Hey everybody! Hows the new year going so far?

Thank you to the wonderful reviewers! You all are the best!

And here is the new chapter! :D I hope you all like it. Go on - read, enjoy and REVIEW!

Disclaimer: Narnia belongs to C.S. Lewis. DUH!

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Desires and Destiny

Chapter 6

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"Why do you have to leave so soon?" Edmund asked, shaking hands with Chad.

It was the next morning and Chad and his companions were ready for departure. They had gathered in the courtyard of of Cair Paravel to say their goodbyes to the monarchs.

"Work," the Lord of Daelhr replied, "I cannot ignore it for much long."

"But you have been working here too, almost all the time."

"There are issues that demand my constant attention and I cannot turn my back on them."

Edmund nodded in understanding. Such issues always surrounded a ruler. "It is a pity I didn't get a chance to play any pranks on you."

Chad smiled slightly. "Another reason I should head back soon!"

"Smart boy," Caspian laughed, patting his back. "It was good to see you after such a long time."

"Indeed," Chad agreed.

"Look, Lucy is not happy to see you go," Caspian pointed towards the Valiant Queen, who stood alone, looking grave. "Did you say goodbye to her?"

Chad's smile faltered. "... No."

"Go on, then," Caspian nodded. "We won't stop you."

"I would remind you to behave though, for your own safety," Edmund winked at him as the two kings walked away to say their farewells to the others.

Chad silently moved on to say his goodbyes to Isabel, Adeline and Susan. Then he laughed and joked with the children when he felt someone behind him.

"You're leaving." It was a statement. It was a question. And it was an accusation.

Chad closed his eyes and took a deep breath before turning to face the Valiant Queen. Seeing her beautiful face brought back the pain he had shoved down. It had reminded him of her betrayal, and an image of her and Harry flashed through his mind.

Icy cold fury washed over him in an instant and he stiffened, glaring at her, choosing not to reply to her question.

She looked up at him with those deep brown eyes of hers, filled with sadness.

What a hypocrite, Chad thought. Why is she looking so gloomy? She should be happy that I'm leaving - that the thorn that stood in between her and the man she loved is now leaving.

She opened her mouth to speak -

- And he bowed. "Farewell, my queen," he said, his voice cold and clipped. He straightened up and without waiting for another second, walked away, leaving her alone.

He did not need to see her or talk to her.

He did not want to see her grave eyes - eyes filled with lies.

He could not handle it.

And he wanted to leave... as soon as possible.

He went over to Peter and nodded. "I guess this is it," he said, "For now."

The High King nodded solemnly. "It would seem so."

Chad glanced at the others. "I haven't told them anything. You will have to."

"I will," Peter promised.

"Thank you."

"What for?"

"For... everything, I suppose."

"Have a safe journey," Peter held out his hand.

Chad shook it. "Goodbye, my King."

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

"Come in," Peter said when he heard a knock on the door of his study.

The door opened and his youngest sister walked in. She looked tired - as if she hadn't had any sleep the last night - and troubled. Her eyes were slightly red and her hair tied up in a messy bun.

"You called for me?" she asked in a low voice.

"I did. Sit," he ordered, putting away the papers he had been reading and turning his full attention on his sister. "You have been crying."

She bit her lip lightly, not replying.

"May I ask why?"

"He left," the words came out of Lucy's mouth in a whisper, "He left and he was angry at me."

"That makes the two of us."

Lucy looked up at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Peter chose not to answer that. Instead, he said, "You two had a fight."

"We did."

"Did you accuse Chad of cheating on you with Alianna?"

Lucy blinked in surprise, and then a slight anger seeped into her eyes. "Did he complain to you about me?"

"Did you accuse him or not?"

"Why didn't he talk to me about what I said?" Lucy asked. "He should have come directly to me."

"So you did accuse him."

"He accused me too," Lucy retorted, "He thinks that there is something going on between Harry and myself. That is just insane."

"That is what I thought when he said that to me," Peter told her calmly. "I almost wanted to hit him and I would have if Kayla had not interfered. So, I decided that it would be best to drag him to you and make the two of you clear out your misunderstandings."

Lucy opened her mouth to speak but Peter held up a hand and she closed it, listening to him.

