CH3.

When Reyna opened her eyes the next morning she glanced towards her balcony. She slowly got up, she grabbed a blanket resting over the edge of her bed and wrapped it around her shoulders. Walking out into the crisp morning air she contemplated the previous evening and everything that happened. Leaning against the balcony, she tried to pick out all the places she and Peter had walked together. On their way back to her room, he had shown her around the east gardens and even a couple of the courtyards. The evening had been pleasant, with a cool chill to the air, they had walked arm in arm leaning close to each other for warmth and conversation flowed easily between them. Their conversation covered a variety of topics, all expecting her impending marriage. She had told him about her life growing up without a mother and the trouble she would get into with her brothers. She told him about her loneliness now that her brothers were gone and how she ached to know they would not be able to see her get married. He told her stories about his time growing up with his siblings and how they ended up coming to Narnia. He told her about the games and sports they would play. She was very interested to learn more about the sport called "baseball," it sounded quite interesting. He promised her that he would teach her while she was in Narnia. They discussed the peace conference and the treaty that the ambassadors were going to sign. He felt that there would be heated debates between some of the parties, but in the end they would settle on terms that appeased everyone.

By the time they had reached the doors of her rooms, it felt as if they were old friends. Reyna thought to the moment he wished her goodnight. Taking her bare hand in his, gently bowing over it while his lips left the barest of kisses on her hand. She had felt warmth coil inside her at his deep, low, whisper of Good night, Rey.

Reyna jumped when she heard the door to her room open and close. Taking in a calming breath, she pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders.

"Good morning, My Lady Reyna."

"Good morning, Elise." She said as she turned around.

"Ma'am…one of the Narnian kings is waiting for you in the foyer." Reyna was surprised to have a visitor so early, especially with the beginning of the treaty discussions occurring this morning. Perhaps Peter had come to walk her to breakfast in the dining hall.

"Why didn't you rouse me sooner Elise? Has he been waiting long?" Reyna questioned as she scrambled across her room, throwing her nightgown over her head as she went. Elise quickly brought her one of her gowns. This one was a dark shade of purple that complemented her violet eyes. It had a simple bodice that just tied together in the front. Her corset fit perfectly underneath it and didn't cause her too much discomfort. The sleeves were shorter than her evening gown, more practical, coming to just above her elbows. Reyna, pulling her hair back into a braid, while Elise continued to tie her dress, walked quickly through the doors to the foyer, forgetting her shoes.

"Pet—" She cut herself short when she saw who actually stood in the room. Instead of Peter, Edmund stood awkwardly in the center of her room, one hand in his pocket, head looking toward his feet as he scuffed them back and forth over the carpet. Instead of wearing his normal regal blue tunic, he had on a brown tunic with a white undershirt. A belt was at his waist holding up his black trousers, a sword hanging in its sheath. Black riding boots covered his feet. He casually held a brown riding jacket over his shoulder.

"Hey, Reyna" He looked up as she had walked in and blushed a bit when she had mistaken him for Peter. He said shyly. "Sorry if I'm a disappointment."

Reyna, surprised at her slip, blushed fuchsia and attempted to regain her composure.

"No, Edmund. No, not at all. I am just surprised to see you here. You could never be a disappointment. What are you doing here?" Reyna smiled at his shyness.

"Oh…uh...I was kind of… wondering... well if you wanted to... I don't know... maybe…goridingwithme?" His eyes were downcast, and he was speaking so fast that he mumbled the last part of the sentence.

"Sorry. I didn't catch that last part. What did you say?" Edmund took a few stabilizing breaths, then looked up at her. He took a step closer to her and ducked his head so that his eyes were more on her level.

"I was wondering if you, maybe, wanted to go riding with me today?" He looked so awkward and insecure. It was almost funny to see a man with such a strong presence and build look so insecure.

"What about the peace conference? Won't your presence be expected there today?" Reyna queried, attempting to hide her excitement at the prospect of being outdoors.

"Nah, not today. Peter and Su have at least this morning's meetings covered. If we leave now, we should be back in plenty of time for the afternoon talks." He said confidently, giving her a bright smile.

Reyna was almost jumping with excitement. She grabbed his hand and started rushing towards the door. "Then we had better get going if we want to get back in time."

"Um, Reyna?" Ed said with a laugh in his voice.

"Yes?" Reyna looked back into his big, sparkling, honey colored eyes and saw them full of mirth.

"Do you think you want to put on some shoes first?" His eyes dipped down to her feet and then back to hers. Her eyes shot to her bare feet and she wiggled her toes a bit.

