The Gift of Music
A soft melody echoed throughout the empty room as thin fingers played methodically. The piano responded to her light touch, emitting a clear note with each press of a key.
"When I am down
And oh, my soul so weary
When troubles come
And my heart burdened be
Then I am still
And wait here in the silence
Until You come and sit a while with me
You raise me up so I can stand on mountains
You raise me up to walk on stormy seas
I am strong when I am on Your shoulders
You raise me up to more than I can be," the girl sang quietly as she played, her eyes focused on the sheets of music in front of her.
"How long have you been working on that one?" The smooth voice startled her into sliding off the bench she was perched on with an undignified yelp. "Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you." He didn't sound apologetic at all, since he was chuckling the whole time. He came over and helped the girl up.
"It's all right, I-" She froze when she saw who had startled her. "Your Majesty." She bowed her head, embarrassed.
"None of that," the young King chastised, still grinning. "It's just Edmund here." He placed his hand under her chin and tilted it up until their eyes met, brown and blue.
"My apologies…Edmund." She blushed, averting her eyes.
"You're the composer, right?"
"Yes, sir." She lowered her eyes again, staring at the floor.
"Hey." He lifted her head again, smiling. "I'm not going to hurt you. Relax." Slowly, she let a small smile form on her lips. "Let's start over." He stepped back and held out his hand. She stared at it, puzzled. "I'm Edmund, but most people just call me Ed."
"Most people meaning your siblings," she blurted out unconsciously. Edmund laughed all the same, nodding in agreement. "I'm Cameron…most people call me Cam." She reached out and shook his hand.
"I see Lucy's been teaching you," Edmund noted with a chuckle and a small laugh left her lips. "Speaking of which…" He glanced at the piano hesitantly. "Can you teach me?"
"To play?" He nodded shyly. "Of course. Right now, if you want."
"I have to warn you," he said, walking over to the piano, "I'm the worst student ever."
"What a coincidence, I'm the worst teacher ever." He cracked a grin before glancing at the music she had been playing earlier. "I'm pretty sure that's too complicated for you right now." She replaced her sheet music with a simple scale. "First things first, you need to learn a scale. C is the basic one, so we can start from there."
"Keys have names?" He blinked, bewildered.
"All right, let's start from the very beginning. Yes, keys have names. They go from letters A through G, but start at C. One scale is from C to C or A to A. For example, C D E F G A B C is one scale." She played the scale as she said each note name. "That's the C major scale."
"Is there a minor, too?" Edmund asked, his fingers resting over the keys.
"Yes, but you're better off learning the majors first. They're easier." Before she had even finished speaking, he played through the C scale without a single mistake. His fingering was perfect, too; he had been watching her hand as she had played. "Er…well done," she said, taken aback, before pressing ahead. "Now, you see these black keys? They represent sharps and flats…"
After that day, whenever Edmund had free time (or whenever he pushed paperwork onto Peter and got free time as a result), he snuck down to the music room and learn how to play the piano from Cameron. Despite her conviction that she was a terrible teacher, she was patient and kind, even when he made the simplest mistakes. She merely fixed his mistake for him and kept going as if nothing had happened.
He found himself daring to come closer to her with each passing day. His arm ended up around her shoulders or waist more often than not, his head on top of hers. Strangely, he was unaffected by the physical contact. If anything, it felt right to have her so close to him.
He especially loved coming early for his lesson and watching Cameron play her own pieces. Her eyes were usually closed; she didn't even have to look at the music. He always felt a pang of envy because he still had to take at least a minute to read each note before pressing it on the piano. Her slender fingers moved swiftly over the keys, pressing each one for a brief second before moving on to the next note. Her foot pressed the pedal rhythmically in time to the music.
What Edmund loved most about these moments was hearing Cameron sing. Despite her low-pitched speaking voice, her singing voice was clear and high, like a flute.
"I thought I did what's right
I thought I had the answers
I thought I chose the surest road
But that road brought me here
So I put up a fight
And told You how to help me
Now just when I have given up
The truth is coming clear
You know better than I
You know the way
I've let go the need to know why
For You know better than I," she was singing one day when he came in.
"Was that about Aslan?" he asked as he sat down beside her.
"Yes. I've always held respect for Him. Then again, how can I not?" He smiled wryly.
