Morning just before breakfast found Edmund making his way down the grand staircase of the Cair. He had asked after the merchant who had accompanied his bodyguard and discovered that he was leaving this morning. Edmund was attempting to get to the gates before he left, hoping to have a word. My heart is pierced by cupid... Edmund shook his head, trying to get the song lyrics out of his head. He had no idea where he'd heard it but it'd been playing in his head since he woke up this morning. Opening the doors, he came out into the warm Narnian sun. He breathed deeply before making his way down the stairs. "Sir!" He called out. The Merchant at the bottom of the steps paused and turned to face Edmund. "Ah! Your Majesty! What can I do for you?" He asked, bowing low. "I'd like to ask you some questions about the man you brought with you last night," Edmund replied. "Ah! Trust me Your Majesty, a better guardian cannot be found this side of Aslan's country!" The man said. "I'm not interested in the sales pitch. What's his past? Where did he come from? What is his name even?" Edmund asked. The man laughed. "Decided to keep him them?" He asked. Edmund fought a sigh. "It's worth a try. Being injured so often is getting annoying," he mumbled. "Well, you will not be sorry. He is not your conventional bodyguard. You have not seen him since last night, yes?" The Merchant asked. "Right," Edmund said, drawing it out. He wasn't sure where this was going. "That is his trademark," the man replied, smiling widely. "You never know where he is until you call or until he is needed. He takes a more offensive approach to guarding, instead of waiting for them to come to you, he goes after them. Perfect for those who get annoyed with constant, oppressive presences like yourself." "So he won't make his presence known unless I call for him?" Edmund asked. "You got it," the man said with a wink. "Where did he come from? What's his past?" Edmund demanded. "I would love to tell you but I do not know much more than the next guy. All I now is that he used to be a slave but then he escaped and became a bodyguard. That is all anyone knows. His face has never been seen and he does not talk. Rumour has it, he was captured once and as part of the torture they poured lye down his throat, taking away his ability to speak entirely! Others say he sniped out his tongue in order to be a better guard. Either way, it is his one flaw, though he does communicate effectively without it," the Merchant stated. "So he's entirely mute?" "If he isn't, he isn't telling anyone," the man said conspiratorially. Edmund sighed. "Alright, thank you sir," he said. "You are most welcome Your Majesty. If you will excuse me, I shall be going now," the man replied, bowing low. "Of course," Edmund said. The Merchant hoisted himself onto his horse before turning back to Edmund. "Oh, and Sire?" He called. "Yes?" Edmund asked. "Give him a chance. You'll never find another person as loyal for as long as you both live." "What if I don't want him to remain loyal to me that long?" Edmund asked. "Then why are you asking questions about him that no one else has ever asked?" The Merchant returned, his smile mischievous, knowing. "Trust me Your Majesty," he said, before trotting off. I disdain all glittering gold... "Ed! Breakfast time!" Peter's voice called out. Edmund sighed, shoving the haunting melody down before making his way up the steps. "Was that the merchant from last night?" Peter asked. "Yes," Edmund replied. "What were you two talking about?" "I was just asking him some questions about the bodyguard," Edmund replied. "Trying to find a way to get rid of him?" Peter asked, mischievously poking Ed in the ribs. "Unfortunately, no. He'll be staying a while," Edmund said. Peter stopped short. "Really?" Peter's face was shocked. "Why not?" Edmund said, turning around. "Would this have anything to do with the two men in the dungeon?" Peter asked, his tone growing slightly hard. Edmund's shoulders involuntarily grew stiff. "Maybe...?" He replied, not looking Peter in the eye. "What happened?" Peter demanded. "The new bodyguard did his job." "And why did he need to do that?" Peter's tone was growing harder. Edmund sighed. "Two men tried to jump me in the hallway. The new guard apparently got the jump on them though. They were out cold before they even saw me," he explained. "Why wasn't I informed of this Ed?!" Peter demanded. "He had it sorted before I even stepped out of the alcove Pete! There wasn't anything for you to do! I didn't want to ruin your evening." "What if I wanted to see them?!" Peter asked. "We can go see them later. With any luck, they'll actually be awake then," Edmund said. Peter sighed, rubbing his hand through his hair. "Fine," he said. "The bodyguard was with you the rest of the evening then?" Peter asked, resuming the walk to the breakfast table. "Pretty sure," Edmund said. "What do you mean 'pretty sure'? You don't know?" "He's not the usual sort of bodyguard. He stays out of sight unless he's called or danger approaches. At least that's what the merchant said. Haven't been able to get a word out of the guard himself," Edmund stated. "One of the silent types then?" Peter asked. "One of the mute types. Apparently, he doesn't speak." "Well, that could get annoying," Peter said. "What could get annoying?" Lucy asked as they walked into the room. "Edmund's new body guard doesn't speak," Peter explained, taking his seat at the head of the table. "Doesn't speak or can't speak?" Susan asked, sitting to Peter's right. "I'm not sure. The Merchant didn't know which it was, but either way I won't get a thing out of him." "Where is he? Isn't he supposed to be with you always?" Susan inquired. "He apparently only appears when he's asked for," Edmund answered. "Can you call him? I want to meet him!" Lucy said. "I don't think so. He's probably tired," Edmund replied, putting it off. He had no idea what to call the man, or even if he was there. He wasn't about to embarrass himself by calling out for something that wasn't there. "Aw, alright. Later then!" She said, perking up. Edmund sighed in relief. There is nothing can console me... The lyrics wove through Edmund's mind as they finished their breakfast, talking over the previous night's events. Luckily, Peter left out all mention of the assassination