I had such a bad case of writer's block on this chapter that you should be very happy it happened at all. Real life interfered as well, but what else is new...
Disclaimer: I am merely borrowing C. S. Lewis' charming characters and world, and will eventually return them. The only thing that is mine is the plot.
Disclaimer 2: If this story in any way resembles any other fanfiction it is by complete accident, as I go out of my way to avoid fanfictions that resemble mine until mine are completed. My apologies to any other great minds.
Author's note: This story is set pre-, during- and post- The Last Battle. I am a first time fanfiction writer and any reviews are appreciated.
Chapter 7: High King Peter, Again
Windy October gave way to chilly November, which passed the baton to cold December. Peter could think of very few times he had been happier, even in Narnia. He would visit Marker's Bakery most weekdays between classes, and weekends would be spent out with Leona. They had visited museums, gone to dances, ice skated once the weather turned cold enough, and had spent uncounted hours in various restaurants and cafes talking. On days that Peter had more homework than he could easily manage, he brought it along and they would discuss math and business together, and she would proof-read his essays. When he was available, Anthony would join them and the three would take turns adding to some of the most outrageous conversations imaginable. Anthony's assistance as a chaperon and source of amusement was helpful on many an occasion, but his presence was not one very conducive to serious conversation. One afternoon they spent hours discussing the reactions of various people if the sun rose one morning and was purple!
However, as all courting couples have found out, eventually they run out of places and things to go and do together. The weather was too cold to comfortably do anything outside, there were no dances that night, and Peter was out of pocket money for a nice sit-down dinner.
Peter heaved a sigh. "Winter has to be the worse season to court a woman in."
"I've enjoyed myself so far," Leona told him with a smile. "Why do you say so?"
"There is nothing to do! We've already gone ice skating four times since the pond froze, there's no snow to speak of so we can't go sledding or have a snowball fight. It's too cold to go on a long walk..." Peter seemed almost frustrated. "I can't wait for spring and summer. I have so many plans already."
"You have plans? What are they? At least we'll have something to look forward to," Leona said.
Peter got an excited look in his eye. "We'll go to the beach and have picnics on the sand. We'll take my siblings with us. Edmund and I both sword fight, so we would have duels and mock tournaments for your and Lucy's favor. We'll go to the zoo once it opens and we can see all of the wild animals, even if they would look happier free. We'll ride horses through the countryside and across the sands at the seashore and watch the sun sink into the water and see the stars all come out." Peter lost the excited look. "We'll do all those things... but not for months and in the meantime, we have nothing to do."
"Oh, I wish we could just go to my flat and have dinner there alone," Leona groused. They sat in Marker's Bakery since her shift had ended early. The bakery had turned into a convenient meeting place for the both of them as it was about equal distance between Leona's flat and Peter's dormitory.
"It would ruin your reputation and mine," Peter responded calmly. "But we could sit in the common room of my dormitory. There's always someone there chaperoning. We could pick up some food on the way and just sit and talk."
Without any better ideas, dinner was bought to go and the downstairs common room of the dormitory had two new residents. The room had a crackling fire and Leona and Peter spread their feast on the hearth and sat on the carpeted floor, talking. Over baked chicken and bread, conversation ranged from the weather to their hopes and dreams for the future. Peter just started asking questions of Leona about what she wanted to do with her life, assuming that there were no limitations on the future.
Casually waving a chicken leg for added drama, Peter asked, "If you could live anywhere, in any kind of house, what would it be?"
Leona laughed. "Well, I could never afford to build the house that I would most love to live in, so I don't see how it matters."
Peter mock frowned at her. "No, no, no! That is not how you play this. Money is no issue, time doesn't matter! Now, let's try this again: If you could live anywhere, in any kind of house, what would it be?"
Leona smiled at him, "I would love to live in a castle; a big, old castle with lots of turrets and secret passageways. I don't really know what else would be in it, I've never really spent much time thinking about this sort of thing." She gave him an arch look. "I would most certainly be a queen or at least a princess in my castle."
Peter grinned at her. "I would hardly be able to imagine you as a scullery maid! Then if you are a queen, I am a king. But, tell me more! Where would this castle be? In the middle of a meadow, on the top of a mountain, by the sea?" He said this last with an almost wistful smile, thinking of Cair Paravel, his castle overlooking the Eastern Sea of Narnia. He had been thinking of Narnia more and more since he had met Leona. It seemed that she reminded him of all the things he loved about home.
