AN ENCHANTER'S FORETELLING. [NARNIA]

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX | DOUBT

"Precisely, Lu," Peter placed his goblet atop the lavish tablecloth on the table. Then, he proceeded to answer his sister's question, "Well, I just figured it would be a brilliant idea (just like dear Lu here said) to commemorate our people and fallen soldiers." At this, his sky-blue eyes darted to Anne sitting at the other end of the table, albeit briefly. The corners of her lips had returned his subtle smile with a hint of rosy in her cheeks. It happened all-too quickly that if you'd blinked in that moment, you wouldn't have been able to see it.

Peter thought this short exchange had gone unnoticed, at least to some of the others sitting around the table, but not to his brother and his overly curious friend. Whose gazes had also met when the latter had been taking a sip of her goblet's contents. A smile had graced Edmund's features almost straight-away, and creases appeared in the corners of his eyes as he did so. He did not forget the way his heart had sped up when her gentle gaze lingered on him.

Interesting, the look of mischief on his face said when their gazes met across the table once again.

Quite exciting, indeed, said hers. She bit into a small remaining piece of barley bread. Oh, what a lovely pair, indeed!

"Well," Susan's voice then cut through the piercing silence between them with a soft sigh, "I suppose that can be arranged. What do you think, Edmund? Or do you not wish to attend, again? I think this might be the perfect opportunity for you to—"

Edmund's gaze promptly flickered back to his finished bowl, and he scraped the remains of porridge stuck to the sides with his spoon to distract himself. "No, no. I'll go, I'll go."

Peter, seemingly impressed at his quick response and agreement to attend, hummed to himself, pleased. "I did not think you'd want to attend. That was unusual, even for you, Ed."

"When I do not wish to go somewhere, you complain," Edmund said, "and when I do, you complain too. Besides, it's the soldiers we are commemorating, of course I will be attending."

"Well, we just did not think you'd want to go, seeing as you always complain whenever there is a social event," Susan added.

"Whatever do you mean? I adore social events." Edmund scoffed, letting his fork slip with a reverberating clang on the now empty bowl. "Just not formals, but I am agreeing to attend just this one time."

Partly because he would have to stand pretty for almost the entirety of the ball, greet the all-too talkative lords and ladies of the court, and talk about politics for several hours. When all he wished was to rest for eternity, if he could. But alas, his duties as a king — which he was forever grateful for, but sometimes were quite tedious — eternally bound him to his study room. But he would do absolutely anything for the love of their people, as would his brother and sisters, now that was clear.

"Well, it depends on the occasion, really," Edmund then clarified, applying jam to his toast.

"See? Well, there you have it," Peter muttered at last, piling another plate with a slice of barley bread and egg. At last, the six sitting around the table finished their breakfast with nothing more than the gentle hum of the calm wind.

✧

She focused on that deriding little target just a few feet away from her. That little target, whose crimson and white circles tainting the fabric of the frame mocked her, daring her to miss it.