The fire had died, the sun rising when Lilith awoke.
Her head aching yet, once again, she awoke in familiar arms.
She couldn’t remember a single thing after dancing last night, yet she looked around to see each of them safe, scattered around their area and sleeping quite soundly.
She was at a momentary loss at what to do when she realised there was no breakfast to make, yet another thought broke into her mind.
Shit.
She squirmed from Peter’s grasp, hearing him mutter in disapproval, putting a smile on her face as she called work.
“Hi!- Yes, Lilith- I won’t be in today I’m afraid- I’m not sure, just a tummy bug I reckon- ah, ha. Yup- No, no I’ll be fine- Okay, that’s great, thank you!- I’m pretty sure I’ll be in tomorrow- No, absolutely- yep, okay! Thank you! Bye!”
She hung up, turning back to feel fingers twist her hair, “Yes, Magnificent?”
“I was just wondering if there were anymore spontaneous activities you had planned for today, seeing as we’ll all have the day off?”
She thought for a moment, not liking to be the one to disappoint.
“I’m getting a tattoo.” She decided with a nod, “You, and the others, are more than willing to join me. After we go find food, of course. Last night was good- although I don’t remember anything after about 1:30- I want something remember what I DO remember by, though.”"I need to go to work, we ALL do, it's only my second day!" Susan, and not Sanya surprisingly, spoke up as Lilith announced the plan to get a tattoo.
"You're getting a day off a job you hate." Edmund rolled his eyes. "What do YOU have to complain about?"
"And haven't you wanted to get a tattoo since I showed you some on interest?" Sanya added.
"Pinterest." Lilith corrected- happy to say that SHE had introduced Sanya to that app. "And please, Susan, I called for everyone already."
"Even mine?" Sanya looked perturbed. "She doesn't know about the pregnancy!"
Lilith's mouth fell open. "Oops..." She said guiltily before adding to divert her attention. "Well, have YOU any idea what tattoo you want?"It was another 2 hours before they reached the tattoo parlour, dodging the route via their respective workplaces.
“Hi.” Lilith spoke as they ducked through the door to be faced with the woman behind the till. It was clearly she, herself, was enthusiastic about her job- her arms alone littered with inked images.
“I booked the long slot this afternoon? Under the name Moore.”
The woman nodded, checking a notepad before, “He shouldn’t a minute, make sure you’re sure of what you’re wanting.” She added, clearly questioning the responsibility of the teens- especially Lucy, in who’s ID she looked over multiple times."I'll go first." Lilith volunteered, seeing that everyone else seemed to be building up the courage.
Peter murmured an assent as he continued looking over the pages.
Susan was rubbing the place on her forearm where her flowery arrow would be, and Lucy was trying to decide between 'Lionheart' and 'Valiant'.
Edmund was still staring outside, thinking of the tattoos he'd chosen. He'd chosen three- WARR:OR on his inner arm, a birch leaf on his collarbone and a very aesthetic looking book thingy on his lower back. Too many, Susan had scolded him, but he had too many scars on him anyway.
'You're going to be pushing a person out of your body in 7 months,' Sanya told herself, 'you can let a needle draw a book on the wrist and a word on your collarbone'.
She had just managed to convince herself when Lilith came out, looking a little pale but beaming.
"See!" She said excitedly, showing her forearms to them- one with 'unwithered' on it and the other with 'unwavering'.
Well her title had always meant a lot to her, Sanya thought, as she heartily praised it. It DID look awfully pretty and incredibly badass as well.
"Who's next? There's two artists available." The tattoo woman called out.
"Me." Sanya and Edmund said at the same time, looked at each other in surprise- Susan chuckled- before going into the separate booths."Let's see." Sanya stopped Ed just as his tattooing finished, before he could go back to their family. "What'd you get, you were there long."
Edmund showed her his collarbone "It symbolises redemption and protection" he said and she had smiled, "perfect then"; and then his inner arm which Sanya had nearly cried upon seeing "you ARE a warrior, it's perfect, Eddie" "DON'T call me Eddie!"; and then he hesitated.
"What?" Sanya asked, seeing he was looking shifty. "Here's mine." She added, thinking he was being hesitant about asking to see hers.
She pulled down her top a little to show the single word 'courage' on her collarbone before turning out her wrist and shoving it in Ed's face.
"You've got to be joking." He said flatly as he saw that last one, before turning back and slipping his shirt off him.
Sanya nearly knocked down the box with all the needles. "What are you- oh."
They had got the same tattoo.
YOU ARE READING
Tales of the Narnian Monarchs: Home Wasn't Built in a Day
Hayran KurguThe fourth and final book in the 'Tales of the Narnian Monarchs' Series. Once again, Narnia's lost Monarchs are torn from a time in which they'd begun to settle, only to find themselves in 2019. Without identities and nothing but each other, their m...