the girl from archenland | narnia

Chapter Fourteen

Several years passed, the Pevensies and Nenya remained good friends despite visits being quite infrequent. Nenya and Susan grew apart for a time but once again became close friends after Susan's engagement to a foreign prince fell through.

Lucy and Nenya's friendship remained the same, and Lucy could often be found visiting with Corin and Nenya in Archenland. 

Edmund remained true to his word and wrote weekly at the least, often sending several handwritten letters a week, and he and Nenya became good friends.

Peter kept his distance from Nenya for the first year but after a few visits, the two began to pick up the pieces of their friendship.

It was spring when Nenya returned for her first long visit. The green hills and forests of Narnia were filled with colorful patches of flowers and the whole land smelled of rain and new life.

When Nenya arrived at Cair Paravel she found Edmund and Lucy waiting for her, grins lighting up their faces.

She smiled back. "Lucy!!" she hugged her friend. "You've grown so much!" the two girls were the same height now.

Lucy laughed, "I still haven't caught up to Peter or Edmund!"

Nenya turned to look at Edmund. 

"Hey," he said with a smile.

"Ed!" she laughed. "You've grown as well."

The two stood slightly apart, not touching, but smiling. 

"Where are Susan and Peter?" she asked.

Lucy sighed. "Some of Rabidash's men are here. Peter and Susan had to talk to them."

Nenya rolled her eyes. "At least you two got out of it."

"True," Lucy said with a laugh.

Edmund looked over his shoulder and called to a nearby nymph who was speaking with a Satyr.

"Anargul!"

The girl turned towards him immediately. "Yes, King Edmund?"

"Are Peter and Susan almost done?"

she nodded. "Yes your highness, they should be leaving the meeting in a matter of moments."

Edmund grinned, "Come on!" he waved for Lucy and Nenya to follow. 

The two girls raced after him and he darted into the twisting corridors of the palace.

They stopped directly outside a small door to the side of the throne room, Susan and Peter had risen from their seats and were starting to leave the room, Peter turned and looked in their direction.

Nenya looked towards Peter, smiling. He had always been so serious, even when he didn't have to be. She had missed him though. He had grown since she last saw him, and he looked even more like the High King he was. He met her eyes but remained silent, all the unspoken things between them to heavy to now be voiced. They had waited this long, they could wait a few more moments.

Edmund didn't miss the look.

"He's missed you more than he'd say, you know," he said to Nenya.

"Has he?" Nenya asked. She knew she had made the right choice, that didn't change the fact that it still hurt.

"He'll be glad to have you back," Lucy said.

"Just as friends of course," said Edmund quickly, a little too quickly in fact.

Nenya just nodded her mind to full of swirling thoughts.

Lucy chattered on about all the things that had been going on in Narnia since Nenya's last visit, the hunts, and adventures, small skirmishes, and balls.

Nenya tuned it out though, she watched Edmund. She remembered the boy he had been when she first met him in the forest all those years ago, how different he had been. How different she had been. They had both changed.

But maybe, just maybe, the change didn't always have to be bad.

So she smiled at Edmund, and he smiled back.