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Just in case you lost track, Peter is 23 now, Susan is 22, Edmund and Y/n are 20, and Lucy is 16.
(One Year Later)
EDMUND'S POV
Instead of eating dinner downstairs with the others as I would usually do, I had it taken up to my chambers so that I could continue working on the mountain of paperwork that covered my desk. Most of the documents were reports of small crimes committed in the last week, ranging from petty thefts to minor assaults. It was my job as "The Just King" to approve or decide on suitable punishments for these criminals, regardless of how late into the night I remained working.
Frustrated, I dropped the handful of papers I was holding onto my desk and pushed out my chair before walking to the balcony of my room. I had opened the doors earlier to let in the cool night air in hopes that it would help me concentrate, but it only made me itch to be out of this chair. As I looked out at the small courtyard below that overlooked the ocean I let my thoughts wander.
Recently I've noticed that memories that seem important appear fuzzy and dim in my head. I know that I had a life before Narnia, but I can't remember names of people I should know, nor the faces of people I saw daily. The only things I remember in full clarity are the few days before we discovered Narnia when I first met Y/n and her grandfather in that cold old house. It seemed like decades in the past when in reality it was only five years ago. Now it felt normal to wake up in a palace, to stroll the grounds hand in hand with Y/n, to plan wars, to wear a crown.
These days felt precious and fragile, like if I didn't hold onto it just right it may slip past me in the blink of an eye. No matter how much time I gave my poor brain, it still couldn't believe that Y/n eagerly reciprocated the feelings that had scared me for so long. She was far too good for me and I could see it every day. The way she governed our people with compassion and love as if they were family was intimidatingly beautiful. She never backed down from any problems that I, myself, had shied away from and continued forward with her head held high and the Narnians following behind her. I was convinced that without her as a Queen of Narnia, we would be in a heap of trouble. Even so, it wasn't like she was a saint, she definitely got into trouble from time to time. We all did.
Realizing I was daydreaming about her yet again, I pushed myself off of the balcony railing and started to turn my head back towards my desk when a flurry of red caught my eye. I peered through the darkness at the figure quickly winding through the courtyard towards the back entrance to the gardens. Their red cloak billowed around them, protecting their identity if the darkness didn't do so well enough. I knew that I should alert the guards in the hallway, but something about this person seemed odd, it was like they were trying to leave rather than break in. Grabbing my sword, I leaped off of the balcony and onto the stone flooring of the courtyard, keeping low so as not to alert the intruder. They showed no signs that they heard me and continued to scurry across the small lawn that led to a thick grove of trees.
The cloaked figure spun around quickly and I dove behind a bush, but not before I got a glimpse of the person under the red hood. What was Y/n doing sneaking around the palace grounds at this hour? I watched as she disappeared into the thick trees, her red cloak no longer visible. Once I knew she wouldn't be able to see me, I darted to the treeline and followed the path she took, relying on the faint footprints she left behind to guide me.
The prints suddenly stopped, like she just disappeared.
"Y/n?" I whispered worriedly.
No response. Even the trees didn't dare whisper. It was like everything was waiting for something to happen. I was about to call out to her again when a hand clamped over my mouth. I jumped and started to squirm in an attempt to escape.
"Shh, Ed, be quiet."
I relaxed immediately after hearing her voice and she dropped her hand. "Wha-"
She held up a finger to her lips and glared at me, telling me to shut up. I quickly shut my mouth and looked at her questioningly but she only motioned for me to follow her into the small grove of willow trees off the path. Once we stopped in front of the largest willow she bent down to take off her shoes, motioning for me to do the same. I wasn't about to argue so I sat down on the dirt next to her and pulled off my boots.
"Whatever you do, don't say our names." She whispered into my ear.
I nodded and stood, offering her my hand to pull her up. She grinned and took it, not letting go even when she was up. I watched in awe as she held up her hand to touch the hanging leaves, ribbons of magic dancing around her fingers. As the light touched the leaves it rippled across the tree gently, spreading apart the branches in front of us to form a door. Out of it stepped a woman with chocolate-colored skin covered in gold jewelry and clothes.
The woman was beautiful and elegant but had a cold aura. She towered at least a foot taller than me and completely blocked the doorway. She glared down at us then checked our feet and nodded.
"May I have your names?" Her voice sent chills down my spine.
