Disclaimer: I do not own anything that rightfully belongs to C.S Lewis.
1.1.2 Mamoris
(n.) the shining surface of the ocean
Her
"Alaura."
His head is tilted and his dark eyes intense, like it could easily pierce her soul if he were to sharpen his gaze just a bit more. Her name slipped from the tip of his tongue, smooth and sultry; she hated how easily goosebumps rose in response to his voice caressing her name. It didn't help that he stood with leisurely ease before her, hands tucked into the pockets of his trousers, and sleeves of his white button-up rolled up to expose his forearms. His eyes sweeping over her in a carefree manner as the wind blew his dark hair into a tousled mess.
"Uh, yeah," her voice cracking from the dryness of her throat, "That's my name."
He studies her for a moment longer before his eyes finally releases its hold on her. She gives a breath of relief, her heart thumping erratically from his intensity. However, she clams up again when he spares a glance back at her, his eyebrows pulling together at the sheer discomfort on her face.
He gives a small nod to his right, "When you're done being a…statue…there are others I would like to introduce you to."
She forces a smile back though it probably looked more of a grimace. He sighs, muttering something under his breath as he turns away from her to begin walking in the direction of the people he mentioned.
He seemed to be unaware of the menacing aura surrounding him - like he walks with zero regards to the clouds overlooking him. She concluded as she trails silently behind him. She'd just met him, but somehow, she already knew that his presence is daunting enough to compel her, and others, to take a bludgeon force to the head than have to face his cold and astute nature.
"Ed!" a high-pitched female voice broke her out of her thoughts.
When she peers out from his backside, she spots a young female with a dazzling smile casually waving from where she sat; immersed in shallows waters up to her hips. The smile didn't falter once as the girl scrambles up to her feet and bounds towards them, all the while completely oblivious as she douses the other two behind her with more water.
"There you are!" the girl stopped just a few feet away from them, "Where'd you run off to? And – oh."
She couldn't help but squirm when the girl's steel blue eyes found hers. Her discomfort only intensified when a wide grin transforms the girl's face and the girl began to bounce in her spot with excitement.
"Who is this?" the girl squeaked in a way that reminded her of a mouse – in a none offensive way, of course.
She jumps when the girl sidesteps Edmund, starting to make hasty steps towards her to greet her. She could feel the panic beginning to form in her stomach, seeing how the girl looked ready to throw herself at her. The girl, however, is blocked midway when Edmund shoots an arm out - quickly wrapping it around the girl's shoulders and gently hauling her to his side. She could hear the girl whining when he tucks her further into his side, but her focus is entirely on him; in manner in which he side-eyed her with his peripherals and how his head barely tilted a millimeter – silently asking if she was okay.
She feels her eyebrows raising at his consideration and she musters a nod back at him. How did he know? She couldn't help the thought from forming.
He blinks before he spinning the girl out of his arms, stopping her by placing a gentle hand on the top of her head and bending until he was eye-level with her. The corner of his mouth twitching in amusement when the girl pouted back at him.
"What did we say about personal space, Lu?" he scolds her lightly.
The girl lets out a dramatic sigh, "Not to invade them without consent" a smile breaking on her face when he ruffles her hair in response.
The girl turns back to her an apologetic expression, "I'm sorry if I frightened you. My excitement gets the better of me and I lose my head now and then."
Taken aback, she begins to wave her hands in a fluster, "Oh no! Uh, it's quite alright, really," and the girl brightens in response.
"This hyperactive one, is my little sister, Lucy," Lucy quickly elbows Edmund in the stomach at his introduction, "Lucy, Alaura" he coughs out.
"You're a strange one," Lucy pipes up, her blue eyes pinned on her clothing before working up to her face.
She is? She thought to herself and she found herself analyzing their school uniforms. She is? She thought again, pondering why the two of them were so stupefied by her attire when she'd often find students, those that attended a private institution, dressed in uniforms similar to them. Though, she'd never stretch as far as to call them a 'strange one.'
Next thing she knew, Lucy had let out a gasp before proclaiming, "You're red!"
Acting out of gut instinct, her hands fly up to her face, "What?"
