Hey!

We know. We know you want to kill us for not updating for sooooo long. And you all are right. But hear us out:

Firstly, we both had our finals - that lasted till mid-May and they were kinda important so we couldn't write.

Then the vacations started and I (Ennarre) returned back to my country to visit my family from college... I was seeing them after a year and well, i got busy.

We've been working on this chapter for a month now but it is extremely difficult to coordinate with each other because we're both in different continents (America and Asia, by the way) and we've got a bloody 10 hour time difference that annoys the crap out of us!

We thought of posting up an authors note, but putting up an update saying 'we weren't able to write, sorry, but we will update soon' would have been just cruel so we didn't do it.

We're very very VERY sorry for not updating and we thank you all for sticking to this story after all that. We really do appreciate it :)

Here is the next chapter... read, enjoy and review! Please?

Disclaimer: Narnia not ours, dude!

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Desires and Destiny

Chapter 18

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Lucy walked towards Chad's chambers, papers in one hand. She needed him to go through the trade agreements and sign them.

She had thought about it for a long time, but in the end, she had decided to stay in Daelhr. Going to Cair now wouldn't do much good; the other monarchs were already looking for Caleb and Estella. Lucy needed to stay here and figure out Demetrius' plans… and also if he was behind the kidnapping or not. She wrote to Peter about her decision, and he agreed.

The Valiant Queen was about to knock on the door of Chad's chambers when it opened and she found herself face to face with a startled Alianna.

"My Queen!" she exclaimed. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Lucy said, stepping back. "You seemed to be in a hurry."

"I was just… going to see Philip."

"Well, I'm here to see Chad," Lucy told her. "I want him to sign these papers."

"He can't," Alianna said, opening the door, "He is sleeping and I would like it if you didn't wake him up, my queen."

Lucy glanced inside and hid a smile. Sure enough, Chad lay on the bed, fast asleep. He always looked like a little child in his sleep. "He should rest."

Alianna hesitated. "Actually, I… wanted to talk to you about that." A small pause. "I think you should not send him so many documents and have so many discussions with him."

Lucy raised an eyebrow. Is Alianna telling me to stop speaking with Chad? "And why is that?" she asked.

"You were there when the healer told him to rest."

"I know," Lucy said, "The only reason I volunteered to run the city is so that Chad could rest and get better."

"But he is working. He spends most of his time discussing matters with you or reading the papers you give him."

"He is the governor of Daelhr and he has a right to know and decide what goes on in the city. That is why I consult matters with him while trying to keep the work burden on him to a minimum."

"You know Lord Chad, my queen. He takes it too seriously." Alianna said with a sigh, "He was up half the night working."

Lucy was quiet for a second. "I'll talk to him."

"Don't."

"Why not?"

"Because then he will be angry at me."

"And if you don't let him work at all, he will be angry at everyone," Lucy stated. "It has been more than two weeks and he has been stuck in bed. What do you expect him to do all day, stare at the ceiling?"

"I just… want him to get better."

"And I don't?"

Alianna stared at her. "Of course you do, my Queen. I didn't mean to offend you," she spoke slowly. "I know you care for him and that is why I'm –"

"I get it." Lucy snapped. "I'll talk to Chad and don't worry, he will not be angry with you."

"Thank you."

Lucy nodded. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"You…" Lucy trailed off, unsure. "You know what, never mind."

Alianna looked confused but Lucy didn't wait for her to say anything. She turned and walked away.

She had meant to ask Alianna about her argument with Philip – ask in an innocent way, of course. But somehow, that didn't seem like the right thing to do. She wanted to gain Philip's and Demetrius' trust, not make them suspicious of her... and asking Alianna would do just that.

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

It was late afternoon and Chad was sitting on the couch, reading a few papers. The stitches had been removed from his leg a day ago, and so far he had been able to stand up and limp all the way over to the couch, which wasn't much, but it was a change and he was glad.

His mind, however, was on many things: Work, Estella and Caleb, Lucy, Alianna and the damn pain in his wounds.

