INAPPROPRIATE RESPONSES TO MARRIAGE PROPOSALS

Aravis woke with a smile on her face, stretching luxuriously. She blinked to allow her eyes to adjust to the light in the cabin. Grinning, she turned over to look at the other side of the bed.

She was slightly disappointed to see that Cor had already awoken; his side of the covers were scrunched up. Shaking her head and giggling, she hopped out of bed and hastily crossed the room to grab the dress that was draped across a chair at the table. She wasn't wearing a shred of clothing, and it was cold onboard Cedric's ship in the middle of the sea!

She hastily dressed and waltzed out into the bright sunshine. It was a cool, spring day, and the salty wind made her smile. Actually, everything was making her smile. She was floating in that beautiful land called I Love Him and He Loves Me and basking in every second if it.

She didn't see Cor on the quarter deck back over the cabin she and Cor were sharing, or on the main deck, so she headed to the forecastle. She lightly hopped up the stairs and grinned when she spotted him. He was leaning against the railing, staring straight west where the ship (and the whole fleet of Islander, Galmian, and Terebinthian ships behind them) was headed.

She went up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, surprising him so that he stood up straight. He glanced over his shoulder and smiled at her, resting his arms on hers and intertwining their fingers.

"What were you thinking about?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Everything. How we got to this point." He looked at her again. "Whether we even have a kingdom to come back to, or if the Telmarines have already destroyed everything."

She tightened her grip around his abdomen, but didn't offer any false hope to him. They both knew that all they had was each other. Aravis rested her cheek against his back, and he continued to stare out at the wide sea in comfortable silence. There was no land visible yet, but later that evening it would be.

Their journey had been hard for the last couple of days, because of some reason, the sailors couldn't make heads or tails of the constellations. The constellations were used as a guide to know where they were going at night, and now there were completely new star formations that they had never seen before!

Aravis sighed silently, wondering if these stolen moments with Cor would be all they would ever have. She shared Cor's fears. They had no idea if Talia, Rahai, or any of their friends were all right. They just didn't know. And Cor and Aravis could easily die trying to retake Archenland. It made their time now all the more precious and urgent.

"Come back inside," she urged. "You won't be needed on deck for a few more hours..."

"Wait," he said. "Look."

Aravis shifted to his side to see where he was pointing. He looped his arm over her head and put it around her waist.

"See that?" he asked. "That speck there? It's been growing for some time. I may be imagining things, but I think it's a Gryphon and a rider."

Aravis squinted. It was a Gryphon coming from the west. "Do you think they are bringing us word?"

He nodded gravely. They both stood, leaning into each other, as the Gryphon and rider neared. Soon they were flying above the ship, circling for a place to land.

"Is that Tal?" Cor exclaimed.

"It is!"

Talia must have seen them, because the Gryphon landed on the forecastle right by them. Talia slid off, and she and Aravis ran to each other and threw their arms around each other. After an effusive hug, Cor embraced Talia as well.

"By the Mane, Tal, we're relieved to see you!" Cor said. "Things were so bad in Narnia when we left..."

"But they're fine now!" Talia exclaimed. And then, while the Gryphon stretched its legs on deck, she told them everything: how Rahai had finally blown the horn, how the stars had fallen, and what had happened to Edina, Caulitha, and Zahar. Aravis and Cor listened, open-mouthed, for the whole story.

"Aslan asked to speak to you and Rahai alone?" Cor repeated.

Talia nodded. "I was surprised—but really pleased, of course. I've had so many questions in my life. Like why Aslan allowed Willem to die. Why Aslan sent my mother back when he knew she would just mess things up by having an affair. Why—"

"You wish your mother had died back when she was poisoned?" Aravis exclaimed.

Talia had a straight, serious face when she said, "Sometimes I think it would have been better if she had died then. I would still have Father, and before I talked to Aslan, I was sure that Father and Uncle Edmund would have still been close if Mum had died. And then, of course, Aslan wouldn't have taken my father, aunts, and uncle away from me. And Narnia wouldn't have gotten as bad as it has lately..."

Cor was wide-eyed. "Did Aslan answer your questions?"

Talia smiled. "Yes. He did. For both Rahai and me."

"And?"

She looked apologetic. "He made us promise that what he told us was for our ears only. Something about 'these are your stories, and one is only entitled to know their story.'"

"So you can't tell us why Aslan did all that?" Aravis cried. "Why Aslan allowed the Four to tear themselves apart?"

"No. But Aslan did promise that his plan, when completed, would be displayed for all to see his wisdom."

Aravis swore so loudly that the sailors on deck stopped and looked at them. She called out an apology and turned back to Talia. "So Aslan does have a plan in all this?" she confirmed. "He's not making it up as he goes along?"

