Chapter 19✨

The war between the Narnians and the Telmarines had finally come to an end. To say it was a relief was an understatement. The war was bloody, no doubt, but with the help of the Pevensies, Raina and Caspian, peace could finally be restored between the two kingdoms. Caspian was declared King of Narnia by Aslan right after the battle, and Raina was declared Queen. She was to be crowned, along with Caspian in some time, after the kingdom had begun its recovery. For the time being, Caspian arranged for the Pevensies, Raina and as many Narnians as possible, to take shelter in the Telmarine castle.

As Raina entered the castle, she couldn't help but gawk at its massive size. Sure, she had already been there before, but it was only on a tower, and for a night raid, not spending time there like a vacation. She and the Pevensies were given rooms fairly close to one another, Edmund's being the farthest from hers. He grumbled once he found out and turned to Caspian.

'I know what you're doing..' Edmund commented, as Caspian laughed heartily.

'I really don't think that'll stop you, but regardless.' Caspian shrugged, as he walked off laughing to himself.

As everyone settled into their rooms, a doctor was called in to check everyone for their injuries. While the majority was just a few cuts, scrapes and bruises, there were some more serious ones. Peter's arm had largely healed because of Raina, but he still needed to ice it and keep in a sling. Raina got the worst of all, a large stab wound through her chest. She did not even look at herself as the doctor examined it, and began the healing process.

'Can I use my powers to heal this? It worked for others before..' She asked, curiously.

'I would ideally suggest not, but if you feel strong enough, you can give it a shot. It's a nasty wound.' The doctor replied as he readied some medicinal herbs.

Raina sucked in a deep breath, and closed her eyes. She envisioned the wound on her chest, as she willed it into healing. She opened her eyes, and felt them flash golden. She felt as the wound began to slowly close up, but it ceased abruptly, as she clutched her head.

'Urgh..maybe I'll stick to the long healing process for now..' She groaned as the doctor chuckled.

'As I expected, here, you must take these every day after every meal. In a few weeks you should be completely healed. You have already closed up a part of the wound. Do not fret, you shall be fine, dear.' The old man said, kindly as he wrapped gauze around the wound. He  picked up his things and left the room.

Someone knocked at the door.

'It's open, come in!' Raina called out.

Susan and Lucy walked in. They had wide smiles on their faces.

'Uh oh.' Raina breathed.

'TELL. US. EVERYTHING.' Lucy piped up excitedly, as she walked over to where Raina was sitting on her bed. Susan crossed her arms as she stared Raina down.

'I knew something was going on, and you didn't tell us girls? I'm hurt.' She said, sarcastically. Raina facepalmed herself as she turned to them.

'Alright, what do you want to know?' Raina asked. Lucy looked to Susan, before turning back to Raina.

'When did this happen, where did this happen, how did this happen, what happened?' Lucy rattled on.

'Okay okay, so the night before the battle, we were just sitting around, and suddenly I was able to read Ed's thoughts.' Raina explained as Lucy's eyes widened.

'Wait, you can read minds?! That's so cool!' Lucy exclaimed. Raina laughed at her reaction.

'Well, what did you read exactly?' Susan asked, smirking.

Raina blushed as she looked away from the two.

'Well, initially I just picked up on some of his anxiety about the future. Then I was able to pick up on him thinking how he would tell me his feelings.' Raina replied in a small voice. She recalled everything he was thinking, and smiled to herself. Lucy caught wind of it, and looked her straight in the eye.

'And what would those feelings be?' She asked, already knowing the answer.

'Yes well, that's something I'm keeping to myself.' Raina said, as Lucy grumbled.

'Come on, girl code.' Lucy raised her eyebrow as she said this.

'Lastly, the kiss at the river bank...wasn't our first.' Raina said in a small voice, as Susan's eyes widened and Lucy began jumping excitedly.

'Oh my god! When?!' She asked.

'During the...battle.' Raina admitted as Susan looked at her, exasperated.

'Seriously? While we're out fighting, that's what youse were doing? Good lord.' She said, annoyed.

'Hey, I made up for it, alright? Remember, I'm in the air, gold light, shockwaves, blinding Telmarines?' Raina rattled on.

'Alright alright.' Susan said.

'But seriously, what feelings did you pick up on?' Lucy asked, a knowing smirk on her face.

'I'm- well you see- I don't-' Raina stuttered.

'Raina, we have a very vivid picture of Edmund's feelings for you, I mean for goodness sake we live with him, and we bear witness to his endless shenanigans. Lu, come off it, you already know.' Susan spoke, trying to hold in her laughter. Raina was beet red.

Someone else knocked at the door.

'Come in!' Raina called out, as Edmund shuffled in, stopping in his tracks when he saw Susan and Lucy. The boy looked like he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Susan and Lucy traded amused glances with each other, as they stood up.

