Hey everybody! I spent an hour writing replies to your reviews and finalizing this chapter and when I clicked 'Save', fanfiction decided to be a bad baby and stopped responding... -.-
Anyways, I'm sorry for the delay in the chapter... Midterms, assignments - you cannot blame me, right?
Oh, and Cat is fine now. Yayy! :)
The replies to the reviews are at the end, but for now - go on, read and enjoy and REVIEW!
Disclaimer: Narnia is not mine.
.
Desires and Destiny
Chapter 13
.
"And you should not worry about the expenses of your household," Chad said to the young widow as he stepped out of the small house. "Your children will have food to eat and clothes to wear."
"Thank you, milord," the woman said. "That means a lot."
"It's the least I could do," he said. "Considering the fact that your husband sacrificed his life trying to save others from that fire."
"I'm proud of him."
Chad smiled slightly. "As am I."
"Thank you for visiting, milord and milady."
"You're welcome," Alianna said to the woman. "Take care of yourself and your family."
Lord Chad and Lady Alianna then slowly walked back towards the carriage with their four guards right behind them.
It was mid-afternoon and they had visited the houses of all the victims of the fire that had spread out in the marketplace two days before. It had taken all morning and Chad was extremely tired. He had a meeting with Demetrius and Philip late that evening, which meant that he had about three to four hours to himself - and he couldn't wait to go back to Ardross and take a nap!
A sharp intake of breath made him snap out of his thoughts and he saw Alianna regain her balance. Apparently, she had stumbled a bit while walking. And now that he was looking at her, he noticed it - the troubled look on her face. She seemed to be deep in thought, her eyes not really focused and her lips pressed him a firm line.
"Are you okay?" he whispered to her.
She blinked in surprise and then smiled slightly, though he could tell clearly that it was forced. "Y-Yes."
He did not say anything until they reached the carriage and one of the guards opened the door for them.
As Alianna was about to step in, Chad moved in her way. "Would you like to take a walk with me?" he asked her politely.
"Milord?" she asked, glancing at the guards and the people who were gathered there.
"Walk with me," he said before turning to the guard, "Take the carriage back."
"Yes, milord." the guard nodded.
"And all of you can return to Ardross too. We'll come by ourselves."
The disapproval was clear on their faces but they did not say anything.
Chad turned to his wife and motioned towards the road. "Shall we?"
She nodded uncertainly and the two started walking, trying to ignore the whispers coming from the people who had gathered to see the Lord and the Lady of the city.
A few minutes later, the couple was walking almost alone, with less people surrounding them.
"Now," Chad began, "Tell me what is wrong."
"Nothing," she replied.
"You're lying."
She did not say anything.
"You're upset," he stated. "Why?"
It took her a few moments to reply. "Seeing those people disturbed me."
Chad frowned. He hadn't expected that answer and he didn't know what she meant by it. "How come?"
"Those who were injured and those who lost their businesses and the families of those who died." She spoke in a hushed voice, "It's sad."
"It is," Chad nodded. "But had I known that this would have affected you in such a way, I would have visited them alone."
Alianna was silent for a few moments, her eyes somewhere far down the road. "This man, whose house we visited last," she said, "He had a daughter who was only three."
"She is a sweet child." Chad said, remembering the little girl who had been sitting in a corner, looking shyly at them as she played with her dolls.
"And she will never know who her father was."
"She will," Chad told her, "I'm sure her mother will tell her about him."
"But she will never know him personally," Alianna argued. "She will never play with him. She will never talk to him. She will never see him."
Chad sighed. "Life is unfair, Alianna."
She did not speak for a short while, and when she did, her voice shook slightly. "No child should have to grow up without a parent."
"No child at all," Chad agreed, his thoughts going back to his own childhood.
And then he smiled bitterly as he realized that they were passing by the exact street where he had lived before he became the Lord of Daelhr - when he was nothing but a servant with a crazy sister who was considered a harlot by everyone in the neighborhood.
In the last five years, he had set foot in this street only once and that had been a quick tour. After that, he had asked Philip or Demetrius or someone else ensure that the needs of the people of this area had been taken care of properly - and it looked much better than the memories of his childhood - but he had not had the guts to come visit this place by himself. There were too many bad memories lingering here... bad memories that he did not want to return to.
Chad stopped, his eyes moving from the small huts to a boy sitting alone on a log, staring longingly at a group of three children playing with marbles nearby.
The Lord of Daelhr remembered being alone as a child, wishing that other children would play with him. He remembered the boys bullying him, hitting him, calling him names, saying bad things about his mother...
He remembered hugging his mother and crying, wondering what he had done wrong and why everyone hated him.
"Milord?" Alianna asked.
"Come," he said and then walked down the street and towards the lonely boy. Once he was close enough, he put on a smile on his face, "Hello there!"
The boy looked up at him and his eyes went wide. "You're Lord Chad!"
"Yes, I am." Chad smiled. "And who are you?"
"Terry."
"Nice to meet you, Terry." Chad paused. "Now, what were you doing?"
"Nothing."
Chad made a face. "That is not very productive." he glanced at the other kids who had stopped playing to look at him in surprise, "Why aren't you playing with them?"
Terry looked down sadly. "Because I'm terrible at marbles."
"And how will you get better at it if you don't play?" Chad asked. "Haven't you heard, practice makes perfect?"
"They won't let me play because I'm so bad at it." Terry said then looked somewhere behind Chad.
