"I care not if it is said to be undesirable! I ordered you to do it, did I not?" His voice thundered over the large marble room and ornate tapestries of the courtroom of Cair Paravel. His siblings stood behind him, also with dark expressions. The Telmarine ambassador quaked in his kneeling, cowering position at the bottom of the flight of seventeen steps leading up to the Four Thrones.

"But your most regal highness, who am I to tell the Telmarine king he is demanded to leave the borders of Narnia? I am nothing but dust under his boots. It should be better were you and your noble and great sisters and brother to ride out in glory and push him back into Telmar." The man groveled in a way that sickened Edmund. He scowled darkly.

The man looked up hesitantly when he heard the sounds of metal against metal. He quickly ducked his head when he saw black leather boots come into his line of sight. The tip of a sword found its way under his chin; he gasped, and was forced to look up into the dark and wild gaze of the Just Narnian King. Edmund stooped slightly, a cold smiled sliding across his face that sent fear in an icy tremor down the ambassador's spine.

"A kingdom that breeds such foolish people may not have been built in a day, but…" he trailed off, moving his blade until it touched the Telmarine's neck, a light entering his eyes that some might say was the light of death. "I can crush it in one." The tip of his blade drew blood, but the Telmarine did not move a hand to wipe it away as it trickled down his neck and under his collar.

"Y-yes, my L-lord," Damien stuttered in answer.

With a quick flourish that, had it been done by a lesser swordsman, might have decapitated the ambassador, Edmund slid the blade out from under Damien's chin and back into its scabbard. The Just King turned away, his black velvet cape brushing the heels of his boots; head turned partly to toss the words over his shoulder, he said softly with venom in his tone: "Tell Isshiah that, unless he removes his army from our borders, we will destroy him and all that he rules. Do not fail me in this, or I shall find your head first."

"Of course, my Lord, most certainly, my Lord," the man whimpered, scrabbling backwards until he was several feet from the marble steps; he stood quickly.

"Go!" The shout echoed across the great vaulted room. The man turned and fled as a deer does before hunting hounds. Once the Telmarine's boot-steps no more could be heard, Edmund's shoulders slumped, and his head bowed, long dark locks covering his face. He was grateful it had been a closed court, with none but his siblings, a few of the Narnian officers of the military, and Master Tumnus present.

He passed a pale hand across his face weakly, stumbling slightly as he mounted the last few steps to his throne. Susan started and Lucy jerked to her feet as he collapsed back into his throne. He looked up when Peter's shadow covered him. "Yes?" His voice was hollow as he tried to be merry. Though he was amused by their concern, he had not the strength to show it. All his energy had been spent in the past hour and a half talking with the Telmarine.

"Edmund, are you all right, brother?" Lucy came and knelt beside his chair, a worried expression flitting across her golden features. He smiled, reaching out and brushing his fingers against her sun-kissed, golden-brown hair. He said nothing.

"He is too weak to do this; I knew we should have put it off," Susan spoke to Peter with chagrin, though she looked at Edmund.

"We could not have… put it off merely because I am… ill." Finally his voice returned to him, and he spoke knowingly.

"Edmund, being nearly killed by an assassin is not illness!" Peter sounded outraged, as he had been since the night Edmund had fought off the unknown assassin that had tried to murder him in his chambers.

"Quiet, brother, your yelling makes my head spin," Edmund admonished, waving him off. Peter paled slightly; the color of his skin his might have come to match his brother's, but it was far too tanned.

"I am not yelling, Edmund," he whispered. The dark haired young man looked up, slightly surprised.

"Really? I could have sworn you shouted for all the world to hear. No matter," he declared, shrugging before frowning slightly.

"Master Tumnus, send us the physicians; King Edmund is worsening!" Susan looked up at the faun.

"Oh dear, oh dear me! Surely I shall find them, as fast as I can run, my Queen!" Tumnus hurried off, muttering worriedly to himself.

"Peter, my cordial; he cannot be so gravely wounded while we must face the troubles that are sure to be stirred with King Isshiah. I could heal him and this would pain him no longer and worry us no more," Lucy declared.

Peter looked over at Edmund, who stared blankly out at the courtroom, Susan talking about meaningless things beside him. "Yes, perhaps that would…" Edmund heard no more as he fell into unconsciousness, the pain blacking him out.

