Hello everyone! No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, I've just been very busy lately. Senior year has been absolutely crazy, but things are finally starting to slow down and I have time to write again.

Here's my plan for this story: I'm afraid that if I try to write a full-blown story for the Golden Age, I'll be too busy to finish it. I do want to write about the Golden Age because I can pretty much write about anything. So, I've decided to write a series of one shots set in the Golden Age, showing how Holly and Edmund end up together.

Anyway, I'll shut up and let you lovely people read this chapter. I hope you like it :)

"Hol," a slightly choked voice called from outside Holly's living quarters.

Holly sighed. She knew who it was, and she knew why his voice was so shaky.

"Come in, Ed," she called.

Holly put down the book she was reading and cleared off her coffee table. Edmund staggered in her sitting room, his green tunic stained with blood.

"Dear Aslan, Edmund, that's awful!" Holly said, walking over to help him.

Edmund leaned heavily against Holly, and she walked him over to the coffee table. Edmund knew the drill and carefully laid down on his back.

In the past four years, Edmund had only been to the actual castle infirmary once. That didn't mean that he never got injured, however. Edmund hated people fussing over him, so when he got injured in a duel or battle – which was quite often – he would go to Holly since they only used Lucy's healing cordial for life-or-death reasons. Holly's living quarters were across the hall from his own, and she had trained as a nurse ever since they arrived in Narnia.

Holly walked over to Edmund with a knife, antiseptic, a wet towel, and a roll of bandages.

"Susan's going to start wondering how all your shirts mysteriously get ripped in half, you know," Holly commented as she cut open Edmund's tunic.

The gash wasn't very deep, but it had produced a lot of blood. Holly sighed and poured some antiseptic on the towel. Edmund winced as she cleaned the wound.

"What happened this time?" she asked.

"Was dueling the Wickery twins," Edmund replied with a shrug.

Holly rolled her eyes. The Wickery twins were two of Narnia's best warriors, and Edmund had dueled both of them at the same time.

"Well, did you win?" Holly asked.

"Of course," Edmund said smugly. "Didn't even notice one of them tagged me until it was over."

"Typical Edmund," Holly teased as she began to bandage the wound. "You really should go to the infirmary, Ed. I'm sick of cleaning bloodstains out of my carpet."

"Then who would criticize me for getting an injury?" Edmund asked sarcastically.

Holly just rolled her eyes. "There. All better."

She gathered up her supplies and went to put them in a cabinet near her fireplace. When she turned back around, Edmund was trying and failing to sit up.

"Maybe you should just sleep on the couch tonight," Holly suggested.

"Probably a good idea," Edmund grunted.

Holly helped him moved the short distance from the coffee table to the couch and tossed him a blanket.

"I'd be more comfortable in a bed," Edmund complained.

Holly snorted. "You're dreaming."

Their friendship was built off inappropriate comments, sarcastic replies, and making each other uncomfortable. And they were both completely fine with that.

"Nah, you'd probably toss around in your sleep and hit me or something," Edmund shot back.

"You'd probably reopen your cut in your sleep and get blood all over my pretty white sheets," Holly said.

"You win," Edmund sighed.

"Don't I always?"

"Very funny," Edmund said. "Can I at least get a pillow?"

Holly went to her bedroom and returned with a fluffy pillow. Edmund grabbed her hand as she turned to leave.

"Thanks, Hol," he said.

"What for?"

"Well, let's be honest," he said. "I probably would've bled out a long time ago if you weren't around."

"Or you'd just go to the infirmary like a normal person," Holly laughed, sitting down on the coffee table.

"I'm glad you live across the hall from me," Edmund said.

"I think the blood loss is making you sappy, Ed," Holly said, but she couldn't hide a smile.

Then Edmund said something that surprised them both.

"If I were able to sit up, I would definitely kiss you right now."

Holly's eyes widened slightly. There was a fine line between being best friends and being in a relationship, and Edmund and Holly had been flirting with the line for years. But neither of them had ever been brave enough to actually make a move.

Edmund's hand came up and cradled Holly's cheek. He couldn't take back what he'd said, and it was now or never. "So, maybe you should come down here where I can reach you better."

She did. Holly leaned down so that her face was an inch away from Edmund's and then hesitated.

"Peter won't like this," she whispered.

"He'll get over it."

Holly sighed and sat up slightly, but not all the way.

"Ed…"

"What?" Edmund asked, slightly hurt. "I thought you wanted to."

"I do," Holly admitted. "It's just…we can't afford to mess this up."

She was right. They had a country to rule, and that meant seeing each other every day, even if something went wrong and they ended up hating each other.

But Edmund honestly couldn't care less.

"We'll never know until we try, right?" he shrugged.

Holly smiled slightly. "You're really not worried at all?"

"No," Edmund said honestly. "Besides, no one has to know unless we want them to."

"Can't argue with that logic," Holly giggled.

Holly gave in and leaned down to Edmund's level. When she was close enough, Edmund got impatient and lifted his head to meet her.

It was a short and sweet first kiss, mainly because Edmund was too tired to do anything more, and Holly didn't want to make his injury any worse.

Still, it was one hell of a kiss.

Holly sat up and smiled. Neither really knew what to say after that, or where that kiss meant for their friendship.

"Erm…good night, Edmund."

With that, she practically ran to her bedroom and shut the door. Both of them went to sleep that night slightly shocked by what had happened.

But neither of them regretted it.