Chapter Three ~ An Extended Family

Several hours after her arrival at Cair Paravel, Danika was strolling around the grounds with none other than King Edmund himself. They had just completed a tour of the castle and Edmund had just finished showing her the courtyard and castle grounds. Danika was completely awestruck. This was truly the most beautiful place she had ever seen. She could probably walk around the castle everyday for the rest of her life and never get bored.

King Edmund didn't talk much. Of course he answered all of her questions but he didn't talk about himself. Consequently, Danika now knew a lot about Narnia and Cair Paravel, particularly about how it was rebuilt after the Narnians defeated the Telmarines, and she also now knew quite a lot about the other monarchs. He also didn't seem to be one to ask questions since he had asked her nothing about herself.

The young royals were now walking silently together side by side around the grounds when Danika realised that she had spent the last few hours in the company of this King and she knew next to nothing about him. She realised that obviously he was a private person, but she decided that since he volunteered to spend time with her he should be willing to converse with her.

"So, your majesty, you have told me many things of your family and your country yet you speak little of yourself." Danika turned to face Edmund with a small smirk on her face. Edmund looked at her with a slightly shocked expression.

"Well, you haven't told me anything about yourself either." Edmund replied feeling indignant towards the girl.

"Well, you didn't ask," replied Danika.

"Neither did you," Edmund was beginning to get annoyed.

"I am asking now, your majesty." Danika found his annoyance slightly amusing tried to lighten the mood again by giving him a joking smile. Edmund found that he couldn't stay annoyed at her as the confusing tingling in his stomach returned. He gave in to her demands.

"Well, what would you like to know?" he enquired. Danika gave him a warm smile and proceeded to ask him slightly more personal questions as the continued on their afternoon stroll

A few hours later and Danika was satisfied that she now knew enough personal information about her tour guide. They had spoken of many things and she found that Edmund was a very pleasant and knowledgeable person who had a lot to talk about. He seemed quite confident but Danika could tell that there was a part of him that he was hiding from her, a slightly more vulnerable side.

Edmund was very pleased to find that Danika was and extremely easy person to talk to, as far as girls go. He had never been able to open up to anyone but his family like this and he found that even after a few hours they had grown very comfortable around each other and he enjoyed her company a lot. Maybe Susan was right, he though to himself.

Danika looked up at the sky and saw that the sun was beginning to set. She shivered as the first cool breeze swept over her bare shoulders. Edmund couldn't help but notice this.

"Are you cold?" he asked, not even bothering to wait for a reply before he removed his jacket and placed it around her shoulders. Only after did he realise that this was quite forward of him, but it seemed like the right thing to do, he had read about it in stories, chivalry and all that, and after all he was supposed to be looking after her and he didn't want her to catch a cold on his watch. Danika didn't seem at all taken aback by his actions, if fact she seemed very grateful.

"Thank you" she said as she smiled at him.

"You're welcome" he replied whilst smiling back. Her eyes are very pretty, he thought to himself. Edmund snapped out of his daze and tried to regain his composure.

"We should go back to the castle, they will probably be wondering where we are." Edmund didn't wait fro her reply before turning back towards Cair Paravel and leaving her behind to follow him. Once they were back inside he led her up to her guest chambers in silence and bade her goodnight at the door walking away swiftly.

Danika was confused by his sudden change of mood as she went inside her room and began to change into her nightdress. Edmund was very mysterious and she hoped he would become less so if they were going to have to spend the whole summer together, she thought as she climbed into bed. Tomorrow would be an interesting day. After all, she did always love a good mystery.

After Edmund had taken Danika to her chambers he had gone to say goodnight to his siblings then made his way to his own chambers. He was now lying in bed contemplating the events of the day. For some reason, an image of the princess with whom he was newly acquainted kept playing on his mind and he found that he was looking forward to seeing her again tomorrow. Ed was bemused and, if he was being honest, maybe even a little bit scared at this feeling, but nevertheless, he fell asleep with a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

Danika awoke to the sunlight streaming in through the open curtains. She never shut her curtains at night, she loved to fall asleep watching the starts and wake up to the natural light of the sun, it was soothing to her. Danika leapt out of bed feeling rejuvenated and excited about her first full day at Cair Paravel

She wondered over to the wardrobe and began to rifle through the clothes that had been unpacked for her the previous day. She selected a casual floating pale blue dress that complimented her golden hair and blue eyes. Just as she had finished tying the laces there was a knock at the door. Danika went to open it and found the youngest queen, refreshingly bright in the morning, smiling back at her.

