I'm working on trying to correct some continuity errors in this story, sorry if there is anything glaring. If you find something bothersome feel free to drop me a line and I can work on correcting it. xx
CH6.
Reyna spent the rest of the day with Ed. He showed her some of his favorite spots around the castle: the battlements, a hidden study in the basement, an alcove behind a tapestry that looked out over the water and also showed her the library. They spent most of their time perusing the books in the library and taking turns reading out loud to each other. Lucy came in during the late afternoon and plopped next to Edmund who was lying in the middle of a large rug, sunshine shining on them through the window where Reyna sat. The two siblings grasped hands and laid next to each other as she read from a poetry book. The three of them spent the rest of the afternoon in a similar manner; quietly, contemplatively. When they heard the bell ring for dinner, the three companions rushed to the Great Hall. As they approached, loud sounds of laughter and music could be heard through the thick double doors.
"That sounds a little more rambunctious than our normal dinners." Said Lucy, curiosity seeping into her voice.
"They must have finalized the peace treaty!" Exclaimed Ed, "Hang on Reyna, I've got to go find Peter, he probably needs me to sign for it to be official."
"Well, why don't we both come with you? Lucy will have to sign as well, won't she?" Reyna said smilingly.
"Great idea!" Replied Edmund. He motioned to where Peter and Susan were standing at the opposite end of the hall near King Archibald, by the dais. The three companions made their way over and when Peter saw them, he nudged Susan and they walked down the steps to greet them. Peter enveloped Reyna in a tight and intimate hug. She dropped both Ed and Lucy's hands when she saw what Peter's intention was. Reyna smiled widely at Peter's excitement. He was so strong he easily lifted her feet off the ground and swung her around a little bit. Edmund looked on with that increasingly familiar tightening in his stomach. He didn't know why Reyna's and Peter's friendship bothered him so much.
When Peter released Reyna from the embrace he kept his hand lightly on her back for a moment before dropping it. Edmund walked back over and stood in between Reyna and Peter. "Pete," he said, "Do you need Luce and I to sign the treaty?" with a bit of a crispness to his voice. Pete nodded and moved away with Edmund.
Reyna walked up towards her father who now spoke with Susan. When he saw her, he smiled widely and also took her into his arms in a less jubilant, but even more intimate hug.
"Well, my darling," King Archibald said, holding tightly to Reyna's shoulder keeping her close to his side, "now that the peace treaty is signed I will be leaving on the morrow to return to Limea." Reyna's face fell a bit. She didn't realize he would be leaving so soon.
"So soon, father? Shall you not stay a few days more in Narnia before making the return voyage home?" Reyna asked.
"No, I have been gone far too long already and as you know it takes several weeks to get back to Limea from here. No, I must go. Have you changed your mind about staying in Narnia?" Asked King Archibald with a raised eyebrow.
Reyna paused for a moment to think before saying, "No, papa, I would very much like to stay." Reyna said sincerely.
"Very well then!" Exclaimed her father, "Young Peter, Edmund, if you will come here please!" Reyna's face went white, she didn't know why he was calling both of the Pevensie men over. Peter and Edmund, who had just finished signing the document, walked leisurely over to where Reyna and her father stood.
"Sir, we are at your service." Said Peter with an arch smile.
"Thank you, m'boy. As you know, I was planning on letting my daughter remain here for a few months as per the kind invitation of your generous sister," he nodded to Susan, "Am I correct to assume that she would still be welcome?"
"Oh certainly, sir! We would be honored to have her stay here with us!" Exclaimed Peter.
"Most definitely." Added Edmund.
"Excellent. Excellent. Well I will trust her and her safety into both of your capable hands." King Archibald said with one last wide smile before shaking both Peter and Edmund's hands.
The music picked up and a waltz started playing. Peter looked to Reyna, but Edmund had gotten there first. Edmund grabbed her hand and whispered in her ear. "Shall we?" Reyna nodded, delighted. Her eyes shone as Edmund led her onto the dance floor. Peter watched them go, his elation sinking with every step they took. Susan came up and nudged him in the elbow. "Got a little competition, eh?" she said with a knowing wink.
