Peter ran over.
"They're firing!" He shouted. Suddenly something flew through the window, smacked in to Peter's shoulder and sent him flying, and smashed the lower parts of the chandelier. All the women screamed, Susan, Lucy and Edmund ran to Peter.
"Peter!" Susan said, "Quick, Lucy, the cordial!"
Lucy swiftly opened her cordial and poured a drop into Peter's mouth. "Come on Peter, wake up!" She begged. Fortunately-he did. The Pevensies hugged, forgetting for a moment the battle around them.
"Edmund!" Catherina shouted. The Pevensies turned. "We have to move-quickly!" The Kings and Queens recovered themselves and everyone ran to prepare for the battle.
"Catherina, you have to get out of here!" Edmund said, running and snatching his wife's hands up in his own.
"I can't!" She cried. "It's too late."
"Alysse, Savannah, Tamala, go with Princess Catherina to our bedchamber. Barricade all the doors and the windows. Hurry!" The two fauns and the dryad helped Catherina out of the hall and up the stairs.
They pulled Catherina into the room and sat her on the bed whilst they pushed the wardrobe against the door and Edmund's desk against the balcony doors. When they finished, they sat with Catherina on the bed and waited for the battle to be over.
Soon the evening became night and the night became day. The day was one of the hottest days Narnia had ever had. For the four women trapped in that room, not knowing anything of the battle was torture. They could hear the battlecries.
That evening, it all changed.
Catherina stood up to use the chamber pot and something wet trickled down her legs.
"Shit!" She said. Then the first of her contractions came along. "Shit!" The servants she'd been left with rushed to her aid and helped her back onto the bed while she screamed. "Alysse-tell-Edmund-," she groaned again, "Tell Edmund-get him-here!" Catherina gripped the sheets and flopped back on the pillows.
Alysse ran through the corridors of the castle. She hid behind a pillar and then ran out into the courtyard and into the battle.
Edmund was easy to spot and she ran to him. She whispered quickly in his ear and then Edmund looked at his opponent.
"I know this is weird, but could you take a message to the traitor Benedick?"
"Of course. What would you like me to say?" His opponent raised his helmet and Edmund could see he was just a boy.
"That his sister, The Princess Catherina, is giving birth and for us to call a truce." Edmund said, "It's important." The boy ran off almost immediately. Edmund turned and he and Alysse ran back across the courtyard to go inside. Something caught Edmund's arm and he turned.
"Edmund, where are you going?" Peter asked.
"Catherina's in labour." Edmund said simply before ducking inside.
The door banged open. Catherina looked up, sweat covering her pale face, her forehead crumpled in pain, wearing her underdress, her actual dress in a heap on the floor, some of the stitches ripped in Tamala and Savannah's hurry to get it off. She was doing her synchronized breaths when Edmund came in. He ran to her side and grabbed her hand.
"You're doing well Your Highness. Just keep breathing. Inhale...exhale...inhale...exhale." Tamala said. Outside, the sounds of battle stopped. Catherina screamed in pain as another contraction came on.
Down in the courtyard, everyone sat in silence. Every so often a scream would come from inside. Peter was pacing, Susan had her arm around Lucy. All of Catherina's brothers, including Benedick, were sitting together. Suddenly a loud scream came from above and everyone's heads snapped up.
"Get it out, get it out, get it out!" Catherina screeched. Lucy flinched from her voice.
"Cathie, relax, you're doing great!" Edmund just finished his sentence before Catherina gave a great scream which dropped into total silence. Everyone in the courtyard froze. The silence lasted for two minutes and then it was broken by a high pitched cry. Everyone relaxed.
Catherina flopped back against the pillows, breathing hard. She'd done it. She'd lived through child-birth and her beautiful baby had entered the world. She sat up and Savannah handed her what looked like a dark pink squidgy thing.
"Congratulations Your Highness, Your Majesty. You've been blessed with a daughter." Savannah said. Catherina looked down and saw some of the defining features from each parent.
The baby had Edmund's dark mess of hair but she had her mother's bright ocean green eyes. She had her father's nose and mouth but her mother's chin.
"She's so beautiful." Edmund whispered.
"Hello Lylie." Catherina whispered. She looked at Edmund. He smiled.
"It's perfect." Edmund said, "Lylie Eliza Pevensie, Princess of Narnia."
"I think I'd prefer to call her Lylie for now." Catherina smiled up at her husband, her forehead crumpled.
Later that night, while Catherina was sleeping, Edmund cradled his daughter in his arms and looked at the moonlight.
"I'm going to make you a promise now, Lylie." He whispered, "I promise to never let anything hurt you in your life. Not a bumped head, or a scraped knee, or a bad dream, or a broken heart."
The next morning, Edmund's siblings were allowed to come in to visit. When they entered, Catherina was wearing her nightgown with a silk robe over the top. Edmund was wearing cream breeches and a loose white shirt. He sat on the covers while Catherina was under them and Lylie was wrapped up in ivory blankets. Peter looked at their little family and felt a strange sadness in knowing he may never have that. Lucy ran over to the end of the bed almost instantly.
"Can I see?" She begged. Catherina laughed.
"You can hold her if you like." She smiled as she watched the young girl's face light up with happiness. She shuffled towards the younger girl and showed her how to have her arms and then gently placed Lylie in her arms. Edmund kissed his wife on the head before going to talk to his older siblings.
"What do you think?" He asked.
"You did well, Edmund. She's beautiful-they both are." Peter said.
"Have you decided on what you're going to call her?" Susan asked.
"Yes. Lylie Eliza Pevensie, Princess of Narnia." Edmund said, "It was Catherina's choice."
"It was a good choice. I'm just going to say hello." Susan smiled. She moved over to the bed.
"I'm going to confess something to you Pete." Edmund swallowed. "I don't know if I can do this. I don't know if I can be a father."
"Yes you can Ed. It'll be so natural for you. It'll be natural for Catherina quicker, but I promise you, it will be natural." Peter smiled at his little brother. Edmund was two months off sixteen. He could barely look after himself, but he had to help run a country and look after his family.
Peter could barely understand how he could do it. How would Edmund cope?