"No silly!" Lucy giggles, "Your hair!"
Edmund let out another cough, this time sounding a bit more forced as if he were trying to cover up his amusement. When she makes eye contact with him and sees the mirth dancing in his eyes, her ears felt hot, and that warmth slowly spread to her cheeks down to her neck.
"To be fair," he speaks up, a faint smirk on his face, "Lucy's not too far off with that observation." And, she decided that she much preferred him when he was silent and stoic.
Lucy bats a hand to her brother's chest, "Don't be rude, Edmund!" she reprimands him to which he only rolls his eyes at. Lucy turns back to her with a reassuring smile, "Don't mind him – I like your hair!"
She suddenly feels self-conscious and her hands busies itself at smoothing down her hair, "Um, thank you?"
"Wise words, Lu," a deep voice suddenly joins in. Matching the voice is a guy, older than Edmund, with dirty blonde hair and the same pair of steel blue eyes as Lucy; warm and welcoming with touch of old wisdom beyond his age.
"Peter Pevensie," he bows respectfully, "A pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"And, I you?" she didn't quite know how to respond to such formality but by his smile, she guessed he wasn't perturbed by her informality.
"Calm down, would you Lu?" this time, a gentler voice graces them, "Save some of your energy, otherwise you'll be spent before we can discern a reason for being called back here." She could easily tell, by the way the older girl managed to coax Lucy down to normal functioning levels, that the girl is the older sister.
The older girl is, needless to say, beautiful with long waves of a deep chestnut brown and smooth white skin that made the blue in her eyes pop out. The girl carries herself with so much grace and poise that she could swear the wind changed directions just to suit her. Suddenly, she felt the need to bow down to her.
"Susan Pevensie, a pleasure to meet you."
Susan sends her a modest smile but her focus is immediately diverted to her younger sister. Her fingers elegantly clasping down on Lucy's shoulder blades; the gentle pressure silently telling Lucy to settle down. In response, Lucy looks up at her older sister and dazzles her with a beaming smile. She could tell how motherly and kind Susan is just by how she pulled back the hair from Lucy's face with nothing but adoration on her face.
Witnessing how fondly they care for one another – how deep their bond is – makes her heart tug with longing and forgotten anguish. Quicky, she shoves those feelings into the very back corner of her mind. Repressing her emotions was something she'd always been good at – a saving grace.
She turned to Edmund, who was standing a safe distance from her with his arms crossed over his chest and entertaining a look of boredom on his face.
"Am I suppose to bow?" she whispers to him, "Because I have a sudden need to bow."
He looks at her from the corner of his eyes and he simply rolls his eyes at the question, "Don't be absurd."
She nods quickly then turns back, giving a small wave, "Hi, I'm Alaura."
Break
"The only way off this beach is up," she turns to see Edmund returning from his trek of the ruins, a new look of seriousness swimming his eyes as he debriefs his findings, "I discovered a crevice within the ruins, it's a narrow passageway up but wide enough for us to fit. I surmise that the climb up is manageable, though I must still brief caution as it's still a steep incline."
Edmund exchanged glances with his older brother, nodding only when he sees his approval. A silent exchange between them was enough for him to begin tracking his steps back to the crevice he discovered in his tour of the ruins. The rest of the group follows in contemplative silence.
Peter had long lost his playfulness, a stern expression now falling on his face as he studies the rocky terrain leading up to the upper grounds of the ruins. Peter let out a breath and gives a nod before patting Edmund on his back.
"Good work, Ed," Peter praises him, then he claps his hands together, "I reckon Edmund should go first. The rest of us will follow by retracing his steps and, as a precaution, I will be last go, just to ensure nobody is left behind. Is that clear?" And Peter's face clears as murmurs of agreement rang within the group.
"Take off your shoe for me, would you?" Edmund's voice was directed to her. She could only swallow before following his instructions, placing her shoe on his open palm. With easy movements, he flips her shoe over and feels the bottom with his palm.
"Ditch the shoes," was all he had said before chucking the shoe over his shoulder and silencing her cry with just a look. It was one that said not to argue with him.
