How do you know?
[Edmund PevensiexF!Reader] [One-Shot]
A/N: Horizontal Line means a Time Skip
"Ed, you can't!"
"Oh really?! Watch me!"
"Would you just calm down and think about this for a moment?!"
"Do not tell me to calm down! I'm going back!"
"What for?! It's not going to do her any good if you get yourself killed as we-" the blonde boy cut himself off, but it was too late.
The brunette gave him a death glare and hissed: "She isn't dead."
"Ed, listen-"
"She's not dead!" he shouted.
Peter looked at his brother for a long moment. He looked furious, ready to kill - at least to anyone who didn't know him. But his eyes betrayed him. He was desperate, heartbroken.
"How do you know...?" he asked in a quiet voice.
Edmund opened his mouth, probably to shout again, but then, he fell silent. His expression filled with grief and confusion.
"I... I just do." he choked out, before pushing past the High King and hurrying back into the How, knowing fully well that Peter would never let him leave.
He passed through the makeshift armory - ignoring Lucy's calls, asking if he was alright - took a left in the hallway with the murals and followed the narrow path out to a grassy platform at the back of the How. He walked to the edge, plopped himself down and buried his face in his hands. He'd sat in the exact same spot yesterday - the day before the raid on the Telmarine castle.
"Stop worrying."
Edmund looked back over his shoulder. There stood a girl his age, wearing tight-fitted, yet light, black leather armor over her (f/c) dress, a sword strapped to her hip. Her (h/c) (h/l) hair got tussled by the wind, her (e/c) eyes staring at him intently.
"I'm not worrying." he stated and turned back around, continuing to stare out over the open fields below him that eventually faded into dark forest.
"Yes you are." she said while sitting down beside him.
"How do you know?"
"Because I know you."
He sighed.
"Maybe this isn't such a good idea... Maybe we should think of something else..."
"And risk getting attacked by the Telmarines while we're still pondering on what to do? No. Sure, it's risky, but it's the best we can do at the moment."
When he didn't respond, she placed a hand on his cheek and gently turned his face to look at her.
"Hey. It'll be alright. Everyone'll be fine. You'll see. Same time tomorrow, we'll be sitting in the castle, celebrating Caspian's coronation." she said, smiling warmly at him.
He gave her a smile in return.
"How do you know?"
"I just do." she mumbled with a shrug, before pulling him into a kiss.
"Peter!" Edmund called. He didn't hear him over the noise of the battle; he was too far away.
Edmund cursed under his breath and sprinted towards the roof the archers were positioned on - aiming for his brother. In one swift movement, he'd flung himself over the ledge, slid down the tiles and knocked the archer closest to Peter down into the courtyard. He didn't have time to celebrate, though.
"Ed!" someone screamed.
He somehow managed to find (y/n) in the mess of battle, staring at him with terror filled eyes. No, not at him - at something beside him. He turned to find at least ten crossbows aimed at him. His body reacted before he could think about it. He dove for the door to his right, kicking it shut with his foot, watching as the wood was impaled by a dozen arrows. That was the last time he'd seen (y/n).
He'd been through the party of survivors twice. She wasn't here. She wasn't with them. In a panic he called out to his brother:
"Peter! Have you seen (y/n)?! I can't find her anywhere!"
Peter stared at him in silence for what seemed like forever. Then he slowly shook his head and turned away. Edmund's eyes grew wide with horror. T-There was no way... She couldn't be...
Edmund balled his hands into fists and pressed them onto his closed eyelids, trying to stop the tears from flowing. It didn't work. He'd agreed to this godforsaken plan. It was his fault.
"She's not dead!"
"How do you know...?"
"I... I just do."
He didn't. He didn't know. He had no idea if she was dead, alive, in pain, being tortured... And that was the worst - the uncertainty. He brought his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, a sob escaping his lips. What was he supposed to do now? What was he supposed to do if she - no!
"She's not dead, she's not dead, she's not dead..." he kept murmuring under his breath, repeating it like a mantra.
