So last week when I posted chapter 7, I didn't even realize that the site has temporarily disabled all external links. So if you tried to view the picture of Pierre, you couldn't. Sorry about that. :/ For anyone interested, I said I modeled him after a certain Merlin character; of course that character just had to be Lancelot, right? I really didn't intend for Santiago Caberra to play Pierre, but when I saw him as Lancelot it just seemed to fit perfectly. What do you think?
A few of you warmed up to Pierre a little in the last chapter, for which I am thankful (he really is a good guy). And like I said earlier, please try not to judge him too harshly until the end of chapter 9 (which is the next chapter). Also, keep in mind, that Penelope is going through a very difficult time and she can easily be confused.
Anywho...without any further hesitation, I give you chapter 8. Enjoy!
I Will Wait…
Chapter 8: 'Til you come to me...
Five Weeks After Winter Ball
2354 April 30
In the days of Pierre I thought of Rilian less. Does that make me a bad person? Was it a betrayal on my part to form feelings for Pierre? If he came back, would Rilian understand and forgive my feelings for Pierre? Did Rilian ever have time to think of me? Or had I been tossed aside like an unwanted (or unneeded) piece of scrap cloth? In the days of Pierre I didn't think of Rilian as often as I had been, but when I did think of him these were the things I thought of.
In the days of Pierre I thought of Rilian less because Pierre kept me distracted from my pain. We talked and laughed a lot—he enjoyed making me laugh and he did so easily—but we also had moments of quiet serenity together. Even in these moments, where were read or played chess, Pierre's presence was enough to distract me from the pain. It helped that we never talked about Rilian.
Until one day.
XOXOX
2354 January 28
Pierre and I sat on a sofa in one of the ground floor parlors reading. It was one of our moments of quiet serenity. The night of the Winter Ball was about five weeks past, and Pierre and I had become rather close since then. We spent most of our time together; though, he had not yet made a formal request for courtship.
I was just fine with that, because the moment he requested courtship meant we would have to duel and if he didn't win, or even if he did win, then things would be forever changed between us.
Suddenly Pierre laughed and I looked over at him. "What's so funny?" I asked.
"Zis cannot be true," he said as he pointed to the page he was currently reading. I looked over to see what it was; he was reading the tale of the King's Great Voyage to the edge of the world.
"Oh! That has always been one of my favorite stories. What are you having a difficult time believing?"
"Zis boy…zis O'zer-Worlder couldn't really 'ave become a dragon. Could 'e?"
"Why not? This is Narnia; stranger things have happened. Our history is full of stories based on magic and our country has long been governed by the laws set forth from our ancient Kings and Queens who were Other-Worlders themselves."
"So you believe zis story of ze boy dragon?"
"Yes. I do. I believe everything in that book. The King had it scribed as soon as the Dawn Treader returned from its voyage. And my grandfather was there."
"When zis book was scribed?"
"No… Well, yes, but I meant he was there on the voyage. My grandfather was the crewman they picked up at the Lone Islands."
"Ze one who went after 'is wife?"
"That's him. My mother begged to go too, but she had to stay with my grandmother's sister. She tried going anyway, but Aunt Halona caught her trying to sneak out."
"I see. Zat is some special family you 'ave."
"My family? I do believe your family is rather special too, Your Highness," I emphasized his title and Pierre made a face.
"Bleh. Please, do not use such titles wi'z me. I 'ave never liked zem. I am no one special. Zere is no'zing 'igh about me. Ze only way I will be king is if my zree bro'zers all met with an unfortunate fate. And Aslan willing, may zay all live long, long, lives."
"You do not want to be king? Even if you had a choice, and nothing happened to your brothers, you wouldn't choose to be king?"
"No. Why would I want all zat pressure? 'Enri was born for ze crown; 'e will bear it well. Let 'im keep it."
"Rilian was never very fond of his title either. He would use it to his advantage when it suited him to do so, but mostly he shied from it. He feared the day he would be named king." I hadn't even realized that I'd spoken of Rilian until my ears were met with deafening silence. I grew suddenly nervous and swallowed hard as I refrained from looking at Pierre. Perhaps if I said nothing more, he would forget that I had said anything at all.
It was obviously not my day.
"You knew ze King's son well?"
I shrugged my shoulder slightly. "There weren't many children in the castle when we were growing up. It was just Rilian and Rhea, and then my siblings and I. I was the closest to Rilian's age, only two years younger than he. Ranell was four years younger and Ivor and Lorna were too young. Rhea was only four years older, but Rhea has always been…well Rhea."
"I should 'ope she wasn't anyone else."
I smiled. "I mean she has always been more Naiad than Princess. She does not belong in a grand palace with marble halls. She belongs in the river with her Naiad sisters. That is where her heart lies."
"If she desires to be in ze river, zen why does she entertain potential suitors?"
"She desires to be in the river, yes, but her people need a successor, and Rhea cares more for the needs of her people than her own desires."
"Was 'er bro'zer ze same way?"
