Talk a Good Game

The skirts to her dress caught on the raised roots of the forest floor as she hurried by, but she didn't let it slow her. She gathered the fabric tighter in her fists and ran faster, her feet flying in her bid to get in the clear. Good thing she had ditched her shoes back at the beginning of the path; running in her bare feet, while a touch uncouth to some, only made her more agile. She quite preferred the feeling of the earth beneath her feet anyhow, she felt more connected to her surroundings.

But of course, she wasn't going to make this easy, having hidden her boots in the raised roots of a nearby tree. She grinned and checked over her shoulder to be sure she wasn't being followed; boot marks would've made her trail easy to follow. She didn't want easy. What fun would that be?

"Ready or not, here I come!" Lucy's gleeful shout bounced off the woods that surrounded Crystal.

Her heart gave an exhilarated leap and she hurried on, her eyes darting this way and that for a suitable hiding place. Shafts of sunlight filtered in through the thick treetops ahead, bathing her surroundings in gold. She dug her heels into the ground, slowing her place to take in the sights, imprinting a picture in her mind. Her breath, for a moment, caught in her throat and a smile blossomed on her face.

Narnia still found ways to stun her.

"I found you, Ed, I found you!" Lucy declared, some ways behind. Crystal whipped around, training her ears on the volume of the voice of her youngest friend. It was close, not so much that Lucy would spring out from behind a neighboring tree. But close enough, too close.

Crystal continued down the path a little bit further until she reached the perfect perch. Grinning, she glanced over her shoulder once more to ensure she was in the clear. Gathering up her dress, she tucked it high into the waist of her underskirt, grabbed the low branch above her, and lifted herself upwards. With deft ease, she climbed higher into the tree until she found a branch that was perfectly sturdy.

She laid back against the trunk, allowing herself to get comfortable and she shifted the bag that hung off her shoulder onto her lap. She removed a moleskin bound journal and a stick of charcoal and got to work capturing the scene before her.

She wasn't worried or in a rush. After all, she was the undisputed queen of playing Hide-and-Seek. She hadn't been found yet, she didn't suspect she would be found soon now.

Her tongue poked out the corner of her mouth as she concentrated, etching little strokes here and there on the page to try and bring justice to the beauty of nature before her. If she had her way, she'd spend most of her time outside feeling the wind on her face, the sun on her skin, the earth beneath her feet. But, much like back home in Finchley, she was to spend most of her time shut away in the castle, tending to the affairs of those that needed her. Being away from Rayuvial, in the country of Narnia, was the break she so desperately needed. And it was always a joy to be able to spend time with her old friends; four hours by horse was worth the journey.

A twig snapped.

Her hand stalled and she strained, listening to the sounds around her: rustling leaves, flowing water somewhere in the distance, chirping birds, creaking tree branches. Nothing too out of the ordinary. But then, being too ordinary couldn't be something to cast aside, either.

Crystal closed her book and put it back into her bag. Her hand stalled inside the bag, a moment later shifting to grasp the handle of the knife she'd stashed inside.

She may travel light sometimes but she wasn't entirely daft. She had a title now—something she still couldn't quite believe—and she knew not to be without some sort of protection.

It took her time to convince her guards that she didn't need them to follow her around the grounds of Narnia as she visited her friends. Didn't need her ladies-in-waiting to stand at attention, baking in the hot sun as she did as she pleased. She enjoyed the company of her new friends, but they had their own lives to tend to as well.

Her tongue swiped against her lower lip and she steadied herself. Her fingers curled around the handle of the knife and she eased her breathing, calming herself.

Another twig snapped. She closed her eyes, taking in a slow, deep breath, held it, and then let it go. She grasped the branch below herself and swung sideways, toppling over the branch. She swung downwards, drawing her knife, only to clumsily scramble to ground herself on the branch below when she spotted just what it was that was responsible for her rising guard.

Or more precisely, who.

"Peter!" she exclaimed, glaring down at her friend. Of all the people to—wait. Her shoulders hunched and she made a face. "If this was a ruse to get me to give up my position—"

"Hey, hey, I always play fair when it comes to the sacred rules of Hide-and-Seek," Peter replied, looking up at her with one squinted eye and a half smile. "Don't you know Lucy would have my head otherwise?"

She beamed. "So, I won then?" A fair amount of time had to have passed or the game to be over already; not that she noticed. Once she was wrapped up within nature, it could get dark before she would notice the sinking sun. It's happened a few times.

"As always – don't be so surprised," Peter replied. She stuck her tongue out at him and he chuckled. He shielded his eyes with a hand, allowing himself to look up at her properly. "How did you get up there?"

"Oh, you know. I suddenly sprouted some wings and just…flew up here," Crystal said with a wave of her hand. At his following incredulous look she rolled her eyes, a teasing grin on her face. "I climbed, Peter. I can't fly. Not that I am aware of, as of yet. I still don't know exactly how these…abilities work."

She lightly touched the necklace hanging around her neck as she spoke, her finger tracing the line of the bird's foot emblazoned in the silver. "How'd you find me?"

