Revolution || Narnia Fanfiction || thecallofnarnia & NaturallyNarnian

Chapter 14: To the End of Love

"Thank you for coming-"

"Of course."

Both Lilith and Lilliandil smiled at the speed in which the star had replied.

"Thank you for coming so soon." Lilith continued as they entered the empty Ballroom. "I thought it would help with the rumours. We've nothing to hide- well, not now, anyway."

"Many Stars disapprove of you keeping your absence from our people." Lilliandil admitted gently, "But I do see why you have."

"It doesn't matter, not really. It would only make things worse..." The High Queen looked around her. "Did you see Susan's Birthday Ball just after I arrived? The first blue and white Ball we had?"

"It was the talk of the cosmos for a time."

Lilith smiled. "We came up with it- well, Susan did, if I remember right- to symbolize a new beginning. A letting go of the darker past... The past few years have been far from dark but, whether we- or anyone- like it or not, this is a new beginning."

"I like that."

A sigh of relief escaped the High Queen, "Good, because I sent the invites out last week and we've had a lot of responses... for tonight."

For a brief moment, Lilith closed her eyes. Within that brief moment, she felt a nostalgic pang of amazement at the beauty of a new Narnian sight. She heard the strings of the obscure Narnian instruments for the first time again, tasted the sweet-bitter sting of Middliwig, felt the thrill of what would become a familiar, featherlight kiss-

Lilith's eyes flew open. Despite the twist in her chest she'd felt at her memories, she found herself smiling as she saw the enthralled surprise emanating from Lilliandil.

"I've never attended a Ball." Lilliandil spoke, once she'd admired the decorations long enough to be able to close her eyes and reconstruct every part of the room mentally. She missed Narnia when she returned to the sky, she always did, but it was her memories and imagination that made it just about bearable.

"Well, there's usually music and more people, but I think we've still got time until even the band arrives...  though," Despite her usual confidence, Lilith felt nervous as she looked to Lilliandil, "We could always warm up the dance floor."

"Fire does have a warming effect."

"Says the Star to my Star-Fire."

Lilliandil smiled, feeling her cheeks warm and took the High Queen's proffered hand.

//////

David breathed deeply as he sat on the chair that he'd had brought to the bedroom balcony, holding a crumpled letter to his leg. He'd watched the Sun set and the soothing twilight arrive and fade- tonight it was a brilliant purple- before the night had eventually arrived.

He twirled his left hand, purposefully cracking the wrist not currently stationary from holding the letter. He didn't know who it was from, but he was growing quite old of its familiar contents- yet another threatening letter addressed to him, how he'll be the end of Narnia and not the new beginning that they'd thought, and the only reason they didn't assassinate him was because Lilliandil, and now Lilith too, they surmised, kept him in check.

David didn't dare tell anyone, or either of his wives- he had simply tired of not being good enough, despite what both he and his wives and Court thought of himself. He knew the Pevensies got occasional disgruntled letters, but never on this scale- but then David realized that he didn't know what Lilith's Pevensies, and to an extent still, this Narnia, were truly like, and David very briefly supposed that he really was a blight on Lilith's reign and her universe.