A/N Sorry it's a short chapter. I've got more written but it'll be for another chapter. Anyway just for fun the main difference between venom and poison is that poison is generally ingested and venom is injected. So I guess technically he was envenomed, but poisoned is still the proper term in literature. Eh just a fun fact because knowlege is power. lol.

Part of him half expected to see one of his sisters in his arms when he opened his eyes. Instead there was a young woman who he remembered vaguely, like waking up from a dream. She had been upset… rightfully so. He remembered her accusing him of killing her fiancé. It was true, but he knew he couldn't tell her that. His life laid in her hands. Edmund smoothed her coppery hair as she breathed deep and snored softly. She seemed so small in his arms, and he could feel her ribs poking though her dress. It was not at all like the delicate, soft curves he was used to seeing in the women who would visit Cair Paravel. Her features were pleasant enough, round face and smooth skin. If he squinted at her, she kind of reminded him of the holly dryads that Peter would consort with from time to time.

He looked around the small hut. It was kept as clean as possible with wooded walls and a dirt floor. Two small cots laid in the corner and an elder woman rested on one of the cots. A round table with four chairs sat close to the fire pit in the center of the room. The hut was nothing like his lavish room back at Cair Paravel, but it seemed to hold a cozy, homey charm to it. It was warm and that was all the mattered at the moment.

She wiggled in his arms and looked up at him. "Good morning," she said. He hadn't noticed before but she had the same strange accent that Gaine had, and her voice had a deeper quality to it. It wasn't the cheerful, light tones of Lucy voice. Or even the mellifluous tones of Susan's voice, when she wasn't cross with him. It was huskier, different. He wasn't quite sure what to make of it. "Are you hungry?" Her voice bought him out of his thoughts.

"Yes, thank you," he replied. She stood up and brushed some of the wrinkles out of her dress before moving towards one of the cupboards. She handed Edmund a dry piece of corn bread. He took it gratefully and ate it quickly while watching the woman in front of him. "Your name is Perna right?" He asked between bites. She looked up briefly startled that he knew her name.

"Yes…" She answered slowly. "How did you know that?"

"I heard you talking to your father the other day. Perna, it's an interesting name."

"It was my grandmother's name." She replied shortly. Then she took a piece of bread for her self and bit into it, savoring each bite slowly. She glanced up shyly at the man examining her. His eyes were so mysterious. What were they hiding from her? "What's you name, or should I just keep calling you Knight?" Edmund paused for a moment unsure of what to tell her. If she knew anything about Narnia, giving up his name could tell her exactly who he was.

"Ed, everyone just calls me Ed."

"Ed," she repeated scrunching her nose at the sound. "That's diminutive, don't you think?" He criticized her name, all was fair.

"You have no idea." He felt her watching him. She knew there was more to him than he was letting on. Edmund was already finished with his piece of corn bread. Perna had broken apart her piece into smaller pieces and ate them each one by one. It was odd how she seemed to peck at so slowly. "How long have I been here?" A fair question, he knew he'd been sick for quite some time. The near beard on his face told him it was at least a week and a half if not more.

"You've been here just under a half a moon, so about twelve days I suppose. You were found in a raft on the river. You men must have thought you were dead from the poison." Edmund's face fell.

"They think I'm dead?" He sighed. His eyes searched the ground for a minute before he recomposed himself. "Oh Aslan help them." He muttered to himself. He knew his family would be destroyed. How could he have let them down like this?

"You nearly died even after I found you. You've been very sick. You're still very pale, and weak." He nodded and pulled himself into a more comfortable sitting position. Perna passed him a cup of tea and took a cup for herself. "Laia," she jerked her head to the older woman still snoring on the cot. "She's my nurse maid. She helped care for you as well. It took many herbs to dissipate the poisons, and then the fever set it. We've had you sleeping by the fire for days to try and sweat the fever from you."

"Thank you, for all that you've done for me." Edmund then furrowed his brow in confusion. "If I may ask, why did you do it? Your Father, he seemed to hate my people so much." Perna took a moment to think carefully about how she answered him.

"Narnian or not I couldn't leave you to die. My people are good people and we take care of each other."