Chad looked over his shoulder. Alianna stood a few feet from him, a look of confusion and wonder on her face.
"Ahh, how rude of me, I didn't introduce you to my wife," he smiled. "Terry, meet Alianna. And Alianna, this is Terry."
Alianna smiled at the boy and took a few steps forward so that she was standing next to her husband.
"She is your wife?" Terry asked.
Chad nodded.
The boy shuffled his feel shyly, his cheeks getting red. "She is pretty," he mumbled, embarrassed.
Chad laughed.
"Thank you, Terry," Alianna smiled at the boy. "You're very handsome too."
The other three boys ran up to them.
"I saw you two," one of them said, clearly awed. "You're the Lord and the Lady of the city!"
"Wow!" another said.
"How do you know him?" the third asked, pointing at Terry.
"He is my friend," Chad told them.
"Really?" Disbelief shone in the boys' eyes..
"Yes," Chad said. "And he just told me that you won't let him play with you."
"But that is because he is very bad at the game," the first boy said.
"Why don't you tell him how to play?"
"We explained the rules to him twice already," the third one complained. "He still won't play it right!"
"So you're not letting him play at all?"
The boys nodded.
"That's wrong," Chad told them. "How will he ever learn or improve if you won't even let him try? Good friends don't do that."
"We are not very good friends with Terry," one of them pointed out innocently.
Chad smiled. "But you're good boys. And good boys make friends and play with them. They have patience and love for their friends."
"He is right, you know," Alianna spoke up. "Do you know that when I was your age, I asked my brother to teach me how to play marbles and I was very bad at it."
"Really?" Terry asked, surprised by this new information.
"Really," Alianna told them. "And I used to ruin every game we played for days. It drove my brother mad, but he still patiently waited for me to learn it."
"Did you learn it?" a boy asked.
"It took some time but yes, and when I did, my brother and I had some great times playing it." the Lady of Daelhr smiled. "So you see, a little trouble is not a bad price to pay if you're going to earn a good friend and so many enjoyable moments in the end."
Chad listened to her words silently, impressed by the wisdom shining behind them and also by the way she was handling the children. By the looks on their faces, he was sure that Terry would never be without playmates again.
Sure enough, this was confirmed a moment later.
"If that is the case," the first boy said, "Then Terry should play with us."
The other two agreed as well.
"And you should play with us too!" he said to Alianna.
She blinked in surprise. "No!"
"Please?"
"Umm, no really -"
"Please?" All four of them said, pouting.
Alianna let out a short laugh. "Just one game," she said, turning to Chad. "May I?"
"Go ahead," the Lord of Daelhr said as he sat down to watch them play.
Alianna was pretty good at it, he noticed. And when she won the game, the couple waved goodbye to the kids and started walking.
"I thought we came that way," Alianna murmured, pointing in backwards direction.
"We did," Chad said. "But I want to see something."
"What?"
"You'll see," he paused. "That was very kind, what you did for Terry."
"You did it, milord, not I."
"You convinced them."
She did not say anything, though he could sense that she still though she did nothing.
"The story you told the children," Chad spoke up, "Was it true?"
She nodded.
He chuckled. "I didn't Philip had that kind of temperament, teaching someone a game and then actually having patience till they learned it right."
Alianna looked away, whispering something.
"I'm sorry," Chad said, "Could you repeat that?"
She hesitated. "It was not Philip who taught me that."
Chad faltered, his body stiffening involuntarily. "I see."
She had caught his tone. "Sorry," she mumbled.
He did not say anything and the two were silent.
Chad stopped before a small wooden hut. The small garden was full of wild plants and a few broken pots - it was clear that no one took any care of it. The hut itself was old and worn, with a broken window. The front steps were covered with dirt and it was clear that no one had stepped on them in a long while.
"We're here," he told her quietly.
"But this place is deserted," She said in a low voice.
"I know," Chad replied, "No one lives here now. Do you know whose house this is?"
She shook her head.
"It's mine."
[][][][][][][][]
"Why are you not doing anything about this?"
"We do not have any proof."
"But you're the High King, Peter," Lucy said, "Surely, you don't need proof."
"I do, Lucy," Peter sighed. "Demetrius and Philip are Chad's most trusted advisers and you and Harry say that you overheard them -"
"Do you not believe Harry and I?"
"Yes, of course I do," Peter replied. "But think about it this way: I just can't just march out to Daelhr and tell the Lord that his counselors are plotting against him without any cold, hard facts supporting my claim. This must be done the proper way, otherwise things will get out of hand."
The Valiant Queen slumped back in her seat. Peter was right. But it was so difficult for her to stay calm when she knew that the life of someone she cared about was being threatened.
Demetrius and Philip were plotting against Chad - how could she just stay quiet about it?
She had to do something...anything... only she didn't know what.
Any attempt of talking to Chad would be useless. He was angry at her. He would never listen to her. She was sure that if Peter tried talking to him, he would listen. Chad respected Peter too much to ignore what the High King had to say.
But what Peter said made sense too... They could not simply barge into Daelhr and dismiss the most trusted counselors of the Lord of Daelhr when Chad was happy with them.
They needed proof. Some sort of evidence.
And Lucy could not think of how she would get it. She didn't even know why Demetrius and Philip hated Chad to begin with!
She wasn't going to be getting anywhere.
At least not while she was sitting here in Cair...
"I want to go to Daelhr," she said suddenly.
"I'm sorry?" Peter blinked in surprise.
