𝐋𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓 || peter pevensie [1]

~ long live ~

My Dear Readers,

I'd like to start off by saying that I am so happy with the response that this story has gotten. Thank you so much for all of the votes you have left and for adding it to your reading lists! 'Lionheart' has been through multiple editing processes now, and in reuploading it, I am grateful that it has gotten such a positive response!

'Long Live' is now available and fully uploaded for you to read on this website. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Here is a little snippet of the first chapter, just to give you a hint of what you can expect from the sequel (though, I might add that though I may have edited 'Long Live' this extract is from the original draft, thus some details may have been changed).

Thank you again for all of your love. It always makes my day!

My Love, Always,

~ Ophelia X

(Note Written - 09/01/2020)

~~~

"You aren't married?"

Maria's heart gave a painful squeeze, her mind on the ring strung on the cord under her dress. Forcing the words out hurt, because she knew that they weren't a lie. "I almost was, a couple of years ago."

"What happened? Did something happen to them?"

"I lost him. We were from two different worlds. It seems stupid now, thinking that we could ever have been together." Maria knew she would regret her next words, but it seemed like it was time to stop lingering in the past, and she hoped that this could buy her a happier future. "But I've moved on. I need to get married, and soon, otherwise I'll be alone forever."

Aliona's face lit up, for she didn't know of Maria's true pain. "There is a boy of sixteen who works in the kitchens. We can go and meet him after dinner if you like. Or if you prefer, there is the woman who delivers our flowers twice a week, and I don't think she's that much older than you."

"That would be nice. Thank you very much for doing this. And, if you don't mind, I would like to cover my face again."

"Yes, of course. I'm going to go down to the dining room, so I'll meet you back up here in a couple of hours."

"Alright. Have a lovely time, my Lady." Maria slipped right back into her place as the veil fell, and she was faceless once more. A few moments after Aliona had left the room, she got up and made her way down the hall to the servants' bathroom.

Wanting to look her best for her potential suitors, she decided to run herself a bath. Leaving the taps running, she removed her long-sleeved overdress and hung it up on the back of the door. The underdress, made of a shiny, blue material, was more like something she would wear in the town and back at the orphanage. It was lighter and far more comfortable. But looking like she did, the Elites wanted to cover as much of her up as possible.

Maria walked over to the mirror, pulling out the black cord with the ring and the Firesong emblem on it. Holding them in her fist, the way she had when she had returned to the Island, she stared at her own reflection. "I'm sorry. I waited. But I know you wouldn't want me to go on being unhappy."

But before she could take it off, something touched her feet.

Twisting in alarm, she saw that bath was overflowing. Maria was positive that she hadn't left the taps on long enough to fill even half of the bath, and yet water was gushing onto the bathroom floor. She groped at the taps, turning them as far as she could in each direction, but the water just kept coming. Sloshing through the now ankle-deep water, Maria wrenched the door handle, her feet slipping from underneath her and she landed on her back. Her dress and hair quickly became soaked, weighing her down. She managed to pull herself into a sitting position, slightly winded, and tried again to open the door. The water was rising at an increasing rate, slamming violently into the wall.

The water spilling from the bath was now far colder and sparkled a bright white on the surface. Maria was almost certain of where the water would take her; the place it always had. The sad thing was that she hoped that she was wrong. And she could no longer fight back. The water clung to her dress, so that, even when she hauled herself to her feet, there was no way that she could wade over to the window in time.

As the water rose to her knees, Maria wondered how long it have been this time. Perhaps, in her resistance, a couple of days had passed. She took one last agonizing yank at the door handle, only now finding her voice to cry out for help. For a moment, she didn't care if the damages cost her the job. She couldn't go back. She wouldn't go back. Not after all she had suffered, and what suffering she would face once she arrived. After all, what was her use in Narnia if there was no war?

As the water reached her waist, she thought it seemed to not only be rooting her to the spot, but was dragging her down by her heavy clothes.

As the water covered her chest, she couldn't stand the wait any longer. Taking a huge breath, Maria ducked below the surface. She closed her eyes and clamped her hands over her mouth. Her hair lifted with the choppy current of the water, swirling around her head and tickling her neck and shoulders. Bubbles blew out of her nose at the sensation, losing her valuable air.

Within seconds Maria had almost run out of breath. She opened her eyes and, with her remaining strength, kicked off the floor, hoping that the ceiling was gone. The white light had gotten brighter and, when she finally broke through the surface of the water, she found herself a little way out from a beach, the sea calm, the sun blazing. Glancing up at the cliffs by the shore, Maria frowned, squinting a little in the sudden brightness. Instead of the great castle of Cair Paravel that she expected, she saw ruins. Exactly how long had she been gone?