He glanced at his wife, who was sitting quietly on the bed, playing with a lock of her hair. Her eyes were unfocused and she seemed to be deep in thought… somewhere far away from here. He could tell that Alianna was troubled because of something but whenever he asked her, she denied it. And he didn't like seeing her like this.

He leaned back, grimacing as his wounds ached. Taking a deep breath, he decided to resume reading. That was when he noticed Alianna was staring at him, her lips pursed tightly and large amounts of disapproval in her eyes. She had probably seen his discomfort as he moved.

"Don't look at me like that," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Like what, milord?"

"Like you are going to give me a long lecture about my attitude."

"I'm not," she said. "It's pointless anyway."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"You don't listen to me," she said, flicking back her hair. "So I'm not going to say anything anymore."

Chad chuckled. "Am I making you angry?"

"No."

"Oh really?" he asked, waving the papers in his hands. "And this doesn't bother you?"

"… No."

"You're a bad liar," he grinned. A pause. "Thank you."

She frowned. "For what?"

"For being so stern," he said. "It shows that you care."

"It is my duty, milord," she said in a soft voice.

"Asking me if I needed anything every now and then was," he agreed, "But staying up all those nights just to make sure if I was comfortable enough was not your duty, Alianna… And neither was arguing with Lucy about my well-being."

She looked up at him, surprised. "You were sleeping."

He had been. But then Alianna's and Lucy's voices woke him up and he pretended that he was sleeping, listening to them as they argued over him. "Apparently, I wasn't."

Alianna did not say anything.

"Lucy is not overburdening me; It is I who likes to work all the time," he told her. "You shouldn't argue with her."

"I was just –"

"She means well, Alianna."

"I know," Alianna bit her lip before continuing in a small voice. "She doesn't like me, though."

So, Alianna had noticed Lucy's cold behavior. He had wondered at times if Alianna even noticed how unfriendly Lucy could be towards her. But considering how their lives were intertwined, he couldn't bring himself to blame Lucy for it… nor did he think that Alianna was to blame. Him, yes. Them, no. He had not handled things the best way – but considering the circumstances, he had done the best he could; he had broken up with Lucy and had proposed to Alianna…

Chad sighed. "I'm sure that's not true."

Alianna looked like she didn't believe him. "I think… I think I offended her."

He shut his eyes. This was something he didn't want to talk about, but knew he had to. "You're the one who broached the topic," he said. "You shouldn't have done that."

Realization flickered across her face.

"Lucy and I, we have a past in which we were together," Chad said slowly, unsure if he himself wanted to talk about the things he had locked deep within himself. "You know about that... Things didn't work out the way we wanted, but we have this strange bond – like a tension – and we want to get rid of it, but can't. Or... at least I can't."

"You cannot forget her," Alianna murmured.

He could have sworn he heard hurt in her voice. "It's not about whether or not I can forget her," he said honestly. "It's about whether or not I want think about those memories. I don't. And I doubt Lucy wants to either. You have to understand that we're both trying to move on and it's not as easy as it sounds."

Waiting long enough to see Alianna nod, Chad returned to his papers. He didn't want to continue this discussion.

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

Chad placed the papers on the table before him. He was done reading. Now all he had to do was meet Lucy in an hour to discuss some work.

He smiled. He had insisted that they meet in his study. He missed his refuge so much, and now that he could walk again – painfully, with a limp – he was going to use his legs and get out of this damn room. He was tired of seeing the same walls and the same ceiling and the same everything!

Lucy, of course, had objected but he had been persistent and in the end, she grudgingly agreed.

Rubbing the back of his neck, he looked up at his wife. She had not moved at all in the last hour. She was staring at the wall blankly, her hands in her lap, mind far away. But the more closely he observed her, the more he realized that she seemed scared. Her skin was paler than usual, her lower lip trembled every once in a while and her hands were fisted so tight that the knuckles had turned white.

Chad frowned as he got up and limped over to her. "Alianna?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She started in surprise. "Y-Yes?" she asked, relaxing once she realized that it was him.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes."

He narrowed his eyes. "What were you thinking about?"