She couldn't be dead. For as long as he could remember she'd been by his side; best friends since they were born. Even after he'd started going to that terrible school and became a terrible person, she'd still stuck to him like glue. No matter how often he'd pushed her away, no matter how many rude remarks he'd thrown at her, she'd always stood up for him, had always stayed with him. He'd often asked her why she wouldn't just leave him alone and her answer had always been the same.
"Because this isn't you. You're going to realize that some time soon and I want to be there when that happens."
"How do you know?"
"I just do."
Only later did he realize that she'd had a huge role in getting him back to his right path. He'd had no idea how he was suppose to thank her for that. So he'd promised her the only thing he could think of:
"I'll protect you from now on. Just like you protected me."
Sure, coming from a scrawny fourteen-year-old, it hadn't meant much, not to mention she was more than capable of looking out for herself, but she'd appreciated his promise and he'd taken it to heart ever since. It hadn't mattered if it were battles, his siblings, himself or even her own thoughts - if she couldn't handle it herself, he'd be at her side. Eventually, friendship had turned into love - of course it hadn't changed a single thing about his promise. If anything, it had made his resolution to keep it even stronger.
And he'd failed. He'd broken his promise and had failed her. And now she was... she was probably dead. Pathetic. Useless. What kind of king was he supposed to be if he couldn't even protect the one person he loved most? Was this supposed to be punishment? For all the things he'd done wrong? If it was, was it really fair to take her from him? Was it really fair that she had to pay for his mistakes? No. It wasn't. But there was nothing he could do to change it.
He'd spent the rest of the day and all night out on that platform, trying to sort out his thoughts. He hadn't gotten very far, though. It was still early morning, the sun just coming up, when he decided to head back into the How. He'd barely stepped into the mural hallway, when he heard shouting and the sounds of swords clashing against one another - coming from the Stone Table. He drew his own sword and carefully yet quickly made his way towards it. He peeked into the hall and felt his stomach drop. There she was. Ethereal, cold; like she'd jumped straight out of one of his nightmares. Edmund closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
'Calm down, she's gone...' he reassured himself and tightened his grip around the hilt of his sword.
When he opened his eyes again, he came face to face with a pair of glowing, yellow ones. A werewolf. A goddamn werewolf. And it had spotted him. There was no hiding now. Edmund ran straight at it, ducking under the swing of a claw and ramming his sword into the monster's side. It growled and snapped it's jaws at him; he was only able to dodge by pulling his sword out again and diving to his left. He scrambled to his feet and made a run for some debris, trying to reach higher ground. Heavy paws pounding the ground behind him indicated that the wolf was hot at his heels. In one fluid movement, he'd jumped off the fallen pillar, turned himself in midair and managed to inflict a deep wound on the beast's left side. It howled in pain and tumbled to the ground... and staid still. Edmund let out a sigh of relief - however, his joy was more than short lived.
"Peter dear. I've missed you. Come. Just one drop. You know you can't do this alone..."
Her voice sent shivers down Edmund's spine. Just as taunting and mesmerizing as he remembered it. He watched in terror as his brother lowered his sword.
"You've got to be kidding me!" he growled under his breath before sprinting towards the wall of ice.
Before he could even think about what his next move should be, he'd already backstabbed the Witch; covering his face with his arms when the ice exploded into a million shards. He blinked to make sure it was over before lowering his sword and looking at the shocked face of his brother.
"I know. You had it sorted." he spat, before quickly making his way out of the hall.
He immediately retired to his 'room', which was really just one of the manny burrows in the How, and before he knew it, he was fast asleep. Two whole nights without shuteye really got to you sooner or later. Not that he felt any better or well-rested when he woke up. Of course this whole ordeal would make his nightmares worse. His eyes snapped open and he found himself drenched in a cold sweat. His mouth was dry and he swallowed thickly; reaching over to his side, he wanted to pull (y/n) close to him, just like he always did - but there was nothing there. His heart clenched and he grit his teeth, trying to stop the fresh tears in his eyes from falling.
"Ed..?"
He jumped a little at the soft voice coming from his entrance, before quickly wiping a sleeve over his eyes and turning to face the young girl.
