~By the Lion's Mane: See You Again~

Chapter One

Chapter One

I stood right inside the door, my heart hammering in my chest. I was dressed in a flattering lilac gown with intricate gold designs threaded through the filmy material. My hair was braided back in two thin strands to meet at the back of my head, and little purple flowers were entwined in my loose russet curls. Caspian stood beside me, also dressed in his finery, waiting to be announced.

We were about to formally announce our engagement to the Narnians. Hundreds of them were outside now, down in the courtyard, waiting for us to appear on the balcony to tell them why they had been called to the vast castle courtyard. After we said it, there would be no going back.

I looked up at Caspian’s face. “Are you sure you want to do this?” I whispered to him.

In response, he gave me a smile and squeezed my hand as a great musical fanfare trumpeted and I could hear the deep-lunged presenter bellow, “Now I present to the citizens of Narnia: your sovereign King Caspian the Tenth, and his fiancée, Lady Rosaline of Narnia.”

As the crowd below began to cheer and whistle and exclaim in surprise and delight, Caspian led me out onto the balcony. I was thankful for his steady presence at my side, and he kept his hand pressed gently against the small of my back for support. I forced a idyllic smile, waving and doing my best to look as if I were deep in premarital bliss, and as if there were not a huge lump in my throat, constricting my breath.

We announced the date of our wedding, which was to be in two weeks, and then said our goodbyes. And finally I could breathe again.

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Caspian had told everyone that we were to be married as soon as time would allow. Our friends Trumpkin, Cornelius, Trufflehunter, and the others were a bit puzzled by his urgency, but accepted it nonetheless. The staff of the castle, however, was not so pleased. They would have to work extremely hard to have everything done in time, and I felt a bit guilty about that, but I knew they would do it. And I had to be married soon, before it became obvious that I was carrying a child.

After our announcement, I went to undress. The maid unbuttoned my gown, let down my hair, and unlaced my corset. I put on my favorite clothes-- my breeches, boots, and loose cotton shirt. I tied my long hair back and then stole out of the kitchen door to the stables. After a brief search, I found that Andy, my faithful unicorn and companion, was not inside. I sighed, and set out on foot to my meadow.

I had discovered it a long time ago, nearly 1600 years, in fact. Although it had changed in that long time, it was still much like it was in the Golden Years of Narnia, which I found a relief, since little else was. I flopped down in the brown, frosty grass and wrapped my cloak loosely around my body as I sat cross-legged on the ground.

I stared at the sky, knowing that I should be back at the castle, being fitted for my wedding dress, helping plan wedding details. But every time I thought about it, the ache in my chest began again and my breath grew short with trepidation.

As I watched the fluffy winter clouds drift lazily across the cerulean sky, I wondered what Edmund was doing back in that other world, in Finchley. I wondered if he was thinking about me, feeling the same ache that plagued me constantly.

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A/N: Well, here it is: the last story in my trilogy! Thanks so much to everyone who is still reading despite all of my many delays and frustrations. I know that this chapter is short, but they'll definitely get longer.

This story probably will not be nearly as long as The Call. I've got the rest of it all planned out; it's just a matter of getting it into writing :) But I promise I'll finish it!

PS: I'm so proud of the cover; what do you think? I made this one myself with my burgeoning Photoshop skills :D I tried to make it look like the other two, made by EllaDay, to give it continuity and look like part of the same series (since it is).