"I agree. I wouldn't even be here if it weren't for Him." Her eyebrows furrowed.
"What do you mean?" The smile slipped off his face.
"I don't want to talk about it." He had forgotten she didn't know his story; she was an Archenlander who had moved to Narnia two years after they had defeated the White Witch.
"Edmund?" She frowned, worried. "What happened?"
"It's none of your concern." She flinched back, startled by his severe tone, and he shut his eyes wearily. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap."
"No, I understand, I went too far. I'll remember not to interfere next time, Your Majesty," she murmured, keeping her eyes down. He sighed exasperatedly; just when he had gotten her to relax around him, he had forced her to put her walls back up.
"No, you had every right to know, Cam. Next time I'm an idiot, feel free to hit me." His guilt disappeared as she smiled shyly. "Come here." He let her lean on his side and placed an arm around her shoulders. "You still want to know?" he whispered into her hair.
"Yes," she replied softly.
"All right, then. This could take a while, though." He tightened his grip on her shoulders briefly, enjoying the warmth of her small body against his, before beginning his story, "The first thing you should know is that my siblings and I, we're not really from Narnia. We're from a place called England, and there was a war between England and another country. My siblings and I were sent away to a safe location along with every other child so that the war couldn't hurt us."
"You weren't asked to fight?" she asked curiously, looking up at him.
"We were just children, too young to know how to fight." She nodded in acceptance and he continued the story, "We were sent to a house owned by Professor Kirke, who volunteered to take us in for the duration of the war. One day, it was raining and we were playing hide-and-seek to keep busy. Lucy came back saying that she'd found a land inside a wardrobe."
"Wardrobe?" she repeated, confused.
"It's a large wooden closet to keep coats in." She nodded. "That land turned out to be Narnia. Peter, Susan, and I didn't believe Lucy. One night, Lucy came back to Narnia and I followed her." He broke off then, shutting his eyes. "You have to understand that I wasn't exactly the nicest person back then. In fact, I was perfectly beastly. I came into Narnia and I met…her. The White Witch." Cameron silently pressed closer to his side, offering him comfort. "She tricked me into thinking she was kind, and I believed her. I was spiteful because my siblings were cruel to me, and I wanted my revenge. I promised her that I would bring them to her." Aside from grabbing his hand tightly, Cameron did nothing. Her dark blue eyes remained focused on his brown ones. "Peter and Susan stumbled into Narnia the next day and we went to Mr. Tumnus's house."
"I know him," Cameron murmured, "he's the faun, right?"
"Yes, he was the first Narnian Lucy befriended. When we got to his house, he had been arrested for helping Lucy escape the Witch. The Beavers found us then. You know them, too, don't you?" She nodded.
"Mrs. Beaver makes a good apple pie," she chuckled.
"Yes, she does." Edmund couldn't help but smile slightly. "They took us to their dam and told us about the prophecy that said that we were the ones who would end the Long Winter. They told us then that Aslan was waiting for us at the Stone Table. I left then, eager to see the White Witch again, and made my way to her castle. She was angry with me because I hadn't brought my siblings and threw me into the dungeons." He shuddered then, remembering the icy cold of the Witch's dungeons. "I met Mr. Tumnus there, and he found out that I was the traitor. The Witch then put me in a sleigh and took me to find my siblings…long story short, we camped near the Stone Table, Aslan's army found me, and took me back to my siblings. All was forgiven." He winced, knowing what was coming.
"Is that what you meant by being here because of Aslan?" she asked softly, taking his hand in hers once more and tracing circles on his palm soothingly.
"Not…exactly." He sighed wearily. "The White Witch stormed into Aslan's camp, demanding my blood for the Stone Table. Aslan took the Witch into His tent and…and traded His life to spare mine." Cameron stayed silent, her eyes wide. Her grip on his hand was so tight that her knuckles were white. "That night, He left camp and let the Witch kill Him. We received the news the next morning, and Peter and I went to battle. Susan and Lucy had been with Aslan the whole time. He came back to life through Deep Magic and brought reinforcements. We won the battle because of Him."
"During the battle…is that when you got your scar?" He looked down at her, bewildered.
"My scar?" She touched a spot on his abdomen, right above where the Witch's broken wand had pierced him during the battle. "How did you-?"
