- Chapter 26 -
"I'm pretty sure that baby is a year ahead of her size," Lucy commented, smiling down at her niece.
"Well, she is quite advanced for only being two weeks old," Avaline replied.
Lucy, Analiese, and Avaline were sitting on the floor of the sunroom with their lunch in front of them. The three girls had agreed that eating meals in the dining hall would be too sad, as most of the seats at the table would be empty. All of their meals over the past two days had been eaten anywhere other than that room.
"So Analiese," Avaline said. "The pregnancy? Where did that come from?"
Analiese frowned. She had been trying to avoid this question. "I suppose it came from the same thing that Adela came from."
The Telmarine slapped her friend's arm. "Oh, stop it! You know what I mean."
"Well, I had been keeping it a secret for over a week. I told all of you girls about my inability a day before I found out. I didn't have any normal symptoms other than a little morning sickness. When Peter told me yesterday that that was why he was mad at me, I couldn't let him leave without telling him. After all, how strange would it be if he came back from Calormen to find a fat wife? Even worse if he came back to find a child!"
"Well, let's hope they aren't gone for that long," Lucy said.
"Yes, I certainly hope not."
The three queens went back to watching Adela and eating their lunch quietly.
The young princess was only two weeks old, but she was a quick learner. Adela was smiling, laughing, sucking her little thumb, wiggling her legs... All of which made her family fall more in love with her.
Lucy simply adored Adela. She had always wanted a little sister (she hated being the youngest in her family) and although Adela was only her niece, she considered her as close to a sister as she was going to get.
When Lucy heard Analiese tell Peter about her own pregnancy, she was even more excited.
"I get to have a little nephew, too!" she had gushed joyfully at the time.
Avaline heard a door opening behind her. She turned her head to see Biff hobbling over to them. His short dwarf legs slowed him down a bit. Once he reached them, he bowed respectfully.
"My Queens," he greeted. Avaline noted the smile on his face as the first time she had ever seen him smile. "The others have sent letters. Tinklewing came as quickly as he could when they gave the letters to him."
He handed each girl their own set of letters, aside from Adela, of course. Avaline had letters from Edmund and Caspian, Analiese had letters from Peter and Susan, and Lucy had letters from her siblings.
"Before you begin reading, my ladies, I was told to inform you that due to their excitement of getting the mail to you as quickly as they could, they didn't have time to all write to each of you. But they have requested that you write each one of them," Biff said.
The girls needed no further instruction. They ripped open their letters and began reading.
Avaline read her letter from Edmund first.
Dear Ava,
It's so weird to address you formally in a letter! Good grief, let's agree to cut all the nonsense and just talk normally!
I hope you are doing okay without me. I'm sure Lucy and An are helping with Adela, so I haven't much to worry about I suppose. Speaking of my daughter, how is she? It's been just two days, but I missed her as soon as I boarded the ship. I miss you too, of course, but she is my daughter. You know what I mean.
Tinklewing - you know that raven that helped us in the Telmarine War? - has volunteered to help with our communication with you all. I hope he is getting this to you in good time.
Avaline, I miss you dearly. I don't know how I'll be able to bear the long months ahead. I don't even want to think about how big Adela will be by then!
I must go now. Tinklewing is being such a bother. To be such a congenial raven, he certainly is a stickler for time.
With all my love,
Ed
"Do I need to go ahead and write him back?" Avaline asked Biff.
"Not right away, but at some point this afternoon. If you want it to get back to them by tomorrow, that is."
She nodded. The next letter sat in front of her, so she reached for it and began to open it.
My Cousin,
Not much has happened over the past two days. I know that Edmund misses you greatly, as do I. We have not been apart for this long since we were children! I did not know being this far from my family would be so difficult.
I hope you are doing well. Tell me how Adela is doing. I know you do not want to hear this, but she reminds me of your brother. I only knew him for a short time before he left Narnia, sadly.
Love,
Caspian
As Avaline went to the couch to begin replying to her letters, Analiese began to read hers. She decided to save the best for last, so she started with Susan.
Ana,
I am so lonely here onboard the ship! I am the ONLY girl! It's outrageous, and none of the boys understand my problem. I don't think they get that it is a little difficult to relate to the opposite gender at times like this. Being on the sea seems to be bringing out their inner male, and I don't like it. Of course, Caspian has tried to include me in their activities, but it doesn't make things better. I do wish you girls had come with us! I know you can't though, what with the pregnancy and Adela, and obviously you girls are too busy to rule without Lucy there.