"I could tell when we were coming to see you that deep down Chad wanted to sort out this problem. And well, I had decided on giving him a nice little lecture once we talked to you," Peter went on, "I mean, how dare he imply that my sweet little sister would cheat on him?"

He took a deep breath. "But when we reached your chambers, do you know what we saw?" he asked, his voice going angry, "We saw you and Harry kissing each other in the hallway."

Lucy's eyes went wide. "C-Chad saw that?"

"Do you have any idea how humiliated I felt, Lucy?" Peter asked her. "And the poor guy – he was hurt. He simply walked away, as did Kayla and I."

"It's not what you –"

"What the hell were you doing kissing Harry?" Peter shouted. "Lucy, I thought you were one of the most intelligent people I knew. And look what you did. I am absolutely disgusted by your actions! I thought you loved Chad."

"I do," Lucy insisted. "I do love Chad."

"Then why were you kissing Harry?"

"Will you listen to me?" Lucy almost begged. "Please?"

Peter looked like he had a lot more to say, but he nodded once.

"I know what it must have looked like and I know that it was wrong of me to kiss Harry," Lucy said. "But it is not what you think. Harry and I are just friends."

"Friends who were kissing despite the fact that you were in a relationship with Chad?" Peter questioned.

Lucy took a deep, shaky breath and began from the beginning.

Her argument with Chad at the ball.

How she went to see him and how he was rude to her.

How she went to Harry and he told her to solve the matter by talking. How she had hugged him in thanks.

How Chad had seen it and misunderstood everything.

How she had gone to see Chad and how he had broken her heart.

How she had ran, crying and how Harry had comforted her.

How she had kissed him to show her gratitude to him.

How Harry had told her that the kiss was wrong.

"… I love Chad, Peter," she said in the end, tears now falling down her eyes, "And he saw me kissing and now he is even angrier than before. Is that why he left?"

"That is half the reason," Peter replied. "He was heartbroken and he did have work to do back in Daelhr."

"I wish he would understand that I –"

"Lucy," Peter said with a sigh. "What you did was wrong. I know you didn't mean to. I know your intentions were not bad at heart, but you have to realize that you were the woman Chad was courting – and if he didn't like you embracing Harry, you should have talked to him.

"I'm not saying that Chad's insecurity is justified. But I'm saying that every man has some expectations from the woman he is with, just like women have with men. You expected certain things of Chad, did you not? Similarly, he did. And if he wants you to fulfill those expectations, he was not wrong," Peter paused. "If you were not happy with them, then you should have told him that."

Lucy lowered her head.

"No reason is enough to kiss someone else," Peter said. "I know that. I made that mistake once and I know how much I hurt Isabel. I can understand what Chad is feeling and I do not blame him for it."

"I know," she said in a low voice, "It was wrong of me to kiss Harry."

"In any case, that doesn't matter anymore," Peter said. "Because Chad wanted me to let you know that he has officially broken up the courtship between you and him."

"What?" Lucy looked up, her eyes wide and filled with hurt. "H-He –"

"He doesn't want to be with you anymore. And I know that this is all based on a misunderstanding that should be cleared out, but I doubt he will listen to you or anyone else in this matter."

Tears brimmed her brown eyes. "H-He can't do that!"

"He already has," Peter said kindly, "I'm sorry, Lucy but I think it is too late to mend this issue."

"I don't want to end things with him, Peter," Lucy cried, "I love him."

Peter hated seeing his little sister in this state, but he did not know what to do. He, for once, could not blame Chad for what he did. But Lucy was also right in her own way...

Not knowing what else to say, the High King repeated, "I'm sorry." and prayed to Aslan to make things better.

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

Chad sighed as he rode his horse.

After their party had said their farewells to the Kings and Queens, Chad had immediately ordered that they move out so that they could get home as soon as they possibly could.

Chad felt slightly bad for not giving his companions a reason for their sudden packing. Kayla knew the reason of course so she did not object or say anything, but he knew that the others was confused and wanted to question him. A part of him was relieved that they did not ask while they were at the Cair.

It would have been difficult to answer.

How could he explain to them what had happened?

How could he tell them the reason behind his sudden departure?

