When Two Worlds Collide [Edmund Pevensie]

• Of Libraries and Voices •

Avoiding the royalties seemed painfully futile.

Lucy, for one, always made it a point to seek for her company every single day and although Hermione would make up excuses, the youngest queen would not listen to her and bring her to Merlin-knows-where. Lucy was a lovely companion but accompanying her wherever she went always made her somehow a bit closer with the other royalties.

Peter seemed extra mindful of her nowadays. He never failed to always be the first one to greet her a good morning or a good evening. The smile that he sends her way during meal times, tea times, and even free times started to unnerve the brunette. She had been around hormonal teenage boys for years now and although she did not want to assume, Hermione was starting to suspect something. After all, she must admit, she did look lovely during Queen Susan and King Caspian's wedding and men, seeing that they were visual beings, always grew attracted towards beautiful beings.

The only person who seemed to avoid her was King Edmund and for the first time, she actually felt thankful for the cold shoulder the youngest king had been giving her. There were still suspicious glares and snide comments thrown her way but Hermione grew accustomed already. In fact, one day, she had surprisingly blurted out a witty comeback to one of his sublime insults and the whole table was rendered silent. Hermione wanted to dig a hole and forever live inside it until Peter and Lucy burst out into boisterous laughter, followed by Susan and Caspian. Hermione found herself laughing, too, and did not even mind when the just king stood up from his seat and stormed out of the Dining Hall.

As the days passed by, the sudden attachment of Lucy and Peter to her started to tire Hermione. They were lovely companions, that much she knew, but really, she had other matters to do, like find a way home, which then brought her to the question she had asked the royalties one lunch time.

"I've been meaning to ask this for days," Hermione started, "but I'm always being side-tracked by other things. Um... is there a library here?"

"All of us have personal libraries, Hermione," Peter said, answering her question. "But if you want to be informed, Susan and Edmund's libraries are always the best place to go."

Hermione was not surprised that Susan's library could be informative. But Edmund's? She looked at the king and frowned upon seeing the defiant glare he had thrown towards Peter.

"I'm sure Queen Susan's library will suffice," she slowly said, suppressing a glare when Edmund had looked back at her and raised an eyebrow.

'How immature,' she thought, mentally rolling her eyes. If she were to show it, she was sure Edmund would catch it and start another petty fight and truthfully, Hermione was too tired with his immature antics.

"What must you do in a library?" Edmund had asked.

"Oh, I don't know," Hermione lightly said. "Maybe plot dark plans on how to instantly kill a group of Narnian civilians? Do you have any suggestions, King Edmund?"

She smiled when Edmund glared. Teasing him seemed to be easy now. Although it was plain to see that she was merely joking around, he never failed to give her dark looks every time she teased him. Riling him up was starting to be fun and truth be told, it was one of the things which Hermione enjoyed.

"Read, Edmund," Susan said, a small smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Of course Hermione here wants to read in a library." The married queen looked at the brunette and smiled. "And I'll be glad to lend you my library, Hermione. It's on the second floor, three doors to the right. You can come anytime, if you like."

"Thank you," Hermione said, planning to go to Susan's library after tea time.

"What floor was it again?" Hermione asked herself aloud, annoyed that she got lost in such a vast castle. She wanted to ask the royalties but they seemed to be currently preoccupied right now.