Tada!! This is a pretty good one if I do say so myself. And we learn about the Christmas ball, which will be in two chapters.

Chapter Thirteen-Dirty Little Secret

One week later…

"Guess who!"

"Hm…it can't be Caspian," Lucy laughed, taking his hands off her eyes.

"As a matter of fact it is." He spun her around so he could kiss her. "Good morning, sweetheart." She smiled at him and he took her hand. "Did you sleep well?"

"Very."

"That's good. Rose still doesn't kick or anything?" Lucy laughed again and said,

"No. She just talks. But Susan used to talk so I'm used to it."

"Does she say anything interesting?"

"Caspian! I don't eavesdrop while people are asleep!"

"Just when they're awake?" He opened the door to the private breakfast room that had been set up especially for the Narnians. "I'm surprised no one else is up yet."

"It was a long night," Lucy pointed out. "Peter will probably be up soon, though." As if on cue he walked through the door. "Speak of the devil."

"I'm not the devil."

"Eh, close enough," Caspian teased. Peter just shook his head and laughed.

"So what's to eat this morning?"

"We don't know yet, we just got here. But here, have some bread." Lucy tossed him a piece and he sighed.

"Lu, how many times have I told you…no throwing food when you're in another person's home!"

"But no one else is around," she said. Peter sighed again and stuck a knife in the butter.

"What am I going to do with you?"

"Love me more than Edmund."

"There isn't a chance of that."

"Morning Ed," the three Narnians all chorused. He sat down and yawned, running a hand through his rumpled dark hair.

"You don't look well," Peter frowned.

"I couldn't sleep."

"Even after carrying Vera back to her room?" Caspian asked, trying not to laugh. "Again?"

"Surprisingly no. Afterall, it is quite a trip and she is very heavy. And yet I find myself doing it almost every night."

"Edmund! That isn't nice!" Lucy scolded.

"I didn't mean she's fat," he sighed, rolling his eyes.

"I disagree," Rose said, coming into the room. "I like to think of otherwise."

"She's not though."

"I know. But it makes me feel better." The others laughed and Rose took a seat across from Edmund and next to Caspian.

"Did you sleep well?" Peter asked her, and she nodded.

"Definitely. I haven't slept as well as I have in this past week in ages. I don't have a real bed, you see."

"What do you sleep on?"

"The floor." She shrugged and took a piece of bread from the basket.

"Why won't you tell us why Nain and Vera don't like you?" Lucy asked exasperatedly.

"Because."

"That isn't a good enough reason."

"I just don't like to talk about it," Rose said.

"But-"

"Let it go," Edmund said to Lucy. "So what's our plan of action for today?" Rose mouthed a 'thankyou' to him, but he mouthed right back 'because I did that, you'd better tell me later.' She sighed and shook her head.

"Well, last night Caspian and I were trying to think of ways she could be manipulating Rama and Nain, and a lot of the rest of the castle. Caspian suggested she might be using a potion to put in their food," said Peter.

"How would she know how?" Lucy asked.

"Calormens are big into witchcraft, you know that Lu."

"You're right, I'm sorry. I forgot."

"It's alright. But anyway, I think one or two of us should hang around the kitchens today to wait and see if she comes in. Someone else should follow Jacinda around, and try and see if she does anything suspicious."

"I'll take kitchens," Lucy said immediately. She wasn't eager for another rant about Araminta from Jacinda.

"I'll go with you," Caspian grinned, taking her hand.

"Just don't get too distracted," Peter said.

"Aren't you funny," Caspian said wryly.

"Why yes, I am. I'll follow Jacinda around if you'd like."

"Maybe I should follow Rama around," Rose suggested. "That way I can see if there are any changes in him."

"I'll go with one of you," Edmund said.

"Go with Rose. If two people get caught, it should be with him, not Jacinda. That would be extremely awkward."

"I suppose you're right," Rose sighed. Edmund just smirked.

"You sound so thrilled to be spending the day with me."

"Ecstatic," she said sarcastically.

"What about Vera?" Edmund asked. "Won't she want to be involved?"

"She said she had to help Nain write the invitations for the Christmas ball today, remember?" said Lucy.

"Oh right."

"When is that?" Caspian asked, and the others just looked at him. "Oh…right…Christmas…"

"Good job, mate," Peter laughed, clapping him on the back.