How could he explain the urge he had felt to leave that city... to go away from the presence that pained him?

Chad knew that he had had no reason to stay in Cair Paravel anymore. He did not want to spend any more time around Lucy. His heart was still too wounded to forget the pain she had only too recently caused him.

As he rode, Chad felt Demetrius speed up to ride alongside him. The old man didn't say anything at first, but it was not hard to guess what he wanted to know.

"Milord?" Demetrius finally asked hesitantly.

"Yes?" Chad asked back.

"Milord, if I may," Demetrius started, but stopped, waiting for permission to continue. Chad only nodded his head in encouragement for the old man to continue. "Milord... Chad, why did we leave so soon?"

"You know why," the Lord replied indifferently. "I have a lot to -"

"Forgive me, my lord, but you were attending your matters from the Cair too," Demetrius interrupted, "And you had planned this tour. It would have been alright to stay there for another five days, as per the plan."

Chad remained quiet. Of course, as his counselor, Demetrius would know how much work needed his attention or how much time he could have stayed away from Daelhr, despite the strike that had taken place recently.

Demetrius too was silent for a short while. Then, in a low voice, he asked, "Is it because of the problems between you and the Valiant Queen?"

Chad let out a defeated sigh. "Yes."

"But how come?" Demetrius continued. "I thought that after talking to High King Peter, the problem must have been solved. Knowing the High King, he must have taken you to Queen Lucy and made sure that you two sort your problems."

"In fact, this entire situation is so ridiculous that I think we should go to Lucy's room and sort out this whole mess." Peter had said.

Outside Lucy's room - Lucy and Harry were standing, kissing.

Her lips on his -

His lips on hers -

Her eyes closed -

Kissing.

Her voice.

Her words -

"You mean a lot to me, Harry, more than you can imagine."

Pain.

Heartbreak -

Chad gritted his teeth.

A moment of silence passed and he realized that Demetrius was still looking at him, waiting for his reply.

"He did," Chad finally said, forcing his voice to remain calm. "And I went to see her."

It was pathetic how he could not bring himself to say her name anymore.

Or maybe he didn't want to.

"So, is everything alright now?" Demetrius asked.

"I'm afraid, no," Chad replied. "Things did not work out between us and the courtship is officially over."

"The two of you made a fine couple, I'm sorry it didn't work out."

Chad shrugged.

"Like I said last night, I'm sure you will find someone."

"And like I said last night, I hope so," Chad replied, "Please, can we talk about something else?"

"Of course, milord," Demetrius said, looking around for a topic. Chad saw as his eyes landed on the carriage and the old man chuckled. "Lady Kayla won't be much happy with the fact that we are back on the journey. She hates riding."

Chad tried to smile, but he realized that he couldn't. His mind was still on Lucy... as was his aching heart. "Yes," he said, "I hope Alianna will keep her company and we won't have to stop in the way like last time."

"I doubt it," Demetrius said, "Alianna won't be a good company."

"Maybe you're right. Maybe I should ask Philip to get in the carriage."

Demetrius laughed. "Then Kayla would be begging you to stop so she could walk away from the non-stop nonsense my son talks about."

Chad chuckled, though it did not reach his eyes. "True."

"Ahh... isn't it girls who usually talk a lot? I find it strange that my daughter doesn't." Demetrius sighed, "I worry about her."

"So she is shy, I don't see why this is a cause for worry."

"Shy? She barely talks to anyone. She prefers to stay alone in house. She doesn't have any friends at all. I think this is a lot more than being just shy," Demetrius pointed out. "No one would want to marry her if she stays like this."

"You're wrong," Chad said. "You daughter is a fine young woman. Any man would be lucky to have her as his wife."

Demetrius shook his head. "Men expect their wives to talk to them, to give them company. Alianna -"

"No man wants a chatterbox as his wife as well," Chad cut him in mid sentence. "I know I wouldn't."

That was yet another reason why he wanted to marry Lucy. She was a good company, talking to him about interesting things. But there were times when Chad wanted silence, and she respected that. She would sit with him silently, or just leave him alone, without taking any offense.

She understood him.

And yet she betrayed him.

The pain in his heart flared.

