Hello everyone. This is something I've been working on for a while on and off. Now that I've finished it, I figured I may as well post it. Some of the chapters are kind of short, but I shall be publishing one a day for the next five days, so bear with me.
Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Narnia. Does anyone really, as it's public domain in some countries, but not in others?

King Edmund, the Just

"Forgive us as we forgive- we are offered mercy on no other terms. To refuse (being merciful) is to refuse God's mercy for ourselves."

-C.S. Lewis

King Edmund, the Just had gotten used to being a king over the past year. It suited him, in a way, though only because he wasn't the High King. As much as Edmund once wanted to rule over his siblings, over everyone, he now knew how terrible he'd be at the job. Most of the time, this left Edmund happy to defer to his older brother on matters of ruling Narnia. Peter really was magnificent at everything he did, and yet Edmund wasn't jealous. He was glad Peter was so good at being King, because it meant there wasn't much Edmund had to do.

Usually, Edmund was the quietest of the four royals. He knew many of the Narnians still didn't trust him, which he felt fair, so none minded that he kept to himself. When there was a big enough decision to be made that Peter was taking the night to think over things, Edmund would usually quietly give his brother advice, but when they were solving the simple things set before them in court, it was usually Peter, or the girls, who came up with the quick solution. Edmund preferred to look at the big picture, ensure everything was working behind the scenes. He knew all the financial information of Narnia better than Peter. When they'd met with King Lune of Archenland, Edmund had been the primary one dealing with their trade alliances, because he understood things like that. He was good at making deals-fair deals, just deals-he supposed.

Edmund, therefore, hadn't said a single thing that day as he and his siblings listened to petitions. He was paying close attention of course, (far closer attention than a jittery Lucy for sure), but he was keeping his thoughts to himself.

Edmund heard Peter sigh from beside him, and saw his elder brother stand up. There were still people waiting to speak to them, but clearly Peter was just as exhausted from the barrage of problems as the rest of them were. He looked over at Lucy, who was trying to hard to sit still, but failing miserably. "I'm sorry, Ladies, Gentlemen, Talking Beasts, but if there is nothing pressing perhaps we can reconvene at another time. We have been here since the sun rose, and already it is beginning to disappear from the sky."

Though disappointed, most of those waiting nodded and prepared to leave. Edmund was about to get up himself when he heard someone, a red dwarf, call out, "Your Majesties, this is pressing. I must know what your plans are for the followers of the Witch that were arrested yesterday. How do you plan on trying them, and more importantly, when?"

Whenever the White Witch came up, tempers always flared. Immediately the hall was filled with arguments and shouts. "They don't deserve no trial, we all know what they did." "They were all deceived." "Why couldn't Aslan have killed them all?"

The noise broke to the point of ruckus, and Peter had to shout to regain attention, "Narnians! Every being deserves a just trial and sentencing. Those who have been arrested shall have the week to prepare their cases, and then present them in open court. My brother, King Edmund, seems the natural fit for judge, as Aslan Himself declared Edmund 'the Just'. Court dismissed!"

Edmund was so blindsided by Peter's declaration that he missed his brother preparing to leave. When had Peter decided this? He certainly hadn't told Edmund of any plans to make him the official judge of Narnia. He wasn't qualified to be a judge! He was… well he was the worst of them. How was he supposed to judge the supporters of the White Witch when he'd sold his siblings out to her for sweets? It was… it was absurd!

Edmund went running after Peter, shouting just that, "I can't be a judge! How can I condemn people for doing the same thing I did? Who would ever think that fair?"

Peter gave his little brother a patronizing look, "Edmund, that's exactly why it is fair. You're the one who's most likely to be understanding. You can judge best who was just scared and who actually wanted to hurt Narnia. Besides, I've seen you reading any book you can find on the laws of Narnia. I've been thinking about this for a while. If you're to be 'the Just' you should be the arm of justice among us. It's what Aslan wanted, I'm sure of it, and who are we to question Aslan?"

Edmund pulled at his dark hair, "Peter, Aslan can't be wrong, but you can be! I'm not… I'm not fit for this. I'm the one who starts fights, remember? I don't solve them."

Peter softened his gaze upon his little brother, and squeezed Edmund's shoulder. Old Edmund would have brushed Peter away, but King Edmund didn't. He allowed himself to receive strength and courage from his older brother. "You're different now, Ed, and we both know it. You've already been doing this some, even if you don't realize it. You're far better at solving land disputes than any of the rest of us. I never know what to do, and Susan and Lucy both get upset when everyone isn't happy. This is no different from the treaties or the agreements you've worked on. I know you can do this. You're not trying a case. You're listening and judging. If it makes it easier… well it's not really going to be a question of guilt with any of these first ones. We know the worked for the Witch, and even if they didn't, they all tried to kill me when we arrested them. That's treason enough."

