Chapter 12: Boundaries
Warm caramel eyes stared at me as the grin I had dreamed of since I first met her filled my vision as she stood up. "Good day your majesty" she curtsied, I quickly crossed the room in long strides, I went to hug her but Susan gave me a stern look stopping me in my tracks. I took Aria's hand and kissed the top of it.
Slowly.
Making sure to let my lips linger on the back of her hand as I stared at her, attempting to communicate my longing for her through my eyes. That beautiful blush crossed her cheeks and I knew I accomplished my goal. "My apologies for not being there to greet you Princess but some important business had to be attended to." I apologized. "The duties of the High King I suppose" she winked and I had a feeling I wasn't off the hook just yet. "Oh? Is there anything I can do to make up for it?" I questioned her, "I'm sure you'll think of something." She smiled at me before turning back to Susan.
"It's been a long day, I think I'll rest before dinner" she informed Susan. She nodded standing up. "I'll take you to your room then" she said, "don't worry Susan. I can take her, I'm sure you have other details you want to be attending to" I winked at her. Susan smiled but consented since Exander would accompany us.
The hand I was still holding onto I wrapped it around my arm letting it rest right in the crook of my elbow. She immediately squeezed the muscle she found there, her thumb pressing into the fabric slightly to put pressure on my skin as she rubbed it. I closed my eyes briefly in pleasure as we left the room, Exander following after us. "How was the trip?" I questioned her, "a little rainy but other than that it was just fine. Even in the rain Narnia is beautiful" she smiled looking at the walls.
They're were intricate paintings all over the walls of scenes past. "Is this the White witch?" She questioned looking at one painting. I nodded, the white witch stood at the center with her wolves around her. "Are the wolves evil?" She questioned, and I shook my head. "Just like within people there are good people and bad people. Some wolves were bad and did the White witches bidding but others like the ones that stay in Cair Paravel are good wolves." I told her and she nodded her head not saying anything else on the matter as we continued to walk.
Lucy had picked a room in one of the lower levels of Cair Paravel, right on the cliff face overlooking the ocean, beach and the sunrise, for my beautiful princess. "I hadn't realized that Cair Paravel was so big" she commented after we walked for a couple minutes. I nodded my head, "yes it is quite large, but I love the beauty of it" I told her and she heartedly agreed. Reaching the large door I stopped our walking. "Now close your eyes" I told her. She raised an eyebrow at me only for me to return it. She sighed and closed her eyes, I checked to make her eyes were closed before slowly opening up the double doors. Returning behind her I covered her eyes with my hands just to be on the safe side.
"Peter!" She laughed her hands tugging on my wrists. "I don't think so, I have a feeling you'll peak" I told her nudging her forwards with my chest. She groaned holding my wrists as she stepped forwards cautiously. "You better not lead me into some sort of disaster Peter" she giggled, "never" I whispered in her ear. Goosebumps exploded across her neck and it made me smile seeing it. I moved her so she was in the middle of the room, "all right now keep your eyes closed and don't move" I told her. She nodded and I slowly, cautiously pulled my hands back and checked her eyes to make sure they were still closed. I went to the window and I wanted to pull the curtains back but it was still raining. Well she might still like the view.
Pulling the curtains back to expose the sit in window I turned back to her. "Open them" I told her. She quickly did and they widened at seeing the room. They went to the large four poster bed carved out of white wood; it had waves going across the bottom. Her eyes then darted to the fire place with white sofa's, the large wardrobe that already accommodated her clothes. Before landing on me as I leaned against the wall next to the window. Her eyes then darted to the window next to me. She quickly made her way to look out the window only for her eyes to widen. She had the perfect view of the whole ocean plus the stretch of beach next to it.
The waves were rising before crashing back down as the wind raced across them. Large, heavy dark gray clouds pelted the ocean. "Wow" she whispered and I nodded. "Have you seen the ocean before?" I questioned her curious. She nodded, "but not like this. I've only been once before the twins were born." She smiled, I watched her eyes. She wasn't seeing the Narnian sea anymore. "She must have been beautiful" I mused, she looked up at me with a raised eyebrow. "What makes you think that?" She questioned, her voice soft. Full of weighted memories.
"Well to be honest you don't look much like King Lune" I chuckled and she smiled looking back out towards the ocean and nodded. "She was" she agreed softly before nodding her head. I smiled softly at her and pulled her into a hug. She rested her hands on my chest before resting her temple against my collar bone. I rested my chin on top of her head, we just stood there for a minute before I had to do something. I couldn't stand still like this for much longer.
I slowly started rocking her side to side. I didn't have to look at her to know that she had an eyebrow raised, I took her hand and spun her out of my arms before spinning her back into my chest as she giggled. "Peter there's not even any music!" She complained, "who needs music to dance?" I questioned her, "everybody" she replied back with a smile.
Know it all.
