AN: One reader Mark commented that he thought that Edmund might like to turnPrincesses Begonia and Peony into stone. It you read Rthstewarts "By Royal Decree" you'll find he had a very effective and hilarious way of dealing with one of them. Thanks again to Rthstewart for letting me use them here. In her story, Edmund refers to them as Princess Dim and Princess even more dim, so that might creep in here too. They're going to make a nuisance of themselves again in this chapter so be warned.
Disclaimer: I own nothing of Narnia
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"Aria … wait!"
Aria turned at the top of the steps leading from the beach to the castle.
"What Edmund!?"
"I just wanted to be sure that you are well … for a moment there … well … you were going to
go into the sea … you would have been killed."
Aria looked at Edmund with a puzzled look.
"I would not have been killed … wait … did you think that I wanted to …"
Aria looked incredulously at Edmund.
"If you think that I would even consider throwing away the life that Aslan gave me, then you
clearly do not know me at all!"
"That's just it though Aria" Edmund answered somewhat angrily coming dangerously close
to Aria's face.
"I don't know you at all, you tell me nothing of yourself. I should be keeping a distance from
you until I know more … but I find I cannot."
Aria did not answer, she couldn't. Torn as she was between anger at Edmund's assumption
of her intentions on the beach and distraction at his words and his nearness.
Edmund took a step closer to her.
"Trust me Aria … tell me who you are … let me know you."
Aria wavered. She wanted to trust Edmund. But she had been through so much. Had built
her walls so high that even she did not know how to break through them.
Edmund sensed her resolve weakening and reached out a gentle hand, stroking the back of
his hand down her soft cheek.
"Trust me Aria" he murmured.
A wave of flowery perfume was all the warning that Edmund received before he was
overcome by two bundles of frills and lace.
"Oh King Edmund, there you are, we have been searching all over the castle for you. Why
were you not at breakfast, we missed you so. It is cruel of you my King, cruel to absent
yourself after you have been away for so long!"
At last the Princesses took a breath allowing Edmund reply somewhat testily.
"Your pardon, Your Highnesses, Lady Aria and I were just taking a walk on the beach."
Edmund turned to indicate Aria as he spoke, only to find that she was gone.
The Princess, however did not seem to notice or care, they had eyes and ears only for
Edmund.
"We came to ask Your Majesty to save us both a dance during the ball." Princess Begonia
gushed.
"Ball?" asked Edmund.
Now that he thought of it Susan had mentioned something about a ball before he left. But
of course, he, not being interested, had forgotten, at the time being far more keen on
escaping the Princesses than on a ball.
"Of course King Edmund" thrilled Princess Peony.
"Your sister Queen Susan, says that you have it at the end of every Winter to celebrate the
anniversary of some battle. The Battle of Belunia I think."
"Beruna" Edmund interrupted.
"The Battle of Beruna. It is when we defeated the White Witch and won our Kingdom."
But neither Princess seemed interested and were prattling on about what they would wear
and who they would dance with. Edmund's mind drifted to Aria. He felt that he had been
close, so close to breaking through her defences.
" … Begonia is to wear pink and I am to wear lemon." Peony prattled on.
"We thought it would be wonderful if you and the High King could match us in your outfits!"
A choking noise came from behind Edmund and he turned to see Lupa, struggling to
smother a laugh at the thought of the two kings in pink and lemon.
The Princesses who normally completely ignored all non-human residents of Narnia (that is
to say everyone but the Kings and Queens) paused and looked at Lupa in apparent fear.
"King Edmund" shrieked one. (Edmund could not make out if it was Princess Dim or Princess
Even More Dim as both were now hiding behind him).
"Your wolf is growling at us! Oh the vicious beast! You should have it muzzled!"
Edmund stepped away from the cowering Princesses, his face stern.
"May I remind Your Royal Highnesses, that Sir Lupa, in addition to being my personal guard,
a citizen of Narnia and I am proud to say one of my closest friends is also an anointed
Knight of Narnia and as such WILL command your respect at all times … is that clear?"
Without waiting for an answer Edmund strode off to the training yard. He should have been
there an hour ago and he certainly needed it now to work of the strain of the morning and
the annoyance of simpering Princesses.
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Edmund however, was not the only one who needed to work some frustrations out that
morning. Aria was already in the training yard. She as shaken at just how close and how
quickly Edmund had gotten to breaking through her defences. Shaking herself as if to shake
off the effect that the young king was having on her, she watched General Orieus with his
troops. The general had been away with King Edmund in the Western Woods for several
weeks and he was reviewing the troops and how well they had been progressing with their
training in his absence.
As Orieus reached the end of the line of troops as they went through their training forms, he
caught sight of Aria, standing to the side of the training yard.
"Can I be of assistance to you Lady Aria?" he asked as he approached her.
