there will come a soldier, who carries a mighty sword. she will tear your city down, oh lei-oh lai-oh lord
Coralia sighed dramatically. Edmund had gotten up from his chair quietly, and Coralia was surprised to be face to face with him when she turned. Well, face to bare chest. Or neck. She couldn't really tell, she was too busy trying not to look. She'd seen him shirtless. Hell, she dressed him nearly every day. But it was always just 'shirt off, shirt on.' There was no time to even notice his chest. She only really saw his bare back, which was much different than this.
"I'd appreciate it if you stayed outside my room for a bit. I know you need your sleep, but I'd hate to be assassinated again." He gestured to the nasty scar on his torso. The gesture made her automatically glance down.
She immediately wished she hadn't, because she couldn't tear her eyes away from his very toned chest. Trying to subtly squeeze her eyes shut, she let out an unconvincing forced laugh. "It's my job, Your Majesty." Her voice was at least two octaves higher than normal. He definitely noticed. Shit.
Coralia Findlay was never flustered. Ever. Not when Dantus hit on her (mostly), not when other travelers and customers hit on her, not ever. And she was definitely not going to let this dramatic asshole of a king ruin her streak. He'd made her blush twice, and he wouldn't do it again. She wouldn't let it happen. That's even more extra training she'd need to do. Poker face lessons. She had seen enough gambling in the tavern to get a pretty good blank stare. Until recently. She'd have to work more on that.
She turned on her heel and opened the door. "I'll be out here all night. I'll sleep on the way to Archenland. Let me know if you need anything."
Stepping outside, she let out a sigh. Suddenly, her job was going to become much more complicated. All because King Edmund decided that she wasn't the enemy anymore. Or maybe he still thought she was, and he was trying to scare her off. Well, it wasn't going to work. There was almost nothing he could do that would make her leave Cair Paravel, and definitely not the Kingdom of Narnia.
An hour before dawn, Coralia woke Edmund. He hadn't bothered to put on a shirt before going to sleep. Opening his curtains wouldn't do anything, it was still dark out. She shook his shoulders. "Your Majesty, it's time to leave."
He didn't even move. He slept like a dead man. She shook him harder. "King Edmund." Again, nothing.
Before she could even think to shake him more, she was pinned to the wall with a knife against her neck. Edmund glared at her. He blinked a few times before realizing who it was. "Oh. Coralia, I thought you were an intruder. My apologies."
He didn't let go, nor did he move the dagger that had already drawn blood. "Your Majesty?" She said quietly. He was pressed too close against her chest to let her take in enough air to speak any louder. Her wrists were pinned above her head by Edmund's strong hand, her throat and windpipe being pushed roughly by the arm that held the knife. His body kept the rest of her against the wall.
"Hm? Oh!" He seemed to notice that he still hadn't released her. "I'm still a bit tired. Please forgive me."
She regained her footing, pressing on her bleeding throat. "It's nothing." She smiled, closer to a grimace than anything else.
"Oh, why did I do that?" He frowned, finally waking enough to think. "Here, let me help." He grabbed one of his many pillows and ripped the pillowcase in half, handing it to her. "Apply pressure. It'll—"
"Stop the bleeding, I know." She tied it around her neck. "Good as new. Now let's get moving."
King Edmund periodically apologized for the early morning incident, but Coralia was mostly asleep every time he tried to talk to her. She never got to fully rest because Edmund wouldn't stop talking to her.
The other knights were busy keeping an eye out for any ambushers, but Coralia was slacking off. She needed her sleep, guarding the king only allowed for about four hours of sleep a day. It wasn't much less than what she got back at the village, but it was different. Somehow.
Three weeks later, they were almost to Archenland. Coralia was sore and uncomfortable from the ride and ready for a real bed. And a whole day of sleep. Unlikely. When the gates of the Castle of Anvard finally appeared, Coralia felt close to death. The green lawn was a welcoming sight.
After passing through the gates, a stable boy led their horses away. Coralia barely resisted the urge to collapse onto the ground. Her neck was stinging, her legs were asleep, and her bottom was sore.
King Edmund raised an eyebrow at her as she grunted while dismounting. "Can't you control yourself for just one moment?"
Coralia huffed. Practice what you preach, she wanted to say. The king's behavior from the previous week had proven to be very stressful for Coralia, even if Edmund found it endlessly amusing.
She stood up straight behind Edmund and followed him to his quarters. When he was settled, she headed to the attic to her own room. The Castle of Anvard didn't have any guest quarters in the barracks, so they were put up in the servants quarters. Coralia was in the attic back in Cair Paravel anyway, but the other knights grumbled about the stuffiness of the small rooms.
When it was time for dinner, Coralia went to King Edmund's quarters to help him get ready.
"You think this will work?" She asked, picking up his cape.
"Yes, we've always been good friends with King Lune, and we've helped Archenland in the past," He saw her in the corner of his eye, holding up the embroidered velvet. "No, leave the cape. It's dinner, not a coronation, you idiot."
Coralia rolled her eyes, but put it down anyway, grabbing a brush and dusting off his matching velvet shirt and pants. "Velvet is uncomfortable. I don't know why they put you in it for every occasion."