It did not make Edmund feel better to know that their guilt had already been established. That actually seemed worse than if they were going to try and prove their innocence. That meant all Edmund really had to do was give sentences. How was he supposed to know what a fair sentence was?

"I've made up my mind on this Edmund, I want you to do it. You always used to say I was being unfair, so be fair. You'll know what to do." Peter said this with such certainty that Edmund actually believed it. As much as he'd initially panicked at the thought of being judge, it did seem appropriate. He was King Edmund, the Just. He was meant to do this, by Aslan's decree.

The day of the trials, Edmund was the only one sitting in his throne. His siblings were there, but had decided to sit on the side, so it was clear that there was only one judge. Edmund looked far older than eleven, regal, stately, just. Even those who normally distrusted Edmund took one look at him and felt confident in him. Edmund felt confident in himself. Besides, they were all guilty, so it wasn't like he could be unfair.

The prisoners were brought in. There were twenty of them: four wolves, a dozen dwarfs, a minotaur, two hyenas, and a singular faun. They looked well, for having spent a week in the dungeon and a year hiding in the woods. Edmund approved of how they'd been treated. Somehow it would have been easier for him to forget fairness if they'd come before him dirty and broken. The looked clean, whole, and prepared for justice.

Edmund stood up, looking at each of them. The faun did not meet his eyes, nor did a few of the dwarfs, but they mostly looked at him bitterly. Edmund did not let it bother him. He stared back with equal ferocity. "You are all charged with treason for assisting the White Witch Jadis, and for fighting against High King Peter when he attempted to arrest you. Each of you or one speaking for you may now present to me any evidence you have that you are not guilty of that which you are accused, or of mitigating factors that should be accounted for in your sentence."

"Unlike you, Traitor King, I'd rather die than pretend to be something I'm not," one of the wolves snarled, and its companions nodded. Edmund felt his hand go to his sword, but there were many guards. The wolves weren't getting to him with anything but words. He wasn't going to let those bother him either.

"Do you admit your guilt and offer no explanation, Mr. Wolf?" Edmund asked, keeping his voice even. He was King Edmund the Just- he would not allow himself to be swayed because of a wolf. (Even if the sight of the wolf had dangerous memories flashing through his mind.)

"I do. Jadis gave us wolves anything we wanted. She was our Queen, and I will never bow to you," he said. The other three wolves nodded, each one offering cruel jibes. Edmund sat back in his chair, sighing. He'd hoped in some sense it would be this easy, and yet it did nothing to quell the anxiety in Edmund. He felt sick. He felt wrong. This whole thing felt wrong.

Edmund chalked it up to his remaining guilt, and turned to the dwarfs, "Have the dwarfs an oath of loyalty to the true Kings and Queens of Narnia? Were you lied to by the Witch, as I was?"

The dwarfs looked at each other, and then one of them, a black dwarf with hardly any teeth, grinned at Edmund, "Like the wolf said, at least we're honest with ourselves. We know there were no lies; she gave us what she promised. We haven't let anyone take us in. The Dwarfs are for the Dwarfs."

It had been a sunny day, but as the proceedings began, clouds had rolled in. All of a sudden, a crack of thunder resonated throughout the throne room, causing Edmund, and many others, to jump. Heavy rain began to fall outside, making it almost as dark as night. Edmund's feeling of unease increased, but he turned to the minotaur, "Are you guilty?"

"Yes," the Minotaur's deep voice grumbled. The hyenas, from besides him, began their cackling laugh. It echoed across the hall, chilling everyone gathered to the bone. Edmund saw Lucy grab Susan's hand, and Susan pull her in closer.

"As are we. As are we. No King! No King!" The hyenas cackled, running in circles the best they could on their leashes, and snapping at the guards who held them. Edmund hated hyenas, and glared at them. That only made them laugh more.

"Enough!" Edmund called out. It was easy, at this point, for him to keep his voice steady. Peter had been right about just how easy this would be. It was clear what they deserved.

"And you, Mr. Faun? Do you at least have something to say for yourself? I know a great many fauns served the Witch out of fear, and they have been forgiven. Speak in your favor. Are you guilty?"

The faun, through all the commotion, had remained silent and still. He didn't look much like Mr. Tumnus, with raven black hair, and a thin, wiry face. He wore nothing at all, and a long scar ran down his chest. It was that scar which made Edmund hope this faun could offer a defense, but he was disappointed. The faun did not even look up when he whispered, "Yes, I am guilty. I began serving the queen out of greed. I turned many over to her, fauns, Talking Beasts, even Sons of Adam who dared wander too far from Archenland. I am guilty."