"We would prefer to keep those to ourselves." Y/n smiled calmly at the woman, not at all affected by her cold demeanor.
"Very well," The woman stepped aside and melted into the shadows of the willow tree.
Y/n tugged my hand and led the way past the leaves, the branches closing behind us. My bare feet were cold as they walked on the wet grass that led to a ring of mushrooms at the base of the tree.
"A fairy ring?" I guessed.
Y/n nodded and stopped in front of the ring, taking off her cloak. It was only now that I could see what she was wearing underneath. A long-sleeved linen dress hugged her torso but swayed freely down her legs, allowing lots of movement. From a brown leather satchel that hung from her shoulder, she pulled out a red ribbon.
"Here," She placed it in my hands, "Could you help me tie up my hair while I finish a few things?"
"Sure," I stepped behind her and put the ribbon between my teeth while I collected her hair. Y/n knew this was one of my favorite things to do, her hair was so relaxing to play with. But even though Susan had given me many tutorials, I still couldn't do anything more complicated than a braid, ponytail, or bun. Tonight I instructed my fingers to brush her hair into a simple ponytail, making sure it wasn't too tight. Once I was finished tying the ribbon, I turned to Y/n.
"So what are we doing?"
"What do you know about fairy lore?" She smiled teasingly as she pulled out a couple of wrapped packages from her satchel.
"According to what I've heard, if you step into a fairy ring you will be forced to dance until you go mad or even die."
She hummed in confirmation and I shivered, we weren't really doing that, right?
"Don't worry, Ed." She stood up and held out a now unwrapped package of sugar cubes to me. "What most stories fail to mention is that if you offer the fairies something sweet, they are forbidden to harm you."
"Oh, good." I sighed and took the sugar eagerly.
"Now," She held my hand again and I couldn't help that my heart sped up. "When we step inside the ring, we will be able to exist on the same frequency as the fairies. Don't step out of the ring until they accept our gifts. When we want to come back we have to walk nine times around the circle which will bring us back, but if you walk around it ten times you will be stuck there forever."
I gulped, "Why are we going, exactly?"
Y/n grinned, "Why, to dance, silly!"
"Why am I not surprised."
She laughed and dragged me into the circle of mushrooms. I thought I had eaten something funny or hit my head because as soon as my feet touched the grass in the fairy circle, I could see colors and smell scents I had never experienced before. Colors I didn't know the names of filled the trees, none of them any combination of colors I already knew. I could not only hear but smell the wind, it smelled like what you would think the color green would smell like. It was the same place, we were still under the willow tree, but it was so different.
"I know," Y/n squeezed my hand, "It's beautiful, isn't it?"
I could only nod. It was impossible to describe it. I was still in shock when Y/n pulled me down to kneel on the ground in the fairy ring, setting the sugar cubes in front of her. I followed suit just as three girls came into view. Their skin was a mossy green and reflected the moonlight beautifully. Their large eyes were pitch black, even the parts that are supposed to be white, and their hair was fiery red braided with various wildflowers. All of them wore dresses similar to Y/n's.
"We offer these gifts in exchange for our safety." Y/n called to them.
The middle girl skipped forward and scooped up the cubes, giggling as she ran back to show her friends. They eagerly poked at the sugar before nodding to us with a variety of whistles and squeaks. I assumed this was their language. Y/n smiled broadly and stepped out of the ring before running out from under the willow tree. I chuckled and ran after her, avoiding the sharp rocks so I didn't stab my feet. The three girls ran past me, practically flying across the ground. It was only then did I realize they were the fairies Y/n spoke about. For some reason I expected them to be the size of my thumb.
"Come on, Ed!" Y/n called over her shoulder before she ran past the last of the trees and onto the lawn that I had followed her across only minutes ago.
As I caught up to her, I saw that the lawn had been transformed into a small festival. There were three campfires that rings of girls in flowing dresses much like Y/n's danced around. Beautiful music came from instruments I didn't recognize as the only guys at the dance played songs I never heard before. The only thing I did recognize was the dance, it was the first dance I'd danced with Y/n. At this, I smiled gleefully and sprinted past Y/n to jump into the outer circle of dancers, determined to be the one to start dancing first. I heard her scoff before she ducked into the inner ring.