"They have no traction, climbing barefoot would provide more grip than those shoes." He explains to her before moving forward and swiftly removing his own pair of shoes. And she watches, in silent amazement as he hoists himself up with little difficulty; his natural built athleticism had him gracefully maneuvering up the rocky incline like second nature. And when he reaches the top, the only evidence of his struggle is in the pinch between his eyebrows.
"Me next!" Lucy pipes up, having already removed her shoes. There was no hesitation as she retraced her brother's steps with a gleeful bounce. Lucy bounded up the incline in record time and is already beckoning for her to go next.
Her jaw slacks and, before she could stop herself, she instinctively looks at Edmund. He was crouched, with one knee keeping him balanced on the ground and looking completely adrift in his thoughts. Then, as if he could sense her eyes on him, turns to meet her gaze. There are traces of pride – or ego – in his behaviour; the arm that was propped up on his bent leg, lifts and with a quirk on his eyebrow, he begins curling a finger towards him.
Was that a challenge from him? She bit down her irritation at his taunting.
"By all means." Susan gestures for her to go first, "It's easier than it looks, just take Lucy for example."
She starts the trek up the steep and rocky incline, doing her best to recall the path the last two took. This is not so bad; she thinks to herself. It reminds her of a hiking trail, except with more rock formations than a dirt trail. She could distinctly hear Lucy's cheering and she smiles to herself. And, by the time she reached the top, she had already worked up a sweat.
"Not so bad now, was it?" Edmund mutters, a glint in his eyes, and he offers a hand out to her.
She takes a glance at his hand and starts to stretch a hand out for him to grab. But before he can, her mind whirls, and she snatches her hand back before the two could make skin contact. She proceeds to him ignore him as she pulls the rest of herself up onto the even terrain.
She hurries back onto her feet and takes a spot next to him, taking care of how he slid back into comfortable ease.
"That wasn't very nice of you," he says, though his unbothered expression told her otherwise. His eyes now carefully trained on his older sister who was next to make the trip up the incline.
"Sorry." She couldn't help but mutter back at him.
"Don't be," he shrugs, "I deserved it."
"I-just…" she stutters, "It wasn't about you."
"Then, what was it about?" He hums.
His response leaves her tongue-tied, she couldn't possibly spill all her secrets to a man she just met, so she settles with saying nothing. When he sneaks a peek at her, she bites down hard on her lower lip, afraid she'll spill everything just out of pure anxiousness of being around him.
A low chuckle emits from him, "Relax, I won't interrogate the secrets out of you. So, stop looking like you want to throw yourself off the cliff you worked so hard to climb." The underlying sarcasm in his voice is hard to ignore.
"I don't look like that!" she splutters in embarrassment.
In return, he flashes a mocking grin back at her, "Would you prefer constipated instead?"
Did she really look like that? And, whatever bite she had in her dissipates with the thought. One look at her thoughtful expression was enough for him to let out a bark of laughter and she buries her face in her hands.
Break
After Peter joined them atop the ruins, the group continued the trek; exploring more of the ruins barefoot. She would have appreciated more of the scenery surrounding her, if it weren't for the steep terrain. Now, she was hobbling one foot after another, all her energy focused on not tripping. But then, Peter led them to an apple orchard and she had a moment's rest as he stopped to pluck an apple for Lucy; she couldn't contain her smile at his consideration.
She gathered her breath and finally took in her surroundings, noting the luscious green of the grass and the sheer size of the trees aging more than a hundred of couple of years old. The delicate petals of the orchids that blossomed into an ivory white and the plump red apples, ripened just right for one to eat.
An apple that hung just above her head was plucked by a strong forearm and, before she could even blink, the apple was in front of her. There was a rustle and she found Edmund beside her; his arm outstretched as he offered the apple to her.
She was stunned - perhaps staring a bit longer than she intended at him, because he shifts in clear discomfort, and the hand that was not in use, begins to stroke the back of his neck. She noted that he looked embarrassed, almost pained at his action.
"It wouldn't be right if you left this place without having a taste of Narnia's treasures," he muttered, "Well, one you can eat." Then gave his hand a wiggle, insisting for her to take the apple.
