Bravery and Philosophy

As Tumnus walked away with a slight bow, Lucy turned back to the glittering Eastern Sea over which she had been named Sovereign. The handkerchief was still balled in her fist as she stared at the beach where Aslan had been just a few minutes before. She stayed quietly like that for a few moments. Suddenly, she was interrupted as someone jabbed their fingers into her ribs, making her shriek with laughter and fall backwards. Edmund caught her, laughing, and put his arms around her. "Hey," she protested with mock severity, "You can't do that – I'm a Queen."
"I'm a King. And two inches taller. And your brother. I can do what I like." She scowled, then gave up. "I've missed that, you know."

"Missed what?"

"That smile. I haven't seen it since, oh… I don't know. Ages and ages, at least." His grin widened, and he shrugged.

"Well, maybe I'll have more reason to smile now. You never know." They were silent for a few minutes, then he said, "He's gone, isn't He? Aslan, I mean."

"Yes. Well, He's not a tame lion."

"I… felt Him go. In a way. It's hard to describe." She nodded,

"Me too." She paused, "Ed?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think we can do this? Ruling a country? I'm only nine, and you're eleven. Then Susan and Peter are thirteen and fifteen, which is quite grown-up, but still not much. And it's not even just us who are going to suffer if we get it wrong. People – people we've never even met – could die if we make a mistake. How can we do that?" Edmund thought for a moment,

"Well, Aslan knows what He's doing, you agree with that much." Nod. "Well, He forgave me – personally, I'd have left me to die, but there you go."

"Don't say that!" She looked almost panicked, but he placated her with a gesture.

"Like I say, He works in mysterious ways. How are we supposed to understand everything he does? And, yes, you're nine, but how many nine-year-olds do you know who have," he counted off on his fingers, "discovered a magical land, put up with one awful brother and two older-than-you-and-too-old-for-magical-lands-in-wardrobes siblings, brought the aforementioned siblings into the aforementioned magical land, befriended a faun, met Aslan, forgiven said awful brother, freed a castleful of petrified magical creatures, fought in a great battle, saved the life of said awful brother for reasons far beyond his understanding, and been crowned Queen Lucy the Valiant?" She stared at the ground, pulling her cloak furthur around her shoulders. She suddenly looked very small. He tilted her head back so she was facing him. "Lucy?"

"I don't feel very valiant," she muttered.

"Well, there's no courage in facing something you're not afraid of, is there?"

"No. S'ppose not."

"Well, that's alright, isn't it? And you know that He'll never leave us. Not really." She nodded. "Now, any more deeply confusing and philosophical questions?" She smiled faintly,

"Just one."

"Go on."

"Did you mean what you said at Beruna – about always protecting me?"

"That's a daft question, Lu. An oath's an oath, right? Anyway, I've got about six years of bullying to make up for. And you saved my life. Like I say, I'd have left me to rot. I'd better start now." He grinned, "You're not getting away from me that easily."

"You're my brother. What else could I have done?"

"See, you're too trusting. Too nice by far. You always see the best in people, even if they don't deserve it."

"Peter and Susan forgave you as well."

"They're poor, deluded fools, too." The two looked at each other, then – slowly – began to smile, then laugh. She hugged him. "I'm glad you're back, Ed."

"Me too. Now," he said in businesslike fashion, "this conversation is far too dull and philosophical for a post-coronation party/thing. If I can smile, so can you."

"Or..?"

"I'll tickle you again."

"You wouldn't."

"I would."

"Mean."

"Got to be cruel to be kind, sister-mine." She shrieked and darted off into the crowd. He allowed her a head-start, then shot after her, ignoring a few confused and/or disapproving glances. He caught her on the dance floor. "Behold, she smiles. Now, want to dance, or what?" They danced for what seemed like hours, occasionally swapping partners. For Lucy, they passed in a blur: Mr. Tumnus, her brothers, and various nature spirits. By the time she found Edmund again, the sky was darkening. She took his hand and led him over to a bench at the edge of the hall. The bulk of the crowd had been trickling away for a couple of hours, so only the core of the courtiers and – of course – the newly-crowned sovereigns remained. They sat, putting their drinks on the table next to them. She let her head fall on to his shoulder, and he put his arm around her. He saw that she was starting to nod off, and said with a laugh, "Hey, I think you're allowed to stay up for your own coronation, Lucy."

"Hmm?" She said dozily, "I am staying up. No-one said anything about staying awake, though." Her breathing slowed and, in a few minutes, she was asleep. Peter scanned the hall for his youngest siblings, then raised his eyebrows when he found them. Edmund looked back like, what am I going to do with this girl? The High King shook his head with a smile, then vanished back into the crowd, doubtlessly seeking Susan. Edmund sighed and adjusted himself as Lucy shifted in her sleep. Tomorrow, they'd be ruling Narnia. But, for now, he wasn't going to worry about that. Aslan worked in mysterious ways and, if He thought they could do it, Edmund Pevensie of Finchley – who still couldn't quite think of himself as King Edmund the Just – had no reason to doubt Him.

A/N:

Can you tell that Edmund and Lucy are my favourite characters?

I always figured that Ed would have a sarcastic sense of humour, what with the football-field-in-the-bathroom-cupboard comment and all. He'd just be nicer with it post-Jadis. The self-hating comments ("Personally, I'd have left me to die") would be mostly sarcastic and not really meant literally, though they'd probably scare poor Lucy half to death. I thought that the two youngest would be close as well; they were inseparable when they were young, then sort of grew apart, but Lucy never gave up on her brother.

Oh, well. I tried.

And, when tickled in the ribs from behind, small girls do, indeed, shriek and fall backwards. I tested it on my own little sister (Who's eleven and five years younger than me) and it happens every time. :D

Read and review, please?

Constructive criticism makes my day. (Is castleful even a word? Oh well, it is now.)

Lady Riverwolf.