Letters To Edmund |book 1|

Chapter 10. Love Struck

"Hey!" She screamed and turned away. 

Edmund's laughter filled the open space, and Angelina grabbed him by the shoulders pinning him to the ground once again. She couldn't let a smile creep in, she wanted him to think she was too offended to even smile a little bit. Instead, she frowned, and her brown hair fell to the sides of her, reaching his pale face.

"I've noticed that you like pinning me to the ground lately?" Edmund said from under her, raising his eyebrows. 

She scoffed defensively, "only because I like seeing you beneath me."

"Or you just like having me so close," he ran his hand up her arm and stopped when he realized what he was doing.

"Tell me about your father," she said, changing the subject from the awkward moment he just created. It was a terrible subject change, but she couldn't think of anything else.

Edmund sat up, arms hugging his knee, trying to remember his past in the real world. He told her of Mr. Pevensie, a man of science who volunteered to be a soldier because he knew what he fought for. Edmund saw his father as the hero, the man who gave up everything for a good cause. Even though he waited for him, his father never came back.

"What about your father?" He asked.

Angelina didn't like talking about him. She couldn't remember what he looked like and that scared her. From what her mother told her he was a good father. When he vanished without a trace everyone in the family thought he ran off with someone else. The more time she spent without her father the more she started accepting that he probably has another family out there. A lot of men become dads when they grow up, but not all of them turn into fathers. Shaking her head she smiled at Edmund.

"He's gone, and he never came back to explain himself," she said, not letting the tears fall out of the corners of her eyes.

Edmund looked down, "I'm sorry."

"You shouldn't be, it is all for the better. I became more responsible with him gone." She was convincing herself more than him.

"You can always tell me, Angelina." Edmund felt angry at himself for bringing a bad memory to her. He always wanted to protect her, not break her trust. She was his friend, and above all, she was going to save Narnia.

"I don't think you would want to know," She suddenly started laughing. 

Edmund moved in closer to her, "trust me, I would want to know." He gave her a reassuring smile. He didn't want to pressure her, but he wanted her to know that she could trust him.

Angelina leaned onto his shoulder and let out a heavy breath. "maybe I will tell you one day."

He leaned his head on hers, "I shall be anticipating the day."

He always knew she was fragile, he knew she wasn't the strongest, but at that moment Edmund saw just how fragile she was. He could see a little piece of him in her eyes, knowing that he could very much so relate to her. But there was something else he noticed as well, how close he got to her.

Edmund was about to speak when she cut him off, "maybe we should go back? It is getting dark."

He nodded, without saying anything. He cherished the fact that she opened up to him, and he hoped one day he could do the same. There was so much about her that he knew, but there was also a lot he didn't. Edmund realized at that moment that as much as the book of Narnia predicted things, it was his story to live, and he had the pleasure of getting to know her and discovering another lost soul searching in the abyss of the universe, just like him, for her destiny.

"You know," Edmund whispered as they approached Philip, " you're a strange one."

She rolled her eyes, "you're strange too, I mean who agrees to marry a girl he has never met in his entire life!"

Edmund shook his head, "hey, I canceled that wedding. Besides, not all of us are perfect as you, I thought I was doing what was right for Narnia."

"Hold on, you think I'm perfect?" She laughed, teasing him.

He raised his eyebrows, "that was the only thing you took away from what I said!?"

The sun was about to set and they both got on top of Philip, riding back to the castle away from the dark night that threatened to bring all kinds of trouble. Angelina wondered what he meant by those words, but she didn't want to ask him. Everything was too good for her to ruin with one question. It was strange to her, how their behavior had changed towards one another. She didn't know if it was simple foolishness or flirtation. Whatever it was, she couldn't let it continue. They were both from completely different times and they met in another realm, which was already a bad start to a relationship. But, every time she looked at Edmund it was like a strange sense of calm, he was her friend and she trusted him more than anyone, but at the same time, there were so many things he overlooked about him. She knew that he had a courageous and good heart, he wanted to do what was right, and she admired that in him.

When they got back to the castle, she watched him unsaddle Philip and groom him before saying goodbye. She helped him bring in the hay and water for the night. Every second spent with him was teaching her something, whether it was to care for others or how to groom a horse.

"You know, it wasn't a bad riding lesson," she said, walking back to the castle with him.

Edmund sighed, "yeah, but I guess it wasn't much of a riding lesson anyway I was late, I promise you a better one if you give me a second chance?" He bowed down in front of her in a kingly manner.

She smiled, "I'll keep you to your word," she let him walk her to her room and placed a soft kiss on his cold cheek. Instantly it warmed up with the touch of her lips. She didn't even know why she did it, as if it were a reflex. When she skipped into her room smashing the door behind her and slid down on the ground, he placed his hand on the spot that she kissed and smiled. She definitely was a strange one.

Walking back to his room, Edmund hummed some tune her remembered from long ago and skipped down the hallway. This time, he greeted the guards that bowed down to him. He got to his room, turned the door handle, and entered. Edmund started unbuttoning his shirt and then looked out into the window. A certain spark of realization struck him.

"Oh my," he said to himself as he realized why he was humming. He was happy, and he was only this happy once in his life. Thinking back to the day he realized he was slowly falling for her. Plopping down on his bed, Edmund didn't even take off his shirt. Even the murals on his ceiling seemed to dance with happiness. At first, Edmund was worried, but then he smiled. It wasn't impossible to fall for someone like her, it was her soul he noticed first, but then he couldn't get her smile out of his head. He pictured what it would be like to hold her hand. She was important to Narnia, but within seconds she became even more important to him.

Pulling off his boots, he threw them on the ground and got under the covers, blowing out his candles. He only wished that his new realization didn't ruin the already good friendship that they had. Edmund was never good at falling in love, he always feared he screwed everything up before anything even started. Deciding that he wouldn't think about these things anymore, he closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep. 

Edited (4/1/2020)