"Oh, uh, h-hey Lu; what's up?"
"We're having an emergency meeting to... well, to discuss our next move, I guess. I just thought I'd let you know."
"Thanks."
She gave him a look of concern.
"Hey, are you-"
"I'm fine." he barked, although it sounded a lot harsher than he had intended.
He knew his sister, she was only trying to help him. But right now, he didn't want any help. He didn't think that there was anything that could help at the moment.
"Well... Okay then..." she mumbled and quickly left, giving him some space.
Edmund sighed and tiredly ran a hand through his hair. Gathering up as much confidence as possible, he grabbed his sword and headed out of his room.
"There is one tradition in particular that may buy us some time." Caspian said.
"Go on." Susan said, clearly hoping for some good news - just like everyone else.
"A duel. If the ruler of Telmar is challenged to one, the expectations of his people will force him to accept, especially if he's a new of a ruler as Miraz. This might buy us enough time for Lucy and Susan to find Aslan and bring him here."
"Alright. I'll do it." Peter said in a voice that left absolutely no room for argument.
"Somebody's going to have to deliver the challenge...?" Lucy chimed in.
Edmund had ran it through over and over again in his head. If (y/n) was still alive, the only way to find out, was to get it out of the Telmarines themselves. Until now, he'd just had no idea how to get close to them without engaging in battle.
"Sign me up." he said.
"I, Peter, by the gift of Aslan; by election and by conquest, High-King of Narnia, Lord of Cair Paraval and Emperor of the Lone Islands. In order to prevent the abominable effusion of blood, do hereby challenge the usurper, Miraz, to single combat upon the field of battle. The fight shall be to the death. The reward shall be total surrender." Edmund read out loud before rolling up the scroll.
"Tell me, Prince Edmund-"
"King."
"Pardon me...?"
"It's King Edmund, actually. Just King, though. Peter's the High King. I know, it's confusing." Edmund explained, trying not to laugh at the flabbergasted faces of the Telmarines.
"Why would we risk such a proposal, when our armies could wipe you out by nightfall?" Miraz asked.
"Haven't you already underestimated our numbers? I mean, only a week ago, Narnians were extinct."
"And so you will be again."
"Well, then you should have little to fear."
Miraz laughed mockingly.
"This is not a question of bravery."
"So you're bravely refusing to fight a swordsman half your age?"
The smile dropped off of the usurper's face.
"I didn't say I refused."
"You shall have our support, your majesty. Whatever your decision." one of lords chimed in.
Then, the man next to Miraz spoke up.
"Sire. Our military advantage alone provides the perfect excuse to avoid such a-"
Miraz stood from his seat and drew his sword.
"I'm not avoiding anything!" he hissed.
"Excuse me, your majesty, my lords?"
A Telmarine had appeared in the entrance, looking rather nervous and scared.
"What is it soldier?" one of the men at the table asked.
"It's uh... The prisoner. She... She's been rather... troublesome."
Edmund nearly dropped the scroll at those words. He turned to look at Miraz again, staying as calm as he could.
"Prisoner...?"
One of the lords gave orders to get her under control with any means necessary, while Miraz regarded Edmund with a satisfied smirk and cruel eyes.
"Yes. After you so willingly left quite many of your soldiers at my castle, we thought it to be a waste to kill the only human we found. We figured she was one of you, the 'Kings and Queens of Old' or whatever ridiculous name your historians gave you. And our guess turned out to be correct. She hasn't been much help, giving away no information, not saying a thing - not yet, anyways."
Edmund felt like he'd been punched in the stomach. He felt sick. And was more than ready to run Miraz through with his sword. He wanted to say something, come up with a witty remark, like usual. But his brain had stopped functioning. He was only able comprehend one thing at the moment:
She's alive.
Fortunately, he didn't have to think about saying anything, for the next moment a shout in an all too familiar voice rang through the air:
"Get your filthy hands off of me!"
Edmund whipped his head around to look at the person who had spoken. Her dress was torn, her (h/c) hair a mess and caked with dirt. She had scratches and bruises all over, an especially nasty gash ran from her right temple down to the corner of her mouth and was still bleeding. She was pale and had dark circles under her (e/c) eyes, but that did nothing to diminish the fire within them.