"Yes, well, you are different," Demetrius was saying. "I just want her to have a happy married life -"

Chad had wanted a happy married life with Lucy.

" - A husband who would love her..."

He loved Lucy. And she had loved him. It would have been perfect.

Waking up to her pretty face every morning.

Sleeping with her in his arms every night.

Having her as her other half, in his home, in his life...

Being truly bonded to her...

Broken dreams.

Nothing like this could happen.

She cheated.

She loved Harry. Not Chad.

And the anguish he felt when he saw them together.

No more. No more was their love alive. It was dead. She killed it. She brutally killed it.

They could never be together.

"... And a settled life. I want her to be happy."

Happy.

Lucy and Chad would have been happy.

Her laugh would have brightened his life.

And she would have made him smile, made him laugh.

They would have journeyed happily through this path called life, as lifemates, as soulmates.

It was difficult to breathe now.

The pain, the heartbreak was clogging his insides.

He wanted to escape. He wanted to run away. He couldn't take this anymore.

He was hurting.

An escape.

An escape.

No, he would not dwell on these broken dreams anymore. He would not hurt himself anymore.

An escape.

Something, anything but this agony caused by her betrayal.

"Demetrius," Chad almost gasped out.

"Yes, milord?" Demetrius asked, glancing at the Lord.

"If... If you t-truly care that much about who Alianna marries," Chad said, his voice gaining confidence with every word he spoke, "Then I would be honored if you consider marrying your daughter to me."

Silence.

A minute passed.

Another.

Demetrius stared at Chad with wide eyes, his mouth slightly open. "M-My Lord?"

"I said I would be honored if you would allow me to marry Alianna."

"A-Are you sure?"

"I am."

"But you and the Valian -"

"I had a past, Demetrius, and that past is over now." Chad said calmly, "I know what I'm asking and I am aware of its meaning and the responsibilities it would bring. I will not let my past overshadow my future."

Demetrius remained quiet for a minute, deep in thought.

Chad let him think.

Then -

"I trust you, Chad," the old man said with a smile. "I know that you are an honorable man and you will give my daughter a happy life and that is all I wish for her. So, I accept your offer."

"Shouldn't you talk to Philip first?" Chad questioned.

"You are Philip's friend and he thinks very highly of you. I'm sure he will be as thrilled about this as I am."

"... And Alianna?"

"My daughter has accepted the idea of an arranged marriage," the man told him. "I'm sure she will agree to this arrangement."

Chad nodded. "In that case, I thank you for accepting this proposal."

Demetrius smiled. "I thank you, Chad, for agreeing to take my daughter's hand in marriage."

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

Chad smiled as he looked around. The mansion stood as tall as always, atop a hill, with the city of Daelhr below. The height was not much, and Chad liked it. He was back home. He took a deep breath, admiring the city, his city.

He looked around; he was standing in the huge courtyard, with the servants unloading the luggage from the carriages. Philip was giving instructions to take his and his family's stuff to their house while Demetrius stood nearby, gulping water from his waterskin.

Chad searched for Alianna, his eyes moving all over the place until he spotted her. She stood alone, as always, garbed in a plain dress of green, with her back to him, her golden locks swaying with the cool breeze.

"Chad."

The Lord of Daelhr glanced sideways to see his sister standing next to him. "Yes?"

"Are you alright?"

"Tired," he replied, "It was a long ride back."

"I was not asking about the journey," Kayla said quietly.

He shrugged. "I don't see what else could be wrong."

She sighed, placing a hand on his arm. The gentle touch soothed him, and she knew that. "So, this is what you're going to do?" she asked, "Bury your feelings?"

"I have not buried anything," he replied. "I will be fine, Kayla."

She wrapped her fingers around his arm, turning him so he was facing her. "You cannot lie to me, Chad."

He smiled. "I know that, which is why I said that I will be fine," he said, leaning forward to kiss her cheek. "The pain is raw, yes, but I have decided to move on."

She frowned. "What?"

Chad looked away, his eyes going back to Alianna. "All will be clear," he murmured and taking a deep breath, took a step forward, leaving his confused sister behind.

