"When the World Comes Down"

Chapter: 2

"Iees It alvays like this?" Rea asked, perplexed by the royal sisters reactions, and looking slightly worried about the groans coming from the younger king's chamber.

"No. I have no idea what is going on." Peter replied, baffled.

*******

What was going was this: Edmund, upon hearing his siblings' shouts, had reached for his sword, and had leapt from his bed. He had made it about halfway to the door before he had collapsed in pain.

"Ow," Edmund groaned, tenderly covering his right side with his hand, the sword falling from his grasp. "Well, that was a bloody brilliant idea. Ugh."

"Edmund, are you alright?" Lucy questioned, running into the bedroom and skidding to a halt at his feet,

"Peachy."

"Ed, why would you get out of bed? Are you okay? C'mon, let's get you back into bed. Rogerston, would you please go and get Tattleprattle? I'm worried he may have torn his stitches." Susan diplomatically controlled the situation. She gently shut the door after Rogerston as she spoke. "Honestly, Ed, getting out of bed…what were you thinking of? You could be seriously injured and-" Susan stopped speaking as she glanced at Edmund's pained face.

"I think he has torn his stitches, Su." Lucy said.

"I have not," Edmund exclaimed, "I am fine. In fact, I am more than fine. I think I'll go swimming later. Maybe not now. It is rather late. I was thinking about going swimming tomorrow, maybe I'll take Corin. I love that little guy. He's like a little brother. Yeah. I wonder if he has plans…" Edmund was deliriously rambling.

"Edmund, you cannot go swimming in this weather!" Lucy snapped.

"Fine." Edmund grumbled; he seemed to be in and out of saneness. "Whose voice was that? I don't recognize it."

"That was-" Lucy was interrupted.

********

"Edmund, are you alright?" Lucy's concerned voice floated down the hall. His reply was muffled as Susan gently shut the door, but Peter distinctly heard the word 'stitches'.

"Mr. Tumnus, what is going on?" Peter demanded, exasperated at being ignored so many times.

"Well, it's a rather long story…" Mr. Tumnus told Peter, and a surprised Rea about what had happened in the last few hours.

"Edmund-! Please find another room for Lady Rea." Peter rushed down to Edmund's room.

"Ed, are you okay?" Peter demanded, stepping over to his younger brother's side.

"'Mm fine…wish everyone would quit asking that. Won't let me go pheasant hunting…Won't let me read my book…Won't let me do anything…Stupid stitches…Can't even go swimming later." Edmund grumbled. He glared balefully at the faun who had come in to check his stitches. Seeing that the dark haired boy had ripped a few stitches, the faun started cleaning Edmund up.

"We wouldn't be asking if you hadn't just had surgery. Quit glaring at Tattleprattle! He wouldn't have to check your stitches if you had stayed in bed, like you were supposed to! And, it is the middle of winter! Of course you can't go swimming." Lucy told him firmly, distracting Edmund from the pain.

"Well, I wouldn't have jumped out of bed if you people wouldn't go around screaming! And at two in the morning! What will our guests think? I don't care if it's the middle of winter, I want to go - Hullo, what are you doing here?" Edmund directed the tail-end of his monologue to his older brother who was inspecting Edmund's stomach.

"Why do you people keep asking me that? I live here! Or have you all forgotten me in the last couple of months?"

"Of course not! We're just surprised to find you here without word." Susan explained, hastily giving her brother a long overdue hug.

"Yes, well. Hmmph!" Peter snorted.

"Who'd you bring with you?" Edmund asked, conversationally.

"Lady Rea of Capeenland. Oh no! I've left her out in the hall!"

"Peter!" Susan exclaimed, shocked. She and Peter rushed into the hall.

"I don't understand why I couldn't just have some of your cordial." Edmund muttered as Lucy tucked him in. "Then I'd be all better, and I wouldn't have to be fussed over like this. You guys might even let me go pheasant hunting!"