I miss you terribly. I hope we'll be back before you have the baby, but you must keep me posted! How are you doing? Have you picked out a name? Peter has been trying to distract himself from it all this time. I think he is nervous.
I hope to see you soon,
Susan
Then she tore open Peter's envelope. She almost ripped the letter itself in her excitement.
My dearest Analiese,
I miss you a lot, and I know the others do too. Susan in particular has been moping around for the past two days. Or has it been three days? I've lost count. Susan isn't the only one who misses you though. To be truthful, I have not stopped thinking about you.
Especially the news you gave me! I will admit to being slightly nervous. I'm an older brother to three and an uncle, and I am scared of having my own child. In my defense though, I'm sure having a child of my own will be a different experience.
It's not that I'm not excited about hearing this news - as a matter of fact, I'm ecstatic - but the responsibility that will go into raising the future high king or queen of Narnia... it's stressful to think about. I have my siblings to think about, too! Susan is an adult now, and she's old and mature enough to handle herself. Wait, that was the understatement of the millennium, I'm sure she was mature at the age of four. The girl was born a middle-aged woman. Then there's Edmund. He's nineteen years old but he acts like he's twelve. Don't try to stand up for him, you know it's true. And then there's Lucy. She's only fifteen years old! She may be mature, but she's mature in a different meaning than Susan. She has always had an adventurous side of her, even back when she was in her twenties in the Golden Age of Narnia. I doubt that that part of her will ever fade.
I don't mean to sound so stressed out, but I am. I'm glad that this child has brought an end to our disagreement, but it couldn't have come at a worse time.
Problems aside, how are you? Don't reply with "good," I want a description of what you've been doing day-to-day. I know you're taking care of yourself, you're a smart woman.
I've just realized how long I've been rambling. My hand is hurting, and I still have to write Lucy! You know how she is, she'll want me to write her close to a novel!
It is with love that I close,
Peter
Analiese had developed mixed feelings while reading the letter from her husband. She understood why he was stressed - he was having trouble keeping up with Edmund now that Adela had arrived, there was the tension with Calormen, and now the added issue of their own baby.
Underneath all of that, he was excited. That much she knew. But she couldn't help but feel as if he could've been happier.
Beside her, Lucy was finishing up her own letters.
"What have you heard?" Analiese asked the teenager.
Lucy looked up. "Well, Edmund is doing everything he can to go on without Avaline, Peter is troubled, and Susan is having to put up with a bored Caspian. Sounds like we're better off."
"My Queens, I suggest you begin writing back," Biff interrupted.
And so they did.
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Edmund stood out on the deck of the ship, staring out at the gray, wintry sea. A sharp breeze hit his face, forcing him to pull his cape tighter around his shoulders.
Suddenly, the sound of wings came from overhead. Looking up, he saw Twinglewing flying above him, preparing to land on the side of the ship where Edmund's hands lay.
He smiled at the bird. "Hello, Twinklewing. I see you've brought us our responses?"
"Yes, My King. And with it, the queens have sent their love," Twinklewing answered.
"Thank you. I'll take mine, if you don't mind," Edmund said.
As soon as they were given to him, he began reading. Of course, he read Avaline's first.
Edmund,
I'm glad to hear you're having a good time. (That was sarcasm.) I miss you. I think Adela does, too. She won't shut up, the constant crying is keeping me up at night! She sleeps in the next room, yet I can hear her from mine. One would think that such a large, luxurious castle would have thicker walls!
Well, things around here have been going pretty slow. Analiese has to work most of the time, since she is High Queen and Peter is gone, so Lucy, Adela, and I spend all of our time together.
Edmund, I don't understand what you think had occurred over the past three days - four by the time you get this. Babies don't grow that fast. She won't be talking or walking by herself anytime soon, and she certainly won't be toilet-trained for another year or so.
Analiese is upset you didn't write her. She says she has to discuss some important topics with you. I'll leave to you to decipher.
I can't seem to stop myself from thinking about how much I miss you. It's crazy. But I suppose I'll get through it.
Love,
Avaline
Next, he opened Lucy's letter. Nothing too exciting was told in it.
"Peter! Susan! Caspian!" he called out to the others.
Each of the others ran out to get their mail. They each went back to their rooms.