"I said I want to go to Daelhr."
"Lu, you know how much seeing Chad and Alianna together hurt you last time," Peter said slowly. "I'm not going to let you go there so you could hurt yourself even more."
"Listen to me, let me go there. I'll try to find out Demetrius' motives."
"I cannot let you do that," Peter said. "It's too dangerous."
"But necessary."
"No."
"Are you going to sit quietly on the sidelines and watch them plot against Narnia?"
"Of course not!" Peter exclaimed. "How could you even say anything like that?"
"Then let me go," she said. "They don't know that I know about their secret, so they won't harm me."
Peter considered this. "But why would you want to go to Daelhr?" he asked. "I mean, everyone knows that you're not... on the best terms with Chad."
"I'm a Queen of Narnia. I should be allowed to go wherever I want."
Peter chuckled. "You have a point. But I'm just asking you what others might ask."
She considered that. "You're right." She sighed. "I'll come up with a reason, don't worry."
"If you can do that, then I think its okay that you go to Daelhr," Peter said. "You'll take Harry with you, of course. And I expect you to come back with fruitful results as soon as possible."
"I will."
"And I also want you to take care of yourself."
She smiled. "I will."
"And to not hurt yourself by becoming too attached with Chad."
Her smiled faltered.
"I know you love him, Luce and I know you're doing all of this for him," he said. "And I understand that. He is my friend too, I want him safe. But you have to let him go, he is not yours anymore."
"I don't want to talk about this."
"How long are you going to avoid this topic before you just accept the facts Lucy?"
"For as long as I can."
"Lucy..."
"Peter," the Valiant Queen took a deep breath, "Please." Her voice was firm.
He blinked in understanding. "I just don't like seeing you so sad."
"I know," she stood up and hugged him. "I'll be fine and happy. I promise."
"That's my little sister," Peter smiled, hugging her back.
[][][][][][][][]
Alianna silently followed her husband into the small, empty house. The door had creaked, the floor was dusty and spider-webs covered the walls of the place. The living room was tiny, with a small fireplace and a moth-eaten rug. A pair of simple wooden chairs was also there – one was broken and the other toppled over.
A door led to a small kitchen, with empty cabinets and a few pieces of mismatched crockery. Another door was broken off its hinges and it let to what seemed to be the bedroom – only there was no bed in it, just a mattress, which was probably infested by insects, and a table and a chair.
"The last time I was here was before I became the Lord of Daelhr," Chad spoke up, his eyes moving all over the place. "Before Kayla and I went to Cair to actually speak out for our rights."
"Why didn't you return?" Alianna asked.
"Because I'm a coward," he replied. "The memories I have of this place haunt me in the Ardross and I was scared that they would only become more frightening if I came here again."
Her mind bubbled with questions. What was the mystery of his past?
All she knew – all most people knew – was that Chad was Lord Bryce's abandoned child, a living proof of an affair he had after his wife's demise. Poverty had led Chad to work as a servant for Lord Alfred, the very man who, along with his friends, had ruined the life of Chad's sister.
She wanted to know more – to know in detail, but he never spoke of it.
Every other night, he had nightmares – he would toss and turn and sometimes scream in his sleep. And she would wake him up. But then, he would often get out of bed and pace around the room, insisting that he will be fine and that she should go to sleep.
Kayla was so kind to her. But there were times when she would be so cut-off from everyone, and Alianna wondered…
Her father and brother did not know the details, or if they did, they did not tell her.
But she wanted to know. This man was her husband – and she had a right to know about his past.
She could guess that he had a hard life, but the nightmares and the screaming?
How bad could it have been to break down a strong man like him?
She forced herself out of her thoughts and turned to see Chad dusting the chair that he had straightened.
"You can sit here," he said, "It won't break."
Alianna hesitated.
"It hasn't been infested by moths either."
Sit? Shouldn't we go back to the mansion now?
"I'm sorry, there is nothing better here and I know you're not used to such cheap things."
"Umm, no," she mumbled, walking over and taking a seat. "It's alright."
She silently watched as Chad placed the wood of the broken chair and found a matchbox in the kitchen. Soon, a fire was lit in the fireplace and Chad slumped down on the floor across from her, running his hands on the remains of the rug beneath him.
"Do you want to sit here?" she motioned towards the chair, feeling bad that the Lord of Daelhr was sitting on the bug-infested carpet.
He shook his head. "No, I'm fine." A sad smile lit his face. "I used to sleep here, on this carpet."
"You did?"
"I used to let my mother and sister have the mattress. It was so uncomfortable sleeping here and my body used to ache," he said. "But then my mother used to come out and I would act as if I was sleeping. She would put a blanket over me and kiss my brow and then the hard floor would feel like a bed of roses."
Alianna smiled. "You loved your mother."
"I did, until she died."
Alianna's mother was dead and she still loved her mother now. Then what was 'until she died' supposed to mean?
She looked at him questioningly.
He sighed. "I resented her after that. She left me alone with a sister that I could not take care of. I hated her for choosing peace and dooming me to chaos."
"Choosing?" Alianna asked.
"She committed suicide."
Alianna blinked, taking in this new piece of information. "I'm sorry."
"I hated her and I loved her and I missed her." Chad paused, his eyes narrowing as he stared at her intently. "You do not know the pitiful story of my life, right?"
Slowly, she shook her head.
"Would you like to know?"
She did want to know, but she could not bring herself to say 'yes'. Her mouth refused to form the word 'no' too.