Talia smiled. "You never figured out what that dark shape was in the forest that scared you off your horse during that blizzard, did you? And you had no idea what that melted spot was when you woke up the next day, warm and alive?"

"That was him?"

"Yes. That was Aslan. He has had his hand in this whole journey," Talia said serenely. "He was purposely driving you west so you would run into the Telmarine army (so you could warn Anvard on time), and meet Lasaraleen (who you wouldn't have run into otherwise), and meet Rahai and Priyah (who were able to basically save us from this whole mess!)."

"I thought you weren't supposed to tell us what he told you," Aravis said.

"That part was your story," Talia smiled.

"Blast it, I want to see Aslan again too," Aravis half-whined.

"It was certainly memorable," Talia said wryly. But the smiled faded a bit. "But it's...hard. Not everything he did I liked."

"Tal, I'm so sorry about your sisters," Cor said, catching her suddenly sad look.

She gave him a small smile. "I think you know a little about loss as well, Cor. This really changed our lives, didn't it?"

"You speak like it's all over," Aravis said. "But it's not yet. The stars may have saved Narnia, but we still have Archenland to save."

"Archenland will be fine. In fact, the Telmarines are pulling out as we speak."

"What?"

"What in the world would make them pull out when they had total victory?" Cor exclaimed.

"Priyah," Talia replied simply. "She married the Telmarine General. Willingly."

"What does that have to do with it?" Aravis wondered.

"Well, it so happens that Caspian—that's the name of the General—murdered Priyah's father, King Meridian, so that he wouldn't have to wait for Meridian to die to become King," Talia said. "And Priyah saw him do it, and she used it to her advantage. So she and Caspian did a little...wrangling...back and forth, and the outcome is that Priyah agreed to marry Caspian, making him King, if he agreed to pull the Telmarines out of Archenland."

"Then us going to the Islands asking for help was for nothing!" Aravis lamented.

"No, it wasn't!" Talia assured her. "Caspian needed an excuse to save face. Priyah knew what you were doing and told him about. That's the excuse Caspian is using to pull out of Archenland to save face: to prevent more Telmarine bloodshed. Apparently, the Telmarine populace is pretty upset about how many husbands and brothers they have lost already!"

"But wouldn't the populace be angrier that their men died in vain?" Aravis asked. "It's all so...strange."

"Yes, it is," Talia agreed. "What it comes down to is that Caspian traded holding Archenland for marrying Priyah and becoming King."

"What's to prevent him from attacking Archenland in a few more years?" Cor pointed out.

"I'm sure Priyah will do her best to prevent that. Besides, it'd look a little absurd to pull out now and then appear to change his mind later. People will wonder why he pulled out in the first place."

"Wow."

"Yeah. Wow."

"And we'll probably need the Islander troops to help keep the peace in Archenland and Narnia while we're getting things sorted out," Talia said. "There's still a lot of bad blood in Narnia between the Free Narnians and the Green Narnians. Aslan forgave the traitors, but they're still not happy."

"So we've still got a lot of work to do, cleaning this all up," Cor surmised.

"But you two'll do a great job. Cor's a natural King and Tal's been leading everyone everywhere," Aravis smiled.

"I'm actually not going to be involved in the rebuilding of Narnia too much," Talia admitted. "I'll be around to help, but this is really Ethan's job if he's going to earn respect." She looked a little embarrassed as she said, "Some Narnians were miffed that Aslan didn't make me Queen...But Aslan was right to do what he did. Legally, I am not allowed to be Queen."

"Why not?" Aravis wondered. "Because you were adopted?"

"No. Surprisingly, that isn't the reason," Talia said. "It actually stems back to the marriage agreement my parents signed. Mum had to guarantee that she had no desire to be Queen or to rule indirectly through me under any circumstance. I don't think my parents trusted each other very much even then...I think my father would have changed it later on when we were happier, but it probably just slipped his mind..."

"That is a big task for an eight-year-old," Cor said, shaking his head. "It's too bad about the legality—you'd make a terrific Queen!"

"Queen Lucy was that age when she was Queen," Aravis reminded. "Though, granted, she wasn't ruling alone!"

"Ethan has good people around him," Talia said. "Tumnus will be there for him. Rahai agreed to help as well for a time, until she goes back west. And truly, I have no desire to be Queen of Narnia!"

"Then what will you do?" Cor asked. "Are you interested in helping us in Archenland?"

Talia nodded. "That was the plan. With Mum gone, I am rightfully Duchess of Harden. So I figured I'd help my province out as best I could."

