The Storm

During the weeks after the wedding, nothing spectacular happened. The palace slowly emptied until it was just the usual Narnian courtiers and rulers, plus the new additions of Saedra and Talia. Saedra and Peter tended to find something to argue about whenever they were alone, but maintained their farce of appearing in love to everyone else. Talia felt like she was in heaven and adored her new father, following him around whenever he would let her. Being a kind man, he did often.

Peridan asked Susan to marry him the night of Peter and Saedra's wedding, but they wanted to wait a while before deciding on a date. Susan confided to Saedra that she wanted a small wedding with just close friends and family (which surprised Saedra greatly) and that she was not in any rush to get married. She said that she wanted to take her time and enjoy the engagement stage.

Lucy was her normal joyful self and bonded with Talia, but Edmund continued to be moody even after the wedding was over. He seemed to be in pain whenever Peter would show affection-only for appearances, of course-to Saedra, and she began to be wonder at his behavior.

She even started to wonder if Edmund disapproved of her as a match for Peter. Did Edmund think that she wasn't good enough for Peter? Was it because she was half-Calormene? Or was it something else? Something itched her; the answer was on the tip of lips, but it constantly evaded her. She was painfully aware of her new revelation of her own love, but didn't dare venture to hope that he felt similarly for her.

It continued to irk Saedra as the weeks went by, but she was kept busy enough that she could push it away once in a while. She adjusted to life in Cair Paravel nicely, corresponding daily with Gilda down at Harden Castle. She ached to be back home, making sure that Reine didn't come back and try to interfere again, but that hope was thwarted one night at dinner when Edmund said, "Peter, I've been thinking."

"Oh?" Peter said, laughing. "That is a very good hobby to take up, Ed. I commend you for that."

Edmund didn't roll his eyes or reply sarcastically as he normally would have, but said, "It's been a while since we've heard from the Lone Islands, so I was thinking that I'd take a ship and see how things are holding up over there."

"What do you mean, you haven't heard from them?" Saedra asked.

"We're in periodic correspondence with them," Peter explained. "Usually when they send their taxes."

"But they haven't sent last year's dues," Edmund said. "They send it at the end of the year, but it hasn't come yet."

"But it's almost summer!" Lucy pointed out.

"Exactly," Edmund said. "That's why I think I should see what the delay is."

"Good idea, Ed," Susan said from her seat next to Peridan. "But if there's really a problem down there, do you think that just one ship will be able to deal with it?"

"That's a good point," Saedra agreed. "If it seems like there may be any type of issue at all, you should at least take two ships and enough soldiers to be able to protect yourself if need be."

Edmund didn't like that idea. "I was thinking of it as more of a covert operation, just to see what really is transpiring down there. After all, it could be nothing."

"I know I tend to look on the pragmatic side, but look what happened when I left Harden for so long," Saedra replied. "There wasn't any indication of a problem, but one of my father's most trusted advisors practically took over! Here you have some indication of a problem, so you should be more prepared than I was."

"I agree," Peter said. "I think I'll go as well."

"Oh, no, I don't think—" Edmund started, looking disturbed at Peter's announcement.

"I will too," Lucy added, looking excited for an adventure. "And surely Saedra will come too since she and Peter won't want to be separated."

"My ship can be the second one," Saedra volunteered, then turned to Talia. "I don't know if it would be wise for you to come, dear."

She had been worried that Talia would be disappointed, but instead she looked relieved. "Corin and Cor and Aravis are coming up to stay with Mr. Tumnus for the Summer Festival, and I'd rather stay for that anyway."

Saedra smiled. "Then you're all set!"

"But I don't think Su will want to be stuck here all summer by herself," Edmund protested. "I really think I can deal with this myself."

"Oh, that will be no problem," Susan said coyly, then glanced at Peridan. They grinned at each other. "Peridan can help me with anything that comes up. I have ruled by myself before, you know."

Saedra felt a pang of jealousy as the sight of her friend so free in love.

"Sounds like a plan," Peter said. "Let's see if we can be on the water within a fortnight."

