Hey everybody! Well, this chapter kinda wrote itself, so I thought - hey, lets just post it. So, its almost the start of a new week - and here is my gift to you to cheer you all up! :P

Thank you to all the reviewers - you guys/girls are the best!

Please read CrazyKitCat's story "The King & the Sea". Its good! x)

Now, go on - read, enjoy and review. Please?

Disclaimer: C.S. Lewis owns Narnia. I just own the Destiny trio. Everybody knows that!

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Desires and Destiny

Chapter 8

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"Welcome!" Kayla greeted the monarchs of Narnia with a smile when they got out of their carriages in the courtyard of Chad's huge mansion in Daelhr. "Did your journey go well?"

"Yes, it did," Edmund replied politely.

The others nodded in agreement.

Kayla's smile slightly faltered when her eyes moved to Lucy and her personal guard, but she was sure that no one noticed it. It was not seeing Lucy that had bothered her, it was seeing her guard – Harry – stand really close to her.

That was the man who had been the cause of the distress Chad had been through. Lucy certainly knew that, and yet she had brought him here to Daelhr. Why?

And why had Peter allowed it?

Because Harry is her personal guard, her mind supplied, and he has to be with her. It is his duty.

"Susan!" Adeline waved. "How are the preparations going?"

"Pretty good," Susan, who had been standing nearby with Caspian, smiled.

"She has been a great help over the last three weeks," Kayla told them, forcing her mind away from Lucy and Harry. "I can't imagine how I would have handled all of this without her."

"Susan enjoyed helping you," Caspian told her.

Kayla grinned and turned to her guests. "Well, why are we standing here? Come in, please."

She stepped aside to let her guests walk ahead first. And that was when she heard a hushed conversation going on between the Valiant Queen and Harry.

"I will see you later, milady," he was whispering.

But the Valiant Queen took his hand. "Come," she said to him.

"But –"

"Come," Lucy murmured.

And he nodded slowly.

Kayla resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow and pretended that she had not heard the small, silent conversation. Instead, she silently moved back towards the mansion as well.

"Speaking of wedding and preparations," Peter spoke up, looking around. "Where is the groom?"

Kayla frowned as she realized that Chad was not here. Silly really, being so busy in the preparations of the wedding had actually made her forget about the groom! "I haven't seen him all day."

"Didn't he know that we are going to arrive?"

"He did, but we weren't expecting you to reach Daelhr for another few hours."

"Yes, well," Isabel glanced at the Just King, "It was wise to ride faster when after every two minutes Edmund would come up with a new prank that could be played during the journey."

Kayla laughed. "Well, I'm sure Chad will be glad to see you all when he comes. But you all must be tired. Would you like to rest?"

"Not at all," Edmund said. "Tea would be wonderful, though."

"I think we all can agree on that," Adeline chuckled.

"Great then," Kayla said, "To the living room!"

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

"You're not getting my horse," Chad said for the third time that evening as he walked into his mansion. He was tired and disturbed, and his friend was only making him more irritated.

"But why not?" Philip asked. "He is a magnificent beast."

"And that is why it is mine. Besides, I love Abaccus," Chad told him, "I will not let you have him."

"I'm letting you have my sister."

Chad paused and stared at his friend, wondering if he was insane.

"You do get to marry her, and she moves to your place." Philip said matter-of-factly. "So why can't I have that horse to fill in the emptiness Alianna will leave behind?"

"You want to replace your sister with a horse?" Chad asked incredulously.

Philip shrugged sheepishly.

Shaking his head, the Lord of Daelhr looked around. "Where is my sister?"

"Where is mine?"

Chad raised an eyebrow.

"Father told me Alianna was here for some last minute fittings," Philip explained. "So I should come back with her. He doesn't want her out all alone so late."

"Oh," Chad stopped a servant who was passing by. "Do you know where Kayla is?"

"She is with the Kings and Queens in the living room, milord."

