One.

Edmund's First Adventure

As far back as Edmund could remember, his older sister was bossy. Perhaps it is the prerogative of older siblings, though Peter had never surpassed her in this respect. But, Edmund was reminded of this tiresome fact again shortly after boarding the train. He had hardly settled into his chair and put his feet up when she snapped at him.

"Get your feet off the seat! We're not at home, you know!"

Though he was unaware it if, the real reason she was so contrary at the moment was because she was worried about being away from home. This was the first time the four Pevensie children went off on a train ride by themselves – though, as you may know, it would not be the last.

Ed glared at her and was slow to comply. Still, he was more excited than frightened by this trip. Watching the countryside flash by, he contemplated things. This was his first time for many things: the first time to visit Aunt and Uncle since he was too young to remember, and the first time to go on a long train journey. Father had a tour of lectures up north and mother was busy with her work at the charity, so the kids were being shuttled off to visit their relations. (Mother still received frequent letters from her sister, Aunt Alberta, but the kids rarely heard from her or their cousin Eustace.)

Still, Edmund was elated. For one it was a holiday from school, which is always cause to celebrate, also he had been reading Treasure Island lately and the prospect of leaving home and going on an adventure like Jim Hawkins had was compelling enough that he felt a quiet rush of excitement when they first left the station. Sure, there were no pirates in England, but there were always brigands. He then lost himself in a pleasant fantasy where they were set upon by fierce bandits and a fearless Edmund managed to fight them off. Peter, he allowed, would probably help some but he'd be busy trying to console Susan, who would be distraught. (This was actually unlikely, but he wanted to get back at her a little for snapping at him and anything is possible in one's fantasies, as I'm sure you know.)

Lucy brought him out of his heroic daydream as she leaned over him to look out the window. She had brought a book with her but, young as she was, boredom had set in and reading had grown tiresome.

"Move over, Ed, I want to look," she tried to nudge him out of the way.

"You didn't want to see out the window," Ed reminded her. Earlier, Lucy had been frightened by how fast the train was going to go.

But Lucy, one day to be known as Queen Lucy the Valiant, would not have received her future title if a fast-moving train had kept her frightened very long.

"Scoot over," she complained. Unfortunately for her he had grown recently and was somewhat bigger than her – big enough that shoving did no good.

"No," he said, partly because it amused him to see her trying to hard to make him move and partly because he was a little irritated that she had interrupted his self-glorifying daydream. "You said you didn't want to." He repeated, grinning a little and not moving an inch.

"I do now. Move. Over." Each word was punctuated by valiant efforts on her part. They had no effect at all.

"Edmund, stop making trouble for Lucy," exclaimed Susan, irritated by their little quarrel.

"Come on, Lu," Peter broke in, "you can sit in my lap." Peter was also sitting by a window and until now had seemed unconscious of the sibling tiff going on. Sitting still for once – which was a minor miracle – he had been engaged in thoughts that were somewhat more mature than Edmund's daydream (though just as noble).

With a last angry stamp of her foot for Edmund's sake the little girl spun around and was hoisted to her older brother's comfortable arms. Peter was Lucy's favorite brother.

Edmund smirked at her and then returned his gaze out of the train window. But they were coming upon a village now and it was much harder to imagine brigands when all you see is quiet cottages, vegetable plots, and dairy cows. Soon, quite outside his intentions, he drifted off to sleep, his head falling drowsily to his shoulder, dark hair askew. It was not surprising as he had gotten up much earlier than a boy his age was accustomed to waking and the excitement of the journey had tired him.

So it was that Edmund slept through half of the very first adventure in his young life.