definitely this time (e.p. fanfic)

Chapter 11

Raina couldn't sleep that night. She lay in her bed at Coriakin's mansion, beside Lucy, eyes open, mind wide awake. She knew that once she closed her eyes, she'd see it all again. He would make her relive it all over again.

Raina was strong, no doubt; but the strongest hearts are the ones who've felt the most pain. Pain, so exhausting, so agonising, that it doesn't seem as though it would ever pass. Think of the pain Raina felt when she finally wore her mother's ring. That was a necessary pain, a pain that helped her move on. It was a good kind of pain. Now imagine that pain gripping you in a vice, and not the good kind, it's the kind of pain that threatens to break dams, break everything in its path.

Raina knew she wouldn't sleep that night. As the hours passed, she stared at the high ceilings. Her eyes fell upon her mother's ring that rested snuggly on her finger. She carefully sat up, so as to not wake Lucy up, and observed the ring. She got to thinking; before those dufflepuds attacked them outside Coriakin's mansion, the pearl on this ring literally turned red as a form of warning. How did that even happen? Raina wondered.

The moonlight shone through the window, as the clouds cleared up. Raina slowly got out of bed and put on her cape, and crept out of the room. She took a deep breath and summoned a small flame in her palm and walked down the hallway. The effort she required for this seemed less somehow, and Raina wondered if it had something to do with her standing up to the Umbra Regem in her dream. Perhaps it was.

It was peaceful, as everyone was fast asleep. Raina found a balcony, bathed moonlight as she made her way to it. The glow of the fire fell on her face as she stood near the railing, and took in the calm scenery. Everything seemed okay for a brief moment. The Umbra Regem, her anxiety with Edmund, her grief with her family, the impending doom, everything disappeared for a moment, standing in the moonlight, watching the stars, and taking in the silence.

Raina felt a presence behind her again, as she shook her head and chuckled to herself.

'History loves repeating itself, doesn't it?' She commented, as she turned around. Sure enough, Edmund stepped out from the shadows, a sheepish look on his face.

'Okay, why were you hiding?' Raina asked, pursing her lips.

'I didn't want to scare you.' Edmund replied, with a smirk. Raina shook her head, and gestured to him to join her.

Edmund came up next to her and they watched the stars. The flame in Raina's hand fizzled as she dropped her hand.

'How do we always end up like this?' Raina asked, softly, still looking at the sky. Edmund turned to her slightly, as she maintained her gaze away from him.

'We should make this a regular thing.' Edmund proposed. Raina side-eyed him, eyebrow raised.

'Define 'regular thing'.'

Edmund now faced her, a small smirk on his face.

'Let's say, everytime everyone falls asleep, we can sneak out.' He said knowingly. Raina, who would usually get flustered and smack him, just observed him with an unamused expression.

'And whatever for?' She teased, as Edmund's smirk widened as he came closer. Raina stood tall, and a hint of a smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth.

'Well..' He mused, as he leaned in close to her ear. Raina's heart was beating a million miles an hour, as her cheeks were heating up.

'Something like this.' He said in a husky voice. Raina shivered at the sensation of feeling his breath on her neck.

'Edmund..' She breathed as his arm went around her waist, pulling her to him. Their faces were an inch apart. They were so close they could feel each other's heart beats. 2.5 years later, two people who couldn't care about each other more were finally together. Two people who don't know how to admit it.