Oh wow one more update and so soon? You guys are so lucky! ;) Don't get used to it though, our exams are coming up and the next update will be after quite a long time... at least 15 days - sorry!

Thank you to all the readers and reviewers. Someone asked if you will see more of other characters in this story. Yes, you will. But you have to keep in mind that this story is mainly about Lucy and Chad - so you should not expect large roles when it comes to the others. We'll see what we can do, though.

You know the rules, right? 1. Read 2. Enjoy 3. Review. Good, do that!

Disclaimer: Narnia is not mine. Duh!

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Desires and Destiny

Chapter 3

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"So what you're saying is that we should not compromise further with these builders?" Chad asked Philip, his eyes fixed on his friend.

"Yes," Philip nodded. "Their demands of raising the labor wages are unjust. The treasury cannot afford it."

"And what of their threats to go on a strike?" Demetrius asked, "Surely we cannot ignore them."

It was afternoon the next day and the three were sitting in Chad's room. Chad did not have any meetings with the monarchs, so he had decided to spend the time working on the internal matters of Daelhr. Even though he was not there, he still had to be in touch with any issues of the city – that was his duty as the governor.

"Exactly," Chad said. "I don't want the city to go in unrest."

"But you've already been so kind to them, Chad," Philip argued. "Most of the workers were unemployed about a year ago. You decided to have these new buildings made in the city and you gave them work. Demanding such a large raise in wage is not the right way to say thank you!"

"It is easy for you to say, Philip," Demetrius said. "You live in a nice house, you have all the food, clothes and facilities you need. Many of these people don't. They need more money to feed their large families."

"I agree with that," Chad spoke up, remembering the old times when he and his family had to go through so many problems due to lack of funds. "I know what money means to them."

"Look Chad," Philip sighed. "If you succumb to their demands, they will demand more in the future, and their demands will not always be just. Besides, what of the people you have employed in other fields? They will want a raise in their wage too."

"You have a point there," Chad admitted. "Accepting their demand would surely cause conflict."

"But we don't want the people to starve and die," Demetrius said.

"No, we don't want that." Chad sighed, massaging his temples with the tips of his fingers. The headache he had had since last night was only increasing.

He had spent the entire night lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking of his argument with Lucy. He wondered what had gone so wrong and had tried to come up with a solution, to no avail.

And then he had started working in the morning. This was the seventh issue they were discussing. And these discussions had been going for so long. He had thought that they would end, but so far they had only helped in intensifying his migraine.

They were quiet for a moment.

"The growing population is a huge problem," Philip said. "Maybe we should kill half the people in the city and then all these stupid problems will be solved."

Chad smiled slightly. "I don't joke while working, Philip."

"Of course, milord," Philip nodded. "So, what do you think?"

Chad was quiet for a couple of minutes, deep in thought. Then – "The raise they ask for is too much. I cannot give them that without weakening the treasury. Not to mention, over the last couple of months, they have spent more time protesting and demanding than actually working. Considering that, they certainly do not deserve any raise."

"Exactly my poi –" Philip began but Chad silenced him by raising a hand.

"However, I must also agree to the fact that what wages they get are not enough to support a family," the Lord of Daelhr continued. "It will only starve them. Also, we must take into account the magnitude of the project we have given them. They do have a lot of work. And I think we all can agree that the work they have done so far is quite good."

"Yes." Demetrius nodded.

"Definitely." Philip too agreed.

"Philip, find out how much we can increase their wages without burdening our treasury and how much will that affect their lives," Chad said, "Prepare a report and give it to me within a week; I want this issue solved as soon as possible."

"Very well."

"You may leave."

Philip nodded and walked out of the room.

Chad turned to Demetrius. "Can you have a survey conducted about what are the basic facilities the poor families lack?" he asked. "I mean I think we should give some rations to them, or provide them with facilities regarding health. I heard that viruses and infections have been spreading amongst the children, courtesy of the blasted rains."

"I'll see to it."

"See if you can have the survey conducted before we go back, I want to start taking some action on our plans when we return to Daelhr."

"Yes, my lord."

"And Demetrius?"

"Yes, Chad?"

Chad's eyes hardened. "Next time a talk comes up with the leader of this labor union, I want to be the one to talk to him."

