So Close
Edmund slammed his locker door shut, the sound echoing in the empty hall, and headed for the exit to meet up with his siblings. He turned the corner and came to an abrupt stop at the sight of five boys blocking his way.
"Hello, Justin," Edmund said cautiously. This is not going to end well for me.
The boy standing in the middle took a step forward. "Been waiting to catch you alone, Pevensie. Remember I told you you'd regret ditching us? Time to learn your lesson."
Edmund took a step backwards as the other four stepped forward to join Justin. Armed only with his bag, there was no way he could fight all five of them. There was an exit back by his locker, Edmund remembered as he took another step back.
"Look, Justin, you don't want to do this," Edmund tried to buy time, raising his hands to try to ward off the imminent attack, trying to distract them as he stepped back into the intersection.
Justin grinned. "Oh but I do, Pevensie."
Edmund turned and bolted down the hall to the right. He'd only gone a few feet before he heard Justin shout in surprise and then he heard the sound of pounding feet behind him. The double doors at the end of the hall seemed further than Edmund had thought and he wasn't running as fast as he normally could with his bag bouncing against his leg, hampering his progress.
He hit the bar with both hands, pushed the door open and ran out into the alley behind Hendon House. Edmund slid to a stop, glancing around to catch his bearings. The main street lay to his left, beyond the dumpster. He started that way only to be wrenched around as his bag was tugged. Justin and his gang had caught up to him.
Edmund pulled his bag free and backed up as they closed in on him, putting his back to the wall of the building behind the school. His right hand reached instinctively for the hilt of a sword that no longer rested on his left hip and closed on air.
They laughed at him. Edmund glanced around at them, his other hand slipping into his bag for something to use as a weapon. You're not in Narnia, Ed. You can't just pull a sword off your hip to defend yourself, he told himself.
"Nowhere to run. You came back from the country and dumped us, Edmund, and I warned you then and there that you'd pay for that," Justin threatened, cracking his knuckles.
"I remember," Edmund said, his tone wary.
Justin stepped closer. "I've been trying to figure out why you would leave us and I think I've got it. Your brother."
Edmund's eyes flashed as his hand closed around a textbook. "You leave Peter out of this."
"But he's the reason you're-different." Justin smiled at Edmund's retort. "You come back and he's always hugging you and touching you and kissing you. The two of you are just so queer. What happened to little Eddie out in the country?" he taunted. "Did your brother fall in love with you?"
Edmund could take them teasing him but he couldn't stand to hear anything said against Peter. In one smooth movement he yanked the textbook out of his bag and whipped it at Justin's face, stepping forward to follow up with a punch. Justin staggered back as the book hit him. Edmund swung his fist at Justin's face but was tackled by another boy before he could make contact. They hit the ground with a thud, wrestling, and the fight began in earnest.
Punches flew hard and fast. Edmund lost track of who he was fighting. He took his bag off his shoulder and swung it at someone, pushing him to the side, only to have the wind knocked out of him by another. He lost his bag at some point, along with his hat and scarf, having used them as weapons. He punched one in the face, kicked another's legs out from under him and was slammed into the wall by a third. Pain exploded in his chest and he bit back a groan as he straightened, only to double over as a fist landed in his stomach. Now would be a great time to jump in, Pete, wherever you are.
Peter was lounging on a bench when he heard someone call his name and seconds later had his arms full of his youngest sister. "Lucy, you really need to stop doing that," he laughed. She pulled back and beamed up at him as Susan walked up to join them.
"Hello, Peter. Where's Edmund?" Susan asked, coming to a stop next to her siblings.
Peter kissed Susan's cheek and said, "He told me he had to stop at his locker real quick and then he'd meet us here."
Susan raised an eyebrow. "And how long have you been waiting here?"
Peter laughed. "And Edmund calls me a mother hen, huh, Lu?" Lucy grinned up at him. Susan crossed her arms. "I'll give him another five minutes before I go looking for him, Su. This isn't Narnia, you know."
Five minutes later and Peter was worried, despite what he had told Susan. Edmund hadn't broken his word to Peter since their coronation. He should've been here by now. "Come on, girls. Let's go see what's keeping Edmund." He led them across the street to the front doors of Hendon House and tugged on them. They were locked. Peter frowned and went to the side doors only to find them locked as well. Something didn't feel right.