"Reyna is not a prize to be won, Su." Said Peter with a slightly reproving look.
"Oh yes, yes I know. I just think that there seems to be a lot more testosterone bouncing around ever since she arrived. You might want to exercise some caution there, brother. It feels like you and Edmund have finally found some even ground and are blossoming, I would hate to see a woman come between you."
Peter eyed the serious look on Susan's face. He nodded slightly before saying, "I simply don't know what you're talking about. Reyna is just a friend, less than that truthfully - more an acquaintance."
"Yes, I'm sure." Susan replied sarcastically with an arch look. Sighing, she said"That girl has got the two of you wrapped around her pinky finger and she doesn't even know it."
"You're one to talk, Su. Don't you have a continuous line of suitors out the door like all the time?" Said Peter, slightly irritated. "Besides, where's the harm in liking her? She will be staying with us for several months. I would be a rather inconsiderate host if I didn't like her at all."
They watched Edmund spin Reyna in a waltz, his neck bending to whisper into her ear as she came back to him. "You know that's not what I mean," Susan said lowly.
Peter was quiet, contemplating. "Don't worry Su, I enjoy her company. I find her interesting and there's an odd sort of comfort that I find in her presence. I will take your words under advisement." Feeling the need to bring some levity into the conversation he added, "It is nice to see a pretty face around here finally."
Susan gave him a swat on the shoulder, "I'm offended, Pete!"
He grabbed her, tugging her into a side hug and said, "Oh, come off it, you loon, don't give me any crocodile tears tonight, you know what I mean." He started walking her towards the dance floor.
Susan squeezed his hand, a grin moving across her face, "I know, I just like to keep you on your toes. I don't have a problem with you liking Reyna, I like her myself. I would just caution you, you know our brother. He gets attached easily and is extremely loyal. The last thing you need is for a girl to come between you after everything the two of you have through together." She was looking at him with sincerity this time and he nodded slowly.
"I know, Susan" he looked once more at a laughing Reyna who was standing on Ed's toes while they danced, "she could easily have us both head-over-heels in love with her before we even knew what was happening." Peter sighed slightly, before Susan lightly stomped on his toes, encouraging him to dance instead of stare like a lost puppy.
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Reyna sighed contentedly as she brushed out her long hair on the edge of her bed. It had been just over three weeks since her father's departure.
- Flashback -
Her father rose early and packed all his things together. Reyna went to his room to assist him and they made small talk as they went, neither one ready to face the inevitable goodbye that was approaching. When all his things had been assembled and assistance called to carry them to the ship, he took his daughter by the arm and they began walking through the corridors, slowly making their way down to the docks. The Pevensie family greeted them at the main entrance and continued the walk with the King and his daughter. When it was Reyna's turn to finally say goodbye, she felt her feet slow as she walked towards her father's open arms to embrace him. A feeling of sudden panic welled up inside her. He was leaving. She was staying. In this foreign land. She knew only a few people in this country and one of them was departing soon. Her thoughts had begun to fly a mile a minute and when she pulled away her eyes were welling with tears. Her father saw the panic clear in her eyes and took hold of her shoulders.
"Reyna, you can still change your mind and come home, but if you choose to stay everything will be okay. I've kept you to myself for too long, it's time for you to spread your wings and experience the world a bit before you settle down. I know it's frightening to be here in a strange land all alone, but the Pevensies are here and I have a feeling the five of you will become life-long friends. Do not be afraid. You are strong." He pulled away to address the others, "Peter, Susan, Lucy, Edmund, I have had such a wonderful time here in Narnia, and I am quite reluctant to leave. Especially when I am leaving my only child here." My father winked at them. "But, I have full faith in your abilities to keep her out of trouble."
"We will be sorry to see you go, lord Castellian." Said Susan politely, extending her hand to him.