"I told you to get yo-" she cut herself off when she saw him. Her eyes grew wide and she looked as if she'd seen a ghost. He regarded her for a moment longer; taking in every wound, every new scar, her pained posture - then he turned back to the Telmarines before him.
"Listen here, you scum." he growled. "When this war is over and we've won; if I find one more scratch on her body, I'll make you pay tenfold."
Miraz smirked. This hadn't been planned, but thanks to the girl, the Narnian king was losing his cool, which would work in his favor.
"Oh? A threat? And here I thought you were trying to convince me to duel your brother...?"
Edmund grit his teeth. He was stuck. He knew getting Miraz to agree to the duel was vital, but...
"Seems to me you're just trying with all your might to refuse a duel with a child." (y/n) said.
Edmund heaved a sigh of relief. He'd never been so glad about her amazing ability to think on her feet.
"His majesty would never refuse. He relishes the chance to show the people the courage of their new king." one of the Telmarines said, who (y/n) recognized as General Glozelle.
Now it was Miraz who was in a pinch. He had to accept, otherwise he'd be seen as a spineless coward. He pointed his sword at Edmund.
"You. You should hope your brother's sword is sharper than his pen. Now leave."
"Not without her." Edmund immediately stated.
The Telmarine king glared at him.
"She's a war prisoner. You'll get her back, if you win this war."
"There's no way I'm-"
"Ed! Just go!" (y/n) urged.
She smiled at him, conveying the message that she'd be fine.
He hesitated for a moment more, gulping down any arguments, any worries; giving her one last look before he walked out of the enemy's camp.
(y/n) leaned back against the clammy, cold wall of her prison cell. The Telmarines had broken camp all of a sudden and had returned to their castle. She'd thought that the Narnians had won, that the war was over, but several hours had passed since she'd been shoved back into this cell and nothing had happened. Had her friends lost? Were they ok? Were they dead? She'd already gone through all of those worries when she'd first been captured and having to relive them now with nothing else to occupy her mind with, she was slowly but surely losing it. Then, she heard something. Was that... cheering? She stood up on her tiptoes, trying to reach the tiny window, but she could barely reach the edge with her fingertips. Nonetheless, she could definitely hear people applauding and shouting praises. That could mean anything, though. They could be celebrating the return of their true king, Caspian. However, they could just as well be cheering for the usurper. Right at that moment, the main door to the dungeons was opened and footsteps could be heard. She turned around just in time to see a small, elderly man with a long white beard and glasses hurrying down the stairs and right behind him -
"Edmund!"
As soon as the door was unlocked, she enveloped him in a tight hug and buried her face in his chest.
"You're okay..."
He snorted while kissing the top of her head.
"You were the one held prisoner and were worried about me?"
"Of course."
"How are you feeling?"
"Dizzy, dirty, in pain - you want me to go on?"
"No, I think I get the picture." he said while picking her up bridal style.
"What are you doing...?"
"What's it look like? Getting you to the infirmary."
"I can walk on my own, you know."
"Yeah, your feet say otherwise."
(y/n) looked down. Her feet were bare, bruised, bloody, dirty; not to mention one of her ankles was red and swollen and judging by the pain it was either sprained or broken.
"Uh... You may have a point..."
He chuckled and kissed her temple, in the meantime she made herself comfortable in his arms, snuggled her head into the crook of his neck and closed her eyes.
"Tired?" he asked.
"A bit." she answered, immediately contradicting herself when a huge yawn escaped her lips.
"It's ok, you can sleep."
"But I want to talk to you!"
"We can talk after you've gotten some rest."
"But-"
"Sleep, nitwit."
Normally, she would've punched him for that, but right now, she was just glad that this whole mess was over and let herself drift off to sleep.
When she woke up again, she was lying on a comfy bed, covered by a fluffy blanket and warm light was streaming in through the windows. Edmund was sitting at her bedside, his head buried in his arms that were resting on the mattress; fast asleep. A soft smile crept onto her features and she gently ran her fingers through his dark hair. His eyelids fluttered open and he raised his head to look at her, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes at the same time.
