Edmund wasn't entirely sure how he got to this point. One moment Ileana was breaking up with him without speaking a word. Then she was crying and that part of him that cared about her more than he could comprehend was rushing forward to comfort her. Then she was kissing him, and he was kissing her back. Then they were doing a little more than kissing. The next thing he knew, he was walking her back to her room and she was pulling him inside. And now, here he was, lying in Ileana's bed with Ileana tucked into his side, her leg wrapped around his as she traced lazy patterns on his chest, and feeling unequivocally content.

He didn't fully understand how it had happened, but he certainly didn't regret any of it.

Ileana moaned and stretched. Her back arched and her bare leg slid over his a little more. Edmund decided it didn't much matter how it had happened so long as it continued to happen again, and again, and again... He put his finger and his thumb under her chin and gently tilted her lips up to meet his. He absolutely loved how she curled into the kiss.

"Hmmm," she hummed. Her heavy eyes opened and she looked at him, grinning. "Former lovers huh?"

At first he was confused. Then he was mortified. That was certainly not a phrase any man wanted to hear after what he thought to be a very ardent lovemaking session. Edmund ran his free hand, the one that was not currently tracing the curve of her back beneath the sheet, over his face.

"Was it that obvious?" he asked, afraid to hear the answer.

Ileana shrugged casually. "When you've been with men like I have, you learn to tell the difference between his first and his tenth."

He felt a stab of, what exactly? Jealousy? Irritation? How many men had she been with before him? He knew about the numerous Telmarine men, but they didn't count; they weren't her choice. And he knew about the marks they worked together for the S.I.S., but she swore she never slept with any of them. What about in between the two? Had there been some Italian *ragazzo she fancied?

He pushed whatever it was he was feeling aside. He'd been caught in a lie and he needed to own up to it.

"Yes. I lied about my former lovers. I'm sorry. Can you forgive my deception?"

Ileana smiled and kissed his chest. "It's forgiven. And in all honesty, apart from our duel, you never boasted of other lovers. I just assumed."

His frown turned into a smirk. "That good at it, am I?"

Ileana groaned. "A conceited you is not the you I like best."

Edmund tugged her closer to his body. "Then I shall strive to remain humble."

"Hmm, you may strive," she said, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth as he ran his hand along her thigh. "But you will fail splendidly... especially after a night like tonight."

She sighed and, to his utter delight, rolled on top of him. His hands fell to her hips as she leaned down to claim his lips. "And we have many nights like tonight," she purred. "I think I'd like to amend my statement from earlier. I do like a conceited you, but only while you are in bed with me."

"Well then..." He tugged her hips forward and was very pleased with the little gasp of pleasure she gave. "I will always aim to please you."

The words had barely left his mouth before her lips latched onto his once more.

Ileana shifted in his arms. Edmund moaned in protest as he secured his hold on her and pulled her in close. He wasn't ready to leave the warmth of her bed yet. He wanted a repeat of last night with, perhaps, a bit of improversation.

Ileana kissed his chin and whispered, "Good morning."

"Buongiorno," he murmured. He let his hand slide along the smooth skin of her backside and down to her thigh before making its way back along the inner curve of her leg before finally coming to rest on the dip of her hip. Her body shifted against his in response as she let out the softest of purrs.

"Is it really morning already?"

"Sì." Her hands roamed over his torso while she placed feather-light kisses on his chest.

"Mmm, instead of just a 'good' morning, let's make it a great morning." His hands explored her body once more as he gently rolled her onto her back. He nuzzled his face in her neck, finding that tender spot that had made her squirm the night before.

"I can hear Meri and Sara outside the door," she murmured.

"They'll be fine."

Her legs parted as he rubbed against her. That little voice in the back of his mind was starting to squeal with excitement. And then she gently pushed him off.

"We can't," she said.

He was certain he heard regret in her voice. "Says who?"

Ileana threw her legs over the side of the bed as she stretched. Edmund rather liked the view he was given. He crawled over to her and nibbled at her hip before slowly leaving a trail of kisses up her side. He could feel the goosebumps rise on her skin. He felt her body shiver with delight, and heard the breath escape her lungs in a soft moan. When he reached her shoulder, he turned her mouth towards his and kissed her. She kissed him back.

And then she pulled away with a whimper. "Edmund, we really can't do this now."