"Yes, my dear, I'm sure." Said my father cupping her cheek with one hand while using the other to take her hand and place a kiss on it. He then turned to Lucy, who gave him a bear hug – always the informal one. Peter and King Archibald shook hands and passed a few glances. Then her father turned to Edmund. They shared a few glances as well and the King leaned in to say something to Edmund. Reyna couldn't catch what it was, but Edmund looked very gravely and sincerely into her father's eyes and said, "I will." After all of these farewells had been done, he turned back to Reyna. She could feel the tears begin to form in her eyes but was determined not to let them fall. She took a deep breath and hugged my dear father tightly.
"Be safe, Papa." Reyna said.
"Guard your heart, darling." He replied. And with that he took her hand and gave it one last comforting squeeze before turning towards the boat. Reyna felt a warm slender arm wrap around her shoulders. Susan held Reyna tightly to her side for a moment before letting go. Reyna smiled at her, showing her thankfulness as grateful. As she watched her father walk towards the boat she moved to stand in between Edmund and Lucy. Lucy took hold of her left hand and she felt Edmund's warm hand come to rest on the small of her back, grounding her and offering her support. They all watched as King Archibald walked up the gangplank and the ship shoved off. They all waited on the dock until the boat sailed out of sight.
- end flashback -
That day had been difficult for Reyna. She didn't know what to expect from that point on, thankfully, the Pevensies made her feel at ease and carried on like she was a part of the family. She was grateful for that. They treated her like an addition to their family, including her in their games, meals, and even some of their war and council meetings.
Edmund and Reyna spent much of the past three weeks together, exploring the grounds and in the library reading. They talked for hours at a time. Edmund told her of his childhood in England and the great war that was going on. She told him of her childhood in Limea. Ed told her how much he missed his father and how all he wanted to do was make him proud. Reyna told him about her mother's death and the struggles of growing up without a mum. Edmund went into greater detail about his sibling and his adventures in Narnia. Reyna noticed that whenever he talked about Lucy's discovery of Narnia he would always go silent for a moment and would get a faraway look in his eyes. His brow would furrow like he was contemplating something serious and he would sigh. She worried about him. It was clear to Reyna that he was keeping something from her, but whenever she asked if he was alright Ed would shrug it off and be back to his normal teasing and laughing self.
They spent hours walking the grounds or riding off into the countryside, oftentimes one of his sisters and even occasionally his brother would tag along. They spent lots of time in their getaway meadow. Reyna taught Ed some of the folk dances that are common in Limea, and Edmund taught her how to foxtrot. He showed her how to skip rocks, make paper airplanes, rock climb, whittle, and throw daggers. Ed even fashioned her a set of special daggers. They were very simple and functional except for a small trail of runes along the blade. It read, "May these offer you protection from the most dangerous of foes." She loved them and wore them always. She educated him on painting and playing musical instruments. They learned a lot from each other. The more time they spent together, the more the both of them realized how hard it would be to be separated.
As much time as they spent together, they also had time apart. He had his duties around the castle, most of which consisted of preparing his army. Every day, more and more troops would arrive and begin to prepare for battle. Edmund and Peter worked together to train the men, accumulate food, weapons, and other supplies. They would work tirelessly throughout the day. Some days would go by when the girls would not even get a glance of the two young men. On these days the girls would either sit in one of their rooms talking, painting, and writing together or outside practicing fighting with daggers or swords. They spent hours getting to know each other, sharing their experiences and becoming good friends.
Lucy spoke of her animal and tree friends. She told Reyna wonderful stories about the adventures of babysitting the Beavers. Susan and Reyna talked about love, life, and marriage. Reyna would often ask Susan about her many suitors, and Susan always went into great detail about her reasons for turning each of them down. On these days, when the men were scarce, Reyna could never quite shake the feeling of longing for Edmund and Peter's presence. She would often look off her balcony during the day and see the men training in the yard. She would see Edmund or Peter dueling with soldiers or directing attack plans. They would swing their weapons with such force that she thought they might fall over. Sometimes, the girls would go down in the yard and watch them train. Susan and Lucy would look over maps and help plan for scouting trips, but for the most part the girls let the men take control and direct the show.
