AN: Thank you guys for your reviews and support. It means a lot to me, it really does.
Timeframe - Anya arrives in Narnia in September; this chapter is a week away from October
Disclaimer! I don't own Narnia, just my characters! R&R :D Enjoy!
It's been weeks since Aslan left. I wonder what he does in his spare time. Well, maybe not. Devouring bunnies doesn't seem too exciting. Or does he eat at all? Oh, trivialities! They're enough to drive one berserk!
Anya! Focus. Current situation: convincing Lucy to let me slumber in peace for all that is holy and just in this world. Or realm. Or fictional chasm in a wardrobe if some prefer.
Ah yes, bunnies. I'd been dreaming of bunnies! Well, until somebody decided to barge in, and annoy me. I despised being woken up. Well, not really. I despised being woken up at the crack of dawn.
"Come on, Anya! Wake up, you horrid nuisance! I swear, at times you're even worse than Ed!" she huffed.
I immediately sat up, affronted. It was one thing to call me a nuisance, but it was another to compare me to that cheeky monster of a brother she cherished.
"Lu! I'm hurt. I thought you loved me!"
Speak of the devil. I glared at Edmund leaning casually against my door frame, his annoying smirk in place. I harrumphed and turned away.
"Oh come on Anya, are you still mad at me? It was just a joke!" he snickered.
"Go away before I throw my slipper at you, king or not. I don't take kindly to jerks playing pranks on me! You very nearly gave me a heart attack yesterday!" I argued.
"What actually happened? You seem rather angry Anya. Oh well, I did warn you not to get on his bad side… His pranks are rather nasty," Lucy piped up.
"It happened by accident! I went into the kitchens for a snack, and I saw a plate of cookies on one of the tables. I didn't know they were his, so I ate them and his idea of revenge was to plant a spider on my bed!" I shuddered, "It was gross, and rather cruel. Everybody here knows I'm terrified of spiders!"
"You should've heard her screech, Lu. It was rather funny. But you left out my apology! I apologized, didn't I? And you didn't even have the decency to accept it!" he remarked.
"Out. Now!" I gritted out, as I shooed him away. Ugh, he's insufferable. I turned to Lucy, gazing at me sympathetically. I pouted.
"Remind me once more why you decided to wake me up at this ungodly hour?" I groaned as I rubbed my eyes and stretched my limbs.
"Stop whining, it doesn't suit you. Now, as for today's dress… Beige or green? I quite prefer the beige one myself, but it's your choice," she said as she browsed through the minimum contents of my wardrobe.
"Beige!" I hollered as I went to freshen up inside the wash chambers. Dear lord, one aspect I missed about Earth: bathrooms. Chamber pots just didn't cut it for me! At least I had my toothbrush. I thank Aslan every day that my trusty bag full of meagre necessities had been transported to Narnia along with yours truly. It kept me sane at times. One has to appreciate the small things in life to experience it as a whole. In my case, my small bundle of joy is none other than: my toiletries.
I walked out, drying my face with a towel as Lucy looked around for some footwear to accompany my dress. Setting my glasses upon the bridge of my nose, I inspected the gown which was as simple as it was beautiful, and quite comfortable as well, I suspected.
"Aha! Found these pesky things! I hope they fit, they're my old pair," Lucy crooned as she brandished a pair of brown boots. After my arrival to Narnia, the queens had discovered about my footwear dilemma: I had really small feet, and in the end, they had to resort to using Lucy's old sandals (and in today's case, boots) that they had salvaged from the treasury.
"Why am I wearing boots today? We better not be hiking. Can you imagine my clumsy behind climbing anywhere? And in a dress nonetheless! I am not suicidal, thank you very much," I ranted.
Today was family day! The Pevensies and Caspian usually planned an outdoorsy trip every month, and regarded it a break from their royal duties. Somehow or another, I had been included in this procession, and despite my protests, needless to say, I was being unceremoniously dragged along. Firstly, my protests stemmed from the fact that I was angry with Edmund (a.k.a. the jerk who planted a spider on my bed only yesterday) and the fact that the forest or wherever they dragged me would be infested with similar horrors. That, and I felt intrusive whenever I invaded their family time.
They were all very close, even Caspian, whom I regard as the unofficial (or not-yet-official) fifth Pevensie. Everybody tries to make an effort to finish up with their royal duties and relax and bond in the huge private library the monarchs have in their separate wing. I privately dubbed it the 'Common Room' in my head. Ah, Harry Potter. I miss you!