'Well! We should be going, I want to explore the castle!' Lucy said, as she tugged Susan out of the room, not before throwing a knowing glance towards Raina and Edmund. As they closed the door, Edmund turned to Raina, a cheeky grin etched on his face.

'Hey. How're you feeling?' He asked.

'A little better. I used some of my power to close the wound, but it didn't work, so I'm going about it the old fashioned way.' Raina replied. Edmund nodded, as he walked over to her and sat next to her on the bed.

'Hey, I had a question. How does one get out of Narnia?' Raina asked curiously, as Edmund shrugged.

'To be honest, no one really knows, except Aslan of course. We just come here when we have a mission, and once we've completed it we go back home. The last time we came here, we completely lost track of time, and spent 15 years here. I have an eerie feeling it's not going to be the same this time around.' Edmund admitted, as Raina squinted.

'What do you mean?'

Edmund sighed as he looked at the ground.

'I'd love to stay in Narnia, and I know Lucy would too. But something tells me that Peter and Susan wouldn't mind going back home. And I have a feeling we might have to.' Edmund said, sadly.

'But, what about me? Do I get to come back with you? Or do I have to stay? I just don't know what's going on.' Raina said frustrated.

The two of them sat in silence for a moment. Raina eyed him, as he suddenly turned to her.

'Oi, you better not be reading my mind right now.' He taunted, as Raina burst into laughter.

'Why? What forbidden thoughts would I chance upon?' Raina asked, an eyebrow cocked. Edmund just smirked.

He leaned over and pecked her on the lips. To say Raina became flustered was an understatement. The blood rushed to her cheeks, as she looked down.

'Did you get the gist of it?' Edmund asked, a smirk on his face. Raina looked up, mirroring his expression.

'No, I'm not sure. I think you need to try again.' She smiled innocently, as Edmund let out a small laugh.

He placed a hand on her face as he leaned in, and kissed her. Raina almost instantly wrapped her arms around his neck. Edmund's other arm went to her waist, as he tilted his head and deepened the kiss. Raina gently tugged on Edmund's hair at the back of his neck, as he let out a moan. Everything about this moment was perfect, and all they wanted was for it to last forever, but they were both running out of breath. Raina was the first to pull away, as heart beat faster than it ever did before, staring into Edmund's gorgeous brown eyes. He smiled softly at her, as she played with his hair. Edmund's eyes dropped to her wound, as concern clouded over his features.

'What happened?' He gestured to the gaping wound in her chest. Raina sighed.

'It was Glozelle, I had him, but throw a pounding headache into one-on-one combat with two swords on one side and a poisoned sword on another, and you've got a truckload of trouble.' Raina shrugged, as anger took over Edmund's features.

'Where is Glozelle now?' Raina asked.

'He's probably being tended to first, he'll go to prison, and he should be tried for attempted murder. He should be executed.' Edmund said, angrily. Raina put her hand over his own, gesturing to look at her.

'Technically, he tried to murder me twice. But it's not like we're completely innocent either, are we? They lost a lot of soldiers, we're not saints.' Raina commented.

'And they didn't have you to bring them back to life..' Edmund mused as Raina chuckled.

'Yes well, maybe once I'm a little better, I'll sort that out.' Raina shrugged.

Edmund turned to her as he placed both hands on the sides of her face. He shook his head at her, as he stared in wonder.

'How are you real?' He asked in a soft voice, as Raina blushed furiously, and swatted his arm. She got up and walked towards the window.

'What is that supposed to mean?' She asked, still blushing, and not daring to look at Edmund. He chuckled to himself. He walked up to her, and carefully wrapped his arms around her, burying his head in her neck. Her heart fluttered at the action.

'You are honestly something else, Raina.' He mumbled into her neck. Raina couldn't fight the smile that made its way to her face.

'Alright, I've had my fill of sappy Ed. Go back to normal Ed.' Raina said sarcastically, as she turned to him. Edmund rolled his eyes.

'There he is!' Raina said, excitedly as she laughed. She felt a slight jolt of pain in her chest.

'Ouch.' She mumbled as she looked down. Edmund immediately wrapped his arm around her.

'Should I get the doctor?' He asked, concerned.

'No, no, I'm fine, don't worry.' She replied.

'When are you going to start being careful and not throw yourself into sticky situations?' He asked, incredulously. Raina rolled her eyes.

'Why don't you try being the Protector of a Kingdom? You'll see.' She taunted, as Edmund raised his hand in defeat. Raina suddenly yawned, exhaustion washing over her from the events of the past few days.

'You should get some sleep.' Edmund commented as she nodded.

'Yep, that sounds about right. I'll see you tomorrow.' She replied.

As Edmund was about to leave, he turned back around to Raina.

'I know you already read my mind but..' He began, as Raina cocked an eyebrow, amused.

