[Completed] With her birth the fulfilment of a thousand year-old prophecy was bound to be brought to life. They saw it in her eyes- her power, her strength. Her magic would bring peace to a land of toil- a land full of war and subject to the harshes...
Once again Talia sat in front of her mirror getting ready for the evening ahead. Her heart fluttered with the idea of being held in the arms of Edmund once again, dancing to the music that poured over them; but anxiety also hold a stronger clasp over her- was this the right decision?
Her hand shook with anticipation as she decorated her face with the colours of her makeup, and tied her hair into a gorgeous style. She gently placed the necklace her nurse, Sefnei, had once given her around her neck, whilst eyeing up which dress to wear for the evening. She decided on a light pink one, adorned with small floral designs and a soft, lace bodice. She adored the way in which it complimented her olive skin and dark, coiled hair- and matched kindly to her tiara that sat central on her head.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
She was to meet Edmund in ten minutes at the bottom of the stairwell, that was situated near her bedroom. Talia returned her gaze to her reflection and couldn't help but think that what shone back at her was just a mere shadow of the strong, willful, girl that she had been just a couple of days or weeks ago. She pondered over how much returning to the palace had weakened her not only her mind but her spirit also. A tear was quick to streak her makeup as she thought about all she had lost- her mother, her friends, and even her innocence- before now she hadn't even taken a life before. Perhaps she had underestimated the trauma that the war had forced upon her: she couldn't remove the bloodied body of her father out of her mind, or the battle cry of the Telmarine soldiers as she watched so many of her loved ones die in front of her, or the faces of those same soldiers as she stole their last breaths. And now, not even peace was something offered to her, she continued to suffer from pain, only this time it was different, it was the pain of wanting to be perfect, to assimilate into the role of 'princess' and, not forgetting, the hardest pain of all: the pain of love.
The clock chimes notified her that ten minutes had passed and it was now time to meet Edmund. The girl collected herself, wiping off the shimmers of tears from underneath her brown eyes. Taking a deep breath, she stood and left her bedroom. And after making sure that there was nobody outside of her door when she opened it, she closed it behind her. The hallways of the palace were certainly much more well lit since the death of the tyrant, Miraz; the gloom that had previously littered the halls was lifted. Now the Narnian lords and ladies just wanted a love story to promote the happiness of the kingdom- it was unfortunate that they had simply chosen the wrong one to believe in, but tonight Edmund was set on redefining that narrative.
Talia made it to the top of the stairs and looked down at the boy who stood at the bottom, looking off into the distance. And as much as she tried to prevent herself from doing so, she couldn't help but smile at the sight of him. He wore a simple suit, that complimented him perfectly. His deep, brunette hair shone out against the light of his crown, as he stood hand in pockets, swaying slightly to the distant sound of music from the ballroom.
She cleared her throat to get the boy's attention, to which he spun around swiftly on his feet and looked up at Talia in complete adoration, a grin exploding onto his face. It took him a second to take in the girl at the top of the stairs. The way her hair gently caressed the the skin of her shoulders, and trailed down her back. The way her gaze made it feel as though he was the only man in the world, and she the only woman. The way her smile pierced deeply into him, the pearls of her teeth lighting him up inside. He adored her, every inch of his body and mind yearned for her. He needed her like how priests need scripture, like how birds need wings, how books need a reader.
"Well don't just stand there." he smiled, and with a soft laugh Talia made her way down the stairs. And if there were a crowd, in that moment, all eyes would have been on her. Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, the pair joined hands, and began to walk in the direction of the ballroom.
"Wait." Talia interrupted, "I fear we are forgetting something." she declared.
Worry fell over Edmund, "What?" he exclaimed.
"Flowers." she spoke, earning a laugh from the boy, who thought something disastrous was about to happen. Talia turned to him, reaching her hands up to his chest, and with her magic alone, she was able to make a beautiful pink rose appear on the lapel of his suit jacket, "A boutonnière," she announced, "Now we match." she continued, pointing to the soft pink flowers that sat in the curls of her hair.
Edmund puffed out another laugh, in awe of how adorable the girl before him was, "thank you." he smiled, as the pair continued their walk to the hall.
Talia's grip on Edmund's hand tightened as they approached the grand doors to the ballroom- they were closed, as the party had already started, but the entrance remained as threatening as ever, closed or not. She turned to look at the boy beside her, "are we really doing this?"
"You are the most beautiful girl in the Kingdom, and as King I declare that you are only fit to be on my arm- the nobles can say what they wish." Edmund stated, and the authority that exploded within his voice excited Talia, who smiled in response.
The doors slammed open, with a wave of Talia's magic, and the pair made their grand entrance. Both of them could feel every head turning to glance over at them, and it wasn't long before a choir of whispers chimed along with the cheerful, classical music. The lords and ladies of Narnia spoke of how beautiful Talia looked in her dress, and how the pair perfectly complimented each other. There were angry tones to it too- people disappointed in the fact that this display of courtship meant that the engagement between Caspian and Talia was surely off. For the most part, slight smiles could be seen on many of the guests of the ball, as all the small moments of what they had seen of the pair's connection finally began to click into place. The Narnians were suckers for a good love story.
And the Pevensie siblings were just the same. They watched as their brother and Talia made their way into the centre of the ballroom, with wide smiles adorned on their faces. Lucy enjoyed the fact that Edmund finally looked happy, Peter liked the fact that the highest of nobles did not, but Susan looked on at Caspian who sat on his throne alone with eyes only for her, and her heart raced at the sight of him.
There wasn't one Narnian in the ballroom who was not watching both Talia and Edmund as they slowly began to dance in the centre of the hall. And the majority adored the way they each stared at each other, as though they were the only ones in the room.
Talia leaned into Edmund, and whispered gently into his ear, "please don't ever leave me."
Edmund pulled his face away, so she could fully take in the serious expression on his face, "I promise." he returned.
But perhaps promise wasn't the best choice of words.
