The Impossible Dream by elegantordie
Fandom: Narnia (books and movies)
Pairings: Caspian/Edmund
Rating: M (NC17)
Summary: "Impossible" Edmund said, quite suddenly and mostly to himself, as he spotted a young man across the platform. This young man looked very much like the young Caspian they had just said farewell to in Narnia, only itwas impossible for him to be here.
The Pevensies have returned to England, only to find Caspian has come to England as well and now the delicate balance of both Narnia and their world is being disturbed.
Disclaimer: I do not own Narnia or the characters, they belong to C.S. Lewis.
Warnings: I've rated it M (NC17) because there will be M/M sex; essentially this is a Caspian/Edmund story.
Author's Note: I don't claim to be a brilliant writer however I do hope you enjoy this. Take note that for physical description of the characters I am going for the movie versions, not the book. I'm really not sure about ages so whatever you feel comfortable with while reading.
NOT A BETA'D FIC.
It was odd, and not very nice, to take off their royal clothes and to come back in their school things (not very fresh now) into that great assembly. One or two of the nastier Telmarines jeered. But the other creatures all cheered and rose up in honour of Peter the High King, and Queen Susan of the Horn, and King Edmund, and Queen Lucy. There were affectionate and (on Lucy's part) tearful farewells with all their old friends – animal kisses and hugs from Bulgy Bears, and hands wrung by Trumpkin, and a last tickly, whiskerish embrace with Trufflehunter. And of course Caspian offered the Horn back to Susan and of course Susan told him to keep it. And then, wonderfully and terribly, it was farewell to Aslan himself, and Peter took his place with Susan's hands on his shoulders and Edmund's on hers and Lucy's on his and the first of the Telmarines' on Lucy's, and so in a long line they moved forward to the Door. After that came a moment which is hard to describe, for the children seemed to be seeing three things at once. One was the mouth of a cave opening into the glaring green and blue of an island in the Pacific, where all the Telmarines would find themselves the moment they were through the door. The second was a glade in Narnia, the faces of Dwarfs and Beasts, the deeps eyes of Aslan, and the white patches on the Badger's cheeks. But the third (which rapidly swallowed up the other two) was the grey, gravelly surface of a platform in a country station, and a seat with luggage round it, where they were all sitting as if they had never moved from it – a little flat and dreary for a moment after all they had been through, but also, unexpectedly, nice in its own way, what with the familiar railway smell and the English sky and the summer term before them.
"Well!" said Peter. "We have had a time."
"Bother!" said Edmund. "I've left my new torch in Narnia."
(The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis)
Chapter One: How glorious it is – and also how painful – to be an exception. (Alfred De Musset)
"Impossible" Edmund said, quite suddenly and mostly to himself, as he spotted a young man across the platform. This young man looked very much like the young Caspian they had just said farewell to in Narnia, only it was impossible for him to be here.
The young man looked around the station in wonder as if seeing it for the first time, Edmund couldn't look away and once the young man was facing him quite directly he felt a strange electric shock through his body, he could feel the goose pimples forming on his arm and he tried to shake it off and put it aside as a trick of the mind.
It was then that Edmund realised the young man was walking his way, his eyes locking with Edmund's in a knowing fashion and before Edmund had time to stop himself he was yelling out across the platform, legs moving as fast as they could carry him as he darted towards the young man "Caspian! Caspian! Oh, you made it to our world!" causing queer looks from fellow travellers and his brother and sisters.
The young man smiled as he got only a few inches from Edmund's face, Edmund almost completely knocking him to the ground, what with his running, the young man saying "Your world is so strange" before embracing the young King as if it had been years, not minutes, since they had last seen each other. The embrace lasted quite a while before Edmund realised he was still getting queer looks from people around him and so he, reluctantly, let go of Caspian, the two of them then returned to the other Pevensies on the platform with beaming smiles across their faces.
"By jove!" said Peter, clapping one hand on the young man's back. "However did you get here Caspian?" For it was deemed impossible to happen and yet here he was, clear as the bright blue sky above them, in England. Susan and Lucy stood by with mouths hanging widely open, looking less and less like the Queens of Old the longer they stood there.
Caspian smiled and clapped Peter on the back, "I do not know, High King, I found myself wandering some wood, I do not even recall how I came to be in those woods, and suddenly I was here in this strange land. One of those beasts that roar so loudly and move so swiftly near knocked me on my backside when I arrived!" the Pevensies laughed at the idea of a car, for it was a car Caspian was talking about, having nearly knocked over their beloved friend. "I ran about this strange land and when I found myself stable enough to walk properly all the stories came back to my mind, stories you had told me of your world, Edmund" And the young King, that's Edmund, blushed at the memory. "I then decided that I must indeed be in your world and so I set myself upon finding you, and here we all are once more"
By now the Pevensies and Caspian were sat back on the bench, rather close together as it was not a large bench, the Pevensies were listening with great wonder as Caspian explained how long they had been gone from Narnia, almost one full year, and how he, that's Caspian, was enjoying his rule as King of Narnia, for he was no longer a Prince, and coming to enjoy it with the full support of the Narnians.
It was Susan that interrupted the story swapping when she said "It is all well and good to sit here and laugh over the times we had in Narnia and the times Caspian has had without us but we must use our heads here and think! Why is Caspian in our world when it has been made so clearly to us that he was to stay in Narnia?" Everyone nodded their agreement to Susan, who continued "Were we not sent to Narnia to ensure Caspian was set upon her throne?" again they nodded "Then why, in Aslans name, is Caspian here? Surely this cannot be good for Narnia"
"You speak sense, sister." said Edmund. "But how are we to find out the answers? Caspian himself does not know why he is here, or how he came to be here."
They all sat quiet with their thoughts for a few moments, until a train came squealing up the platform and brought reality back to the Pevensies, for summer term was before them and they would be heading off to boarding school now. "Where is Caspian to go, if we are to go away to boarding school?" asked Lucy, who had been quiet as a mouse the entire time. Peter stroked his chin, his mind deep in thought before an idea finally came to him "Why, Caspian is not much older than I and he certainly looks my age, surely the school would accept him as another student. Perhaps, even, as a cousin of ours. Surely we could find a way to have them accept him, and then Ed and I can try and figure this all out with Caspian during the term!"
The Pevensies and Caspian beamed at this idea, for it was a very good one, but it seemed to not be the path they should follow because as they all stood to board the train none of them could move, as if they had been stuck to the platform. "Good grief! It feels as if someone has stuck me to the very spot I stand, I cannot budge an inch!" cried Edmund. "Nor I!" cried Susan. Lucy sighed heavily and threw herself back on the bench "Perhaps Caspian being here has also upset the delicate balance of our world; I can only imagine what is happening to our dear Narnia"
All were quiet now as the train left the station, no smiles on their faces as an even stronger reality hit them, the reality being that perhaps someone or something evil and dark was behind this, that, perhaps, Caspian being here was not merely a happy chance but a terrible plot upon Narnia and her throne.
"Oh, dear Aslan, please help us" muttered Lucy as she pressed her face against Peters shoulder and wept silently for Narnia, for Lucy felt it more than the others that their dear Narnia was in need of help.