"Rilian? Yes. He was a great prince. He always cared more for his people than himself. He always sought to right any injustice. It didn't matter if they were human, Narnian, or some Islander he had never met before. If he knew of an injustice he did everything in his power to set it right."
"So you did know 'im well?"
"Yes, I knew him well. I suppose you could say we were best friends. We told each other everything…or, at least, more than we told anyone else."
"But…you were more zan just friends, no?"
I didn't respond right away. I simply looked at Pierre and waited for him to ask what he really wanted to know.
"You used to court before 'is disappearance?"
I took in a deep breath. "Briefly."
"Two years is briefly?"
"It was a secret courtship for most of the time. Our courtship was only public for a few months before he disappeared."
"Why ze secret?"
"Lorna had made clear what her feelings were for him, and I felt as though I had no right to intrude upon them."
"Did 'e return 'er feelings?"
"No. He only ever saw Lorna as a young admirer."
"So you wouldn't 'ave really been intruding?"
"Maybe not, but it still felt that way."
There were a few moments of silence before Pierre asked his final question.
"Did you love 'im?"
Somehow I knew he was going to ask that. "I was young. I didn't really know what love was. I still don't think I know what it is."
"And yet you wait for 'is return."
"I've been waiting, but how long can a girl really wait for her prince to return? How many years must pass before she finally accepts the truth?"
"And what truz would zat be?"
"That Rilian's never coming back."
A few more moments of silence passed in which I stared off in the space directly in front of me, while Pierre's eyes bore a hole into the side of my face.
Then at last he said, "I zink if she really loved 'er prince, a girl could wait forever."
"Then perhaps I didn't love him."
XOXOX
Had I really said that out loud? To be honest, I don't know. I do know I was at least thinking it.
I was tired of waiting. I wanted to feel love again—perhaps the very fact that I said again, means that I did love Rilian. I wanted to feel the rush of a kiss. I wanted to laugh and be happy all the time, not just when I was with Pierre. I wanted to feel the way Pierre made me feel every day. I was tired of all the aching, and all the pain I felt and the tears I cried. I was tired of waiting, and I was ready for it to be over.
At least…that's what I tried to convince myself.
XOXOX
After our talk about Rilian, Pierre and I went back to reading in silence. Or rather, I looked at the pages before me and flipped them every so often to give the illusion that I was reading. Mostly I continued to think about Rilian and ponder my feelings for him and Pierre. When the hour grew late and my eyes grew weary, Pierre escorted me back to my private rooms as he always did. And just as he always did he took my hand between the both of his and kissed the back of his own hand.
"Why do you do that?" I asked. "You kiss your own hand and not mine."
"I would never kiss a lady wiz'out obtaining 'er permission first."
"Even for a kiss on the hand? Most boys presume a hand is okay."
"A kiss is a kiss. It matters not where it is placed."
I smiled. Pierre really was different.
"Bonne nuit, Penelope."
"Goodnight, Pierre." He gave a small nod of his head and turned to walk away. I watched him walk down the hall for awhile before I called after him. "You may, you know."
Pierre turned back around. "I may what?"
"You may…" I swallowed. Why was this suddenly so difficult? This is what I wanted, wasn't it?
"Penelope?"
"You may kiss me… if you wanted to. You have my permission."
"I do?" he asked with a smile.
I nodded. "You do. If you wanted to."
He began walking back towards me. "Why wouldn't I want to?"
I shrugged one shoulder; suddenly I felt a bit self-conscious. I would not show him my fear though. This is what I wanted. I did want him to kiss me. I did. Truly.
"I only meant that you don't have to, but if you wanted to…it would be alright with me. I wouldn't fight it."
"Ah, Penelope." He stood before me once more. Directly before me. He brought a hand up to rest tenderly on my cheek. My heart beat frantically at his touch. "I do want to."
His fingers trailed lightly down my cheek to my chin. He tilted my head up slightly as he lowered his head to mine. I could feel his breath against my skin as he exhaled. My heart was really racing now, and the blood was rushing to my extremities. But I fought against it. I would not back down from this. I would not.
His lips hovered just above mine. I could reach out and touch them with mine they were so close. I nearly did. Then suddenly I felt his hand grab mine and he brought it to his lips where he placed a kiss on the back of it. His lips were soft, tender, and moist on my skin.
"I do want to kiss you, Penelope. You've no idea 'ow much I want to. But, per'aps a kiss on ze 'and will suffice for tonight?" Then he kissed my hand again before we said a second goodnight, and he walked away once more.
XOXOX
2354 April 30
Several days passed without any further change between Pierre and I. He would kiss my hand frequently and sometimes he would kiss my cheek or my forehead. Once or twice he even kissed my nose. But that was all. That was the closest to a proper kiss we ever came. The only thing that changed was that Pierre and I continued to grow closer, and my feelings for him continued to grow stronger.
