Knight of Justice
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
"Run, Faith!" I heard Hannah scream. I knew I needed to keep up, or the boys might see us.
"I'm coming!" I called, going faster.
Rose laid a hand on each of our arms. "Shh. Listen." I cocked my head and heard what none of us wanted to hear then. "Four-wheelers!" I whispered.
"Yep," Rose said.
"Come on! We need to hide, now!" Hannah insisted, pulling us toward the woods.
"Let's go deep enough to where they can't get inside on the four-wheelers." Rose followed quickly, but I hesitated. "Faith! Come on!" Rose cried. I did, and the boys roared past us.
"That was close," Hannah breathed out.
"Yes, it was," I agreed.
"Why did you stop?" Rose asked.
"I don't really know."
"Well, at least they didn't notice us," Hannah said.
I glanced around. Where was I? It looked like a train station, but I knew for a fact that there were none around where I lived. I looked to my left. "Hannah?" I asked. On her other side stood Rose, who had seen her at the same time I had. She asked us what we were doing there, and I told her I didn't know and asked what she was doing there.
Rose asked a very important question. "And where is here, anyway?" Hannah responded and said that she didn't know, either. We boarded the train, and Hannah suddenly said she thought we were in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Rose reminded her that Narnia doesn't exist.
After we got off the train, we were greeted by four siblings named Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie. We all almost fainted. But, Mrs. Macready arrived and took us to the professor's house.
Just when I felt like I couldn't run up another stair, Edmund dragged us into the wardrobe room. We all got in, and tried to get as far back as we could. Then, thud! Rose, Peter, Susan, and I fell into cold, wet snow. I smiled. We were in Narnia!
At the Beaver's house, after we ate, I saw Edmund slip away out of the corner of my eye, with Hannah following. In a few minutes, the other Pevensies realized he was gone, and we chased after them, almost all the way to the Witch's house. Hannah rejoined us there, and I immediately lashed out at her. "Why did you let him go? Why didn't you stop him?"
"You two know why. If I had stopped him, it would ruin the story. I wanted to, though," she refuted.
We approached Aslan's camp. I fingered my sword hilt, given to me by Father Christmas. What do I say? What do I do? What will He be like? Among all the questions, one stood out. Have I lived to please Him, by both Names? Before I could properly answer my questions, we were standing before a tent. Aslan emerged. All of us knelt.
I saw everything I had done wrong, every lie, every time I had yelled at my brother, every time I disobeyed my parents, flash before my eyes. Then, as the Lion addressed us, I heard words echo in my head, drowning out all my mistakes. "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." It sounded like a Bible verse. I didn't recognize it, but I figured Hannah would know. I recalled a memory verse of my own. "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." I was, am, and will be free forever!
Hannah, Rose, and I hid with Susan and Lucy as Aslan walked up to the Stone Table. He was kicked, mocked, tied, shaved, and who knew what else. I silently wept. He isn't only dying for Edmund; He's dying for me. For Hannah. For Rose. For Susan. For Lucy. For Peter. For all of Narnia. They dragged Him onto the Stone Table. I couldn't bear to watch. I buried my face into Hannah's shoulder. I heard her softly sniff. Soon after, the Witch and her forces left, and Su, Lu, Rose, and I ran to His body. I laid my head on His, my tears falling onto the Lion. We stayed and mourned the whole night. Then, we began to leave, and there was an earthquake. We turned, and the body was gone. "What have they done?" Susan breathed.
We dashed back up to the Table, when suddenly, before us, He stood! "Aslan!" we cried. "You're alive!" I added. Joy flooded into my heart.
I watched as the Four were crowned and Hannah was knighted. I then knelt before the risen Lion, sword in my hands, touching the ground. "I, Faith Katie McCall, do solemnly swear to defend the honor of Aslan's name and the names of the kings and queens which He has appointed and blessed, and to uphold and aid in the enforcement of the laws of Narnia, and to protect, with my last breath if necessary, the kings and queens appointed by Aslan and blessed by Him. But if any king or queen of Narnia appointed and blessed by Aslan shall ever stray from doing His will, I swear I will do my duty and do everything in my power to try and turn the king or queen back to Him. This do I swear by Aslan's name, and to these noble causes do I commit my life and my sword."
He touched my shoulders and said, "You knelt as Faith Katie McCall, but you rise as Dame Faith, Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Lion."
I approached Orieus and said, "General? Who am I to guard today?"
"Well, Queen Hannah wished to guard the High King-"
"What a surprise," I muttered.