"Oh, yes, that would be important, wouldn't it?" She said feeling her face start to warm and she rushed past him to find her blushed so profusely that it felt like her face would explode. Edmund just burst out laughing. His eyes sparkled and shined as he threw his head back. Reyna grabbed her riding boots and pulled them on then stalked past Edmund out the door.

She sent him a glare over her shoulder and said, "Come on, Ed. Are you just going to stand there laughing at me all day or are we going to go riding?" He laughed one more time at the expression on her face then took her hand in his and pulled her down the hallway.

"Really, Reyna, it's not like you could even get to the stables from here... you have no idea where they are."

"I think I could have found my way."

After making their way to the stables and saddling their horses, they were ready to embark. Edmund's horse, Philip, was a chestnut-colored stallion, just as regal-looking and strong as his rider. He had one stripe of white down his nose and he nipped at Ed's ear as he tried to saddle him. They spoke to each other on and off during the saddling process, which threw Reyna off a bit - she still was unaccustomed to animals speaking. Edmund told her that the horse she was riding was named Ellie. She was jet black and several hands smaller than Philip. When both were finally ready to go, Edmund took the lead and cantered off towards the forest. Edmund looked magnificent when he was riding. He sat tall in the saddle, accentuating his already large stature. His broad shoulders filled out his riding coat well and it billowed behind him as he maneuvered his horse expertly. They moved together as if they were connected; they did not ever need to speak because it was as if they could read each other's thoughts. He looked like he was a different person. His shy, quiet demeanor was gone as he laughed loudly, he had a wide smile and happiness seemed to radiate off of him.

Reyna followed him through the forest of Narnia. He slowed to a walk and began to tell her all about the different plants and trees they passed. It was amazing how much he knew about the landscape and the foliage.

"How is it that you know so much about the forest?" She asked.

"I come here a lot. I make my escape to the forest when the responsibilities of being a king weigh a bit too heavily."

Reyna nodded her head at his statement, but since Edmund was looking around at the foliage surrounding them, she also said aloud, "I can understand that. One must constantly be on guard around everyone, sometimes even those you should trust. You never know what someone's motives are, and I have found that being royalty does not lend one to finding true friends. Our people expect perfection from us, which is an impossible standard, seeing as no one is perfect."

"I understand completely. You know, most monarchs have only one other person to share the throne with, I'm lucky enough to share it with three. So, thankfully all the responsibilities don't fall solely upon me. In fact, poor Peter probably has the worst lot of ours, considering he is High King. He never complains though. I try not to either, considering it was us who made the choice to become leaders of this land after all. I do think that sharing the throne can come with its own set of challenges, however. That's why I come out here a lot." Edmund ran a hand through his hair as he said this and sighed.

"Do you find it difficult to rule with your siblings?" Reyna asked.

"Not always," he said, distractedly, his eyes were searching amongst the trees, clearly looking for something, "like I said, there are definite pros to it, but it can be tough as well. We all have quite different personalities and as such it can be difficult to come to a consensus on issues. Sometimes, its very helpful having different sets of perspectives on issues, but other times it can lead to quite a heated debate and while we try to rule as a democracy, someone has to make the decisions in the end. Since Aslan made Peter the High King, that role typically falls to him." Edmund glanced at her sideways when he mentioned Peter.

"You say that as if it's a bad thing, but would that not mean, you have less responsibility for yourself?" She asked, curious to hear about the dynamic between the two brothers.

"Yes and no. Peter tries to be fair, but sometimes he can't help but be a bit overbearing in the role that he has been given and he can lack the ability to hear what the other three of us have to say. Sometimes he'll get an idea in his head and just want to run with it because it is his idea and he can because he is in the position with the most power. However, that happens rarely – for the most part the four of us communicate well and each have our own areas of state that we have domain over. When we first came to power, the four of us had to decide who would take precedence over which areas, otherwise all of us would constantly be tripping over each other and making more work for ourselves."

"Which areas do you typically rule over?"

"While Peter and I jointly rule the Narnian military, I am the one who he will send into battle as leader of the army when someone needs to stay behind here at Cair Paravel. Most often, if there is a military campaign, the four of us prefer to go together, but that is not always possible, so I guess you could say I am in charge of Narnia's military."

"That is certainly a very important area of the country to oversee. I'm sure your brother appreciates your dedication very much." Reyna said, sincerely.

"He does…" Edmund says, absently, gazing off into the distance. Reyna wondered if there was more sibling rivalry between the ruling brothers than Edmund would like to let on. It seemed almost impossible for the four siblings to coexist completely without any jealousy or complication.

