Here we go! My second story, another book in my What If?, series. This time, it's Edmund. Hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer:I don't own Narnia, and I don't make money off of it!
What if…Edmund died in the battle against the Witch?
The wind rushed past us as we raced through the countryside. Susan and I were riding on Aslan's back, the Narnians following him. And dear Mr. Tumnus, running right alongside me. Oh, how was ever so happy to see him again! As we neared the battlefield, we could hear the sounds of crashing swords, cries of pain, and yelling from both sides. When we reached the hill overlooking the battle, Susan and I leapt from Aslan's back, as he had instructed us to. The Narnians with us poured out on to the battle field, startling the Witch's army. I could see Peter fighting with the Witch nearby, but I couldn't find Edmund, which worried me a little.
Aslan raced towards Peter and the Witch, and I could see from the look on Peter's face that he was shocked to see Aslan. But he didn't have time to think about it, for the Witch took advantage of Peter's pause, and slashed down. Peter fell backwards, his sword falling from his hand.
"No!" I screamed, and Susan grabbed my arm. But just as the Witch brought her sword down again, Aslan leapt on top of her. The look on Witch's face was completely astonished. Aslan killed her, and turned to Peter, who was getting to his feet. The Witch's army was quickly noticing she was dead, and were fleeing away, but many were caught by the Narnians. I ran down the hill to Peter, throwing my arms around him. Susan followed a slower pace.
"Peter, you're hurt!" I cried, pulling out my cordial. But he stopped me. "Wait Lu. Edmund needs you first." Susan followed Peter's gaze to a figure lying on the ground. "Edmund!" We both said at once, and ran towards him. He was deathly still, and as we watched, his gasps for air began to slow. "Quickly Lu." Peter urged. I unscrewed the top of my cordial, and dropped 3 drops into Edmund's mouth. We waited. And we waited some more. Susan had pulled of Edmund's helmet, and had rested his head in her lap. She was stroking his hair, fear in her eyes. Peter said nothing, but I could see he was scared.
Finally, Susan placed two fingers against Edmund's throat. "He's gone." She said softly, tears in her eyes. "No!" I screamed, clutching Edmund's hand. Peter looked ashen. He stood up, and walked away. I put my face in my hands, and sobbed. Aslan stood nearby, his face grave. Susan gently laid Edmund's head on the ground, and went to Peter. She put her arms around him, but he stood there stiffly, not seeming to notice her.
I got up, ran to them, and threw my arms around them. Susan hugged me back, but Peter just stood there, looking off into the distance. I had never seen him like this before, and it scared me. "It'll be alright Peter. We'll get through it." Susan said softly. Still, Peter didn't respond.
I couldn't handle just sitting there, so grabbing my cordial, I went around the battle field, giving drops of the red juice to those who needed it. Aslan unfroze those who had been turned to stone, and when we were finished, I looked back towards my siblings. Peter was in the same spot, the same look on his face. Susan had sat down, the tears finally streaming down her cheeks. Aslan went to Peter, and spoke softly to him. I hoped his words would help Peter, because mine and Susan's certainly weren't. Finally, Peter turned around, pulled Susan and I towards him, and embraced us. We stood like that for a while. The Narnians gathered around us, their faces solemn as they saw what had happened.
Eventually, we began to head towards Cair Paravel. Someone got Edmund's body, and carried him back with us. Susan, Peter, and I just held onto each other as we walked back. It was a long walk, and the whole time, memories of Edmund kept going through my mind. Oh, how he teased me, how nasty he was sometimes, but I still loved him, even though he had changed in the past couple years. I only wishe I had told him how much he meant to me. And now it was too late.
We reached Cair Paravel as the sun was beginning to set, and Aslan took us to the side. "There are only three of you now, but as long as you become king and queens, the prophecy will still be finished." Peter, Susan and I looked at each and nodded. Even though Edmund was gone, we still needed to take the throne. He had given his life up for Narnia, and we needed to do our part too.
Edmund's funeral was to be in 2 days, our coronation in one. Aslan knew we needed time to grieve, so he had meals sent up to us, and then left us alone for the night. We were given separate rooms, but Peter and Susan came into mine after all of us had picked at our dinner, and gotten ready for bed. Susan curled up next to me on the bed, Peter sitting at the end. I said nothing, just hugged Susan tightly. Susan hugged me back, and reached out to Peter, who scooted down, and hugged us too. We stayed like that for a long time, each of us crying and hugging, saying nothing.
Finally, when the sun had long since set, the moon high in the sky. Peter got up, spread a blanket on the floor, set a pillow beneath his head, and laid down to sleep. Susan slept with me, and we fell asleep holding each other's hand.