He laughed. "And Rose wanted to guard Queen Lucy."
"So that leaves me with King Edmund, since Queen Susan is in the Lone Islands."
"Yes."
I nodded. "Very well, General." I hurried through the halls, mumbling about reporting for duty before Rose did tomorrow. It wasn't that I disliked the now 19 year old Just King, but- I didn't even know what I was trying to say. I just felt, I didn't really know, weird around him now. By the time I had reached his study, I was thoroughly confused. I knocked. "Your Majesty," I asked.
"Come in," he said. I entered the room. He smiled at me. "So, you're to be my shadow today, Faith?"
"It appears so, my lord."
"Faith, must you call 'my lord'?"
"It is proper etiquette, my king. You are my king."
"But, when we are not at a state function, I would rather you call me Edmund. Is that too much to ask?"
"No, my lo- Edmund." I hastily corrected.
He smiled. "Thank you. If you want, you may sit down. It will be a few minutes before I am done."
"Yes, sir." I sat down, wondering why my face was so hot. Then, I gasped softly. Edmund looked up. "Is something wrong, Faith?"
"No, I am all right."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes; I am quite certain." I offered him a small smile. But inside, I was thinking, I'm acting like Hannah did before she and Peter started courting. I- I- I can't be in love with the king! It's impossible!
"Faith, I was wondering…"
"Yes, Edmund?"
He took a deep breath. "Faith, would you do me the honor of courting me?"
I was shocked. "Did- did- did y- y- you just ask me if you could court me?"
"Yes; what's so startling about that?"
"You're the king! I'm just a knight. Why would you want to court me?"
"Because I love you, Faith."
I giggled. "I love you, too." Then my face darkened. "You would have to get Hannah's permission first, though."
"Already done."
"Well, in that case, then of course! I would love for you to court me!"
I looked up at Edmund. His eyes were full of love. We spoke our vows, and he kissed me. That was the happiest day of my life.
The next day was Adrian and my coronation. The five current kings and queens sat on their thrones with Adrian and I standing in front of the 2 empty thrones. Aslan had again returned. "To the towering southwestern mountains, I give you Queen Faith the Bold. And to the wide northwestern marshes, King Adrian the Noble."
Everyone started shouting, "Long live King Peter! Long live Queen Hannah! Long live Queen Susan! Long live King Edmund! Long live Queen Faith! Long live King Adrian! And long live Queen Lucy!" I was smiling from ear to ear. Who knew life could be so perfect?
"Mama, do you and Daddy have to go?"
I smiled. "Yes, Martha, we do. Unless, of course, you want Uncle Peter to be mad at us?"
"No! But hurry back."
"Of course we will. We'll be back as soon as we catch the White Stag." If only I had known… if only I had remembered.
We rode for a while until we finally spotted the creamy Stag dashing through the brush. As we rode, Phillip pulled up. We turned around to find Edmund. "Come on, Ed!" Su said, grinning.
"Just catching my breath."
"Well, that's all we'll catch at this rate."
"What did he say again, Susan?" Lucy playfully asked.
"'You girls wait in the castle. I'll get the Stag myself.'" All of us girls giggled. Peter almost joined in, but saw something that stopped him. "What's this?" he asked, dismounting. We all followed suit, staring at it. "It seems familiar."
"As if from a dream." Susan began.
"Or a dream of a dream." Lucy finished. Suddenly, she realized something. "Spare Oom." I wondered why that sounded so familiar. "Lucy!" Peter said, following her.
"Not again." Susan said.
"Lu?" Peter repeated.
"Come on!" she shot back.
"These aren't branches," he said presently.
"They're coats." Susan said.
"Susan, you're on my foot!" Edmund shouted.
"Peter, move off!" Lucy cried.
"Rose!" I screeched.
"Stop shoving!" Peter said, his voice changing back into a child's.
"Stop it!" Edmund said. We tumbled out of the wardrobe, as children again. Everything rushed back to me. Hannah tumbled out last and nearly crushed Peter. The door opened, and the Professor entered, carrying the cricket ball Edmund had hit through the window what seemed like a lifetime ago. I guess, in a way, it was. "Oh, there you are. What were you all doing in the wardrobe?"
"You wouldn't believe us if we told you, sir." Peter said.
He threw the ball to Peter. "Try me."
At that moment, I knew. I knew that, even if I look like a child, I am a knight and queen of Narnia. And I would always be the Bold Queen, knight of justice.
A/N: The play on words with the title of this story is this: Faith marries King Edmund the Just. As in 'justice'. Just in case you didn't catch that.