"And then after?" Aravis asked, raising her eyebrows.

"What do you mean?"

Aravis exchanged a sly look with Cor. "You didn't happen to meet any good-looking soldiers during the battles, did you?"

Talia looked at her friend like she was crazy. "Hardly. I was a little preoccupied with saving Narnia, thank you very much! But yes, I have thought about what I'll do after Harden is stabilized." They both looked at her with interest, and she hesitantly continued. "You know how Aslan charged Zahar with helping Calormen change? Well, I've been thinking...Harden is a huge castle...so I want to do what Mum did for me. Rescue slaves from Calormen and give them a home."

"You're going to steal slaves?"

"No, I'm not going to steal them! I'm going to buy them."

Both Aravis and Cor looked impressed.

"So you're going to create a haven for disenfranchised orphans?" Cor asked. "That's brilliant!"

Aravis grinned. "That's so you. You were really good with Caulitha when she was a baby, and with Edina..."

Talia swallowed and nodded. "And seeing how messed up Zahar became, I realized even more how lucky I was that Mum saved me when she did. I kind of took that for granted, you know?"

"Speaking of children," Aravis asked, "how is Cristabelle? Did she make it okay?"

Talia smiled. "Yes, she's fine. And—you won't believe this—but I do believe she and Knight Reau are forming an attachment!"

Cor guffawed. "She sure does have a type!"

Aravis giggled and put her arm around Cor's waist. "Oh, dearest, I think all women like handsome, sword-wielding men."

"Is that so?" Cor grinned down at her, pushing back her curly hair from her face.

Talia watched her friends with confusion.

"What in the blazes is going on with you two?" she asked. "You've been looking at each other so strangely today!"

Cor and Aravis grinned at each other stupidly.

"Should I tell her?" Aravis tittered.

"Naw, best to keep her guessing," Cor chuckled.

"Guessing about what?" Talia cried.

They both beamed at her.

"We got married!" Aravis pronounced.

Talia stared at them, shell-shocked for a full minute, while they eagerly awaited her reaction. Then she threw back her head and laughed uncontrollably. At first Cor and Aravis were amused at her laughter, but when Talia started weeping with mirth, they looked concerned.

"Er...it's not that funny..." Cor said.

"Oh, it was!" Talia wept, shaking with amusement. "I tell you two, this was just what I needed. A good laugh! I swear, I haven't laughed in years! What a good joke! Hah!"

"Um, Tal?" Aravis ventured. "We're not joking."

Talia froze. "You're not joking?"

"We're not joking," Cor confirmed. "We got married in Narrowhaven."

"Why?"

Aravis looked put-out. "We happen to love each other."

"Since when?"

"Since forever!" Aravis said.

"But you always fight!" Talia protested.

"We like to think of it as foreplay now," Cor grinned, squeezing Aravis' hip.

Talia's jaw dropped. "All right, that was officially too much information."

"So you believe us now?"

"Yes, I believe you. By the Mane, how did it happen?"

The newlyweds looked at each other sideways.

"Well, it started when Cedric, the Governor of the Lone Islands, was flirting with Ara," Cor said.

"Ara? You call her Ara now?"

"And Cor was getting really jealous," Aravis said, ignoring Talia's comment.

"And when I was being a jerk and yelling at her, she blurted out that she loved me," Cor said. "And being the fool that I was—"

"Still are," Aravis corrected.

"Still am," he agreed, "I didn't say it back right away."

"But then he finally did suck it up and say it," Aravis added, staring adoringly at her new husband.

"I just didn't want to break her fragile heart," he winked.

Talia rolled her eyes. "You two make me sick. And I thought you were annoying before!"

Husband. My husband.

It was such a strange word for Aravis to utter. That night, as she lay in bed with Cor's arm draped across her stomach, she mouthed the word to the ceiling. Cor's steady breaths and the slap of waves against the ship through the open window were all that she could hear. It was a warm night, just like the day had been. After the winter from hell, spring had come.

Husband.

Just two weeks ago, she would have scoffed at the notion that she would be married to Cor now. Secretly, she had wanted it, had wanted it ever since he had kissed her for the first time, but she would have denied it. Just like she had when Lasaraleen had accused her of being in love.

She smiled as she remembered the journey it had taken to get here. How they had escaped Calormen together when they were preteens. How they had fought their way through their teenage years, yet managed to have so much fun with Corin and Talia.

Back then, Aravis had been unaware of her feelings for Cor. She had always been sure that Corin and Talia would be the ones to end up together! They were so perfect for each other! They had rarely fought, loved to do everything together, were just two peas in a pod. Corin loved to show off for her, and she loved to cheer him on in his antics.

