Chapter 13✨

Night had fallen, as everyone retired to the sleeping chambers. A few Narnians stood at the top of the How as well as on the ground, as they kept guard. It seemed almost peaceful, despite the fact that war was two feet away.

Raina was tossing and turning for what she thought was hours, but was actually much less. She dozed off, but then saw the dream again. The vision she had shook her, and she couldn't get the feeling of dying out of her mind. It was like any time she closed her eyes, there it was again. She watched Jadis freeze her and push her off a cliff. She jerked awake, panting hard. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears, her vision swam in and out of focus for a moment, as she heard a ringing noise.

She shook herself, and decided to take a walk. As she got up, she was wearing a thick, maroon gown and it wasn't something she was used to wearing. She spotted an oversized tunic and pants, a few ways away from her, as she decided to change into that. She instantly felt better in it, as it was loose and comfortable. It was dark outside, and everyone was asleep, so she quietly crept out of the chambers, summoning a small flame in her palm to light the way ahead. The glow of the fire on her face made her feel warm. She walked to the top of Aslan's How, where she found two fauns standing guard. They bowed to her, when she insisted they didn't, and slept for some time, insisting the same for the scouts keeping guard downstairs as well. She made it clear she wouldn't take no for an answer.

Once they left, Raina stood silently, watching the night sky twinkle with stars, the moon shining brightly. She was an avid stargazer even back home. Something about the stretch of dark sky with stars was calming to her. She felt a presence behind her, as she sighed.

'You know you'd get a better view from here, right? Instead of hiding there?' She stated, as Edmund came out from the shadows, sheepishly.

'Why were you hiding?' She asked, curiously.

'I-I didn't want to scare you.' He admitted. His eyes fell upon the ember of fire in her palm. It fizzled a moment later.

'I didn't want to bump into something or fall and wake everyone up.' She shrugged.

Edmund's eyes travelled to Raina's clothes. He had a strange look in his eyes.

'Oh! I'm not really a gown kind of girl, and I was getting uncomfortable and I'm sure Peter wouldn't mind me stealing this for some time, would he?' Raina asked, as Edmund met her gaze.

'Actually...that's mine.' He said, as he grinned sheepishly. Raina's eyes widened as she blushed.

'Oh, I'm so sorry, I can change out of it if you want-' Edmund cut her off.

'Don't. It looks better on you.'

Raina's eyes locked with his and she smiled, slightly.

'Thanks, I'm keeping it.' She grinned, victoriously as Edmund laughed.

'Feel free.'

The pair sat down on the edge, their legs dangling in the air. A comfortable silence settled over them as they admired the stars. Edmund knew how much Raina loved the stars, so he did not say a word, except look over at her every now and then, and smile at the way she marvelled at the sight of a starry night sky.

The moonlight fell upon the How, enveloping everything and everyone near it. Raina observed the way the moonlight hit Edmund's face, highlighting his freckles, his dark brown eyes, and the small smile on his lips. Raina couldn't help but smile too. She was so focused on staying away from him, to forget him, that she didn't realise how easily he flustered her and how she heard her heart speed up just by observing him. He was her friend, no doubt, but somewhere along the way, she unconsciously saw him as something more, but she dared not act on it. Two years ago, when he walked into her life, she never imagined him morphing into the enigma he became now.

It was a similar case for Edmund. He met Raina when he was nothing short of a jackass to everyone around him. But it was something about the way she smiled, the way she laughed, and most importantly, the way she would roll her eyes at him when he did something stupid. He would pretend to be annoyed, when in fact he loved it when she did that. The moonlight almost made her glow, and when she smiled, his breath got stuck in his throat. Even if he didn't know her, he'd feel funny seeing her that way. They learnt everything about each other like the words to their favourite song, like the quote from an old romance novel, like the ending of every cheesy rom com.

