DISCLAIMER:**The character names of The Chronicles of Narnia are owned by Douglas Gresham. The original content, ideas and intellectual property of this story are owned by NeverTickleASleepingDraco, 2011. Please do not copy, reproduce, ortranslatewithout express written permission.*
I packed items into my trunk furiously, with the occasional Cor handing me an object, like a brush or a shoe I had forgotten. Letting a blind person pack by themselves isn't the best idea. Tomorrow was the day that I left for Narnia and I hadn't even thought about packing. I'd thought about going, sure. But not packing. It was currently eight-fifteen in the evening and supper had already been done for. I was supposed to be meeting Edmund tonight in the courtyard at eight thirty. Every time I thought about it my heart thumped wildly; out of excitement and of nervousness. This didn't just happen with Edmund, it happened with any boy who would ask me to meet him. Which, granted, it wasn't very often. But I still got nervous quite a bit really.
I felt a hand on my shoulder and stopped packing. "Lia, calm down," said Cor. I took a deep breath.
"Calm down? Calm down! I can't calm down! I'm leaving for a place I've never been for a year, I may or may not get married to the most horrid person on the planet, and – and I'm supposed to meet Edmund in…what time is it?"
"Eight fifteen."
"Fifteen minutes! Never tell a girl to calm down! It only makes it worse!" I put a hand to my forehead in the hopes of banishing the headache that was coming. "Not to mention I've got to finish packing!" I sighed.
I felt Cor sit me down on an armchair and start to rub my shoulders. "Okay, I'll say it again. Calm down. " I narrowed my eyes at him. "I'll finish packing for you, and you won't be alone on your trip. You have the Kings and Queens, Elena, and…" He trailed off, whispering the last part quietly. "You'll be fine."
"Who else is coming, Cor?" No answer. "Cor," I said as menacing as I could.
"Lord Jonathon."
I flew out of the chair. "No! There is no way he is coming! He's only going to make it harder for me to fall in love, staying with me all the time! I – just NO!" I went to the nearest wall and laid my head against it. I mumbled a few choice words into the stone. "I'm going to murder someone. Jonathon, perhaps?"
"Look, just go meet King Edmund, and I'll meet you back here after. Okay?" I nodded and felt him press a kiss to my cheek. He slung an arm over my shoulders and walked me to the door. I fought back a few tears. I reallydidn't want Jonathon to come.
I walked alone in the castle walls out to the courtyard that Edmund had told me to meet him at. I found the fountain and sat down on one side of it. It was a weird fountain. From what I had walked, it was a figure eight type figure with an opening in the water to walk through (I found this out by getting soaked quite a few times), and a bench to sit on under the bowl of the fountain. It was my favorite place in the whole castle. I heard cursing to my left and turned my head toward the sound. "Dear God, Lia. How the hell did you get in here?" I recognized the voice to be Edmund's and smiled. I pointed directly in front of me to the break in the water. I heard him curse again. I giggled lightly. I heard him sigh when he sat down beside me. Our arms brushed and I blushed slightly. Thank goodness for the dimness. "So this is it. My last night in Archenland. Well, same for you, but not forever...er…" I could tell he was uncomfortable. This may or may not be my last night in Archenland. If I don't find love in Narnia, it's back home for me. If I do, I'll probably stay in Narnia. The thought froze me. I hadn't considered that I would probably stay in Narnia. Edmund noticed. "Lia? Are you alright? You went white as a ghost for a moment. Lia?"
"I – I'm fine. Thank you. I hadn't thought about staying in Narnia." My breathing was shallow as Edmund soothed me by rubbing my back. A wave of homesickness came over me, and I was still home!
"It'll be fine, Cecelia. You'll come back home eventually."
"Edmund? What is it you wanted to bring me out here for?" The hand on my back stopped rubbing.
"Oh uhm, it was nothing. Well, actually, I wanted to give you something." I cocked my eyebrow. He took my hand and slid something cold onto my index finger. "It's a ring." Thanks for pointing out the obvious, Edmund. "It – It's not supposed to represent anything about us,just a reminder of home and well, friendship. Okay, I lied. Maybe it does represent us in some way, shape, or form." I could hear him smiling. "There's an emerald in it, representing Archenland…you know, national gem." I hugged him around the neck.
"Thank you," I mumbled into his neck-slash-hair. His hair reached his collar, apparently. I pulled back and put a hand on his cheek, feeling the light stubble. I leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Thank you for everything. Now," I stood up and reached for his hand. "I believe we should be getting back. You are twenty years old, and a king. I am nineteen years old and a lady. Ladies and Kings should not be seen alone together at a late hour." He took my head and used me for leverage to get up. He kept hold of my hand and led me across the stepping stones on the fountain. Even after I had gotten down from the fountain he kept held of my hand. We swung our hands as we walked back to my room.
