Disclaimer: Edmund Pevensie and all the characters and situations in The Chronicles of Narnia belong to C. S. Lewis and not to me. Romulus and Remus appear by the kind permission of Lady Alambiel.

Chapter One

"Quiet," Edmund hissed. "They can hear you panting all the way back at Cair Paravel."

Remus ducked his shaggy head, yellow eyes filled with shame.

"Stupid pup," Romulus muttered, and Edmund immediately clamped one hand around his muzzle, glaring at them both.

Philip gave a soft, whickering laugh. It wasn't enough to carry over the cold howl of the mountain winds, but Edmund glared at him, too. They'd never find out who was out there if they betrayed their position now. The sooner their elusive shadow gave himself away, the sooner they could get back to the cave they had settled into for the night.

The pass between Archenland and Narnia was barely navigable in Yule, half buried in snow and ice, but Edmund had promised he'd be home for Peter's big day. For Christmas Day, too. The weather had slowed him down, and he'd be cutting it close as it was, but he'd make it. Whoever was on their trail, whatever he wanted, he wasn't going to make Edmund break his promises.

Edmund looked longingly towards the mouth of the cave. It was little more than a glow of light from where they watched. Not that much more than a hollow in the rock, but it looked warm and inviting. He could smell the roasting rabbit on the spit and hear the pop and crackle of the fire as it burned. And that roll of blankets, that deliciously warm roll of wool and down, how he wished he were wrapped up in it, snugly asleep, instead of just having fashioned it to look as if he were. It was miserably cold out here even in the cover of the straight-trunked pines. He wished he had eaten at least part of that rabbit before coming out here. Good thing the wind covered the sound of his growling stomach.

"Come on," Edmund muttered. "Show yourself. Show yourself."

Philip nudged his elbow and then looked towards the far side of the cave entrance. Edmund followed his gaze. There he was. There was the man who'd been following them for the past three days.

It was hard to tell much, cloaked and hooded as he was, but he seemed rather on the small side, lithe and swift footed, wary as he peered around the icy rocks of the opening. What did he want? Who was he? A Calormene spy? An assassin?

Edmund's mission to Tashbaan had been a fruitful one, intensely secret, an opportunity to ensure peace between Calormen and Narnia while allowing the Tisroc (may he be distracted by domestic problems forever) to save face by publicly refusing to consider any compromise with the white Barbarian Kings. But, once Edmund had left his palace, had he changed his mind? Was this intruder sent from him or from someone else?

Edmund narrowed his eyes. The man was creeping into the cave, slow and stealthy, pausing after every few steps, listening, watching, clinging to the dark recesses of the cave walls. When he approached the fire and had his back to the cave entrance, Edmund nodded at Philip, and the two of them and the Wolves moved in utter silence out from among the trees and into the deep shadow of the rocky overhang. There was only a sliver of moon, and they reached the cave undetected.

What did he want? Edmund peered around the entrance, crouching low to avoid the intruder's line of sight, watching as he approached the bundle of blankets meant to portray his own sleeping self, waiting for the appearance of a curved Calormene dagger or some kind of weapon, but the man merely watched, waited. What did he want?

Without warning, one hand shot out from under the man's cloak, seized the rabbit, spit and all, and bundled it into the snow-whitened dark folds. The Wolves looked at Edmund, absolutely affronted by such an outrage, but Philip looked as if he wanted to laugh again. Food? That was all he was after?

Edmund stepped into the light. "All you had to do was ask."

The intruder gasped and the rabbit fell to the ground at his feet.

"Though I'd rather you eat it than tread on it."

The man hunched down in his cloak, dropping his head so his face was almost entirely shadowed by his hood. Then he bolted towards the cave entrance, towards the black shelter of the night and the storm, but Philip stepped into his path.

"I daresay you'd find it much more comfortable in here than out there."

Seeing him, the intruder gave a most unmanly cry and fell into a heap onto the ground.

"Is he dead, King Edmund?" Romulus sniffed him. "He doesn't smell dead."

Remus looked at Edmund, yellow eyes hopeful. "If he's dead, does that mean we can eat the rabbit?"

"No," Edmund said sternly, "and no."

He dragged the man from the cave entrance to a place near the fire. If he'd been following them for three days with nothing to eat but what they left behind from camp to camp, little wonder he'd felt faint. Some fellows weren't made to fend for themselves in the wild. Then again, very few had a Centaur to teach them how to survive almost anything.

Edmund rescued the rabbit, held it for a few seconds in the fire just to get rid of any dirt that might have gotten on it, and then put it back in its place to stay warm. The stranger would need to eat when he came to, and something hot would be best for him.

Philip stood over the man, studying him even though he was still swallowed up in his cloak. "Not very impressive, is he. Why they let colts wander out in the wilderness alone I'll never understand. What are we going to do with him now?"

"Feed him, I suppose." Edmund got the wineskin from his pack. "A little of this ought to bring him round and warm him up."

He slid one arm under the stranger's shoulders and sat him up a little. As he did, the hood fell back, exposing the face to the flickering orange light of the fire.

Edmund blinked.

It was a girl.

Author's Note: So here we are again. It's been far too long since I've had time to play in Narnia, and I'm so glad to be starting a new story. Please be aware that I might not be able to update as frequently as I'd like, but I'm trying to keep the chapters short so I can at least try to get something posted on a regular basis. Enjoy! And please let me know what you think.