A/N: Again, thank you so much for the reviews! They really are helping me through.
I've decided to update this fanfic once to twice a week, it really depends on my schedule but I am very much committed. If there is a case where I am not with my laptop or I don't have time to update, I will let you know.
Chapter 3: Lost
Lucy walked, no, swept through Cair's corridors, determined to reach Edmund's room before a messenger (sent by Susan, most likely) could reach her and ask her to return to the dining room for at least an hour of lecturing by Peter on her decision to accompany Edmund to the Shuddering Woods that very morning.
As she passed familiar and unfamiliar faces that crowded the halls (each who graciously bowed and said, "You're most Valiant majesty") she had finally reached the familiar door that protected the Just King's bedroom. Located on the almost complete opposite of Peter's chambers, Edmund's bedroom was protected by shining satin-covered velvet and two sets of knight's armor on either side. It was casual for Lucy to simply stroll into the room, but given Peter and Edmund's most recent debacle she knocked as hard she could on the wooden outline of the doors three times.
No answer.
"Edmund, can I come in?"
Still no answer.
It was then that Lucy thought it would be a good idea to enter, but the room was as quiet as the response she never got.
o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o
to King Peter Pevensie, High King and Emperor of Narnia chosen by the great lion Aslan himself (may he be with you),
In response to your recent most barefaced offers:
I remain in utter discount at your seemingly deceptive allegations, and have thus refused to withdraw my legion from your Southern borders, choosing instead to continue my persevere pursuit of his young and most gracious majesty, Prince and Regent King of Archenland, Cor (may Aslan be with him). I look not to send my legion across your borders for innocent blood roams within; innocent blood that I believe should be spared.
I end this exchange with genuine chagrin when I say May Aslan Be With You – if you cannot forgive yourself, dear King, I pray Aslan forgive you.
"No," Susan said, and she slammed the letter hard against the marble table. "You have two things you can tell me, Peter. You can tell me this is a miscommunication, or you can tell me, and Aslan forbid, that this letter means something. I want the truth out. I want it now." Her pale cheeks were now reddened and tears were threatening to spill from her eyes.
Peter averted his gaze from the window and stared into Susan's eyes, his eyes fixed most directly on hers. "Su. You know me. And you know this isn't true."
The tears were no longer threatening to spill; they were streaming down her face, hitting the floor, the table or even her gown; she could taste them and she opened her already trembling mouth. "Lune knows you too. Why does he think it is?"
He turned to look at her so quickly he almost swiped his goblet off the table. His voice was now shaking almost as much as her voice. "What do you think I would gain for this family if this letter were true? Do you think Ed and Lu and your well-being would not cross my mind even once before I contemplated doing something stupid? Or the entire country, even?"
Susan swiped the tears off her face. "What is this addressing, Peter? And why is Lune sending a legion to our borders?"
Peter looked to the floor. Taking a deep breath, he returned his gaze to her and said, his voice clear, "Corin's missing – and there've been reports of him in Calormen, but we can't be sure. Lune…Lune believes I funded the kidnapping," he explained.
Susan gasped and covered her mouth with her hand before quickly regaining herself. "And why would Lune believe such a blatant lie?"
Peter wanted to shrug; he wanted to shrug away all of Susan's questions, but he had to explain. He needed to. "Troubles with Calormen for the past few years have raised rumors that Narnia's willing to do anything to prevent any sort of warfare. Apparently, selling Corin off to Calormen barbarians is one of them."
"But why in Aslan's name will a monarch, especially that of Narnia, want to go public with this? Wouldn't it earn hostilities from Lune?"
"That's exactly what the point of this is," Peter said. "Don't you see? This letter, this letter from Lune is real, we cannot deny that, but it had to have been triggered by letter that I supposedly sent. Oreius called me out of council one week ago to tell me everything. That Lune was enraged, that he wanted his son back, that he was threatening warfare. And when I asked what for –" he gestured to the parchment letter – "I got my answer."
"And Lune believes these transparent lies?"
"The evidence is staring me in the face," Peter said. "I was in Calormen two weeks ago to have council with the Tirsoc, Cor went missing two days before I returned home, Edmund –" he didn't want to finish. He most definitely did not want to finish, and was glad when Susan rose her hand to silence him, afraid to listen to anymore.
Her eyes were still wet, though tears were clear of her cheeks now. Managing to find her voice, she squeaked, "B-but who…"
"I don't know," Peter said. "I don't know, I don't know who kidnapped Cor, I don't know who sent that letter to Lune saying I'm behind all this, I don't know why in Aslan's name he would believe it and I don't know what to do next."
He looked up to her, and saw that she now had her head in her hands, trying to shake away all the conflicts. And in the spur of a second, she lunged across the marble table and seized the parchment and tore it into a million shredded pieces. She didn't need it. With Peter constantly ripping his hair out trying to mend the broken pieces, with Edmund feeling out of place and with Lucy being almost obliviousness, she certainly did not need it.
o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o
The training ground was the only spot left she could think of him to be. His room was empty, Phillip was having a bucketful of apples in his stables, and there was no doubt in her mind that Peter had ordered Edmund to remain within the walls of Cair.
The door to the weapons room was swinging open and she could hear angry, damaged cries, but they were almost silent compared to the repetitive blows she could hear, and later see, that Edmund was inflicting upon one of the training dummies. There was no reason to continue; the dummy was almost completely torn apart, and at this point Lucy could not differentiate the body from the face. He wasn't training. He definitely wasn't training.
A twig broke beneath her feet and Edmund finally stopped and heaved a sigh, but did not turn around. "Please," he said, lowering his sword. "I know you mean well, sister, but I prefer to be left alone."
And that was when Lucy paced faster, completely ignoring Edmund's preference and turning him around so that his dark eyes bore into her pale ones. "Talk to me, Edmund. Please."
And Edmund could no longer keep the once threatening tears from spilling onto his face, and Lucy, who was almost at his height, pulled him into a bone crushing embrace, resting his head on her shoulder as she ran her fingers through his dark hair. Hard, wretched sobs escaped him and Lucy could only begin to wonder what triggered those sobs.
When he pulled away, finally agreeing to look upon her face, she placed her hand on his cheek, tears now threatening to spill from her own. "Please."
"Peter's right," he said. "About everything. About me. About you. I shouldn't be taking you to the Shuddering Woods. I shouldn't have to be told that. I…I shouldn't be King."
"Edmund, no," Lucy said, and she took his hand. "You're Edmund Pevensie, no, KingEdmund Pevensie, and you daren't say that. You're Aslan's chosen one, are you not? And…and I don't mean to sound the slightest bit arrogant but…" she glanced up at him for a second. "We're all His chosen ones for a reason. Do you dare question His judgement?"
"Of course not," Edmund spluttered after a while. "There's more to it, Lu. I'm lost. I am very much lost."
Eek…sorry for how grim this chapter is, but I wanted to set the mood of the current situations. Angst is explored a lot in fics involving Edmund and I wanted to give my go at it. So you can expect more of that in this fic.
Please rate and review, as those truly keep me going.
xx Izzy