We were woken by the sunlight streaming in through the window. Clothes for our coronation had been laid out for us, along with breakfast, which we ignored. Food was the last thing we wanted. We went to our separate rooms to dress, a servant helping us. I wore a silver dress, with silver slippers. My hair was curled, and hung around my shoulders. Susan and Peter were soon finished, and we proceeded to the throne room. Many Narnians were there, and as we walked down the aisle, I couldn't help wishing that Edmund was there. Aslan crowned us, and I was given a silver crown, Peter's and Susan's each gold. But as Aslan finished the coronation ceremony, my eyes kept darting to the empty throne. I could almost imagine Edmund sitting there, smiling proudly.
There was a feast afterwards, but we ate very little, our hearts and mind still heavy with sorrow. I talked with Mr. Tumnus for a while, and he did his best to comfort me. But I dreaded what the next day would bring. The rest of the day passed in a blur, and before I knew it, I was waking up the next morning, dressing for Edmund's funeral.
He was buried outside Cair Paravel, and Aslan and several Narnians were there. As Edmund's casket was lowered into the hole, tears began to stream, and I grabbed Peter's hand. He held it tightly, but said nothing. Looking up at him, I could see the grief in his eyes, the pain he was feeling. Aslan said a few words, but I can't remember now what he said. Susan did her best to hold herself together, but as the dirt was shoveled onto Edmund's casket, she reached for Peter, and buried her face in his shoulder. His arm wrapped around her, but his eyes never left the casket.
A gravestone was placed on top, and I gently laid a rose on it. The Narnians began to disperse, their eyes sorrowful as they quietly walked away. Soon, only my siblings and I, along with Aslan were left. "Edmund's spirit lives on. He's still with you in your hearts. Remember that." Aslan said gently, then he too, walked away. Susan ran off towards Cair Paravel, unable to stay any longer.
I knelt by Edmund's grave. "You were the best brother I could ever have had Edmund. I only wished I had gotten the chance to tell you that. I love you dear brother, and I'll remember you always." I whispered. "Goodbye Edmund." Tears flowing, I turned to Peter. He was still and silent, his eyes on Ed's gave. I wished I could comfort him, but I knew there was nothing I could do or say that would help. Knowing he wanted to be alone, I headed back to Cair Paravel.
The next few weeks were hard, getting adjusted to being kings and queens, and dealing with our grief of losing Edmund. But we leaned on each other, and were there to comfort one another when things got hard. And eventually, the pain began to subside, and we found joy in life again. We ruled in Narnia for several years, till one day, we were chasing the White Stag through the forest, and stumbled across a lamppost. It looked familiar to me, so I hoped off my horse, and followed the trail behind it. It was small and narrow, and I had to push branches out of the way. "Lu?" Peter called, but I ignored him. Susan and Peter followed me, and soon, we weren't pushing through branches, we were pushing through coats.
Then, much to our astonishment, we found ourselves back in the room the wardrobe was in, young children once more. We looked at each other, and realized what had happened. And it was no surprise when the Professor entered the room, his face grave, and said, "Edmund fell out of a tree a few minutes ago, and hit his head. He died instantly." We looked at each other, our eyes sorrowful, but we had known he wouldn't be with us here either. The Professor never did understand why we were so calm about Edmund's death. But we had gotten over his passing years ago, and it was no surprise to us to find he had died in both worlds.
We spoke of Narnia often in the passing years, but never did visit it again. And eventually, it faded from our minds completely. We missed our brother dearly, but knew he was in a better place. And I couldn't help thinking that we would one day see him, and Narnia again.
I couldn't decide between the 2 endings, so I wrote both. There will be a sequel to the alternate ending.
Alternate Ending: That was not the last time we were to see Narnia again. A year later, Narnia was to need our services once more. We lived with the Professor for a while, and Edmund was always in our minds and hearts. Eventually, the war ended, and we were able to return home. Dad came back, and he and Mum were devastated to learn of Edmund's death. For weeks, our house was solemn and quiet, filled only with the sounds of quiet crying on occasion. But our parents got through it, just as we did, though Mum always felt that Edmund's death was partly her fault. And it was several months later at the train station that something very peculiar happened…
To be Continued….
What's next for the Pevensies? Check back often for the sequel to, What if…Edmund had died in the battle against the Witch?
Please, please, please review! And while I appreciate all reviews, I like the ones that tell what I did well, and what I need to work on. I don't just want to hear the good things, I want to hear the bad too, so I can make them good! Hope you enjoyed!