Sorry this has taken so long, life has been kicking my butt!

ONWARD!

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EDMUND

The morning dawned bright and cold and as soon as awareness started to creep into my mind I was already dreading getting out of bed and facing the chill of the room until I could get out and down to the great hall where the massive fireplace would be lit and ready...but a moment later it occured to me that I felt much warmer than I had any other morning. Oh. That's right.

I opened my eyes fully and immediately smiled. Najida was still there, her legs tangled with mine and her back pressed to my chest, she was the source of the unfamiliar heat and I felt that winter might not be so bad if I could go to bed with her at night and wake up with her in the morning.

I sighed, feeling a deep sort of satisfaction in my chest, like I was right where I needed to be and I was contented to stay there. Memories of the night before came to mind, and I felt equal parts pleased and embarrassed. I wondered if she'd enjoyed it as much as I had? Would she regret it when she woke up? I could just imagine her panicking until she realized she was just with me...

But she always was a surprise and this morning was no exception. I felt her stir and begin to wake up and I braced myself, ready to reassure and comfort her, and there was a moment where she tensed and I thought it was coming...but then she relaxed and turned around, laying her head on the pillow and gave me the sweetest, most happy smile. I smiled back, my heart feeling so full at that moment that I couldn't imagine ever being less than happy again.

"Good morning," I mumbled sleepily.

"It certainly is," she agreed, and she reached out and traced her fingers over my face.

I didn't want to get up, I could stay here like this all day long, besides...getting back out of this room meant facing my siblings and all the teasing I knew darn well was coming. Peter would probably be relentless, Susan would just give me disapproving looks the whole day, and Aslan only knew what Lucy would do!

"Do we have to move?" I mumbled into her hair, "I would really rather not..."

She giggled and slapped my arm where it was draped over her midsection, but it was a playful slap and only made me smile further.

"Edmund, of course we do! I don't know about you but all that activity made me hungry as a bear waking up after winter!"

Almost as if on cue, my own stomach rumbled in agreement and I sighed, accepting my fate. I eyed the dresser where my clothes waited within and then the now dead heap of slightly smouldering coals in the fireplace. It was so cold outside of these blankets and it was going to be miserable...but I took a deep breath and threw back the covers. It made both of us shrink into ourselves and I clung to her for the last bit of warmth I could get before I jumped out of bed and ran for the dresser to grab the warmest ensemble I could put together.

I dressed in record time and Najida did the same, pulling all her layers back on. I warmed up a little bit from just the thought of how I had removed them the night before, the fire in my belly threatening to wake again if I continued down that line of thought. I squashed the images in my head and pulled my boots on while sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Alright, let's go!" I barked when she had slipped into her shoes, taking her by the arm and leading her out to the hallway quickly. Even just the hall was warmer than my closed off room with the giant window and no fire in the fireplace so I felt immediate relief in stepping out into it. "Oh, yeah, that's much better."

Najida giggled and we made our way towards the great hall for breakfast. Every step we took I started to feel even more nervous and I wondered if she was feeling the same way, but if she was it certainly wasn't showing on her face because she was smiling gently as if it was just naturally stuck there. I didn't say anything because I would have hated to spoil her good mood by making her feel embarrassed.

I was right to worry though, as soon as we stepped into the great hall it was painfully clear that our activities the night prior had not been unnoticed and it was even more painfully clear that there was a whole lot of disapproval about it. I noticed Hadiah first, her death glare was the most obvious, but Susan's disappointed stare was a close second and I avoided looking at her when I joined them at the high table.

At least Peter didn't seem bothered and he kept the space between me and Susan occupiedm which I was very grateful for. I dreaded facing her as I knew Najida was dreading facing her own sister, which was obvious by the way she was avoiding Hadiah's furious eyes. So I ate as quickly as possible so I could make my getaway, but the second I made to stand and leave I felt Peter's hand close on my arm and the firmness of it told me I had no choice but to sit back down and so I did, blushing hard and avoiding the eyes of every single person in the room.