They started down the sidewalk, calling Edmund's name. Peter was secretly hoping that Edmund was just down the street at a newsstand or something.
Edmund faintly heard his name called. Peter. He twisted free of Justin's grasp and drew in a breath to call out to his brother. "Pet-" Justin punched him in the stomach and Edmund doubled over, his breath coming out in a rush.
"Edmund, where are you?" Peter's voice called, getting closer.
Edmund tried to call out to Peter again but Justin shoved him into one of the other boys, cutting off his call before he could give voice to it. Edmund's mind raced even as he frantically tried to breathe. The pain in his chest made it hard. What could he do that would alert his siblings to where he was?
"Ed! Answer me!" Getting still closer, but not fast enough.
Edmund looked around, continuing to defend himself, and his eyes landed on the dumpster to his right. That would make a loud enough sound, but how to get to it? Peter's going to kill me when he finds out I did this on purpose, Edmund thought, stepping towards the dumpster. Two of the boys moved to block his escape, but that wasn't what he had in mind.
Justin stepped forward, grinning despite his bruised face, and shoved Edmund back into the dumpster. He hit it with a clang and sat down with a soft thud, dazed. Two boys grabbed his arms, hauled him to his feet and threw him across the alley into the wall of the school. His head slammed into the brick and his vision swam. He collapsed onto his side on the ground.
Peter, Susan and Lucy were nearing the edge of Hendon House and still hadn't found Edmund. Peter was starting to panic. He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, "Ed! Answer me!"
They heard a loud clang as they hit the corner of the school. Peter glanced toward the sound just in time to see his little brother hit the brick wall and slide to the ground. His heart leapt into his throat and he took off running, ripping off his bag and dropping it on the ground as he went. Susan and Lucy were a couple feet behind him.
One of the boys was standing in front of Edmund, pulling his foot back to kick him. Not going to happen, Peter thought, launching himself at the boy. They fell to the ground and Peter hit him in the face to keep him there for a moment. He got back to his feet and pulled a second boy away from Edmund, punching him in the stomach, then whirled to sweep the legs out from under a third. Susan and Lucy had taken on the other two, keeping them away from their brother.
Peter stood protectively in front of Edmund, fighting off anyone who tried to get close. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Edmund start to sit up, groaning. The bullies tried to gang up on the girls, wary of Peter's fury, but Susan and Lucy were quite capable of taking care of themselves and soon the boys gave all three Pevensies a wide berth.
One of them- and Peter thought he recognized him as one of Ed's old friends- said, "Let's get out of here. Pevensie's learned his lesson," and they all started backing towards the other end of the alley before turning and running.
Peter waited just long enough to make sure that they were actually leaving before turning and dropping to his knees next to Edmund, Susan and Lucy hovering nearby. He slipped an arm around his brother's shoulders, helping him sit with his back against the wall.
"Ed? Where are you hurt? Is anything broken?" he asked, worried.
"My head…cracked it 'gainst the wall…and the dumpster," he mumbled, struggling to focus on his brother's face. "Chest hurts…think my ribs are bruised…I dunno 'bout anything else."
Peter pulled him forward a little to check the back of his head. Edmund leaned forward further, burying his face in his older brother's neck. Peter ran his fingers across his head, stopping at Edmund's hiss of pain. There was a slight lump and his fingers came away a little bloody. He hit the wall and the dumpster? Is that what I heard before he hit the wall? Lion's mane, but I should never have left him alone.
"Lu, would you gather his things? Su, help me get him on his feet." Lucy darted away and Susan knelt down next to Peter. He looked at her. "I'll take his right; you take his left. Ed? I'm sorry, but this is going to hurt."
"M'kay, Pete," Edmund mumbled into Peter's neck. Did he have a concussion? Or was he just stunned? Peter worried.
Peter and Susan exchanged concerned glances. He pushed Edmund off his chest and Susan moved to Edmund's left and slipped an arm around his waist, steadying him until Peter moved in on his right. They each took one of their brother's arms across their shoulders and put an arm around his waist.
Peter turned to Susan. "On the count of three, stand up." She nodded. "One…two…three!" The three of them stood up and Edmund immediately let out a cry of pain. He doubled over, leaning on Peter. He pulled his arm off Susan's shoulder and wrapped it around his stomach.