Deciding to release him from his misery, she grabs the apple and purses her lips in an effort to stop herself from laughing at how quickly he retracted his arm. But she couldn't let his show of kindness go untouched.
"Thank you." She flashes him an honest smile, the first real smile since landing in Narnia. His eyes, which she just noticed were of a rich and dark brown colour - like chocolate, looked undecipherable as they fell briefly to her lips then he was nodding wordlessly.
He shoves his hands back into his pockets and resumes his walk – or hike – up the terrain. She hurries in her steps to catch up while taking the time to bite into the apple. She feels her senses jolting awake when the sweet nectar from the fruit, explodes in her mouth before running down her throat like a cool refreshing beverage.
She squeaks in pleasant surprise, her hand covering her mouth as some of the juices trickled down her chin.
"Good?" He didn't have to turn around for her to detect the amusement in his voice. But she was too caught up with amazing taste of the apple to even care.
"The best." She responds and unable to keep the delight out of her voice.
She caught up with him, the pace of her walk more natural as she busies herself with cradling the apple in her hands like it was one of most precious gifts she'd ever received. But she could still hear bits and pieces of the conversation floating amongst them.
"Does anyone still have their sandwiches?" She hears Lucy ask.
Peter, who was leading the group, responds with much humour, "Well, I left mine in my bag, and I left my bag in the train station. And then, I left the train station in England."
"You're from England?" the question left her lips abruptly as she thought back to how strangely they reacted to her wardrobe upon meeting her. Unease settling in her stomach when she felt something wasn't adding up right.
"Aren't you?" was all he responded with.
The grip on the apple tightened considerably, "I am, but quite frankly, there's something amiss."
He eyes her attire with interest, "I believe you already know the answer."
She did, but she still found it impossible. However, she chose not to contest her thoughts with him because if she believed she was in another land – magical of all things – but not in something as simplistic as a time dilation, he'd never let her live it down.
"You're surprisingly casual about this." She couldn't help but softly point out.
He shrugs, "How time works here, in my world, and in yours – it's nothing new to me. I guess it's all familiar to me," then he smirks, "Don't go losing your head again."
"I won't - uh, I mean I'm not," her cheeks tinting a faint pink at his huff, "Um – oh my."
Whatever she was trying to communicate, dies in her throat, as the group comes across a patch of land; a mix of a clearing and a home to wreckage. There were broken infrastructure that looked like it'd seen better days, littering the area. She could see, what used to be, high walls and rows and rows of broken column pieces, all ridden with overgrown canopy and large plants. There were wildflowers smattering the area in plentiful.
When she draws close, she notes how worn and stained its surface is from decades of exposure to weather erosion. It was clear that what once stood must have been grand and mighty, but what had demolished it must have happened ages ago.
Lost to her own thoughts, she hadn't realized that the rest of the group had split to conduct their own assessment of the clearing. However, it didn't take her long to figure out what to do next, not when the view was practically calling out to her.
They were quite far up from where they'd started, the ocean looking distantly smaller; no longer graced with the gentle lull of the ocean waves or the stinging bite of the salty air whenever she took a breath. The ocean, a magnificent blue and glistening under the bask of the brilliant, golden sun.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Lucy came up beside her, the same look of appreciation in her blue eyes.
"I could call it heaven," she admitted, "Um, if it weren't for the wreck behind us." She corrects herself with a cringe.
Lucy giggles at that, "See? That's why I'm so excited to have come back here. Everything here is so magical," then she pauses, looking deep in thought for a moment as she gazes out at the ocean, "I wonder who lived here?" she voices out her thoughts.
A small noise of surprise comes from behind the two, and they spin around to find Susan darting down to retrieve the object from out under her feet. A look of disbelief and some traces of denial crossing her face at the golden chess piece in her hand.
"I think we did."
Note: This chapter is a bit longer than the last two at 3,491 words but it officially concludes the ocean meeting. I hope I got the characterization better than the first time and I hope I wrote the chemistry right between the two – it's been a while since I last wrote about them.
Until next time!