MILLION WORDS | ❝There's a million words I should've said, I remember you were standing in my doorway and the words were on my lips, that you never looked so beautiful. Oh just to be near you, don't you know how good that feels? These are all the th...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
♚♚♚
The months that followed our coronation passed in a blur of duty and discovery. We had sworn to make Narnia safe again, and so we set ourselves to the task of hunting down the last remnants of the White Witch's forces. Those who had slipped away during the battle—wolves that prowled the wilder reaches of the forest, hags whispered about in fearful rumors—were slowly tracked down and brought to justice. It was exhausting work at times, but with every danger we banished, Narnia seemed to breathe a little easier.
Our days were filled with more than battles. We sat in council halls, listening to the voices of our people, shaping laws we believed would protect both the land and those who called it home. We worked to keep the peace—shielding ancient trees from greedy axes, ensuring young dwarfs and satyrs could attend their lessons without fear, and encouraging all Narnians, no matter their kind, to live as neighbors rather than strangers.
I took pride in it all. In my heart, I wanted to prove that we could be more than just the rulers fate had chosen—we could be the right rulers. My father had entrusted this responsibility to us, and I meant to show him, wherever he was, that his faith was not misplaced.
A year had passed since our arrival in Narnia, and I found myself falling in love not only with the land, but with the life I had built here—especially with Peter by my side. Life felt almost like a dream now. The shadow of the White Witch was gone, the air was filled with birdsong instead of fear, and Peter and I... well, we had gone from allies to something far more precious. Officially, he was my boyfriend, but that word hardly seemed enough for what I felt. I got along wonderfully with his family, and every day Ivory felt more like the sister I never had. Still, I carried a quiet ache for home. I missed Allison more than I could say, and sometimes, beneath the starlight of Cair Paravel, I wondered if I would ever see her again.
I never spoke of this to Peter. He already bore his own worries—his father still away at war, his mother facing it all alone. He told me about them often, and I always tried to be the steady voice beside him, assuring him that perhaps the war was already ending, that perhaps his father would return at any moment. I didn't know if my words were true, but I wanted him to believe they could be. Through everything, Peter and I stood by each other, growing closer with every season.
Of course, being a queen had its perks. I could wear the most glorious dresses—silks that shimmered like water, velvet rich enough to melt under my fingertips—and I was living it all beside the boy I loved. But it also had its downsides. Our duty to care for our people meant that time for ourselves was rare and precious.
Whenever we did find a moment, Peter and I would escape into the woods. During our first days as kings and queens, we had gone exploring and discovered a secluded patch of bright green grass dotted with purple flowers, where a small pond lay hidden, its waters teeming with fish and frogs. Birds would swoop down to drink, and butterflies danced lazily in the sunlight. Four years later, this was still our place, a secret corner of Narnia untouched by the demands of crowns and councils.
Here, we would talk—about the future, about home, about us. And though I always felt safe in Narnia after the Witch's defeat, I felt safest of all lying in Peter's arms, my head on his shoulder, listening to the gentle ribbit of the frogs and the wind weaving through the grass.
I sighed softly, glancing over at him. One arm was wrapped around me, the other tucked beneath his head as he studied the clouds, pointing out shapes now and then with a boyish grin. I leaned forward, brushing a light kiss against his lips before pulling away with a smile. Peter turned his head toward me, eyebrow raised, mouth curved into a smirk.
"What was that for?" he asked, wrapping his other arm around me and hooking one leg over mine.
"You just look really cute looking at the clouds," I teased.
"I look cute?" he repeated, giving me a devilish smile. I nodded, which earned a dramatic groan from him. "I can't be cute—I have to be manly." He buried his face into my neck, making me giggle.
"You can be both," I replied, kissing the top of his head. His blond hair tickled my skin, sending me into more laughter.
"That's right," he murmured against my neck, "you are ticklish, aren't you?" Before I could answer, his hands were at my waist, and I squealed as he began tickling me mercilessly. I twisted away, pushing his hands off, and bolted to my feet, running across the grass.
"Serena!" he called, laughter in his voice, chasing after me.
"Catch me if you can!" I shouted over my shoulder. I was faster—being a lioness had its advantages—and I knew it. "Come on, Peter," I goaded, "keep up! You're looking like an old man!"
"Ha, ha," he muttered, rolling his eyes but quickening his pace.
I'd been so focused on teasing him that I didn't notice how close I'd gotten to the pond until my feet splashed into its cold water. I gasped in shock.
"Caught ya!" Peter whooped, leaping in after me. His arms circled my knees, lifting me effortlessly before spinning us around. I laughed breathlessly.
"I love you," he said simply.
I leaned in and kissed him, and as always, it was like the first time—my heart fluttering, my stomach tumbling with butterflies. I loved this boy more than I had words for, and I prayed nothing would ever change that.
"I love you too," I whispered when we parted, giving him one more quick kiss before splashing water into his face.
He gasped in mock offense, blinking water from his blue eyes. "So that's how it's going to be?"
Before I could react, he dunked me under the water, sending a startled frog leaping onto my head. Peter's laughter rang out across the pond. I retaliated by tugging him down into the water with me, the frog now springing onto his head. This time, I was the one laughing, the sound mingling with the rustle of leaves and the warm, golden light of our secret Narnian afternoon.
The sound of our laughter echoed across the quiet water, and for a while, the rest of the world felt impossibly far away. Here, in our hidden place, there were no councils, no royal duties, no shadows from the past—only us, tangled in joy and sunlight.
If I had known then how quickly that peace would shatter, I might have held onto him a little longer. For even as we lay there, the winds beyond Narnia's borders were changing. A war was stirring—one that would call Peter away from me—and with it would come a stranger bearing an offer that could save our kingdom... at the cost of my heart.
But for now, I let the moment linger, my fingers laced with his, the frog hopping away into the grass, and the future waiting just beyond the treeline.