Today, Susan promised Reyna another archery lesson. The last one they had had ended in Reyna shooting a fiery arrow into a tree, so she was hoping today would be better. She couldn't quite get the hang of the whole hand-eye coordination. During Reyna's time in Narnia so far, she had gained stamina and muscle that she never had before. When she was young, she used to fight and 'train' with her brothers, but never seriously. After their deaths, she had been more and more restrained in her activities, sometimes barely getting outside for a walk during the day. Now, Reyna was getting used to using her muscles for running, jumping, fighting, throwing daggers, etc. It thrilled her to her core.
Reyna heard Susan call to her from outside her door and she skipped to the door grabbing her boots on her way. She was wearing a light green dress, with a brown bodice and belt with brown boots on.
Susan and Reyna made their way down into the yard where the men were sparring and archery targets were set up at varying distances. Susan shot straight into the bulls-eye every single time. Reyna shot a few times but none of her arrows made it all the way to the target. On her fourth time, she huffed in frustration and brushed her auburn hair out of her face. She positioned her bow and when she released the arrow she heard awhooshand then a small cry. She blinked looking around, hoping she hadn't hit anyone. Reyna's arrow had flown over the target and with help from the wind had swerved to the right and almost shot Peter who was standing talking to Badger about grain storage. Peter hadn't even seen the arrow flying towards his beautiful golden head. He would have had a serious head wound had Lucy not lunged at him, pulling him into a massive hug, and out of the way of Rey's arrow. The cry Reyna had heard was one of surprise Peter had let out when Lucy pulled him to the side. Peter glanced at the arrow and went to pick it up before starting to walk casually over to where Reyna stood. She could feel her face heating up and her heart beat faster. He passed her the arrow and gave her a cheeky smile while saying, "Really Rey, if you didn't like me you could just say so. You don't have to try to kill me." Reyna blushed even more and felt her neck grow hot. She turned her eyes towards the ground as Peter's eyes teased her laughingly. He tugged on her hair lightly before brushing her cheek gently.
"Well, no harm done, but maybe reposition the targets a little until you get the hang of hitting them." He winked at her and pulled her hair again. She gave him a playful shove on the arm, cheeks burning, before moving past him to reposition the target facing in the complete opposite direction of any other humans. She saw Peter continue his discussion with Badger and they walked back towards the castle together.
She resumed her archery practice with Susan and after an hour or so felt like she was finally getting somewhere. She could at least hit the targets with a few of her arrows and not all of them flew off in odd directions. Susan commended her on the improvement before jogging down the hill aways to assist Edmund and Lucy in a demonstration when Reyna heard a great clatter. Her head spun around in great surprise to see that a faun had knocked over the rack that held the shields, spears, and swords. Edmund was down the hill training some new recruits with Lucy, and now poor faun, who had knocked himself to the ground as well, looked as if he would die of embarrassment. Reyna slung her bow over her shoulder and jogged over to where the fawn lay groaning. Reyna couldn't quite tell whether from pain or from embarrassment.
"...oh, you stupid, faun you.. you should have seen that in front of you… oh bother..." She heard the little faun muttering in a high-pitched voice as she came to a stop in front of him. He looked up in surprise when a hand appeared in front of his face.
"Are you alright?" Reyna said in a kind voice, kneeling down to remove some of the weapons that had fallen on him. She was never shy around fauns, or dryads, or any of the talking animals...it was only around people. The faun gazed up at her and nodded his head, dazedly. He took her hand and she hoisted him up. The faun brushed off his legs and then turned to start picking up the mess. Reyna bent down to help him.
"Oh, no, miss! You don't have to do that!" He cried.
"Pshh! I want to!" She said with a smile and a laugh. The faun looked at her with an upraised brow, then went back to his cleaning. It was then that she saw a large gash on the back head. She couldn't tell how deep it was, but the wound was gushing blood. The faun must have hit his head on one of the weapons, when he fell over. She wondered at his not noticing the pain of a gash so large. She saw the faun start to wobble a bit. Blood was now pouring from his wound and down the back of his neck. She rushed over and caught him right before he collapsed.
