Update! Yeah!

Ok so here we go…I'm writing this chapter at 2:00 A.M. so excuse any mistakes in spelling or sentences that make only a little sense…

After breakfast with Susan and Lucy, I made my way up the stairs and down the many corridors of the castle to wake up the younger king. I pushed open the somewhat heavy wooden door of King Edmund's room and was greeted by the sound of quiet snoring from the mound on the bed that I assumed was Edmund himself. I giggled a little when he snorted and rolled onto his side, clutching a pillow to his chest and curling into a fetal position. What a big baby…

I approached the bed quietly and gave his shoulder a shake. No response.

"King Edmund?" I said at a completely normal voice level. Nothing.

I shook him a little harder. Nope. Not even a twitch.

"King Edmund!" I said, louder. I would have woken up…but not him apparently.

I clenched my fists at my side and my eyebrows knitted together in annoyance. This boy was LAZY!

"KING EDMUND!" I screamed this right in his ear and boy did I FINALLY get a reaction!

Edmunds eyes flew open and he sat up in a flash, pulling something from under a pillow. Before I had time to even flinch, I felt the cold steel of a blade on my neck just under my left ear. He blinked a few times, trying to focus, and when he saw it was me he visibly relaxed ever so slightly, but not very much.

"What do you want?" he asked threateningly, keeping the knife against my carotid artery. Apparently, he might be harder to deceive than I had thought…

"I was told by your sister, the Queen Susan, to awaken you," I spoke in the way I assumed a servant would speak. I didn't dare move, however, as his eyes were filled with something close to hatred. But they slowly faded to a look of unconcern and he withdrew the knife and plopped back among the pillows and sheets.

"Why does she always insist on waking me up at ungodly hours?" he mumbled into the pillow he pressed over his face to block the light.

"It's not ungodly," I stated, taking the pillow from him and earning a glare for it, "Have you even looked out that window?"

Edmund sat up, took a glance through the windows on the other side of the room, nodded, and laid back down.

"Lovely," he said, not sounding impressed, "Now wake me at noon."

I was getting tired of this. I had other things to do and no selfish, lazy, spoiled rotten king was going to get his way over mine! I grabbed the sheets underneath him and gave a humungous heave! With a yelp, Edmund, pillows, knives (seriously, he had an arsenal under his pillows!) and blankets tumbled off the opposite side of the bed.

Edmund's disheveled hair, then his dark eyes, then his grinning mouth then his broad shoulders popped up from the other side and he leaned his elbows on the bed and laid his chin on his arms. He just leaned there and looked at me for the longest time.

"Well you didn't have to get rough about it…" he said, fighting back laughter. I was surprised at his attitude and I found myself admiring how nice he looked when he smiled. I shook my head to maintain my focus.

"Well drastic refusal calls for drastic measures." I stuck my node in the air.

Edmund sighed loudly and groaned as he stood up and popped his lower back with a big arms-over-the-head stretch. Geez, he was harder to wake up than a cat...but I found myself transfixed by his shirtless torso. His skin was pale and firm over muscles I had failed to notice before, most likely from long hours of sword practice and walks through the woods, he didn't really have abs per say but his stomach was flat and tight and I decided I liked that better, but what really caught my eye was the little trail of dark hair that traveled from his navel into his trousers…I always did have a weakness for that…

"Natani?" my musings were broken by the sound of Edmund's voice. I shook my head and looked up at his eyes. He grinned and his eyes twinkled with amusement. "Something catch your eye?"

I scoffed at him and turned towards the door to leave, but, before I could make it to the door, I felt a hand close firmly on my upper arm and I was spun back around. Not roughly, but I knew better than to try and resist.

"Oh come on, Natani," Edmund laughed as he pulled me back from the door, "I'm just teasing you. Lucy would tell you that's what I'm best at!"

"Well, I have work to do…" I made an excuse as I tried to loose my arm from his grip. He just held on tighter and pulled me a little closer.

"Well, I'm kind of your authority in that matter so shouldn't I be the one telling you what your duties are?" he asked, not in a mean way, but it ruffled my feathers you could say.

"You can't just order me around!" I snapped angrily, trying to pull away.

Edmund's grip just got tighter and he pushed me back slightly and out of the corner of my eye I saw his left hand come up and I clenched my eyes shut and sunk to the floor.

"Natani!" Edmund knelt in front of me and placed his hands on my shoulders, "Natani, are you alright?"

I opened my eyes slowly and found my face very close to his, his eyes boring into mine. They were filled with concern.

"I…I thought…" I stuttered, I hated how weak and foolish I sounded. This was not the voice of a warrior! "I thought you were going to hit me…"

Edmund looked absolutely shocked and he stood me up gently.

"No, no, no!" he said softly but adamantly, "I would NEVER, EVER hit a woman! What kind of an animal do you think I am?"

I found I really didn't know how to answer that question. When I had first seen him on the battlefield he was exactly what I had imagined a Narnian to be. But now I saw that he was not just a soldier but a king, a brother, a friend, and a gentleman. Why couldn't I just not see these things in him? It was only going to make my job difficult.

"Do you have a job for me to do?" I was surprised at how ridiculous my words were at the moment.

"Uh…sure," Edmund seemed confused at my sudden change of subject, but he didn't pursue it. "Could you go to the stable and saddle the chestnut stallion you shot the other day and then bring him to the courtyard?"

I winced with guilt. Poor horse hadn't deserved it.

"Yes, my King," I curtsied, which ended up looking foolish and not at all graceful. I had never been taught to curtsy in my culture.

Edmund just laughed as I straightened up and walked out the door.

Well ok there you go! Hope it's decent because I'm too tired to go back over it!

Reviews make me smile :D