Demetrius blinked. "But you –"

"I'm planning on raising the wages, but because that was the right thing to do and not because he threatened my hold on the city," Chad said. "He needs to be told that and I prefer to do it my way."

"Sure."

"Good," Chad rubbed his temples again when there was a knock on the door. "Come in."

A maid walked in. "Did you ask for tea, milord?"

"Ah yes, I did," Chad replied.

"A cup for me too," Demetrius said.

As the servant girl prepared the tea, Chad looked at her. "Have you seen Lucy this morning?"

"Yes, milord." She replied. "But she is not at the palace right now."

"Where is she?"

"She went out riding. The queen came to the kitchens to get lunch for two."

Chad frowned. "Two?"

The girl nodded. "She went with her personal guard, Harry."

"Thank you," Chad said as she served the tea. "That would be all."

The servant bowed and left.

The room was silent for a couple of minutes.

"Chad," Demetrius began. "You seem disturbed."

"It's nothing," Chad replied. "I just have a lot of work."

The man's eyes softened. "You're doing a really good job."

Chad smiled slightly. "Thank you."

"But you should not overwork yourself," Demetrius stepped forward and patted his shoulder. "You should know that we're all here to assist you."

"I know that."

Demetrius chuckled and then shook his head.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"You looked like you wanted to say something." Chad said. "What is it?"

"I do not wish to be out of line, milord."

"Demetrius, you are a friend to me and you've helped me so much in the past five years," Chad said. "Surely you can talk to me without being worried of angering me."

"It's just that I heard some men talk about Alianna last night at the ball." Demetrius said slowly. "And it makes me realize that my girl has grown up now."

Chad sipped his tea, listening intently.

"I was talking to Philip about it last night. I wish her to marry her off."

"So?"

"So, he asked me if I knew any good suitor." Demetrius looked at him. "Now, please do not take this the wrong way, but I told her about you."

Chad blinked, his tired mind trying to grasp what he was saying.

"What I mean to say is that I want a hardworking, well-settled and a humble man for my daughter, just like you," Demetrius said. "I would have asked you to marry her and offered you this proposal, but you are courting the Valiant Queen."

"… Oh." Was all Chad could come up with.

"Nothing would have made me happier than having you as a son in law, Chad," Demetrius told him. "But worry not; you're still like a son to me."

Chad smiled slightly. "Thank you, Demetrius."

"Did I offend you?"

"Not at all," Chad said. "Every father wishes the best for his daughter. And don't you worry, I'm sure there is someone meant for Alianna."

Demetrius nodded. "In any case, if you know any man who is just like you and who you think is fitting for my daughter, let me know."

"Sure."

"Thank you." Demetrius placed his cup back on the desk. "I shall take your leave."

Chad nodded. "I'll see you later."

When he was gone, Chad took a deep breath and rested his head on the table, closing his eyes.

Maybe I should take some medicine for the damn headache, he thought numbly. Or maybe I should just sleep.

All was silent.

And it felt so good.

He placed his arm under his head when –

Thump!

A file fell to the floor.

With a sigh, he reached down. His hand grasped it and –

"Boo!"

He quickly moved up and –

Bang!

His head hit the table. Hard. And he hissed.

"Oh my! I'm sorry," a voice he recognized as Lucy's reached his ears. "I didn't mean to scare you so bad."

"What did you mean to do then?" he asked, his eyes tightly shut as he waited for the pain to recede.

"I just…" her hand came to his head.

"Don't." he pushed it away, standing up, the stupid file still in his hand. Angry, he slammed it on the table. "Why did you do that?"

"I was just kidding, Chad," she said, looking at him strangely. "Are you alright?"

"Stars are dancing in front of my eyes, Luce," Sarcasm laced his voice, "Everything is great."

"I said I was sorry."

"I know," he took a deep breath to shove down his anger. "Why are you here?"

"Am I not even allowed here?" she asked.

"You know I did not mean it like that."

"I just wanted to visit you and see if your fit of insanity from last night has subsided or not," she looked at him. "Of course, after how you've reacted to my presence in the last two minutes, I'm not so sure."

"I am not mad."

"No," she said. "Just irrational."

He glared at her. "Well, so are you."

"Really?"

"It seems so, since you're seeing things that don't exist."

"The same applies to you, Chad."