On the ship, Peter had his own room, Susan had her own room, but Edmund and Caspian had to share. Susan had tried to insist that she truly didn't mind sharing with Caspian at all, but Peter had brushed off her offer.
Peter sat on his bed to read his letters. He started off with the one from Lucy.
Peter,
I miss you so much! I didn't realize how much I needed my bossy, know-it-all brother around. Even worse, I'm having to spend the next few months without Edmund and Susan, as know that I love Avaline and Analiese, but they are just not the same as you and the others!
Please do tell me about your trip! I'm still a bit disappointed I didn't get to join you, but I understand why. We can't afford to leave Avaline and Ana alone.
I really do miss you! Nothing interesting has been happening without the four of you. I'm excited to hear your thoughts on your future son or daughter though! Have you been thinking about it at all?
Take care,
Lucy
Next was Analiese's.
Dearest husband,
How very strange it is to think that in a few months, we will be having a child. It truly is an exciting feeling, though quite frightening.
I understand why you're worried. I hope you can get through it. Eventually, you will have to realize that you won't always be needed in your siblings' lives. Peter, Edmund is almost an adult, like you said. If you don't begin letting him take responsibility for himself now, then he won't know how to later. Keep that in mind. And as for Lucy, she is very wise for her age. I don't think you realize that. You said that you thought she is mature, but in a different way than Susan. I agree, but she is simply a curious girl. You have to trust that she will know when to stay out of bad business. Once the baby comes, you will need to begin worrying about it. Edmund and Lucy will be just fine.
I hope all is going well. The papers and letters coming from Calormen aren't helping anything here. I get about forty letters each day from different Calormenes who send death threats to us and our family. That's about the most eventful thing that has happened. I sincerely hope this can all end soon.
Peter, there's something I found out yesterday, though. But first, you need the background. (And I know how impatient you can be, but you do have to read this before you read the actual news. Sorry.)
After I read your last letter, I decided to go down to the nurses just to see if they could tell me anything I didn't know already. They told me that the pregnancy is not new... as a matter of fact, we will have a child running around Cair Paravel in less than six months. More than one child, actually. We are going to have twins, according to the nurse! I'm so excited! That's the good news...
The bad news that came with that is one of the nurses ran some kind of a test while I was there. I'm not sure what it was, but she was able to tell me something that I never would've guessed.
Do you remember me telling you that Aslan came to me in a dream to inform me of my inability to have children? I believe I must have misinterpreted it. He must have meant that I couldn't at that time. Peter, I was told that I had a miscarriage several months ago. That changes everything. That means that somewhere in the world after this one, we have a son or daughter.
My heart broke when I heard this. I'm so sorry I had to tell you in this way. But we have the twins to think about now. We need to think about names! I wonder if they are going to be identical? Boys, girls, or both? Oh, I'm terribly enthusiastic about the whole idea.
Much love,
Analiese
He couldn't move for a while. As a matter of fact, the High King sat in deep thought until he heard the captain of the ship, Valanthre, calling out for dinner.
Everyone was already at dinner by the time Peter was ready for the meal. He finally reached the stairs leading to the dining room and walked down them. Then, he opened the dining room door, revealing the blonde-haired king looking a bit out of sorts. His golden crown sat crooked on his head, his eyes her puffy and red, and his cheeks were stained from where tears had been. The High King had been crying.
"Oh, Peter!" Susan cried, rising halfway from her chair. "What happened?"
"I don't know what you're referring to," he lied.
Best to pretend as if you don't know what she's talking about, he told himself. Act as if she's the crazy one.
"Oh, shut up, Pete. We all know when you've been boohooing," Edmund butted in.
"Edmund!" Susan scolded, glaring at her younger brother. "Peter, do you need to talk to someone?"
"No, it's nothing. I just... It's nothing. Really."
Susan could tell he wasn't going to share anything else. Everyone went back to eating their dinner, and Peter sat down at his spot.
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It was a long night. Peter laid in his cot for hours, feeling the gentle sway of the ship on the ocean. At any other time, this feeling would lull him into a deep sleep. But not now. Not with so much to think about.
Twins, he thought. A tiny smile spread across his face.
He had been so busy mourning over the loss of his and Analiese's first child that he had completely skipped over feeling the happiness of having two children to make up for it.
After several more minutes of thinking back to his wife's good news, he finally fell asleep.
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A/N: Alright so I literally had completely forgotten when I made up Adela's character that there was a girl named Adela that bullied Jill in The Silver Chair. Lol my bad :P