"It's nothing, milord," she spoke. "I'm fine."

"No you're not," he said. "I noticed how uncomfortable you've been over the last few days, especially since you heard about Caleb's and Estella's kidnapping."

Alianna bit her lip.

He looked at her closely. "Do you know something that I should know?"

Her eyes widened. "N-No."

"Then what is it, Anna?"

"I just… cannot believe that they have been kidnapped," she said. "They're just little kids. I can only imagine the state they're in."

"I know," Chad sighed. "I'm worried about them too. I've known them since they were born and they're the sweetest kids I've ever known."

"I just hope the Kings and Queens find them soon."

He gave her a small smile. "I'm sure they will." He said. "I know the Kings well, and they won't rest until they find their kids and punish their kidnapper."

Alianna nodded, her eyes moving down to their intertwined fingers. "You called me Anna." she stated after a short while.

"Your name can be too long at times," he told her. "I'd like to call you Anna on occasion, if you don't mind."

"I don't." A beautiful smile lit her face.

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

"Ok Hadiya," Kayla started. "Let's continue where we left off in the old story of how the White Witch was conquered. Now where did we leave off?"

Kayla was sitting on one of the cushioned chairs in the library while Hadiya—no matter how many times Kayla had asked her to sit up—was lying on her stomach on the ground in front of the chair, her chin propped up on her hands as her legs kicked lazily in the air. They were in the library as Kayla taught Hadiya some history, specifically of the start of the Golden Age when the Kings and Queens first came to Narnia.

Chloe—much to Kayla's annoyance—was also in the library, dusting the bookshelves while secretly listening in to Hadiya's lesson.

"We left off when the Kings and Queens were in the Beaver's den," Hadiya said cheerfully. On the inside, she was bored with the history lessons, but externally she faked cheerfulness to please Kayla.

"That's right!" Kayla said happily, quickly finding the place where she had left off. "Let's see... Ah! Here we are! 'None of the children knew who Aslan was any more than you do; but the moment the Beaver had spoken these words everyone felt quite different. Perhaps it has sometimes happened to you in a dream that someone says something which you don't understand but in the dream it feels as if it had some enormous meaning—either a terrifying one which turns the whole dream into a nightmare or else a lovely meaning too lovely to put into words, which makes the dream so beautiful that you remember it all your life and are always wishing you could get into that dream again. It was like that now. At the name of Aslan each one of the children felt something jump in it's inside. Edmund felt a sensation of mysterious horror. Peter felt suddenly brave and adventurous. Susan felt as if some delicious smell or some delightful strain of music had just floated by her. And Lucy got the feeling you have when you wake up in the morning and realize that it is the beginning of the holidays or the beginning of Summer.'"

"I love that part."

Kayla and Hadiya looked up at the sound of the male voice and saw Harry leaning against the frame of the door.

"H-arry," Hadiya whined teasingly. "Shh," she motioned with her finger to her lips for him to be silent as she turned her attention back to Kayla.

Harry gave Kayla a small smile in apology before he spotted Chloe and walked over to her.

Swallowing the jealousy that was starting to build up, Kayla turned away from them and noticed that she had dropped her book in her lap. Picking it up, she realized that the page must have turned, but she continued as if she hadn't missed the few pages.

""Aslan?" said Mr. Beaver. "Why, don't you know? He's the King. He's the Lord of the whole wood, but not often here, you understand. Never in my time or my father's time. But the word has reached us that he has come back. He is in Narnia at this moment. He'll settle the White Queen all right. It is he, not you, that will save Mr. Tumnus."

"Is—is he a man?" asked Lucy.

"Aslan a man!" Mr. Beaver said sternly. "Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea. Don't you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion—the Lion, the great Lion."

"Ooh!" said Susan, "I'd thought he was a man. Is he—quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion."

"That you will, dearie, and no mistake," said Mrs. Beaver; "if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly.""

Kayla was finding it was becoming increasingly difficult to focus as Harry and Chloe started giggling in the corner. Refusing to let the jealousy get to her, Kayla rolled her eyes and settled into her chair, bracing herself for the long lesson.

