Author's Note: Hey y'all. Hope you like this chapter, its getting more exciting now : ) I am so so SO sorry for the delayed update.. I've been very busy the last couple months. I feel so bad for making you, my lovely readers, wait too long. :( Hopefully this chapter will make up for it. :) P.S- for those of you who don't know, Avaia's name is pronounced Aa-vae-a (vae as in vacant)
Disclaimer: I'm not that creative people, so there's no way in heck I could've invented Narnia.
**
The next morning, I awoke with a start. I felt nauseous, and my eyes could barely open. I didn't want to wake up just yet, but I knew I wouldn't be able to fall back asleep. As the night's events tumbled into my head, the loss of my mother hit me anew once again. I stifled a sob and yawned loudly.
"Finally, your awake."
My head snapped around, and there, gorgeous as ever, was Edmund. He was holding a tray of tea and toast. I stared dumbstruck at him, dazed. I started to panic. I must look horrible! What is he doing here? Did he remember last night?
"Uhh, yeah," I said stupidly. Smooth!
"Sorry," I continued, "I should've woken up, your Majesty. That was quite rude of me."
He smiled, and it made him look all the more adorable. "No, no. The fault is mine, my lady."
My heart went wild. He called me 'his lady'! Oh, shut up. It was a polite thing to say; he probably says it to everyone. Still…
"I should've waited longer, I suspected you would still be very tired after last night's events," he continued. I looked down, ashamed. Although I don't know why I was embarrassed, it's not like I choose what I dream of.
After an awkward silence, I said, "Well, I am extremely tired, but sleeping on a stone floor isn't exactly my idea of a good night's rest." Shocked, I bit my tongue. Why did I just say that??
I peeked at him; he was still smiling. Good, I hadn't offended him. He seemed to be deep in thought.
"Anyways, it's around noon. I thought I would bring you some breakfast." He pushed the plate through the cell door. I reached for it, and started shamelessly stuffing my face. I was famished.
"With all due respect your Majesty, where is Lucy?" His face fell a bit.
"She is still ill. But she's on the road to recovery." Yes! I couldn't wait to see her.
I bowed my head. "Thank you, your Majesty." He nodded in return.
"So, I'll leave you to yourself then." With that, he turned and walked back down the corridor.
It took everything in me not to call him back, but that of course would be ridiculous.
**
It went like this for the next few days. King Edmund would come down into the dungeon to give me my breakfast or lunch, and he would make small talk. His smile had never failed to make my heart go wild. It was wonderful, but at the same time, strange. I'd never felt this strongly about a boy before. But in my heart, I sadly realized that a Narnian king would want nothing to do with me: a filthy Telmarine. The thought depressed me.
That was what kept me serene and content for the most part in the dungeon; the fact that I got to see him everyday. When I awoke every morning, darkness crept into my soul, and I felt the walls were closing in around me, suffocating me. Then he would walk in, his presence alone lifted the pressure, and I felt so much lighter. He would smile his smile, and my heart would go into a frenzy, immediately forgetting about my previous worries. They all seemed to melt away when he was around. It was a puzzling, yet wonderful feeling.
But one morning, everything would change. I was up early today, waiting, and waiting, and waiting for him. Hearing familiar footsteps, I impatiently got up to greet him. I was both surprised, delighted, and a tad disappointed that the one who had come to feed me was not Edmund, but Lucy.
"Lucy!" I gasped. "You're better!"
She smiled brightly. "Yes, I am feeling quite normal again."
"That's good."
"So," she began, smiling devilishly, "How was your last few days with my brother?" She waggled her eyebrows.
I suppressed a giggle and felt my cheeks grow warm. "Very… stimulating." We started laughing.
"Avaia…"
"Hmm?"
"I was thinking, that maybe we could try something different today."
That caught me off guard. "Lu, I think that you're forgetting that I'm locked in a cage."
She grinned slyly, and pulled a set of keys out of her corset. Multiple thoughts coursed through my head. Thank Aslan, freedom! Oh no, what if her brother and sister find us… I'll be in even more trouble! But I'm so tired of this cell…
I gulped. "Um, Lu? What if we get caught? I mean, I'm your prisoner. I'm supposed to be locked up. I don't want to get in any more trouble…"
"You won't! Trust me, we'll just be out in the fresh air, and then I'll bring you back in. It can't go wrong!"
I really wanted to though, the dank cell was starting to pull me into a depression. I hadn't felt the sun on my bare skin for weeks!
"I don't know…"
"Please??" she begged, eyes wide.
I gave a resigned sigh, "Alright Lu. But if we get caught…"
I didn't finish. She squealed in delight and hurriedly unlocked the cell door. Throwing it open, she grabbed my hand and towed me towards the exit. I felt excited, for reasons beyond my understanding.