"You think I don't know that? The best part of my day is taking off my clothes," He glanced at her. "Don't be crude, stop laughing."
Coralia turned away to hide her silent laughter, as well as her inexplicably flushed face. Edmund: three, Coralia: zero.
She placed the crown on the King's head, and smoothed the fabric on his shoulders.
"Perfect, all dressed and ready to have your propositions shot down and rejected."
"I could have you executed for the way you continue to speak to me."
"But you won't. You enjoy my company too much."
"As if," Edmund scoffed. He turned to open the door, but hesitated. "Get yourself into armor. I know you prefer just the chainmail, but it's for appearances. I also know that you haven't even packed any, so I've taken it upon myself to pack it for you. It's in that chest, let me know if you need help." He gestured to a box in the corner of his room.
"I know how to put on armor, Your Majesty, I'm not completely incapable." Coralia unloaded the trunk and suited up quickly. "Let's get to the dining room. I hope you know where it is, because I certainly don't."
Edmund scowled and muttered something about incapability and led her down a few flights of stairs and into the dining room. When he entered, everyone already in the room stood, including King Lune.
"King Edmund, my boy! I hear you have a proposition for me. I do hope I can deliver well." The older king flashed a mostly toothless smile. Coralia tried very hard not to recoil at the sight. She was hardly successful.
Everyone sat, except Coralia. She stood against the wall with the servants. The knights were all sitting at the table with King Edmund, engaged in the proposal. It wasn't like Coralia was a knight as well, or a royal bodyguard or anything. She reminded herself that was practicing her poker face.
"Sir, what are you doing over there? Come, sit!" King Lune beckoned Coralia over. "Here."
He had a servant pull out the chair next to the old king for Coralia to sit in. She complied, but was confused on the seating arrangement. There were multiple open seats near the other knights. Edmund raised an eyebrow at her, but she mouthed 'no idea, don't even ask' and gave him the smallest shrug. He shook his head, chuckling quietly.
Luckily, King Lune didn't notice the interaction. He could've easily been going blind. "So, what is this question you've all been building up to?"
"Your Majesty," Edmund started, setting down his silverware. "As I'm sure you've heard, the King of Ettinsmoor tried to assassinate me. I'm worried about war breaking out soon. Our army is large, but mainly untrained. We know that yours is small, but deadly."
"I believe I see where this is going. You need my army to help fill in numbers and train your forces."
Edmund nodded. "In return, we will have any Narnian soldiers who wish to join your army, do so. And this is all very undetermined. We don't even know if Ettinsmoor will attack full force."
King Lune frowned. "Your reward is not solid. What if none of your soldiers want to join my army? Then I may have lost a great deal of soldiers in a war and be left with no defenses."
"How about this; you give us a portion of your best men, and they come to Narnia to help train our army," Edmund leaned forward in his seat, arms folded on the table. "If a war does fall upon us, they will be asked to stay and fight with us, same with the rest of your men. However, they will all be given the option to say no with no questions asked. And the original reward stands."
King Lune thought for a long moment; a full minute of silence. Finally, he took a deep breath. "Personally, I think that is a wonderful idea. But I cannot make choices on personal opinion. I must confer with my advisors in the morning, and let you know by this time tomorrow."
Edmund stood, the knights following suit. He bowed to King Lune, then shook his hand. "Supper tomorrow, then."
Coralia had had little time to eat before Edmund beckoned her out of the dining room and all the way up to his guest quarters. He immediately picked up his pillow and threw it. "I can't believe him! I had to revise my entire proposal — Peter's proposal! — on the spot and he still wouldn't accept it! Peter will be furious if King Lune accepts this plan."
"Take a breath, I'm sure—"
"A breath? Coralia, my reputation with my siblings, my personal knights, my army, and all of my kingdom is at stake here if Archenland doesn't help us. The fall of Narnia could be on my hands if we go to war and our mediocre army fails. Which it will."
Coralia stepped forward and placed a hand on his arm. A safe touch, but a comforting one. "Your Majesty. King Lune said personally that he likes the plan. We don't know much about his advisors, but I can try and find something out. He hasn't met with them yet, there's a high chance it'll be accepted."
King Edmund sighed, and nodded. "Try and find out about his advisors and what they're like."
"It'll be servants' dinner soon, I'll ask them about it. Do you mind if..?"
"Go ahead, I won't go to sleep until you've come back." His words seemed like a threat but were delivered softly.
Coralia hurried down to the basement to the servants' hall. They were just finishing dinner, and many servants stayed up later to socialize or do extra work, such as mending clothes or preparing for the next morning's breakfast.
Coralia asked around and found out which servants would be closer to the advisors. She found the maid that dressed and tended to the female advisor and the men that tended to the male advisors. She caught the men before they went up to bed.
After a short interview with each of them on the male advisors, she had her answers. The maid was older, and very overworked by her mistress.
"Can you tell me anything about the King's advisors? I'm King Edmund's servant."
