Aravis' fire had long since been reduced to embers this early Christmas morning. Ben had left a few days prior, and Aravis had hardly had a moment to herself -- let alone one with Cor -- since. Between the celebrations for her birthday and engagement while Ben had been visiting, and their bleed into the Christmas festivities, the castle had been ( Read more... )

Archenland had been covered in a smooth, sparkling coating of snow for the last month or so. As a result, when Ben had arrived, a fair amount of his chocolate offering had been given to the cook to melt down into hot drinks. There was some of that hot chocolate waiting for them back at the castle now, as well as tea and more food than they'd ( Read more... )

While the king's health hadn't improved, it also hadn't worsened. Aravis tended to view this as a good sign (or, at least, not a bad one), and had been spending her time since her return from Fandom trying to keep Cor as busy as possible ( Read more... )

Aravis had, finally, reached a decision. Talking with Ben (repeatedly, because sometimes Aravis needed to be beaten upside the head) had helped, but she hadn't come to her conclusion until tonight. It had taken the appearance of another letter on her doorstep to force her to spend Thursday night poring over each letter, starting from the first -- ( Read more... )

( Cor had insisted upon accompanying Aravis as far as the edge of the Woods, an act for which she was grateful even if she declined to admit as much )

Aravis was reassured, with Ben's visit, that somehow time was passing in Fandom as it was here with her in Archenland. She'd feared that with her visit home, she'd return to school to find a whole new set of people, her friends having graduated. However, Aslan's influence had kept time fluid between the two worlds, and the concerns that had been in ( Read more... )

The day found Aravis inside for once, despite the relative temperance of the weather. She'd woken to find a letter addressed to her from Cor, filled with the usual talk of how much he hated court, and stories of their friends (Hwin sends her love, he wrote, and Bree his questions of the quality of the horses there. He seems to continue to hope that ( Read more... )

Aravis was still quietly, carefully not thinking about the letter she'd addressed to Seely and mailed moments prior as she saddled Trenor, affixing her small satchel of food and gifts before easily swinging up into the saddle herself and adjusting her cloak. It had been the right thing to do, she was sure, and she was positive that if there was ( Read more... )

On their last full day in Archenland, Aravis decided that cold be damned, she wanted to show Seely the stables. For many reasons, of course, but not enough innocent ones that she wanted it widely known where they were going. So she quietly asked the cook for a few carrots and cut up one of the apples they had left before loudly announcing they were ( Read more... )

It was not Christmas in Archenland, as Aravis had predicted. It was several months later here, in the flat-out dead of winter. Snow blanketed the ground outside, icicles hung from the castle's eaves, and Aravis had begged, borrowed and pled to ensure that she and Seely both had more than enough blankets on their respective beds, not to mention ( Read more... )