Without warning, Edmund put his hand over Raina's, blushing while doing so. Raina maintained a straight face, no matter the amount of butterflies fluttering in her stomach, and her heart sped up. When she didn't pull away, he linked his fingers with hers. Both teenagers were blushing furiously, but they dared not look at each other. Raina got an idea, as she turned to Edmund, a playful sparkle in her eyes.

'I seem to recall you wanting me to give you a warning before I do something reckless..' She said, knowingly, as Edmund's eyes widened.

'Oh lord.' He breathed, as Raina's eyes flashed blue and both of them lifted off the ground, into the air. Raina clapped a hand over his mouth, in case he screamed like last time.

'Mmfff??!!' He said something in a muffled voice.

'Sorry, didn't want you to yell like the last couple of times.' Raina tried to not to laugh, as Edmund glared at her.

'I didn't yell.' He maintained, as Raina shook her head.

'Sure. Anyway, this'll be fun.' Raina smiled, almost evilly.

Both of them zipped towards the sky, holding hands. Edmund's eyes were the size of saucers, but he soon relaxed, also enjoying this exhilarating feeling. For a moment, his eyes dropped to the ground, almost 80 feet below. Raina noticed.

'If you think I'm gonna let you fall, you have another thing coming.' She said in a snarky and sincere tone.

The two of them came to a stop, as the sky stretched beyond the eye could see. They marvelled at the beauty of it all.

'You sure don't get these views back in Finchley.' Raina breathed.

'Definitely not.' Edmund replied.

'Say, Caspian and Susan make a fine pair, don't you?' Raina commented, as Edmund looked at her, surprised.

'Caspian and Susan?!' He exclaimed. Raina looked at him, unamused.

'You really haven't seen the looks they give each other? Wow you are stupid.' Raina said, sarcastically.

Edmund looked offended and confused.

'You really are clueless.' Raina smiled as she shook her head.

'I am not clueless. You're clueless.' Edmund grumbled, not having a snarky comeback.

The two sunk into silence. A chill wind blew by, causing Raina to shiver.

'We should probably get back..' Edmund whispered into her ear, raising goosebumps along her skin.

'Y-yeah.' She answered.

Before long the two were back on the top of Aslan's How.

'Raina?'

'Yeah?'

'I'm sorry for everything that happened over the last year. You were right, I did cut you off, and I didn't give a reason. I think it's better you know the reason.' Edmund said, carefully and sincerely. Raina slowly nodded. She noticed something in his eyes. She knew the culprit.

'It was Jadis, wasn't it?' She asked, or more like stated. Edmund looked down, as he nervously twiddled his thumbs.

'Edmund, I would never, ever judge you, if that's what you're worried about. If anything, I'll probably relate more than you know. She tried to get me to betray Aslan, offering me the world. It's only now I realise that she lied.' Raina said, softly.

'That's the thing, Raina.' Edmund admitted, as Raina looked at him, confused.

'She was unsuccessful in turning you against Aslan. For a brief time, she was successful in turning me.' Edmund said, his voice seemed haunted. He stared at the ground. Raina stayed silent, as she wanted for him to continue. He took a deep breath.

'As you know, we came to Narnia through a wardrobe the first time, right? Lucy was the first. I just wanted to prove that she was lying, so one night I followed her, and then I realised she wasn't lying. I fell into a snowy forest, and I started looking for her. I ended up meeting the White Witch, who proclaimed herself as Queen of Narnia.' Edmund's features clouded over.

'I was cold, so she offered me food and drink, turkish delight to be exact.' He admitted, as Raina nodded. She knew Edmund loved Turkish delight.

'She even offered me the chance to be Prince of Narnia. I fell for it. She ended up capturing me and threw me in the dungeons. I put Peter, Susan, Lucy and so many others at risk. Eventually, Aslan freed me, and he and I had a chat.' He paused, perhaps remembering something he said. 'Not long after, the Witch came back, citing the deep magic, wherein I was to be a sacrifice.' Raina's heart dropped. She knew she had paled. The thought of Edmund- no, she couldn't imagine it.

