For my good friend Whisper, I give you (two days late) your present! Merry Christmas! For the most part, I'll be following the books for information, but come on, who didn't love Philip the talking horse? He was incredible.

P.S., this is based off my beloved headcanon that Edmund randomly shows up at weddings because he wants free cake. Everyone starts making the most amazing cake for their weddings in the hopes that Edmund will show up, as the King coming is said to be a sign your marriage is blessed.

The pounding of hooves on the ground was a rhythmic dance to the King's ears and Philip huffed out his every breath softly, the creak of the saddle and the whistling of the wind completing the harmony of the moment. Edmund, dressed in his royal blue robes stitched in gold, his crown tied onto his saddle, sword hanging at his side, and dark hair hanging to his ears, he looked over his shoulder to his entourage.

Four riders behind him, all lagging due to the armor they wore, several yelling for the boy to slow down. However, the young king just chuckled and looked forward again, asking, "Is that all you've got, Philip? I thought you were faster."

The horse scoffed, shooting back, "I wasn't sure you could handle it- hold on!"

The horse's stride stretching out, Edmund grinned as he looked to the horizon, knowing it wasn't much farther to the Pavilion. He'd been there several dozen times now, it being a popular place to get married.

It had been three years since they'd arrived in Narnia, the King having attended nearly a hundred weddings since that time. Edmund didn't actually know who was getting married- he just heard there would be chocolate cake. For him, there was nothing else to be discussed.

Soon, the white cliffs of Cair Paravel once again loomed above, a beautiful beacon as a guide back from the Western Wood he'd just visited. Philip began to slow as the path expanded, becoming a clearing in the shade of the castle above, the far side of the clearing a thin layer of trees between the trees and the beach.

Centaurs, animals, and satyrs were gathered around the clearing, mostly around a circular white structure. White beams holding a spiraling roof of gold and silver high above, two dryads in human form looking happily between each other as the king arrived. Philip panting as he stopped, Edmund gave him an affectionate rub on the shoulder before slipping off, immediately loosing the strap around Philip's belly to let him breathe easy. Turning to the people, he gave a quick wave, smiling kindly. "Hello- I hope I'm not interrupting. I was told the reception would begin around noontime."

The two dryads, one seeming to be oak from his sandy hair and the other with the feathery hair similar to a willow, quickly made their way to the king. The oaken dryad greeted, "Welcome, King Edmund-"

"Please, just Ed," he insisted, still smiling. "Congratulations on your special day."

The two once again looked to each other with a smile, their intertwined fingers like the tangled roots of a tree, no differentiation between whose fingers were whose.

Edmund wasn't expecting the jolt of envy that tried to prick at his chest. After all, Susan had more suitors than any could count, Peter had every woman in the kingdom swooning with a glance, and he was solid in the belief that Lucy was too young to feel this form of love. Yet for all his glory and respect throughout the kingdom, he simply didn't have the... romantic popularity of his siblings. Not that this was something he resented! Just... wished he had, when he saw the smiling faces of pairs like the two in front of them.

The willow dryad smiled sheepishly, her ebony skin tinting red. "We're honored to have you, Ed. You're welcome to stay as long as you wish, and help yourself to the feast." She gestured to the table next to the pavilion with her free hand as the four who'd been following him arrived in the clearing.

One of the knights, a faun who seemed to be struggling to remove his hooves from the stirrups, called, "King Edmund, you can't leave us behind, sir! We are your guard, it is our duty to watch over you!"

Edmund let out a half a sigh, turning to the guards. "Yes, and I appreciate that. However, I told you to take the day off. It's a wedding, no one knows I'm here. Please, just go spend some time how you wish."

The guards looked between each other, unable to respond in time before the king had wandered off yet again with a final word to the couple. Slipping off to the feast, he picked up an apple, slipping behind the pavilion in the hopes that his guards would leave if they lost sight of him. They already had to follow him all the time when he didn't travel with his siblings- they deserved to have a day to themselves.

Plopping down in the grass cross-legged, he was prepared to take a good half hour chomping on his apple before slipping back out into safety. However, stifled laughter in the trees slighted this plan.

Unable to see the source, he had to assume it was another dryad, still in their tree. "Hello?"

The laughter didn't stop, though the source became obvious. The wood on a nearby silver birch tree seemed to stretch and bend as a girl walked out, her skin ghostly white as the tree she'd just left. Sandy blonde hair cut in a choppy pixie cut, light green tunic loose around her legs as it draped over her green leggings, a few leaves carefully braided into a small plait near the left of her face. Bare feet barely causing the grass to ripple, she held a hand to her mouth, eyes crinkled with laughter as she reached her free hand toward Edmund. "Wait, wait, this'll be amazing!"

Edmund frowned, standing and following her gaze just in time to see a faun sipping at some tea, only to make a sour face, gagging at the taste, the silver-skinned dryad doubling over with stifled laughter, not enough breath to make laughter or words coherent.

Edmund recognized that expression. This was the face Peter had first fallen victim to his "replace-sugar-with-salt" prank back in England. He'd never realized that others played the same game he did. Looking at the laughing dryad, he asked with curiosity, "Where did you learn that?"

