Chapter 11✨

Raina began stirring sometime later. They still hadn't reached Aslan's How as yet. It appeared to be early morning, as sun rays were making their way through the dark sky. Edmund noticed Raina stir, and sat up straight.

'Raina, hey, are you okay?' He asked, softly with concern.

She slowly tried to sit up, as Edmund assisted her, with a hand on her back. She clutched her head, and felt a jolt of pain in her shoulder.

'OUCH!' She yelled, as she looked down at her shoulder. A piece of cloth was wrapped around the wound.

'I'm so sorry..' He whispered, apologetically. Raina took notice of his now torn tunic.

'It's okay, it doesn't hurt that bad, I don't think...' Raina practically croaked. They were still flying.

'Can we get back on land please?' She barely choked out, exhaustion still prevalent. Edmund nodded, furiously, as he directed the gryphon to fly down. He noticed Caspian and his professor on horseback.

Once he landed, he picked Raina up in his arms carefully, and called out to Caspian.

'Caspian! We need help.'

He immediately turned around and paled at the sight of Edmund carrying an injured Raina. He swiftly dismounted his horse, and assisted Edmund in placing her on horseback, being careful to not hurt her. Edmund sat behind her to steady her.

'Ed?' Raina whispered.

'I'm here, Raina.' Edmund spoke, quietly, as he held her hand in his.

'Something doesn't feel right...' She spoke as she sat up straighter.

'What do you mean?' Edmund asked, worriedly. She wasn't able to answer as she drifted in and out of consciousness.

Caspian's professor pulled up near the two.

'Your Highness, I am Doctor Cornelius. Perhaps I may be of assistance?' He asked, as Edmund nodded.

Doctor Cornelius carefully took out the cloth that was wrapped around Raina's wound, and studied it. After a few moments, his face began to pale.

'Professor, what's wrong? I don't like that look.' Caspian asked, worriedly.

'This wasn't just a normal arrow wound..' He began. Edmund and Caspian looked at each other before squinting at him.

'The arrow was dipped in poison.' He replied, worried.

Edmund's heart dropped, as Caspian's eyes widened. They were nearing Aslan's How, as it could be seen in the distance.

'It is spreading. Since she is not mortal, she has not succumbed, but this poison is strong. It may not kill her immediately, but it may put her in a coma, permanently. Possibly worse.' Cornelius explained, gravely.

If Edmund ever had a nightmare, this would be it. His last conversation with Raina was a fight, they were on bad terms, and now he watched the life drain out of her. The fact that he hadn't completely broken down surprised him.

'We need Lucy's cordial.' He spoke. trying to keep his voice level.

He urged the horse to go faster, yet maintaining a protective embrace around Raina, whose breaths were becoming shallower.

'Ed, I don't know what's happening..' Raina whispered, painfully. Edmund's eyes threatened to water but he pushed them back.

'Raina, hang on. You're going to be okay. I promise.' He held her hand, and squeezed it. He felt her hands grow cold. He passed Peter and Susan in the front, as they called out.

'Ed! What's wrong?!' Peter yelled.

But he paid no mind to them. Aslan's How was a few metres in front of him, as Lucy came rushing out.

'Edmund?! Oh my god, RAINA!' Lucy yelled in fear. The colour was draining from Raina's skin, fast. Her breaths were faint, barely noticeable. Edmund's hands began to shake.

'Lucy, the cordial, NOW.' He yelled, as he placed Raina on the ground, careful not to hurt her.

'Ed, what happened?!' Susan asked, worriedly.

'A Telmarine shot her with a poisoned arrow.' Doctor Cornelius spoke, hurriedly.

'No...no no no..' Peter started rambling, terrified. Susan was on the verge of tears. They quickly rushed to where Edmund and Raina were.

The rest of the Narnians gathered near her. Fear was in their eyes, as she sacrificed herself for their safety. Peter, Caspian, Susan and Trumpkin sat next to Edmund on the ground, as Lucy ran to where Edmund was, uncapped her cordial, and let a drop into Raina's mouth.

Her breathing stilled, as Edmund began to panic.

'Wh-Why isn't she breathing? Pete-' He grabbed Peter by the collar. 'WHY ISN'T SHE BREATHING?!' He shook Peter, as he broke down. He let out a sob, tears threatening to spill.