"Good morning!" Lucy greeted cheerfully, "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, lovely thank you, I feel wonderfully rested, your beds are very comfortable" Danika replied with a giggle, Lucy laughed in reply.

"Yes, I know. I've come to escort you to breakfast, we can't have you getting lost and starving on your very first day here, can we?" Lucy joked. Now it was Danika's turn to laugh.

"No, I suppose not, that would be awfully impolite of you," Danika was beginning to like Lucy very much and could tell that they would be great friends, "Just give me two minutes and I'll be ready."

Both girls went back into Danika's room and Lucy continued chatting you the Princess as she brushed her hair and made herself look more presentable. When she was done, they proceeded down to the dinning hall where breakfast was being served.

"So, did you have a good time with my brother yesterday?" Lucy enquired.

"Oh, yes. He showed me round and we had a nice conversation. I enjoyed his company." For some reason Danika couldn't fight back the strange smile that graced her lips when she said this. Unfortunately Lucy spotted this and gave her a knowing grin.

"What?" Danika asked. She hoped Lucy hadn't guessed her strange feelings for Edmund, she didn't really want anyone else to know until she had figured them out herself.

"Nothing" Lucy replied still smiling at her. The truth was, Lucy had seen the smile on Edmund's face and the strange gleam in his eyes when he had said goodnight to her and it didn't take a genius to work out what had caused it, even if Ed didn't know that himself yet. And now it seemed that this strange was affecting Danika as well. Lucy had a good feeling about this.

Once the girls made it to the dinning hall, they discovered that they were the last ones there. They apologised for being late and took their seats at the table.

"Danika had to make herself look pretty" Lucy looked pointedly at Edmund who glared back at his sister, his ears burning red. Danika looked down at the table in embarrassment, a pink tinge to her cheeks, not noticing Lucy and Edmund's silent battle. The rest of breakfast passed uneventfully. Just as everyone was finishing their food, Hashim turned to Danika.

"What are you planning to do today, my dear?" Hashim asked his daughter. Danika opened her mouth to reply but she was interrupted by Peter.

"How about going to see the market place? You will love it, there are lots of stalls selling dresses and jewellery and things. I'm sure Edmund will be happy to escort you, won't you Ed?" Edmund had been half listening to the conversation and froze with a spoonful of fruit halfway to his mouth at the mention of his name. He looked up to find everyone looking at him and he realised that, once again, he had no choice.

"Of course. I didn't have anything important to do today anyway." He added the last part half sarcastically. It was true he didn't have anything important to do but he was slightly irritated at having to waste another day. This had better not happen all summer. Although, he couldn't help but feel slightly elated when he realised he would get to spend more time alone with the princess. These mixed feelings were starting to get annoying.

"Wonderful, that's settled then." Hashim gave Peter a small knowing smile which the magnificent king returned, unseen by the other people seated around the table. Hashim noticed something different about his daughter when she bade him goodnight yesterday and he wondered if it had something to do with the youngest king. Well, the more time they spend together the better. Everything was going perfectly.

Danika was slightly startled by what just happened. In a matter of a few second she had the rest of her day planned for her and she didn't even have a say in it. This irritated her somewhat, however she was secretly happy at getting to spend more time with King Edmund, but she was somewhat troubled by this realisation. What was wrong with her?

After breakfast Danika returned to her chambers to collect her money bag and cloak then she made her way down to the courtyard where she was to meet Edmund, this was also organized by King Peter and her father at breakfast of course, she was beginning to get suspicious of those two. When Danika arrived at the courtyard, Edmund was already waiting for her. He greeted her with a rather stiff smile but she controlled her emotions and gave him a warm smile in return.

"Are you ready to go?" Edmund asked her.

"As I'll ever be," Danika replied. Edmund gave her a slight nod in return and turned and began to walk down the road towards the market place. This startled Danika and she ran a few steps to catch up with him. They walked in silence for the first few minutes of the journey since none of them knew what to say. Edmund was surprised at how difficult it was to start talking to her again even after last night when they had talked for hours. He supposed that their relationship was cast back into the awkward stage after his brother's antics at breakfast.