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

"Am I late?" Chad asked as he walked into his study. He had had it unlocked and told the servants to allow Lucy in for the meeting.

"Only twenty minutes," Lucy told him, her eyes on some sheets before her. "What happened?"

"I…" he trailed off, running a hand through his hair sheepishly, "got held up."

She looked up at him and frowned. "What?"

"Never mind," he said as he took his seat. It felt good to be back in his chair after a couple of weeks. At Lucy's raised eyebrows, he rolled his eyes and explained, "I took a long time roaming around the mansion."

"Take it easy, Chad," Lucy said, shaking her head, but he could see a small, amused smile on her face.

"Anyways, I signed the papers you sent through that maid." A chuckle. "I didn't know that Alianna could scare you off so easily."

Her eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

"I mean, I wouldn't even call what you two had a proper argument, Lucy," Chad teased, a grin plastered over his face.

Lucy raised an eyebrow. Lucy didn't know what surprised her more: the good mood Chad was in, the fact that Chad was teasing her, or that he had heard her little talk with Alianna.

"It's not that hard to pretend to be asleep," he went on.

"First, pretending was a stupid thing to do," Lucy said, sounding both amused and irritated at the same time. "Second, I can barge into your chambers whenever I want. Neither you nor your wife can stop me."

"Is that so?"

"Try me," Lucy stared at him evenly. "And third, Alianna had a point. The only reason I was consulting you because you wanted it and you promised that –"

"Save the lecture, Lucy," Chad said, holding up a hand. "I'm fine now and I can work a bit. I'll go insane if I don't, and you know that."

She narrowed her chocolate eyes. "Let's just make sure that your a bit is actually a bit in measurement."

"Alright," he agreed, and took a deep breath. "So, how are things going with Talan?"

Lucy pursed her lips. "Well, thanks to Philip, the labor now thinks that you are a stuck up, snobby governor who thinks that the poor people have no respect – which is why you falsely accuse them of attacking you and then have them beaten by your best friend."

"I talked to Philip and I told him to control his actions," Chad said.

"The harm is already done," Lucy said. "I think you will have to talk to the labor eventually."

He grimaced. "I will, but I won't be so nice to them now."

"That will only prove them right."

"Talan almost had me killed!"

"I told you. I doubt that some people would have the guts to attack you just because of the issue going on," Lucy began, "I think it was planned."

"But the issues were pretty serious and –"

"What if these issues were just a way to cover up an assassination attempt on you?"

Chad looked at the wall, his mind processing her words. "You think that there is some sort of mastermind behind the troubles I am facing?"

"Exactly," Lucy nodded, "And it had to –"

Knock. Knock.

"Come in," Chad called.

A young maid walked in and bowed. She handed a small folded parchment to Lucy. "Your guard, Harry wanted me to give you this."

Once the maid was gone, Lucy unfolded the note and started reading.

"We're working," Chad reminded her, irritated. Who the hell Harry thinks he is, disturbing us in the middle of a meeting like this?

"I know, I'm sorry," Lucy said, standing up. "But I'm afraid I have to go."

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes. I just need to speak to Harry."

"What?" Chad asked incredulously. "We are working and you want to go see him now?"

"This is important."

"You can have your little romance later on," Chad said, anger seeping into his voice. "You are supposed to be working with me right now."

"You were late too!" Lucy pointed out, and he could tell that she was getting angry too.

"Yeah well, I'm here now."

"And I have to go now," She stopped and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look, I don't want to fight. But I really have to go. How about we meet here tomorrow morning and work in peace?"

"As you wish, your majesty." Sarcasm dripped from his words.

Shaking her head, Lucy walked out of the room, leaving him alone. He slumped back in his chair, deep in thought.

Why did Lucy act like this? Why the hell did she have to go and see Harry? And why did he, Chad, even care?

He didn't. But they had promised to work and Lucy had walked away from the damn promise because of Harry.

This isn't the first promise she had broken because of Harry, a nasty voice in his mind supplied.

He rested his head against the table and closed his eyes.

