A/N. Another chapter? So soon? Wow, I feel like I'm spoiling you girls…but that's okay, I love you, so I can spoil you sometimes-Enjoy)
Chapter 8.
"Okay, what did I just see?"
Edmund and Edelle quickly broke the kiss and turned their heads to the voice. Lucy walked to them and looked with wide eyes from her to him and from him to her again many times.
Edelle blushed a bit, but Edmund merely grinned. Lucy opened and closed her mouth several times, trying to speak, before she could utter "Well? Did I miss something?"
Edmund chuckled. "You didn't miss much, Lu. We're only together since yesterday." he said in such an every-day tone, as if they were talking about the weather.
Lucy gaped. She knew about the betrothal, and since she was raised as a proper lady, to her such things weren't something to be taken so lightly. To her, what Edelle and her brother were doing seemed almost criminal. She looked at Edelle, shocked. "Edelle? Is that true?"
Edelle shrugged slightly under her firm gaze but then replied confidently "Yes, it is true. Edmund and I are together." She looked at him and caught his adoring gaze.
Lucy froze for a minute, trying to rearrange her mind, according to this. She was suspecting that something might be going on between Edmund and Edelle, even though they didn't admit it. She had seen the way they shyly caught each other's glances from time to time. And by the way their eyes connected now, she could tell they were deeply in love. They had this special aura around them, the one that makes you want to swoon at them, wishing that someday you will have the same thing they do. She herself got unwillingly involved in that aura and had to admit that she was actually happy for them. Even though it was completely out of bound. Now that she thought of it that way, she found that it was just so unbelievably romantic! Forbidden love…just like Romeo and Juliet. Except, she sure hoped it wouldn't end the same way. She sighed and smiled warmly.
"You know you're going against everyone, don't you?"
Edelle smiled "Well, I wouldn't say everyone…just my parents and Eustace's and…"
"And the entire England in rules of all that's proper!" Lucy finished for her.
Edmund and Edelle just lowered their eyes, of course, they knew that. But they also knew that what they had was real and much more serious and valuable than any stupid rule, and damn propriety!
Lucy shook her head and smiled. "Well, if that's what you choose and if you really love each other..as I can see you do, then I'm happy for you. Really, Edelle, I'm already thinking of you as a sister."
Edelle smiled and hugged Lucy. "Thank you so much. I knew you'd understand."
Lucy hugged her back "I do, but what about…him?" she asked, obviously meaning Eustace.
Edelle sighed "I don't know yet. He is so determined to go along with the betrothal…He tried to talk to me today and he made it quite clear that he's jealous of Edmund and he doesn't even know we're already together. I don't know how he's gonna take it."
"Well, he'll have to." Edmund instinctly moved several inches closer to her. "Somehow, anyway."
Edelle grinned at his possessiveness and Lucy smiled warmly to both of them.
"Land Ahoy!"
The three heard the sailors calling and hurried to Caspian. They approached him and Drinian; he was looking in his telescope, investigating what might await them.
"Looks inhabited, but if the Lords followed the mist east, they would have stopped here.
"Could be a trap" Drinian suspected in his usual serious tone.
"Or it could hold some answers." Edmund said. "Caspian?" he looked at him, waiting. Edelle and Lucy turned to him too.
Caspian folded his telescope "We'll spend the night on shore. Scow the island in the morning."
"Aye, Your Majesty." Drinian replied and started preparing the ship for the night stay.
Not much time passed and soon they have arrived. The crew took all the sleeping stuff: blankets, pillows… and left the ship. When their feet could feel the land beneath, it was already dark, so not much could be seen, but everyone had found a spot to sleep and tried to make themselves comfortable. Even Eustace, although with his usual grumbling, had found satisfactory comfort next to some rock. Edmund and Edelle laid their blankets close to each other, but not dangerously-suspiciously close. Somehow spending all day on the ship, with all the rocking and slight tossing was quite tiring and everyone fell asleep very quickly. The night was warm and the air was fresh, Edelle rarely had dreams before, but tonight she was smiling in her sleep, which could only mean one thing-a pleasant dream. And indeed it was, a pleasant and a rather naughty one…
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A small but cozy room, a bed with red and white sheets, slightest light from the night lamp, her and Edmund. They were sitting on the side of the bed, lovingly and passionately gazing in each other's eyes. They were so close, they could feel each other's breath on their faces. And then the distance between them was no more. Edmund's lips moved ever so sensually against her's and his fingertips were slowly moving up her arms to her exposed shoulders and to the straps of her red nightgown. She gasped at the feeling of the thin silk slipping down to her waist, exposing her upper body to him. His shirt was already gone and she took her time, gazing in awe at his perfectly sculpted and toned figure. She ran her fingers over his strong chest and down his lower stomach to that hardly noticeable trail of dark hair, which disappeared into his pants. She saw Edmund suck in some air as her fingers came dangerously close to his most sensitive area and suddenly she felt him pushing her down on the bed, slowly getting on top of her…
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"Edelle, wake up! Come on!"