"I heard some people talking about it," she whispered.
"She stabbed me." Her eyes widened. "I was a traitor, I deserved no better." Without warning, he received a sharp, stinging slap to his cheek. He stared in shock at Cameron, who was now glaring furiously.
"Don't you dare," she hissed vindictively. "It's the Witch who is to blame, not you! Never you!" She softened then, resting her hand against his now-red cheek. He found that he didn't care about the pain that still lingered. "You deserve so much more than that, Edmund." He wasn't sure who had initiated it, but he suddenly found his lips pressing lightly against hers, his hands cupping her face. She tasted like cinnamon, he noted absently, and her lips were warm and soft against his. He didn't know what to do after that; he had never kissed anyone before. His next course of action was then decided for him as Cameron drew back abruptly, her eyes wide and horrified.
"I-I…Cam…" he stammered, seeing her expression, "I-I'm so sorry." She stared at him, still wearing the same expression, before moving away quickly and leaving the room. With a frustrated groan, he let his head hit the piano keys, creating a jarring chord.
"-and then she ran," Edmund finished his story. He was lying on Peter's bed, watching his older brother finish paperwork at his desk.
"First things first, get your feet off my bed," Peter reprimanded lightly and Edmund rolled his eyes, swinging his feet off the blankets. "Now, this girl…"
"Cameron," Edmund supplied dully.
"Cameron. You like her?"
"Would I be here if I didn't?" Edmund snapped, now irritated. Peter grinned.
"Just checking, Ed. Why, it seems like only yesterday you were claiming that Susan and Lucy had cooties and you refused to go near them without the proper vaccine…"
"Oh, shut up, Pete, I was five," Edmund sighed.
"Now little Eddie's all grown up, chasing after the girls-"
"Shut up, Peter!" Edmund cried, covering his ears. Now he knew why he should have gone to Susan instead. "And don't call me Eddie! I'm twenty-two, for the love of Aslan!"
"…Eddie." Edmund groaned, letting his head flop back against the soft pillows. Peter softened then, looking down at Edmund. "You really do like her, don't you?"
"Yeah, I do," Edmund affirmed quietly. Peter ruffled his dark hair gently.
"I think you should go talk to her."
"Yeah…maybe."
"No 'maybe.' Come on." Peter picked Edmund up easily and deposited him on his feet. "Go find that girl and tell her how you feel." Edmund gave Peter an incredulous look.
"How I feel?"
"Yes. Girls like sensitivity…I think." Peter frowned thoughtfully.
"Oh, fine, if only to get you off my back," Edmund grumbled, walking out.
"Hey, you came to me, remember?" Peter retorted and Edmund stuck his tongue out over his shoulder at his brother before shutting the door behind him.
He made his way to the music room, which was dark and silent as it always was at night. He lit a candle and set it on top of the piano before sitting down and pulling out some of Cameron's own sheet music. He was getting ahead of himself, but since he had a feeling that she wouldn't teach him anymore, he would have to learn on his own. He began playing the piece, wincing as he made several mistakes in the first line alone. One note in particular frustrated him. He squinted his eyes, attempting to read it in the dim candlelight. He pressed the respective key, but it sounded wrong.
"B," a soft voice murmured from behind him and he froze.
"Sorry?" His voice came out a few octaves higher than normal.
"It's B. You're pressing A." Cameron moved to his side without a sound and sat down gracefully. She reached out slowly, taking his hand and positioning it until the right finger hit the right note.
"Did I wake you?" he asked, feeling guilty.
"No, I was on my way down here to practice when I heard you."
"Cameron, I'm so sorry," he blurted out, "I really, really like you and you're so beautiful and I couldn't help myself, I wanted to kiss you so badly because I love everything about you and I'm just so happy when you're around and-"
"Edmund?" she whispered, cutting him off.
"Cameron?"
"You talk too much." Her lips brushed gently against his. He pressed his lips harder against hers, eliciting a soft moan from her as his tongue ran over her bottom lip. Somehow, she ended up in his lap, her legs straddling his waist, as he continued to kiss her fiercely. His arms were wrapped tightly around her, holding her close to him, as his lips moved fervently against hers.
All too soon, they were breaking apart, their breaths coming out in shallow gasps. He felt Cameron's fingers shakily brush against his face, pushing a lock of hair out of his forehead, and leaned down to press a soft kiss to her lips.
