The first royal wedding held in Narnia in centuries is said to be an even more beautiful celebration than the coronation of their Kings and Queens almost seventeen years before. The High Queen seems to flow down the aisle to her husband to be, the silk of her silver gown moving as if it's made of water.

As graceful as she seems, Hazel cannot help the anxiety that fills her. She is both excited and nervous, happy and sad, hopeful and grieving. The turmoil of emotions is almost enough to make her feel sick.

The walk down the aisle seems to last both years and seconds. It's not until she lays her hands in Leopold's that her mind seems to settle. Looking up, she meets his green gaze. The calm and happiness that he radiates seems to immediately soothe her nerves. A balm to her raging emotions.

There is nothing that she can do at this moment to help her missing siblings, no matter how much pain their absence brings her. But, this is something she can do for her kingdom. She can wed and cut off a coming war at the knees.

She knows there are vows she says and motions she makes, but Hazel is not truly aware of anything until her lips meet those of her new husband.

Maybe their marriage is born out of convenience. Maybe she still feels weighed down by grief. But, perhaps, just maybe she will be able to find happiness in her life once again.

-

Hazel is sure that she makes a terrifying sight for her husband when he enters their chambers, but she can't bring herself to stop crying yet.

"Darling?" The concern is evident in his voice as Leopold's footsteps echo on the stone floor of their room. The bed dips beside her before strong arms wrap around her. Turning into her lover's chest, the High Queen can't help but cry even harder. "My dear, what has happened?"

There are several minutes between his question and her answer, the room filled with her sniffling as she tries to compose herself. Eventually, she pulls back far enough to meet the Prince's eyes.

"We're to have a baby, Leo." Her voice is so soft that she is surprised her husband is able to hear her at all.

It takes a few moments for Leopold to absorb her words, then his face breaks into a wide smile. He seems to imagine an entire life for their unborn child in the few seconds that it takes for his lips to fall into a frown once again.

"Why is this then a reason to weep, my love? We should be celebrating." His voice is low as he strokes a thumb over her cheek, wiping away the remnants of her tears. It's for naught, her eyes watering once more at his words.

"Oh, Leopold." Hazel takes his hands in her own, clinging to her husband. "I am happy beyond words, this I promise you. But, I can't help but grieve the life my siblings should be living when I think of this new life within me. Would Susan have married by now? Or maybe Peter. Perhaps Lucy would have sailed the seas and discovered a new land! Edmund would have negotiated the difficulties between our kingdoms with ease." The Queen swallows harshly, willing herself not to begin crying again. "All four of them would love our child with their entire hearts. They should have been here to meet you. They should be here to meet our heir!"

Leopold wraps his arms around her once more, tugging his wife into his chest as she breaks into sobs. His own eyes seem a little misty as he parses through her words, hurting at the thought of her pain. He is sure that this will be a conversation they will repeat for the rest of their lives.

-

High Princess Elaine Suzanne of Narnia, Duchess of the Lantern Waste, Heir Apparent enters the world on hot summer night, boasting the strongest lungs in the land. Her father immediately declares, tears running freely down his face as he holds his daughter for the first time, that she will have just as beautiful a voice as her mother with such breath capacity.

The High Queen looks upon her husband and newborn daughter with her own tears in her eyes. While her heart is overflowing with love for the pair and her chest bursting with happiness at the sight, she cannot help the lump that forms in her throat with the realization that the infant has Queen Susan's nose and the same blue eyes that the five Pevensie siblings share.

-

Prince Alexander Peter of Narnia, Earl of the Western Marsh is born on a quiet spring morning, three years after his elder sister arrives. It is immediately clear to his mother that he will grow to have the same strong jawline of his namesake, though he seems to have inherited his father's dark hair and his mother's blue eyes.

While she finds similarities to her lost siblings in her newborn son, the High Queen finds that her chest no longer feels as tight as it once did at the thought. She still longs for her brothers and sisters but also can't help the contentment she feels surrounded by her growing family.

-

Princess Beatrice Lucille of Narnia, Viscountess of the Eastern Sea makes her appearance quite unexpectedly. On their autumn trip to the Prince Consort's homeland, the High Queen finds herself welcoming her third child into the world. She should have guessed that her newest daughter would be just as mischievous as the aunt she was named, even at her birth.

Hazel thinks that Lucy would be overjoyed that her youngest niece is already taking after her. The thought only adds to the joy brought to the day and the High Queen sends a prayer of thanks to Aslan for her new daughter.

-

Prince Henry Edmund of Narnia, Baron of the Northern Mountains shrieks into the winter night as he finds his voice in this new world for the first time. While her husband chuckles, remarking on the similar screams their eldest child emitted at her birth nine years prior, the High Queen thinks that perhaps her youngest son already hates the season as much as the younger of her elder brothers did.

Eleven years after the disappearance of her siblings, ten years after her marriage, nine years after the birth of her first child, six years after her second, two years after her third, on the night her fourth child is born, Hazel doesn't even spare a second to ponder what she would see on the other end of her spyglass.