"By the sea, so I can see the sunrise over the waves at dawn," Leona said, becoming more excited with the conversation. "What of you, Peter? What is your dream home like?"
Peter finished his chicken leg and cleaned his hands on a napkin. "Well, my dream home is a castle by the sea also, but I think I have mine a bit more planned out than you have yours."
Leona, sensing a good description coming, closed her eyes the better to build in her head whatever Peter said.
Peter cast his mind back to the old days when he and his siblings ruled Narnia from the Cair, thinking on all the rooms in the enormous castle, and what events would take place in the adjoining city. He too closed his eyes and let his memory take him far away from the crackling fire and the sounds of automobiles in the streets outside. It had been years since he had sat in his throne in the great hall, had slept in the large bed with silk sheets, watched the dawn with eyes bloodshot from hovering over stacks of all-night paperwork - that part of being High King he certainly didn't miss!
"It is both a castle and a keep, since it has a town attached. There are over twenty turrets and towers with rambling staircases that feel like they could reach the stars. The city is populated mostly by those needed to keep the castle running smoothly, but there will be markets and holidays and festivals all year long. The docks are kept open and in the evening you can see the fishermen coming in from a day's work, a merchant ship moored on the dock with spices and other exotic goods hidden in her hold, or maybe rounding the bend, a visiting noble in a grand ship come to see the royalty. The markets will have everything you could ever want to buy, from fancy cloth to swords, or maybe a new horse.
"If you did buy a horse you will want to take him to the palace stables, which are huge with anything a pampered equine could desire. There would be every kind of mount you could want, all fast and beautiful and ready to gallop across the beach with you on their back. You could take one out for a ride whenever you wanted and there would never be pavement or automobiles to mar the landscape.
"Inside the castle there are many rooms. The guest rooms for visitors all have fancy sheets and beautiful furniture. Other royalty would come from miles around just to get a taste of the hospitality there.
"The kitchens are always busy, except in the dead of night, and even then it's not surprising to see a cook or servant still at work preparing for the next day's feast. The food that comes out of those hallowed rooms is the stuff of legend! Roasts, vegetables in every kind of sauce, soups, breads, and cakes so light and sweet they melt in your mouth.
"The library has shelves upon shelves of books on every subject you could think of. There are tables and comfortable chairs everywhere and it would be easier than anything to lose hours and hours in there reading. You could always take a book with you as long as you still took good care of it, so if you wanted to go out on a balcony or into a garden and read in the fresh air you could do so.
"The great hall has the thrones for the royalty on a dais at one end, and visiting nobles enter though a door at the other side and walk up to the dais to be presented. It is the place where all great ceremonies take place, like the coronations of the kings and queens and the knighting of worthy warriors. Dances and parties are held there and in the summer the windows and doors along both sides of the hall would be opened and the sunlight will stream through them, filling the whole room with light. You can go onto the balconies and see all the way down to the beach and out to the ocean."
Peter's gut clenched with a knife blow of homesickness. He missed Narnia in a way that he knew he would never truly recover from. In a way, he envied Susan her ability to put her time as queen aside and live wholly in England. He knew that England could never truly be his home again. What man, having seen Heaven, could willingly live in Purgatory? He wondered if the pain would ever truly end. Ever since meeting Leona, Narnia seemed to linger at the edge of his mind. All the parts of his past that he had tried to bury were rising to the fore like spring's first buds poking through the newly thawed earth. He dragged a ragged breath through his nose, fighting the inner pain with all his strength. Just when he thought the memories would overwhelm him like a crushing wave, he felt a little warmth course through his body and an echo of a reverberating purr sounded in his mind. The loneliness and homesickness eased with the memory of Aslan's golden mane and welcoming eyes. A memory wasn't nearly as good as the real thing, but it was enough.
The only other places he wanted to mention were his personal rooms; his study, his bedroom, the places that he went to be alone. They were his personal sanctuary. Even when he was High King, only his siblings and a few chosen friends like the Beavers, Mr. Tumnus or General Oreius were allowed in there as guests. The palace staff knew that the royal chambers of any of the kings or queens were to be entered only for cleaning purposes or if they were summoned. To describe those rooms to someone who had never been there and in a way that made it seem as if they were just a dream or wishful thinking almost seemed wrong. He had been describing Cair Paravel as if it was just a hopeful dream, but to do that any longer was impossible, and seemed almost a mockery. He looked at Leona, eyes closed and firelight glinting in her dark hair. A faint smile creased his lips. For a moment he had forgotten that it was Leona he was talking to. If he told her in the context of a dream castle or a real one, she would take his descriptions as real and would treat them as gently as if she had been there. She was just like that, and he loved her for it.