"I still haven't heard a valid reason as to why not."

When he kissed her that time, he actually managed to pull her back down to the bed with him. Before she sat back up.

"The girls are up. Meri has managed to distract Sara for now, but that will not last and we don't want her running in here in our current state."

Edmund propped himself up on one arm, the sheets falling to his waist line. He couldn't help but notice how her eyes followed the path the sheets took and lingered there. He grinned.

"Nalsa will keep her out until we are decent."

Ileana snorted in a very un-ladylike manner, her eyes coming back to him. "I am sorry to be the one to tell you this, but your Guard has become soft where it concerns Sara."

"I heard that," Nalsa said from the other side of the door.

"But can you deny it, Lady Wolf?" Ileana called back.

There was a low rumbling growl, but no rebuttal. Edmund's laughter was cut off by the arrival of his shirt and trousers smacking him in the face.

"You will have to make do with those, I'm afraid. I have nothing here that will fit you properly." Ileana pulled out a dress from the wardrobe and quickly put it on.

Edmund huffed. Like a dress was going to stop him. He needed to take drastic measures in order to level the playing field again.

"Or, I could just be Narnina about it," he suggested.

"What does that mean?"

Edmund smirked. He threw the sheets off of him; his clothes became lost somewhere beneath them. He puffed out his chest and strutted towards the door, doing his best to ignore how cold the floor was against his feet. Ileana was too busy ogling a certain area of his body to react any sooner. He placed his hand on the door knob.

"Edmund, you can't!" she exclaimed.

"Can't I?" He turned the knob and cracked the door just an inch. Ileana rushed to push it closed once more.

"You have daughters in the castle. Young daughters," she emphasized. "Going Narnian around them would be highly inappropriate."

Edmund quickly pinned Ileana against the door with his body. "I was never intending to go Narnian for the sole sake of our daughters. I just wanted you within reach again."

He kissed her fervently as he dragged her back to the bed. He pulled her down across his lap and made quick work of the ties on her dress. He had the dress halfway up her body before she somehow managed to slip off his lap.

"You are never going to make this any easier, are you?"

"Not if I can help it."

Ileana bit her lip and laid her head on his shoulder. "Trust me, if we got started again now, then I wouldn't be finished with you by the time Sara came running through that door."

He rather liked the sound of that.

"And I really don't want to explain to her the sort of adventure that Mamma gets to go on with Eddie that she doesn't."

Edmund sighed. He supposed she had a point there. "But will we get to finish this adventure later?"

"Oh yes." She smiled. "We have many, many more adventures to go on."

Edmund nodded. That voice in his head quieted down. "All right then." He kissed her forehead and gently moved her aside. He headed for the door again.

"Edmund."

"Yes?"

"Your clothes."

"Oh. Right." He dug through the sheets and got dressed. "I'll see you at breakfast?"

"Sì." She pulled him in for one last kiss before he left.

Nalsa was waiting for him outside Ileana's door, and she was donning what he could only describe as a very wolfish grin. He waited until they were out of the guest wing and well away from prying ears before addressing her.

"Not a word, Nalsa."

"Whatever do you speak of, my King?"

"You know very well what I speak of. And don't for an instant think I don't know you were behind that set-up last night."

"Of course I was behind it. Lady Ileana was being very Telmarine about the whole ordeal. And you, my King, forgive my impertinence, but you were becoming ornery because of it."

"Ornery?"

"Yes. Ornery. I knew the two of you only needed a little push to settle the matter amicably. And was it settled amicably?"

Edmund couldn't stop the smile from crossing his face. "Very amicably, my friend."

"Good. Shall I tell your night guard to expect more nights in the guest wing? Or will Lady Ileana be joining you in the royal wing?"

"I don't want to be too presumptuous and I doubt she would move so far from her daughters."

"Take it from me, my King, Lady Ileana very much desires to mate with you more. And perhaps it is time we move the Princesses to the royal wing as well. They have been here several months now, and they are hardly guests anymore."

"Princesses?"

"Princess Meri and Princess Sara. They are your daughters, are they not? The daughters of a king."

"So they are. Daughters of a king."

Edmund couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it sooner. None of them had. Meri and Sara were his daughters, and thereby they were princesses. It was time the Four Crowns acknowledged that.

"Nalsa, I need to speak with Peter and my Sisters."

Ragazzo: boy