Peter's breath caught in his throat at the sound. His brother was hurt worse than he thought. Supporting Edmund, Peter started out of the alley. Susan picked up their discarded belongings as she went and Lucy caught up to them at the street, Edmund's bag swinging from her shoulder.
The sun came out from behind the clouds as they reached the street and Edmund instinctively turned and buried his face in his older brother's chest, the light making his head ache. Peter wrapped his arms around him and asked, "What happened, Ed? You were only going to stop at your locker for a minute."
Edmund shook his head, not really wanting to tell Peter why he was getting into fights again.
"Come on, Ed. Talk to me. Who were they?"
"Justin…and some other guys I used to hang out with. Before Narnia." Edmund's thoughts were getting clearer, even if he still hurt.
Peter's heart fell and his arms tightened. Edmund had had some really bad friends before they were sent off to the country and Peter had done his best to try to keep him away from them, but Edmund had enjoyed defying him back then. After their trip to Narnia, Edmund had stopped hanging out with them, to Peter's great relief. Or so he had thought, but if Edmund had gone back to-
"It's not what you think, Pete," Edmund interrupted his thoughts. He knew that as soon as Peter learned that it was Justin that he would worry about a relapse.
Peter shook his head, smiling. "How do you always know what I'm thinking?" Because I know you, big brother, Edmund thought.
Susan spoke up, giving voice to Peter's concerns. "Edmund, why were you fighting? Didn't you stop hanging out with Justin when we came back?"
Edmund pulled back enough to look at his older sister. "That's kind of why we were fighting. He wasn't happy when I ditched him. This was his way of getting revenge."
Peter asked, "Did he hit you? Is that why you were fighting? You were just defending yourself?" He secretly hoped this was it.
Edmund just burrowed further into Peter's chest, shaking his head. This wasn't going well. Why did Peter have to worry so much? Edmund thought. Peter always worried most over Edmund.
"Come on, Ed. What could they possibly have done that would make you take on five older boys?" Peter asked. Edmund's response was muffled by Peter's shirt.
"What was that?" Peter said.
Edmund raised his head enough to be understood. "Justin was saying stuff about you, Pete. I had to do something!"
Peter's arms tightened around his little brother. He should've known. The only thing that could provoke Edmund after their return from Narnia was an attack against his siblings, Peter in particular. He would do anything to defend his older brother. And Peter would do absolutely anything to protect his baby brother. If I'd only known that this was happening… He dropped a kiss on the top of Edmund's head.
"So you hit him? Really, is it that hard to walk away?" Susan said, her voice disapproving.
"No, I didn't hit him!" Edmund said, indignant. "Well, not at first. I-I threw my textbook at him. I was tackled before I could hit him."
Peter started laughing. "You threw your textbook at him?" and he dissolved into laughter again. Edmund smiled against Peter's chest despite himself. Peter would enjoy that.
Susan said, "Peter, this isn't something to be laughed about! Edmund's injured and-"
Peter abruptly sobered. "That's right. Edmund, how did they get hold of you to throw you into the wall?"
"I might've let them throw me into the dumpster first and it stunned me," Edmund said hesitantly.
"What did you bloody do that for?" Peter asked, stunned. Why in Aslan's name would he let them throw him into a dumpster? Wait, that means he doesn't have a concussion! Thank Aslan for that.
"I couldn't breathe to answer you and that was the only thing that would make a loud enough noise to catch your attention," Edmund told them. "I knew you were going to yell at me."
Peter took a quick breath and said more gently, "I'm not yelling. I'm just worried." He kissed his brother's head again. "Come on, let's get back to the house before Mum sends the police to find us."
With Edmund leaning on Peter, Peter's arm around his waist, and the girls behind them, the siblings made their slow way back to their house.
Half an hour later, the siblings turned onto their block. Peter was the only thing keeping Edmund from collapsing onto the ground. He'd refrained from picking him up but with their house in sight, Peter couldn't help it any longer. He stopped walking, causing his three siblings to stop as well. He scooped Edmund up into his arms, cradling him against his chest, and started walking again.