It took a while for the room to empty and when it finally did, Susan stood up and gave me a look that was a clear demand for me to follow. Lucy and Peter followed as well and the four of us made our way to the Throne Room.

"Please, we will receive no one until further notice this morning," Susan informed the guards at the doors and they nodded, closing the doors behind them and leaving me alone with my siblings.

I couldn't remember feeling this awkward since the morning I was reunited with my siblings after my betrayal...but I had nothing to be ashamed of this time so why was I acting guilty?! I straightened up and met their eyes, all of them, with a defiant tilt of my chin.

"Would anyone care to explain all the grim secrecy?" I challenged.

"There's no secrecy, Ed," Peter sighed and it was very clear he didn't really want to be a part of this. "You know what this is about."

"I have a vague idea. But what I don't know is how it's any of your business or why you're all acting like there's a problem."

"Oh, Edmund, it's not us," Lucy spoke up and that surprised me because she was looking very uncomfortable with the whole situation. "It's so silly, really..."

"You wouldn't know, you only just woke up," Susan stated, and her tone wasn't pleasent. "So I'm not surprised you haven't heard the rumors yet."

"Rumors?"

Peter rolled his eyes.

"Apparently some of the castle maids and workers found out, or saw you two sneaking off or something, but they of course had to tell everyone they knew and you know how stories spread quickly."

"This morning it's all over the castle..." Lucy began delicately.

"And half of them are convinced you bought her in Calormen as a concubine of sorts." Susan finished far more bluntly.

I felt a blush creep into my cheeks, it was a mix of embarrassment and anger in equal amounts.

"WHAT!?" I hollered to no one in particular.

"Of course it's ridiculous, we all know that," Susan's tone changed immediately, the look on my face must have had an effect on her. "But, Edmund, perhaps from the outside looking in it would be rather...untowards?"

"Untowards?" I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest.

Peter sighed again and I gave him a look that made my thoughts very clear: how was it ok for him to lay with Dryads after battles and not be judged so harshly but I was held to such a high standard?

"Don't look at me that way, Ed," Peter grumped, "It's not the same and you know it. Everyone knows you bought Najida and Jinni in Calormen, that's been common knowledge for some time now. Everyone also knows Najida is part of your Royal Guard...so to see you two engaged in a more intimate relationship would naturally lead people to wonder..."

"I wouldn't say there's anything natural about that line of thinking," I argued, "You would think my own people didn't even know me at all!"

"Except...most of the people around here are Eastern Narnians," Lucy said quietly, "They don't know you quite as well as your people in the West, Ed. They respect you, of course, and you are certainly their king, but they don't know your personal business as well."

It made sense...in an irritating sort of way.

"So they assume I bought her for this reason then?" I muttered angrily.

"I don't know if they truly do or not, but you certainly haven't given them any other understanding of the matter, you two keep your relationship very professional out in public." Susan reasoned. "But there's more to it than just them, Ed."

Lucy was the one who spoke bluntly this time:

"Didn't you miss a step somewhere, Edmund? Usually a wedding takes place first."

I blushed even harder at that. But the thing was...I knew exactly how she felt, because it had been nagging in my mind too ever since I had agreed to go through with it the first time. I had always imagined that such an intimate situation would involve a white dress and flowers and the blessing of my people, but I had convinced myself that I could skip that step and come back to it later. I didn't regret last night and I knew now more than ever that I loved her...and it had certainly cemented the knowledge in my brain that I wanted to go back to that step I skipped.

"I hear what you're all saying...and you're right. Doesn't mean I have to like the fact that the Narnians are spreading nasty rumors..."

"Oh, Ed, don't." Lucy pleaded, "Don't be angry with them. They'll understand eventually."

It dawned on me then that these rumors would surely get back to Najida herself. Hadiyah was sure to have heard them by now and that would certainly explain even more why she had been death glaring at me during breakfast. Oh, Lion's Mane, I needed to go find her and tell her before someone else did!

"If you three would excuse me," I said urgently, already backing up.

"Edmund Pevensie, we are not done discussing..."

"I think we are, Su," Peter spoke up, giving me a nod of approval to go. I could tell he knew that what they had said was more than enough and I was grateful for my brother's understanding.