"You're apart of the Mountain people?" It was a statement more than a question but it seemed to amuse her. Perna had a light smile that seemed to make her face light up. She knew the question he was really asking.

"Yes, but I gathered you already knew that. Kind of a silly name really. We used it to try and hid where we were really from." Edmund raised his eyebrow as she continued. "Out in the mountains to the west is a great valley. Over a hundred years ago my people gathered there. We found the soil was rich from the old volcanoes, and could grow almost anything. The weather was mild year round and we'd get regular rains to help with the growing cycles. You see, the warm air to the south used to get trapped by the consistently cold air that was to the north and east of the valley and that air would get trapped right over us. Every spring we'd get the perfect amounts of rain to feed our crops and the rivers we used to irrigate them." Her husky voice took on a dreamy quality every time Perna mentioned rain. "About ten years ago, the weather to the north changed and the warm air from the south started to pass over us. Without the cold north air to trap the warm air, the rains started becoming more sporadic. Then it started raining less and less every year. Five years ago it stopped raining altogether. At that point my people started to divert the river so it could irrigate our crops but a year ago, that too dried up. Without crops in the fields my people started to starve." Edmund listened to her and stayed silent. He had no idea that ending the hundred year winter in Narnia could have been anything but completely good.

"Is that why you hate Narnia?"

"I don't hate Narnia; the people had nothing to do with changing weather patterns. We can't change the weather any more than the color of the sky. Although, many people do hold resentment that Narnia flourishes while my people are dying. It's a superstation. Spring blooms in Narnia while droughts fall on my people. My father wanted a scapegoat and it seemed the easiest target. What we hate is when we tried to go in to the woods looking for help and food, my father, who is our Chief, was attacked by many Narnian citizens. We become wary and afraid after that."

"Who were they?" Edmund snapped harder than he realized. His people were supposed to be peaceful as well. He'd never heard of anyone coming into Narnia asking for help. If he'd known, as King, he probably would have helped them, not attacked. If this conflict could have been prevent…

"I'm not too sure, when Gaine when out to search for my father's party they were all pretty badly injured. I think I remember someone mentioning dwarves, and wolves attacking, also something about a bull beast."

"Minotaur," Edmund said angry and slammed his fist on the ground. "What your Father came across was not Narnia. No! What your Father came across was a militia still loyal to the Witch." Saying that word was like venom on this tongue. Perna looked somewhat surprised at his emotions.

"Witch?"

"She was the self proclaimed Queen of Narnia until she was defeated by The Great Lion Aslan." He paused for a moment to see if she was still listening. There was comprehension in her eyes, and she nodded from him to continue. "Now ruling Narnia are two daughters of Eve, and two sons of Adam."

"Ahh yes, so I've been told. What you're telling me are rumors we've heard. We may be remote, but rumors still travel."

"However, even though the Witch is no longer alive and ruling there are still bands of militia that are still loyal to her. They are cruel beasts, and as much as the Narnian army tries seek them out and destroy them. It seems they still manage to hold a presence. Speaking for the Kings, Queens, and the people of Narnia, we are not like that."

"One King still killed our greatest hope and leader."

"Your people were raiding Narnia villages and those of our allies, Archenland. You were harassing and killing my people. We had to act. I'm sworn to protect Narnia, and her people. I saw your Gaine, and he was not all that kind. I know for a fact the Kings gave him every chance to leave peacefully, and he chose to attack. Your betrothed chose his own fate." He spoke with conviction but she wasn't having any if it. Perna raised her hand and smacked Edmund across the face.

"My people sit here starving with our lands barren as an old maid. He had no choice! Gaine was trying to support me, and our people. As soon as you're well, I want you out. Return back to your home. At least you still have one."

"Perna, I…" He wasn't quite sure what to say to her. She turned her back to him and went about tending to the fire. "I'm sorry your people starve. Maybe… perhaps when I return home, I can speak to the Kings and Queens about granting your people some land to farm. You could stay there, at least until the rains return to your home." She stood up abruptly without responding and woke up Laia to help bring in buckets of water.

"You stink like the pigs in the barns," she replied simply. "We're going to run you a bath."