012345678901234567890

"I'm hungry."

"We just had breakfast," Lucy laughed. Caspian still pouted though as they sat hidden in the shadows.

"But we're right next to the kitchens! Why can't we just go in there and request some food?"

"Because then you'll have to use the bathroom, and there are none around here. And you aren't leaving me by myself."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to be alone if Jacinda comes and sees me."

"She won't try and murder you or something."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Lucy frowned. She related the story of what had happened between her and Jacinda to Caspian, and he too was frowning by the end of it.

"Well that explains why you were in the basement. But she didn't give you any inclination of what she would do?"

"None at all."

"We're going to have to watch ourselves."

"Caspian, I'm scared. What if she manages to break us up?"

"Lu, I love you more than anything in the world. If she does manage to break us up, which I highly doubt, I know that we'd end up back together somehow. Besides, we've been through this before. We can't let anything get to us."

"You're right."

"Just don't believe anything she or anyone in the castle besides me, Peter, Edmund, Vera or Rose tells you."

"I won't. But you can't either."

"I promise." Caspian smiled at her and took her hand.

"I love you," she sighed. Instead of answering he just kissed her.

012345678901234567890

'If I was Jacinda where would I be?' Peter thought to himself. 'Throwing myself into the ocean…no, Peter, that isn't nice.' He saw a swish of red fabric and a glimpse of black hair, so he instantly followed after the figure. It was Jacinda. 'Thank Aslan,' he thought.

"Good morning, My Lady," a passing servant said. Jacinda smiled a horrible sweet and fake smile and said,

"Good morning, Safu. How are you this morning?"

'Suck up,' Peter scowled. 'How can they be fooled by her? Well, if she's anything like her sister…' Jacinda stopped to smooth her dress and fix her hair in one of the hall mirrors. 'Oh she's definitely like her sister.' The woman began to walk again, and Peter made sure to stay silent and walk close to the areas where she wouldn't see him. Everyone knows the feeling of someone following you, and any sensible person would turn around and check to see if anyone was there.

Lucky for Peter, Jacinda wasn't a sensible person. After half an hour she still hadn't looked behind her.

"Your ball gown is ready, My Lady," another passerby said to Jacinda.

"Excellent. Show me it," she commanded. The elderly woman led Jacinda off into an entirely new direction, and Peter had to practically jog to keep up.

'Aslan, this lady is fast…and she's what, 70?'

"Don't you think it's a bit, er…revealing for a ball?" the servant asked, and Jacinda shook her head.

"Not at all. This will be the perfect thing to get him to propose." Peter's mouth dropped open at this statement, and also because of the dress. It was a dark blue material, but there was a slit down the middle of the dress, beginning mid-thigh. It was strapless and the bodice was barely attached to the bottom, so that most of her midriff would show.

'Every man in the ballroom will propose if she's wearing that,' Peter thought, wishing he could let out a laugh.

"If you say so," the old woman frowned. Jacinda glared at her and stole the piece of fabric (if you could call it that) out of her hands.

"I do, and you should believe what I say." Jacinda stormed out of the room; Peter barely had the chance to hide.

"Oh what is happening to that poor man?" he heard the old servant mutter before he went after Jacinda. "Archenland is doomed if he proposes to that wench." Peter stifled another laugh, but quickly sobered. He was thankful other people felt the same way Vera did, but he was also frightened people believed they would actually marry.

That could not be good.

012345678901234567890

"We can't just go up to him," Rose said nervously.

"Why not? If we don't talk to him, how will we tell if he's different later?" Edmund asked.

"Um…the way he walks," Rose said slowly, trying to come up with something off the top of her head. Edmund just snorted and walked quicker to try and catch up with Rama.

"No, you can't!" Rose pleaded, grabbing his wrist to hold him back.

"Yes, I can, and I will!" Edmund said exasperatedly.

"You're very aggravating."

"Why don't you want to talk to him? I thought you liked him."

"I do, I just…he always greets me in a certain way I don't want you to see." They both stopped walking, Rose began to turn red and Edmund just stared at her, smirking, with one eyebrow raised. "That came out wrong."

"Yes, it really did," he laughed. "But now I'm rather interested in this greeting."