"Oh! I'm sorry, miss…I just…" He fell silent. She looked at him with worry in her eyes, the blood now seeping into both their clothes. He was in need of a healer, but there was no one around to help her. She pulled his arm around her shoulder and started to walk him towards the castle as rapidly as she could without the faun, who was completely depending on her now to stay upright, falling. When she reached the castle, she was breathing quite heavily from her load. She set him down to take a breather. By this time her dress was soaked in blood, the poor faun lay helplessly, still bleeding profusely. Reyna knew something had to be done to stop the bleeding or else he would die. She wasn't sure that he hadn't already lost too much blood. She took one of the daggers that Ed gave her and she slashed through her skirt. She wrapped the fabric around his head in a meager attempt to halt the steady stream of blood. She knew it wouldn't help for long, however. Reyna was unsure what to do, she didn't want to leave him, if she didn't he would most certainly bleed out. She pulled her torn dress about her and knelt down beside him and grabbed his hand.
"Everything is going to be alright, Mr... What's your name?" She asked quietly. The faun lazily opened his eyes, trying to focus them, and said in a voice barely audible, "…Terrance…"
"It's nice to meet you, Terrance… Now, listen to me... I am going to go find help, okay? You have to promise me that you will stay awake, alright? Can you promise that?"
"I'll try…"
"Good… now I'll be right back, okay? Remember, stay awake." She stood up and let go of his hand… She needed to think... where could she find a healer... Lucy would have her cordial but she was all the way at the bottom of the hill with the others, which was quite a great distance. Reyna didn't want to leave Terrance all by himself for too long. Peter suddenly appeared at a balcony not too far away. Before Reyna could tell her feet what to do they were already running. She had to get help, or Terrance could die. She sped through the large mahogany castle doors and up a staircase on the right hidden behind a tapestry, one of the shortcuts she and Edmund had found. She skidded around the corner of the hallway and crashed right into Peter's strong arms.I should really stop knocking into the Pevensies, it's probably not good for my thought. She felt him steady her, but her adrenaline was still running high. She gripped his forearms trying to get a grip. Peter looked at her first with smiling eyes, but quickly his brow furrowed and he bent his head towards her when he saw the frantic look in her eyes and her blood-stained dress.
"Rey! What's happened?" He said urgently.
"I…I... He..." Reyna said, trying to catch her breath. Peter held her looking into her eyes. He was steady and calm, which transferred to her. She paused, inhaling a deep breath. "Terrance… he … he's hurt…bleeding…head wound… come quick…" She finally made out, Peter understood and said, "Lead me to him, Rey. Let's see what we can do." She took his hand and gathered her strength, the adrenaline once again pulsing through her veins giving her renewed strength. She pulled Peter along down the corridor and staircase out onto the castle steps. Terrance lay still, leaned up against the pillar, where Reyna had left him. His eyes were closed and the blood had soaked through her dress fabric and was flowing freely again. Peter worked quickly. He ripped off his shirt and tied it around Terrance's head replacing her bandage. Reyna struggled to keep a straight head. Her heightened awareness due to the stress response accompanied by her already pounding heart weren't helped by the sight of a shirtless Peter Pevensie. Peter called to Reyna.
"Rey, I need you to get a healer, please… I'll stay here with Terrance while you go get Lucy." He spoke calmly, but concisely. His level-headedness and sense of calm helped Reyna stay on task.
She took off running across the large expanse of a courtyard and down the hill. She sprinted through sparring rings, and tents, through training dummies and soldiers. She vaguely heard Edmund call to her, she disregarded him. All she could think about was Lucy and the healer's tent. She probably shouldn't be feeling this strongly about some random faun she had just met, but Reyna couldn't help it. She kept thinking about that faun's family and how devastated they would be if their son or brother didn't come home. Reyna would not let this faun die, she would do everything she could to keep him from dying.
