Further Up & Further In

Maybe I Love You (Too)

They were young when they met. Too young to take each other seriously, at least. It wasn't that Aravis wasn't pretty. Once Cor got past her temperament, he was able to notice that she really kind of was, but he didn't think much of it. Why should he? She was Aravis. Pretty or not, she could still be such a pain. He sometimes got nervous around her, true, even when they first moved to Anvard, young as they had been. But why shouldn't he be nervous? She was Aravis.

Those Narnians were ridiculous. The Queen Lucy liked to dress up with Aravis, and do her hair, and then disappear as soon as the two of them ran into Cor. What was the queen's hope? That Cor would tell Aravis she looked nice? He didn't have a clue how to do that. He didn't really want to, anyways. Whether or not she looked nice was none of his concern. His stomach flipped at the thought.

And then there was Edmund! Cor still felt far too young to be worrying about such things, but King Edmund liked to slide next to him and give him pieces of "wisdom" concerning courting, and courting Aravis in particular. Cor would be watching Aravis dance with some of their friends, and she would make faces at him as he stood near the wall. (He felt certain he would make a fool of himself if he tried dancing.) And as he watched, out of nowhere, Edmund would tell him, "Aravis is a spectacular young lady, you know. As deserving of a crown as any queen I've ever met."

"I know," Cor would reply. Aravis had always been rather noble. Royal, even... well, a royal pain at any rate.

"If you fancy her, you had better on tell her."

"I don't."

Edmund would peer at him from the corner of his eye, and grin at the young prince's defiant face. "Are you telling me that you do not believe the Lady Aravis is pretty?"

"She is," Cor would stammer, pulling his eyes away from her to glare at Edmund. "But what does that matter?"

Then the king would sigh deeply. "She won't wait around forever, dear Prince. Aravis is a special girl, and I think she finds you rather special, too. But there are other princes from other lands, and they'll want to know her soon enough. Don't waste time, Cor. You never have as much as you think."

These words haunted Cor for quite a different reason, for it was not long after that King Edmund and his royal siblings disappeared. He didn't take it as bad as Corin, who had grown up with them, but that didn't make it easy. He never really got over it, and he never stopped thinking about the things they said.

But then, what were they, 15, when Corin decided to tease Cor about Aravis as well? It had been a few years, and they were growing up faster every day.

Corin would whisper to Cor at the dinner table. "Lady Aravis looks beautiful this evening, don't you think?"

"She always does," Cor would answer. "What does it matter?"

Corin would elbow his ribs. "If you don't marry her, I will."

An unexpected rage flared up inside of him as he demanded, "Why would you do that?" But he decided not to push it any further. Corin almost always won their fights, and he didn't much feel like being knocked down. "Just leave it alone, Corin." King Edmund's words echoed in his mind.

Then suddenly Corin wasn't the only one talking about marrying Aravis. She really was beautiful, Cor had to admit. She was amazing, sure. But why would these foreign princes and nobles want to marry her? She could be such a bother, he thought. They would hate to live with her. Cor himself had gotten used to her company, and liked having her around, but surely anyone else would hate it. Wouldn't they?

Still, as his father threw balls, other young men lined up to dance with the Lady Aravis. She was practically a princess, they all thought. She had the attitude of a queen. And sometimes Cor liked these other boys fine, but he never thought they were good enough for her. She was something else. She was special. She was spectacular. She was Aravis.