"Does it?"

"I can't believe that you would accuse me of being disloyal to you."

"I cannot believe that you would link me to Alianna," Chad ran a hand through his hair. "I mean, she is not even a friend."

"Yet you spend a lot of your time with her."

"I just danced with her at the ball because you were unavailable."

"Oh, really?" she asked. "But from the looks of it, you two seemed pretty comfortable chatting and dancing."

"You seem to be too close to your personal guard too," he shot back, "Much too close, for my taste."

Lucy narrowed her eyes. "Stay in your limits, Chad."

He turned away. "Why are you even here, Lu? I thought you might prefer going to others and spending time with them."

"I told you. I wanted to see you."

"You would have seen me at the dinner tonight."

She frowned. "Fine. I'll just go then."

"No, wait," he sighed, turning back to her.

"What?"

"I'm just tired."

"And cranky."

"That too, maybe," Chad paused, "I didn't mean to offend you."

"Me too," she admitted in a low voice.

He nodded.

"So…" Lucy said after a moment, and Chad could tell that she was trying to sound normal. "What were you doing?"

"Working."

"Anything special?"

He shook his head. "Just the usual."

"It must be boring." She looked at him.

"I don't know about that, but it definitely is exhausting."

"I know."

"Sure you do," he took a step closer to her. "I don't know how you can handle it so well."

"I'm just more talented than you."

He chuckled. "Indeed."

She smiled and turned to the table. "So, what were you working on?" she reached out and picked up a few papers.

"Lucy," Chad said, "Don't."

She raised an eyebrow. "Are there any secrets hidden in these papers?" Her voice was full of humor.

"No."

"Then I see no harm in reading them." She smiled and picked up a few more papers.

"Lucy –"

"Oh, the flu epidemic is a problem," she read off from the sheet. "The rains seriously spread so many diseases all over Narnia. You should set up camps, where doctors offer free medication to the patients."

"Luce, please –"

"Oh good!" she exclaimed, checking more papers. "You're already doing that."

She placed the pages on the table, moving on to pick up more work.

"Dear, you have –"

"And the taxes –"

"Stop it, Lucy!" Chad shouted, snatching the papers from her hands. "I had placed these papers in an order by which I would work on them later on but you just mixed everything up!"

"I didn't know."

"Why do you have to poke your nose into other people's business?" he asked. "When are you going to stop doing that, Lucy?"

"Look I am sorry that I messed your work but you don't have to be so angry."

"You're not the one who will have to spend a long –"

"I work too, Chad!" Lucy was angry now. "I have to rule the whole of Narnia, but that doesn't mean that I start behaving so rudely to those who care about me."

"I don't want to hear a lecture, Lucy. I am not in the mood."

"I'm not lecturing you, Chad. I'm just telling you –"

"I don't want to be told anything, then!"

Lucy closed her mouth, her eyes on his.

He took a deep breath. "I just did not like that you fought with me over something so stupid last night. I did not like that you scared me right now. I did not like that you shuffled everything that I had spent an entire morning arranging in a certain way," he said, forcing his voice to remain calm. "And I don't want you to do it again. Is that so wrong?"

"No." she said, her voice smooth. "But your way of telling me that is."

"I know."

"And I don't see you apologizing."

Chad gritted his teeth. "I'm sorry."

He did not mean it and they both knew that.

She was quiet for a while. "I just thought that after seeing me after so many months, you would be a bit enthusiastic to be with me because you love me so much. So I wanted to spend some time with you. Clearly, I was wrong."

"You were not wrong, Lucy," Chad sighed. "You yourself told me that you'll be busy all day, so I started working. What is so wrong with that?"

"I had so much work today and I begged Harry to help me with the work, and he did," Lucy told him. "And I rushed here to meet you and all you have done is shout at me."

He narrowed his eyes. "Is mentioning Harry supposed to make me feel jealous?"

She blinked in surprise. "Do you think I would stoop so low?"

He chose to ignore that. "Besides, you weren't even working. You were out riding with your friend."

"Were you spying on me?"

"Oh believe me; I have better things to do than spy on you," he spat, his voice bitter.

"Yet you seem to know where I was."

"It's not hard to figure out," he shrugged. "Seeing that I've seen you spend every last minute of your free time sticking close to your dear friend, Harry."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"You're not dumb, Luce," he turned away, "Figure it out yourself."