He walked over to Alianna, coming to a stop when he stood next to her, his eyes on her. She was staring at the sky, where the sun had almost set, and in her hands was a yellow carnation that he realized she had picked from a plant nearby.

Her blue eyes moved to him, and she smiled, murmuring a greeting to which he nodded before the two continued to stare at the sky.

"I assume you must be tired after the journey," he said after a minute.

"I am, milord," she replied, her voice soft as always, "I cannot wait to head back home and then lock myself in my chambers for the rest of the day."

"And what do you plan to do once you have done that?" he couldn't help but ask.

"Sleep, of course," she answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

He smiled briefly at her before glancing at Demetrius and Philip. The two were almost done with the orders, almost ready to go to their home, and were at the moment staring at Alianna and him. And from the corner of his eyes, Chad realized, that Kayla was doing the same.

"Before you leave," he said, shifting his focus back to Alianna, "I was wondering if I could talk to you about something important."

"Of course, milord," She turned to face him, confused and curious.

"Alianna, I cannot rule Daelhr alone. I need someone by my side. Someone who would not only support me, but be a good council for me." He paused, "I know you to be an honest and a loyal person and I think that you would be the perfect companion for me."

Alianna sucked in a breath, her eyes going wide in surprise.

Taking a deep, steadying breath, Chad pulled out a ring from his pocket and knelt down on his knees before her, holding it out to her.

She froze…

…As did everyone else in the courtyard.

"So, Alianna," he looked back into her blue eyes. "Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Silence.

Alianna's eyes moved from Chad to somewhere behind him where he knew Demetrius and Philip were.

"I've already spoken to your father. He does not disapprove of this union." Chad told her, catching her attention, "However it is not their reaction that is important to me, it is your answer."

Alianna blinked, her lower lip trembling a little as she glanced at her father once more.

The old man simply smiled and gave a nod, and through it - his blessing.

Slowly, she looked back at Chad. "… Y-Yes," she breathed out, "Yes, I will."

Chad got to his feet, looking down at the ring in his hands. "May I?" he asked.

She held out her hand and he slipped the ring on her finger.

Alianna looked at the pear shaped diamond that sparkled in the dim sunlight. "It's beautiful."

He nodded in agreement before taking a step back. "I assume your father and brother are waiting for you. You should not keep them waiting."

"Alright. Have a good day, milord," she murmured and walked away.

Chad stood there, feeling hollow, as he watched the sun set. He could hear the carriage moving away. He knew that Demetrius had left along with Philip and Alianna, and now the servants were returning to their jobs.

And then he felt someone behind him. He did not bother turning. He knew who it was. "Kayla."

"Chad." She replied coldly, moving so that she stood before him. "What was that?"

"I just got engaged."

"To Alianna," she pointed out, "A girl you barely know."

"Yes, to her."

"Care to explain more?"

"Demetrius was looking for a suitor for Alianna and I asked him if he would marry his daughter to me. He agreed."

"This is insane, Chad!" Kayla said, as she ran a hand through her hair in frustration, "How could you agree to marry Alianna?"

"I did what I had to."

"How come?"

"I know I do not share the burden of my work with you much but even you know how the council has been pressurizing me." Chad said impatiently, "I need a wife."

"Yes, you do, and that is why you wanted to propose –"

"Don't say her name!"

Kayla blinked at his rough tone.

"We both know how big of a mistake that would have been. It is good that I never got a chance to go through with it."

"Do you really hate Lucy?" Kayla asked in wonder.

"I do."

"Don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying," he snapped. "I hate her for what she did to me. You hate her for it too."

"Think of how unfair this will be to Alianna," Kayla said, changing the topic, "You don't love her."

"No, I don't," he sighed. "But I might, in the future."

"Can you guarantee that?" Kayla asked. "Can you guarantee that you will give her a happy life in the future?"

"I will keep her happy," the Lord replied.

"Out of a sense of duty," Kayla pointed out. "Not because you would want to."

Chad ran a hand though his hair furiously, just like his sister had done minutes ago. "What do you want me to do, then?"

"Step out of this arrangement."

"I gave Demetrius my word."

"You shouldn't have."

"Do you not approve of Alianna?" Chad asked.