"For the record," I said as I pulled open the door to the hall and glanced back over my shoulder at my siblings, "I don't regret a thing and I don't care what anyone thinks."

I saw Susan's expression of diapproval, Peter's amused smirk, and Lucy's smile which I knew would become a laugh before I walked out of the room and into the hallway, heading for Hadiyah's room since I had a feeling that's where I would find the both of them. Along the way I was acutely aware of the way anyone I passed in the halls were looking at me and then glancing quickly away again. It was frustrating...had people really just been waiting for a chance to doubt me this whole time or was it just my imagination?

When I reached the door to the guest room where Hadiyah was set up, he knocked firmly. After a few moments the door cracked open a tiny bit and Hadiyah's dark eyes peeked out, narrowed, and she began to shut the door but I put my shoulder into it to prevent it.

"Hadiyah, I know Najida is in there and I need to talk to her...actually, I need to talk to both of you."

"I think you've done enough." Hadiyah's voice was cold and I immediately got the sense that something was wrong.

"Najida!" I called out and pushed my way into the room in spite of Hadiyah's wishes. It may not have been the best idea but it got the result I wanted and I was no face to face with Najida who was looking at me in surprise.

"Edmund, what are you...?"

"Have you heard the gossip?" I asked her bluntly.

She blinked a few times and then she hung her head and nodded with a sigh.

"Yes, Hadiyah told me. I told her it wasn't true..." But her face held doubt and she looked back up to meet my eyes and I could see the questioning going on in her mind. "It isn't true, is it, Edmund?"

"Of course not," I quickly assured her, "You know it's not."

"I know," Her voice held a confidence in it this time. "It's still so hard for me to believe but...I know you better than that."

"And your sister?" I looked at Hadiyah very pointedly.

"She..."

"I can speak for myself, sister!" Hadiyah snapped, and I did her the favor of taking a meek step back at her approach. "I say I don't know you at all, that you're a Narnian barbarian king so used to getting exactly what he wants that he wouldn't hesitate for a second to buy a slave girl for his own pleasures !"

I wanted to snap back, get defensive, I could feel my skin prickling with indignation...but I kept reminding myself that it wasn't fair to get angry about something that was so deeply ingrained in her. She wasn't to blame for these feelings.

"I don't trust you...but my sister does..." her tones had changed, something in it sounded a bit defeated and her eyes dropped to the floor between us. "So I'm going to give you one chance to prove that you aren't what I think you are. If you mess up, even ONCE, I will make your life a living hell."

"Fair enough," I responded with dignified calm and I think that annoyed her more than anything because she looked surprised and then she huffed and walked over to sit down on the trunk at the foot of the bed. I turned my attention back to Najida then and gave her a small smile. "I'm really sorry about all this nonsense."

"Do you really care what people think, Edmund?" she teased.

"Well...yes, when it comes to my people," I admitted, "I've worked really hard to earn their respect."

"So what does this mean? Does this mean we aren't...going to be...staying the night with eachother anymore?"

I laughed.

"No, of course not. No point in that, us there? They're already talking, changing our ways will only give them more to talk about. We have nothing to be guilty about so let's not look guilty."

Hadiyah scoffed off to the side and I just rolled my eyes before continuing.

"Apparently we've been very secretive about our relationship. Maybe being more...open about it, will make people realize I didn't buy you."

"But you did buy me."

"Yes, I did. But I freed you immediately!"

She smiled at me, so softly, and I felt my heart do a strange sort of flip.

"Yes, you did. And I never really thanked you properly for that, did I?"

"You have, in your own way."

"I can show you even better...tonight." Her tone was teasing and she was swaying playfully.

"Oh, for the love of Tash, get out of my room if you're going to be digusting!" Hadiyah hopped up and pushed us both towards the door, slamming it closed behind us and leaving the two of us laughing loudly in the hallway as several maids looked on.

Maybe THAT would give them all something to talk about!

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SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG! Work got insane, life got insane, holidays are insane...but here's the chappie I promised and more to come!