Exactly two weeks later, the Splendor Hyaline and the Forben pulled out of the Narnian port and were out to sea. Peter and Saedra were on the Splendor Hyaline, and Edmund and Lucy on the slower Forben.

As Narnia became smaller and smaller in the distance, Saedra found Peter up in the forecastle and said, "Husband, I'm tired because of the early start. Would you mind telling me where I'll be sleeping?"

Peter turned to the captain with whom he had been talking (Terril was his name) and said, "Please excuse me, Good Sir, but my wife is wondering where she will sleep tonight."

Terril bowed and said understandingly, "Of course, your Majesty. I will take her myself."

He offered his arm to Saedra, and as they walked down the stairs, Saedra said, "You needn't have gone to all this trouble, Captain. You could have just told me where it was. I have been on this ship before."

"It is no great thing, Princess," Terril assured her. "I want to be sure that you'll be comfortable in your arrangements."

They walked across the deck to the back of the large ship, and when they reached the end, Terril opened a door that was on the port side under the poop deck for Saedra to walk through. It took a moment for Saedra's eyes to adjust to the darkness after being in the early morning sun. When she could see, she saw that they were in a sitting room with luscious couches bolted to the floor, a brick fireplace, and handsome pictures on the wall.

"This is your sitting room," Terril explained, even though Saedra had already been in there before. "Through that door in the back is my room. And this door on the left is to your chambers."

She followed him to the door on the left, and they went into the bedroom that Susan and Saedra had shared on the trip back. But instead of there being two twin beds in the room, there was a large king-size bed that was built into center of the room. The room was spacious and nicely furnished.

"High King Peter ordered me to make sure that you would be comfortable on this trip," Terril said. "I had your clothes put into that wardrobe there."

"Thank you, Captain," she curtsied.

"Anything for you, Princess," he said warmly, bowing. He left the room, closing the door behind him.

Saedra wandered around the room, looking though drawers and the closets. There was another wardrobe on the other side of the room from hers, and men's clothes were hung in it.

That's smart of them to keep clothes in here in case they ever need any, Saedra thought to herself. I should do that on the Forben. Then I won't ever need to pack!

Her early morning start weighed on her eyelids heavily, so she crawled onto the comfy bed. My, this is nice! I wonder where Peter's sleeping.

She slept soundly all afternoon and didn't wake up until someone knocked on her door to let her know that it was dinner time. She freshened herself up, and went out though the sitting room and out onto the deck.

When she breathed in the fresh, salty air, she grinned. Over the past two weeks she had become more and more excited about this trip to the Lone Islands, and now that she was on the ship and fully rested, she was in a good mood.

As she walked to the galley, she could see the Forben a ways behind towards the right, almost in front of the beautiful sunset. There was someone standing in the bow of the other ship, and she wondered if it was Edmund.

Just then, the door to the galley opened. It was Peter. "Princess, I was about to go looking for you. The men are very anxious to eat."

"You're waiting for me?" Saedra said disbelievingly, suddenly feeling guilty for dallying so long.

"We cannot start without the High King's wife now, could we?" Peter said, raising an eyebrow with a slightly amused expression on his face.

"No, of course not." Saedra put her hand into Peter's outstretched one and allowed him to lead her into the galley.

Dinner was pleasant that night, with a spirit of adventure. It was less sumptuous that she had grown accustomed to at Cair Paravel, but was still a small feast. It was mostly men and Dwarves that were on the ship, for they were the creatures in Narnia most suited to seafaring. (For the reader more knowledgeable about Narnian creatures, the water-loving Marshwiggles hadn't ventured south of their Marsh quite yet. That story has yet to be told).

After dinner, Saedra was completely full. She went back to her room, grabbed a book that she was in the middle of that was about a Telmarine romance, and lay down on the bed to read it. A little while later, she heard murmurings from the room next door and figured it was Peter talking with some of the other people.

A few hours later, she was feeling drowsy again and decided to go back to bed for the night. She got up and walked to the wardrobe to change into her nightgown, but when she was wearing only her undergarments, the door suddenly opened.