And then Chad laughed – it was a bitter sound. "It's ironic," he said, "This is the exact room where I first told Lucy about my life."
Alianna did not know what to say to that.
She knew that Chad had feelings for the Valiant Queen but -
"Would you like to know?" he repeated his question.
"W-Why?" was all that left her mouth.
But strangely, he understood – she could see it in his eyes, the meaning of her question: why do you want to tell me?
He shrugged. "It feels right."
"Then tell me."
And he did.
He told her everything. Word by word, inch by inch his story moved forward and she could almost see it happening before her eyes.
From the meeting of his parents to his father not accepting him, from him being labeled as a bastard to him being bullied and beaten by the other boys, from Kayla befriending Alfred to her engagement to Joseph, from how Kayla was raped to how she went mad after Joseph left her, and from his mother committing suicide to him going to Alfred and his friends and shouting at them – he told her everything.
Tears of rage and grief rolled down his cheeks and tremors ran through his body. He took deep breaths to calm himself, but it didn't work so he continued his story.
"No!" The whisper or horror left Alianna's mouth when he told her about Alfred slicing open his back.
He smiled sadly. "Yes."
She shook her head. "They couldn't d-do that," her voice shook. "Y-You were just a boy at that time. They c-couldn't be that bad."
The two stared at each other in silence for a while.
And then he pulled off his tunic.
Alianna quickly looked away.
"Alianna," he said softly, "Look at me."
She did not respond, biting her lip lightly.
"Look at me," this time it was an order.
She turned and gasped.
His back was facing her and on his back were two long scars – healed but reminder of his pain nonetheless.
"Oh my," she gasped.
"Alfred's gift to me," he said bitterly.
Alianna got off the chair and kneeled on the rug, her eyes now tearing up as she stared at the wounds. Without thinking, she reached out and brushed her fingers over one of the scars.
As quick as lighting, Chad turned to face her, his face reflecting shock.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled. "Did it hurt?"
"No."
"It's so unfair."
"Life is unfair, Alianna." He repeated his words from earlier that day as he put his tunic back on.
Alianna slumped against the wall, no longer caring that she was sitting on a moth infected rug, as her tears finally flowed.
Chad sat down next to her. "I'm sorry."
"What happened after that?"
He didn't reply for a long while. But then, he started speaking again, and he finished his storyof how he had to work for Alfred, being tortured by him in all forms for years, and also taking care of Kayla who was completely unstable at that time.
"It cannot be described in words," he said. "The time I spent working for Alfred. Every time I would be around him, he would look at me and smirk. And his eyes would say to me 'I ruined your life and you're too week to do anything about it'. I hated him, but I had to obey him. For that I loathe myself."
"It was not your fault."
"I'll never be able to forgive myself."
"You didn't do anything."
"And yet I suffered. I suffered all my life."
She didn't have a reply to that. And he knew that.
Silence took hold of them.
Then, summoning up her courage, Alianna reached out and brushed her fingers on the back of his hand.
He turned to her and their eyes locked.
"You were brave," she murmured. "Not everyone has the courage to go through all of that. It would have been easy to choose the path your mother went on, but you stayed and suffered. It takes courage to do that."
He blinked and looked away, clearly surprised by her words. He reached out and slipped his hand into hers, his eyes fixed on their intertwined fingers. "... No one has ever said that to me." he said. "Thank you."
She smiled slightly but her curiosity won. "What happened then?"
He looked back at her as he pulled his hand away. "… And then that day Alfred thought that it would be interesting to take me to Cair when he was going for his wedding," Chad said. "I didn't want to leave Kayla behind but I had to. Perhaps that was some new way of pushing me into further depression."
"And then?"
He wiped his face with the back of his hands, not meeting her gaze. "That is a different story for another day," he told her. "Oh look! It is dark already. I had a meeting with Philip and Demetrius and I think I've missed it."
She remained quiet.
"Time to go," Chad got on his feet and held out a hand for her. "Come on."
She didn't take it, but she simply stared at him.
"What?" He asked after a few moments.
"You met Queen Lucy there, didn't you?"
With a sigh, his hand dropping to his side. "Yes. And she pulled me out of my shell and taught me to stand up for my rights," the words left his mouth slowly, hesitantly, "She changed me… but I do not want to talk about her, alright?"
She nodded.
"… Thank you," Chad said after a short while, "For listening."
"You're welcome, milord."
"It was not my intention on visiting this place but I saw you talking to those children and…" he trailed off, seeming unsure, "And I felt that you needed to know about my past."
She did not say anything, trying to figure out what he meant by that.
"I mean, when I was talking to Terry," he went on, "I could almost feel your confusion. You were wondering why I was talking to him and showing him such kindness. I thought you should know why."
"It was because you didn't want that boy to be lonely," she said, understanding dawning on her, "Like you were in your childhood."
He nodded.
The two lapsed into silence.
"We should leave," Alianna murmured.
"Yes we should," Chad said, holding out his hand once again.
This time, she took it and they walked out into the deserted alley, back towards the Ardross Mansion.
All that night, and throughout the next few days that passed, Alianna could not help but wonder about all that he had told her, and she could not help but see her husband in a new light.
[][][][][][][][]
"I'm telling you Adeline, our bedroom is haunted," The Gentle Queen told her sister-in-law during lunch.
"I'm sorry," Isabel interrupted. "Did you just say 'haunted'?"