As we emerged, the sun's rays penetrated my eyes, blinding me. The warmth felt so good on my skin, I realized I had missed it terribly. I looked at Lucy, happiness and bewilderment taking over. Whooping loudly, I broke into a run with Lucy at my heels, laughing loudly. We chased each other round the courtyard, then she suddenly bolted for the forest. Excitement filling me, I leaped after her. Weaving through the tall trees and shrubs, I could just make out her slim figure in the distance.
Suddenly, my foot caught on a tree root and I tripped, letting out a small yelp as I fell. I hit the ground hard, my abdomen taking most of the blow. I was momentarily stunned, and decided to just lie there. The sounds of the forest filled me, birds chirping, the wind whispering through the trees. It was so peaceful.
Getting myself back on my feet, I heard a twig snap. My head instinctively jerked towards the noise, muscles tense. I smiled, knowing it was probably Lucy trying to scare me. I jumped in the other direction not willing to let her catch me. Just then, I saw a form of a person farther ahead. As I got closer I realized it was Lucy. I stopped beside her and she turned to me, worry evident in her gaze.
"Where were you? I thought I'd lost you," she scolded.
"Wait a minute," I panted, confused, "How did you get over here so fast?"
"What do you mean? I was always here."
"If you were always here, then who…" All of a sudden, I felt something huge slam headlong into me, tackling me to the ground. Lucy screamed. I grappled for a minute with the thing on top of me, its weight holding me to the forest floor. Then, I got a glimpse of its face. His face. My mouth opened in shock, limbs going limp. Edmund was on top of me, face only inches from mine, eyes blazing furiously. I trembled beneath him.
"How did you get out?" he snarled.
"I-,"
"Did you honestly think you could escape?" His eyes bore into me, and I was fascinated at his fury. I couldn't look away. I was like a moth attracted to a flame. I felt his hot breath on my face, his scent overwhelming me, making me dizzy.
"After you steal my sister's trust, and mine as well! I actually thought you were a nice girl…"
"EDMUND!" Lucy shrieked.
His head jerked up, and his eyes widened as he saw his sister.
"Lu! She's trying to get away-,"
"No she isn't you twit! We were playing tag until you jumped on her!" Her face was red, angry.
He looked down on me, shocked. I was too busy trying to wrap my head around the fact he was on top of me to be angry. I just stared stupidly at him.
His face then turned a deep crimson as he slowly got off me.
"My apologies," he said nervously, "It was stupid for me to assume..."
"Yeah it was," said Lucy in a clipped tone, which made him blush furiously.
"Well," he stuttered, trying unsuccessfully to withdraw the attention from himself, "Why is she out here anyways? She's our prisoner, is she not?" I cringed at the word.
"No," she said slowly, and I glanced at her surprised. "She's not our prisoner. I trust her Ed." I gazed at her, touched, chest swelling with gratitude.
"I don't want to escape," I said softly, and they both turned to look at me. Lucy with kindness and sympathy; Edmund with distrust and wariness. I hated how the way he was staring at me made me feel.
"I don't want to go home. It doesn't feel like home anymore…." I looked up pleadingly, begging them to understand. "I'd rather stay and be your prisoner than go back." At this point, I'd take anything over going back…
"Oh Avaia!" Lucy cried, jumping on me and catching me in a tight bear hug. I hugged her back, shocked. "You aren't our prisoner, well, not anymore anyway." She giggled. "I knew that if I took you out today you wouldn't try to hurt me or anything. I trust you." She looked at me meaningfully.
My heart swelled with emotion. She trusted me. She wanted me to stay.
"As I got to know you over the past few weeks, I knew you weren't that kind of person."
"Thank-you," I choked gratefully. She only smiled, and took my hand.
"Well, now that you're staying with us I guess we're going to have to find you a room… that dungeon just won't do anymore." I squealed in delight, no longer able to control my giddiness. She caught the drift of my mood, and soon we were giggling like a couple of schoolgirls.
"Don't forget Lu, we still have to ask Susan and Pete." I jumped; I'd forgotten he was there. Something about his tone disturbed me. It was reproachful, reluctant. Almost as if he didn't want me to stay. Of course he doesn't, I told myself harshly, who are you to think that he does. His sudden mood swing had completely bewildered me. Just yesterday he was nice and caring, and now he was sarcastic, rude and snarky. Just like when I first met him. This thought brought my happy frame of mind down significantly. Then, Lucy's voice interrupted my inner babbling.
"Oh they will," she told her brother sweetly. "Oreius already likes her." He grunted something I couldn't hear.
"Don't pay attention to him," Lucy tutted, "He just can't see the positive things in life." More muttering.
I sighed inwardly. This was going to be interesting…
Lucy and I talked about how my room was going to be decorated all the way back to the castle, with the dark king, watchfully, in our wake.