Edmund stood there staring at the dark wooden door. He clenched the small bouquet of purple lilies and cursed himself. He was a king. He had led hundreds of troops into battle. He had helped to save Narnia three different times. And now here he stood… Just cowering in front of this damn door. He reached out with shaky fingers and rang the buzzer. Part of him wanted to run home. The other part of him knew that if he did, she would never want to see him again.

He had known Alyssa Owens for almost three months. She was the daughter of an American Lieutenant who was assigned to the London area. She had no other family so when her father was sent oversees, she came along. They had been renting a flat not far from Edmund's house. Alyssa was being home-schooled so she spent a lot of time at the library. Which was where he first saw her.

She had been sitting on a bench reading and waiting for a bus when some boys from Edmund's school passed by her. The boys began teasing her and calling her names. When she didn't respond, one of them ripped the book out of her hands. She just sat there, looking at them.

"I didn't know yanks could read." One of them taunted. She still didn't say anything. "I wonder what your yank father would think of you out here all alone?" She rolled her eyes. "In England, only whores stand on street corners unattended."

"Well, I'm not standing. I'm sitting." She simply said, folding her arms.

"You ought to be crawling." Another boy replied. "That's what you deserve." He pulled her up off the bench and shoved her back. She made no attempt to defend herself.

"That's one." She said quietly.

"One what, stupid?" The boy with the book threw it and hit her in the face before she could put her hands up.

"That's two." Edmund had seen enough. He crossed the street and was coming up behind the girl. The three boys began to close in on her. One reached out and shoved her again. Just as Edmund reached her he heard, "and three." The next thing Edmund knew, two of the boys were lying on the ground and the third was running away. The girl turned and raised her fists at Edmund. "Are you going to start in too?" She demanded.

"Actually, I came to rescue you." He stammered as he watched the other two boys get up and run away.

"Too late Prince Charming, this damsel is no longer in distress." Edmund laughed and bent to pick up her book.

"Where'd you learn to hit like that?" He asked handing her the book. He glanced at the cover and was surprised at the title.

"My dad." She turned at stuffed the book in a worn brown satchel. "I like baseball so I let them have three strikes. I believe in second chances."

"I don't think I'd have let them get past the first one."

"Is that why you waited so long to rescue me?" She smirked at him.

"I… Well, I didn't think… I mean, I thought they would. I was going to…" She held up her hand.

"It's okay, you can stop now."

"Thank you." She pulled her shoulder length brown hair away from her face and Edmund saw a small gash on the left side of her head. "You've a cut." He stepped towards her.

"I think the book got me kinda hard. Is it bleeding?"

"Not badly. Would you like to come to my house and get a bandage?"

"Thanks but I should get home." She picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder.

"Where do you live? I'll escort you."

"Fraid to let me go off unattended?"

"A little bit yeah." They both laughed.

"The bus won't be here for a while. Do you mind walking?"

"Not at all." They started down the street together. "Your book," he asked. "It's about magic?"

"Yeah, I like stories about magic." She paused. "Do you know any?"

"Yes… It's a story about a place called Narnia."

"Will you tell it to me? It is a long walk." And so he told her all about Narnia.

After that they met almost ever afternoon outside of the library. After two weeks Lucy demanded to know where he was sneaking off to. With Susan and Peter both at University, Edmund was Lucy's only company. Lucy and Alyssa became fast friends and often traded stories about magic and far off lands. It wasn't long before Edmund developed deeper feelings for Alyssa. Then he finally gathered the courage to ask her out on a date.

Now here he was at her door knowing that he was about to face Alyssa's extremely overprotective father. The door opened and Edmund once again contemplated making a run for it. Light hit his face and he squinted slightly. When his eyes adjusted he relaxed a little. The man in front of him was almost shorter than Edmund. He had a scrawny build and looked about 60.

"You must be the boy here for little Alyssa." The man wheezed when he spoke. "Betcha can't wait to meet her daddy." The man reached out and slapped Edmund on the shoulder.

"You mean… You're not him?" The fear started to creep up again. Edmund looked behind him. His mother had insisted that Peter go along as a chaperone. Peter was standing across the street with Lucy who had tagged along. For a split second Edmund was glad they had come along. Someone might have to drag his body back home…

Edmund entered the small flat and was led to a parlor. Alyssa was sitting on a sofa wearing a pale blue dress. Her hair which she was usually shoving away from her face was pulled back in a braid. She smiled when she saw him and got up. Taking his hand she led him into the kitchen area where he saw a giant of a man brandishing a huge knife. Edmund took a step back.

"Are those for me or my little girl?" The man said pointing the knife at the flowers Edmund still held.

"Um, would you like them?"

"Nah, purple's not really my color." The man turned his back on Edmund and chopped something on the counter. He moved away and Edmund saw a bundle of celery. It then dawned on him that the man was cooking… Not just trying to scare him to death.

