The High Queen

Chapter 3

"Come on Peter..." Susan baited. 

My attention was fastened out the window, and at pouring rain. Rain reminded me of sorrow, of pain, and of heart ache. I felt a tear slip down my own cheek, and I brushed it away angered at my reckless behavior. Someone could have seen it! 

I could feel a pair of eyes on me, so I sniffled quietly and stood. 

"Y/N?" Edmund walked beside me. "What do you do for fun here?" 

Before I could open my mouth Lucy pipped up. "Hide and Seek!" She squealed. "Come on Peter... please..." She tugged on her brother. 

"But we are already having so much fun." Peter smirked at me, and I looked down after a small smile graced my lips. 

"Come on Peter!" Lucy tugged on him even more. "Please.." She stuck out her bottom lip and gave him her best puppy eyes. 

"1...2...3..." Peter began counting, and Lucy squealed. 

"Y/N!" She ran to me and grasped my hand. Tugging me out the door, I threw her sister a glance. She smiled slightly and nodded. I allowed myself to be pulled along by the little girl. 

Little did I notice the lingering gaze of her eldest brother, before he shut his eyes and began to count. 

Lucy drug me up the stairs and behind a curtain. 

"I was here first!" We heard a disgruntled Edmund whine. 

"Oh sorry." I whispered. "Come on Lucy!" 

We ran to the study, only to find it locked. "In here!" I pushed open the door beside the study. Stumbling into the abandoned room, I shut the door carefully.

"Uh, Y/N?" Lucy pointed at the wardrobe behind us. "In there!" 

Carefully I cracked the door open, "You go in first I'll shut it behind us." 

Lucy climbed in and I followed, carefully I shut the door. "We must be very quiet." I whispered. 

The little girl did not answer so I figured she was already taking my advice. At least if Peter found us, I would be found first. Today had been okay, other then Edmund seeing my tears. I needed to ensure they never saw. I was supposed to be happy, excited, animated, but inside I wanted to cry. My mind was never one to help with these sorts of things. 

I could hear Peter's footsteps, and I cuddled into the coats more. He was such a handsome boy, I rarely allowed my feelings to spread, but they were seemingly latching onto him. At boarding school there had been a boy, but he had been so cruel. Peter did not seem like he would be cruel or mean, but I could never really know. 

A younger version of me would have allowed me to think he was cute, or to even allow myself to develop feelings for him, but I was not that younger version of myself. The world was a cruel disgusting place, that had no interests in being kind to me. 

Just as I was about to let myself cry, Lucy pushed against me and flung the doors open, letting me spill out and onto the floor. 

"It's alright! I'm back! I'm okay!" She yelled. 

"What are you talking about?" I questioned. 

She must not have heard me, because she ran out of the room and into the hall yelling that she was back. 

"Back from what?" I whispered. I turned to look at the Wardrobe. It couldn't be. 

A small memory drilled into my mind. No. It was not possible. Pushing myself off of the ground, I walked into the wardrobe. My fingers danced against the furs, and then there was something prickly against my finger. 

"It can't be." An astonished whisper left my mouth. The place I had been searching for was here. Inside the wardrobe. 

"Y/N?" A yell sounded from down the hall and I carefully removed myself from the garments and shut the doors. 

Peter walked into the room with the others trailing behind. "Did you see a faun in the wardrobe?" 

I shook my head, but I did grasp Lucy's hand as her siblings looked through the wardrobe, and pronounced it free of snow and anything Lucy said she had seen. 

"I'm not making it up Peter!" Lucy began to cry. 

The older siblings exchanged glances, and Edmund made a sassy remark, before Peter yelled at him. 

I barely registered what was happening before I turned to Lucy and bent down. "I saw the winter too. I believe you." 

Her face broke out in a grin. "Oh thank you." 

I nodded and the older children stalked out of the room. Looking down at Lucy, I squeezed her hand. My mind whirled. The Faun? Who was the faun? My hands grew clammy and my heart began to hammer. The land, the place where they had found me, was in this very house. I had to make sure that the children stayed far away from that place, until they were called. Other wise she was bound to find them. If they were not called, He would not be waiting for them. 

I shuddered and brought Lucy downstairs to get a cup of warm milk before we walked up the stairs to sit and read a book. 

"Do you think I will ever go back?" She looked to me with innocent eyes. 

"Maybe dear one, but I do believe you need to be called." 

"Have you ever been there?" 

"Once, a long time ago. I was too young. So he sent me back." 

"Who is He?" She wrinkled her nose.

"I-I-I don't remember."