He shrugged. "I have my ways."

"So ominous," she teased but, as she spoke, a light blush dusted her cheeks. She looked too far into the comment, she knew, but it pleased her to know, to think, that Peter knew enough about her to locate her when the others certainly couldn't.

Though a moment later it was replaced by the striking realization that this meant if he were ever "It" in a game that he could weed her out. Her mouth turned to the side. She'd need to pick better hiding spots.

"Come down." Peter extended his hand.

"No chance."

"The game is over. Lucy has a picnic set up for us. A sort of pre-celebration for the upcoming festivities tonight. May be the last time we can spend together for a while."

And while she knew he was speaking generally, for them all to spend together, her stomach turned at his words and her breath caught in her throat. She pressed her lips together. This little…thing was getting a bit old. She'd known Peter her entire life, why was it now, of all times, that her feelings had decided to change? It was becoming a right nuisance.

"If this is a trick—"

"You have my word." Peter placed a hand on his heart and then held it out to her once more.

She sighed. How could she resist a gesture so chivalrous? So…Peter? Steadying herself, she placed her belongings back in her bag. Once she was sure it was secure, she lowered herself a couple of branches and reached out for his extended hand.

She leaned over, their fingertips brushed, and, with a jolt, she lost her balance. A short scream lodged in her throat and she reached out for Peter, latching on as best she could to keep from slamming straight into the ground.

Though that didn't stop him from falling over. His stuttered steps took them backwards until they toppled onto the soft, impossibly green grass beneath them. Catching their fall; well, it caught Peter. Peter caught her. Spluttering and brushing her hair from her face, Crystal's brief shock quickly turned into giggles as she lifted herself away from Peter's hard-muscled chest.

"Whoa there, don't worry. I got you," Peter said with a little laugh. The sound, coupled with becoming aware that he held her tight against him, made her blush once more and she hastily backed away. To regather her wits, of course.

She didn't need to be distracted by the grip he had on her, one so steady and sure. "You've gotten clumsy," he teased,sitting up, brushing stray grass strands out of his blond fringe.

"Oh hush!

You've caught me off guard, is all," she denied, untucking the hem of her skirts. "And I'm also famished; I'm not at the top of my game." She moved to stand only to let out a cry of pain and kneel back down. Peter was by her side in an instant, smelling of leather and, oddly, cornflour.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yes, yes, quite alright," she replied. She steadily got back to her feet. "See? I'm fine. I just—ouch!" She had barely put her weight back on her foot when a sharp twinge hit her again. Lifting the hem of her dress, she looked down to see redness surrounding her ankle. "Bollocks."

"You must have hurt it in the fall," Peter said. He reached for her and she batted his hand away.

"Come now, let me look." And yet she still backed away from him. He sighed, rested an arm on an upturned knee, looking quite like someone with alternative intent rather than a concerned friend. "Please?" She gulped, gathered her wits–(Knock it off! He's just trying to help!)–and rested her foot against his knee. Feeling all sorts like Cinderella. Or someone about to be proposed to.

His lithe fingers barely touched her swollen ankle when she snatched it away. "See? It's fine." She smoothed her dress back into place.

"It's sprained," he replied, standing. "I'm sure Luce could take a better look at it. Let's get back." He extended his hand once more.

"I can get back on my own, thanks!"

"I'm sure you can but I did this."

She shook her head, voice dropping to a soft murmur as she said, "You did no such thing. This was all my doing."

"Perhaps." He licked his lower lip; she turned her head away to keep from watching his tongue trace the plump lip that she wouldn't even admit to herself she'd dreamed of kissing a few times. "Still, I wouldn't feel right letting you walk back on your own." He extended his hand again and she eyed it. Being that close to his chest once was enough to turn her into a mess. But twice? She may as well commit herself.

Sensing her hesitancy he dropped his hand, smiled, and turned so he knelt once more, this time away from her. She peered at him, head tilting in confusion. Only when he smiled back at her over his shoulder did she get it.

Ah. Well, she supposed it was a better option.

Clearing her throat, she stepped forward and leaning over until her arms looped around his neck and her legs were secure on his waist. He stood with ease, looping his arms beneath her legs and began to carry her through the woods, back to his family.

"I'm going to take care of you, okay?" His voice was a rumbled from where her ear pressed against his neck. She shivered, hoping he hadn't noticed. The scent of leather and cornflower was overwhelming this close. And the dotted sunshine bursting through the leaves ahead lay a pattern on his skin she wanted to trace and connect. Taking in the beautiful landscape around her, a small smile formed and nestled against Peter's back.

Oh yes, this was a better option.

I can't stay away from Peter/Crystal for too long. I love them so much. I bounce in and out of the Narnia fandom a lot but I've recently been pulled back to it because of my sister's fic The Night Witch (over on DarkElements10, go check it out!) I am currently writing the sequel to One of the Guys, called The White Stag. Yes, it's been years between the original and the sequel and I'm aware that people may have moved away from the fandom since then but I hope I still have some old readers sticking around. To new readers: hope you enjoyed this!

~C.M.