"I love you," he told her honestly. A bright smile, the first genuine one he had ever seen from her, pulled at her lips as her slender fingers skimmed across his cheek.
"I love you, too, Ed." He claimed her lips once more.
They married only a few months later.
Looking back, Edmund called it a fairytale of a wedding. Cameron only smiled and agreed, adding that she would not have had it any other way. Susan and Lucy were forcing back tears even before the ceremony started, and even Peter was caught blinking rather rapidly. He would be conducting the ceremony. Had Edmund not been at the center of attention, he probably would have shed a few tears of his own when he first saw Cameron walking down the isle toward him. She had refused to let him see her dress until the ceremony and he finally understood why.
The dress was a pure white, obviously, and had silver vine patterns embroidered on the hems and sides of the skirt. The sleeves ended at her wrists and the neckline of the dress was modest, but still enough to reveal her creamy skin. It was simple enough, but it took Edmund's breath away as Cameron came to stand at his side.
The ceremony itself passed rather quickly. Edmund spoke only when he was prompted to. The rest of the time, he stared at Cameron's veil (a silky, translucent cloth with silver vine patterns embroidered on the edges), wondering what expression she wore on her face.
"Edmund, do you take this woman as your wife and Queen?" Peter asked, finally snapping his brother out of his daze.
"I do."
"Cameron, do you take this man as your husband and accept your role as a Queen of Narnia?"
"I do." There was no hesitation on her part, a fact that made Edmund break out into a wide grin.
"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride." As Edmund lifted Cameron's veil to kiss her, he saw tears flowing freely down her cheeks even as she beamed brightly. Needing no further prompting, Edmund leaned down and pressed his lips firmly to hers, sealing their marriage.
The crowd behind them cheered loudly, but Edmund didn't even notice. All he could focus on were Cameron's soft lips on his.
"Congratulations, Ed," Peter whispered when Cameron and Edmund broke apart, scooping his brother into a hug. Edmund normally would have protested at the public display of affection, but he was already so drunk with happiness that he merely hugged his brother back with a joyful laugh. "Welcome to the family," Peter told his new sister-in-law, kissing her forehead. Susan and Lucy ran up, engulfing the couple in fierce embraces. Cameron blushed, still not quite used to being on casual terms with Edmund's siblings.
Eventually, Peter, Susan, and Lucy released Edmund and Cameron, moving to join the reception. Edmund looked down at Cameron, who had taken his hand in both of hers only a few moments earlier.
"I love you," he told her softly and she smiled up at him warmly.
"I love you, too, Ed." She brought their intertwined hands up and kissed his knuckles. He leaned down and captured her lips in his briefly before leading her down to the waiting crowd.
"I say it's a boy," Edmund said stubbornly as he placed a hand over Cameron's slightly-distended stomach two years later.
"It's a girl," she replied firmly.
"Is not," Edmund replied rather childishly, pouting. She chuckled and leaned up to kiss his bottom lip.
"A mother's instinct is never wrong, Ed." He rolled his eyes.
"I think it's a girl!" Peter called from his spot near the lake.
"Pete, don't jinx it!" Edmund protested and his brother laughed at him.
"Do you suppose he's gone off the deep end?" Cameron stage-whispered to Lucy, who giggled. Susan merely shook her head at the four of them, turning a page in her book. "Okay, suppose it is a boy, Edmund," Cameron said, turning to her husband. "What do you plan on calling him?"
"Edmund Junior," he said with a straight face. His lips twitched slightly, giving away his amusement, and she smacked his shoulder.
"You're incorrigible." He grinned cheekily.
"Hey, if it's a girl, you would probably name her Cameron Junior, so don't talk."
"I would not name her that!" Cameron retorted, insulted.
"You could always just name her Lucy," Lucy suggested innocently and Cameron ruffled her sister-in-law's hair.
"Nice try, Lu." Lucy pouted as Cameron thought about possible baby names a little longer. "I like Arya." Edmund blinked at her, having been distracted earlier.
"Sorry?"
"Arya. For a girl." His eyebrows furrowed before he nodded, smiling.
"I like it." He leaned down to rub Cameron's stomach gently. "Hello, little Arya."
