AN: Hey. I'm back. So, sorry for taking down the chapter before, but those who did manage to see it will probably agree that this is better. I just felt like I was really rushing to fit things in, and I felt that it was poorly written on top of that. So I took it down. Anyway, here's the story.

Chapter 14

"Edmund darling!"

Anna closed her eyes and sighed through her nose.

"Can we run?" Edmund asked.

"It's too late, she's seen us."

Cada pranced up to them and kissed the Just King on the cheek. He forced a smile and stepped away from her.

"Hello, Cada," he said.

"Hello, Edmund," she replied, moving closer to him again. Edmund vainly tried to put more space between them.

"Oh, Anna, Lucy was looking for you," Cada added absently.

"I guess I'd better go find her, then," Anna replied, taking a step back reluctantly.

"I'll come with you!" Edmund volunteered.

Cada pulled back on his arm with a seductive smile. "No, I want to show you something in the garden."

Edmund shot Anna a helpless look.

"Lucy said it was urgent," Cada warned, tugging Edmund closer to the door.

Anna sighed heavily. "Alright. I'll go find her. Is it okay if I catch up with you after I see what Lucy wants?" she asked.

A frown flitted across Cada's face. "I guess that would be okay. Lucy was in the throne room, last I saw her. Take your time."

Anna frowned. The throne room was all the way on the other side of the castle. "Alright," she said. With a pitying glance at Edmund as Cada dragged him outside, Anna went to find Lucy. She lamented having to waste time walking all the way across Cair Paravel while her best friend was behind subject to who knew what. But she'd hardly turned the corner before running smack into Lucy.

"Lu!" Anna exclaimed, "I thought you were in the throne room."

The queen's eyebrows knit in confusion. "No, I was in there. I haven't been in the throne room all day."

"Oh. Cada told me you were. She said you wanted to see me about something?"

Lucy shrugged. "No, I'm fine."

Anna's face fell into a glare as she realized what had happened. "Ah."

Lucy, always one to believe the best of everyone, suggested that perhaps Cada meant to send her to Susan.

"No," Anna said, "I know exactly where she sent me. Thanks, Lu."

The Lady stormed back the way she came. The door slammed open when she gave it a rough shove. Unfortunately, the bang! it made wasn't nearly loud enough to calm her anger. She stalked around the garden, trying to spot her friend and "friend". Perhaps she was getting more worked up about this than she should have, but Anna had becoming more and more sick of Cada every day. She was absolutely brainless. Anna wasn't sure how much more of the girl's pointless and illogical babble she could take, but she kept up a forced smile. This little offense was the last straw. She exploded.

Anna noticed the sound of murmuring coming from behind a hedge. Anna pushed the leaves aside, ready to march forward and tell Cada off for sending her on a wild goose chase.

Her anger popped like a bubble.

Anna let the branches fall back into place and sank to the ground. Cada and Edmund had been sitting together on one of the garden's carved stone benches. And... they were...

Anna buried her head in her arms. This was more upsetting than it should have been. She shouldn't care. So what if Cada and Edmund were kissing? So what? Why did it matter? But it did. Anna took a shuddering breath and stood up. She couldn't stay there anymore, knowing that right on the other side of the hedge, her best friend was with some other girl. She would have run away, too, if she hadn't heard Edmund speak up.

"I'm sorry Cada, but I have to be honest with you."

Anna plopped back down and listened closely to the hedge.

"I really don't like you that way," Edmund said, "You're a nice girl, but just not my type. I hope we can still be friends."

Anna found herself doing a silent happy dance. From the sounds of it, Cada wasn't so lucky.

"What do you mean, you don't like me that way," she asked. Her voice was startlingly flat.

"I'm sorry," Edmund repeated.

Cada suddenly turned angry. "It's Anna, isn't it? That little brat has you wrapped around her finger."

"No - I..."

"She's just using you to become queen. You know that right?"

Anna's mouth fell open. Cada had resorted to lying about her?

Edmund was calmer. It even sounded like he was holding back laughter. "Cada, that is the single most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. She doesn't even want to be a queen."

"It's all an act!" Cada protested.

The King's voice took on a glummer note. "And I suppose her complete lack of romantic interest in me is an act too. If she wanted to just become queen, she could have married Peter. Then she'd be High Queen."

"She was going to. But Peter dumped her, remember?"

"Cada, I know you're upset, but lying to turn me against my best friend isn't going to change anything."

"But she's not just your best friend! You're in love with her, I - I know it!" Cada said. Anna peaked through the branches. The poor, evil girl was in tears. Edmund was looking calm on the outside, but Anna could tell he was feeling extremely awkward.

"Cada, I don't -"

"You do! But you shouldn't! She's awful. I'm only friends with her because I pity the poor girl."

Anna got to her feet and pushed the branches aside. "Funny," she remarked, stepping into the small square, "I could say the same for you."

The expression of shock and horror on Cada's face was downright humorous. Edmund, on the other hand, looked only mildly surprised.