It was bitter irony that Corin was dead and Talia was uninterested in ever marrying, while she and Cor were so happily together.

And yet, would she and Cor have ever ended up together if they didn't fight so much? It was in a fight that Aravis had finally said the words that had gotten them to this point...

She turned over and looked at Cor, who was sleeping soundly, looking like a little boy again except for the blonde stubble on his chin.

She could grin about it now, but she had been so hurt when Cor hadn't said "I love you too" automatically. She had shoved him out and thrown a tantrum, shocking the poor maid that had only come to draw her bath!

But Aravis had pulled herself together, put on her haughty face, and had been astonished to find that Cedric had thrown a medium-sized dinner party to welcome the King of Archenland and herself. She had ignored Cor all through dinner, and when the dancing started later that evening, she had flirted outrageously with Cedric.

Finally, Cedric asked her if they might take a walk around the courtyard, and (feeling Cor's eyes upon her) she agreed. They strolled for a bit, making small talk, and then Cedric shocked her by saying:

"Why do you do it, my Lady?"

"I beg your pardon?" she asked, taking in the fine courtyard with the Narnian-style fountain in the center. It had a statue of a dancing Faun at the top, with water flowing from his flute. The water reflected the starlight.

"Torture the poor man," Cedric said as if it was obvious.

"Torture who?"

"King Cor! My Lady, I see how the man stares at you like no one else exists! Aslan knows I followed Queen Lucy like a puppy, so I know an infatuated man when I see one. Why do you insist on trying to make him jealous?"

Utterly abashed that Cedric could see right through her, she admitted, "I didn't know I was so obvious. And I thought you enjoyed my attentions!"

"My Lady, I do!" he assured her. "But I know when I am beaten. The King is young and has much more to offer you than do I. And you must care for him in return if you are going to so much trouble to wound him."

Contrite, Aravis said, "I apologize. I didn't mean to take advantage of you."

Cedric grinned. "Oh, the whole island will be talking about how Lady Aravis of Archenland paid good old Cedric attention at the party. May even rouse some women's interest, aye?" he winked.

She laughed.

"Now, my Lady, I implore you to make things right with the King," Cedric said. "With such dangerous adventures as you have braved the last couple of months, I am amazed that you are willing to risk losing him without him knowing how you feel!"

"But he does know!" she blurted. "I told him today!"

"Oh? And what did he say?"

"He didn't say anything!"

Cedric chuckled. "I'm sure the poor boy was just overwhelmed—or shocked. I'm guessing a little of both. A little forgiveness is crucial with men inexperienced in the ways of love as he seems to be."

"I suppose," Aravis said begrudgingly.

"Now, shall we return to the party?"

"I—I'd like to stay out here for a while," Aravis said. "It's been ages since I've had some peaceful alone time."

"As you wish," he smiled. He kissed her hand in a friendly way. "I'll see you inside."

Aravis nodded and strolled around the courtyard for some time. No matter what Cedric said, she was feeling terribly guilty for making such an exhibition of herself. Damn her pride! And damn Cor!

She enjoyed the peacefulness and quiet of the night. She looked up into the sky and was jolted to realize that the sky was empty, save for the full, bright moon. There were no stars! The sky was just a black velvet roof.

"Ara?"

She whipped around to find that Cor was standing on the other side of the fountain. She instantly felt nervous, and shy, and angry, and embarrassed all over again.

She watched him walk around the fountain slowly.

"Did Cedric send you out here?" she asked.

"No. I saw him come back alone, so I figured you were here."

He stopped in front of her. He was wearing borrowed dress clothes, as was she, and it was a dashing shade of royal blue that brought out his eyes. He was fully shaved—something she hadn't seen for quite a while!—and his hair was trimmed. He was looking much too spectacular. It wasn't helping that he was standing so close, either.

"Ara, I'm sorry I'm an idiot," he said. "I was little...surprised...You know, when you said—"

She didn't want to hear him say it again. Until he returned the sentiment, it was like an open wound. "I know. You are an idiot."

He chuckled. "An idiot who's in love with you."

It had come out of his mouth so naturally that she was shocked when if fully sank in. It had been seamless, as if he had been saying it for years, instead of for the first time.

"And yes, I do believe my father paired us up to go to Narnia to get us to go together. I think he knew how I felt about you," he smiled softly.

"You knew even then?" she blinked.

"I knew even before Corin ran off and got married. But then things got a little crazy when he got back with Cristabelle, so I had to scrap my plans for you."

"I don't think you would have had much luck with me back then! I still thought of you as a sometimes-friend."

"Then it's worked out for the best, I guess," he smiled, leaning closer.