The maid didn't ask any further questions. "I tend to Lady Liletis. I should whisper this to you, should the butler or head housemaids hear me," Coralia leaned in further to hear. "She's rather a tyrant. No matter what I do, she's unhappy. She comes back from every meeting in a foul mood. According to His Majesty's manservant, he hates her too. None of us know why he hasn't just dismissed her yet."
Another maid who was sitting close by joined in. "I think she has something on him. You know, maybe information she threatens to leak."
The head housemaid came around the corner at that moment, and the girls all separated, going back to their previous activities. Coralia stood up quickly and left for King Edmund's chambers. She squeezed past the servants going to bed late and made it to the guest quarters. She knocked on King Edmund's door quietly. No answer. The damn man had fallen asleep.
Just as she turned around to go to the attic to catch the smallest wink of sleep, the door opened slightly and she was pulled harshly into the room. She yelped, and turned to punch her assailant.
"Shh, it's just me." King Edmund caught her punch with ease.
She crossed her arms, frowning. "We need to address how you've been abusing me lately."
"No, we don't. Tell me, what did you find out?" He hopped onto his bed and sat cross-legged like a child waiting to hear gossip.
"Will you please put a shirt on, first?" She looked to the side, away from the young king.
"Am I distracting you?" Even looking away, Coralia could see him leaning back on his hands and trying to show off his muscles. She rolled her eyes.
"Yes, if you must know. If you want to hear the valuable information I have to share, you should follow my orders."
"Borderline treason again," he muttered.
Coralia heard shuffling as he got up to get a shirt. She only turned back around when she heard the bed creak as he sat back onto it.
"Alright. So for the male advisors, we have Sir Burin, Sir Alli, and Sir Galle. All fairly agreeable, kind to their servants, and trust in the king. Galle and Burin are brothers and grew up as close friends to Lune."
"Perfect! We have this all under control, we'll be leaving with the army in no time."Edmund grinned.
"I'm not finished. There's one more. Lady Liletis."
"That's a peculiar name."
"Okay, not the point. The point is, she's insane. According to the servants, she's incredibly hard to please, if not impossible. She's always in a foul mood and she hates the king as much as he hates her."
"Why does he keep her around, then?"
"It's rumored that she has something over his head. That she's blackmailing him with something."
"That's nonsense," Edmund scoffed. "He's an old man, what is worth the trouble?"
"It doesn't matter. What does matter is that she won't go for your plan. She won't go for anything that Lune will."
"Well, there's three other advisors to sway him."
"Two. I didn't mention that Alli and Liletis are closer than close. Best friends since birth, twin siblings. Rumored to be," She paused. "Sexually... involved."
Both Coralia and Edmund shuddered. "Anyway, whatever she does, Alli goes with it. Even if he doesn't necessarily agree."
"She's very persuasive, then, if she could single-handedly change someone else's opinion."
"Very persuasive..." Coralia muttered. "Or something else. Magic."
"Please, no Archenlander has used magic in years. King Lune really doesn't like it, and they respect him enough to not use it."
"She doesn't respect him," Coralia pointed out. "If only there was a way to find out. The meetings are private and secure. We have until tomorrow morning to plan and execute a way to keep Lune on our side."
Edmund and Coralia stayed up all night, drafting and scrapping plans. Even if they convinced King Lune before the meeting, if Liletis put a spell on him during the meeting, it could be the end of Narnia as a whole.
Coralia had concluded by then that Edmund really didn't think she was an Ettin. That maybe he hadn't thought that for a while, and was just saying it.
"I could break into her rooms, find out if she's making potions or something."
"Don't be daft," Edmund scoffed. "You won't be able to sneak anywhere. You're too..."
"Too what?" Coralia challenged, glaring up at him.
"You're a loud breather."
"Am not!" She scowled. He waved a hand in the air, dismissing her response.
"Anyway, the plan won't work. We need to alert King Lune." Edmund started pacing. The sky was already starting to turn a dark blue. It was nearing dawn. They hadn't slept at all.
"Even if he knows, he can be enchanted anyway. It won't help."
"We could somehow take her out of the picture, stop her from going to the meetings."
Coralia gasped. "You want to kill her?"
"What? No! I meant give her a sleeping drug or something, or make her contagiously and violently ill. But nothing lethal. Wow, what is wrong with you?"
Coralia sighed, turning the other way. "The sun is almost up. The servants will be up and moving in a few minutes. If we can get the physician to cook up a sleeping drug or some kind of charcoal mix, Liletis's maid can bring it to her and hopefully Lune will go on with the meeting without her."
King Edmund agreed, so he ran down to the physician to have him make something with charcoal to make Liletis sick enough to spend the morning emptying her insides.
Coralia found Liletis's maid before she had the chance to go wake the advisor. Edmund caught up to them soon after, and they made up some story about Liletis eating something at dinner and Edmund noticing and him being worried about her and a ton of other flimsy excuses. The maid did not seem to care about Liletis's wellbeing at all, so she just took the mixture into the room.
King Edmund turned to Coralia and grinned, beckoning her to follow him back to his rooms, breaking into a run.
Coralia chased after him as quietly as she could, trying to regulate her breathing.
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guys this is so an episode of merlin i'm actually crying why am i like this anyway dantus update next chapter i know i have neglected him for the past forever