"Why use the cordial when you could have the surgery? Everyone likes being fussed over now and then, Ed. You'll see." She told him, brushing her hand through his hair. She wasn't even going to acknowledge the pheasant's anymore.

"Sure, sure." Edmund grumbled sleepily.

*********

When Edmund awoke the next morning, he was surprised to find his older brother sleeping in a chair next to him. Edmund's memories of the day before were hazy at best. He remembered being told he was to have surgery, he wasn't sure on what though, and he remembered falling out of his bed, or jumping rather, when he heard the shouts of his siblings, and there was something about going hunting or swimming or something. It was a great shock to find Peter in his room with him.

"Hey! Hey you, Peter! Peter wake up!" Edmund called rudely, (you'll have to remember he still wasn't feeling himself, and was still a little out of it), throwing a pillow at his sleeping brother.

"Wha- What's wrong? Are you hurt? Should I call for someone?" Peter asked, concerned. He looked worriedly over his brother, checking for blood.

"No, I am absolutely, positively fine. What are you doing here? We weren't going to be looking for you until Tuesday. And, is that Rogerston on the floor?"

"First of all, I highly doubt that you are completely fine. You jumped out of the bed three times last night. You are going to be sore today, or I miss my guess. Doctor Foritnou said you would be, especially after he gave you a sedative. Secondly, I am here because I live here! I'm thinking about writing a note to tell you that I am home. I mean, the first time, I can understand, but you asked me every time you woke up last night. And thirdly, yes, that is Rogerston on the floor. He was watching you last night; to make sure you wouldn't get out. You kicked him, you know. Yet, he stayed. Talk about loyalty. I offered to just stay with you, but he wasn't having any of it. Now, honestly, how do you feel?"

"I feel fine, really, Pete. Sorry, that I cause problems. Did I really try to go swimming?" Edmund wondered.

"Yeah, you did. That was when you kicked Rogerston."

"Oh no. I'll have to apologize; do you think he'll forgive me?"Edmund asked.

"I'm sure he will. Now, are you ready for visitors?" Peter asked, edging towards the door.

"Visitors?"

"Yes, visitors. There are a few very eager people who would like to see you." Peter grinned as he swung open the door.

"Edmund!" Lucy shrieked in delight, she was about to launch herself at her brother, but thought better of it. She gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek and clutched his arm tightly, in excitement.

"I'm so glad to see you awake, Ed." Susan said, walking over to the invalid.

Lady Rea awkwardly came into the room, looking highly uncomfortable. "Edmund, iees ieet? Ieet iees a pleasure to meet you. I am so sorry that you haf beeeen ieell."

Edmund looked around, confused. He glanced from Lucy, to Susan, to Peter, and lastly to Rea. "I'm sorry, have we met?"

"Oh. Right, Ed, this is Lady Rea. She is staying with us for a few days." Peter explained.

"Oh. Lovely. Nice to meet you." Edmund replied, still glancing around the room.

"Where is everyone else?" Peter asked Susan.

"Oh. A lot of them left after they found out Edmund was making sense again. They want him to rest. They'll be back later, for Lucy's party."

"Lucy! Your party. I'm sorry." Edmund apologized.

"It's not your fault, silly. The only thing I'm upset about is the fact that you are going to miss it." Lucy smiled.

"And I promised to be your first dance." Edmund remembered.

"Don't worry, Ed, I'll take it over." Peter promised.

"Well, I think we should let you get some rest. You stay in bed. We'll have breakfast sent up for you." Susan decided. "Stay in bed."

"I will! Gees! Why don't you people trust me?" Edmund rolled his eyes.

The group trooped out, followed by Rogerston, who had awakened during the interview. He gave a salute to the King and was on his way.

"Now, what will I do to entertain myself?" Edmund wondered to himself.

************

"Peter, will you come help me with this tapestry?" Lucy asked her brother as he walked through the hall.