Chad blinked. "They have arrived?"

"Yes, they were early."

Chad nodded. "Very well."

Silently, he walked towards the living room, Philip right behind him.

He felt bad that he was not here to welcome his guests, but he was away on work and that was equally important. Of course, he could have handled it by staying at the mansion too, but with Kayla and Susan – Caspian had smartly made an excuse and went to his room for a nap – talking about the wedding all the time, he preferred to go out. The preparations were getting on his nerves.

"Would you like some more tea, Lucy?" he could hear Kayla's polite voice as he neared the living room.

"No, thank you." the Valiant Queen replied.

Chad stopped in his tracks.

She was here.

Of course, Peter had told him in his letter that they all would attend the wedding and he had expected to see her… but now she was just steps away and he wasn't sure if he wanted to see her or not.

It would increase the pain that had not left him in so many days. And he wasn't sure if he wanted to feel that.

He had been trying to get his mind off her, to think about the fact that he would marry Alianna and have a life ahead with her. But she, she was always in his thoughts, in his heart, in his dreams...

Chad slowly walked forward and upon reaching the room, stood in the doorway. All the monarchs were sitting in the living room, as was Kayla. And then Chad noticed another person –

– and it took him a moment to make sure that he was not mistaken.

And when he realized he was not, his anger flared in his veins and for a second he saw red.

Harry.

He was standing right behind Lucy.

Why?

No one else had their guards in the living room so what the hell was that man doing there?

"Anyways," Peter spoke up, "Where is Chad?"

Chad blinked as he returned to his surroundings. Forcing his anger away, he said, "Here I am."

Everyone turned to look at him as he walked into the room, a smile on his face. Chad looked around, politely greeting everyone one by one.

In the end, his eyes came to rest on Lucy. "My Queen," he said coolly and decided to completely ignore the man standing behind her.

And while Philip greeted everyone, Chad walked over to Kayla and took a seat next to her.

"Forgive me," the Lord of Daelhr said, "I was not at the mansion. I wish I were here to greet you all personally."

"It's alright," Isabel smiled at him. "How are you?"

"Well," he replied in kind.

So Isabel was not mad at him. That was good.

When Susan and Caspian had first arrived, they had been slightly cold towards him. He didn't blame them, of course. But over the three weeks, they had grown pretty normal with him. He could tell that they were not happy with his decision of marrying Alianna, but they did not say so. Neither did they question him about Lucy, for which he was glad.

His green eyes slowly moved around the room.

Peter seemed calm and composed, but Chad knew that Peter was just doing this because he had to. Even though he understood why Chad had broken off the courtship, the High King was not happy with the turn of events.

Edmund, however, did not seem happy. The Just King had almost glared at him during their greetings, and Chad knew that he was angry. It was expected.

"Chad?"

The Lord of Daelhr blinked at turned to see Adeline looking at him with an expectant expression on her face.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly, "What did you ask?"

"I asked you if you are ready to get married," Adeline said, smiling slightly at him.

Good. She was not angry. She was not happy as well – but at least she was not angry. He could see it in her eyes.

Chad nodded slightly. "… As ready as I can be."

"You're nervous," she pointed out.

"Maybe a little," he admitted.

"How is Alianna?"

Chad blinked. "I don't know, I haven't seen her in a long time."

"You haven't?" she frowned. "But she is your fiancée."

"I've been busy."

There was a rustle of cloth on his right that made him turn his head in the direction. And he regretted it. On the armchair on his right was seated the one person he did not want to look at – Queen Lucy. And she was moving to get up.

"Let me," Harry said, taking the empty cup from her hands and stepping forward to place it on the table. The man then silently moved back to his place.

"Thank you," Lucy smiled at him.

Harry simply inclined his head in respect.

Chad gritted his teeth, his anger poking him, begging to come outside. He finally turned his icy eyes on the standing man, glaring at him. "What are you doing here in the living room, Harry?"