We danced with the fairies for what felt like hours, swinging each other around and skipping in circles. My face hurt from smiling so much and I realized this was the first time I've danced in months. I couldn't remember the last time I danced with Y/n without the others.
I caught her eye and stepped out of the dance, back towards the trees. She raised a brow in question but followed me.
Y/N'S POV
I was about to ask Edmund why he stepped out of the dance but before I could he grabbed my left hand in his right, lacing our fingers together. His other hand slid around my waist, pulling me closer to him. My breath hitched as it always did when I was this close to him. I'm pretty sure my face was as red as my cloak.
"I don't think we've ever danced together," He smiled warmly, beginning to sway. His eyes could melt me right then and there.
I immediately recognized this dance as one from our life before Narnia. I knew the steps to it like I had danced it my entire life but I couldn't remember how I knew it. It was a slow and simple dance; rotating while stepping in the shape of a square. I rested my head on Edmund's chest, chuckling silently at his rapid heart rate. It was cute that we both still got nervous even though we've been dating for two years.
"What's this dance called?" I asked.
"I don't remember, I just know it for some reason."
"It seems like I don't remember a lot of things these days." I sighed.
He nodded. We were silent for a while, dancing to the fairy's music under the bright moon. It felt so right, being with him. I've gotten so used to being next to him over the years that I can't really imagine my life without him, whether as my boyfriend or a friend. Even being separated from Peter, Susan, and Lucy is hard to imagine, they are like my siblings now.
Wait. Peter, Susan, and Lucy. We have to get back to Cair Paravel! I raised my head to look at Edmund, he was watching me closely.
"We have to get back," I pouted.
He frowned, "But we've only been here a couple of hours. I want to dance with you more."
I couldn't help the laugh that escaped my mouth after seeing his pouting face. "Time works differently in the fairy world. For every hour here it's about an hour and a half back home." I explained.
He made an 'O' shape with his mouth and lowered our hands, grabbing my right hand in the process so that he was holding both. He leaned in and placed a light kiss on my forehead, making me giddy all over again.
"Tonight was fun." He smiled.
I hummed in agreement. That's when I remembered he had followed me here. "What were you doing before I found you?" I asked him.
"Ah," He scratched the back of his head, "I saw you from my balcony and thought you were an intruder, so I followed you until I saw your face under your hood. I wasn't sure what you were doing out so late but I wasn't about to let you go on your own so I followed you."
"Ugh, I knew that red cloak would be too bright." I groaned.
"A little," Edmund smiled, "How did you even know about this place?"
"I read a book about it in the library. This is only my second time coming here, they only dance here on full moons."
He looked up, checking that the moon was actually full. "Huh."
"Come on," I turned towards the trees and started to pull him with me. "I want to get as much sleep as I can after this."
---
Why on earth do we always start so early? The sun had only just risen minutes ago and here we were, eating breakfast. Peter showed only small signs of fatigue as he slurped up his oatmeal. It seemed like he was always getting work done on time and didn't lose any sleep. Susan on the other hand looked wide awake, but she always did in the mornings so it didn't really count. Lucy looked very tired and hadn't even bothered to change out of her nightgown before coming down. This wasn't uncommon but it was clear she had done a lot of work last night.
Edmund, bless his soul, was asleep in his bowl of oatmeal across from me. Thankfully, his head was turned sideways so that he could breathe, but this gave Susan a lovely view of his snoring face. I wasn't much better, my head resting on my arm as I lazily shoveled spoonfuls of oatmeal into my mouth. I was practically half asleep.
Peter looked between Edmund and me, "What did you do to him?"
I sat a little straighter, "What makes you think I did that?" I gestured to his sleeping form.
"It was definitely you, Y/n." Lucy yawned.
I huffed, "We just went dancing for a bit last night, but I guess he worked for a while longer after that."
"Oh?" Susan smirked, "You went dancing?"
I was tempted to fling my oatmeal at her and wipe that knowing smile off her face. "Hush."
The three of them laughed and Edmund sat up, disturbed by the sudden noise. He looked around at everyone quickly before his eyes settled on me. He smiled lazily before promptly falling back into his oatmeal. I snorted.
-Ahhh!! I'm sorry that I haven't updated in a while, I was camping. I also realized that I lost track of how old they were now and I figured you guys would have too so that's why I put a reminder at the top hehe. I hoped you guys liked this chapter, I know I did! Thanks for reading!-
-Mocha