Conjugium
Latin
Union
-
he says that vows flow away on the river,
stay no longer than stay the breaking waves.
-
The King of Narnia and the Princess of Rihaaya were wedded the first week of December, as a chill replaced the customary warmth of the land, amidst much pomp and grandeur.
Sanya wore red and gold and dazzling jewellery and a shimmering veil patterned with crystallised flowers, with fantastic stones and with an enormous bouquet of the most alluring of violets and tulips; Edmund wore blue and silver and a glittering cloak, with his silver birch-leaf crown; and the Great Hall was decorated in the most resplendent manner, with all sorts in the crowd- from devoted citizens all over Rihaaya to Calormen's Tarkheenas and the Lords of Telmar, from emotional fauns to stoic centaurs, from wispy dryads to the most substantial of palace guards.
But none of that could replace the emptiness in their hearts, or the absence of truth in their smiles- which had been worn simply for the gathered people- or the fact that, out of all their guests, Love wasn't one of them.
-
Sanya sat in the carriage, surreptitiously letting tears run down her face.
She didn't like crying- Princesses and Queens didn't cry, they bore everything with strength and stoicism. She never cried and on the rare, rare occasions she did so, it was in the confines and comfort of her room- a room which was no longer hers.
But after a lengthy and emotional goodbye with her family, where her parents had shed enough tears to irrigate a farm, she supposed a small bout of crying wasn't illogical or surprising. Or after her marriage- well, technically wedding.
Betwixt her tears, now came a hacking cough of a laugh. She was married! She could no longer call her soul her own, having joined in holy matrimony with a man she had spoken to less than five times- not counting the wedding vows.
What a sham. Desecrating what should be a union of love and turning it into a business deal.
She was nothing more than a pawn. Not a princess, or a future Queen, all she was was the means to an end.
And that thought created a fresh batch of tears, which trickled down her solemn and tragic face.
Her parents, her brother, Moonlight, Diana and her puppies, the flowers, her Library, her bedroom, the cosy nooks she used to sit and read in, the warmth and light which illuminated her face when she would go outside.
She was leaving everything behind.
She was leaving home.
The sound of footsteps suddenly jerked her back to normality, and she quickly wiped at her eyes with her mehendi-covered hands, furious at the thought of being discovered in a vulnerable moment.
Princesses don't cry.
She fixed her expression the best she could, just in the nick of time.
"I- am I disturbing?" Her husband- oh, mad world!- asked as he peered in the carriage window.
"No." She said, and ignored the way her voice wobbled. "Is anything the matter?"
Edmund shook his head, "No, it's just that they're saddling up your horse, so it'll be another few minutes before we can leave."
Her eyes widened and she practically threw herself out the window as she asked, "Moonlight? Moonlight is coming with me?"
"Your parents insisted." Edmund said, cracking a small smile at the sudden change in her. "And I like horses, and there's plenty of room in the stables at Cair, so why not?"
Sanya blinked, before the situation sunk in, and she hurriedly shrank back to her seat. "Thank you."
"You're most welcome, but it was no problem." He then turned, hearing someone call his name. His face reappeared in the window moments later. "Would you like me to travel in the carriage with you, or would you like solitude?"
"I don't mind." She shrugged- she didn't wish to be in the carriage at all so why would it matter if she was alone or not?- adjusting her burgundy cloak over her shoulders to protect from the cold- she had changed into a golden lehenga soon after the ceremony. Apparently bright colours were auspicious for new brides.
She was a wife now, and that truly confirmed that truth indeed was stranger than fiction.
She still couldn’t believe she was married. That she was married to someone. That she was married to Edmund. Would she ever be able to believe it?
They had signed that stupid treaty about the alliance between their countries, and now they were married. Married! They were wife and husband.
Ugh.
"Do what you wish."
"Perhaps together- at least till Rihaaya's borders end." He said, sure it would raise the populace's morale to see the newly married couple- it made him shudder inwardly- together. "If that's alright?"
"As I said, I don't mind. It's fine."
This was what their marriage would be like, they thought in desolation as the horses-drawn carriage hurtled on its way. A deluge of 'I don't mind's and 'If that's alright's and 'It's fine's and hesitation and formality and loneliness.
This is what their life would be like.
-
"Your castle is beautiful." Sanya spoke again, a few days later as the carriage pulled into the grounds of Cair Paravel. "It really is right on the beach..."
"It is." Edmund nodded, drawing his eyes away from the familiar sight of home. "There's even a direct path from our Throne Room leading right down to it."
He hesitated then, wondering if he should tell her- his wife- that he could show her the place one day. By the time he had resolved to do so, the time had passed and she was no longer looking at him.