She felt someone slightly shaking her shoulder and opened her eyes to see Edmund trying to wake her. It was early dawn, seriously, what was the rush?
"What? What is it?" she asked, sleepily, but now concerned at the urgency on his face.
"Lucy's missing! Everybody up!" he shouted and Edelle quickly sprang to her feet, looking around.
"LUCY? LUCY!" she called her, but no reply came. They hurriedly gathered up their things and rushed into the island, looking for the missing queen. They soon came to some garden-like field, with all the green bushes and neatly-cut trees. They began to search the place carefully, when Edmund rushed forward and picked something up.
"Lucy's dagger!"
Edelle ran to him and looked at the find "She must be somewhere close." Suddenly she heard something pierce the ground right behind her and turned around to see a huge spear at her feet. She felt Edmund pulling her away when more spears surrounded them and the others, coming from nowhere. Then they heard a deep growling voice from mid-air.
"Stop right there!"
They hastily looked round, trying to figure out the source of the voice, when their swords were roughly snatched from their hands and something hit Edelle in the stomach, not very painful, but certainly not softly. Edmund was the second to follow, he felt someone, or something hit him in the jaw, also not too bad, but the worst part was-their opponents obviously were invisible and they felt like blind mice! All they could do was just randomly hit the air around them, trying to shield themselves, but to no avail. They were losing to the invisibles.
"What sort of creatures are you?" Caspian asked, already being on the ground.
"Big ones. With the head of a tiger and the body of a…"
"Different tiger!" another voice finished.
"You don't want to mess with us!" came another voice. Whoever the creatures were, there seemed to be no less than five of them.
"Or what?" Edmund retorted, in a challenging tone. The creatures seemed to have seized their attacks, so everyone was able to pick up their swords.
"Or I'll claw you to death!" came a voice from the mid-air. Or not…
Edelle's eyes had grown big as the sources of the voices were slowly revealed. The invisible life-threatening beasts were now visible. But instead of the very large tiger-headed monsters they saw very bizarre-looking…gnomes? Trolls? It was hard to tell who they were, but their weirdest factor was that each creature only had one foot, even though a big one. They were all paired, one gnome holding up the other, so they appeared taller. Most of them had messy hair and big noses. But it seemed, that they weren't aware of their visibility, as they continued threatening
"I'll run my tuft right through you!"
"Yeah..."
"I'll mash you with my teeth!"
"I'll bite you with my fangs…arrrrg!"
Edmund raised his eyebrows sarcastically "You mean, squash us with your fat bellies?"
"Yeah…what?" the gnomes looked at each other. "Fat bellies?"
Caspian half-smiled "Tickle us with your toes?"
Edelle chuckled "Make us laugh till we die?"
The creatures lost their balance from confusion and stumbled on the ground. Edmund drew out his sword and walked to one of them. "What have you done with my sister, you little pipsqueak?" he warningly placed the tip of it to the gnome's throat.
The gnome stuttered shakingly "N-now, calm down…"
"Where is she?" he demanded.
"Come on, tell him!" other gnomes encouraged, frightened.
"Go on, chief!"
"Tell him!"
The "chief" looked up at Edmund "In the Mansion."
"What mansion?" he looked around the empty field. Edelle and Caspian also turned their heads looking for any sign of a mansion. At first they could spot none, but then, an enormous house slowly appeared before their eyes, just like a mirage in the desert.
"Oh, that mansion…" Edmund said, surprised.
Then they heard an all-too familiar complaining voice from behind "You know, I'm really getting tired of you all leaving me behind…" Eustace froze in his place as he saw the strange one-footed creatures. "This place is getting weirder and weirder!"
They ignored his remark, as Edmund, Edelle and Caspian saw Lucy approaching them, accompanied by an old man in a long gown and a short grey beard.
"Lucy!" Edmund relaxed and looked questioningly at the old man. The man bowed formally. "Your Majesty."
"Caspian, Edmund and Edelle, -Lucy looked at them.- This is Coriakin. It's his island."
"That's what he thinks!" the creatures reminded of themselves. "You have rammed us, magician!"
Coriakin calmly walked to them "I have not rammed you; I made you invisible for your own protection."
As he got closer, the creatures began securely hopping away. "Protection? That's oppressive!"
"Oppressor!"
"I have not oppressed you…" he kept his calm tone and slow walking pace.
"But you could have, if you wanted to!"
"Be gone!" the magician released some kind of white powder on them and the creatures quickly hopped away, scared of the unknown substance.
"What was that?" Lucy questioned about it.
Coriakin half turned and replied quietly "Lewd. But don't tell them."
Eustace looked at the creatures for the last time "What were those things?"
"Dufflepuds."
Eustace rolled his eyes "Right, of course, silly me."
Coriakin made an inviting gesture and the five followed him into the Mansion.
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