'I really like you Raina. I've liked you for a while, it just took me some time to figure it out.' He said, quietly. His gaze was soft, and butterflies made their way to Raina's stomach. She smirked at him, as he cocked an eyebrow.

'Don't you have anything to say?' He asked, amused.

'Well, I've already told you.' She shrugged. 'I'm not saying it again, pretty boy.'

Edmund smirked as he cupped her chin, and stared into her eyes. She inhaled sharply, heart pacing rapidly.

'I'll make you say it again.'

He crashed his lips on hers, it was forceful yet so gentle. Before she could wrap her arms around his neck, he pulled away, smirking. She pouted and sighed.

'I really like you too, Edmund.'

********

Raina awoke early the next day, as she fell asleep before everyone else. Come to think of it, she hadn't even eaten in almost 2 days. The sky wasn't completely light, but it was beginning to lighten. Her stomach rumbled loudly. She groaned as she woke up, the pain in her chest noticeably less. Feeling rejuvenated, she tried to heal the wound with her powers again.

She closed her eyes, as she zeroed in on her wound, willing it into healing. She felt the wound close up, as drops of sweat rolled down her forehead, even in the early morning cold. When she opened her eyes, she took out the gauze wrapped around her chest, and found the wound to be almost completely healed, just a slight scar remained. She smiled to herself as she walked up the window, shivering in the wind. It was a beautiful chilly morning. She observed some of the castle servants awake, bustling around.

She wore a cloak that was in her new wardrobe, as she stepped out. The halls were quiet, meaning everyone was still asleep, and why wouldn't they be? A lot had just passed, and everyone deserves the chance to sleep in. Raina crept down the hall, and into the courtyard. Too many memories with this place, Raina thought.

'Raina.' A voice spoke, causing Raina to jump.

When she turned around, she was met by the kind eyes of Aslan.

'Aslan! Wonderful morning.' She chirped, nervously.

Aslan chuckled at her nervousness.

'No need to feel nervous, dear one. Come. Let's take a walk.'

The two of them walked through the courtyard, as Raina nervously played with her fingers.

'Aslan? Do I have parents in this world?' Raina carefully asked, maintaining eye contact with the floor. Aslan stopped walking and turned to face her.

'Dear one, you have parents in your world. They are your true parents. As you spent time here, I could tell you missed the aspect of family. Which is why when I revived you, I sent you to the world of the Pevensies.' Aslan explained.

Raina looked down, as Aslan placed a paw on her hand. Raina smiled at that.

'Raina, when the White Witch froze you with the power of The Imperium..' He gestured to the necklace around her neck. 'It was difficult for me to bring you back. I was able to, however and I knew war was on the horizon. The White Witch kept me at bay for 100 years, after I revived you, I was weakened. I did not want to throw you into that situation again. After the Pevensies came to Narnia and fulfilled the prophecy, I was able to retrieve the necklace, and by that point you were already on earth.'

Raina nodded as she took it all in.

'You will always find your way back to Narnia, dear one. You may have lived on earth for a while, but Narnia will always have a place for you. For their Queen.' Aslan said, smiling.

Raina was relieved to hear all of it. She began wondering about her future in Narnia. Aslan spoke up first.

'Raina, I know you are thinking of whether you get to stay in Narnia. That is completely up to you.' Aslan said, kindly.

'In the meantime, I believe you should get some breakfast. I heard your stomach rumble about 3 times since we walked.' Aslan chuckled as Raina's eyes widened.

'Thank you, Aslan.' Raina said, gratefully. She walked back to her room, where she took a bath and changed into some more royal clothing.

She wore a forest green dress, and began taming her brunette waves. After a few unsuccessful attempts at pinning it up, she just let it down. She looked at herself in the mirror, nodded, and walked out. In the hall, she bumped into Caspian coming out of his room, rubbing his face.

'Caspian! Good morning.' She chirped. He looked startled to say the least.

'Raina! What are you doing up so early?' He asked, quite hurriedly. She narrowed her eyes at him.

'Um I've been up for a while, I also slept before you guys so..' She shrugged.

'Yes! Yes, I remember! We should get to breakfast.' He almost pushed her along. She faced him dead in the eye.

'Caspian, what has gotten into you? Why are you-' Raina cut herself off, when she saw someone else leave Caspian's room. Raina smirked to herself.

'Susan! Wonderful morning, innit?' Raina said, enthusiastically, while Susan's eyes widened.

'Oh! Raina! Hi, yes great morning. Can we keep this to ourselves, please?' Susan spoke as she lowered her voice. Raina snorted.

'Your secret's safe with me, lovebirds.' Raina said, as she laughed to herself. Both Caspian and Susan were beet red.

'Well! I shall take your leave now.' Raina said, smirking all the while as she flounced away.

This is going to be so fun. Raina thought to herself.

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