'Aslan negotiated with her, and I was off the hook. But it was the next day when I found out that...he had to sacrifice his life to let me keep mine.' Edmund said, quietly. Despite it being dark, Raina could tell he was trying to hold back tears. She took his hand and squeezed it, encouragingly.

'There was a battle, where we won. But...' He trailed off, the memories clearly hurting him.

'Hey.' Raina whispered. 'It's okay.' She squeezed his hand again.

'To this day, and throughout our rule in Narnia, I've had nightmares of everything she did to me. She tortured me, manipulated me, my family, and almost killed me.'

'Excuse me, WHAT?' Raina exclaimed.

Edmund nodded.

'In the battle, she stabbed me, and if it weren't for Lucy's cordial, I...' He trailed off.

Without warning, Raina threw her arms around him, desperately, blushing when she realised what she did, but she didn't pull away. He looked surprised before hugging back.

'If I ever see her again, I will kill that bitch.' Raina said in a low voice. Edmund pulled back, still having his arms around her.

'Language.' He raised an eyebrow as he said it.

Raina just shook her head and hugged him again, rolling her eyes.

'You know, I can actually hear your eyes roll.' Edmund said, sarcastically as Raina rolled her eyes again.

The thought of Edmund being on the cusp of death, she just couldn't imagine it. She held onto him for dear life.

'Wow, so you were worried about me?' Edmund asked, sarcastically. Raina pulled away, and gave him an unamused expression.

'Someone has to make sure you don't do something stupid, like, oh I don't know, play with your torch, during a night raid, only to drop it?' Raina cocked an eyebrow at him, who sent a playful glare her way.

'That wasn't my fault.'

'Suuuure.' Raina dragged it out exaggeratedly. Edmund rolled his eyes.

The two became silent again.

'We should probably sleep, it's really late now.' Edmund said, quietly.

'Yeah.'

Edmund got up first and reached a hand down to Raina, who took it. She got up, and in the limited space, stood very close to Edmund. Their faces were inches apart, as Edmund's hand lingered on hers.

Raina studied his face, the way his eyes twinkled in the moonlight, the freckles on his nose and cheeks, his dark bangs that fell on his forehead, falling on his eyes. She reached up and swept them away. She wondered if it was too forward for her to think he looked godly in the moonlight.

This was the boy who made her smile the widest and cry the hardest, all over the course of 2 years. She never imagined handing over such control of her life and emotions to him, but she didn't seem to regret it at all.

Edmund observed how her lips were slightly parted, and the way her features were highlighted in the moonlight. He came to realise just how much she has changed from the shy 13 year old classmate he came to know almost 2 years ago. She was shy, quiet, and never made her opinions known, and now she didn't let anyone stand in the way of her expressing herself. He particularly loved how she shut Peter up numerous times. She's confident, beautiful, and she couldn't care more about the people around her.

Edmund's eyes dropped to her lips for a moment, as Raina's heart skipped a beat. She felt her cheeks grow warmer and warmer, and butterflies overwhelmed her stomach.

He began to lean in.

He leaned in further, as Raina leaned in, almost unconsciously. Their faces were an inch apart.

'Edmund..' Raina breathed.

'Raina, I-'

Someone giggled a few feet away, causing them to jump apart. Raina slipped and fell off.

'RAINA!' Edmund yelled as he reached for her, but to no avail.

Raina quickly summoned her powers to help her fly back up. Once she did, she was greeted by about 3 pairs of arms.

'Oof.' She huffed.

'I'm fineeee.' She said in a sing-song voice, causing the three sets of arms to pull away. They belonged to Edmund, Lucy and Susan. Edmund rounded on his sisters.

'What the hell is wrong with you two?!' He asked, exasperated. Lucy eyed Susan before speaking.

'Well, we heard something, and we came to see if something was wrong when..' She trailed off, trying to hide her smirk. Edmund turned red, and Raina looked everywhere but at him.