He so did not want to think about all of that again. He was tired. And he was done. He was done thinking and worrying and getting angry at how Lucy broke his heart. It was all in the past and it didn't matter anymore.

He had a beautiful, gorgeous wife who cared for him and who was amazing. And he liked her.

And that was all that mattered now.

The whirlwind of thoughts surrounded him for a while and soon, everything turned dark.

And peaceful.

And quiet.

And he liked it.

Something caressed his hair.

And then a soft voice called out his name.

He sighed, content with wherever he was.

The voice called to him again, this time more clear.

And he frowned, slowly opening his eyes in confusion, only to realize that he was still in his study. He must have fallen asleep. He bolted upright and turned to see Alianna standing next to him. She had been trying to wake him up.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." she said.

"You didn't," he replied. "What happened?"

"I don't know," she replied. "I was worried when you didn't return from your meeting…"

He nodded. She had been sleeping and he had silently slipped out of bed for his meeting with Lucy.

"… And then I ran into Kayla and she told me you weren't there with them at the dinner either."

"Dinner?" he questioned, glancing out the window. "Is it night already?"

Sure enough, the sky was dark.

"I came here to work," he told her. "I must have fallen asleep."

"I thought so."

"I'm sorry for worrying you," Chad said apologetically, taking both of her delicate hands in his own, "Why don't you let me clean up and then we can go back to our room so I can lie down and rest and we can ask a maid to bring us up something to eat?"

There was an awkward silence. Chad glanced at his wife, only to find her eyes fixed on the ground and a blush in her cheeks.

He stood up. "What is on your mind, Anna?"

"Nothing, milord," she told him.

"Why don't you call me by my name?" he asked as he pushed the parchments and inkpots away, clearing the desk before him.

She shrugged. "I don't know… respect, perhaps."

"I don't think that you'll disrespect your husband if you call him by his name." He said, standing up and helping her sit on the desk. "I'd like it better if you called me Chad more often instead of 'milord'."

The effect was immediate: her cheeks were on fire.

And he laughed. "You resemble a tomato at the minute."

"Stop it!" Alianna mumbled, clearly embarrassed.

"I don't think I will," he said, "What were you thinking?"

"You don't want to know," She mumbled.

"I do," he told her.

And for a second he saw her fighting a battle in her mind. So many emotions swirled in those eyes. But he could never have guessed what she was about to say.

Never.

"I love you."

Chad froze, every nerve in his body ceased to function. "...What?"

"N-Nothing."

"What did you say?"

She bit her lip. "I… I love you, C-Chad."

"Alianna –"

She shook her head. "You don't have to say anything. I know you don't feel the same about me, and it's alright. I understand."

He looked at her silently.

"I don't even know why I said it," she sighed, "But it's the truth. I love you."

"Anna," he spoke slowly, taking her face in his hands. He could tell that she was waiting for him to speak. The only problem was that he didn't know what to say. "I… like you a lot, Anna, and I care about you. I couldn't have asked for a better wife," he paused, "One day, I will come to you and tell you that I love you, I can promise you that. But –"

Her delicate hand cupped his cheek. "Then I shall wait for that day."

"Good." He quickly placed a kiss on her lips and just like the last time, she froze, clearly baffled. For some reason, he found it endearing.

He pulled away and looked at her. Her eyes were fixed on her lap.

"Alianna," he murmured, his voice soft, as he took hold of her face, "Look at me."

She did.

"Are you alright?" He asked softly, not wanting to scare her.

"I'm alright, I -"

"You what?" he asked as he winked at her, "Is there another confession you'd like to make?"

She bit her lip. "I think you should get something to eat. You haven't eaten since lunch, and you missed dinner. Would you like me to have some food warmed for you?" she asked, sounding like she was in a rush.

"That would be nice," he replied. "Can you ask them to bring the food up to our room?"

"Of course milord."

"You will eat with me, right?" he asked.

"Of course, I'll go see if anyone in the kitchen can bring us something to eat," she said, bowing her head in a slight farewell as she hurried out of the room.

