Danger Only to His Own Side

Disclaimer: I don't own.

But a boy in battle is a danger only to his own side.

Rose mused over Edmund's words about Corin. "How could he say that?" she muttered.

"Say what?" Edmund asked, riding up to beside her. "Assuming that you mean me."

"I do. How could you, of all people, say that 'a boy in battle is a danger only to his own side'?"

"Me of all people? What does that mean?"

"You who was on the battlefield for the first time at age ten."

"Oh. That."

"Yes, that."

"Rose…" He hesitated. "It was different for us."

She scoffed. "How was it different? Besides the fact that he's actually been trained for fighting his whole life."

"We were thrust into a war in which we had no choice but to fight. He has a choice. And his training, while certainly better than all of ours put together, is still not enough for me to allow him onto the battlefield with a good conscience."

"And he would choose to fight. We all survived Beruna, even with next to no training."

"But he is yet too young to choose such for himself. He must trust his elders in this regard. Do you forget that both Hannah and I nearly died and would have were it not for Lucy and Faith's cordials?"

"You, Edmund Martin Pevensie, are not his father!"

"Would not Lune forbid his son from fighting?"

Rose bit her lip, knowing he was right.

"And, Rose…."

"Yes?"

"That is not the only reason I would not allow him."

"What other reasons are there, then?"

"Rose, when was the last time you could call yourself a child?"

"Umm, probably… I don't know. Why?"

"Because I know, and Hannah, Faith, and Peter agree, that I stopped being a child the day we stepped into the wardrobe."

"OK, so?"

"Rose, don't you see? My childhood died with the enemy I killed. I can't bear to allow that to happen to our dear Corin."

Rose slowly inhaled a long breath. "You make a good point, Ed. I suppose my childhood died in my first battle, as well."

"You have always been the most fierce of the seven of us. In this world, that's not such a bad thing. Yet somehow, you've managed to keep your spark. However, not everyone is like you. Can you with good conscience allow Corin, troublemaker that he is, to suffer the nightmares that we've had, to see the dying light in an enemy's eyes over and over again, to already begin to collect a load of guilt on his young soul?"

"No, I suppose I could not. As I said, you make a great point, one I didn't think of."

"Would you want Lily and Art fighting at his age?"

"Unless they would die without it, no, I guess I wouldn't."

"That's why, Rose. I could not allow my dear Martha and Mark to kill and have their childhoods die as early as mine did. I would prefer, and I know Lune would as well, if Corin was able to grow up, physically, emotionally, and mentally, before he is in battle."

"As would I." They gave each other small smiles, interrupted by Lucy's approach. "But where is his goosecap highness?" she asked.

"Not in the front and that's good news enough. Leave well alone," her brother replied.

Lucy cast a glance at her best friend. "You're not going to argue with him, Rose?"

"Not this time, Lu. We've already argued and I have conceded defeat on the matter of Prince Corin."

"You conceded defeat?"

"Indeed. He should not be fighting the battle."

"Well, I did agree with Edmund about that, but I wondered whether you and he would have a row."

"We've made up now, sister," he broke in.

"So I see. Well, come. We must be going." The army continued moving forward, and Rose contemplated Edmund's words of wisdom.