Susan and Lucy exchanged smiles. It was a wonder he'd waited this long, but they weren't as strong in England as they had been in Narnia. Edmund put up the token protest, eventually giving in like he always did, and dropped his head onto Peter's shoulder, closing his eyes. He'd missed having Peter carry him when he was injured. In fact, there were a lot of things they did a lot in Narnia that Edmund missed now that they were back in England.
They moved faster now that Peter was carrying Edmund, but it just worried the older boy more. As they started up the driveway, he issued orders to his sisters. "Susan, Lucy, I'm going to need the two of you to distract Mum when we get inside. I'm going to take Ed up to his room. Su, bring our first aid kit up with you when you're done. Lu, bring a bowl of warm water and a cloth." There was an unmistakable air of authority in Peter's voice and the girls agreed without question.
Susan hurried up the steps ahead of them and opened the door. Peter slid through sideways, careful to keep Edmund from hitting the sides. Lucy brought up the rear, closing the door behind them. They were walking through the living room, headed for the stairs, when they heard their mother coming.
"It's about time you four got home; it's almost time for dinner. I was getting worried." Helen Pevensie walked in from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. The color drained from her face at the sight of her youngest son. "What happened?" She started toward them only to be stopped by Susan and Lucy. Peter ignored her and started up the stairs.
They were using their queen voices, as Edmund and Peter called it, reassuring Helen that Edmund was alright, that they were taking care of it and there was no need to call the doctor. Peter doubted they'd get away without her calling the doctor, which annoyed him. He was perfectly capable of taking care of his baby brother. He'd been doing it for years, although to be fair Mum didn't know exactly how long. Or how often. But he'd done it before Narnia, too.
He reached the top of the stairs and used his foot to kick open the first door on the left. Peter slid sideways through the doorway and shook his head at the state of Edmund's room. He murmured, "Why is your room always a mess? Even in Narnia, your room was a mess."
" 's not a mess," Edmund mumbled. "Pete? My head hurts."
"I know, Ed, and I'll take care of it in a minute," Peter reassured him.
Edmund relaxed a little. Peter would take care of everything, just like always.
Peter kicked some of his brother's belongings out of the way on his way to the bed. He managed to maneuver it so that he was sitting on Edmund's bed, his back to the headboard and legs spread out before him, with Edmund in his lap, curled against his chest. He heard his mother's voice drifting upstairs, announcing that she was calling the doctor no matter what they said. Peter sighed. Why doesn't she trust us?
No sooner had the downstairs gone quiet and the boys settled did Susan walk in carrying the first aid kit the four of them had made after their return from the country. Peter remembered putting it together with his siblings. They had been in the kitchen one day not long after their return from the country, going through their old battles trying to catalogue all the possible injuries they could sustain here in England. There were a lot of battles and injuries that Peter had tried his hardest to forget because of the nightmares that they'd caused. Most of the things that went into their kit were things that their mother had said that she doubted they would ever need and Peter had wanted to agree with her, but Lucy insisted that they be added anyway. Peter had relented, in the end; Lu had been their healer, after all.
Susan set the kit down on the bed next to Peter and started cleaning off the desk chair so she could sit. Peter noticed absently that she had gotten rid of their school bags at some point, most likely while arguing with Mum. Lucy walked in a minute later, also missing two school bags and carrying a bowl of water in her hands with a kitchen towel draped across her shoulder.
"Where do you want it, Peter?" she asked him.
He looked around. "Just, um, set it on the bedside table." He took the towel from her, dipped the corner in the bowl and started cleaning Edmund's head wound.
It took a little bit to clean all the dried blood away but Peter was relieved to see that he had blown it out of proportion. It was little more than a scrape but it still needed cleaned. He set the towel down by the bowl and reached over to the first aid kit, only to have the tube of antibiotic cream put in his hand. Peter looked up to find Lucy sitting on the end of the bed, a small smile on her face. He smiled back, unsurprised that she would know what he wanted, and unscrewed the cap.
Squeezing a bit of the cream onto his first two fingers, Peter started to rub it into the scrape. Edmund squirmed in his grasp, obviously unhappy with the sting of the cream. Peter just rubbed more in, spreading it liberally, taking no chances of infection setting in.
"Pete!" Edmund protested. "Don't you think you've put enough on?"
His voice serious, Peter said, "I am not letting you get sick, Ed. Not when I have modern medicine at hand and no magic cordial."