He watched from a dark corner at the couple in the fountain. He saw him give her a ring, glinting green in the moonlight off the water. He watched as he kissed her on the cheek and held hands with him.
Thank God he was going to Narnia with them. He would make sure that she didn't find love, no matter what the cost. She was his, and had been since she was sixteen! She wouldn't let a stupid naïve king get in his way.
A plan formed in his mind and he smiled devilishly. He walked away into the shadows to set his plan into action.
The next morning, the Narnians, Elena, Jonathon and I were standing in front of two carriages ready to take them to Narnia. Jonathon, Elena, and I were going in one carriage, and the Narnians in the other. I hugged my family goodbye. A few tears leaked out of my eyes. "Goodbye, Father," I said. I sniffed and wiped away the tear. I hugged Corin next and gave him an extra punch on the arm for good measure. I hugged Cor the tightest. I cried into his chest. He smoothed down my hair and shushed me. "I'm going to miss you doing my hair."
"I'll miss you too, Lia. Now go. You have a new adventure waiting." He led me to the carriage and helped me get settled. "There you are. Stay safe, Lia. Love you." With that, he shut the door and closed the latch. I waved out the window of the carriage as it lurched to signal its moving.
I stared (sort of) out the window for a good hour before I figured out who was sitting next to me. He grabbed my hand in what seemed to be, I guess, a comforting gesture. All it seemed to do was put me in a worse mood. "Cheer up, Lia! We'll be in Narnia by tomorrow."
"Don't call me that," I hissed. A day stuck with him in a carriage? Aslan, kill me now. Or better yet, kill him. I suppose I brought this upon myself. I had asked to go to Narnia, but I hadn't realized how much I could miss my family. It had only been an hour!
He squeezed my hand gently. "Everything will be fine! We'll be wedded in a year!" I snapped my hand back and narrowed my eyes at the bastard.
"Fine? You called being married to you fine? Do you think I'm not capable of finding love because I'm blind?" I was furious now.
"Of course not! You know that I love you!" I nearly snorted at the response. He didn't love me. He was going to use me. But did Father see that? No. Of course not. I leaned my forehead against the carriage wall and groaned inwardly.
At noon (or what I guessed to be), the carriage stopped and we got out for lunch. We sat on the ground and ate mostly fruits and water. I sat in between King Peter and Edmund, much to Jonathon's displeasure. I smirked to myself. I chatted happily between the two men.
"King Peter, I must thank you for giving me this chance. I appreciate so much." I exaggerated the last two words so that Jonathon would get the hint. I could practically hear the anger and frustration radiating off of him. I smiled again and took a bite of my pear.
"Oh it was no problem. We love having guests at the Cair, and especially new ones. And please, just call me Peter. I wasn't born a king, let alone a prince. I was born Peter." I could hear the smile he gave me, and I smiled back.
"Yes, same goes for my sister and me." It was Queen Susan who said this. "We weren't born princesses or queens. It would be dreadful for a good friend to call us by our formalities, especially for a year."
"Of course!" I replied.
After that little exchange, we packed up and headed back into our carriages. Lucy invited Elena to ride in their carriage this time, so that left one spot open which Edmund gladly took. I sat next to Edmund and put my feet in his lap reclining into the plush seat.
"Cecelia!" Jonathon gasped. "You must not act this way with a king!"
I grinned slyly. "King? What king? I see no king!" Of course, this made him even madder as Edmund cracked up. I had to throw in the "I see no king!" It would make the joke complete. I leaned over to the opposite side of the carriage (certainly not that far away) and patted Jonathon's knee. "Oh, Jonathon," I sighed as I giggled lightly.
EDMUND'S POV:
I had gotten dreadfully tired of my siblings' conversations, so when we stopped for lunch, I hopped at the chance to get in Lia's carriage. She flopped back on the seat and lay her booted feet in my lap. I cocked an eyebrow and grinned at her. She looked so peaceful – until Jonathon ruined it. "Cecelia! You must not act this way with a king!"
Of course, Lia had to retaliate. "King?" Oh dear. "What king? I see no king!" As soon as she said the words, "I see" I had to laugh. As I was laughing, Jonathon practically glared at me. She reached over and patted his knee. "Oh, Jonathon," she sighed. This sent me laughing uncontrollably as he retreated back to the cushions and scowled. This would be interesting.