"Morning Sleeping Beauty!" she laughed. He gave her a mock glare before smiling at her.
"I see you're finally up. How are you feeling?"
"A lot better. It's amazing what some proper rest can do for you."
"Tell me about it. I-"
He was interrupted by a loud grumbling, coming from (y/n)'s stomach. Her cheeks exploded in color and he started to laugh.
"Hungry?"
"Starving." she admitted.
"Come on then. I think the others are still having breakfast." he said and stood, offering a hand to her.
Completely overjoyed by the word 'breakfast', she ignored him and leapt out of bed - immediately regretting it when she landed on her left foot and pain shot through her entire body. She doubled over and Edmund barely caught her before she hit the floor.
"Tsk. Why do you think I offered you my hand? Your ankle's broken, genius."
"Thanks, I think I've noticed by now..." she grit out between clenched teeth.
"Hang on..." he sighed and and helped her sit down on the bed again.
He walked across the room and grabbed a crutch leaning against the windowsill. He went back and handed it to her, and she eyed it with disdain.
"I know you don't like it, but if you want to get better quickly, you'll need it."
"I can walk on my own. I'm not some helpless little girl; not anymore..." she mumbled and tried to get up again, only to scrunch up her face in pain and sink back down onto the bed.
Edmund placed the crutch next to her and knelt down to her level.
"Hey, look at me."
She refused. With a sigh, he placed both hands on her cheeks and lifted her head, only to find angry tears in the corners of her eyes.
"I know you're not helpless. Everyone who knows you even a little does. I know you don't want to go back to how things used to be. But accepting help every once in a while when you truly need it doesn't make you weak."
A few stray tears managed to escape and she smiled at his words. She grabbed the crutch and stood, giving him a one armed hug.
"Thank you, Ed. Now let's go get some food."
They left the infirmary side by side, Edmund leading the way. While they walked, she noticed him staring at her. After a while, she noticed that he wasn't truly staring at her, but her cuts, bruises and any new injury and scar.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"What do you mean?"
"You've been constantly staring at my wounds. I know they're ugly, but seriously, you could be a bit more subtle." she joked.
He stopped mid-step and turned to look at her, eyes wide.
"Don't say that! You're still as beautiful as ever! So don't-"
She held up a hand to silence him.
"Whoa, whoa, Ed calm down! I was joking. Seriously, what's wrong?"
He furrowed his brows and contemplated what to say next.
"I... I failed you. I broke my promise..."
"What...?"
"I promised I'd always protect you. I failed and you almost got killed. How-"
"Stop right there. Ed, none of this was your fault.
"But-"
"No buts. Life doesn't always go as planned. Things don't always go the way we want them to. That's no one's fault. Besides, you didn't break your promise, you didn't fail me; without you, I'd be dead right now."
"What?"
By now they'd reached the courtyard and (y/n) craned her neck back to look at the bright blue sky and sighed.
"During the raid, I got knocked out and woke up in a prison cell. I had no idea what had happened. I didn't know if you guys were dead, alive or imprisoned as well. It was driving me insane. Not knowing if you were still alive meant... it meant not knowing if I had someone to return to, even if I managed to escape. I kept the rebellious demeanor up when faced with the Telmarines, but in reality, I was falling apart. When I saw you back in that camp, when I finally knew you were alright, I got back my will to fight. So even if you didn't know it at the time, you protected me. You kept your promise."
He stared at her for a long moment. Then he grabbed her arm and pulled her into a tight hug, causing her to stumble and lose the crutch.
"I missed you..." he murmured into her hair.
She smiled.
"I missed you, too." she whispered and hugged him back.
When he pulled back, he saw her balancing herself on one foot, trying not to put pressure onto her injured one without falling over.
"S-Sorry about that." he said with a nervous chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck; his cheeks turning pink.