"Do I need to wear your ring?" She asked, her eyes fixed on the scenery outside.
"To keep up pretences of being a married couple, yes." He said, resisting the urge to sigh. "I won't expect anything of you- anything. Those vows- just words. They don't-" have to "mean anything. Pretend that the only change which you've gone through is that of location. Nothing else."
"Just an alliance." She said, unsure herself whether her words posed a question or were a statement.
She wondered if sexual intercourse was included in that 'anything'. She knew all about it, of course- she'd read many books. The romance novels, she remembered, called it 'love making' (which wasn't appropriate at all for a marriage like theirs). When her mother had approached her a few days ago, apparently intent on educating her on the topic, she had turned tail and run.
"Yes. Nothing else."
"Alright." She merely nodded, voicing none of her thoughts, and slipped the ring on.
"Is the ring alright? I can have it changed if-"
"No, there's no need. It's not like it means anything." She said, glancing at the ring- a sickly pale shade of gold, with too big a diamond, far too ostentatious for her. "The only time I'll have to think of the ring is while remembering to put it on, anyway."
"That's true- oh, we're here." He said, heart giving a great leap as he saw practically the entire population of Cair standing out to greet him. "Shall we?"
She shrugged, her insides writhing, but took his hand nevertheless- holding it so gingerly a single pull might have broken the bond.
--
Sanya was glad her coronation was delayed indefinitely to give the dwarves time to work on her tiara. She had always thought her coronation would be with her family, in front of her people, to be Rihaaya's Queen and instead it would be an announcement to the people of Narnia, people as unfamiliar to her as her husband was, of she being King Edmund's Queen Consort.
She wasn't a Queen, just a Consort. Not a ruler, just a wife- and that too only in name.
But what she saw of Narnia, barring the people- the Talking Animals, the flora and fauna with its dryads, the beaches, the water and her mermaids, the atmosphere, the fantastical beauty- it heartened her. It all almost made up for everything. She enjoyed wandering out in the woods, and to her joy, no one bothered her about it at all- not even if she went barefoot.
Peter, Susan and Lucy treated her kindly and warily. There was no way anyone could say she was part of the family- all she was was a restrained and confined yet restless spirit, whose only joys inside the castle were the stables, the Library (it was the one time she had asked Edmund anything- apart from when she had requested him to lock the door) and looking out at the ocean waves, which was especially easy as her chambers faced the ocean.
Well- their chambers.
Edmund had been shocked, to say the least, when he had come back and seen his bedroom. Instead of the light brown teak canopy bed, there was a much larger bed in its place, made of rosewood, a dark burgundy brown in colour. The room seemed larger and airier, and there were night-lamps- he used to read and work by candlelight before- and a chest of drawers had been added. There were no longer plain blue bedcovers nor were there simple white pillows and blankets, everything was cream and peach and pastel and flounced. And the pillows seemed to be grown in number tenfold and were now lacy and satin.
In short, the room had been made appropriate for a married couple to live in.
Sanya had ignored everything, even the bed which practically begged for someone to make love on it, while every change, even the small ones like extra towels, had driven Edmund mad. As soon as his wife- he had to stop thinking of her like that- had her back turned, he had thrown off half the pillows into his wardrobe, night-lamps into a storage cupboard at the end of the hallway, and as for the throw pillows, he'd simply chucked them in the fire. His cabinet and desk, which had been moved, he would deal with later.
It wasn't until a week later that Edmund realised that Sanya hadn't been sleeping a wink at night, and he didn't realise so till Philip had called for him, alarming him with the news that his wife- there he went again- lay unconscious in the stables.
“I thought you were in the Library.” Edmund remarked, surprised. That was where she spent most of her time, since she had asked him for the location- she was an avid reader, he could tell. He had never encroached upon her time in the Library, though, even though it annoyed him, because that was his chosen haunt as well.
But he had a whole castle, a home, his family, while she had had to leave her home and her family behind. He could sacrifice his Library-time for a while.
“Why are you in the Stables-”
"I was sleeping." Sanya said defensively, straightening her rumpled clothes as she stood up. "The hay was comfortable, and Moonlight is good company."
"You can't sleep in the stables." Edmund said, fighting a smile at the thought of what his siblings would say if they found out about this. The situation tickled him slightly- a Princess sleeping in the Stables. "You don't need to be out and about all day, you can head back in and sleep any time."
"I can't sleep in there." She said without thinking- it was probably the first genuine thing she had told him.
"You- what?"
"Nothing." She instantly regretted her slip up. "Never mind."
"Why can't you sleep?"
