The Golden Age - Narnia fanfiction (Edmund x oc)

19. Tea

Edmund couldn't sit still. He was pacing around his room, constantly listening to see if he could hear Diana next door. He didn't like that he couldn't see her, to make sure she was ok. He heard that she took a shower, and he heard her when she got her food from Tumnus, he heard her when she crawled into bed, but then she was quiet. He knew she was just sleeping, but it made him nervous.

"You're gonna drive yourself mad at this rate." Peter teased. He had come to check on his brother since he hadn't been there for lunch. "What do you want?" Edmund asked annoyed. Peter pushed away from the doorframe that he had been leaning against. "Come spar with me." He said it more as a command rather than a friendly suggestion.

The sound of metal hitting metal rung through the air as the two brothers swung their swords, both trying to get the upper hand. Peter finally managed to twist the sword out of Edmund's hand, catching Edmund off balance he fell to the ground, and Peter pointed his sword at Edmunds chest, winning the third spar in a row.

"You're distracted. You usually win at least 2 out of 3 times." Peter said, lowering his sword and offering his brother a hand to help him back up. Edmund pushed it away and stood up on his own. "Well why do you think?!" He shouted, annoyed with Peter and frustrated with himself. "The man that just tried to kill the woman I love, who is by the way his own daughter, is living in the same castle as her, and I'm out here, unable to do anything about it!" Peter looked at his brother till he had calmed down.

"You are doing something about it. We've summoned the judges and have a witness for the court, Azaan will get what he deserves. We cannot simply charge at him with a sword no matter how much we want to, because that would cause a war remember? Besides with the way you are now that wouldn't even work. You know getting worked up causes you to be unfocused and you are more likely to make mistakes, both in your sword skills and when you will be talking in front of the court. You cannot help her in that state, so just take a deep breath and relax, you are the best diplomat in the whole of Narnia, I know you can do this."

Edmund nodded taking a deep breath. "Good, now lets try that again!" Peter whacked his brother's shoulder and let him pick up his sword, before they started another spar, which Edmund finally won, having regained his focus.

The two of them walked back into the castle sweaty and laughing, arguing about who won the most spars. "I let you win that one." Peter claimed. "Yeah right, keep telling yourself that." Edmund replied rolling his eyes.

"High king Peter, and king Edmund." They heard a female voice greet them and stopped to look at the woman who was curtsying in front of them. "Princess Miriam, to what do we owe this pleasure?" Peter asked in his usual friendly tone . Edmund kept quiet fearing he might say something rude to Diana's sister.

Miriam smiled and shamelessly looked both of the kings up and down while she was talking. "Well I was just wondering if you would be willing to join us for some afternoon tea, as a thank you for getting my sister back. Or rather an apology for the trouble you went through because of her. We could get to know each other better." She said in a rather suggestive tone.

Edmund was ready to punch the princess, and was just about to reject her offer in the rudest way he could possibly think of, but Peter put a firm hand on his shoulder stopping him before he could cause any damage. "That would be lovely, we will be there." Miriam looked pleased and curtsied before leaving them.

"What do you think you're doing? I'm not going anywhere near any of them!" Edmund exclaimed as soon as she was gone. "No, what do you think you're doing? They can't suspect that we know anything, it's only polite to accept their invitation."

"What are you talking about?" Lucy's cheerful voice filled the corridor they were standing in. "Princess Miriam just invited us to tea to thank us for getting Dina back." Edmund couldn't help his sarcastic tone when he spoke.

"Oh... how lovely, I will go get Su." Lucy hesitated for a moment but quickly spun around and skipped away the direction she had come from, coming back a moment later with her older sister, and the boys having changed out of their sweaty clothes, they went to the section of the castle that had been reserved for their guests.

In the sofa room that had been provided for the guests, the four kings and queens sat struggling to enjoy the tea that was set before them.

"Narnia is truly a magnificent country, nothing like the stories I've heard of the barbaric and wild people." Azaan broke the silence. Peter smiled.

"And yet you sent your own daughter to  marry the king of such a country." Was what Edmund really wanted to say, but he was determined to keep quiet and let his siblings do the talking.

"Flattering words your highness. I believe no one is more proud of their country than the one who rules it, as I am sure you feel the same about your own country." Peter said glad to fill the silence. "Indeed it is true." Azaan answered, and another silence followed.

"How do you feel about my daughter?" Azaan said finally cutting to the chase. Edmund almost choked on his tea at the sudden question. He quickly composed himself again before answering. "Diana is a lovely girl, and I am looking forward to a future with her."

This seemed to take Diana's sisters off guard as it was their turn to choke on their tea. "Have I said something wrong?" Edmund asked successfully hiding his amusement at their reaction.

"Not at all your highness, my girls were just a bit surprised since they expected that you had no interest in my dear Diana, after all you have not even proposed to her yet. They would have been eager to step in her place if you wished it." Azaan looked surprisingly pleased with Edmund's answer, which confused him and made him uneasy the rest of the evening.

It had been dark out for a while when the royals finally returned to their rooms. The others had already gone to sleep, but Susan couldn't, she got up and knocked gently on Diana's door, wanting to make sure she was ok, but also worried she might be disturbing her sleep.

A very sleepy Diana opened the door and they talked for a while, before getting some food for Diana, and having made sure she was ok, Susan could finally get some sleep.