He shook his head before reigning in his horse and slid out of the saddle.

"What are you doing?" She asked quizzically. Edmund walked over to her and held out his arms.

"It's a surprise." He said, his eyes sparkling. Then he gestured with his hands motioning her to dismount. Reyna rolled her eyes.

"I don't like surprises." She crossed her arms.

"Reyna," He gave her a look of determination, "Don't make me come up there and get you down."

"You wouldn't dare." She glared at him.

"Wouldn't I?" He winked at her, reached up and grabbed her by her waist and tugged down hard; so hard that Reyna rolled right out of her saddle and onto Edmund's chest, knocking them both down to the ground. Edmund's hands encircled Reyna's waist and pulled her to him, protecting her from the fall. Reyna's legs intertwined with his as they fell. Edmund let out a groan when he hit the ground.

"You know, Ed," Reyna said laughingly, "We should probably stop knocking into each other like this. It's probably bad for our health."

"You're probably right, Reyna." Ed wheezed, without letting go. He let his head fall back to rest on the ground as he tried to regain the breath that had just been knocked out. Reyna laughed at him.

"You sound like an old man!" Reyna thumped his chest teasingly.

"I am not an old man!" He cried.

"Oh, I don't know about that."

"Shows what you know." Edmund said sarcastically as he gently pushed her off him onto the ground. He stood up, brushed off his clothes and lent a hand down to Reyna. She took it and he pulled her up.

"Well, that was interesting. Now, where are we?" Reyna said, gazing around. She had not been paying attention to where they were going, assuming that Edmund knew his way through the forest. Looking around her now though, she felt a spike of nervousness run through her. Dense forest surrounded them on all sides. The trees were clumped so close together that they created a canopy that let in very little light. Vines and branches fell all around them. Reyna's inner voice admonished her for heading off into the wilderness with a man that she barely knew, no matter how friendly he seemed to be. Reyna jumped when Ed came up behind her and his hands came around her waist.

"Hey there, everything is okay. I just wanted to show you something." He started to guide her over to a very dense part of trees before covering her eyes with his hands. She was a little surprised at the amount of times he touched her – in polite society, it was considered very forward (improper, even) for a man to touch a woman with whom he was not romantically involved with. Her nervousness spiked once her eyes were covered. she could feel her stomach twist uncomfortably.

"Ed. I-I don't like this. I really, really don't like surprises." She said, attempting to keep her voice steady.

"Reyna, it's alright. You will like this surprise. Trust me." He whispered. His breath ghosted across her ear, sending chills down her spine.

Ed walked her forward. She heard soft rustling; it must be the vines. Then, all the sudden Ed's hands left her eyes and before her she saw the most dazzling sight. She felt her breath catch, partially in relief, but also in awe of what she saw in front of them. They were in a small clearing; the vines and trees that surrounded it created a sort of barrier or wall. In the center, a gentle brook flowed and water fell into a small pond. The pond itself, she could see, was filled with several kinds of fish. Their colorful scales winking at her in the sunlight. There were large flat rocks on either side of the waterfall where one could sit and look into the water.. There were lily pads and moss floating in the pond that contributed to its ethereal feel.

The rest of the clearing was filled with wildflowers. Reyna had never seen anything like them; the flowers encompassed almost every color of the rainbow. She could feel her lips lifting into a smile as she gazed around her. She understood now why Edmund would make this his escape, it was his own piece of paradise. Reyna closed her eyes, lifting her head to soak in the warmth from the sun that shone down from overhead. She heard birds calling to each other and singing softly. She heard the rustle of small animals playing in the flowers, the soft trickle of the brook sent calming waves through her.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Edmund. She didn't realise he had left her side, but now he was standing next to the pool. His eyes were closed, a small smile on his face, his head slightly uplifted towards the sun. He was standing so still that he looked almost like a statue. The wind rustled his already mussed hair. It fell into his face and covered his eyes. The way the sun hit him; his pale skin looked like it glowed a bit. His brown hair showed blonde and light brown and even a tad of red highlighting in the sun. He looked stunning. His tunic and jacket lay on the ground by his feet and his shirt was unbuttoned slightly. She could see a small spattering of hair on his chest just barely peeking through his shirt. The sun shone off of his pearl skin. His hair ruffled in the breeze and Reyna wondered what it would feel like to run her fingers through it.

