The Cauldron Pool.
Edmund.
The dryad was silent as she led him into the night, weaving through the trees, away from the revelries and away from the fires.
There'd been questions in her eyes and no doubt many questions on her tongue; but thankfully, that was where they stayed.
He heard the waterfall long before it came into view.
Moon-silvered grasses lapped at the waters that echoed the sky above – a lake of stars, frothing and churning where the waterfall cascaded. It reflected more than just the stars; in it he saw the echo of wisps of clouds, of the great cliffs that towered above them. By his estimation that pool was the receiver of the Great Waterfall that came from the mountainous Western Wilds, their most western border.
"This is the Cauldron Pool," the dryad's voice was quiet, as if she were loathe to disrupt the strange stillness in the air. For whilst the waterfall rumbled, the very air seemed to hum with some sort of energy, as if it were waiting for something. And the way the dryad whispered the name seemed almost reverent. "Is there any way I can assist, your Majesty?"
Your Majesty, hastily added in a single breath as if she thought she would anger him.
It was far easier when people did not know who they were.
He offered her a small smile, but she was looking steadfastly at the ground. "Tend to your sister, Melia. I will look after my wife."
…
Arianna.
The air was still around them; she could feel nothing but his skin on hers as he waded into the water. She felt the coolness sink into her bones, her ribs felt light and tingly, but she was no longer in pain as the water moved over her. Those frothing and churning waters calmed somewhat as they tried to please her, to welcome her.
That Deep Magic that was hers alone.
It was as if all the waters of Narnia joined together in that once spot. And those waters held the memories of everything they had seen, everything they had heard, everything that had happened near the placid waters that flowed through the land.
The water listened.
Edmund's touch was ever so gentle as he unlaced her gown, leaving her in naught but a chemise as he washed the blood off her skin, both hers and the hunters.
His fingers trailed over each and every dip of her body, as if he had to check for himself that she was not injured further.
"Lia said he was from another world, but not from a world we know," she did not speak to loud, unwilling to disturb the strange calmness that had fallen over them, as she looked up into her husband's inky eyes.
Unable to help herself, she let a small smile touch her mouth.
From the very start she and Edmund had been inevitable. And she knew there would never be another for her, as long as Edmund existed somewhere. For some things lasted far beyond death.
"There was a touch of darkness upon him, when you fought him, there was a shadowy figure behind him for a moment."
He kissed her palm as her feet hit the rocky bottom of the pool, the water reaching her navel. "Tomorrow, we worry about giants and dark shadows and plots," he murmured into her lips, his brow upon hers. He then took her small hands, the criss-cross scars stark white in the moonlight. "But tonight, you are mine."
They would always be more than just themselves, but they would also always be more than just their crowns. And dripping with water from an ancient pool, gazing at her with adoration naked in his gaze, linen shirt clanging to shoulder and chest – she would not have him any other way. The words remained unspoken as she drew his mouth to hers, lost in the bliss of their kiss. Lost in the warmth that bloomed within her, fire racing along her veins. There was no hesitation before a soft sound left him and he was kissing her back, his hand tangled in her thick, auburn hair. In that moment, he was her entire world, her moon, her stars, her sun.
There was nothing but him, nothing but that delicious heat that burned through her.
...
Edmund.
He drew lazy circles on her bare shoulder as nighttime bled into dawn. "So much for sleeping in a bed."
His wife cracked an eyelid, mild annoyance in her gaze. "Are you ready to face the dawn, Just King?"
"Only if you are."
She closed her eyes once more. With her wild dark curls spread out around her bare body, her golden-brown skin near gleaming as the first rays of the sun hit it, she looked like one of Narnia's very own nature sprites. "You know Lia said that the Cauldron Pool whispered secrets to those who listened."
"And have you been listening, my queen?"
She open her eyes, dark and green and cunning. "I know who is meeting with the giants."
...
...
...
...
...
Authors Note:
Read Dagger's of Ice for Arianna and Edmunds full story. Well, at least the start of it 😉
And as always, I crave reviews.