Simon

Summary: Edmund Pevensie sees a younger boy being bullied, and remembering the feeling, goes to his aid. Inspired by the Lifehouse song "Simon." One-shot.

Disclaimer: C.S. Lewis owns Edmund Pevensie and any other recognizable characters. I do not own the song "Simon"(Lifehouse does) but I do own the character of the same name. And I also own the bullies, though I'm not really sure I want to claim them.

--

Don't believe the lies that they told to you
Not one word was true
You're all right, you're all right,
You're all right

And I have felt the same
As you, I've felt the same
-Simon, Lifehouse-

--

The normal sounds of London drifted toward Edmund Pevensie. It was a warm, sticky, summer day, nice and sunny, but also with sweltering heat and as always, a threat of rain and with it humidity hung above in the air in the form of the grey clouds. They were always there, just bidding their time on the horizon.

Even after all this time, everything in England was still a bleak contradiction to whom he was. He heard the automobiles on the street beside him as everyone was trying to get somewhere fast. He would still rather walk, or, at the most, ride a horse. He heard the giggles and whispers of the young couples sitting on the benches that he walked past. Even though Susan had been bugging him to find a nice girl to go out with, Edmund thought he would rather wait until the girls he knew grew up. He heard the conversations filled with meaningless chitchat about the weather and things of no importance. This world seemed to hold so many empty things in his mind, but he had resigned himself to live in it for now.

He passed the school and the park as usual. There seem to be even more children than usual today. Edmund couldn't help but to stop and stare at them all. They were so young and innocent. Edmund was not a usually sentimental person, but his heart gave a pain as he realized that none of them would stay that way. They would slowly fade into the world around him, like everyone else he passed.

From somewhere close to him he heard a cry of pain. Alarmed, Edmund's dark eyes searched the area. There were young boys climbing the trees and a group of young girls all holding hands and running in a circle, obviously playing some game. Eventually, his eyes fell upon a group of five young boys, but they weren't playing like the others were.

They were behind a large oak tree, so it was hard for Edmund to get the full picture, but soon what was happening became apparent. Four of them had ganged upon the smallest and were obviously bullying him. He could already see a black-eye and tears, though the bullies had backed away and Edmund wondered if they were done with their torture.

No, they had started again. They were smart, he had to admit. A kick here, a pause. A swift hit to the stomach, and then another pause. Enough to make sure the young boy's screams or cries never got quite loud enough for the parents who were hanging on the outskirts to hear. Most of them were talking amongst themselves, not really paying attention to the children. Edmund figured that this was their one break slightly away from their kids.

Edmund had never one to draw attention to himself. He didn't do things that would put him in the spotlight, and this including acting on any position of authority unless he had too. He had seen what the want of power had done to him, and he was done with it. He didn't usually act quickly or rashly, but something inside him would not let him sit back and watch this happen.

He crossed the park quickly, quietly, trying to stay out of all the children's ways. It didn't take long for him to reach the group of boys. He saw the biggest getting ready for another punch. With a quick sidestep, he juxtaposed himself in front of the young, freckled-face, blonde-haired boy. The bigger boys were all taken by surprised, but the largest, a boy who looked to be only three to four years younger than Edmund, regained his momentum quickly.

"Who do you think you are?" He snarled, his brown eyes flashing pure anger that someone would dare stand in the way of his victim.

"Someone who won't let you hit this boy again." Edmund stated calmly and rationally. Inside, he was seething that these boys were bullying this innocent victim-they were an older group and Edmund was perplexed that they hadn't been made to stop this violent behavior already- but he had learned that hot anger often clouded one's judgement, and if he was going to win this battle, he needed to keep his cool.

"Oh yeah? You might be older than us, but if you haven't noticed . . . there's four of us and one of you. I think the odds are on our side. If you insist standing in a fight that isn't yours, we'll just have to take you down as well." The grin on the boy's face was completely devoid of anything that a smile should be made out of.

And so the fight began again, this time with more force and might, and Edmund took the brute of it all. He moved with surprising ease against all his opponents. He might have been scrawny for his age, and all the muscles he once had in Narnia were lost, but his memories of battle maneuvers stayed with him. It was not long before all the boys had back down and one by one, scattered off. Even their ringleader soon gave up, as it was apparent he couldn't win against Edmund.

As the last punch fell, Edmund turned to the boy who was sitting on the grace, looking rather grateful and ashamed all at the same time. The expression on the boys face was so familiar, as it was one Edmund knew he had worn many times before.

"Thank you," the boy replied, his coarse voice no louder than a whisper, his eyes still downcast. Edmund looked away- he had to do something, he had to give this boy some comfort, but he had no experience in the area. Emotions and people were Lucy's forte, not his.

"It was nothing," Edmund said quietly, meaning every word, "I've been where you are before."

"You have?" At this statement the boy looked up, and Edmund could tell his eyes were sparkling blue. He could see the spark of hope he had just ignited in the young boy's eyes.

Edmund nodded, and took a seat on the rough grass beside the boy. "What's your name?" He asked the boy gently.

"Simon." There was a note of wonder in the boy's voice. Edmund wondered how long this treatment of Simon had gone on from the other boys. The fear in his eyes and the undertones of sadness in the boy's voice seem to say that this was not the first time something like this had happened. Edmund also wondered if anyone had ever cared enough to stand up and step in.

"Yes," Edmund sighed, "I have been where you are . . . and I have been where they are as well."

Simon's eyes visibly widened. "You have?"

Edmund nodded, trying not to let the pain and shame that still haunted him to come to the surface. This conversation was not time for healing his own scars.

"It's just . . . you seem so nice. I don't see how someone who doesn't even know me and still stood up for me could have ever been a bully himself. What made you change?" The curiosity had clearly replaced the fear, and Edmund took this opening up as a good sign, though he still wasn't sure if he was doing this conversation right.

Edmund inhaled sharply. He wanted to tell this Simon the truth, but he didn't know what to say that would be believable.

"At first, I became a bully because I thought it would make me tougher and then I wouldn't get bullied . . . but it really just made things worse. When I wasn't beating someone down or being picked on, I was the victim. Someone finally did what I did for you, though. He showed me the real courage of standing up instead of lashing out . . . and everything changed after that." Edmund had to settle with that, though he felt he was selling the entire event short. The memories of Narnia and Aslan overwhelmed him, so he turned his face back to Simon.

Simon's face was now devoid of fear, and his expression now showed only gratitude. "Thank you again. But now I feel indebted. How can I repay you?" He asked, his voice still quiet but now much stronger.

Edmund shrugged. "Nothing. Just promise not to believe the lies they tell you. The lies you're not good enough or strong enough." Edmund clearly remembered the lies that he himself had believed, and he knew if he could stop Simon from believing them, no matter how much physical damage the bullies would do in the future, the two of them had won the battle.

For the first time in a long time, a smile, albeit a rather shy and awkward one, came over Simon's face. "I promise."

The rain from the grey clouds started slowly coming down around them, washing quietly and gracefully over the two of them. But now, instead of the wet drops crying a song of sorrow, they were singing a song of redemption and new beginnings, and weaving tales of newfound freedom and hope.

-Finished-