Hello, everyone!

I've decided to go ahead and make this a multi-chapter ordeal, here, because I found that while I really liked the cliff-hanger-ey element of the first chapter, there was so much more I wanted to convey and write about, so I've decided to do a few more chapters, and we'll see where that goes. (: reviews are always really appreciated, especially any kind of constructive criticism - I've gotten back into writing after a long hiatus so I'm sure I'm pretty rusty, not to mention I do all my writing when it's late at night and I'm low on sleep, hee hee.

Enjoy! let me know what you think!


He turned his heart to flesh.

Standing on the hill, silhouetted against the hues of the morning sun peaking across the horizon, he faced the Lion.

His pulse was pounding in his ears as he took shallow, shaking breaths, struggling to find words to describe everything he felt as he stared into those gentle amber eyes. His heart was groaning loud in his chest, aching terribly as wave after wave of guilt and sorrow hit him, until it was too much for him to bear and he fell shakily to his knees, still staring into those eyes.

What he saw in them startled a broken sob from his chest as his heart seemed to shatter within him, pieces sharp and cutting deep.

His eyes falling shut, he couldn't bear to look in His face anymore, so he sank until he was closed upon himself, utterly broken before his Savior, and there he suffered inwardly for a long while. His bruised, frail frame shook as he struggled for control, tears of sheer remorse fighting to fall from his tightly shut eyes as he desperately held on.

"Son of Adam."

That rich, Terrible Voice shook him like thunder, and he hid even further into himself. He couldn't look up. His Voice was so much worse and so much more beautiful than he could have ever imagined. He would rather die than hear it again, and yet he wanted to hear Him speak for many lifetimes. He could not look up.

"Edmund."

The Voice shook him again, more persistently, and he dared not refuse it. Another harsh sob wracked his frame as he held it hostage within his chest, reluctantly lifting his eyes, still unable to look Him directly in the face.

"My Son, why are you distressed so?"

He sounded so sad. Edmund knew the look in His eyes would be sympathetic; The Lion already knew why he was so broken before Him. But He was patient, His tail now and then tapping the soft, rolling grass – even the gentlest of taps sent tremors through Edmund's body. The boy inhaled a shuddering breath, looking everywhere but in His face. The Lion watched patiently.

"Why, Aslan?" he finally choked, out, heart threatening to burst out of his chest again as tears welled up. "Why?"

Why would You be willing to save me? Why would You save someone who tried to kill his own family? Why would You want to? Why do You want me?

He didn't look up. He knew that if he did, all control would break lose again and he would never recover. A single tear trickled down his cheek and he dropped his gaze down to His mighty paws. He whispered very low.

"I should have died," he said to the paws, voice full of bitterness and sorrow. Another gasping, shuddering breath. "Why, Aslan?"

The very Name seared his tongue as he let it escape his mouth. He bit his bloodied lip, squeezing his eyes shut, every fiber of his being dreading and hoping beyond all hope.

"Because I Love you."

That one promise managed to undo every stitch that was holding him together as he collapsed fully before the King, completely broken. Clutching the grass and shaking tremulously, every ounce of shame and loneliness he had ever stored away poured from his shattered heart as he sobbed, unable to contain himself any longer. The Lion pulled him close, sheltering the boy against Himself as he sobbed even harder, his throat rending raw from the grief and the pure thankfulness he could not express in words. They remained like that for a long while.

He clutched at The Lion's mane, feeling the warmth tingle beneath his pale, scratched fingers, eventually calming to a shivering hiccup in his Savior's embrace. Eyes still closed, he breathed heavily, sore and aching from every muscle in his body, heart both sinking and lifted at the same time. The Lion bent down and kissed His child's face, nose becoming wet from the salty tears that still slid down the pale freckled face.

Edmund opened his eyes and met The Lion's, looking into them without saying a word. His entire story was there for Him to read; all the wrong he had ever done, and every thought and emotion that he could not express in words. The burning Love in Aslan's eyes did not falter, and tears began welling up in Edmund's eyes again. This was pure grace, and he knew he had fallen so far from deserving it. "Aslan," he choked. "I'm not worthy to be called your Son."

Aslan studied Edmund's face for a moment, seeing the despair in his expression, and the new, hopeful spark in his eye. He turned His golden face to the sunrise, examining the camp below them and keenly feeling the dull, lustful ache of anguish within Edmund's heart.

"You never will be, My Child. And that is why there is Love."

Edmund stayed silent for a long while, pondering this deep within him as he leaned against Aslan's side, stroking his warm golden fur and feeling finally free for the first time in his life. He was finally free.

He was not done working yet. No, the battle had only just begun. But he was Loved, and that was enough to turn his sorry, foolish beating heart into one of real flesh, one that could feel and love and hope just as he was loved. He looked to Aslan, fresh tears falling down his face.

"I'm so sorry, Aslan. I–"

Aslan held him a little closer, breathing upon him. "Peace, child. You are forgiven."

And Edmund felt peace.