like to tell me what you were doing out there?"
The High Queen continued staring at her two friends, and they stared back at her as if she was crazy. When she didn't answer for a few minutes, Caspian went over to the dresser and pulled out a blanket. He walked back over to her silently and wrapped it around her shoulders, then went back to stand next to Susan.
"Analiese, you could've gotten seriously sick out there. We've been looking for you all day. Do you know what time it is?" Rhetorical question. She went on before Analiese could register what she had been asked. "The least you can do is tell us why you were out there!"
Analiese just shook her head and looked down. She couldn't tell them. It would break their hearts. Furthermore, no matter how much Peter had hurt her, Susan was his sister. She wouldn't ever do something so terrible as to make her turn on him.
So after an hour of refusing to answer Susan's questions and turning down Caspian's offers of food, drinks, and more blankets, Susan quite angrily told her to go to her room.
Just as she reached the bedroom door and, Analiese had a sudden thought.
Wait, you don't have a room, Analiese remembered, but it was too late. She had already opened the door. As she stepped in, her eyes met the eyes of the person who was laying on her bed.
Peter.
He had been reading what appeared to be a letter from someone. He laid it down on the bed beside him while he picked up his pillow and blanket, then began moving toward the couch. Peter returned to get the letter before sitting down, though.
"I'll just sleep here tonight," he said. His voice was robotic and his face emotionless.
"You don't have to do that," Analiese whispered. She was surprised when the words exited her mouth.
"Whatever you wish, my Queen," he sneered, then moved his things back to the bed. "But I get the right side, you get the left. That's how it is now, and that's how it stays. Understood?"
He turned to look at her briefly, waiting for an answer. She couldn't find the strength to speak, so she just nodded.
"Good," he said. The clock made a dong noise, just as it always does when the hour changes. It's not loud enough to wake anyone, but it's loud enough so they can hear it when they're awake. "It's getting late."
Without another word, he placed the letter on his side table and turned out the light. Analiese sat in the darkness for hours afterwards, unable to think about sleeping.
There's a certain level of pain where there are no tears and you make no noise. That pain is the worst pain. The pain that you feel everywhere, and your entire body throbs with it, but you can't seem to find a way to escape it. It's as if no matter how much you cry, you can't get it out of your system.
That terrible pain is the pain you experience late at night when everyone else is asleep. The silent sibs rack your body of all your energy and leave you weak, having to hold yourself together out of fear of falling apart.
That is how Analiese fell asleep that night. Crying silent, soundless tears that carried her into a deep state of fatigue.
Little did she know, Peter was awake next to her, as well. And she wasn't the only one crying.
A/N: There's a good reason for this. I swear. It's making me feel bad to do this because Peter and Ana are my favorites but it will play a big part in the future of the this story.
Review and tell me what you thought, as well as what you think Peter's reasoning was for all this mess! I love to hear what you guys think :)