'Raina are you alright?' Susan asked, kindly.

'Yes, yes I'm fine.' She replied. 'We should probably get some sleep now.'

'Y-yes, we should.' Edmund said, hurriedly as he practically ran inside. Susan and Lucy now rounded on Raina. The smirks on their faces made it clear to Raina that they'd seen her little moment with Edmund.

'I'm going to go now. Goodnight.' Raina said quickly, as she too ran inside. She faintly heard Lucy tell Susan,

'I knew it, I knew it, I KNEW IT!!!'

'Hey, I did too alright?' Susan replied.

To say Raina was embarrassed, was an understatement as she quickly crawled into her bed, and fell asleep after a whirlwind of thoughts.

******

Raina awoke next morning, after a night of broken sleep. She couldn't stop thinking about what transpired between her and Edmund the night before. Just thinking about it made her heart spiral. Her heart thumped at the thought of him. She'd never felt this way before. As she went down this mental path, she was brought back into reality by the snapping of someone's fingers. She groaned.

'Why does everyone do that?' She sighed in annoyance, and realised it was Caspian.

'Oh, Caspian! I thought you were Edmund..' Raina admitted, as Caspian smiled knowingly. Raina caught him. She got flustered and started stuttering.

'N-no, that's not w-what I meant, it's just, well-' Raina sighed.

Caspian let out a small laugh.

'I won't tell.' He smiled, as Raina looked down.

'So, what's up?' She asked. Now it was Caspian's turn to get flustered.

'Well, I had a doubt, and I was hoping you could help me clear it up?' He asked in a small voice. Raina squinted, before smiling knowingly.

'Forgive me, but, would it have something to do with, oh I don't know...' Raina trailed off. 'Queen Susan, perhaps?' She asked, smirking. Caspian's eyes widened as he started looking everywhere but at Raina.

'I-well, you see, I'm merely-' Raina cut off his nervous blubbering.

'Okay, I'll spare you of further embarrassment.' Raina said, as Caspian visibly relaxed. 'What would you like to know?'

Caspian took a deep breath. Raina looked at him in amusement. He was always calm and collected and now he's the complete opposite.

'Do you think Queen Susan-' He began when two others bounded into the room.

'Rainaaaaa.' Lucy said in a sing-song voice, Susan on her heels. They stop short at the sight of Caspian.

'Oh, Caspian! We can come back later-' Susan began, when Caspian swiftly got up.

'No need at all, your majesty. I shall take your leave.' Caspian spoke.

'Please, Caspian, call me Susan.' She insisted and smiled. Caspian blushed and almost ran out of the room, after seeing his crush. Raina burst into laughter.

'And what might you be laughing about?' Lucy asked, her eyebrow raised.

'Oh, I don't know, something to do with Caspian asking about you.' Raina gestured to Susan, whose eyes widened.

'What?' She asked, cluelessly.

'I told you! He fancies you!' Lucy exclaimed. Raina shook her head, laughing.

'No! He doesn't!' Susan maintained.

'Oh, I don't know, Susan.. He came here to ask me something about you, and I'm sure it's not about what you think of the weather.' Raina replied sarcastically, as Lucy practically rolled on the floor, laughing. Susan was red at this point.

'Forget me, what were you doing with my brother last night? I'm sure you two weren't discussing the weather either.' Susan said in a knowing voice. Now, it was Raina's turn to blush.

'I KNEW IT. What happened?!' Lucy asked, excitedly.

'Nothing happened, Lu! We were just talking.' Raina maintained.

'You could've done that without being in his face. Same goes for him, don't worry' Susan raised an eyebrow as she said this. Raina was about to run.

'For the record, Raina, I'm fairly certain whatever you're feeling, Ed's feeling the same way.' Lucy said, smirking, as she tugged Susan out of the room, to let Raina be with her thoughts.

Edmund feels the same way? But what do I feel? Raina thought.

to everyone reading, i humbly ask you to vote on the chapters as it would really help my fanfic.