"I really did not want to interrupt you General" Aria answered smiling at the General who
she really liked, even if she was a little intimidated by him.
"You look to be busy with your troops. I was just looking for someone to spar with. I feel
sorely out of practice. But everyone here looks like they are nearly finished with their
training for the day. I can come back lat …"
"I would be glad to train with you"
It was Edmund who had entered the training yard some few minutes after Aria and heard
her last words.
"No really, I can come back later" Aria answered.
The last thing she needed now was to get that close to Edmund. And Edmund could always
go and train with those two obnoxious Princesses who were obviously determined to win
themselves a King.
Edmund raised his eyebrow.
"Most ladies trip over themselves with excitement at the thought of sparing with a King" he
said wryly.
"I'm sure" Aria snapped, "but I am not most ladies."
"Indeed you are not" Edmund replied.
Then he added with a mischievous smile,
"Perhaps then it is that you would prefer not to spar with me, because I have already
beaten you twice?"
"Beaten me … I was injured!" Aria sputtered.
Edmund merely smiled and raised his sword.
Arai looked to the soldiers who had finished their training and now gathered to watch their
monarch train.
"Can someone give me a sword please" she asked sweetly. "I seem to have left mine in my
room."
Several were offered and Aria accepted the nearest one.
Edmund, who had been raised with two sisters, was wise enough to recognise the warning in the overly sweet
tone and gripped his sword more firmly.
Without warning Aria swung at Edmund and he had to move quickly to avoid her blow.
Aria smiled sweetly at him.
"Perhaps Your Majesty would prefer an opponent who would ask for assistance, an
opponent more like the Princesses Begonia and Peony" she asked as she circled him.
She swept her sword in a low arch causing Edmund to jump to clear the blade.
"One who bats her eyelids and asks that you show her just how to hold her sword. One who
asks that you guide her hands on the sword … stand behind her to adjust her grip …"
"Not so My Lady" panted Edmund as he deftly evaded the series of sweeps of Aria's sword.
"I prefer and opponent who can hold her own. Although an opponent who tells me the bare
basics of who she is would be good too."
Aria stopped, stepping back from Edmund.
"I have my secrets King Edmund, but so have you as I said before" she said raising and
eyebrow.
"If you want me to trust you and tell you everything about me, perhaps we could start with
you. Perhaps you could tell me about how the White Witches Prophecy was fulfilled, the
one that said a Son of Adam would stand with her."
As soon as the words were out of her mouth Aria regretted them. She had already guessed
much of what must have happened concerning Edmund and the White Witch. Already
surmised that he, as had the Prince before her, had fallen for Jadis's deceits. She did not
blame him for it any more than she had the Prince.
She had wanted to strike out, at someone, at anyone. She was lonely and afraid. Worried
about what would become of her. And Edmund, who had angered her on the beach, who
had them come dangerously close to breaking through her carefully constructed barriers.
Edmund was an easy target. But now looking into his deeply hurt brown gaze she felt awful.
What she had not reckoned on, had not realised, but what she realised now, was that
Edmund had not forgiven himself and so her mark went deeper than she intended.
Without another word, Edmund sheathed his sword and it was he, not she who walked
away this time.
After he had disappeared around the wall of the training yard, Aria looked to General Orieus
and the soldiers surrounding her who had been watching her and Edmund training. Orieus
was frowning at her and many of the faces of the soldiers were openly hostile.
"I should not have said that" Aria admitted to them shamefacedly.
"I understand that Edmund is not to blame for what happened, I will apologise to him and I
apologise to all of you too for disrespecting your king.
Without another word Aria followed Edmund from the training yard.
However try as she might she could not find the young King. Instead she found his youngest
sister who came bouncing up to her in high spirits.
"Aria" Lucy exclaimed.
"Just the person I have been looking for!"
Aria stopped, smiling at the young Queen. It was impossible not to like Lucy.
"I wanted to show you some dresses so that you can choose one to wear to the ball." Lucy said linking her arm through Aria's
and leading her towards the castle.
"Ball?" questioned Aria smiling at Lucy's enthusiasm.
"But of course, you do not know!" said Lucy.
"Every year, at this time, we have a ball to celebrate the end of winter and the
anniversary of the Battle of Beruna. It was the battle during which we defeated the White
Witch."
"That sounds wonderful Lucy" Aria smiled at the young Queen.
"Do many come to the ball?"
"Oh yes, all of our friends" replied Lucy enthusiastically.
"All of the army and all those who Aslan rescued from stone, and even some of those
who he returned from stone that Jadis had kept in her castle, although some of them are
quite reclusive you know, having been stone for so long, they rarely …"
"Aria?" Lucy looked with concern at Aria whose face had turned show white.
"How long" choked Aria
"How long were the oldest of the Narnians stone?"
That's all for now, thanks for reading - please review