"How much of that did you hear?" he asked.

"From the kiss onward," Anna said.

"I was totally talking about a different Anna," promised Cada. She fell silent upon receiving a withering look from Anna.

"I'm not interested in making an enemy out of you, Cada, but I don't feel it's necessary for us to continue our friendship. Consider this a formal goodbye," Anna told her. Cada stared, flabbergasted.

The Narnian Lady held out her hand to her King. "Come on, Ed. We don't need her."

She took his hand when he stood next to her. Cada's mouth fell open at the sight of it. This pleased Anna more than she'd want to admit. For all her dignity and formality when breaking ties with Cada, Anna was still an imperfect human prone to spite.

"You... you...!" Cada gasped.

With a defiant toss of her head, Anna lead Edmund away from the offending Duchess. In a few moments, they were out of her earshot and safely into the garden. They were still holding hands.

Anna took a deep breath and let it out. "Well. That was an emotional half-hour."

"You're telling me," Edmund agreed.

"What's going to happen to Cada now, do you think?" asked Anna.

"With any luck, she'll go back to Archenland."

Anna laid her head on Edmund's shoulder and chuckled. "Oh, we're horrible," she said fondly.

"I wouldn't have us any other way," Edmund promised.

Anna and Edmund were trying very hard to look everywhere but Cada. This was made difficult by the fact that she was glaring at them. Obviously she was still sore about her rejection.

"Do you think she thinks we're holding hands under the table?" Anna whispered, turning her head so Cada couldn't read her lips.

"Probably," Edmund said, "We were holding hands yesterday."

"And now we're whispering to each other. We probably seem like such a couple."

A jolt of some unidentified emotion startled Anna. The possiblity of her and Edmund as a couple was so frequently discussed that she usually felt only irritation at its mention. Not recently. She didn't know what was up.

Anna met Edmund's eyes, only to find that he was smirking. "We're being awful to her, aren't we?" he asked.

"Not intentionally," Anna said. She leaned forward and gently brushed her lips against Edmund's cheek. "Okay, that was intentional," she laughed.

They smiled at each other for a few moments before glancing in different directions.

"She's really glaring now," Edmund remarked.

"Well, you know what? She deserves to be unhappy. I mean, she lied about me to break us up. And I sound really petty right now. I feel bad, pretend I didn't say that."

Peter's voice cut through their conversation. "Hey lovebirds! We're trying to come up with a strategy for this war," he called.

Anna leaned away from Edmund, blushing furiously.

"I'm sorry, I was speaking to my best friend," Edmund announced. "What do we have?"

Peter tapped his finger against the map laid out on the table in front of them. "Our spies tell us that Telmarine armies are marching southward. They're going to attempt to take this river, then move on from there."

"Then we should stop them here," Cadin suggested, pointing out a field in between the river and the Narnian border. "If we can destroy their army before they get too far into Narnia, we can cut the war short and keep the damage minimal."

Susan nodded. "I still hope that our diplomatic envoy can get through to them, but since that isn't looking likely, I suggest we send an army there."

"That sounds good to me," Anna said.

"Your opinion doesn't matter," snapped Cada.

"I think it does!" Lucy retorted.

"Me too," Edmund said, taking Anna's hand.

The following awkward silence was finally broken by Peter clearing his throat. "Do we agree that this plan is good?"

The four Narnian rulers and Cadin voted unanimously that it was. Anna and Cada were there more for moral support than anything, so they didn't cast votes. It did hurt a little when Anna realized that Cada had a point when she said that her opinion didn't matter, but she was used to it.

"Good," Peter said, "Now all that remains is to go there."

Susan sighed. "We were barely home for a week," she lamented.

Peter patted his sister's shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry. If all goes well, we'll be back here soon."

"Should we talk battle strategy?" Edmund asked.

"I think we should wait until we have more information from our spies to worry about that. I suppose that's all we need to discuss right now."

"That was a quick meeting!" Lucy said.

"Yes, it -" Peter cut off abruptly and hastily bowed. "Aslan!" he gasped.

The others turned their gazes to the far end of the room, only to be dazzled by the sight of the majestic creature. All dropped to a kneeling position except Lucy, who ran straight to Aslan and buried her face in his mane.

"Rise," Aslan told them. They followed his command.

"I come only to warn you of the great danger you will soon face," the Lion said, "It will test your skills, smarts, and nerves. You need to fight with your armies and with your hearts. All of you must remember the things that you hold to be true, or you will doubt all of them. Keep in mind the image of you have of yourself and the people close to you. Do not question this image. She'll try to tear you apart."

"She?" asked Peter.

"Do you mean the Telmarine Princess? Priscana?" guessed Lucy.

"All in good time, child," Aslan said. "I can only tell you that she will pose a great threat. If you do not defeat her, Narnia will fall."

Peter nodded solemnly. "We understand."

Aslan took a step backward. "I will leave you now. Do not forget the things I have said. I will give you my blessing."

The great Lion roared. Then he was gone.