Don't lose that smile. Don't lose the light that I can use to reach your heart... ~ Florence Joyce
xxxxxx
It might have been the start of a crazy day for Amy. But it had also been a game changer for her, as well. At least, game changer in terms of her usual routine. Not just on Earth, but also in Narnia.
Amy still couldn't look directly for longer than 30 seconds at Edmund as her mind couldn't help recalling the events of their first meeting earlier that morning. She wasn't sure if the Pevensie sisters knew what happened as they were the ones who brought her breakfast. But at the moment, if in case they weren't aware, then she had no plans of mentioning anything.
At least, just until she could feel herself ready to tell the details.
"Why are you up here so early, by the way?" Edmund asked after a period of silence between them, which caught her by surprise. Not obviously, anyway.
Amy sighed as she placed her hands holding a bowl of porridge on her lap and stared at the view, with the sun starting to rise. "I can't afford to let the Telmarines do any more harm to the Narnians here or at least have the intention to do so as soon as they reach this place. I have to keep watch ― at least just until we could come up with a different way to settle all this without resorting to so much bloodshed." She chuckled bitterly after saying that. "Then again, with what happened yesterday, it would be close to impossible."
"You're really good. Do you know that?"
Those words caused Amy to turn to Edmund and eyed him quizzically. "What do you mean?"
"I-I mean... you're skilled for an archer. Susan told me about how you shot that Telmarine soldier from your position here. She said that even for her, it's a hard feat."
She could only look at the Just King who was seemingly avoiding her gaze while saying those words to her. Before she could even stop herself, she smiled before giggling for a short while. "Thank you for your kind words, Your Majesty."
"Amy, I thought I told you not to address me formally."
"I know. I'm just teasing you. But in all honesty, thank you for saying that I'm good at archery, even though it's the weapon I struggled using when I first came here."
"Is that so?"
Amy nodded and eyed the rising sun over the horizon. "But the centaur that guided me back then ― Grandfire ― patiently taught me how to, as he mentioned that my observing skills and sharp eyesight was something I should put to good use."
Nothing was said as a response to that, but it was okay for her. It appeared that Edmund was caught up doing something else, anyway. He could either be thinking or watching the view.
That is, until she could feel something else entirely besides the calmness she felt for watching the sunrise. She turned almost rashly to where Edmund was sitting and there he was, looking at her almost intently.
Without a question, her action startled them both. At least on her case, it was the sight that greeted her after that action which startled her.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Amy couldn't help asking. This was the first time in which she got to meet one of the kings that ruled over Narnia long before she did. And yet this particular king's stare at her at the moment gave her heart something to ponder upon.
One thing she was sure about, his intent stare wasn't something she should fear about, regardless of what she had read in the stories about the Golden Age.
"They truly gave you the most appropriate title here," Edmund said that broke the silence between them.
Of course, his words made her frown. "Whatever do you mean by that?"
"Even your beauty resembles that of the dawn."
xxxxxx
Edmund could only heave an exasperated sigh as he kept pacing back and forth while he was in the room where the Stone Table was housed. Not only that, he would scratch the back of his head rather frustratingly from time to time, especially when he'd end up recalling what he'd like to call as an embarrassing moment.
"How did those words leave my mouth?" he muttered as he sighed and paced back and forth once more.
No words were spoken right after he uttered his answer to Amy's question. But even with that, he could feel a slight tension and awkwardness rising that made him unable to look at her right after. Before he knew it, he stood up and left her there.
Of course, he couldn't help feeling bad after realizing what he just did. And that was why he was pacing back and forth for almost 20 minutes. He couldn't settle his thoughts on what to do after that realization.
But he knew he had to do something, and he better do so before his thoughts would start to drive him crazy.
"If I should have known that you'll just pace here back and forth after leaving me there, I wouldn't have thought of you and your actions earlier as rude for a king."
Edmund rashly turned as he abruptly stopped walking to the source of that voice. He could only look at Amy in mild shock as she was walking towards him while carrying a wooden tray with two bowls of hot food on it.
"They told me you haven't eaten anything since you woke up. And you even decided to head to my post without having a breakfast, at least." Amy sighed as she placed the tray on one of the boulders there with a flat surface.
"I thought... you're going to stay up there up until noon," Edmund said as soon as he finally gathered his thoughts.
"I was planning to. But I noticed that... you might need someone to talk to instead. You just left after that without even looking back. What happened to you?"
Was she serious? This girl was truly asking him that? He wanted to blurt that out, but he stopped himself. Instead, he took a deep breath and slowly, he approached Amy.
"You don't seem to be bothered about what I told you."
Amy just looked at him after that, her eyes widened a bit. It seemed that she already knew what he was referring to.
"It did... surprise me, if I'm going to be honest," the Dawn Queen responded, trying not to stammer. "You were the first to actually say those words to me. At least, the first person who isn't entirely related to Narnia in terms of the world we've lived in. I usually hear them from my subjects when I ruled here. So hearing it from you is... kind of new to me."
Edmund couldn't help smiling at the sight of Amy's bashful expression as she finished saying those words. "And to think we've just met today. Even I can't believe I said something like that to someone."
Amy smiled and chuckled.
"Thank you... for bringing me food here. Are you going back to your post after bringing this here?'
To his confusion, she shook her head. "I'll stay here until you finish eating. I already asked someone to take over my post for the meantime, anyway. There's actually something I have to discuss with you."
Now those words had caught Edmund's full attention. But before that, he might as well appreciate Amy's effort of bringing him something to eat. Whatever her reasons for doing so personally, he didn't want to think about it at the moment.
"I hope you won't get bored when you watch me eat."
Those words had only made Amy laugh. Believe it or not, Edmund loved to hear the sound of that.
The two young rulers in that room, however, were unaware that several pairs of eyes were watching them ― all with excitement in their eyes, whether they admit it or not. Even with the current war going on, it appeared that none of the tension it created could destroy something that was starting to bloom in front of them.
"Who would've thought that someone could make our Edmund get flustered like that?"
Susan and Lucy could only chuckle at Peter's words.
Yes. Perhaps there was nothing wrong with enjoying this kind of moment, even though they know it wouldn't last that long.
xxxxxx
I started writing this around the start of 2019. But I kept on posting and unpublishing this one when it seems that I couldn't think of a way on how to proceed with this. But this time, I like to do my best to finish writing this fic. Just let the inspiration and imagination flow so that I can do that.
In any case, thank you for still reading in spite of that fickle-minded part of me appearing sometimes. I'm finishing this. I'm affirming that! 😄✌💕
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