Afraid to Love》Edmund Pevensie✔

VIII

The Pevensies were just as terrified by the news as Avelyn.

"Do you know anything else about that demon?" Lucy asked, glancing at Avelyn's notes "like where it lives or so?"

"None" the girl huffed in annoyance, her eyes fixed on something she was reading from the book in her hand.

"Well we can't just wait around for it to get here" Susan announced.

"Yes," Peter chimed in "I say we go looking for it"

"And do you know where to look?" Edmund asked, raising a brow "we can't just roam all over Narnia looking for it"

"We can't just sit around too" Lucy pointed out "we need to figure out something"

"And what happens after we find it?" Tummus inquired.

"We put an end to it" Peter said briskly.

"It won't be that easy" Avelyn replied "no one's been able to kill the creature"

"There's always a first time"

Just then, there was a knock on the library door. Susan nodded at Tummus, indicating for him to let whoever was on the other side, enter.

Lord Frain stumbled in, a troubled look plastered on his face.

"Is everything alright?" Peter asked, taking in his appearance.

"Theee of my men went out into the woods" he informed "only one of them returned"

"Into the woods?" Edmund asked "my woods?"

"Yes your grace"

"Are they lost? I'll have the wolves look for them-"

"No your majesty" he interrupted "they're not lost, they're dead. They were killed. The man who escaped said it was some sort of inexplainable creature. It shifted between forms"

The kings and queens exchanged worried glances. This meant that he was in Narnia, close to Cair Paravel,

Agramon.

From what the Frain's guard told them, the creature was supposedly near the far end of the woods, toward Archland and not as close to Narnia, but not far either.

The Lord requested to leave to go back to his land, since there was this sort of demon on the loose.

Avelyn was present at the front of the castle, saying her goodbyes to the men. Once she'd said her last goodbye to William, she went back inside and to the balcony by the ballroom from where she could see the Archlanders make their way back home, this time taking a route other than through the woods.

"I see you've said your goodbyes" Edmund said from behind, startling the young queen.

"You scared me" she punched his arm playfully when he came to stand beside her.

"Finally some peace" the boy sighed, referring to William and Avelyn understood it perfectly.

"I honestly don't know what gets you annoyed ever time you see him" she said, annoyed "but you need to stop"

"What's it to you?" The boy snapped "upset that I don't approve of your little fling with him?"

"What! That's what you think?" She yelled "that's ridiculous. Even if there was anything, I certainly don't need your approva"

"So that means there is something" he eyed her

"No!" She turned to face him "honest Edmund, your being so stupid right now!"

"Yes, that's me" he yelled back "Edmund Pevensie, the ridiculous stupid boy who no one really needs around"

"I never said that!" She defended "when did I ever say no one needs you? I've always tried to help you out"

"I don't need help!" He snapped "I just need you to accept me as I am. I don't want any of your time or anything!"

"All this because of William?" she asked, annoyance lacing her words "what, are you jealous or something? Because you aren't really making sense right now!"

"You Avelyn," Edmund shook his head "are just too much for me!"

"Shut up Edmund!" Avelyn yelled "just shut up! I'm tired of this! I'm trying so hard to talk to you, get to know the real you but you just don't seem to Cooperate!"

"This is who I am!" Edmund yelled back, stepping closer to her "honestly Avelyn, why can't you give up? Can't you see I'm doing this for you to stop trying! I hate being jealous! I hate that I don't know how to love someone! Can't you just stop this? Your making things even harder for me! Why are you so stubborn?  Why are you giving me all these false signs, making it seem like you actually care about me, why!"

"Because I do care about you!" She stepped closer "I care about you so much it hurts, that I can't get to you. Can't get past those walls. I've tried so hard to tell you Ed, that I'm not going to play with you"

"You're talking about me having these fears?" Edmund stepped closer, rage clearly visible "what about you? You never seem to grasp on the fact they we're all family. We're never leaving you. Why are you so stubborn? You have this mindset that no one will stay long enough with you, that everyone will leave. We're not going to! No one is! So you can stop looking out for me to ensure I won't leave because you need some people around you and Edmund the stupid seems to be like the person who'll stay because he's too lazy to run off!"

"I'm not doing this because I just want  some people around so I don't feel like a loner. I genuinely don't want to lose you Edmund! I'm tired of this whole thing of you pushing me away from you! Do you how frustrating that is? How annoying it is when the person you love refuses to see that you do?!"

Both Edmund and Avelyn stood facing each other in silence. They both were panting from the amount of yelling they did.

"Oh there you are," Lucy popped up from behind the doors but once she say their appearance she looked at them confused "are you two alright? Why are you both panting?"

"Y..yes we're fine" Edmund panted "we were just.."

"Running" Avelyn filled in.

"In the balcony?" Lucy questioned, not quiet convinced by their answer.

"Running toward the balcony" Avelyn clarified.

Lucy examined them both. They were both panting and their cheeks were tinted pink. It it weren't for the visible scorn on each of their faces, Lucy would've sworn they made out but it clearly seemed to look like the two had a very heated argument.

"Peter," Lucy spoke "has asked you two to come to his chambers. Susan's already there. He's decided what to do about this whole demon situation"