"Yes."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because every night we hear giggling noises," Susan explained. "And it is not just any giggling, it is this strange kind of giggling - the one that irritates you."
"Of course," Caspian interrupted, "Every night, Susan gets more and more scared than irritated."
"Caspian, hearing giggling noises in your room way after midnight is not normal," Susan said, worried, "It is creepy. It means there is a ghost in our room."
"Please tell me that you don't seriously believe that?" Peter asked, gulping down water.
"What other explanation can there be for the sounds then?"
"Su is right, Pete," Edmund said, "If they're hearing sounds and there is no one in the room but her and Caspian, then it has to be some ghost."
"I don't know," Peter said, "The idea of a ghost haunting a King's and a Queen's bedchambers makes no sense to me."
"And not to mention that the ghost is not scary," Lucy piped in, "But it is a giggling ghost."
"The ghosts that seem unharmful are the more dangerous ones," Edmund stated.
"And how would you know so much about ghosts?"
"I read about them."
Everyone stared at the Just King.
"What?" Edmund asked uncomfortably.
"You read about them?" Lucy asked incredulously, "I didn't think you could do that."
"Very funny, Luce," Edmund rolled his eyes.
"No seriously," Isabel said, "You never read."
"Well I did," Edmund shrugged. "A few months ago, Susan was trying to lure me into discussing the ballroom decorations with her and I found that reading is better than doing that."
Peter laughed. "It sure is."
"So, I picked up a book randomly," the Just King explained. "And it turns out that it was about ghosts."
"Interesting," Peter said thoughtfully, staring at his brother for a moment before standing up. "Well, I think I'll go and see what the kids are up to before I return to my work."
[][][][][][][][]
"Milord," Alianna said one morning when Chad walked out of the wash-chambers.
"Hmm?"
"I was wondering..." she trailed off hesitantly.
"What is it?" he asked indifferently, running a towel through his wet hair.
"Can I visit my father today and spend the day at the Fulton Manor?" she asked slowly.
Chad paused, turning to look at her. "You wish to spend the day there?"
"I promise I'll be back before nightfall," she said quickly. "It's just that... I haven't seen the place since our wedding."
"Fulton manor is the place where you grew up. You don't have to ask my permission to go there." he told her.
"I just thought -"
"Just because you married me does not mean you are in a cage," he said kindly. "I see you hesitating, wondering and asking my permission before you do even the tiniest of things. You don't have to do that. You're the lady of the house. Do as you please."
She smiled. "Thank you."
He shrugged, throwing the towel on the couch and reaching out for his jerkin.
Alianna reached out and picked up the towel. "Don't do that," she said, her soft voice slightly disapproving, "The couch will get wet."
"Sorry," he mumbled.
Shy and quiet, Alianna still acted like a typical wife at times.
[][][][][][][][]
It was dark. A male figure approached a door cautiously. He reached out for the doorknob when someone collided into him – hard.
His reflexes kicked into action, and he pushed his attacked off him, ready to bring about an assault of his own.
His attacker, however, anticipated his move and quickly grasped his arms, pinning them to his back and pushing him against a wall. "I knew it." he said, his voice a whisper.
And Edmund let out a sigh of relief. "Peter!" he exclaimed. "Why did you attack me like that?"
"I know your defense tricks too well, Ed," The High King said, letting go of his brother. "It was so easy overwhelming you."
"Now you're just showing off."
"I'm merely saying you need to come up with new defense tactics if you want to stop losing to me."
"I can win," Edmund said, "I just didn't put all of my effort into defense right now."
"Really?"
"Yes," Edmund rubbed the back of his neck. "It is highly unlikely that anyone would breach all the security and then find me here and attack me. So, I subconsciously knew that it had to be someone from the family."
Peter shrugged, leaning against the wall. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Ed," his blue eyes glared at him. "Not that you're getting any sleep these nights."
"That is private between me and Adeline, keep your nose out of –"
"Not that, you idiot!" Peter hit his brother on the head. "I meant this."
"What?" Edmund asked innocently.
"What are you doing outside Caspian's room at this time of the night?"
"I must have been sleepwalking."
"And I'm a ballerina dancer."
Edmund's eyes widened. "Really?"
"No!" Peter said, annoyed. "You're the giggling ghost, right?"
Edmund sighed. "How did you guess?"
"It wasn't that hard. I mean come on – what kind of a lame ghost giggles?" Peter asked. "And the casual way you were acting, it was so obvious."
"Did you tell Susan and Caspian?"
"No."
"Do you think they know?"
"I don't think so."
A smile spread across Edmund's face. "In that case, if you would excuse me…" With that, the Just King slowly crept into the room.
Peter decided to stay outside, but he pressed his ear against the door, listening closely. A few moments of silence passed and then he heard the most annoying and creepy giggling sound ever.
"Oh my goodness, the ghost has returned!" Susan's shriek was heard. "Wake up, Caspian! The ghost is laughing again."
"Let me sleep!"
The High King bit his lip to keep from laughing out loud. Edmund was good.
"How could you even say that?" Susan asked.
"Look, I'm tired and that arrogant big brother of yours planned a really busy day for us kings tomorrow." A pause, "I think he is still mad about that little argument we had that day."
That wiped the smile off Peter's face. Arrogant, eh? I'll show him arrogant.
"That is nothing new. Peter and you have had millions of arguments. You two have a very strange friendship."
"We do," A pause, "Can we return to sleep now?"
The 'ghost' giggled again.