"I'm Queen Lucy's personal guard," Harry replied, "I go wherever she goes."

"Yes, but I do not see any other guards," Chad bit out, "I do not think you are needed here."

"I was ordered to stay, milord," Harry inclined his head in respect.

Respect?

Bah!

What kind of a hypocrite this man is? Chad fumed. First he kisses my girlfriend, stabs me in my back and then acts as if he thinks highly of me!

Chad clenched his fingers. This man was really testing his patience. He opened his mouth to retort when –

"Harry is my friend," Lucy spoke up in a low voice. "I want him here. Please do not argue."

He stopped. Of course, she would side with him. Protect him. Defend him.

Kiss him, a snide voice in his head reminded him.

He decided to ignore it.

"I know that," Chad told her calmly, looking straight in her eyes, daring her to contradict with his words.

She didn't.

How dare she cheat with him and then have the courage to look him in the eye right after she defended that man?

How dare she?

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

Lucy saw raw anger in his green eyes.

His calm voice and words portrayed his feelings very clearly. He still hated her. And her heart sank and ached.

She blinked and looked away.

She did not want the pain. Being here was painful enough.

From the corner of her eyes, she saw Kayla place a hand on Chad's arm. "Would you like some tea too?

Chad remained silent.

Lucy dared to look up at him.

He was staring at his sister, and a short unspoken conversation went in between them.

"It is still warm," Kayla said as poured a cup for him. "Just the way you like it."

"Alright," he said, accepting it. Leaning back, the Lord of Daelhr looked at the others. "So, I assume your journey –"

He was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in," Kayla said.

Lucy glanced at the door to see Alianna stepping into the room shyly, halting when she noticed the monarchs. "My Kings and Queens," she curtseyed. "I didn't know you all reached Daelhr."

"We just came today," Peter told her.

Alianna smiled and turned to Kayla, "I'm done with the fittings you asked for. Is there anything else?"

"No, that would be all." Kayla replied.

"Alianna, I asked your fiancé this question too and I'm interested how you would reply to this," Adeline said, "So, are you ready to get married?"

"I guess so." Alianna replied in a low voice, glancing at Chad from the corner of her eyes, who was very interested in his tea at the moment.

"Come now, don't seem so hesitant. The wedding is tomorrow."

Alianna remained silent for a moment. Then – "Thank you for the wedding dress. Queen Susan told me that you designed it."

"Did you like it?" Adeline asked.

The bride-to-be nodded.

"Well, I think you'll look great in it. I bet Chad won't be able to keep his eyes off you. Right, Chad?"

Anger and sadness filled Lucy's heart when she saw Alianna blush and Chad look up, startled by the question.

"As per the traditions, I haven't seen the dress." The Lord of Daelhr spoke smoothly.

"Philip," Isabel spoke up, "The wedding ceremony is at your place, right?"

"Yes," Philip replied. "Father really wanted Alianna to get married in the Fulton Manor. He was really happy when Chad agreed."

"Is there something special about it?"

"Father says that our mother used to say that if she ever had a daughter she would want to see her get married in the gardens of our manor."

"That is very sweet," Adeline smiled and then glanced at the bride-to-be. "Your mother would be very happy to see you from the skies above."

Alianna smiled sadly. "I-I wish she was here," she mumbled, raising her hand to brush away a lock of golden hair that had fallen on her face.

Something glittered.

Lucy noticed it.

As did Isabel. "What was that, on your hand?" the consort queen asked.

Alianna looked down at her hand. "What?"

"It's her engagement ring," Susan replied with a smile. "I saw it when I came here. It is really beautiful."

"Really?" Adeline asked. "Show us."

Adeline stood there quietly, biting her lip, clearly embarrassed with the attention she was getting.

"Come on, don't be shy!" Isabel laughed. "Show us the ring!"

Hesitantly, Alianna held up her hand.