"My study is well-lit, and has a large desk and a comfortable chair. There is a map of the kingdom and surrounding countries on the wall facing the desk. I made sure that the room was comfortable, since as king I knew that I would be spending a large amount of time there. I didn't want to make it too comfortable however, or I would never get any work done, so there isn't a window. There is a table with refreshments in the corner and I could get up for a drink of wine or anything I wanted at any time.
"The study connected directly to my bedchamber. It is my personal area and no one can go there without my permission. The royal suites are in the second highest tower in the castle and the view from my chamber is breathtaking. The room is big and airy with a large balcony facing the northern mountain range. In the fall and winter, I can see the storms rolling off the mountains towards the castle and the sea. I have another small desk against one wall, in case I want to write letters or send a message somewhere in the castle. A large wardrobe stands against the wall next to the desk and in it are the most wonderful clothes. Never scratchy or uncomfortable, they always make whoever wears them look like a king. I don't know if it would be appropriate to describe my bed to a lady, but unless you object I'll do it anyway."
Leona, smiling in delight, gave an encouraging nod, still not opening her eyes. Peter continued. "The large canopy bed sits against the wall facing the balcony. The sheets are silk or the finest cotton depending on the weather, with big fluffy blankets and pillows. Somehow I am rarely too hot or too cold."
Leona finally spoke, but refused to open her eyes just yet. "What kind of things happen in your castle and kingdom, since I assume that if you rule this wonderful castle you rule a kingdom to match it? Do you have many wars or is it always peaceful?"
Peter thought about it for a moment. Narnia during his reign was for the most part peaceful, especially during the last couple of years. But it hadn't been called the Golden Age because it was peaceful, but because it was glorious. There had been some spectacular battles and adventures, and even some times of natural disasters such as terrible storms or earthquakes. Much as he loved peace and hated the killing that came with battles, he got easily bored with peaceful times, when the only thing to do was the day to day work of running a kingdom. He thrived against adversity, became High King Peter the Magnificent when Rhindon was in his hand and he led an army into battle against the powers of evil. His heart started pounding harder as he remembered the battles and tournaments he had fought in over the years. He was losing himself in the memories and did not truly remember that he was sitting in his college common room in England, and no longer cared. His shoulders straightened, his head rose higher and his bearing became more kingly. Without meaning to his voice deepened and became stronger and nobler.
"There would not always be peace, but the battles would usually be small, and few lives would be lost. Tournaments would be held and fighters would come from every kingdom in the world to compete. Disputes would be settled justly and swiftly. The kings and queens would be heard of and respected in every court in the known lands. It would truly be..." He trailed off, his heart too full of memories and wishes to find a word that fit. His heart ached with homesickness and lost glory. He opened his eyes and looked at Leona. Her eyes were still closed, and he could understand the look on her face: longing and bliss combined.
"Magnificent," she said. "It would be magnificent." She finally opened her eyes and looked at him. To his surprise she gave a small gasp and turned pale.
"Are you all right?" he asked, concerned.
"Oh, I'm fine," she said, sounding flustered. "I just thought I saw something is all."
"What? What did you see? Tell me," Peter pressed her, worried that she might have seen something dangerous.
"It must have been a trick of the firelight, but when I opened my eyes I could see the silhouette of a crown on your head." She seemed awed and a bit nervous.
This statement knocked Peter back into England with an unpleasant bump. Almost resigned, he made an effort to lower his shoulders and act more normal. But, to his surprise, Leona put her hand on his.
"No, don't pull in. I can only guess where it came from, but this facet of you is the best one of all. Don't hide it. This world needs more men who can see what could happen if mankind only tried to recover her lost nobility." She gave a little shake of her head and repeated, "Don't hide this part of you."
He gave her a sad look. "If I don't, I would be thought of as presumptuous or arrogant."
She shook her head. "Just like the palace you described to me, you would be thought of as magnificent."
TBC...
Author's note for chapter: Okay, this chapter is the most tender chapter I have ever written. It took me forever to figure out how I wanted it to play out, but I got it done. You see the gentle side of Leona, and the High King has come forth in Peter. Let me know what you think of it. BTW, the next chapter will be a little late. I usually update on the weekends, but due to a trip I might not have the chapter finished in time. Please be patient, it will be updated within a week and a half or so.