"So," Danika soon became tired of the silence and decided to try to start a conversation, however she was at a slight loss for what to say, "do- do you go to the market place often?" Edmund turned to look at her with a slightly surprised look on his face, which soon turned into a smile. He was pleased that she had started a conversation. Perhaps it wouldn't be so difficult after all.

"Not really," He paused for a moment and Danika turned away, disappointed that her efforts seemed to have been shot down by him. However, Edmund was merely pausing to think, but the look on her face did amuse him somewhat, "There aren't many stalls that take my fancy, most of them are selling women's things like clothes and jewellery."

"And which are the stalls that take your fancy?" Danika enquired, pleased that he had decided to continue talking. Edmund was still a mystery to her and she was savouring anything she could find out about him. Edmund gave her another smile and proceeded to tell her about his favourite stalls, mostly ones with books and ancient writings.

They continued talking all the way to the market place and when they arrived, Danika couldn't help but be blown away by all the bright coloured items and artifacts on the stalls. She insisted that Edmund had to take her all around the market, to which Edmund gave a mock groan of annoyance but secretly he was very pleased as this meant he got to spend more time with her.

They spend the rest of the day walking round the market chatting merrily. Danika bought some new jewellery and Edmund bought lots of sweets for them to share. He was very surprised at what a good time he was having. Danika was extremely easy to talk to and their conversations were light but interesting.

Danika was enjoying herself immensely. The market place was very entertaining and there was plenty to see and do. Also, Edmund was becoming more and more relaxed and easier to converse with the more time she spent with him. She found that she was really beginning to enjoy his company.

The sky was beginning to grow dark and Edmund and Danika pulled their cloaks tighter around them as a cool breeze signaling the setting of the sun, washed over them. They gathered their purchases and headed back to the castle. Once inside Edmund took Danika to her chambers and bid her goodbye. He then made his way to his won chambers where took of his cloak and put it away in his wardrobe. All in all it had been and enjoyable day. Perhaps he wouldn't mind spending the rest of the summer like this after all, Edmund thought to himself as he changed for dinner.

The next two months passed without great event. Hashim and Danika settled marvelously well into Cair Paravel and were immensely enjoying their time there. Hashim spend most of his time consorting with the Kings and Queens about political issues or just enjoying the Narnian landscape on horseback, sometimes accompanies by his daughter.

As well as spending time with her father, Danika also spent time with the Kings and Queens and developed strong relationships with each of them. Danika found that Peter was very willing to teach her how to spar with swords and he was sometimes helped by Caspian, whom Danika found in the library one day and began a friendship with him based on books and literature.

Danika also enjoyed spending time with the Queens as well. Susan was also teaching her how to fight, but with a bow and Danika found that the eldest Queen was very easy to talk to. Lucy had become something of a best friend to her, since her love for all things Narnian was very appealing to Danika. She would also spend time with both Queens and the three of them spent far too much time in the Market place, according to the kings.

Danika grew to love the Kings and Queens as if they were her won extended family, but the person who she spent the most time with and who's company she come to value the most was Edmund. They didn't' see each other every day but they did spend most of their free time together. She had grown unexpectedly fond of him in the past few weeks.

They spent most of their time taking walks around the grounds or horseback riding or going on trips to the market place, all the while they would talk about nothing in particular, keeping the conversations fun but nothing too personal had yet been brought up. Danika came to appreciate Edmund as a very good friend.

Edmund had also grown quite attached to Danika. He always looked forward to their time together since for some reason she always managed to put him in a better mood. Sometimes even just thinking about could bring a smile to his face. These strange feeling still unnerved him somewhat, but he was enjoying her company far too much to care anymore.

Danika thought that this may have been the best summer she had ever had and even though there was still so much to look forward to, like Caspian's birthday celebrations, she couldn't help but think that most of the summer was now over. How on earth would she be able to leave Narnia?

Please forgive the disgustingly long wait in between these chapters, I have been extremely busy since I have exams next week but I decided to take a break from revising and do some writing instead and I've finally managed to finish this chapter. It was a tricky one and I'm not sure about it, but tell me what you think anyway. I'll try my very best to have the next chapter up ASAP but I'm not promising anything. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review :) x x x