~|\0/\\0/|~

The wind pushed against him, and he smiled. Somewhere behind him he could smell the ocean. But all he saw was wondrous green grass, blue sky, white clouds, and glorious Narnia. His beautiful Narnia; how he loved her.

"Edmund, Edmund, come; frolic with me!" The merry yet solemn voice came from behind him, and he turned.

"Aslan," he whispered the name longingly. "Oh, Aslan, it is so dark back there without you; please, return to us; stay away no more!" he begged, running up to the golden lion, burying his fingers in His mane; resting his face against His soft coat.

The Great Lion laughed, a sound which rumbled from deep within Him but seemed to be all of Narnia laughing as well. "Know peace, Wise One; I am with you through all your perils. For you I died, you I love, son of Adam," He answered, touching the King with His nose gently.

"The despair and pain; how it burdens me when you are not near!" Edmund cried in anguish, feeling close to tears, though such things did not befit a King of Narnia. Aslan sunk to the ground, Edmund leaning into His mane.

"I understand, Wise One, how it aches. It is troubling to know there are those who do not comprehend who I am, that I bring peace and rest, and wish no war for anyone. I understand this burden of being one of few who know. Do not despair; I will call you to me when it is time, and then forever shall we be together. Go now, your family and country calls you back." Aslan nudged him away with His nose and His paw, standing.

"I shall try, Aslan, but this world is nothing without you in it, nothing at all." He bowed his head and walked away, the pain in his heart feeling as if it would destroy him.

~|\0/\\0/|~

The smell of salt air met him, and a light breeze blew over his face, across his hot skin. He tried to move his hand, but it was held fast in another's. Opening his eyes slowly, he found he was in his bedchamber. The curtains had been tossed back from the two balconies and five windows. As the sun rose over the ocean and beamed through the openings, he moved to sit up hesitantly, remembering the pain that always came with such actions.

Though he felt nothing, he was still cautious. Lucy held his hand tightly in both of hers, her head resting on his bed as she had fallen asleep. Peter sat in a chair a ways away, chin resting on his chest. Susan lay at the end of his bed, clearly she had been crying, he could see, noticing the flush of her cheeks and the red around her closed eyes. As he looked around, becoming more awake, Tumnus entered the room.

"Oh, King Edmund!" he exclaimed, waking all the king's siblings.

"Eddie!" Lucy cried out, waking far faster than Edmund believed possible and draping herself around him. Susan woke with a start, and Peter jerked to his feet and dashed to the bed, smiling in relief, kneeling beside the bed, taking his brother's other free hand in his and holding it as if he feared Edmund might vanish.

"Oh, you were so ill. You had a horrible fever and then lay so still for days; we thought you might die!" Susan sobbed, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

"Poison, Edmund; apparently the wound had been inflicted by a poisoned dagger," Tumnus declared.

"But Lucy, she saved you… with the cordial," Peter whispered hoarsely, tightening his hand over Edmund's.

"Thank you for your concern, but if you do not cease hanging from me I might faint!" Edmund laughed, causing all his siblings to retreat slightly with embarrassment; however, they laughed as well.

"Remember, Kloudhunter said he must rest to regain his strength." Tumnus reminded them, after a short reunion and conversation, of the healing Centaur's words. With a great deal of reluctance, the three monarchs straightened, pulling themselves off the large bed and away from their brother.

"This room should be redecorated, Edmund; I had no idea you had such dismal color schemes," Susan noticed as she walked to the doorway. He said nothing, just nodded. But after they'd all gone, leaving him with orders from Tumnus to rest and be still else he'd find himself tied down, he looked about the room.

He cared not for the lack of color, or more correctly, he lamented not the absence of brightness and cheer. Black, silver, white and grey, these colors felt good. The blades over his bed and the black oaken wardrobe to the left beside his desk and many shelves of books suited his tastes. "I like this room, Susan, you shall not touch it," he muttered, reclining. Closing his eyes, he remembered talking with Aslan, and fell into a dreamless slumber.

A/N:

Yes, the chapters will not be very long, unfortunately. King Isshiah of Telmar is from my AU, but he's all that'll carry over, besides a few other minor things. Again, these are the running-up (1,2,3,4, maybe 5 & 6 too) chapters, the ones to come will be much better and filled with much more interesting details. Please tell me what you think.

WH