"Pervert."

"Oh so it is something along the lines of what you implied?"

"No! It's uh…much worse than that." There was another pause, and Edmund nearly fell to the floor laughing. "That came out wrong too. Edmund!"

"You're way too funny," he choked.

"I'd take that as a compliment, but I don't think it was meant as one."

"It was. Kind of." Rose was surprised to see him turn a bit pink.

"Awww, are you blushing?"

"No. I do not blush."

"Ah right, smirking is your nature."

"It's a habit."

"A bad one at that."

"Admit it, you like it when I smirk."

"What kind of a sentence is that?"

"A true one."

"Yeah, you wish," Rose snorted, rolling her eyes. "Now be quiet, or he'll hear you."

"That's my point. I want him to hear us. I want to go talk to him. You're the one that's all paranoid."

"Edmund, I-" before she could protest any longer, she found herself being half dragged, half carried toward Rama, who was sitting on a bench in the hallway. "That isn't fair."

"What? That I'm stronger than you?"

"You aren't stronger. You're just fat."

"Even if I was, and even if I was weak, I could probably still do this. You weigh next to nothing."

"Not my fault," she mumbled, but they reached Rama before she could say anything else.

"Hello Edmund," he smiled, and then he caught sight of Rose. "There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you, sister."

01234567878901234567890

"Look, there she is!" Caspian hissed, pointing to the tall figure of Jacinda walking toward the kitchen door. "And it's almost lunch." They waited until she was inside the door, and then they peered through a crack in it.

"Sofia, is it ready?" they heard her ask a woman that looked quite like herself.

"Oh no, she has her ladies maids from Calormen?" Caspian groaned. "They'll do anything for her…"

"Shush!" Lucy scolded. "I want to know what's ready."

"I added the lily petal last night," said Sofia. "You may have to wait a bit longer."

"That's alright." Sofia looked surprised. "I don't need it until Christmas. I'll slip it into his drink at the ball, which should give him the push to propose. By the time it wears off we will already have been engaged, and he's too much of a gentleman to call it off." Sofia looked at her mistress a bit strangely, but said,

"Christmas is two weeks away, so you should be fine."

"Excellent. Thankyou, Sofia." Jacinda took the small vile that was filled with a clear blue liquid, and headed for the door. Lucy and Caspian instantly drew back into the shadows and Jacinda walked off in the opposite direction. Once she was gone, they turned to each other.

"I really don't want to know what that potion was," Lucy said nervously.

"Me neither. But if she's using it to make him propose to her, we're in trouble. She's right; he would never go back on his word. Come on, we have some research to do." They practically ran down the hallways to the library, not caring what the Archenlanders must think of them as they did so.

"Okay we're here. Where should we start?"

"Calormen," Lucy said, immediately going to the history section. "Calormen history…oh, witchcraft! We're looking for a blue potion with lily petals in it, and it will make someone propose."

"I don't think it will actually make someone propose," Caspian said. "Maybe it's just a love potion."

"Do you think she's given it to him before, or do you think he's just easily manipulated?"

"Easily manipulated, because Nain and almost the entire castle like her too. I don't think she's bright enough to poison the whole castle."

"True enough. You take that stack, I'll take this. We have some reading to do."

012345678901234567890

"What are you doing in here?" Edmund asked Lucy and Caspian five hours later.

"Researching." They recounted what had happened in the kitchens.

"Well that would explain why we didn't see a change in him," Rose said. "We have to stop her, though."

"Yes, you wouldn't want anything to happen to Rama, would you?" Edmund asked, looking at her skeptically. "Afterall, you do love him like a brother."

"As a matter of fact I do," she said through gritted teeth, and glared at him.

"What's wrong with you two?" Peter asked, looking at them strangely.

"Nothing," they said simultaneously.

"Okay then…Lu, what section have you been getting the books from?"

"The Calormen history books," she told him.

"Does anything look promising yet?" he asked.

"No," she sighed. "There isn't even anything with lily petals in them."

"Well then, many hands make light work. I'll go get some books." Peter walked off, and Lucy and Caspian looked to Rose and Edmund.

"We'll help in a minute, I need to talk to Edmund." Rose dragged him out into the hallway and into a deserted room.

"What are you doing?" he asked her, looking at her a bit strangely.

