Author's Note: Thank you to Queen Su and Lilagirl for reviewing! :D I'm glad you are still enjoying it. Bear with me whilst the action and tension mounts. MOST OF ALL REVIEW! PLEASE!

The beach was deserted, the sand untouched except by the waves that lapped gently against the shore. A strange pleasure could be taken from being the first person to set foot there albeit only for the morning; as toes dug into the damp, impressionable grain and left a trail of prints along the blank canvas. Sunshine glazed the cerulean waters causing them to shimmer and sparkle well into the distance.

Alone in his walk, Edmund took in all these features that were so uniquely and beautifully Narnian. His brown eyes observed the golden beaches, the sapphire sea and the emerald forest with love. He would never want to give any of it up. Despite what Susan said about wanting to go home for the best interests of the family, he wasn't as willing.

What looked like a griffin soared over his head; black against the fantastically blue sky. He followed its path as it arced over Cair Paravel and flew into the distance until it was only a speck on the horizon. When it had vanished completely he shoved his hands deep into his pockets and scuffed up a lump of land with his foot. On the beach, away from the hustle and bustle of the castle was when he could really be alone and vent his feelings. There, you barely ever had a minute to yourself because there was always something to be done or someone wanting to talk to you. Being by the sea and listening to the song of the waves was Edmund's retreat.

In the morning, as said before, was the best time to come and the young king made an attempt to come every day if he could spare the time. That wasn't always possible however. It awakened his mind for the day and allowed him to prepare himself for problems that may arise later on. One of these problems today, for instance, was that of Foresight's prophecy. Edmund knew his elder brother was seriously troubled by it – ever since he had been told he'd walked around with a more tense stature and an extra crease between his brows.

To try and combat whatever the prophecy might entail, Peter had already taken several measures but so far they had proven rather fruitless. He had liaised with a few other kingdoms but they had offered him no information worth hearing. It was severely frustrating. That was one of the main reasons why Edmund had left Cair Paravel, for the seclusion and peace of his beach, because Peter had been plying him with problems and dilemmas for the last day straight. His head was buzzing with all the troubles facing Narnia and its rulers.

"Sire! Sire!" Edmund spun round, kicking up a spray of sand with his heel. He caught sight of a young centaur hurrying towards him, a grave expression on his face. The creature's large hooves left semi-circular prints in their wake, disturbing the smooth golden plane.

"Levitern?" The youth replied questioningly.

"The High King wants to see you immediately." As he heard this, Edmund was already springing into a run, his bare feet churning up the ground.

"Have you any idea why?" he shouted as he sped along. Levitern galloped alongside him, his black eyes wide with worry.

"No, your majesty, I have no idea."

"That's fine. Thank you."

Edmund barrelled into the main meeting room, where he had been instructed to go, in a very undignified manner. He didn't care. If this was important, then there was little point being concerned with such trivial matters as portraying elegance and grace. In the room already stood his brother, his broad shoulders taut with stress, and Orieus the centaur general. The raven-headed young man was aware of his dishevelled state: hair windswept and wild; feet caked in grains of sand that were trailing on the floor making a mess; and clothes unkempt and speckled with sea spray. Hopefully they wouldn't think too badly of him.

"King Edmund." Orieus offered him a bow. The boy waved him off, eyes fixed on his solemn faced brother. Peter stared back at him for a moment for a moment before opening his mouth.

"We have had a news."

"Of?"

"It may concern the prophecy. Some of our scouts came across some forest-dwelling Narnians who claimed, on the Eleventh Night of Winter, to have seen around one hundred men in the forest."

"Men?" Edmund repeated, incredulous. They barely ever had humans in Narnia and if they did they always knew about their presence. The Pevensies were usually the only Son's of Adam and Daughter's of Eve in the region.

"Yes. These witnesses stated that the men set up camp in the trees and spent one night there. On that night there was a lot of commotion and they heard screaming and shouting. Some of the trees were almost set aflame by wayward torches. The informants do not know exactly what went on but one of them swore they saw a small boy among the men."

"A boy?"

"You know, Ed, it would be some much more productive if you said something worthwhile rather than just repeating me in that tone." The High King shot his younger sibling an annoyed look.

"Sorry…so this boy, you think he could be the one out of the prophecy?"

"I'm assuming. I mean, it all fits. The Eleventh Night and men descending upon Narnia under the cover of darkness – that's not normal and obviously not good."

"But what did the prophecy mean about being born? If he was a boy as you say then surely he cannot have been born that very night?"

"I'm not sure," Peter answered honestly, his blue eyes piercing Edmund's own.

"And what can we do?"

"We need to head out in search of these men and interrogate them as to why they are in Narnia without permission and who the boy is."

"Right, shall I inform the girls then?"

Lucy hugged her eldest brother tightly and felt her silk slipper-clad feet leave the ground as he lifted her up. She nuzzled his neck affectionately and breathed in his scent – he smelt of pinewood and horses – it was so very Peter. He whispered in her ear that they wouldn't be gone for long and would be very careful.

The small girl hated being split from members of her family, no matter what, so when her brothers had declared they were saddling up and leaving that very day she was not best pleased. However, she smiled and tried to act as if she wasn't scared they might never come back. That thought was too horrible to entertain.

As Peter placed her back on firm ground, Lucy turned to her other brother who had just finished adjusting the straps to his trusted steed, Philip. His features were dark with sincerity and she longed for the old Edmund to reappear even for a moment. She knew the situation was serious but Edmund never let that kind of thing get to him. He remained ever youthful.

She hurried over to him and wrapped her slender arms around his waist. He had grown so tall lately that she could only reach that height and the boy had definitely bulked out muscle wise as she couldn't get her embrace very far round him. Hard sinew got in her way. A quiet chuckle issued from the young king's lips as he was practically attacked by his small sister. Lucy felt, more than heard, the sound for it ruffled the hair on the crown of her head. Her heart warmed to the noise, it meant Edmund was still not completely taken with gravity of the task. His scent was one of the sea: salty and fresh.

"We'll be back soon, squirt, just a couple of days. Its not like we're going off to war," the coal-haired boy joked and kissed Lucy's head.

"I'll still miss you," the girl claimed adamantly, reluctantly releasing him.

"Me too." Edmund spoke as he climbed gracefully into his saddle and Peter did the same with his horse. The two of them looked awfully high seated on their mounts.

"Be careful, both of you, you don't know who or what these men are like," Susan warned them in a mothering tone, her hazel eyes tinged with anxiety.

"We'll be fine, Su," Peter told her and the two youths, with their small band of followers, left the grounds of the palace.

Ooh, we may be getting closer to a meeting...who knows?! Well, obviously I do...lol....REVIEW!