And Lucy's eyes went wide.

She did not pay any attention as Isabel and Adeline admired the beauty of that piece of jewelry.

That ring had taken Lucy into flashbacks…

"It is a beautiful ring," Lucy had said, smiling as she reached out for the ring on his palm.

"Don't. Touch. It." he had ordered, his voice filled with fury. "It doesn't belong to you anymore, just like my heart."

"Well, there is so much to do and it is getting late. We all can admire the ring later on," Philip stood up, "I think we should leave so that you all could rest. We have a wedding to attend tomorrow."

Kayla agreed. "Definitely. Alianna needs her rest."

Goodbyes were quick and soon, Philip and Alianna were gone.

The others were standing up too, ready to retire for the night.

But Lucy stayed where she was.

Her eyes moved to Chad, who was walking towards the door, talking to Caspian about something.

He had proposed Alianna with that ring?

With the ring that should have been Lucy's.

And jealousy flared in her heart.

This was wrong.

She should be the one marrying Chad, not Alianna – who was a stranger to him.

And now that stranger was the one with that beautiful ring in her finger.

And Chad had given it to her… maybe with his heart.

How dare he?

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"Are you okay?" Harry asked the Valiant Queen as she finally stood up.

The two were standing in the now empty living room. And Harry was worried about Lucy. She had gone rigid ever since she saw Alianna's ring – something that had not gone unnoticed by Harry.

He wondered what the reason could be, but when he had seen the expression of utter shock on Lucy's face and the praises of the ring coming from the queens, it had not been difficult to put two and two together.

That must have been the ring Chad was planning to propose Lucy with before their break up.

"Y-Yes," came the shaky reply.

"Really?" he asked, looking deep into her eyes.

He saw hurt, confusion, anger, sadness… her eyes were a sea of emotions at the moment.

"No," She sighed.

"You should talk to him," he suggested. "Let him know how all of this is affecting you."

"He hates me," Lucy said. "He will not listen."

"But –"

"It's useless," she shook her head. "I will not go to him."

"Are you going to stand aside, then? Are you giving up?"

"Giving up what?" she asked. "The relationship is over. He has moved on so quickly. Should I go to a man like this?"

Harry pursed his lips.

This was wrong.

Chad should not hurt Lucy – or taunt her, or even think of her as a betrayer. He should know how much she still loves him.

And if she refused to tell him that then he, Harry, would.

"Very well," Harry said out loud, "You should go to sleep."

"I will," she smiled at him. "Good night, Harry."

"Good night, Lucy."

He waited until Lucy was gone before walking out of the room and looking for the kitchens of the mansion. He had heard Chad say something about going and getting a cup of hot milk for himself before he left.

That was where he must be.

At least, that was where Harry hoped he would find him.

It took him a few minutes, and after asking directions from a maid, Harry finally entered the huge kitchens, letting out a sigh of relief to see Chad standing there – his back to him as he placed an empty mug on the table and then turned.

The Lord of Daelhr froze when he noticed Harry, flames of fury flaring in his emerald eyes.

It was quiet for a moment. And Harry vaguely noticed that there was no one else in the kitchens. Of course, it was late at night – the cooks must have left.

"My Lord, Chad," Harry began, inclining his head. "I want to talk to you."

"No," Came the short reply, full of repressed anger. "Just leave."

"It is important."

"I'm saying nicely, Harry," Chad said through gritted teeth, his voice extremely dangerous. "Get out, now."

"With all due respect, I will not," Harry said. "I want you to listen to what I have to say about Lucy."

He noticed how Chad stiffened at that. "I don't want to talk to you about her," he snapped. "And I'm saying this for the last time: leave."

So indifferent.

So harsh.

So mean.

Harry respected Chad because he was his superior and a good governor, but for a short moment, he couldn't help but wonder why Lucy had fallen in love with this man.