'Ed, she's going to be fine-' Edmund cut him off.

'YOU CAN'T PROMISE THAT PETER!'

Peter flinched at his tone. Before he could say anything else, another voice joined the mix.

'I think I should trademark that phrase. You guys use it too often.'

Everyone turned around to see Raina's eyes open wide, as she sat up. The relief that washed over Edmund's face was immeasurable.

'Also, Lu? What was that, it tasted disgusting, eugh.' Raina gagged.

Edmund almost had tears in his eyes, but he tried to push them back by rolling his eyes Raina's comment. He threw his arms around her, in a tight embrace. She let out a yelp, as her shoulder was still sore.

'Ow.'

'I'm sorry. I'm so sorry...' He apologised, relentlessly as he met her gaze, still holding her. She carefully stood up, Edmund holding her by the waist. She met the relieved gazes of Peter, Susan, Caspian, Trumpkin and the remaining Narnians. She thought she saw Susan smirk, along with Caspian and Peter. She glared at them, and fixed her gaze on Peter.

'D-did everyone make it out?' Raina asked, still tired.

Peter nodded, with a tight lipped smile. Raina let out a sigh of relief. Lucy rushed forward to hug Raina.

'Oh my god, Raina, you're okay, I was so worried about you!' She said as Raina hugged back, and ruffled Lucy's hair. Lucy pulled away to look at Peter. Raina clutched her head, as the exhaustion washed over her again.

'What happened out there?' Lucy asked, concerned.

Peter's demeanour completely changed as he walked forward. He sent glares Caspian's way.

'Ask him.' He spoke through gritted teeth.

'Peter-' Susan warned. Caspian looked up, surprised and angry.

'Me? You could've called it off, there was still time.' He said, angrily.

'No, there wasn't, thanks to you. If you'd kept to the plan, Raina wouldn't have been fighting for her life just now.' Peter angrily spoke, his features contorted in rage.

Raina heard them fight, as she struggled to maintain her balance. Edmund immediately rushed forward and wrapped his arms around her, careful not to hurt her.

'I was really worried about you..' He mumbled.

'I'm fine, Ed, don't worry.' She said, smiling softly. She turned her attention to Peter and Caspian, on the verge of a full on blowout.

'If you stayed here like she and I suggested, she definitely wouldn't be!' Caspian yelled, making Raina jump, as Edmund turned around. Peter and Caspian were in front of the entrance to Aslan's How, while Raina, Edmund and Lucy were some distance away. She slowly made her way to where they stood.

'You called us, remember?!' Peter asked, exasperated.

'My first mistake.' Caspian spoke in a low tone.

'No, your first mistake was thinking you could lead these people.' Peter retorted as he walked towards the How.

'HEY! I am not the one who abandoned Narnia.' Caspian screamed at Peter, who looked at him with surprised eyes. They soon gave way to rage.

'You invaded Narnia. You have no more right to it than Miraz does! You, him, your father!' Peter yelled, as Caspian who was walking past him suddenly stopped at the mention of his father. Raina internally facepalmed herself at Peter's stupidity.

'Narnia's better off without the lot of you!' Peter said, angrily. This caused Caspian to let out a battle cry, as both of them levelled their swords at each other's necks.

'STOP IT!!' Raina yelled at the two of them. Their eyes widened.

'What is it with both of you?!' Raina asked, exasperated as she walked towards the two of them.

'I did what I did back there, because that was my duty and any of you would have done the same thing if you were in my place. I don't regret any of it. And what is it with you and your blame games? Instead of blaming each other, why don't you figure out what to do next?' She paused, rounding on Peter.

'Peter, don't talk to Caspian like that about his father. That was out of line. Perhaps avoiding the night raid would have been a good idea, but right now? I'm just relieved that our troops made it out alive. Be grateful for once, will you?!' Raina yelled at Peter, who looked down in shame.

Caspian smiled softly at Raina. The two of them forged a bond, and he was glad she finally called Peter out.

Raina suddenly swayed on her feet. Her vision was swimming in and out of focus.

'Oookay so I'm going to pass out now.' She slurred, as Edmund, Peter and Caspian rushed forward to steady her.