Saedra shrieked and covered her body with the dress that she had been wearing. She looked up to see that it was Peter, blushing a bright shade of red.

"I'm sorry! I thought you would be in bed already," he explained, closing the door behind him but averting his eyes.

"What are you doing in here at all?" she asked, worried that he had had too much to drink and had come to have fun with his wife.

He looked up in surprise, but then remembered that Saedra was unclothed still and looked away again. "Didn't you know that I was sleeping in here too?"

Saedra blinked. "You jest!"

"I surely do not. I knew you wouldn't be happy about it, but there was no way that I could ask for a separate room without raising suspicion."

"Then…then we have to share the—the…"

"The bed?" Peter finished. "No. I had the couch put in so that I could sleep on it."

Saedra calmed down a notch. "Oh."

"Terril and some other men are still in the sitting room, so how about I turn around and you can finish getting dressed?"

"Okay," Saedra said, trying to hide her nervousness. Peter was her husband, but in many ways it was like getting changed in the same room as any other man—only somehow worse. She quickly got changed and hopped into bed, pulling the covers way up. "Done."

"All right. I'll blow out the lamp as soon as I'm done changing," Peter said, going over to the wardrobe that Saedra had mistaken for a back-up stash of clothes.

She knew she was being sneaky, but she was too curious; she settled in so that she was facing his side of the room, and pulled the covers up so they covered her mouth. She then closed her eyes until they were only slits and watched him.

Peter unhooked his cape and hung it up, and then took off his top tunic, which left his blouse underneath.

What are you doing? Saedra chastised herself, feeling very delightfully naughty. If you ever caught him watching you change, you'd kill him! But still, curiosity overcame her again and she watched as he pulled off his white blouse, exposing his very muscular back.

Even though no one was watching, Saedra blushed and thought, By the Lion, this is what am I giving up?

Suddenly, Peter turned around and looked at her. She quickly shut her eyes and made her breath even and her face peaceful, worried that he knew what she had been doing. After a moment of lying with her eyes closed, she flipped onto her other side, not willing to continue and risk giving Peter the satisfaction of knowing that she'd been peeking.

The sleeping arrangement worked out well, for the most part. Peter was an early riser and Saedra wasn't at all, so they would only see each other at night. They worked out a routine where Saedra would say, "I'm going to change," and Peter would turn away (or at least she hoped he did: she was too scared to check). Then she would go to bed and he would too, later on.

About a week of sailing passed, and when they were nearing their first stop at Terebinthia, they had a problem…a big problem. They came upon a huge storm in the middle of the night while most of them were sleeping. The Splendor Hyaline was a large ship, so it was very rare that while you were onboard that you would know that you were actually on a ship. But suddenly Saedra was awakened by a sharp groan as the ship leaned to the side.

She shot up in bed and looked around. In the dark she could hear that Peter was already up and moving around. "What's going on?" she asked.

"We've hit a storm. Stay in here," he said before rushing out.

The night was a long one. At first it was easy to obey Peter and stay inside, but soon she began to feel claustrophobic and imagined the ship sinking with her still in the cabin. The thunder that kept on pounding and the lightning that kept on flashing though the windows didn't help either. When she started hearing yelling after a flash of lightning, she couldn't bear it any longer. She climbed out of bed, walked out of the room and through the sitting room, and opened the door to the deck.

The sight that met her made her gasp. The deck was covered in water from waves crashing over the side, and men and Dwarves were running back and forth trying to secure the sails that didn't want to cooperate. People were yelling at each other, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. She recognized Terril as he ran past her doorway, and she stepped out into the drenching rain to catch up to him.

It only took her a few seconds to grab him, but it seemed longer as she tried not to slip. Her bare feet slid on the soaking wood and her balance was unsteadied by the tilting of the boat, but she managed to grip Terril's arm to get his attention. He whipped around.

"What's going on?" she yelled, trying to be heard.

"You shouldn't be out here!" he replied, trying to push her towards the door.