"Peter, you have used almost half the tube," Susan said pointedly.
"Alright, I'll leave off." Peter gave an exaggerated sigh, making Lucy giggle. Edmund's only response was to curl into his older brother. Peter dropped the tube on the bed and hugged his baby brother to him, kissing the top of his head. He was just happy to have him in his arms, safe. Never again would he make the mistake of thinking that England was safer than Narnia.
Susan dragged her chair closer and leaned forward to help Peter pull Edmund's jacket off. Edmund winced as it tugged against his bruised chest. She dropped it on the floor as Peter beckoned to Lucy. "Check his ribs, would you, Lu? I want to know if they're bruised or broken."
"Sure, Peter." Lucy's fingers flitted across Edmund's chest, putting pressure on his ribs to determine the extent of the damage. Edmund gasped a couple times and soon enough Lucy pulled back. She looked at Peter and said, "They're just bruised, Peter. Wrapping them should be enough, but he's going to need to take it easy for the next couple weeks."
"Thanks, Lu," Peter said.
Peter reached for the sleeve of Edmund's shirt only to have Susan put a hand on his arm. "Let me, Peter. You're going to have to keep him still."
He pulled his hand back, allowing his sister to pull his brother's shirt off. She got one arm free easily enough, but the other one had Edmund pulling away. Peter tightened his grip on his brother, murmuring in his ear to calm him as Susan continued. Once his other arm was free, she lifted it carefully up his chest and over his head.
Lucy gasped, her hands flying to cover her mouth at the sight of Edmund's bruised chest. "Oh, Ed," Peter whispered.
Susan alone managed to stay calm and said, "Lucy, hand me the roll of bandage, please." Lucy pulled it out of the first aid kit and handed it to Susan who started gently wrapping it around Edmund's chest, reminiscent of her epithet in Narnia.
Susan worked, Peter and Lucy watching, and none of the siblings noticed Helen Pevensie standing in the hallway outside the room, her face pale. She had come up shortly after the girls but didn't want to disturb them. Oddly enough, it looked like Peter had it well in hand, but she still wanted the doctor to look at Edmund, just in case. She had covered her mouth when Edmund's shirt was removed so as not to reveal her presence. They were all so matter of fact about his injuries, like this had happened before. Helen had the distinct feeling that this was an everyday thing, but how could that be? Her children had only been gone a year; there was no reason for them to act this way.
How did her little Lucy come to know how to tell the difference between bruised and broken bones? And why did Peter turn to her? Since when did he listen to Susan? Edmund used to pull away from his siblings, especially Peter, since he'd grown older. This scene, of the four of them so comfortable amongst each other, was so new. Helen was happy to see that Edmund allowed Peter to hug him again, like they used to when they were little, but she was concerned as to the reason why.
When she'd seen Edmund in Peter's arms in the living room, she had thought the worst. Susan and Lucy were no doubt supposed to distract and reassure her but Helen had called the doctor anyway. It was what a mother should do. He should be here within the next fifteen minutes or so, but now that she had seen the ease with which her children had taken care of their brother, Helen wondered if perhaps she should have listened to Susan and not made the phone call. Her daughters had spoken differently than she remembered, with the kind of quiet authority that Peter had shown at the train station. Her children had changed and Helen couldn't quite figure out what it was. They spoke more formally, used odd phrases and continually referred to Aslan and Narnia as if these things actually existed. Did they? And they never referred to Finchley as home, now that Helen really thought about it, but she couldn't for the life of her figure out what had changed to cause that. Should she interrupt them or just let them be until the doctor came? Susan spoke up before Helen could come to a decision.
Susan sat back, Edmund's chest wrapped, and said, "All done, Edmund."
"Thanks Susan," Edmund said, smiling at her.
Peter lifted Edmund up off his chest and Edmund twisted around to face him, curious and a little worried. Peter smiled reassuringly at him. "I'm not going anywhere, Ed. I just want to take my jacket off and I can't very well do that with you laying on me, now can I?"
Edmund shrugged, then winced. "Well, I suppose you could try, if you really wanted to. I'm sure you've done it before, back home." The four of them all knew that he meant Narnia.