'Yep, I'm passing out, I'll catch you guys later.' She spoke, as she collapsed on the floor. She distantly heard Edmund scream her name, as she slipped into unconsciousness.

******The tension between Peter and Caspian prevailed, as the Narnians got back to work. Now that the enemies were provoked, it was only a matter of time before battle knocked on their door. Raina was resting in the sleeping quarters. She slowly woke up, and noticed Edmund holding her hand, as he himself was dozing off, due to not sleeping. She couldn't help but feel butterflies in her stomach, and cheeks grew warm as she noticed their hands entwined. He suddenly jolted awake, causing Raina to jump as well.

'Edmund? Are you okay?' She asked, as his eyes widened.

'I'm supposed to be asking you that, but alright.' He sassed, as Raina laughed. She looked a lot better than she did a few hours ago.

'Yes Edmund, I am okay. Much better than I was back then. Don't worry.' She reassured him.

'Don't worry?' Edmund asked, incredulously. 'DON'T WORRY?'

Raina rolled her eyes.

'Why? I was just shot with an arrow, it's not a big deal, right?' She tried to downplay what happened, but she herself was terrified. She wasn't going to show it though.

'Actually...' Edmund began. 'That's not all that happened.'

Raina narrowed her eyes, questioningly.

'What...what happened?' She asked, carefully.

'The arrow you were shot with, it was poisoned.' He explained, softly. Raina went still.

'Oh.' Was all she said, before looking down at her wound. Gauze was wrapped around it, and the pain wasn't as sharp as before.

'I thought I passed out from all the power I used...guess not.' Raina replied.

'You're awfully calm for someone who went through that.' Edmund cocked an eyebrow at her. She had a blank expression.

'I don't know, I've never been in this situation before, there really isn't a handbook on it, now is there?' She joked.

Doctor Cornelius entered the quarters and visibly relaxed when he saw Raina awake.

'King Edmund,' He bowed before continuing. 'I was just coming by to check on you, Your Excellency.' He gestured to Raina.

'Doctor Cornelius, if I'm not wrong?' Raina asked as the old man nodded.

'Please, no formalities, call me Raina. Thank you for helping me, I'm eternally grateful.' She said, gratitude evident in her voice. The old man smiled, kindly.

'Please, let me check your wound once, it was a nasty one..' He said, as he walked over to Raina and opened the gauze. The wound looked to be healing, as the edges were drying up.

'Since you are not mortal, you shall heal faster, but you must not overexert yourself. You summoned a great deal of power at the castle, and you are still not in ideal condition. I advise you to not engage in too much physical activity for a week. You shall recover soon, I believe.' He advised, as Raina nodded, understandingly.

'Thank you, Doctor.'

He smiled and bowed, and left the quarters. Raina tried to stand up. Edmund's arm was around her waist, and it was getting harder and harder for her to not blush.

'Ed, I can walk, you know?' She joked. He cocked his eyebrow.

'That's not what happened last time, did it?' He challenged, as she recalled this happened a few days ago. She pursed her lips and crossed her arms.

'Well, it's not going to happen again. Now come on, I need to go train.' She tried walking past him, but he quickly positioned himself between her and the door.

'Oh no, you are not going to train. Didn't you hear what Doctor Cornelius said?' He asked, his arms crossed. Raina rolled her eyes.

'He said to not engage in too much physical activity, he didn't tell me to swear off it entirely. Now, I need to train, my sword fighting skills are rusty at best.' She explained. Edmund wasn't having it.

'Raina, you were on the cusp of death just a few hours ago. I-I thought I was going to lose you...' He said emotionally, suddenly realising what he said, and blushed furiously. Raina noticed, and blushed as well.

'You were that worried about me?' She asked with a small smile. Edmund, who was looking down, met her gaze and began rambling.

'Well, e-everyone was w-worried about y-you. Caspian was t-terrified.' He tried to convince Raina that his worry was just like everyone else's, but it wasn't very convincing. Raina frowned but nodded nonetheless.

'Raina, please don't put yourself in that situation again. Please.' Edmund practically begged her, grasping both her hands, and looking at her with a kind of softness that stunned her. She had never seen him that way before. Her heart started beating faster, as she stared into his piercing dark brown eyes.