"No! First tell me what's happening!"

"What's that?" he said, leaning in to hear her.

"Tell me what the fuss is about!"

He pointed somewhere behind the ship where a light could barely be seen though the rain. "The Forben was hit with lightning!"

She released his arm, dumb with shock.

"Now, go back inside!" he said, pushing her back. He got her to the door, opened it, shoved her inside, and closed it behind him.

The silence inside seemed stifling. Her ship had been hit by lightning…Not only were Archenlander sailors aboard, but Edmund and Lucy were too! She felt helpless with nothing to do but pace the room, look out the windows—which didn't help at all—and occasionally peek out the door, which didn't help either because the rain was coming down in sheets.

Finally the door opened, and Peter and Edmund stumbled in, carrying a limp person. The only distinguishable thing on the person was the long, light hair and soppy dress: it was Lucy. Peter and Edmund were soaked to the bone and looked like they were ready to faint.

"You're alive!" Saedra exclaimed as they laid Lucy on the couch by the cold fire. "How did you—"

"Barely made it," Edmund cut her off, gasping. "We lost the Forben and many men. But we're still keeping an eye out in case they manage to swim near the ship."

The two men went over to the cupboard, grabbed the bread that was in it, and ate ravenously.

"I can help!" Saedra volunteered. "I'm not anywhere as tired as you all are."

"No!" Peter said firmly, his mouth full. "Stay in here. Watch Lu."

"But Peter—"

"I mean it, Saedra! Stay in here. That's an order." Peter took a swig of wine then strode across the room and went back out into the storm.

"Ed, you know I'm not helpless!" she said, hoping Edmund would understand. "You rest and watch Lu."

"I know you aren't," he said tiredly. "But please…I beg you, stay here."

"Ed—"

Edmund dropped his food on the table and put his hands on her shoulders, leaning in. "Sae, please. If anything happened to you…I don't know what I'd do. I know you want to help, but please," he begged, looking deep into her eyes, "watch Lucy."

"All right," she said, unnerved by the way Edmund was looking at her.

"I need you to promise me not to leave this room," he said, gently shaking her shoulders.

"I promise," she swallowed. "I promise, Ed. I won't leave this room."

Edmund stared into her eyes as if deciding whether he believed her or not. A moment later he planted a hard kiss on her forehead and fled the room.

After he left, Saedra stood facing the door for several moments without moving. The wet place where he had kissed her burned her skin. She was numb—numb with shock and realization.

She didn't know what it was that told her. Maybe it was his earnest expression, maybe it was the rough kiss. Maybe it was the unthought-of reasons in the back of her mind about why he was acting the way he was. Maybe it was the memories that were racing around her mind.

Lucy's voiced entered her head. "Ed has been in love with a mysterious woman for years…He said that he had found her a long time ago, and that someday he would marry her…"

Then came Edmund's reply: "I don't want the woman I love to feel obligated to love me back... I will not declare my love until I'm certain that she returns it…"

"Oh, Ed!" Saedra gasped. Images of her and Edmund dancing at parties, him staring down at her so attentively, flooded her vision. Him selflessly getting Peter to talk to her at Rabadash's going-away party when he knew Saedra had feelings for Peter.

She buried her face in her hands, not wanting to remember—but wanting to all the same.

…Edmund's face when she told him that she loved him when she was drunk at Lasaraleen's party…Him unabashedly flirting with her in the Splendor Hyaline's galley after escaping Tashbaan…Him being broody ever since the engagement between her and Peter…Asking her the day before her wedding what she would have said if he asked for her hand in marriage instead…Edmund and Peter hardly speaking to each other ever since the wedding…

All these things confirmed the passion that she had seen in his eyes as he begged her not to risk her life. She knew. There was no question about it now…there was only the question of what she would do now that she knew.

She sank to her knees in front of the unconscious Lucy, staring at her sopping wet face...oblivious to the tilting of the ship, the yelling of the men outside.

It didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore. She knew, and it was too late to do anything about it.

Edmund loved her too.