There came a day nearly three weeks after Pierre first kissed my hand, that things really changed. It was a Thursday afternoon. I had not seen Pierre at all that day because I had some family matters to attend to. Lorna's Archenland Knight was visiting Narnia and he decided to ask Ranell for Lorna's hand, but before Ranell gave him an answer he wanted to obtain the opinions of the rest of the family. Of course we all said yes. That happened in the morning, and I stuck around awhile to actually witness Barend (that was his name) ask Lorna. Then I stayed around to congratulate her because she said yes. I was on my way back from Ranell's house, where we had all gathered, when I encountered King Caspian and Queen Tianna, Pierre's mother.
XOXOX
2354 February 15
"Your Majesties," I said as I curtsied.
"Good day, Penelope," the King said. "I must say I am surprised to see you alone."
"I had some family things to attend to."
"I do 'ope every'zing is well," Queen Tianna said.
"Oh yes, Your Majesty. Everything is fine. It's better than fine, actually. My sister, Lorna, she's…well, she's getting married."
"Oh! Zat is wonderful news!"
"Indeed it is. When did this happen?" the King asked.
"Just now," I replied. "Or rather, half an hour ago. Mum was still misty-eyed when I left."
"I suspect she was. So where are you off to now?"
"I was actually looking for Prince Pierre."
"And I was looking for you."
"Oh! Pierre!" I jumped a little and turned around to find him standing behind me. Then, remembering that his mother was now standing behind me, I curtsied him. Pierre smiled and bowed his head in response, and his mother laughed softly.
"Oh! I do not understand why you try to be so proper all ze time, Penelope, like I do not already know zat you 'ave been ze one monopolizing my youngest son's attention zese past several weeks."
"La mère, what you must understand is, Penelope is a very private person. She 'ardly tells 'er own sister 'er deepest secrets," Pierre said as he came to stand beside me and I turned back around to face the King and Queen Tianna.
"And what secrets 'as she told you, le fils?"
Pierre did not respond, for which I was thankful.
"Does Lorna have any plans for the wedding yet?" King Caspian asked after a somewhat awkward silence.
"No, not much of anything at the moment, Your Majesty. Just before I left though, she mentioned something about having the wedding here in Narnia for the sake of our Mother and grandparents. It would be difficult for our grandparents to travel to Archenland and a wedding here would please Mum. Especially since Lorna and Barend will probably move to Archenland."
"And your moz'er would be okay wiz 'er youngest child living so far from 'ome?" Pierre's mother asked.
"Mum understands. Lorna has been craving an adventure since she was ten. Moving to Archenland would finally fulfill that."
"Your moz'er is a very brave and strong woman to allow such a zing."
"She's the bravest and strongest woman I know."
"I believe zat all ze women in Penelope's family are brave and strong," Pierre said.
"I suppose we almost have to be." Pierre and I locked eyes for a moment before he continued.
"I actually 'ave a proposal myself zat I would like to deliver now."
My stomach plummeted at the word 'proposal.'
"Penelope, I 'ave greatly enjoyed spending time wiz you and getting to know you zese past several days."
I tried desperately hard not to let the smile completely fade from my face, but I wasn't entirely certain that I didn't just appear to be nauseous.
"I believe we 'ave formed a great friendship, 'ave we not?"
Realizing that he was asking me a question, but unable to verbally respond, I nodded my head 'yes.'
"But I would like to request more."
"More?" I asked.
"It is my wish zat you will consider zis a formal request to enter into a courtship wiz you."
"Courtship?"
"Please note, zat I 'ave not mentioned zis to eiz'er of your broz'ers. I did not zink you would approve of zat."
"You would like to court me?" I seemed incapable of saying anything more substantial.
"Yes. I desire it greatly."
"I see…"
"And I am aware of your particular…requests and I accept zem. When you are ready, I will be too."
"Requests?" Queen Tianna asked, clearly a bit confused. "What requests, Pierre? What do you feel you must do to obtain zis courtship?"
I was having a very difficult time finding my voice to answer her question and for whatever reason Pierre didn't answer her either. It was King Caspian who finally did.
"Penelope has made it clear, Tianna, that anyone who wishes to court her must first face her in a duel."
"A duel? Oh. Well, Pierre is a very skilled duelist."
"With all due respect, Your Majesty," I said at last. "I have fought many skilled fighters over the years and none have yet to defeat me." I turned to look at Pierre then, focusing all my attention on him. "You are sure about this, Pierre? This is what you want? Because there's no going back if we go through with this."
"I understand, Penelope." He paused before continuing. "When you are ready to duel, I will be too."
I took a deep breath. "I can be ready tomorrow. Noon."
"Zen I will see you at noon tomorrow in ze arena." Then he bowed his head to me and to his mother and the King before walking off.
XOXOX
I was left in a haze. Why did he have to do this? Why did things have to change? Couldn't they just stay the way they were? I mean, I wanted them to change, I did, on some level… but then again I didn't. I only vaguely remember curtsying to the King and Queen before bidding them adieu and leaving myself.
Oh, and before I forget again (and I almost did), unrelated to this story...Killing Bono was great! Ben really shined, and you could tell that everyone had a great time making the film. If you haven't seen it yet and you're a Ben Barnes fan (of if your a Robert Sheehan fan), I highly suggest you find a way to see it.