Between the Pevensies, Peter and Lucy share a special bond and likewise, so do Susan and Edmund. At times, Susan and Lucy squeal about dresses and jewellery, whilst the kings talk of hosting tournaments. Peter and Lucy sometimes sit by the fire and talk of music and dances, and art. Lucy's actually learning how to play a flute, whereas Peter loves to paint. Whenever I sit in on one of their discussions, it's easy to contribute despite the fact that I can barely play the piano and moderately sketch. It's easy to see why, though. They're both pretty charismatic.
Edmund and Susan are even easier to converse with. Both are avid readers, and the short number of books I've read since my arrival have led to heated debates at dinner tables. That's another thing I love about the Pevensies. Everybody must be present at breakfast and dinner. They try to be present at lunch but sometimes, two or three of them have it brought to their study in an attempt to cope with the workload. It's endearing how close they are.
Caspian, not unlike myself, tends to drift between the two sets of siblings. Usually, we form our own little group and sit near the window ledge, talking about anything and everything. We first bonded over chess, and incidentally, I beat him in that round. He's like my surrogate older brother. The first few nights in the Common Room had been uncomfortable with Susan's envious glances towards Caspian and I, but her jealousy quelled when I made sure to refer to him as the 'older brother I never had'. Him and Peter both.
Edmund however, is an entirely different case. We enjoy flirty banter but ever since his pranks began, I've come to think of him as a petulant little jerk. I suppose I do respect his just nature and the fact that like his brother, he is a workaholic, but we always tend to argue. Why, once he found out that I was a bit feminist whilst eavesdropping, he made it a point to toss out a few sexist comments at the dinner table. Quite thankfully, Susan kicked him quite hard in the shin as evident by his wheeze of pain, before I took it upon myself to splash my goblet of juice in his face.
I crashed back to reality as I groaned at the laces at the back of the gown. Grabbing a cloak, and clutching the bodice to my chest, I rushed across the corridor to Susan's room. Lucy had left before, telling me that she had some preparations to oversee. She was so much more mature than me at fifteen. I guess the almost one year's worth of difference in age led to our close bond. Susan, despite being a control freak was immaculate in her appearance and I knew she'd be in her room.
"Good morning!" she chirped, looking gorgeous.
"Err, hi. I have a dilemma, Su," I confessed, removing my cloak and turning around.
"This is why you should have a personal maid, to help you with these things," she reprimanded.
"Yes, yes, trivialities I can't be concerned with. And besides, I feel uncomfortable when strangers do it. I prefer the lace-less gowns more. Not to mention, both you and Lucy are conveniently a few doors down," I flippantly remarked.
"True, but what if my brothers or Caspian run into you whilst you sneak into our chambers? It would be awkward explaining the situation," she retorted.
"Oh don't be such a worry wart, Su! Be optimistic!" I exclaimed, examining my appearance in the huge mirror Susan kept in her room. Susan loved mirrors. Understatement of the century.
"Make your hair presentable, and let's go! Otherwise well spend the better part of the day in the castle itself, Anya!"
We trudged down unfamiliar hallways, before the smell of horses reached my nostrils. Nervously pushing my glasses up my nose, I glanced inquiringly at Susan.
"You have got to be kidding me. Horses? Can't we just walk instead? I've never ridden a horse before! And they're smelly," I whined.
"You have no idea how lucky you are that there are no centaurs or talking horses about. Needless to say, you can get trampled if that scenario occurred. Now, horses aren't that bad. It's just the fear speaking," Susan warned.
I felt my face grow hot, certain that my blush was visible despite my tanned skin. We rounded the corner and entered the stables. I guess Susan wasn't kidding, for they were pretty majestic and noble in their own right. I guess I'd have to get used to the smell. Eventually.
The rest of the monarchs were present, and after ignoring a certain monarch, I went around and greeted the rest with hugs and smiles.
"So… Where am I supposed to be?" I asked.
"Well, seeing as you can't ride, I thought you'd want to ride behind me," Susan remarked.
"I'm fine with that. I think. Well, you know, I'm still not sure about this whole thing. I really don't mind going back to bed so that y'all can bond," I stated sheepishly, feeling intrusive.
"I had to wake up and go through with this, and so do you," Edmund chuckled, saddling his horse. The rest of our merry procession voiced their agreements.
I gazed at Susan's horse. Apparently, his name was Tempest. The black stallion looked pretty fierce.
Oh boy. Broken limbs, here I come!
AN: Review!
Btw guys, here are the monarchs' and Anya's ages-
Anya- 15 (she'll turn 16 in December)
Peter- 19 (he'll turn 20 in January)
Caspian- 19 (he'll turn 20 in March)
Susan- 18 (she'll turn 19 in December)
Edmund- Just turned 17 in July
Lucy- Just turned 15 in July (2 days before Edmund)
Don't forget! Anya arrives in Narnia in September; this chapter is a week away from October!