"Oh, so you admit it's a girl, then," Cameron teased and he shot up, glaring at his wife as she and Lucy giggled.
"You promise you'll be careful?" Cameron asked as Edmund strapped his sword to his belt five months later.
"I've been on hunts before, love," he told her with a smile.
"Not for a White Stag," she pointed out ruefully. He silenced her with a peck to the lips. "Besides, you haven't had a seven-month-pregnant wife to come home to before," she added when he pulled away.
"First for everything." He kissed her again. "I love you." She kissed him back fiercely, letting her lips linger on his even after the kiss itself was over.
"Don't you dare get yourself hurt," she whispered.
"I won't," he chuckled, pulling away and kissing her forehead. "You worry too much, love."
"You worry too little," she told him frankly, ruffling his dark hair. He grinned before kissing her cheek.
"You worry about the baby. I'll worry about myself for you."
"Fair trade," she agreed before burying her face into his chest. "I love you, Edmund."
"I love you, too, Cameron." He brushed his lips against hers one last time before untangling himself from her and leaving the room. She placed a hand on her stomach and felt the baby kick it lightly, as if sensing that its mother's touch was nearby.
"I hope you never become as reckless as your father," she told her stomach with a sigh. The baby kicked again in response. "Maybe I should go play some music to calm you down." She went down to the music room.
She was playing the piano (ironically, the piece that she had been playing when Edmund had first met her) when a harried-looking faun ran into the music room.
"My Queen?" She looked up and carefully stood, placing a hand on her stomach instinctively. The faun bit his lip anxiously. "You may want to sit back down, Your Majesty." She remained standing, her face paling. Something had happened to Edmund. There was no other explanation for the faun's behavior.
"Edmund," she whispered desperately and the faun bowed his head sorrowfully.
"I'm sorry, my Queen. They all disappeared during their hunt."
"Disappeared?" she echoed with a hollow laugh. "People don't just disappear. They get hurt, or die. But they don't disappear."
"Phillip returned without King Edmund and said that was what had happened." The baby kicked Cameron's stomach, as if sensing her father's plight.
"Send a search party," Cameron spoke weakly at last.
"General Oreius has already done so." She nodded silently, sinking back to the piano bench wearily.
"Dismissed, Lieutenant," Oreius's gruff voice said and the faun retreated. "My Queen," the centaur began in a softer voice, entering the room.
"People don't just disappear," she repeated her earlier words hoarsely.
"I am sorry, Queen Cameron, but the fact remains. Your King and his siblings are not with us any longer."
"How can he leave me?" Cameron demanded weakly. "Now, of all times?" The baby kicked harder against her stomach and she placed a hand over her abdomen in an attempt to calm the baby down.
"Think of the baby, Your Majesty," Oreius cautioned, seeing her grief.
"You sound like Edmund," she chuckled tearily.
"King Edmund would want you and the baby to be safe," he spoke carefully.
"He would," she agreed quietly, wiping at her eyes before the tears could even fall.
Edmund played the piano almost constantly when they had left Narnia the first time. It seemed as though he could sense Cameron beside him, still instructing him on basic fingering and notes as he played.
His mother in particular was surprised at his new skill, but chose not to comment on it.
Peter, Susan, and Lucy tended to sit in the same room as the piano whenever Edmund played, closing their eyes and remembering their own time with their sister.
A year later, when he and his siblings returned to Narnia, Edmund learned of Cameron's fate.
"She died giving birth to her child," Caspian admitted sadly. He had not wanted to tell Edmund, but the latter had insisted on learning what had happened to his wife and child.
"And the baby…?" Edmund began hoarsely.
"Stillborn. They believed it was Queen Cameron's grief that had killed it within the womb." Edmund closed his eyes wearily. "I'm sorry," Caspian offered weakly and Edmund nodded stiffly.
After he and his siblings returned to England, Edmund never looked at a piano again.
There was a reason he no longer played, and Cameron was it.
I am a terrible person! (cries) Then again, Cameron wasn't all that well-developed, so I was totally fine with killing her off. Oh well.
I don't think I've ever written a oneshot this long before. This idea's sort of been in my head for a few years now, and I decided to play on it. I'm sorry if this isn't well-written, I wrote it out in the span of two hours. Please try to be nice and please review.