"Oh Aslan, please make this ghost go away!" Susan was saying.
"Susan, try to sleep!"
It was silent for a few minutes.
Peter frowned. What was going on?
And then the door opened and Edmund crawled out, closing it quietly.
"There," he said, standing up and dusting off his trousers. "That is the giggling ghost for today!"
"Impressive," Peter said, "Where did you hide?"
"That's a secret," Edmund replied as the two started walking down the hallway. "You're going to put Caspian through hell tomorrow for calling you arrogant, right?"
"I'm thinking about it."
Edmund shook his head. "Su is right. You two have a weird friendship."
"We do," Peter smiled. "How long are you planning on being the ghost?"
"For as long as Susan doesn't figure it out."
Peter chuckled. "She seemed pretty frightened."
"Oh, she is," Edmund laughed. "Caspian is more… indifferent though. At first, he was pretty freaked out. But I guess he has just accepted the fact that a ghost lives in his chambers now."
"Or maybe he just cannot give up his sleep."
"I always knew he is a smart man," the Just King stated, "And I'm not being sarcastic."
Peter thought over it for a few seconds. "Who cares if there is a ghost in our bedroom? I love my sleep," he said, "Yeah, Caspian is smart."
[][][][][][][][]
"Ready?" Philip asked.
Chad made an exasperated face. "Yes, I suppose."
"Look, I'm telling you," he said, "Just kill him."
Chad shook his head. "Don't be stupid. That will only lead to rebellion."
"Sometimes I wish you weren't so logical."
Chad chuckled. "Believe me when I say that I was extremely close to being illogical when Demetrius said that it was time to take a break."
"I know," Philip laughed. "I saw your face. Talan does that to people."
"I think my face was the reason Demetrius announced that it was time for lunch!"
"It was." A pause. "And you didn't even join them for lunch. Father said Talan and his friends were not very happy about it."
Chad shrugged. "Go to the meeting room," he said. "I'll just grab a few records from my study and see you there."
Philip nodded.
Chad massaged his temple with the tip of his finger and walked to his study.
Don't kill him. Don't kill him. Don't kill him.
He chanted those three words again and again in his head.
Talan was the leader of the labour force in the city - the rebelling labour force in the city. That man had been causing much trouble for months now and Chad had tried to negotiate with him time and again...
… Just like he was trying to do so this day.
After two hours of arguments, Demetrius had suggested that they pause the meeting for lunch and Chad had gladly accepted the idea, hoping that some free time will help sate his headache and growing anger.
But that had not happened.
His head was pounding and he continuously had to remind himself that pulling out his sword and killing Talan will only create more problems than solving the ones he was already facing.
Chad walked into his study and ruffled through his papers, cursing Talan for even causing an uprising amongst the labour.
There was a knock on the door.
"Yes?" he asked absently, looking through the drawers in search for the papers he needed.
"Milord?" A voice he recognized as Alianna's said.
"Yes, Alianna?"
"You didn't eat lunch with Kayla and me."
"I haven't really done that since our wedding."
"But I was told that you did not dine with your guests as well."
"So?"
"You should eat."
"I'm not hungry," he said and then sighed in frustration.
"... Is something wrong, milord?"
"I can't a some very important papers," he said. "I remember leaving them on the desk."
She didn't say anything.
He glanced at her for the first time since she had come. Wearing a full sleeved dress of light yellow, she stood by the door, her blue eyes on him. "Did someone come here?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Who?"
She hesitated. "I told a few maids to clean your study," she replied, her voice low.
He blinked, his irritation increasing. "Without my permission?"
"I thought -"
"What did you think?" he asked through gritted teeth. "There is a reason why I don't allow anyone in my study, Alianna. I have important things here - things that I'd prefer everyone keeping their hands and eyes away from."
"I'm sorry," she said, looking worried.
He turned away from her. "Go away," he ordered. "I'm busy."
She didn't speak again but he knew that she was still standing there.
"I think I told you to go."
"I'm sorry."
"I'll talk to you later, alright?" he said, forcing his voice to remain calm. "I'm busy looking for some important papers at the moment."
"I told them n-not to touch your things."
"Now now, Alianna."
He felt her move closer to him. "I-I can help you look for the -"
"I said not now!" Chad shouted, turning around to face his startled wife. "You've helped me enough, thank you very much."
"I... I -"
"Who in the world gave you the right to have my study cleaned?" he asked, his voice still loud as he glared at her. "And now thanks to you, I'm late for the damn meeting and Talan will waste not a single moment in taunting me about my non-serious attitude. And then I'll have no evidence whatsoever supporting my arguments."
Her lower lip trembled and she lowered her head.
"Oh, don't use that innocent face of yours to cover up your stupidity!" he snapped and stormed out of the room.
Mind wrapped up in fury and irritation, the Lord of Daelhr entered the meeting room, only to find everybody sitting in their seats and staring at him.
"Gentlemen," he nodded and sat down at the head of the table.
"My Lord Chad, you're late."
Just like I thought, he thought grimly and looked at the man who had said that. Tall and broad chested, Talan sat on a few seats away on Chad's left, a small smirk his face.
"Ah, yes, I was... occupied," Chad said. "My apologies."
"There is no need to apologize, milord, but I cannot wonder what kept you from your duty of being here," Talan said, leaning back in his seat as he looked around the table, "Surely, nothing is more important than the matter of peace in our beloved city."