"Get your mind out of the gutter."

"This is about you being Rama and Vera's sister, isn't it?"

"Well I thought I'd explain my situation to you before you tell the rest of them I'm related to the royal family," she snapped. "Do you want to hear it or not?"

"Yes!" he said exasperatedly.

"Sit down. I've only told this to one person, so if you open your mouth to anyone I will beat you into the ground, got it?"

"I won't tell anyone." Edmund sat down, still a bit surprised she was telling him what was going on. He hadn't thought she liked him very much. Apparently he was wrong.

"Alright, well. You know that Nain…I can say father now, right. Ok so you know that my father's wife died about 16 years ago, right?" he nodded, and then it dawned on him.

"She died giving birth to you, didn't she?"

"Yes, she did. Because of that my father held a grudge against me. He loved Rama and Vera dearly, but he couldn't stand me. I was the reason why the love of his life was dead. I killed her."

"But-"

"Don't interrupt. Because of this grudge, father never treated me well. He wouldn't have any clothes made for me, he wouldn't pay for tutors to teach me lessons, and he tended to yell at me in front of everyone. However, he hadn't disowned me completely. I still had a nice room in the castle, because Rama put his foot down and wouldn't let him put me in the basement. But then…then two years ago…" Rose drew a deep breath. "The Calormens visited the castle two years ago—the Tisroc, Valdis and Araminta. Jacinda had staid home. Anyway, I was 13. I was young, naïve—I'd believe anything anyone said to me. So I made friends with Valdis. He acted like he was my friend, and I confided in him…with everything—my father, Vera…how everyone hated me and how I was a disgrace to my family. Then he told me that he knew a way that would get my family to like me again. He told me…he told me that if we had a special 'bond', than my family would accept me.

"I wanted my family to love me. I had never known what love was, except for Rama of course, but he barely ever got the chance to see me. Father made sure to keep him occupied. Anyway, I believed him when he said a 'special bond' would change things, and so I…I agreed to have sex with him." Edmund's mouth dropped open.

"But you were 13!"

"Please don't judge me," she pleaded.

"I'm not…I just can't believe he was low enough to trick you like that."

"Anyway, I finally got up the courage to let him er…do it the night before he left. I never even considered it as sexual abuse—I considered it a favor. But when Vera walked in on us…that's when my life fell apart. She ratted me out to father, and I was moved into the basement. The only reason I wasn't thrown out onto the street was because of Rama. He couldn't stop me moving into the basement though. He couldn't stop father from making me work as a scullery maid, he couldn't stop father from beating me."

"Nain beats you?" Edmund whispered.

"He hates me. He wants to do anything that might hurt me. In his eyes, I was a whore. And whores don't live in the castle. I've always been a flirt—it's my nature. But when Vera saw me and Valdis, he disowned me. He takes pleasure in hurting me. And Vera takes pleasure in taunting me and calling me names. And all this happened because Valdis just wanted to get some. But it's not technically his fault. It's mine. I was stupid enough to believe him, and in some ways, my father is right. I am a whore." Rose took a long, shattering breath. "So to sum it up, yes, I am Rama's sister."

"I can't believe this," Edmund said in shock. "You've had such a horrible life, and yet you're willing to trust us and act like nothing is wrong?"

"What else am I supposed to do? I can't let it stop me. I know someday I will leave this place, that someday I will run away and fall in love…I'll be happy again. But how am I supposed to do that if I won't trust anyone? Of course it's hard, but…you all seem nice enough. And I love all of you now, you're my only friends."

"We love you too," Edmund answered, and wrapped his arms around the small red head. "And we will do nothing to hurt you, I promise."

"Thankyou," she said weakly. She leaned into him, and Edmund felt his heart race a little bit.

'This can't be happening again,' he thought to himself, and tried to rid his thoughts of anything that might be related to his feelings for Rose. He couldn't feel this way about her…he wouldn't. It was wrong. And yet he still held on to her, and he didn't let go for what must have been atleast ten minutes.

There you go. What did you think? How horrible has Rose's life been? And how cute are her and Edmund? Plus I'm pretty fond of the Lucy/Caspian I put in this chapter. Anyway, I'll make sure to update and there will be lots more fluff and drama to come! REVIEW PLEASE!