She moved to face him. "Don't turn your back on me, Chad. I am sick of you being so insecure."

"And I'm sick of waiting for you to genuinely try to spend time with me."

"I'm here right now and look how you're treating me."

"This is just one time." He paused, "What about the time when I asked you to have dinner with me and you said you had some documents to attend to."

"That was four days ago and I really had work to do," Lucy said.

"Liar!" He snorted. "Philip saw you talking to Harry in the courtyard. He tried to take me away from the balcony but I saw you and I didn't even ask you about it."

"I had asked Harry to bring me some inform –"

"Excuses!"

"You know what, fine," she snapped. "I don't have to explain myself to you."

"What is wrong with you, Lucy?"

"What is wrong with you, Chad?" Lucy almost shouted. "First you barely spend time with me. Then you accuse me of having a relationship with Harry. Then you fight with me all the time. And now you're even spying on me!"

"I was not spying. I had asked about you because I wanted to see you and apologize for last night," he said. "But clearly, you're not ready to forgive."

"You're not ready to admit that you were wrong!"

"Why am I the only one who is wrong, Lucy?" he asked.

"You are," she told him. "I went out riding with Harry so I could work with him somewhere else. I didn't feel like working in the palace. And we finished my work and came back."

He remained silent.

"This is going here nor there,"She turned away. "I'm leaving."

"Where the hell is the woman I fell in love with because clearly," his voice was quiet and calm, "You are not her."

She glared at him. "Have a good day, Chad."

"Fine," he spat. "You too. Now leave me alone."

The only reply he got to that was the slamming of the door.

[][][][][][][][]

Lucy was fuming. She wanted to hit somebody. She wanted to run back to Chad and shove some sense down his mind.

Why was he being so mean and so irrational?

The Valiant Queen walked into the library and spotted the person she was looking for sitting at a table and a chair, reading a book. She walked over to him.

"Harry?"

Hazel eyes met hers. "My Queen."

He was about to stand up when she shook her head and dropped into a chair next to him. "I'm going to sit here and pour out my heart. And as my best friend, you will have to listen to me even if I disturb your reading time."

He smiled. "Sure. Is everything okay?"

"No."

His smile faded. "What happened?"

"I got into a fight with Chad again."

"What do you mean 'again'?"

"We argued last night at the ball too." Lucy said. "And then I went to see him now so we could forget all about it, but all he did was shout at me."

Harry was silent for a moment. "Tell me what happened."

And she did. Starting with the ball last night and ending with the argument in Chad's room, she explained everything to Harry, how Chad had suspected her of cheating, how he had been so mean and angry, how they both had argued.

"… Chad is just being insane," Lucy said at the end. "I mean, I did the right thing, right?"

"Do you want an honest reply?" Harry asked after a moment of silence.

She nodded.

"Then yes, and no."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You shouldn't have accused him of cheating on you with Alianna."

"He said that there was something going on between you and me!"

"And I can see where he gets that idea from."

Lucy blinked in surprise.

"See it from his perspective: he lives so far away from you. And you've told me about his past before. Clearly, he has some insecurities about whether he deserves someone amazing like you or not," Harry slowly explained. "So he returns after so many months and finds you spending a large proportion of your time with me. He gets insecure because he really loves you and doesn't want to lose you."

"Does that mean he starts questioning my loyalty to him?"

"I'm not saying that he is right," Harry told her. "I'm merely saying that it is normal for him to jump to conclusions. He is just a human, Lucy, and he can make mistakes."

"I love him, Harry and he should know that I would never –"

"He does. I'm sure of it. It's just that he is pouring out his insecurities and frustration out on you."

"Why me?"

Harry smiled wisely. "It is often the ones we love the most who get to suffer our wraths."

Lucy was quiet for a while. "… I guess we're both angry with the fact that we don't get to spend much time together and that we cannot do anything about it." she finally admitted.

"Listen to me, Lucy," he said, his tone forcing her to look into his eyes. "I understand that you two live far away and don't get to meet that often. But don't let this distance create an awkwardness or gap between yourselves. You both will regret it."

"You're right but… I don't know." She sighed.

"Do you love him?" Harry asked.

"Yes."