"I think I'm concerned about the peace of this city more than you, Talan," Chad said coldly, "Perhaps that is why I'm still here, willing to negotiate with you even though you've broken your promises to me time and again."
He didn't reply, but his cold brown eyes glared at him as he smiled and inclined his head. "Milord."
"Talan," Demetrius spoke up, "We've asked you to stop the strikes and the rallies against Lord Chad and you have not done so."
"Well, when one does not get enough food to feed the entire family, it becomes hard not to protest."
Philip tilted his head to the side. "Tell me, Talan," he said, "Didn't your father own a small farm in the city?"
"What does that have to do with this?"
"And you not only grow crops there but you also own a cow?"
"But -"
"And from what reports tell me, most of the months your family has sufficient food to eat," Philip continued, "And over the last few months, you've had surplus of production that you sell in the market."
"Yes, so?"
"So, surely a man like yourself could donate this food to your fellow workers instead of selling it in the market."
Talan's eyes narrowed. "The land does not always remain fertile," he snapped. "What will I do when I do not grow enough food?"
"I'm not talking about the future, I'm talking about the present."
"It is not my duty to feed the people of Daelhr, it's his." Talan said, pointing towards Chad.
"You're right," Chad said. "It is mine -"
"But aren't we all supposed to work together to increase the welfare of our city?" Philip asked.
"We are, and those who do donate what they could spare are very kind," Chad said calmly. "However, if Talan decides to sell his crops, it is his choice and we have no say in that personal matter of his."
"You don't," Talan agreed, shooting Philip a glare. "In any case, I'm not here to discuss the food my family gets to eat -"
"But you're here to complain that you don't have enough of it nonetheless," Philip pointed out.
Chad hid a smiled. Philip had argued all about Talan's farm to bring him to this point. Smart man.
And now Chad decided to step in. "I'm afraid I must agree with Philip here," he said, "Isn't that what your entire campaign is based on? Less income, less money, less food? If you and your family has enough of it, I don't see why you're rebelling."
Talan seemed to be in thought for a moment. "I do it for my friends, for those who are almost dying of starvation."
"How noble of you." Chad leaned back in his seat. "No one in my city is dying of starvation, Talan, I've made sure of that."
"That is what you think." he sneered. "The view from this huge mansion of yours must not portray the poverty well... or perhaps you're too blind to see it."
"You will not speak to him like that," Demetrius said firmly. "He is your ruler and you -"
"Demetrius, please," Chad raised a hand to stop him before turning to Talan. "I said no one is dying of starvation in Daelhr. I never said that there is no poverty."
Talan stared silently at him for a minute. Then - "Why don't you just give the people what they want?"
"And what do they want?" Chad asked, "I'm sorry but all those strikes where you blocked the streets, scared the children with your shouts of protests and disrupted the everyday life of citizens, did not make it clear to me what you wanted."
"We want more payment." He spat. "You're making us work like animals -"
"Work?" Chad asked incredulously. "You and your labour has not showed up for work in the last two months!"
"You all were going on strikes when we had to visit Cair about three months ago," Demetrius began, "And when we returned, Lord Chad did raise your income and you all were fine with it. You even started working. Everything was going on fine until you decided to rebel again two months ago. Why is that?"
"Because we want more raise."
"And I want to dominate the world," Philip snorted. "We all have our insane fantasies, don't we?"
"Philip," Demetrius warned in a low voice.
"I am paying you more than enough for what you all do," Chad said. "Comparing what you do and what you earn to the earnings of the same amount of work to different cities of Narnia and even beyond, you will realize that what you get is much more than many others."
Talan looked at him and nodded. "And where are these statistics?" he held out a hand. "I'd like to see them."
Chad faltered. "I... I do not have them."
Talan smirked. "Your seriousness and devotion to solving the matters of the city is exceptional, my lord."
Those words, dipped in sarcasm, hit Chad like daggers. Every eye was on him, gauging his reaction and he focused all his attention on keeping his face blank.
A knock on the door made them all turn.
"Come in," Chad called.
A servant walked in and bowed.
"I thought I had made it clear that we were not to be disturbed," Chad said.
"Yes, milord," she inclined her head as she moved towards him. "But I brought the papers you asked for."
Chad almost frowned as he reached out and took the sheets of parchment she was holding out.
One glance at the papers filled his heart with relief.
"Philip," he said, holding out the papers to him, "Pass these to Talan, please. He was eager to examine these statistics."
"Of course."
"Thank you," Chad said to the servant, "You may go."
"And this is for you," she said, holding out a folded note to him.
Confused, he took it and she walked out of the room.
'Lord Chad' the note said on the outside. He had not seen this slanted writing before. He wasn't sure whom it was from and if he should read it now or not.
He glanced at the people around the table. Talan was reading the papers, his face going pale (much to Chad's satisfaction), a few people were looking at him, the rest at him.
Chad decided to open it. It was short and to the point.
Lord Chad,
I did not mean to cause you so much trouble. I promise I shall never cross my limits and do such a thing again. I hope you can forgive me.
Alianna.
And Chad let out a breath.
That is how those papers were here. She had looked for them and sent them to the meeting.
But this was not the time to think about that. Folding the paper quickly, Chad shoved it into his pocket and turned back to look at Talan.
Silence for a few minutes.
"So, you pay us more than a few other cities," Talan said dismissively, placing the papers aside.
Chad could not help but smirk. "I believe it is more than just a few cities."
Talan glared at him. "We're still not happy."
"No man ever is."