She found herself staring at his lips. "Has it?"

"If you'll marry me."

She stared at him. "Seriously?"

He pulled back. "When someone asks you to marry them, 'Seriously?' is not on the list of allowed responses!"

"I'm sorry, I just—wow—I wasn't—"

"Expecting it? Then I think we're even for the day. Call it a truce?"

"Fine. Do we shake hands?"

"I have a better idea."

And then he was kissing her, and she was kissing him, and whatever they had just discussed flew from her mind until she remembered what he had said about getting married.

"You truly want to marry me?" she asked, an inch from his face.

"I wouldn't ask you to if I didn't."

"Fine, then. Let's get married. But if we're going to do it, I don't want this long, drawn-out engagement and big fancy wedding."

"With the state of things the way they are, we can hardly afford a fancy wedding."

"Good. So let's get married now."

"Now?"

She leaned into him harder and said teasingly, "What, you feel like going to bed alone tonight?"

He was flabbergasted. "Of—of course not! But now?"

"Cor, we might die as soon as we enter Archenland. Chances are, we will. So what's the point in waiting?"

A grin grew on his face. "Seriously?"

"I thought we established that 'Seriously?' was not an appropriate response to a marriage proposal."

And they went back inside, consulted Cedric on who was eligible to perform a wedding, and turned the dinner party into an impromptu wedding. And thus, Lady Aravis and King Cor were married: simply, quickly, and with their whole hearts.

Aravis grinned at her sleeping husband and moved closer to him. Two weeks of marriage...and they hadn't killed each other yet.

But they did have the rest of their lives to get around to it.

Caulitha, Ramandu's daughter and Caspian's Queen, swallowed her drink and laughed heartily at her son's joke. Her face was healthy and full and her hair glistened in the Narnian sunlight.

It was a merry picnic they were holding in the clearing. Caspian was tied up with business all day, and so Rilian had asked his mother to go for a ride with some of their friends.

Suddenly, Caulitha felt an unexpected sleepiness come over her. It was vaguely familiar, like something she had experienced before. While it was disconcerting, she didn't want to ruin the fun of the group.

"Mother?" Rilian asked. "What's wrong?"

"I fear I may have had a little too much sun today. Might I take a nap before we venture back to Cair Paravel?"

"Of course!" Rilian said, jumping to his feet. "You rest here, and we'll move a bit away so you can have peace."

With a kiss to his mother's cheek, Rilian and his friends moved their food and laid out blankets for Caulitha to lie upon.

Soon she was fast asleep, dreaming strange things that had not haunted her for many, many years.

She remembered a smoky room...A woman running in, picking up her limp body, and carrying her out...A man chased them with a knife...

Caulitha's eyes flicked open. Something had awoken her.

With a gasp, she saw that a woman was standing above her, blocking the sun. She had long, dark hair and piercing eyes. She wore a green dress. She was considering Caulitha with a tilted head.

"That's a very pretty necklace you wear," the green woman's musical voice said.

Caulitha's hand went to her neck. "Yes...My mother gave it to me when I was very young."

The green woman's eyes flashed. "Did she now? Fancy that."

Caulitha didn't want to be rude, but something about this woman was disturbing. She seemed familiar, yet unfamiliar. She felt like she didn't know this person, but that she should.

"Do I know you?" Caulitha asked, sitting up.

The green lady knelt next to her. "Better than you know. My mother once wore a necklace such as that."

Caulitha was nervous. There was a dangerous gleam in the woman's eye. She thought of yelling for help, but what could this woman do to her? She was no larger and appeared no stronger than Caulitha herself. There could be no danger...

"Give me the necklace," the green lady said.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Give. Me. The necklace."

"Excuse me, do you realize you are addressing the Queen of Narnia?"

The green lady smiled. "Of course. Now give me the necklace, or I shall take it."

Caulitha had heard enough. She screamed, "Rilian!"

But it was too late. The instant she cried out, the woman had suddenly transformed into a vibrant green serpent. The serpent leapt at her throat, biting her viciously.

Caulitha's vision dimmed. She heard the running of feet.

"Mother!" Rilian cried upon seeing her foaming mouth. "What happened?"

She tried to talk. For now she finally realized who the woman was. They were so close to each other, and yet so far...

All she could utter was, "My sis..."

"My sis..."

Black was filling her vision. This was a familiar feeling. She had known this poison before...Marrina Felcar it was called back then...

"Mother!" Rilian sobbed, his tears splashing onto her face.

Only the white of her eyes showed.

"My..."

And then Caulitha was dead by Edina's doing.

And no one ever noticed that the necklace that Caulitha had worn her whole life was never seen again.