She closed the distance between them, studying him the entire time. He opened his eyes to find her staring at him. His soft brown eyes stuck her to the core. She was close enough to him now to notice that his eyes weren't just brown, but had many different colors of brown, green, tan, and even yellow all swirling in the same orbs. She wanted to look away. She knew she should, but she just couldn't. He had captured her in his eyes. Reyna felt as if she were looking deep into his soul.

Edmund studied Reyna for a moment. Her purple dress stood out in the canvas of green, yellow, pink, and blue. She was standing in the center of the wildflowers looking at him. Her mouth was just the tiniest bit open and the edges of her mouth were turned up, as she breathed in the clear fresh air. Pieces of her auburn hair, loosened from her braid, blew in the wind behind her creating a curtain of red and brown. Her hands were passing over the flowers by her knees as she watched him, she had kicked off her shoes and was digging her toes into the dirt at her feet. Her dress spread out across the grass flowing in the wind. She reminded him of some of the woodland elves he and Peter had met on one of their adventures. Perfect. Pure. Dazzling. He slowly took a step towards her, breaking the spell. Reyna blinked.

"So, what do you think?" Ed asked as he came closer.

"Ed…It's... beautiful. How did you find this place?"

"Well, a while back, this princess from Archenland was here visiting, and… how do I say this delicately - well, we did not get along. I found her presence… irritating, to say the least." Reyna chuckled at his honestly. "She was a rather vapid individual, if I'm being honest and I did not find that appealing. She was visiting in an attempt to coax me into courting her and she did a pretty smashing job of convincing me not to. Every time I was in the room with her, she went on this monologue about how good we would be together. She would talk all about our future lives together as if they were already planned out. She also had a terrible habit of spitting when she spoke. I literally couldn't take it. So, we were on this hunting trip and... well long story short, I ran away and found this place and hid here until she left." As he said this, he walked back over to the rock he had been standing on and sat down, crossing his legs. She followed his lead, sitting on the rock across from him. When he finished, he looked up at Reyna, grinning bashfully.

Reyna laughed out loud at his ridiculousness, "You're kidding right?"

"Nope! Complete truth, I swear, ask Peter. He was the one who had to get rid of her for me." Ed said this with a perfectly straight face, before letting a wide grin overtake his features.

"No, but seriously. How did you find this place?"

"Reyna, I told you. The ladies just love me so much I have to get away every now and then so I come here." He pulled a really conceited and arrogant face then smirked at her.

"Of course, how silly of me to forget what a lady-charmer you are." She said with a sarcastic tone to her voice. She laid back and stared up at the sky.

"You got that right." He smirked and winked at her, then they both started laughing. When Reyna had finally composed herself enough to get a couple words out she said, "Ed..?"

"Hmm?" He turned his head and looked at her with his beautiful eyes.

She sat up, looking at him across the small waterfall between them. "Thank you for showing me this place. It is incredibly special."

"You know, you're one of the very few people who knows about this place, other than me. I would appreciate it, if we kept this place between us, that way I don't have to find a new spot to escape to." He said sincerely, looking into her eyes.

"I can understand that, I promise. This will be our special place. Just for us." She held out her hand pinky up. This was something she used to do with her brothers whenever one of them needed a secret kept. She hadn't done this with anyone for years. She felt a little shy now that she was doing it with someone other than her brothers.

"Just for us." He agreed. He interlaced their pinkies and shook. It was their secret now.

They spent the next few hours talking. He told her about his parents, and the great war, and what had led them to Narnia. She had heard some of this story from Peter the previous night, but it was nice to hear from Edmund's perspective. They spoke of their dreams and wishes. She told him how distressed she was about getting married. He offered comforting words of encouragement. They had moved from individual rocks to sitting next to one another near the bank of the pond. While they had been talking, neither noticed the quick passing of time nor the fact that threatening rain clouds had gathered overhead. From one moment to the next, the skies opened and poured down were soaked within seconds.

"Oh gosh!" Reyna cried as she jumped up her hands at her sides. Edmund simply laughed. He closed his eyes, opened his mouth to take in the raindrops, he fell onto his back, spread his limbs and started making mud angels.

Reyna laughed at him confusedly, she had never known a grown man to wriggle around in the mud like Edmund was doing now.

"You know, Reyna, I didn't get to have a full dance with you yesterday." He said, gazing up at her.

"Oh, yes, you're right! I left before you could." He stood up, mud dripping from his once white shirt.

"Well, may I have that dance, now?" Edmund stood there with his hand outstretched, his hair falling into his eyes, which held a mischievous look. Reyna shivered, she was unsure if it was from the chill that was settling in her bones from being soaking wet, or the twinkling in Edmund's eyes as he looked at her. She hesitated for just a moment before saying, "Absolutely."