"It's too cold- Azraq was hot, and warm in winter- and the sound of the waves are nice but they distract me." She didn't mention the tightening spiral of her thoughts, keeping her up always and her mind creating terrible scenarios just for her bother. She didn't mention how odd and foreign it was to be sharing a bed with another person, and how that kept her up too.
"I'll see if we can make the fireplace give off more heat- I can get up every few hours to tend to the coals- and fluffier blankets- I can't help with the waves-" Edmund felt awful. All these days he had been sleeping peacefully- well, as peacefully as he ever could, since nightmares always plagued his slumber- while Sanya had remained awake and awake and awake.
"Don't worry about it, Your Majesty." She shook her head. "I just need some time to- adapt." She just missed home. "I'll be alright."
"If you're sure." Edmund looked at her unsurely. "I am getting better blankets, though, Sanya- the satin monstrosities make me feel as if I'm about to fall down into the slimy depths of the sea."
Sanya, who used to laugh at everything, only managed a small smile.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." She said politely, and without saying anything, she led Moonlight out of her stall and into the paddock behind.
"I thought only your subjects had to call you Your Majesty." If Philip was human, he would be raising his eyebrow right then.
Edmund was not in the mood to face the fact that his Consort- that was better- had never called him by name, and he just left, turning towards the castle.
--
"There've been letters forwarded from Rihaaya." Susan spoke quietly, two days before Christmas. "The people who've moved here- they're antsy for a show of love from you two, and they're making it known- they want to see something which shows your commitment to the marriage."
"Take a white sheet, splatter some red paint on it and hang it from the tallest tower." Edmund yawned, Lucy's drowsy head lolling onto his shoulder.
"Commitment and consummation aren't the same thing." Peter hissed, before asking what he simply had to, "Have you two..."
"We don't even look at each other most days. You and Su are more of a married couple than we are." He rolled his eyes. "Don't take it personally, just using humour and sarcasm to lighten the situation."
"Chockit milk." Lucy mumbled.
Peter still looked suspicious.
Edmund gave a great sigh and said, "No, we haven't consummated the marriage. We've never even touched each other, apart from some obligatory hand holding."
Peter and Susan repressed a shudder- that just sounded so weird coming from him, marriage.
Edmund married. Strange truth.
"Alright, but do brainstorm something about this problem." Susan said before asking, "Weren't the wedding vows there awfully short?"
Edmund groaned.
Peter frowned, "Yes, they were. Here, people call upon the ancient deities- Hera and Hestia and all, and ask their blessings- there, it's just asking 'do you take thee' in their native language."
"The actual translation is 'do you accept this union'." His brother told them, as he shook Lucy back to consciousness- she was hurting his shoulder. "Besides, the starting paragraph- the long one during which I'm almost sure half the guests dozed off- was the same. And they added our, 'to have and to hold, until death do us part' thing."
That had irked him. The rest of the vows had been strictly business- but this part hadn't been.
Susan ignored him, and continued talking to Peter, "Well, it is a different country, whose inhabitants aren't fantasy creatures, but regular humans- so they would be different, I reckon."
Peter nodded, agreeing. "That's what made the wedding odd."
"No, what made the wedding odd was the fact that the bride and groom hate each other." Edmund inputted, rolling his eyes as Lucy scowled at him for waking her up.
"You don't hate each other." Lucy said, yawning. "It's more like... indifference, I suppose. It'll pass."
It was most like bitterness and resentment, but Edmund kept that thought to himself.
"By the way, you should take her on a date in one of the flower meadows- she seems to enjoy the Gardens very much. And Mr. Tumnus told me that a friend of his saw her wandering in the woods too, so I think she'll like the meadows."
"You take her then, Lu, she doesn't like spending any time with me." He shrugged, standing up. "Well, I'm off to bed."
"Enjoy yourself!" Peter called, and then dodged a quill thrown at him.
--
"You don't need to stay up for me." Edmund said as he entered his- their chambers, seeing Sanya sitting up in bed, reading something. "You're able to sleep nowadays- so sleep."
"It's my duty." She said shortly, quickly taking off her spectacles and folding the letter. "And I was reading a letter- my parents are coming for your Chi-Charis-tmas Ball."
"Oh, that's wonderful. I hope they enjoy it." He said, going over to his wardrobe to rifle through for his pyjamas. "It's Christmas, by the way."
She scowled, as she always did when someone corrected her pronunciation- not that it happened often. "Well, anyway I don't know what Christmas is. Good night." She added, to maintain some semblance of politeness.
"I could tell you about it, if you wish." Edmund’s voice came out muffled, as he was behind the changing screen and was pulling on his sleep-shirt.
"Perhaps some other time." Sanya said, just to be cordial (though she was curious), and watched his shifting silhouette for a long moment. She bit her lip- but soon, she forced herself to tear her eyes away. She quickly turned to the other side, pulling the blanket over herself and lying down, hoping her four day streak of being able to fall asleep continued.