She finally straightened, seeming to be near tears with the hilarity of her joke. "You'll never believe this, but I figured it out myself. I mean, I'm surprised I never thought of it before-" the dryad seemed to finally be looking at the boy beside her, deep green eyes widening in surprise as she processed who he was. "Y-You're one of the Kings... oh dear Aslan, I'm so sorry Peter! Wait, are you Lucy? Oh, crap, of course you're not Lucy, that's just stupid of me- Edmund! King Edmund!"

Edmund couldn't fight the inch of a smile that pulled at his lips. "It's alright. Just Ed will do- and I'll tell you, switching salt and sugar is a classic."

The girl's silvery skin seemed to turn entirely red, shifting foot to foot. "Uh, thank you K- Ed." She glanced back to her tree as if wondering if she could retreat quietly back in without being disrespectful.

Ed, seeing her discomfort, resolved to give her an out. "Well, I believe my guard will have left now. I suppose I'll see you at the next wedding in the Pavilion." With a wink, he teased, "I'll test my sugar before it's in my tea."

The girl seemed to turn an even deeper shade of red, but smiled sheepishly now. "I- thank you." Glancing around the corner of the building, she looked back to the boy. "Your guards wouldn't happen to be in silver armor with red plumes on their helmets, would they?"

Edmund lowered his head, letting out half a sigh before giving her a wave. "Then I suppose I should find a new hiding place. Maybe I'll see you decorating the cake with shaving cream..." He left the sentence open, waiting for her name.

The girl's redness faded, smile growing less embarrassed, despite having no idea what "shaving cream" was. "Meliae."

Ed returned the smile, nodding. "Meliae. I'll see you soon." And he quickly dodged around the Pavilion as the guards came around the corner.

It was nearly a hour later that Edmund found it safe enough to emerge from his hiding place in a nearby tree, waiting until he watched the guards ride off, dropping down with a chuckle and walked back out into the celebration.

Greetings came from every direction, Edmund giving his usual responses, insisting others use his name, not his title. After a little adjustment, the people now referred to him as "Ed," albeit still with incredible respect. He could understand that, thought. He just didn't want them to feel as if he wasn't even mortal, put him on the same level as someone like Aslan.

Sitting on the steps of the pavilion after a long line of Narnians wishing to speak with him, he finally had a moment to rest, smiling as he enjoyed watching the rest of the people milling about, laughing and dancing as a band of satyrs and started up their song.

A flash of green beside him as Meliae sat down with him, she offered a china plate with a piece of cake to him. "Hey... I saw you only had one piece."

Edmund, seeing a second plate in her other hand, accepted her gift with a smile. "Thank you."

The dryad shrugged, fiddling with the edge of her tunic. "I figured I should make up for earlier. I'm uh, usually more calm than that. I was just... surprised, to say the least. I actually wanted to thank you- I mean, I never thought I'd get the chance to meet one of the actual sons of Adam again."

Edmund had to resist the urge to correct her- he was still getting used to people calling him that. What caught his attention was the last word. "Again? I'm sorry, I seem to have-"

"Oh no, not really. I mean, we sort of met, but we never spoke. I was one of the soldiers who fought beside you in the battle against the White Witch. I wanted to thank you for fighting for us."

Edmund blinked, surprise flickering in his eyes. "Narnia is just as much my home as yours- of course I would fight for it. Besides, I should be thanking you. We couldn't have won without help from every Narnian who fought."

Meliae shrugged, averting her gaze. "But you led us, just as much as your brother and sisters did. The rest of us were struggling to pull together a militia when you all came with an actual answer. So..." She raised a forkful of cake toward Edmund as if toasting him, giving a wink. "My thanks to the Just King."

Edmund mimicked the action, changing the words. "My thanks to the warriors." Both ate their cake together, watching as the others danced.

Finishing their plates, Edmund insisted on taking their dishes back to the table, returning only to find Meliae was on her feet, watching the dancers. Looking to Edmund, she smiled. "Mind giving a girl a dance? I haven't danced with someone else since before the winter."

Edmund, with a quick thought wondering just how old his new friend was, agreed heartily, her cool, slim hand tugging on his, they joined in just in time for the start of a fast-paced jig. Meliae took to the song quickly, light on her feet and elegant as she spun and twisted foot to foot- at least until she tripped over her own feet. Edmund keeping her from falling, arms quickly wrapping around her shoulders. "Careful, there."

Meliae pushing back to her feet with slight assistance, pale cheeks turning pink once again, excused, "I'm still a bit our of it. I guess a few decades without practice will do that to you."

Edmund offered, "Do you need someone to keep you on your feet?"

Meliae laughed sheepishly, she answered, "I think I can manage, though I wouldn't be surprised if I knock myself down again."

"Well, I suppose I could stick around. After all, there's a question I've been meaning to ask. I'd hate to have to ask it of you when you're in an infirmary."

Meliae, extremely conscious of how he still had his arms on her shoulders, offered, "Well, you're free to ask. After all, if a king can't do something so simple, I think we all have reason to worry."

Edmund laughed softly, agreeing, "It's good, otherwise we'd need a new diplomat. But I was wondering whether you'd ever considered work in Cair."

Meliae blinked, an eyebrow arched. "Wait, are you...?"

"Yes. I'd like to offer you a job working with me. I've been looking for someone else to work with me on diplomatic missions- my brother most certainly isn't any help in this situation. However, in my experience, any good prankster knows how to maneuver. That's a skill I could use."

Meliae slowly took in the words before offering a smile. "You know, I think I'd like that."

"I believe I would too."