She grasped his hand and he twirled her around. They spun and twirled and swayed and jumped as they made their way across the meadow. They danced for a long time until finally, he just held her. His hands were on her waist and her head on his shoulder. He swayed back and forth just enjoying her presence. Her head was resting on his shoulder and his was nuzzled close to her neck. Reyna should have felt appalled at the complete lack of propriety in being held this way by a man, but in that moment she couldn't make herself care. It just felt right. As the rain continued to fall around them, he said quietly,

"Reyna, if you ever need someone to talk to just find me or give me a look and we can both escape here." His hands, which were clasped loosely behind her back, tightened drawing her closer to him.

"I will, Ed." Reyna shifted, lifting her head from his shoulder, gazing up into his face as he peered down at her. He gave her a gentle squeeze. The falling rain had wet her hair and now it stuck to her face. She had raindrops on her eyelashes. She opened her mouth slightly to let some of the rain into her mouth. He looked at her lips. They were full and pink. He felt he shiver under his fingers, before he knew what he was doing he bent his head just slightly so their faces were separated merely by a few inches of space. His hands traced up her back, one settling near her shoulders and the other moving up into her hair to grasp her neck. He felt her shiver again. Reyna smiled softly at him as his hands pressed her closer to him. She was now flush to his chest. She could feel her breaths on his lips. He had such an urge to kiss her. He pulled away.

"We should probably get back; the others will start to worry." He said abruptly.

"Oh, why yes of course." She looked at him a little confused at his sudden mood change.

"You might catch a cold from standing out here too long." Ed said as he started to usher her back to their horses. They grabbed their dripping garments and jumped in mud puddles as they made their way back to the horses. When they got back to the castle, Ed helped her off her horse and walked with her into the castle. They stood there in the great hall, both soaking wet, neither one wanting to be the one to say goodbye first.

"Thanks for taking me riding today, Edmund. It was nice to be able to see a bit of the countryside." She said, smiling up at him. He could see a flush on her cheeks as she spoke. She shivered again, this time he thought from the chill in the hall.

"It was my pleasure. The least I could do to make up for bowling you over yesterday." He rocked back on his heels. "Um...Reyn—"

"Edmund! There you are!" Susan's worried voice echoed through the hallway, "I have been looking for you everywhere! Where have you been? Oh,gracious, Ed, you're soaking wet! You'll catch your death just standing there, go get changed and warm, this instant!" Susan reached them and started pulling wet clothes off her brother, tossing them into a pile on the ground. "You better take those disgusting boots off or you'll ruin the carpet. What on earth did you do, roll in a puddle out there, you're covered in mud?"

Reyna couldn't help but giggle as she remembered that is exactly what Edmund did, he sent a smirk her way. Susan turned her attention to Reyna, noticing her presence for the first time.

"Oh Reyna, it's lovely to see you again. I see my brother has been dragging you around in the rain. Edmund, what horrible manners to try to kill our guest by getting her drenched in a downpour! Reyna, please come with me, let's get you into some dry clothes. You'll catch a chill if you stand out here any longer." Susan began ushering Reyna away towards her rooms, they got halfway across the foyer when Susan turned and walked partially back to her brother before saying in a lower tone,

"Edmund, you get cleaned up and changed too, I don't want to find muddy puddles all over the castle. Once you're finished, meet me at Peter's council room. We have matters of urgency to discuss." She gave him a look Reyna couldn't decipher, something of a cross between a reproof and worry.

And with that Susan rushed away, sending one more piercing glance backwards as if to say 'I'm watching you and there will be hell to pay if you don't get a move on.' Reyna was so surprised at Susan's mothering that she just stood there watching her walk away, a smile playing on her lips. Then she felt someone take her hand, her eyes met Edmund's as he pressed his smooth, soft, full, lips against the palm of her hand. He only kissed her for a couple seconds, but it felt like a lifetime. Electrical energy spread throughout her body, starting at her palm where his lips were then moving up her arm to her face and neck. She could feel it from the tip of her scalp to the bottoms of her toes. When he straightened, he whispered in her ear, "Bye, Reyna" then with a squeeze of her hand he was gone. Rushing off to change his clothes and chase after an uptight Susan.

Reyna watched him run off dripping and spraying muddy water everywhere, she pondered the turn of events and smiled at the knowledge she had become friends with two of the most eligible bachelors in the land. She clasped her hands behind her back and started walking towards her room, humming a tune.