"Then it's simple. You have to make him realize what he means to you, and how much you hate fighting with him. He will understand."

"Are you sure?"

"I am," He paused, "And don't think that he is cheating on you with Alianna. I mean come on, the boy barely speaks to that woman!"

Lucy smiled slightly. "Perhaps you are right. And maybe I should try to solve the situation by talking to him and not arguing."

"Exactly," Harry agreed. "And once he sees that you actually want to solve the issues between you two, he will actually cool off his mind and try to think rationally."

"What do I do now?" Lucy asked.

"Go to him. Apologize for all the mistakes you made. Tell him you love him. And everything will be alright."

She nodded. "Thanks, Harry. You're the best."

"I've heard that before."

She laughed and moved forward to wrap her arms tightly around him. "Sure you are!"

"You're actually agreeing with me?" he asked in wonder as he hugged her back.

She pulled away. "I'm, because it's the truth."

"I'm glad you think so."

She smiled. "I'll see you later, I've to go see someone special right now."

"Alright," he nodded. "And let me know how it went."

"Sure."

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Chad, you're stupid! The Lord of Daelhr told himself for the tenth time. And then he cursed his anger and the day for being so bad.

Lucy had come to talk to him. And he should have listened, instead of shouting at her and almost kicking her out.

Of course, she had been extremely rude too, but he could have simply demanded a proper explanation – and then told her to shut up if she was still being rude.

But no! The idiot had to pour out all of his restlessness on the woman he loved.

Well, he would apologize. He would tell her how he didn't want to lose her. And then he would ask her to stop being so stupid and arrogant and stop fighting with him for no reason at all. And then he would kiss her.

Yes, that was the plan.

And now, nothing would go wrong.

He hated fighting with her. He hated seeing her with someone else. And he absolutely hated hurting her.

So he would do it no more.

They would clear things out and maybe spend the evening together, chatting and having fun, like they used to.

Chad smiled, already looking forward to it.

But as the Lord of Daelhr entered the library – where a maid told him the Valiant Queen was – he froze.

"Thanks, Harry," Lucy was saying to her friend as they sat together at a table, their backs to him. "You're the best."

"I've heard that before," he replied, a cocky smile on his face.

And then to Chad's utter surprise, Lucy embraced Harry as her laughter echoed in the room. "Sure you are!"

Chad's mind went blank as he took in the scene before him.

"You're actually agreeing with me?" Harry asked as his hands came to rest on her back.

Chad's blood began to boil with anger. He wanted to rip that man into shreds. How dare he...?

No wait.

How dare she?

Wasn't she the one who had just screamed at him, Chad, telling him that she and Harry were just friends?

Liar.

Lucy slowly pulled away and looked into his eyes. "I'm, because it's the truth."

And that was it.

Chad turned on his heels and walked away.

"I'm glad you think so." He heard Harry say, but it only made his anger grow tenfold and he increased his pace.

How could she do this to him?

Why did she do this to him?

He loved her so much… still did.

She said she loved him, but here she was…

Chad slammed the door shut after he stepped into his room. Walking over to his bedside table, he pulled open the drawer and pulled out the small object that had been the main reason behind his visit to Cair.

He had spent the last day in Peter's study, asking permission for this.

He had planned for a perfect moment in the ball last night.

But thanks to the argument they had, it never happened.

And even now, when everything had gone wrong, he had thought that maybe he could still make everything right.

He stared at the delicate ring closely. It was a simple ring, made of white gold with a pear shaped diamond on the front. He had had it especially made and had sworn anyone who knew about it to secrecy.

He had wanted to surprise Lucy with it – to see her beautiful brown eyes go wide and her mouth hang open when he bent on his knees and asked her to be his wife.

It would have been so perfect.

An image of Lucy embracing Harry flashed before his eyes. With fury slashing at him inside, the Lord of Daelhr dropped the ring onto the bed.

She ruined everything.

And now, he didn't need this ring anymore. He should probably throw it into the fireplace or something, because after all that he had seen, this proposal was definitely not happening.

Misunderstandings. Misunderstandings.

What will happen to our favorite couple now?

Well, stay tuned to find out!

Love,

Ennarre and CrazyKitCat.

Oh and guys, do check out CrazyKitCat's stories too - they are good! :)

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