Peter dropped his jacket on the floor and then reached forward to pull a yawning Edmund flush against his chest again. Edmund happily snuggled against him, regardless of the fact that he was no longer wearing a shirt.
Lucy gathered up the first aid kit while Susan threw a blanket over her brothers. "Get some rest, Edmund. We'll stop by later with dinner," Susan said, settling the blanket over his shoulders. Edmund was already falling asleep. Peter and the girls exchanged relieved looks and the girls turned to go, stopping at the sight of their mother in the hallway.
"Mum!" Lucy said, surprised.
Peter tensed, his arms tightening around Edmund underneath the blanket. His breathing had evened out into that of a light sleep.
Susan said, "How long have you been standing there, Mum?"
"Long enough to see that you all seem overly familiar with this kind of situation," Helen said. "Is this why you tried to convince me not to call the doctor?"
The girls turned to face Peter, wondering what to do. He thought fast; Mum would want an explanation, but what to tell her? He lied, "Professor Kirke taught us when we stayed with him last year." He knew the girls would follow his lead, even if they were unhappy with it. It was nice to be High King sometimes.
Helen pursed her lips. Something wasn't right. "Don't lie to me, Peter. Why does Lucy know so much about broken bones and why did you turn to her for help? Why are the four of you closer now than when I sent you to the Professor's? What is this Narnia you keep on mentioning? And what in the world happened to Edmund?"
Peter sighed. She had overheard more than he thought. "I'm not really sure you want to know the answers to those questions, Mum."
Helen crossed her arms. "I want some answers from the four of you. You've all been acting so strangely since I picked you up from the station and this just puts it all into perspective. You have until the doctor comes to explain yourselves."
Lion's mane, Peter mentally swore. She was serious. And right when Edmund had just fallen asleep. "Mum, must we do this now?"
She stepped into the room. "Yes."
Peter sighed again, resigned. "Might as well take a seat, girls. This is going to take a while."
They immediately dropped down onto the bed, Lucy setting the first aid kit on the floor, while Helen sat down in the chair Susan had just vacated. Peter gave his brother a little shake, trying to wake him. "Ed. Ed, wake up."
Edmund shifted position, ignoring Peter. Peter tried again. "Eddy, come on. Wake up."
" 'm tired, Pete."
"I know, and I'm sorry, but you really need to be awake for this." He really did regret it, but their mother was not going to let this go until later.
Edmund shifted again. Tired brown eyes met worried blue through a lock of black hair. Edmund yawned. This better be worth it, Pete, because I'd much prefer to fall asleep on you. "Why do I need to be awake? What's going on?"
Peter glanced at their mother briefly before turning back to his little brother, brushing the hair out of Edmund's eyes, and said softly, "Mum wants to know about what happened while we were at Professor Kirke's."
Edmund's eyes widened. Did he mean… Had she overheard something? She used to just accept it; why now? He could see the same questions reflected in his brother's eyes, along with a mixture of resignation and fear. "It's okay, Pete. We fixed everything, remember?"
"I remember. I just-I hate remembering it, remembering how I failed you."
"You didn't fail! We've been through this! It wasn't your fault; it was mine. And we forgave each other long ago."
Helen had been watching the exchange with fascination. What had Peter failed at that needed to be fixed? And what did Edmund mean by "long ago?"
Susan interrupted what the four of them were sure was going to be another of Peter's guilt trips. "Peter, maybe the two of you could wait to argue over this until we've explained it all to Mum?"
The brothers grinned at each other and Edmund twisted around to lay with his back against Peter's chest, his head tucked under his older brother's chin. Peter pulled up the fallen blanket to cover him. Helen's heart twisted. She had missed seeing her boys like this.
Peter turned to her. "Okay, Mum. What do you want to know first?" Edmund snorted. Peter rolled his eyes at him, but he wasn't planning on revealing more than he needed to. There were just some things that she didn't need to know had happened to them, some things that Peter didn't want to remember for fear he'd dwell too much on them. He knew Ed would understand.
Helen took a deep breath. "I want to know what happened after you got on that train. I want to know why you all seem so much older than you are, know so much more than you did before, and why you are so formal with everyone. I want you to tell me about this place that you consider more your home than here." She looked into the eyes of her offspring, acutely aware that she could no longer call them children. "Tell me about Narnia."
The End