'I-Edmund, I'm-' Raina couldn't complete what she wanted to say, as Edmund wrapped his arms around her, holding her so tightly yet so gentle, as if she was the most delicate thing in the world. Everything that happened prior to the night raid came rushing back to her, and she almost felt the urge to pull away. But deep down, she didn't want to. She decided to go with her heart, and leaned into his embrace, as she buried her head in his chest.

They stayed in each other's arms for a few moments, neither wanting to pull away. They had to, when they heard someone clear their throat, causing the two teenagers to jump apart. It was Peter.

'Raina, if you're feeling alright, can we talk?' He asked, not meeting her gaze. Raina looked back at Edmund, before nodding to Peter.

They left the quarters, and walked out of Aslan's How. It appeared to be close to noon as the sun was high in the sky. Once they were out of earshot of the working Narnians, Peter spoke up.

'I owe you a long overdue apology, Raina.' He stopped, and turned to her. His eyes were bloodshot, and his face was swollen from crying. This picture of Peter made Raina ache.

'It's been hard for me, since we left Narnia the last time. Coming back here, seeing everything different wasn't something I was able to accept easily. I wanted to prove I was still in charge, when the truth is, I don't think I am anymore, at least not entirely. I completely disregarded you ever since we came here, and didn't listen to you when I should have. I was an idiot. I'm sorry, I hope you can forgive me.' He said, sniffling in between. Raina didn't hesitate to pull him into a hug.

'Yes you were an idiot.' She said, as Peter laughed. 'But, you're making up for it. That's what matters.' She smiled as she pulled away.

'Peter? Why did we stop talking last year? Lucy didn't tell me anything, and Edmund and I, well, had our fight because of this' Raina asked cautiously.

Peter pursed his lips, the way Lucy did earlier.

'I'm sorry, for all of it. The truth is, I didn't know how to return to who I was before coming to Narnia. I mean, here I was High King. I was used to being respected, never called by my first name, and I grew up to be a full adult here. Suddenly, I went back to being 16, and was treated like a kid. The gap between these two worlds made me pull away from everyone, to be honest. As for Edmund..' Peter sighed. 'He took it the hardest. Whatever happened, I think he should be the one to tell you, because it's not my story to tell. I can't apologise for him, but I can for everything I've done. I'm really sorry. In my defense, you wouldn't have wanted to be my friend during that time, trust me' He replied, sincerely.

Raina didn't truly realise the magnitude of what the Pevensies went through ever since they came to Narnians a year ago. Hearing about it from Peter, she felt guilty for blowing up at Edmund about it. Tears pricked her eyes, as she rapidly blinked and pushed them back.

'Thank you for telling me. Peter, I'm sorry, too. But in my defense, I couldn't have possibly known that. So my distance from Edmund was kind of justified, right?' Raina needed reassurance, desperately. Peter gave a slight nod.

'Nonetheless, you need to straighten everything out with him, Raina. I understand you're hurt, but so is he. He's changed completely, he used to be an arse, well, he still is.' Peter joked as Raina let out a small laugh. 'But he's changed. You need to hear him out. Besides, was I interrupting something when I walked in earlier?' Peter smirked as Raina swatted him arm.

'Why does everyone think that?' She groaned. Peter raised an eyebrow at that.

'Well, you two are not the best at being subtle. Don't think I don't know you two were cuddling a few days ago.' Peter said, smirking. Raina's eyes widened.

'How-?' Raina asked, when she realised. 'Lucy.' She mentally yelled at her. Peter laughed.

'She told me. Raina, what happened in Narnia last time, is Edmund's story to tell. What I can tell you is that, when we came back from Narnia and went back home, Edmund missed you the most.' Peter said, knowingly, as Raina gulped.

'What's that supposed to mean?' She asked, already knowing the answer.

'You know what it means.'

Raina's heart raced. She knew that Edmund had some weird effect on her. She passed it off as a harmless crush, but as of late, it doesn't seem as harmless. Her heart fluttered at the possibility of it being reciprocated, but stopped herself. It's not possible. It's Edmund. He can't possibly... she thought to herself.

Little did she know Edmund was feeling the same way.

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