The High Queen Book Two

Chapter 12 - She's Back

Third-Person POV

As the now returning group of nine galloped back into the How with a smile adoring their faces, Tilly leaned up on Ed's chest, holding her up due to her little strength. Peter jumps off his horse rushing to Edmund and Tilly, helping his younger brother gently bring Tilly down safely before Ed carries her to their room, where she will be treated for her injuries. As he lays Tilly softly in the bed, her eyes flutter open, glancing at Edmund lovingly, but her smile falters, seeing tears well clouding his chestnut eyes.

"Hey, what's wrong? I'm right here." Shakily the girl reaches her hand over to lie on top of Edmunds. The boys glance down at her touch but are shocked at the bruises and cuts littering her hand alone.

"I didn't save you." He whimpers, looking down at his love with sad, sorrowful eyes.

"Yes, you did. Without you, I wouldn't be here right now."

"But I couldn't save you at the battle. We left you there. I left you there to fight on your own. To die alone."

"But I wasn't alone, and I didn't die, not just because I'm very stubborn and hard to kill, but because I wanted to come back to you." Sitting up gingerly, Tilly rests her hand on Ed's cheek as she pulls him to lie beside her. "The thought of being back right here, with your arms around me, listening to the sound of your heartbeat, gave me hope while trapped in Miraz's cells." Moving to hover above Ed, Tilly slowly leans down, pressing kisses from his forehead to his jaw, before looking back into his warm eyes. "I love you with my whole heart Edmund Pevensie, in this world and the other." Tilly reaches back up, pressing soft kisses on Edmund's lip as he kisses back; gently lifting her leg over his hips, Tilly slowly sits down, grinding on him. Not being intermit with each other since their last time in Narnia, the couple had lots of pent-up emotions; mostly, they were horny. Very horny. Ed pushes himself up quickly, trying to pull Tilly closer to his body but snaps out of it hearing her wince ever so slightly.

"You're hurt, Darling. We can't do this right now."

"Why?" Tilly whines more, wanting nothing more than Edmund right now.

"One, you're badly hurt. Two, you just survived being captured and tortured. Your emotions are very high right now. And third, an army of people is waiting to check up on you." Ed shakes his head with a smile, gently pushing Tilly to lie down again. "I don't know about you, but I don't feel like the whole army, including our family, knowing about our sex life, Darling."

"Fine, but once I'm better-"

"You can jump my bones, okay?" Chuckling, Tilly nods, resting her head on Edmund's chest, hearing his rough laugh overpower the gentle heartbeat she loves so much. As her eyes slowly close from exhaustion, Ed kisses her temple, whispering in her ear sweetly. "I love you with my whole heart, too." The two sigh happily, quickly falling asleep for the crazy day they both had.

Three Weeks Later

It had been a few weeks of Tilly recovering, and the now six royals were eating dinner talking amongst themselves with the rest of the Narnians. While there were still smiles on everyone's faces due to their Queen being home, the tension in the air was still high, and Tilly wanted to know why.

"So, what's happened while I was away?" Tilly laughs half-heartedly but stops when no one's laughing with her, and her family looks at her with scowls. "What? Did I say something?"

"No, but while you were away," Caspian bites out harshly, "we all thought you were dead."

"I get that,"

"What he's saying is, it wasn't exactly 'peachy' while you were gone." Peter jumps in, glaring back at the Prince, knowing his short-handedness with Tilly is due to their constant fighting over whose fault her 'death' was. Tilly glances between the two silently as everyone returns to talking or eating, avoiding looking the confused royal in the eye.