He gave a dry chuckle and shook his head in amusement. He had only been teasing her, but considering her reaction, he wondered if there in fact was something his wife wasn't telling him.

He shook his head to rid himself of the silly thought as he gathered the papers he needed and left his office, headed back to his room.

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

After eating, Chad and Alianna placed their dishes on the table before moving to sit on the bed. Alianna leaded against the headboard as she opened her book and Chad was sitting next to her, looking over his papers one last time, before he deemed them perfected and laid them on the bedside table beside him.

Chad turned to look at his wife as she read her book, obviously deeply absorbed in it as she read it enthusiastically. He smiled as he looked at her. The way the firelight hit her face and face, made her seem to almost glow. He waited until he saw her turn the page, before he leaned over and gave her a light kiss on her cheek.

She looked at him quizically, and Chad smiled. She was less jumpy when he kissed her this time, showing that she was growing more comfortable with him.

"What was that for?" she asked curiously.

"You looked so beautiful in the firelight, and I just wanted you to know that I do care a lot about you, I just need a bit more time."

"It's alright milord-"

"Chad," he interrupted, correcting her.

"-Chad," she amended after a moment, still trying to get used to calling him by his name instead of title.

He smiled brightly at her, clearly happy that she said his name.

"I was wondering if you would like to take a walk with me in the gardens tommorow?" Chad asked a moment later. "I haven't been outside in ages and could really use the fresh air. Besides, I'd love to see those glory lilies you keep going on and on about," he smiled.

"If you want me to."

"What is that supposed to mean?" he asked.

"Nothing," she averted his gaze and stared at the floor.

"You act so strange at times," he smiled at her.

"I have a habit of doing that."

"It intrigues me," he said, his hand moving up and down her back, "Into wondering if you're hiding something from me."

She stiffened. "Does it?"

"Are you?"

She was quiet for a while. And then his lips were on hers again, slow and sensuous. He deepened the kiss, losing himself in her, his hands slowly moving down her body, feeling her curves. He pulled away so she could breathe, his lips moving to her jawline and down her throat.

"Chad," she whispered, her voice was shaky.

"Hmm?"

"I want to talk to you." She seemed hesitant.

"What is it?" he asked, pulling away slightly.

She opened her mouth and closed it. He could see that she was torn.

"Anna?"

"… You'll be with me, right?" she asked in a low voice. "If things ever go wrong."

"Of course," he confirmed, slightly confused. "I'll always support you."

She buried her face in the crook of his neck, a small smile on her face as her arms wrapped around her torso. "Thank you, Chad," was all she was able to say as she buried her hands in his hair.

He couldn't help but smile against her skin when he heard her say his name as he placed feather light kisses on her neck. It sounded good, even though her voice was shaky and weak.

His hands moved to the zipper of her dress and he unzipped it, pulling away so he could help her get out of it. His eyes roamed over her figure, which was much more prominent now that she was only wearing her chemise. And he noticed, with great amusement, how a blush covered her cheeks, and grew all the way down to her neck.

Flinging his tunic over his head as quickly as he could, Chad pulled her face to his and kissed her again, this time more urgently. His hands found the strings holding her chemise in place and he started untying them.

"Chad." She whispered once again when he pulled away to bury his face in her beautiful golden locks.

He felt Alianna's hands move up his chest and wrap them around his shoulders as she pulled herself closer to him. A moment later, he felt her lips on his collar bone. He took in a sharp breath. His skin tingled where she kissed him, her lips soft.

Heart thudding in his chest, Chad pushed her back and hovered above her, his lips attacking hers with more and more passion.

It didn't take long before their remaining clothes were scattered all over the floor of their bedroom, but at that moment, neither of them could care less about it.

There. End of the chapter.

It was mainly about Chad/Alianna. But in the next chapter, you'll find out whats going on at Cair.

We'll try to update it as soon as possible. It won't take months, that we can promise, but it probably won't be up next week as we still have the damn time-difference problems... but like I said, we'll post it ASAP.

Sorry once again for the delay in this update and we hope you liked this chapter.

Until next time! :)

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