As the moon rose in the sky, we ate dinner in our carriages, laughing and talking about pointless things. Once Jonathon drifted off to sleep, she scooted closer to me and started talking about how she didn't want to get married to Jonathon. Yes, she talked about this a lot but I didn't mind. I understood how she felt. Well, not completely. She, too, soon drifted off to sleep on my chest and I settled back so it would be more comfortable for both of us. I slipped into unconsciousness, breathing in her scent.
LIA'S POV:
I jerked awake suddenly from the dream I was having and tried to sit up. A large weight prevented this action. I felt the object until I came to the bottom. It was an arm. I turned around and breathed in a scent of cinnamon and oak.
Edmund.
His breath ruffled my hair. I figured his hair was in his eyes, and, for some odd reason, I reached up and brushed it away. "Good morning to you too." I gasped and snapped my hand back.
"Sorry," I said. I cleared my throat and he moved his arm away. I sat up and hugged my knees to my chest. A loud banging sounded at the door. "Come in!" I called. The door opened and I heard Peter's voice.
"The Cair is in sight!" He sounded excited, and the mood in the carriage changed. Edmund practically buzzed with excitement.
"Home," I heard him whisper, so soft I could barely hear it.
"Are you excited?" I asked. It was a stupid question, yes, but I couldn't find anything else to fill the silence.
"Yes! Just wait till you see the-" He stopped suddenly when I turned my face away from him. My hair fell from behind my ear and curtained my face. "Lia…Lia, I'm sorry. I forgot." I still wouldn't look at him. "Lia, please look at me." The desperation in his voice almost made me cave. "Please?" His voice was so soft that I did in fact cave. "I'm sorry."
"It's fine. That was an overreaction. It's just…I've always wanted to see the world, Narnia especially. And now that I'm here, and I know I can't…" I trailed off and looked away again. Edmund took my chin into his hands and made me face him.
"Lia, you will see again. By the mighty Aslan, I swear we will find a way to let you see again. I promise. Okay?" I nodded as a small tear slipped down my face. He wiped it away with his thumb as the carriage came to a sudden halt. I could practically feel the glare from Jonathon as he opened the door and stormed out. I couldn't help another tear from falling and instead of wiping it away with his thumb, he kissed it away. I blushed profusely.
"Um, we should go," I stated awkwardly. I stood up and walked out of the carriage leaving an embarrassed Edmund behind. The pages would take our things to our rooms, and there would be a banquet later in the day.
I felt a hand grab mine and a harsh voice whisper in my ear, "Don't pull anything like that with him again. Understand?" I scowled and yanked my hand just for it to be grabbed again.
A young voice, that I recognized to be Lucy's, said, "Oh, let me show you around the castle! You'll surely need to know your way around! Edmund's done enough for you. Besides we haven't really talked all that much!" She pulled me along inside the castle. We ran around down different corridors and into different rooms. I recognized the air and smell of some of them. The library smelled like…well, old books – in a good way. The kitchen of course smelled like spices and herbs. Peter's room smelled like potpourri, a sweet combination of dried petals and some spice. Edmund's room smelled like himself, of course, cinnamon and oak. Susan's room smelled like vanilla, and Lucy's room smelled like roses. My room smelled like lilies, my favorite flower. I wonder how they knew.
Later, after the tour, I was caught by Elena. "Lia! Where have you been all day? I haven't seen you! What do you think about the Cair? Isn't it lovely! Oh, I'm going to love it here-"
"Elena! Enough questions. I've been on a tour of the castle. And, yes, it is lovely. Have you talked to Peter any?"
I could practically hear the blush in her now shy voice. "Oh, not – not really. I mean, we sat next to each other in the carriage and talked a bit but-"
"Peter and Elena sittin' in a tree!" Elena clapped a hand over my mouth to stop me from singing any more.
"Shush! You want the whole castle to hear?"
I laughed and bit her palm. She yelped in pain and I could feel the glower."Maybe," I said in a sing-song voice. I giggled and ran away to run smack into Edmund. Honestly, the last person I wanted to see. "Oh, uh, hi."
"Hello, Lia! How did you enjoy your probably overzealous tour of the castle?" He sounded perfectly normal, like he hadn'tkissed me in the carriage. I mean, sure, it was on the cheek, but still!
"The Cair is lovely, King Edmund!" I could feel the surprise thanks to our close proximity. I leaned closer and whispered, "We are in public with servants around. It's not proper."
He snorted. "You care about propriety? You used my lap as a leg rest just yesterday!" I laughed and hit him in the chest. "Come on, it's about time for the banquet."
I groaned and flopped my head back. "I don't want to go! I'm not hungry," I said stubbornly. I folded my arms across my chest. Edmund pried my hands away and started to lead me.
"That's a poor excuse, Lia. Surely, you can come up with better."
I stuck my tongue out at him and allowed him to lead me to the banquet.
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Hannah. x