the girl from archenland | narnia

Interlude I

Edmund paced the halls, thinking. He liked Nenya, she wasn't bad as far as girls went anyway. She was close to Susan, and Peter seemed to like her.

He had a feeling though. Something he couldn't put his finger on. Something was out of place, he didn't share his suspicions with anyone else though, not like they would believe him anyway. They were all far to enchanted with the girl.

Not that he could blame them. Anytime his warm hazel eyes met her ever-changing gray ones he felt his heart beat ever so slightly faster. It wasn't hard to think of things he liked about her. Whether it be her dark brown hair, and how it shone when she stood in the sunlight.

Or her laugh, the way it started shy and quiet and grew louder. The way her whole face smiled when she was happy. How she could watch everything and yet seem completely distracted.

How- He stopped his thoughts there. Perhaps he had been thinking about her a little too much.

He couldn't help it though. Every time she smiled at him his resolve melted just a bit more. But still, the feeling was there, and he couldn't ignore it.

Every time he started out nicely, joking with her, the feeling came back and he could feel himself drawing up walls between the two of them. Retreating further and further back. Telling himself he wouldn't make the mistake of trusting the wrong person twice.

He could feel her drawing back too. The morning before, when he startled her on the horse, he knew she hadn't just been out for a ride. There was more to it. 

Every feeling, every thought he had was so conflicted. He wanted to open up but he couldn't. He wanted to trust her, but he wouldn't.

So here he was. Grumpy and apathetic one moment, smiling and friendly the next. No wonder she wouldn't open up to him. If only this feeling would go away.

Edmund snapped out of his thoughts as he heard footsteps in the corridor.

"Ed?"

It was Lucy.

"I'm here Lu," he called, trying to collect his thoughts.

"Ed?" she looked at him, puzzled. "Where have you been? We've been looking all over for you."

"Just here Lu, what's the matter?"

"You and I were supposed to visit King Lune today. We're already an hour late!" Lucy sighed, a slight frown darkening her normally joyful face.

"King Lune?" Edmund's mind was still a bit mixed up.

"King Lune of Archenland? Come on Ed? Surely you hadn't forgotten?"

"Course not Lu. I'll meet you down at the stables straight away!" Edmund sighed internally. He would have to finish his thoughts later, for now, at least he would be far away from Nenya, and any distraction she might cause him.

Although the truth was, he would have given almost anything to have met a girl like her back in England. So why couldn't he be happy now? He shook his head and sighed, beginning the walk to the stables.

Maybe that was just his fate. No matter how many times his siblings forgave him, no matter how many times he reminded himself what Aslan had said, he had still betrayed them all. And maybe traitors didn't get happy endings. No matter how much they regretted their choices.