Edmund handed the lilies to Alyssa who quickly put them in a vase. He had a hard time not staring at the man's huge muscular form. He looked like he could squish Edmund flat.

"So," the man spoke causing Edmund to flinch. "Your brother and sister are going on this little outing?"

"Yes," Edmund squeaked. "They are just outside if you'd like to meet them."

"You just be sure to have my little girl back by…" The he looked at Alyssa. "Let's say eight?" Alyssa nodded. He pulled a necklace out of his pocket and put it around Alyssa's neck. "This will help you tell the time. So you're not late." Edmund saw that the heart shaped pendant was actually a watch. Alyssa touched the necklace and an odd look crossed her face. She said goodbye to her father and the two of them left.

As they crossed the street Edmund saw that she kept holding the necklace.

"It was my mom's." She explained when she saw him watching her. "I hope I don't lose it." Edmund knew that her mother had died when she was a child. "So where are we going." She asked once they had crossed the street.

"There's an outdoor festival in the park near here. We thought you might enjoy it." Edmund answered quickly. He shook his head slightly. He had never felt this awkward around Alyssa before. Peter smirked at him.

"So, Alyssa?" Peter spoke up as they walked. "What are you going to do now that you've taken your finals? Edmund says you've been accepted to the University here." Edmund wanted to smack his brother. He didn't want Alyssa thinking he spent every second obsessing over her. "You know," Peter added leaning in towards her. "Edmund is going to the University here after the summer." Edmund went red. He hadn't told her that yet. Alyssa looked to her left at Edmund and smiled.

"I haven't really decided yet. It really depends on if Dad is reassigned. He says he could be here for another two years. The war is over but… He is still training pilots."

"Do you not have family back in the states?" Peter asked again. Edmund began to wonder who was on a date here.

"Um, just my dad's sister and her family in San Francisco. Dad and I lived there for a while but we moved a lot. I'm really glad we ended up here though. I could be in Egypt." She laughed. "So what's this festival like?" She turned and directed the question at Edmund.

"There'll be different street performers and vendors selling things. There's a ferris wheel and some other small rides. And different games to play to win things." Edmund started to feel a little easier.

"Sounds like the carnivals back home." Alyssa held her hand out to Edmund. It took him a second before he realized she was offering to let him hold hands. She smiled when he accepted. The rest of the walk seem to fly by while they talked about the festival and how glad they all were that the war was over. Japan was still fighting and losing quickly, but things in England had finally settled down. Edmund began to think of Narnia and how much he would love for Alyssa to see it. But he pushed the thought away. He had already been told he wouldn't be going back. His heart sank just a little every time the memory of Aslan saying goodbye came back to him.

When they reached the park they wandered around for half an hour before Edmund managed to get Alyssa away from Lucy and Peter. He led her to the ferris wheel and while they stood in line Alyssa caught him staring at her.

"What?" She asked.

"Nothing, I just… I was just thinking about something."

"What was it?" They took a few more steps and were next in line to get seats.

"If your father is reassigned do you have to go with him? There is student housing at the University." He just blurted it out. He hadn't really meant to but now she knew how he felt.

"I've been thinking about that too." They both climbed into the two-seat cart. She was silent until they reached the top of the wheel. "Dad wants me to stay here. He says it will be more of an opportunity. He knows if he does get reassigned it won't be to the U.S. He will most likely go to Asia or somewhere else in Europe."

"Do you want to stay here?" His mind begged her to say yes.

"I think I do." She paused again. "I don't have many friends but the few I do have I cherish." She gave him a meaningful look. "Do you want me to stay?"

"More than anything." He gushed out. She smiled and took his hand again.

"I'm breaking a rule here but…" She leaned towards him and kissed his cheek. "I won't tell if you don't" Edmund's mind went reeling. She kissed him. It was only on the cheek… But she had kissed him.

"I'll never tell a soul." He almost whispered. She laid her head on his shoulder until the ride finally came to a stop. After they left the ride Edmund was determined to return that kiss in some way. He spotted a dart throwing booth. That was it! He could win her something. He took her hand and led her to the booth. He threw three darts and hit the target twice. "Pick something, anything you want." He said to Alyssa. She pointed out a small stuffed animal. It wasn't until the vendor handed it over that Edmund realized it was a lion. His face fell when he saw her hug it.

"Is something wrong?" She asked when she saw his face.

"No, no, I just hope you like it."

"It reminds me of the lion from your Narnia stories. What was his name?"

"Aslan." He said quietly. Alyssa took his hand.

"What would you like to do next?" Her bright voice seemed to pull Edmund's mood up.

"We could eat if you like." The next few hours passed by too quickly for Edmund's liking. Before he knew it he was standing at Alyssa's door again wishing her goodnight. Before she opened the door she gave him another kiss. This one was square on his lips.