"She is a nice girl and I like her, but…" she trailed off for a second. "I just don't want you to hurt her. No woman wants a loveless marriage, Chad."

Chad sighed and took his sister's hand. "Listen to me, Kayla. All of this is extremely difficult for me. Nothing is hidden from you, you know how I feel. And I cannot move on without your support and your help," he said, "You're my only family and I want you to help me. So, I ask you, are you with me?"

Kayla smiled slightly, almost sadly. "I am, always."

"That is all I want."

Kayla leaned forward and kissed his brow. "You will be happy, won't you?"

He took a deep breath. "I don't know."

"I want you to be."

"I know, Kayla." Chad sighed.

"I hope you are."

Chad looked away. "For Alianna's sake, so do I."

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

"Lunch time," Edmund looked at the many dishes laden with food as he took a seat at the dining table, "I'm starving."

"What else is new?" Susan asked, sarcasm lacing her voice.

Edmund shot her a glare. "Usually I would respond, but I am too busy thinking about where to start from."

"You can't start yet," Caspian said, "Lucy is not here."

Edmund groaned. "What is wrong with her? She is never on time for meals. Does she like torturing me?"

"Or maybe, she is still missing Chad," Adeline said slowly. "We all saw how disturbed she was when he suddenly left for Daelhr."

"He had a justified reason to leave," Peter said.

Susan bit her lip thoughtfully. "I don't know if you all noticed or not, but I think something is wrong." She spoke slowly, "I mean, it has been four days since Chad left and Lucy mostly keeps to herself. And even Chad seemed different – maybe even cold – when he was saying his goodbyes."

"I noticed," Adeline said. "Maybe they got into an argument."

"I doubt it," Edmund snorted. "Pete and I would kill Chad if he hurts Lu. Right?"

Peter looked at him evenly, but did not reply.

"You know something we don't, don't you?" Caspian asked the High King.

"Maybe," he replied.

"What is it?"

Peter took a deep breath. "Not now. Besides, Ed is not the only one who is starving."

"Thank you," Edmund said to his brother, "I thought we were going to spend the day talking, and forgetting about the more important things."

"Things that include filling your belly with food?" Susan asked.

"Exactly."

Isabel stood up. "I'll go get Lucy and then we can eat."

"No," the Just King stood up with a sigh, "You women take a lot of time to do everything. I'll get her."

Without waiting for a reply, he quickly walked out, grumbling to himself about how the women will never understand the importance of food and what it meant to a man.

Seriously, did Lucy not realize that this was the one thing Edmund looked forward to each day? The meal times were the only times that drove him to get anything done!

She knew that. She grew up with him, didn't she? So why make him wait and suffer?

He walked into her chambers without bothering to knock and looked around. He found her standing in the balcony.

"Lunch time," he said, walking outside in the open air, barely glancing at his sister, "Everyone is waiting for you, so come on."

No reply.

"Luce, don't make me wait. Come!"

Nothing.

"Everyone is hungry. Join us so we can eat."

Still no reply.

Strange.

Lucy usually would have shouted at him to shut up by now. Or followed him. Or told him that this was her revenge for his latest prank.

"Lucy?" Edmund frowned, this time looking at his sister closely.

Lucy's brown eyes were wide and staring at something he could not see. He could see that they were wet as well – though she was not openly crying. Her mouth was slightly open in what could only be shock and from her expression he could guess that something was wrong. One of her hands clutched the railing so hard that her knuckles had turned white, while the other hand was suspended in mid-air as if she was holding something invisible.

"Lucy," he began, concerned, "Is everything alright?"

She didn't reply.

He took a step forward and stopped, noticing something brown at her feet. She must have been holding it before it fell. Now more confused than ever, Edmund walked forward and picked it up.

With one last questioning glance at his sister, the Just King flipped it open and began to read, his own eyes going wide with each word he read.

The honor of your noble presence is requested at the marriage ceremony of

Lord Chad

Ruler of Daelhr

With

Lady Alianna

Daughter of Demetrius and Thea

At the 'Fulton Manor',

On Friday, April twenty-four,

Time: 5 p.m.

OMG!

Well, there is nothing more to say really, except

see ya soon with the next chapter!

- Ennarre and CrazyKitCat

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