We danced for a little bit longer before she just rested her head against my chest. She looked up at me slowly and I smiled down at her. My hand holding her chin as I slowly moved forwards, her breath caught in her throat, her skin felt so soft, I couldn't stop my thumb from trailing down her neck before coming back up to stroke her jaw bone. My lips slowly melded against hers as her eyelashes tickled my cheek as they fluttered closed. So soft. Our lips seemed to move across each others, a little clumsy at first but neither of us really minded.
My fingers funneled into her hair grasping onto the curls as I applied more pressure to her lips. Her fingers tightening on my shirt as she kissed me back only for her to suddenly pull backwards. Shock crossed her face as she looked at me. "What's wrong?" I questioned her, she shook her head. "I can't do this" she said softly breaking from my grasp to look out the window. "What do you mean?" I questioned, she bit her lip.
"I can't do anything to jeopardize my position Peter," she said softly. "Where is this coming from?" I questioned her, she sighed taking my hand and leading me over to the coaches to sit down. "Father and I had a serious talk Peter and he's worried" she said softly. "About?" I questioned her, "about us. About Archland, the point is he's worried something might happen between us that would ruin my reputation" she said softly. Obviously trying to be gentle about the way she delivered the news. I took her hand squeezing it softly. She tried to pull her hand back but I held onto it. "I promise you nothing will happen. We'll make sure to always have either one of our siblings always in our presence or Exander will be here." I told her nodding towards Exander who was standing as still as a statue in the corner of the room.
She glance over at him, apparently she didn't realize that he was even in the room. "Don't worry we'll be careful, I won't let anything happen to jeopardize that all right?" I questioned her and she nodded slowly. "Then we need to set up some boundaries." She suggested, I made a face but nodded. "Like what?" I questioned her, "like titles in public" she suggested. "All right that one sounds fair" I mused, "and no touching unless necessary" she smiled squeezing my hand. "Oh come on! That one I'm not allowing" I told her leaning back into the coach as she got up to move her stuff around the dresser. "Well to bad High King, we can't make it seem that we favorite each other" she reasoned. "Well since I'm High King and we're in Narnia consider that one Vetoed" I chuckled only to receive a hair brush to the chest.
I couldn't help but grin as I stretched out on the coach as I threw the brush back at her. She narrowed her eyes at me as a smile crossed her lips. "You did not just throw that brush back at me" She growled and I smiled at her, "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't" I told her crossing my arms. "Oh well in that case" she smirked grabbing the pillow from the bed and nailing me on the side of the head with it. "Hey!" I groaned rolling off the coach at the blow. She jumped over the back of it and nailed me in the back. As I scrambled to my feet I grabbed the coach pillow and hit her with it.
"AH!" She screamed shocked that I hit her, I stuck my tongue out at her and she attacked me again nailing the side of my face, out of shock I dropped my pillow only for her to keep attacking me. Grabbing her pillow arm with one hand and her waist with the other I flipped her over pinning her into the coach with most of my body weight as she thrashed against me trying to get away. "Peter! Stop it! Let me go!" She laughed trying to free her arm.
I smirked and quickly leaned down silencing her shouts of protest. Her body stiffened at the sudden attack before she relaxed and quickly started kissing me back. I smiled as an evil idea popped into my head. If she was going to be mean to me by not allowing any unnecessary physical contact then I would deny her as well. I pulled back from the kiss quickly, her lips were still puckered and so damn kissable, I found myself wanting to lean back into them but no, I had to torture her as much as she was torturing me.
"Oh I forgot, we can't have any unnecessary contact" I winked at her. "Oh you evil man you" she growled trying to lean up towards me so she could kiss me again. "Peter this isn't fair! No one's around!" She whined, "yes but what happens if this gets out?" I questioned her and she huffed laying back into the coach. "Says the man that's practically laying on top of me" she retorted. A large cheeky grin crossed my face as a swift knock on the door before it opened to reveal Susan and Edmund.
Susan's eyes widened at the scene while Edmund snickered. "I told you" he retorted before looking back at us. "Couldn't wait five minutes could you Pete?" Edmund chuckled. "Well had to make up for lost time" I winked back at him as I stood up brushing my clothes straight as she quickly sat up. "This isn't what it looks like" she tried to reason. Susan's eyes darted to the pillows and shambles of the coaches. "Oh really? It looks like you tow had a pillow fight and Peter was losing so he flipped you onto the coach to keep you from hitting him. But if it's not that then what could it be?" Susan winked back. Aria blushed. "Okay then, this is exactly what it looks like" she grinned standing up to straighten out her dress.
"Well Peter, Roan wants to speak with you. He's waiting in your study" Susan told him. I nodded turning back towards Aria and kissing her hand. "See you at dinner Princess" I stressed the word Princess before leaving the room with Edmund and Exander. I winked at her over my shoulder before closing the doors as Susan interrogated her.