--
"How is everything going?" Sanya's mother asked two days later. "You've lost weight."
Sanya shrugged, that was one change she was happy about. "Everything's alright. And there's none of your recipes here, or Nani’s,” her grandmother’s, “so I don’t eat as much. And I spend most of my time outside, when I’m not in the Library.”
"Sounds like nothing has really changed." Her father said, yet failed not to notice her grave face and perpetually creased eyebrows.
"Oh please, everything's changed." She rolled her eyes. "How is Azraq? And the palace? Diana, the pups? Sameer?"
"All happy, and healthy." The High Queen of Rihaaya announced, pleased to be able to make her daughter smile for even a moment. "Where do you sleep, at night? Not outside, surely." She added jokingly.
Sanya flushed. Did her mother have to ask her that in front of her father?
"Our bed chambers." She said calmly, trying hard to keep her stutter at bay. "The bed is huge- Edmund and I sleep at absolutely opposite ends."
Her father coughed, and hastily took a drink of his dandelion juice.
"
Where is King Edmund?" The High King of Rihaaya asked, after a minute of awkward silence. "I haven't seen him."
"I think he and Queen Susan were talking with Unc- King Lune." She answered, rather grateful he left her alone most of the time.
"You two need to behave like a married couple, which you are, need I remind you- at least in public." Her mother scolded. "Go find him!"
Apparently, the Faerie Queen- a being who had power and could control all air, tree and water spirits and rarely ventured out of her Fae Realm- had had the same thought for she soon came over to Sanya- in a translucent outfit of diaphanous green and silver, her gold wings folded yet fluttering delicately.
"Your Majesty." The Consort greeted, after she had got over her shock- honestly, it had been three weeks, she should be used to magical creatures by now.
Heavens, but the Faerie Queen was stunning. The beauty of women- human or humanoid- was not likely something she would ever get used to.
"Your Highness." Rhiannon, for that was her rarely spoken name, greeted in return. "Where is your Just King? My faeries have been busy gossiping about your union with the dryads here- I am sorry to have missed it."
"I am not sure where King Edmund is, I'm afraid." She smiled awkwardly. "And please, don't worry about missing the wedding."
"I've known Edmund for the better part of a decade now, I wished to see him with his wife. Alas, my desires always go unfulfilled." She tossed her head dramatically, and silver sparks fell.
For all Sanya knew, summoning magic was a part of the Queen's arsenal, for the next moment Edmund had strolled up to them.
"Faerie Queen." He bowed low, and kissed her hand- charm was always necessary with faeries (not to be confused with the twinkling, tiny fairies of the fairy tales from their earth) as was cunning.
"Greet your beautiful wife, Edmund, don't fret about keeping me in your good graces." Queen Rhiannon said, an amused smile on her green face- the shade of chlorophyll. "I want to see the love."
Sanya's face took on a panicked look, yet the young King took the Fae Monarch's order in stride, hiding his own nerves.
He took her into his arms, and pressed his lips to her ear, knowing her waves of hair would make it seem they were embracing or kissing.
"Narnian legends say she is descended from Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, blessed by Hera, the Goddess of Marriage, and is almost as ancient as they." He whispered, his hands on her gown-clad waist. "She must not find out about the true nature of our marriage- or the lack of love in it."
Her reply was barely a whisper, but he heard it, they were so close together- he could feel her heartbeat and her breath on his throat and her warm body pressing into his.
"Alright then, Your Ma- my husband. Let us act as if in love."
And, though they put up a display which would have fooled even the most talented of actors and most calculating of detectives- sans kissing, of course, or any other exaggerated bit of physical affection- the Faerie Queen left Cair Paravel that night, with suspicion in her heart and doubt in her mind.
-
-✧･: °*✧*°:･✧-
-
•
-
•
-
•
-
Hopefully this helps you visualise Edmund and Sanya at their wedding :)
(These are very late- almost a year after I posted the chapter- but they turned out so lovely, I simply had to!)
-
(Picture posted on 5th January 2023, though chapter was published on 2nd September 2020.
They both look so sad ;-;)
-
(She deserves better.
Picture posted 16th October 2023, though chapter was published on 2nd September 2020.)
-
(At least you don't have to give exams or live in magic-less reality...
Picture posted 16th October 2023, though chapter was published 2nd September 2020.)
-
Jenna Coleman as The Faerie Queen
-
I'm sorry it's taken so long to update, but at least it's here now 😅 hope you guys enjoyed, and please leave a comment below if you wish :)
If you're seeing this, I humbly and unashamedly beg you to vote on the chapters, please.