This is a sequel to What He Didn't Deserve. I would not suggest reading alone. This piece was inspired by Bayside's accoustic mix of Winter. I would highly suggest listening to it to set the mood. Fabulous song! :-)

I would like to apologize to any of you out there who are fans of my multi-chapter piece, Negotiations. I will be sure to update sometime this week. School is as hectic as ever and I offer my sincerest apologies to each and every one of you.

Disclaimer: The Chronicles of Narnia is the property of C.S. Lewis, not me.

Winter Will Never Keep Us Apart

A tear slipped down my cheek, immediately followed by another and another. I didn't bother to hide them, or even wipe them away. No one was out on this bitter winter day.

The cloud blanketed the sky and snow flakes floated down from the heavens slowly, drifting down in a graceful dance that swept through the air. The sun and all its glory was hidden behind the overcast sky that cast its gloom across the sullen, desolate streets of Finchley.

I folded my arms across my stomach gingerly and marched on without a care as to where I was headed. It didn't matter, really. Nothing seemed to matter today. My heart pound against my ribs and another tear fell from my eye with every step I took. I raised my hand and clenched my chest, wrinkling my coat in a desperate attempt to keep my wounded heart trapped inside.

Another year had come and gone. Three hundred sixty-five days have passed again without him. Still, every summer, life carries on as though he never existed at all. However, winter was another story. The ice and chill returned every year, rushing over England like a plague and bringing the frozen memories along with it.

Edmund had supposedly run away from Professor Digory's estate in the countryside. That was the official story; how we explained our brother's mysterious disappearance to Mother and Father. But Peter, Susan, and I know what really happened. We know all too well why Edmund never returned from that fantastical land known as Narnia.

She took him from us. The White Witch stole our brother's life with a dagger to the heart all those years ago. That vile creature that had called herself a queen ripped Edmund from my life and now he was gone forever. Gone, but not forgotten. No, every winter my soul aches to see his freckled face again.

While Mother and Father were upset, they can still carry the hope that the runaway will return home. But I know he never will. Edmund's place in my parents' life has all but disappeared. They regard him as a failure on their part; a blemish on their otherwise spotless records.

The snow continued to settle on the world around me, covering the green of the grass with a pallid white and freezing what little life remained in the trees. The snow had lost its luster and wonder in my mind.

I came upon a small park and absently took a seat on one of the swings. Ignoring the cold that seeped through my skirt, I kicked myself off the ground lightly. The wind stung my face and I sunk back into my thoughts.

I looked the clouds above and I could see his smiling face gazing down at me from the sky. My hands gripped the chains that supported the swing and I called out to him. He did not reply but continued to smile warmly, gradually vanishing into the morose haze of clouds that covered the heavens.

Edmund was happy, I knew that now. But, does that mean that I should be blissful as well? I couldn't be. Not without my dear brother.

Suddenly, I felt his arms wrap around me and I leaned into his embrace. My mind was playing tricks on me, but I didn't care.

He departed just as quickly as he had arrived, as silent as ever. I stood up and began to head home. Edmund was not dead, I realized. He would be here, within me, eternally.

The sun peaked out from behind the clouds and its warmth enveloped me instantly. The pain that had haunted me all these years fled from my hollow heart as it was filled with memories of my brother, laughing and fully alive.

"My dear brother," I called. "Winter will never keep us apart. I will never leave you. Not ever."

I know it's short, but I felt it offered closure for What He Didn't Deserve. Reviews are greatly appreciated!