Disclaimer: I do not own the magnificent world in Narnia! That belongs to C. S. Lewis!
Peter - 20, Susan - 19, Edmund - 17, Lucy - 15
It was winter in Narnia. Christmas had passed and the Kings and Queens had been ruling for five years now. High King Peter the Magnificent was proving to be a smart and worthy ruler. The Queens, Susan the Gentle and Lucy the Valiant, were worthy of their titles. They had accomplished much as rulers and queens. However, King Edmund the Just was probably the most accomplished and worthy one of them all. He had grown so much as a king and brother. He lived up to his name and had already proven to be the wisest and one of the best kings Narnia had ever seen. However, currently, some of Edmund's lesser duties were being taken care of by his siblings, with him taking care of occasional things that were his duty and his alone, such as court rulings.
Once the cold weather had arrived, Edmund had become ill, just as he had every winter since the Battle of Beruna. Nobody had yet learned why Edmund always became sick in the winter, not even his siblings, but they all assumed it was a side-affect of being stabbed by the White Witch. What they didn't know, what that he would be plagued with nightmares, his stab wound would throb painfully, and his memories of the Witch would be at the forefront of his mind every day.
But no matter how awful Edmund felt, however, he never failed in his duties as a king, and always acted with the same qualities and manners as always. Even if his subjects and servants couldn't tell though, his siblings could always sense slight differences in his personality. They just assumed, along with everyone else, that it was a side-affect. One day, however, everything changed.
Edmund had just awoken, feeling more ill than usual, and was now getting dressed. He was just now grabbing his tunic, when all of a sudden he heard a knock upon his door.
"Just a moment." Edmund said.
"Edmund?" Peter sounded concerned, having heard the sickness in his brother's voice.
"I said, just a moment, Peter." Edmund said, the judge tone coming through in his sickly voice. Peter, obviously though, wouldn't take "just a moment" for an answer, and opened the door, just as Edmund was sliding the tunic over his head.
"Edmund, what's wr - " Peter stopped dead, seeing Edmund's back. Edmund whirled around and looked at Peter, pulling his tunic down as he did so.
"Peter, what are you doing?" Edmund's voice rang out loudly, shocking Peter out of his stupor.
"Edmund," Peter began, in his quiet, deadly serious voice, "what were those on your back?"
"Nothing. So, are you ready to go over those treaties today?" Edmund said hastily, hoping to divert Peter's attention away from his back.
"Don't you change the subject on me! Where. Did. Those. Come. From?" Peter was shouting now, drawing the attention of Susan and Lucy, who were in their rooms, and the four Leopards that stood guard outside their rulers' rooms at all times. Susan and Lucy came running in. Susan, her hair damp from a earlier shower, and Lucy, who had been brushing her teeth, toothpaste froth still evident upon them.
"Peter! What's going on?" Susan shouted, just as Lucy yelled, "What in Aslan's name is happening?" which shut her siblings up at once. Lucy had always had the ability to quiet her siblings, whether during an argument or battle.
"Edmund had scars on his back, and he won't tell me where they're from!" said Peter, at last in a quieter voice. Lucy paled, looked at Edmund and then turned to the Leopards and said, "Sisters, will you please excuse us?"
"Of course, Your Majesty." they replied as one. Lucy turned back to her siblings, who were both staring at her, wondering how she could be so calm. Peter was breathing heavily, bristling with fury and Susan was shocked speechless. Edmund just stood staring at the floor, too nervous to tell his older siblings what had transpired between him and the Witch when he was her captive. He had unwillingly told Lucy, but felt better once he had told her, as she was able to comfort him in a way he hadn't been comforted before.
However, he knew how Peter and Susan would react. They would fawn over him, be even more overprotective of him than they were now, if that were possible, and want to keep him out of harm's way at all times. He enjoyed his life now, and didn't want anything to change, but knew that was impossible now. He enjoyed going into battle, ruling in court, and having fun with Lucy. He enjoyed his life. But he felt, that if he told them, that would all change. Would it?
"Edmund, please tell us." Susan said in her commanding yet gentle voice. Lucy could see the struggles going on inside Edmund's mind, on whether or not to tell peter and Susan.
"Ed, would you like me to tell them?"
"No, Lucy. I'd never ask you to repeat that." Edmund responded, almost whispering and sinking down onto the bed behind him. Lucy gave him a small, strengthening smile and then sat down next to him.
Suddenly, Peter said, "Wait, you told Lucy but you didn't tell me? How could you?"
"Peter, please." Lucy commanded.
"I - Are you sure you want to know?" Edmund asked.
"Yes, Ed, please tell me." Peter's kingly voice vanished completely and was replaced by the 'caring older brother' voice.
"Very well." Edmund gave in. He realized Peter and Susan would not leave him alone, until they learned the truth.
"It was five years ago, when I was the Witch's captive. I - she . . . she tortured me!" At this outburst, Peter and Susan gasped. They had assumed certain things had transpired while he was with her, but never had they thought it had been as bad as torture.
"Why do you think I wake up screaming because of nightmares all the time?" Edmund was yelling now. "She tortured me, Peter!"
"What do you mean? What did she do to you?" Susan asked fearfully.
"For one thing, she didn't feed me. And her slaps . . ." he shuddered. "They were so hard. She wore this pointed ring too that would scratch me so badly. Sometimes, when we were walking to Aslan's How, she would whip me to make me walk faster or . . . or just because. And, that's what those are from." He finished, gesturing at his back to indicate his scars upon his back.
Edmund was silently shaking, wanting nothing more than to be alone, and so walked towards the door. As he was about to pass Peter, an arm was stuck out in front of him, and then he was suddenly enveloped in a bone-crushing hug. He felt the bile that had risen up into his throat, vanish and he relaxed into the arms of his brother, the High King. He had had no idea that this is how Peter would react. He suddenly felt less sick as he felt Susan's arm throw themselves gently around her brothers.
After a few minutes, he was allowed freedom and looked at his siblings with eyes, eyes that were glistening with joyful tears.
"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you sooner." he said apologetically.
"It's okay, Ed." Susan responded. "I don't blame you one bit for not wanting to relive that."
As he looked behind him, he saw a smiling Lucy still sitting in the bed. He smiled and walked over to her and said, "Thank you, my Queen, for giving me the strength to face my fears."
"It was not my doing, my King. It was the will of our Dear Aslan, who gave you the strength." Edmund's smile grew wider as he faced his elder siblings, and motioning for them all to leave the room and attend breakfast.
Although the sicknesses, nightmares, and pain still plagued him, he always felt better every winter since, knowing that his siblings understood the truth.
Many years later, when they had arrived back in England and had returned to their home in Finchley, and were forced to tell their parents of their ventures into Narnia and the sources of their scars, Edmund was glad he had told them. King Edmund the Just couldn't have been part of a better family.
P.S. Thank you so much for reading.
P.P.S. I'm sorry about the epilogue. If you liked it, great. If not, don't worry about it. I myself thought it kind of sucked.