Edmund nodded. He almost spoke his sentence immediately, but another loud rumble of thunder cut him off. He had to wait, stewing in his thoughts for a second, before he could speak. Still this pause did not change his sentence. Justice was giving each the punishment that suited their crime. There was only one punishment for treason. "Very well, then by the power invested in me by my brother, High King Peter, and Aslan Himself, I, King Edmund the Just, sentence you all to death."

Peter had allowed Edmund to sentence them all to death, but he did not allow Edmund to attend the executions. Edmund was supposed to stay inside Cair Paravel with Susan and Lucy. "You're too young to see such a thing," Peter said, which sounded entirely absurd to Edmund. He'd seen death. He'd fought in battles, killed in battles. For Edmund to be old enough, mature enough, to sentence someone to death, but too much of a child to attend… it was laughable.

Yet that was Peter's decision, and, as High King, he had guards to enforce it. The morning of the executions, ten guards sat outside Edmund's room, preventing him from leaving that way. This didn't exactly deter him, however. Yet escaping out the window took so long that when Edmund finally reached the square where the beheadings were to occur, he found the animals and the dwarfs dead. The only one still alive was the faun, who was already lying down, his head on the block.

Peter was carrying out the beheadings himself, which shocked Edmund. He couldn't look away as his brother ensured his sword was properly lined up. As Peter lifted the sword, the faun's eyes found Edmund. The pain in those eyes was massive. Pain, guilt, regret, sadness, despair- they formed a shadow of darkness that struck Edmund to the core. In the end, Edmund did not even see the faun's execution, because he'd turned away, towards a bush, to vomit.

Aslan found Edmund crying on the shore, looking small, like the child he truly was. The Lion did not offer comfort, or retribution. Edmund already knew, in his heart, that he'd committed another terrible wrong. He didn't understand it in his head, but he knew in his heart. He felt sick for what he'd done. This… this felt almost worst than desiring to enslave his siblings and see Aslan dead, perhaps because this time they actually were dead. Edmund had realized his mistake too late.

"You… you told me to be just. Justice is fitting the punishment with the crime. I… I didn't have any other options!" Edmund blubbered. He was tempted both to fall into the great Lion's embrace, and move far away from Aslan. The two pulls cancelled each other out, and so he didn't move. He simply sat there shaking, crying, pleading for understanding.

Aslan always answered prayers, though not always in such a direct way. "I said you were just, and that you are. I did not think I needed to tell you to be merciful, after such mercy was shown to you. The Witch used your crime to draw me to that Stone Table, but I went not for you, but for all. I sacrificed my life equally for you and for those who you killed today."

Edmund pulled his knees up to his chest, holding them close. "Oh Aslan, what else could I have done? I gave them a chance to speak up for themselves, and they did not ask for forgiveness."

"Did you?" Aslan asked the boy, and they both knew the answer. "Forgiveness is best given when it is not asked for. When we first spoke, after you were rescued, you told me you could not ask your siblings for forgiveness as you did not deserve it. If you had been placed on trial, would you have asked for mercy?"

No, Edmund wouldn't have, and, though Aslan would never speak with him of someone else, Edmund knew they were discussing the faun. He hadn't looked away from Edmund out of disrespect, but out of guilt. Edmund hated himself for having missed it. He wished he could turn back time, do it over, offer them all forgiveness outwardly.

"You will find the balance between justice and mercy in practicality, Edmund. Sometimes a harsher punishment is more merciful, as it allows for penance. Pure justice would have seen you dead and all beings of intellect kept from My Country."

Edmund knew that. Aslan's mercy to him still baffled him, but he'd accepted it. He'd forgiven himself because Aslan forgave him, and Aslan knew best. He supposed he'd have to forgive himself for this mistake as well, though he had to ask forgiveness first. For a second, Edmund almost didn't. It was hard to ask forgiveness for not being forgiving. Yet that was exactly why he had to ask, "Forgive me Aslan. I was wrong, and I was wrong in your name."

Finally Aslan came closer to Edmund, placing his large paw on Edmund's shoulder, "You are forgiven, my son. Your penance is a lifetime of mercy. You shall judge every case justly and mercifully from now on, but you shall always be the judge. That is how you may redeem yourself."

Edmund wished Aslan had relieved him of his duty as judge, though he supposed that was why he had to keep it. "But Aslan, how will I ever know when to be merciful and when to be just?"

Aslan almost seemed to smile. He removed his paw from Edmund's shoulder, and began to walk away. He answered Edmund only as He did, by calling over His shoulder, "That is simple. In My Name, do as I would. Forgive others as I have forgiven you, and punish others as I have punished you."