"How could you do this to Lucy?" Harry asked, "Can you not see that you are hurting her? Don't you even care about –"

And a fist collided with Harry's jaw, hard. Harry's face snapped back at the blow, his mind reeling. Grimacing in pain, Harry looked around to get his bearings but before he could another punch landed on his face.

He stumbled a few steps back this time but was able to remain on his feet. He barely had a moment to think when he saw Chad charge towards him, taking big strides to cross the distance between them.

This time, however, Harry's reflexes kicked into action and his hands moved up to hold Chad's arm, keeping him from landing another blow. The Lord of Daelhr instead kneed him in the gut.

Harry grunted and his hold on Chad loosened, giving Chad enough time to free his arm and push him away.

"Chad!" Harry said as he quickly stepped away to dodge the oncoming fist. He was not fast enough, as Chad's fingers fisted around the front of his tunic and he pulled him.

"Don't you talk to me about her!" Chad shouted, shaking him roughly. And the Lord of Daelhr moved to punch him again –

Acting quickly, Harry moved to hold both of Chad's arms in a firm grip, keeping the enraged man from attacking him again. "Stop it, Chad!" he managed to say.

Glaring at him, Chad slammed his head into Harry's, sending him sprawling backwards. He fell on his back, the air knocking out of his lungs as his body collided with the hard floor of the kitchens.

But he did not have time to even inhale, for Chad was upon him, punching him again and again. And Harry waved his arms wildly, hoping to defend himself in vain.

He could feel a warm liquid trickling down the side of his face, and he could taste blood in his mouth.

"Chad!" he sputtered, coughing out blood as another blow landed on his face. "S-Stop –"

Another punch.

It was becoming hard for him to breathe.

The pain that had erupted with the blows heightened.

And he heard the sound of breaking glass.

"Chad!" he heard a female scream. "What are you doing?"

Harry managed to open his eyes to find Kayla holding Chad's arm as she pushed her brother away.

Chad managed to shrug his arm away from her and stepped forward, towards where Harry lay.

"Stop it!" The woman quickly kneeled next to Harry, still facing her brother and spread out her arms as if she shielding the injured man on the floor, "You're going to kill him!"

And that made the Lord of Daelhr halt.

He looked down at his sister, his face still contorted with rage, his fingers curled to form tight fists.

A moment of silence passed.

Another.

Another.

And then slowly Chad moved closer to Harry. Bending down, he clutched the front of his tunic and pulled him slightly above the ground.

"Chad," Kayla warned, her voice a mixture of pleading and warning. "Don't hit him."

The Lord of Daelhr glared down at Harry. "Next time, when I tell you to leave, you leave," he growled. "You should know who your superiors are."

With that, he slammed Harry back on the ground and walked away.

Harry blinked a couple of times to clear the haze in his mind. Grimacing in pain, he slowly pushed himself into a sitting position.

"A-Are you alright?" Kayla asked him as she got to her feet.

He nodded. "Thank you," he said, slowly standing up. "For stopping him."

"He shouldn't have done that," she said, "You're hurt."

Harry placed a hand on his forehead, right above his left eyebrow where he had felt blood trickle. "How bad is it?"

"Bad," she said and motioned towards a stood. "Sit. I'll bandage it up."

"You don't have to," he said, as he saw her open a cabinet or two, looking for something.

"I'm just cleaning up the mess my brother made," she told him, taking out a small box of what seemed to be medicines. "Sit."

Sighing, he obeyed. His face hurt, a lot. Reaching nearby, he picked up a silver plate and stared at his reflection in it and then winced.

There was a cut right above his left eye, blood oozing out of it. His nose was bleeding. His lip was split. He was pretty sure that he had bit the inside of his cheek pretty badly when he had fallen – hence the taste of blood in his mouth. What was more, purple bruises were already forming on his jaw and below his chin.

Great. He looked like a horde of people had walked over his face, and thanks to the injuries inside his mouth, he won't be able to eat without pain for a while.