"We need more payment," Talan said angrily. "You will have to pay us more."
"I'm afraid I cannot do that," Chad said firmly. "I cannot empty the treasury just to satisfy your demands."
"You can have a grand wedding, spend who knows how much on the decorations and the food but when it comes to paying the labour, the treasury gets burdened?"
Chad's eyes hardened. "Not a single unit of money that belonged to the people of Daelhr was spent on my wedding."
"Then how were you able to have such an extravagant event?"
"That is personal."
"I don't think it is."
"My wedding was financed by my money and by Demetrius', who happens to be the father of my wife," Chad said coldly.
Talan's eyes narrowed. "No offense milord, but how did you have so much money?" he asked. "Were you not a mere servant who polished his lord's boots once?"
"Enough!" Philip slammed his hand on the table, hard. "How dare you talk to him like that?"
"Do not do the mistake of thinking that you can cross your limits," Chad said, his voice dangerously low as his emerald eyes hardened. Somehow, his cold anger seemed much more threatening than Philip's outburst. "Watch your tongue before I decide that it is best to pull it out of your throat, Talan."
Talan's face paled, though he refused to shrink back. "I have a right to know."
"You do," Chad agreed. "But there is a proper way of demanding your rights - that is something you must learn."
"If this is about the strike -"
"This is about all of it." Chad paused. "And to answer your question, I, too, receive an income that comes from the Kings and Queens of Narnia. Governing Daelhr is my job and I do not do it for free and neither did any of the Lords that were there before me."
Talan did not say anything so Chad continued.
"However, I do not think that I have to give you any explanation of my finances." He said. "As for your demands, I've raised the amount paid to each of the workers and still you are not happy."
"It is not enough," Talan stated once again. "We want a greater raise in our income."
"I'm afraid that is not possible."
"I'm afraid that stopping this rebellion against you will not be possible either, then." His tone was the same as Chad's. "There will be more strikes, more rallies, more rebellions until you succumb to our demands."
"I can have you arrested for what you're doing," Chad threatened.
"But you won't, because you know that you'll be making me a hero by doing that."
"No, I won't," Chad said, "But because I don't think that your wife will be able to raise those three sons and two daughters and take care of your old father all by herself."
Silence.
Talan opened his mouth and closed it again. Then, sneering, he said, "That was a low blow, even for you, don't you think?"
Chad smiled. "Oh believe me Talan, that wasn't even a blow." he paused. "I've had enough of this. If you want to solve this matter anytime soon, you will have to be willing to cooperate."
"We are willing to cooperate, milord," Talan said, "If you want to stop this rebellion, you will have to accept our demands."
"Perhaps your vocabulary is weak, Talan," Philip growled, "For that is not cooperating, that is blackmailing."
"We want a raise in our incomes."
"I refuse to do so," Chad said firmly, his voice hard and filled with authority. "And I'm going to stop any funds that you and your friends receive. If you want money, you'll have to earn it."
Talan stood up. "Is that your decision, milord?"
Chad held his head high. "It is."
"Then only you are responsible for the consequences of your decision." With that, Talan strode out of the room.
There you go. How was it? Do tell...
Oh and I'm sure you all guessed where the idea of the giggling ghost came from. From our very own Kleimo - thank you for the inspiration but I still hate you for scaring me, you stupid snoring ghost! :P
And now for the review replies:
Peace-Love-Jackson: thank you. The fluff between Channa is very interesting to write! :)
MiaAndOak: No, you were right. There was supposed to be a question mark there... my bad! :P As for who 'E' is... I can't say. You'll have to wait till we decide to reveal that!
strawberry567: I cannot see Chad divorcing Alianna but I also cannot see him being so far away from Lucy too... gosh! I've put him in a hard place right?
LuMezenga: Nope, this other brother of Alianna was not introduced before. As for the kids, you'll be seeing a lot of them but you'll just have to be a bit patient. Please?
HighQueenP: yeah, the ghost thingy really happened. It was weird... And Cat is fine now. As for the kids, you'll be seeing a lot of them but you'll just have to be a bit patient. I know what your favorite characters are and who you want to see. You'll see them because Cat and I have planned a lot about the others as well but you'll have to wait for that...
[No Name] and ReadingWritingMusic1995: Thank you. I'm glad you liked it.
Nimneniel: yes well, I love ruining my character's lives with drama... and from what I've learnt about Cat, she loves it too. We're evil and mean. So yup, you'll be seeing lots of drama, I assure you! :P
LuvNarnia: Thank you! Honestly, right now - I have no plans of writing any one-shot or other story in the Destiny series (Idk what else to call it!). And as I mentioned in above replies, you'll get to see the kids. Just wait a bit! ... Oh, you reviewed twice. Well, like I said - blame education for the delay and not me! ;)
Calyn: Finally someone said what I really wanted to hear! I mean, sure I love Harry being a gentleman but enough is enough, right?
Shweirbones: Well, the prank just begun! :P And yes you'll see the others as well... stay tuned for that!
Anon: Here was a short summary. I couldn't add more, but I hope this helps you in remembering.
[No Name 2]: uhh, I have no idea about Chad's reaction. I don't even know if Harry is going to end up with Kayla or not. Joking. I know what I've planned for Harry, I'm just not gonna tell you now! :P As for the summary, here you go. Hope it helped.
yunaxxshadow: You'll have to wait for that!
That's it for now.
Until next time... OH and
REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW
VVVVV
VVV
V