"Can't, Lu, I'm taking Rea riding to see the country. Maybe someone else could?" Peter called back, distracted.

"I've already asked other people," Lucy muttered. She wouldn't say it out loud to Peter, anyway, but she wasn't a big fan of Lady Rea. In the three hours that Lucy had been awake, Rea had refused to eat breakfast with the Narnians, insulted Lucy's personal garden, and had been rude to Susan. Peter had blindly defended her, saying that she was just trying to get a feel for Narnia.

"Where's Peter? He was supposed to help me decide on where he'd like the present table to go. He was going to be the brawn." Susan strode over to help a teetering Lucy with the tapestry.

"He's out with Rea." Lucy sneered. "I don't like her, Su. I really don't. There's something about her."

"I know what you mean, Lu. But, she's Peter's guest, and that means we'll have to accept it. Anyway, what do you think? Should the table go there?" Susan gestured to a diagram she had drawn.

"Yes, I think that should be fine." Lucy agreed.

"Good, well, I'm going to see if Shana will help me move the table. He's brawny too, and more dependable then some brothers. I do hope Peter will be back before two. He's going to need to practice the dance with you, you're a little bit shorter than me, and he'll have to work around it."

"If he even remembers." Lucy muttered darkly.

***********

"So, after he showed up, an hour late, we finally practiced. But then he left right away, with her, and she is simply horrible, Edmund!" Lucy cried dramatically, throwing her arms up. She was lying next to Edmund on his bed. He nodded, and patted her arm comfortingly.

"Sorry, Lu. But, to be fair, she sounds better then the last one he brought home. What was her name? Flower?

"Daisy," Lucy corrected, "and you are right. I just don't understand why he never brings home the nice ones, the ones we like, like Ella? She was so nice."

"That's Peter for you. But, where is Susan?"

"She's making sure everything is running tip-top. You know Susan," Lucy sighed. "And, that bothers me too! Rea is so rude to Susan; she keeps making these snide comments about Susan's intellect. And Susan just ignores it! It's driving me up a wall."

"And Peter doesn't care?" Edmund asked.

"She makes sure that he isn't within earshot, and Susan won't say anything, you know she won't."

Edmund sighed, "Where did you say Peter took Rea?"

"I didn't. Rea wanted to see the beach. I wish he would just push her-" Lucy cut off as she saw King Lune and Prince Corin waiting outside the door, patiently. "Hello, King Lune, How are you? Do come in."

"Oh, we don't want to intrude." King Lune smiled, raising his eyebrows at Lucy. "Corin just wanted to see you," he explained to Edmund.

"You aren't intruding, come in. Come in. Lucy was telling me about the party planning. I'm very depressed about missing it. I was wondering if there was anyone who wanted to hang out with me." Edmund smiled at the young boy who nervously entered the room.

Lucy climbed off of Edmund's bed, and moved to help the younger boy up on to it. "Gently, now." She told him.

"Hi, Edmund," The seven year old seriously said.

"Hi, Corin. You wouldn't want to talk to me for a little while, would you? Everyone else has to get ready for the ball, and no one has time to talk to me."

"Sure, I have time." Corin agreed, and immediately launched into a tale about knocking down one of his servants.

"You really shouldn't do that." Edmund admonished as the other two left the room.

********

"It sounds like there is a lot going on, Queen Lucy," King Lune commented as he walked next to the young queen.

"Oh, well, that's the life of the Pevensies. We are full of the dramatics," Lucy smiled.

King Lune smiled at the comment, and offered his help to Susan, who was awkwardly shuffling along with a large assortment of flowers. She smiled her thanks, and the two walked off. Lucy sighed, and wandered off to see if she could be any help to anyone else.

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End Chapter 2. Next up the concluding part of When the World Comes Down. Hopefully the title meaning will become clear then. I hope you liked it. I know, it was pretty boring, but Hopefully you will find the last chapter better. Thank you for reading, please r/r

~Yiva