Still he was thankful that his jaw was alright, considering the amount of hard blows it had received. It was actually surprising that it had not broken.

"Here, take this for your nose."

He blinked and put the plate down. Turning to Kayla, he took the icepack she was holding and placed it on the bridge of his nose, breathing from his mouth.

He saw as Kayla picked up what seemed to be a wet rag and cleaned the injury on his forehead. "Why did Chad hit you?" she asked him, her voice blank.

"Because I wanted to talk to him," he replied.

"You shouldn't talk to him."

"Why not?" Harry asked. "Besides, it was important."

She remained quiet, disapproval and irritation clear on her face.

"He needs to know how much he is hurting Lucy and how much Lucy loves him."

"Oh he knows that," Kayla muttered sarcastically.

"What?" he asked.

Kayla dropped the rag – that was now red with his blood – on the shelf and picked up a small vial containing a brown liquid. It was a medicine for wounds, Harry knew.

"Nothing." She paused as she picked up some cotton and poured a few drops of the medicine on it. "In any case, you have no right to –"

"I have every right and every reason to," he protested. "Your brother is hurting someone I care for–"

"Then you should go and care for her by being with her in this hard time," she snapped as she stepped forward and pressed the cotton to his wound, not gently.

He closed his eyes for a second due to the pain. Then – "I cannot see Queen Lucy in such state so I had to talk to your brother."

"Last time I checked you were Lucy's guard, not her lawyer," she said, dabbing the cotton against his skin harshly.

"I'm guessing you don't like me very much either," he snorted and then hissed in pain as she applied more pressure to his wound.

"Now, what would make you think that?"

"Peace, my lady," he said, wincing.

"Hold this," she ordered.

He reached out and placed his fingers on the cotton, his eyes on her as she pulled out gauze from the box.

"In any case," she said, "Please, don't come to my brother again unless you want any bloodshed."

His eyes narrowed. "Are you threatening me?"

She dropped everything she was holding and reached out to pick up the steel plate he had used as a mirror. Holding it in front of him so that he could see his reflection, she gave him a flat stare. "Do I still need to?"

He pursed his lips, not replying.

Placing the plate back, she picked up the gauze. "I'm well aware of the extent of my brother's anger and I'm guessing that from this moment, so are you. Remove your fingers," she paused and began wrapping it around his head. "Besides, you ending up with a broken bone or two will not help anyone."

Gathering up the remains of his dignity, he muttered, "Who is to say that he won't be the one with the broken bones?"

She snorted, her expression torn between amusement and mocking. "I doubt it." And she tied the bandage – really tight.

Harry blinked in surprise.

Ouch, he thought dumbly, that is really tight.

Was she trying to stop the circulation of blood in his head?

Perhaps she was.

She stepped back and offered him another rag. "Use this for your lip," she said, picking up the things and putting them in their respective places.

Chad put aside the almost melted icepack and picked up the rag, gently wiping his lip and nose clean. Then picking up the two things, he tossed them into the bin before turning to Kayla, who was filling a jug with water.

He glanced near the door and realized that the sound of breaking glass he had heard while he was being beaten belonged to another jug that had broken. Kayla must have dropped it in surprise.

"Thank you, milady," he murmured.

"Do you know where you will be staying while you are in Daelhr?"

"Yes."

She nodded once and walked towards the door. When she reached it, she stopped and looked over her shoulder. "And Harry?"

"Yes, milady?"

"I don't want you to try to talk to my brother again," she said, her voice firm, "In case you haven't noticed, my brother and I are not very fond of you."

And she was gone.

Harry stared after her. "Oh, I noticed," he muttered sarcastically and decided to get some sleep. It had been a long day after all... and his mind told him that tomorrow would be the same as well.

So, liked it? Hated it? Comments? Feelings? Please do share.

I'll start working on the next chapter and post it soon.

Until then take care!

Love,

Ennarre.

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