When the healer's tent finally came into her view Reyna breathed a small sigh of relief. Lucy and a rabbit walked out of the tent and Reyna started calling to them, they looked up in surprise and concern. Somehow Reyna had made out that they were needed, because Lucy and the rabbit began running towards Reyna. Reyna skidded around and started running back full speed with the both of them to the castle. By now both Edmund and Susan were not far behind, they both looked at each other with confused and worried looks. As they were running, Reyna managed to explain to Lucy and the healer what had happened. When she told Lucy the faun's name, Lucy seemed to pick up speed a bit. When they arrived back to the castle steps, Peter was still trying to stop the bleeding. He looked up at Lucy and the healer and sighed in relief. The rabbit – who Reyna later found out was named Lincoln – had his medical pouch out and was applying herbs and potions to the head wound. Lucy stood by assisting Lincoln in his task. Lincoln passed Lucy a potion to give to the faun that would help with the clotting of blood. She tipped a drop into the faun's mouth and closed her eyes, hoping that she wasn't too late. Everyone held their breath…nothing happened. Reyna was just about to break down into tears of despair when Terrance took a deep intake of breath and opened his eyes, the blood finally slowing down, as Terrance's body began to heal his wound. Lucy leaped forward into Terrance's arms and gave him a tight hug. Peter sat back in relief. Edmund and Susan both came clamoring up the steps, their faces of worry now changed to relief when they saw what was happening.
"Oh, Terrance! I was so worried!" Said Lucy, "Can you imagine what your father would have done if we had lost you?" Terrance looked at her, his face extremely pale from blood loss and gave her a look saying,"I'm glad you didn't lose me."Reyna wondered who this faun's father was, Peter was now at her side. It was as if he guessed what she was thinking because he said, "Terrance is Mr. Tumnus' adopted son. They are very close. Tumnus found him after the war and raised him as his own. He's very attached. He would have been destroyed had we lost him." Reyna had met Mr. Tumnus, he was a lovely faun, so kind and gentle and wise, she didn't know he had a son.
"I'm just glad that I was there to help." Reyna said, as she took in the scene around her. Lucy was still cradling Terrance, while Lincoln worked on stitching his head wound. Edmund had his arm around Susan's shoulders and her head placed gently on his neck. She looked down at her dress and almost laughed at what she saw. Her governess, Madam Gertrude, would have rolled over in her grave had she seen Reyna now. Reyna's green dress with sequins and jewels inlaid in it, with lovely embroidery was torn up the side, fully exposing her left leg, all the way up to her thigh. Her arms and bodice were covered in blood and sweat. She could feel the adrenaline wearing off, her knees beginning to go weak and wobbly. Peter, again, read her thoughts. He gently wrapped his strong bare arm around her waist and held her upright.I'll have to thank him probably knows that I don't want to be seen as weak in front of put her arm around Peter's back in order to help her stay put, he pulled her closer.
She was now flush against his side. Her thin, bloody dress was pressed up against his strong, muscular, and rather sweaty frame. Her hypersensitivity from the epinephrine running through her body was now transferred from the stressful situation to just how close she was to Peter. She could feel each place where their bodies touched. Tingles ran up and
down her body. He smelled of sweat and grass and hard work from training hard. She saw little droplets of sweat on his well-defined chest. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest and was sure that Peter could also hear it. Her breathing hadn't calmed down and she was taking fast and shallow a grip, girl. Get a hold of could feel her cheeks burning as she lifted her eyes to his, peeking through her lashes.
He looked at her dress and smirked before he said, "Starting a new fashion trend?" his eyes panning to her pale leg. This made her blush even more, she looked away embarrassed. Her hand moved to cover part of her thigh. She hadn't realized when she ripped her dress that the seam would rip almost all the way to her hip.
While Peter focused his attention back on the scene, Reyna desperately tried to get a grip on her emotions, inhaling and exhaling deeply a few times. Meanwhile, Lucy and Susan began mothering Terrance while Peter stood laughing at the look on Terrance's face. He looked like he was being tortured. Lincoln, now finished with his doctoring, told the two women that he needed a few days of bed rest and pampering. At that, Terrance's eyes went wide with horror. The thought of being cooped up with just the two women for days at a time, was a frightening thought.
Reyna laughed and looked to Edmund. He was staring at her, but not at her face. He was looking at Peter's arm that was still wrapped around her waist. She thought she saw something flash across his eyes, but it was gone as soon as it came. Edmund then knelt down and pulled Terrance up saying, "We best get you inside, so you can rest." He then led Terrance into the castle, the two Pevensie girls in tow.