He bent down and picked up the crutch handing it back to her. She gladly accepted it and put it back in place, while Edmund grabbed her free hand and intertwined their fingers. It made walking just a tiny bit more difficult for her, but she didn't mind. They made their way back into the castle, Edmund having to carry her up a flight of stairs with some minor protest from her side, and reached a balcony. There stood a table, decked with a feast and her friends and family were seated around it. Susan was the first to notice their arrival.
"(y/n)! You're awake!"
She immediately stood up, quickly walked over to her and embraced her in a hug.
"I'm so glad you're alright. We all are." the older Pevensie sister said while pulling back and giving her a smile.
"It's good to be back. And it's wonderful to see that all of you got through this unscathed." (y/n) answered with a smile.
"(y/n)!" someone screamed.
Said (h/c) haired girl barely had enough time to hand her crutch to Edmund and brace herself, before an auburn haired, green clad blur cannon balled into her, knocking the wind out of her and almost pushing her over. She barely managed to stay standing on her one foot.
"Hey Lu." she said, while patting the young girl's hair.
"You're ok, you're ok! I was so scared! I thought I'd never see you again!" Lucy sniffed.
"Oh come on now, you know me better than that. You know I'm as stubborn as a mule, you really think some pathetic Telmarines could break me?" she said confidently, before realizing what she'd said and quickly turning to Caspian with an apologetic look.
"Uh, no offense."
Caspian gave her a reassuring smile.
"It's quite alright. You don't need to apologize. However, I do. My uncle and his men treated you horribly and I-"
"Oh don't even bother. You're not your uncle, nor his men. You had no hand and no responsibility in what happened to me, so there's no need for you to apologize and burden your mind with it."
Caspian gave her a shocked look for a moment, then he nodded in acknowledgment and smiled thankfully. That left only one person present, that hadn't greeted her yet.
"Pete? I know we had our, uh... differences during this war, but matter of factly I was expecting at least a hug from my big brother...?" she said in an unsure tone and opened her arms to him.
The blonde male hadn't even looked at her ever since she'd gotten here. Sure, they'd had a lot of fights recently, but was he really still that mad at her...? Finally, Peter rose from his seat and walked over to her. When he stood right in front of her, the world seemed to stop breathing for a second. Then he wrapped her in a hug that rivaled Edmund's and even Lucy's.
"I'm so sorry, (y/n). All of this was my fault. It was my plan and I didn't call it off when I should've. It was my fault you were captured and I... I'd been such an ass to you before and I thought I'd never get the chance to apologize and I... I..."
By now his voice was trembling and she could feel his shoulders shaking.
"Hey, just calm down. You have no need to apologize, either. I agreed to that plan, I went along with it and I let myself get captured. There was nothing you could've done without putting yourself and the rest of our troops and family in danger. You made the right decision, Pete."
"So, you're not mad...?"
She snorted.
"Please, I was madder at you when you 'accidentally' burned my favorite book."
"It was an accident!"
"Sure it was, bro."
"You're never going to let this go, are you?"
"Probably not, no."
They both laughed and Peter gave her another heartfelt hug before returning to his seat. Edmund handed the crutch back to her and they both walked over to the table and sat down in chairs next to each other, opposite of Caspian and Lucy. (y/n) stared at the variety of food with wide eyes, mouth starting to water. In a flash, she'd loaded her entire plate with everything she could get her hands on and started to inhale it. In a matter of minutes, the food was gone and she had a big smile on her face.
"I keep forgetting that you love food even more than me." Edmund said, while grabbing her hand again.
"That's not true!" she protested. "I love you just as much as I love food!"
"It says a lot about the both of us that you seriously mean that as a compliment and I'm really taking it as one."
"Sure, it says they we're perfect for each other."
He laughed and kissed her forehead.
"Can't argue with that."
They fell into a comfortable silence after that, just listening to the chatter of their friends and family going on around them. Only now did she notice that Edmund was still holding her hand, rubbing gentle circles onto the back of hers with his thumb.
"Hey..." she whispered, grabbing his attention.
"Hmm?"
She gestured at their intertwined fingers.
"You're not letting go any time soon, are you?"
"No."
She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes with a smile.
"Good."