Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Phillis sipped from her chalice of wine as the six monarchs, Dariyah and Prince Miguel sat around a table. Prince Miguel had come, requesting men in exchange for something. "What would we be receiving if we do give you the soldiers?" Edmund asked the Telmarine. "Whatever you would like," Miguel said. "Please, Your Majesties." "We don't need anything," Lucy told him. "Well, I am engaged to your Queen, and she has continued to put off our wedding for years. I think I deserve a few hundred men in exchange for her selfishness," he said, glancing at Phillis. "Prince Miguel, I for one will have no part in providing you with troops to get out of a mess you got your kingdom into, knowing full well you were underprepared for a war. Stop talking about our men like they are mere coins in a simple exchange. They have lives and families. And you say I'm the selfish one for not wanting to marry you in the first place. But, how could you be so selfish that you would rather send 350 living beings off to be slaughtered, in exchange for a marriage?" Phillis snapped. "That's barbaric." "How dare-" he began before, surprisingly, Dariyah interrupted him. "Perhaps, Queen Phillis is right? Prince Miguel is making a big request in exchange for something that only benefits him," she said as Phillis sent her a thankful smile. "Do you want to be invaded by my army?" he snapped at the rulers of Narnia. "Funnily enough, Miguel," Phillis glared at him, "I doubt your army pose much of a threat, considering you're already so low on numbers that you need to request reserves from us." Suddenly, Miguel grabbed Phillis' wrist and dragged her out of her seat. He sent a cold slap across her cheek before warning her to watch her 'whore mouth'. At the sight of this, Edmund stood up abruptly, staring daggers into Miguel. "I think you ought to leave, Prince Miguel," Peter informed the Telmarine. "Without your 350 Narnian troops," Edmund spat. After Prince Miguel of Telmar stormed out of Cair Paravel, everyone rushed to see if Phillis was okay. "When will you learn to keep your mouth shut?" Elmer asked, chuckling quietly. "Oh, please, I said what you were all thinking," she smirked.
Phillis wandered the gardens of Cair Paravel. Cobalt walked alongside her. She found a stone bench in a far corner, beautiful peach trees hanging over it. The sun was setting over the array of gorgeous colours of Narnian flowers, giving them all an orange glow. The sky was cloudless and the breeze was nonexistent. Cobalt sat down beside Phillis, his heavy head resting on her lap. In the distance, they could hear the giggles of Reina and Flynn. A faun walked past the royal friends, curtsying quickly before hurrying off. Cobalt's eyes fluttered shut, soaking up the glorious evening sun. With her free hand, Phillis ran her fingers through the soft fur behind Cobalt's ears. Loose strands of chocolate hair framed Phillis' narrow face and in her hand, she had a book. Some birds tweeted to each other in one of the trees above her. If you focused, you could hear the waves of the sea below Cair Paravel. Phillis felt safe here.
It had been a long, tough three years. Coming up with new excuses as to why her and Miguel should hold off on the wedding a while longer and Edmund seeming to forget about her entire existence. Every night, she missed his delicate fingers on her soft skin and his exquisite eyes exploring her body with every last ounce of admiration leaking from them. Unknowingly, he offered her so much elation and delight and exhilaration. Whenever he was around her, she felt nothing but pure euphoria. His chaotic hair, his displaced freckles, his enticing mahogany orbs, his flawless lips and his adorable cheeks. He was all she could ever think about. She longed to have him back in her bed, not so spontaneously in the middle of the night. As though she'd called for him, the now foreign sound of Edmund filled her ears. "Hi," he breathed, standing before her. Phillis looked up. Her breath caught itself in her throat at the sight of him. "Hi," she replied, her voice almost cracking. And, despite not speaking to each other properly for three years, she never felt closer to him than she did in that moment.