attempt, for which Edmund was grateful. He didn't want to worry the girls. The breakfast ended and both boys continued to the dungeons. "Ugh, I forgot how damp it is down here," Edmund said. "Reminds you of England, doesn't it? It was perpetually damp there," Peter said. "It was," Edmund said, flashing Peter a smile. They turned the last corner before reaching the dungeon where the two assassins were being kept and stopped short. In front of them was a now unmistakable figure in black. "There you are," Peter said. The figure inclined his head in a bow. "Here to escort us the rest of the way?" The man turned and led the way through the rest of the dungeon in response. "I see what you mean about him not speaking," Peter said, leaning closer and saying it confidentially. "Silent as a stone," Edmund agreed. The man in black stopped abruptly in front of the occupied cell. The two men were awake now, though looking quite the worse for wear. "Well then, care to explain why you wished to assassinate my brother?" Peter asked, his tone deadly. "He killed our father," the bigger of the two growled. Edmund's head jerked in his direction. Peter remained calm. "You are obviously misinformed," he said. "Why are you defending him? He's a traitor! And he always will be!" The man snapped. His face was contorted into an expression more reminiscent of a wolf than a man. Edmund felt like he had been punched in the stomach. The words "he's a traitor" permeated his being, turning his insides cold. He could feel the burning of ice in his side, the scar from so long ago began throbbing. Yes, years later, he still was a traitor. He saw Peter tense, saw him open his mouth to berate the man in front of them. But before Peter could do anything, there was a flash of black. Strong arms slipped through the bars of the cell, grabbed the man and wrenched back, slamming the man against the bars with a resounding "CLANG" that reverberated throughout the entire dungeon. A black covered head got up into the uncovered, rearranged face of the assassin on the other side of the bars. A feline growl rose in the throat of the bodyguard, and though his eyes were not visible to Edmund or Peter, they were visible to the men behind the bars and what they saw apparently filled them with fear. All their bravado washed away as the black figure slowly began pulling back even farther, seeming to be intent on dragging the man in his grip through the too small gap in the bars. "That's enough," Edmund said, softly but firmly. The guard pulled slightly more, hesitated in his movements, before shoving the man back onto his behind. The guard spat at the assassins in disgust before walking off. Edmund turned to the two men. "I apologize for the death of your father. And I will spend the rest of my life trying to atone for what I did when I first came to Narnia," he said, his tone soft. "My brother's past mistakes are no excuse for your current mistakes. You will be tried and punished accordingly," Peter cut in, placing a hand on Edmund's shoulder. "Good day now," he said, leading Edmund away. "They didn't deserve that," Peter stated as they walked down the hallway. "They didn't deserve your pity or your explanation. You didn't kill their father and you are no longer a traitor to Narnia. Aslan absolved you of that," he explained. "They are lost, just as I once was. If I can help them even a little, they deserve it," Edmund said. Peter sighed. "So long as you don't go believing your a traitor again," he said. Impossible to start believing something you never stopped believing, Edmund thought. "It seems as though your bodyguard has already formed an attachment," Peter said. "Huh?" Edmund asked, Peter's voice pulling him from his thoughts. "The way he went after that man in the cell. It seems like he's gotten it into his mind he's going to protect your honor as well as your person," Peter clarified. Edmund stopped. But my jolly sailor bold... The words filtered in. "Yeah, seems like it," Edmund agreed. "I'm going to go see if I can hunt him down actually." "Good plan. I'm going to go do some paperwork. Care for a ride tonight?" Peter asked. "Sure." "Happy hunting then!" Peter called, walking off. Edmund rolled his eyes before continuing out into the garden. It was a balmy morning and the flowers were in bloom. He sighed, closing his eyes, content to feel the breeze ruffle his hair and let the sun fall on his skin. The smell of cloves and cinnamon caused him to open his eyes. Before him stood the guard. "Hello," Edmund said, somehow not perturbed at how the individual had managed to appear before him noiselessly. The guard bowed his head slightly. "Thank you again for last night." The guard nodded. "I'd also like to thank you for this morning. You didn't need to do that," Edmund stated, sitting himself on a bench. The guard raised an eyebrow. Edmund chuckled. "The merchant was correct. You are very capable of communicating even though you don't speak," he said. The guard bowed deeply, causing Edmund to chuckle more. "You cannot tell me your name then?" He said when he had regained his composure. The guard shook his head. Edmund shrugged his shoulders. "Guess I'll have to make one for you then!" He said, popping up from his seat and beginning to pace in a circle around the guard. The guard followed him with his head. "It should be one that conveys your personality, your function in life and, in essence, who you are. Wouldn't you agree?" The guard raised an eyebrow. "Hmm..." Edmund muttered thinking. After two minutes he stopped. "I've got nothing. Is Shadow okay?" He asked. The guard rose both eyebrows. Finally he shrugged and nodded. "Perfect! Your name is Shadow! Heyo everyone! Sorry if it's a little choppy, I haven't really thought this out very much... Anywho! The beast has been named and it is Shadow! Which was really the intent behind this whole heck of a long chapter... yeah. I'm still trying to get into Edmund's head which is proving to be difficult but I don't think I did too awfully. It should get better though! Anyways, the song that Edmund keeps trying to shove out of his head is Jolly Sailor Bold no idea who actually sings it, heard it in Pirates of the Caribbean. Needless to say, I don't own it. It's relevance will become apparent later. For now, tootles and thanks for reading! Comment please!