Chapter 10

"Please Edmund, stay with me".

He paused, looked down at her white hand on his arm, and up at her entreating eyes.

"I don't want to be alone".

"Lucy you know I can't". She watched him take a deep breath, his jaw clench as he turned away from her, "not after this morning. You can't ask me to".

"I don't care about that". She knew she was being selfish, but right now what she needed was her brother and protector. "Please", she took his cold unresponsive hand and led him over to the window seat, sitting him down next to her on the rose-coloured cushions and drew his jacket more securely around her shoulders. The room was dark, save for a few flickering candles and the moonlight shimmering through the glass.

Edmund absently traced the path of starlight around his sister's room, remembered that he had not been in it for years. Not because Lucy was fiercely private like him, but because he had forbidden himself access, until tonight. No longer full of toys and childish things, the accoutrements of a young lady; jewellery, lace and fripperies sat side-by-side with Lucy's bow and arrows and a map of Narnia, her books lay open their spines bent beneath clothes carelessly flung on top. Lucy had always been messy - in a perpetual hurry to get somewhere or do something, her room looked as if a small tornado had whipped through it. The thought made Edmund smile to himself. A notorious stickler for neatness and order he absurdly found Lucy's chaos endearing, the yang to his very much yin.

"I just want to talk". His head came up at that as he stared at her. "Not about that" she said hastily catching the look on his face and making a sweeping motion with her hand as if she was pushing away the memories of the morning.

He said nothing, his expression unreadable when Lucy ventured a further peek at his face, sitting as still as any of the marble statues in the palace, the light catching his angular cheekbones.

The silence stretched between them until Lucy thought she might scream. Shaking her head, she remembered Edmund's stillness from when they were children, the other Pevensies would panic if caught in a misdemeanour, frantic denials, tears, and angry finger-pointing only landing them in further trouble. But not Edmund. As silent and watchful as a snake waiting for its prey, he would say nothing, admit nothing, and as often as not be completely absolved of the crime. He always knew how to bide his time, when to pick his moments, until this morning it would seem.

"Do you remember when we were little" Lucy began slowly "and you rescued Mr Bear for me". Edmund said nothing still, but she saw a faint smile trace his lips. "I thought I lost him in the air-raid, dropped him in our garden and we thought the Fray boys from next door took him? I was devastated, I cried for days". Lucy remembered Peter enveloping her in big comforting hugs, Susan offering any of her dolls, if only Lucy would stop crying. Edmund though, had only stood quietly and watched her. He offered no words of comfort, no hugs for his little sister but regarded her silently, a slight frown puckering his forehead.

The next day when Lucy woke she was not alone in her bed, a bedraggled yellow bear stared balefully down at her, perched on top her pillow, one eye missing and a lot grubbier than any toy has a right to be. Lucy thought he was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. Her mother and father and Peter and Susan were at a loss to explain his sudden reappearance, but Edmund had given her one of his rare smiles, like the sun peeping out from behind a storm cloud, and she knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was responsible for her happiness. Not that he would admit to it of course, that was not his style, but she had always remembered, and in later years when they had fought, and even during the terrible months that led up to the Battle of Beruna and defeat of the White Witch, she remembered.

"How did you do it?" she asked, all of a sudden desperate to know.

Lucy thought at first he might not answer, his eyes were still fixed on the walls on the other side of the room, bent forwards his arms resting on his knees.

"I tricked them" he said quietly. Turning his head, he looked up at her. The moonlight caught and framed her light hair creating a halo around her face, too much to bear he looked quickly away again.

"I snuck into their house at night, they used to always leave the backdoor open for their dad, he worked nights, and I went into their bedroom. The boys used to share you know", Lucy gasped at his casual tone, half appalled half wildly amused at him.

"The bear was on the floor, half under one of their beds. The boys were asleep. Don't worry" Edmund began catching the look of shocked incredulity on Lucy's face "I didn't wake them up. I took the bear and I left them a note. A note from the bear". A dimple appeared in Edmund's left cheek, a slight smile ghosting his lips "The bear told them that he didn't appreciate being stolen, that he was returning to his rightful owners. That he was a magic bear and if he was to hear of any further thefts or violations to the 'code of toys' he would find them, and he would hurt them".

"EDMUND", Lucy was now truly shocked.

He smirked up at her, his cheek resting on his hand, looking for all the world like the mischievous schoolboy who had written the note.

"That's awful! They were just little children"

"So were you" he paused, his face twisting slightly "and I couldn't bear to watch you cry".

Lucy inhaled softly and closed her eyes. Really what was there to be said to that? She felt him lay his hand over hers, the callouses hard on his palm from years of sword-fighting contrasted with the gentleness with which he took her hand, laced his fingers in-between hers.

"I would have killed Corin tonight you know" she heard him say unexpectedly "if it hadn't been for Susan"

Lucy opened her eyes to see Edmund sat up straight now, his face close to hers as his eyes traced the outlines of her face, moving over her mouth, sending jolts of awareness through her body.

"We watched you, she and I as he took you outside. I would have followed then, but she stopped me" he laughed without humour "she said to leave it to her, she would sort it. When I saw him touch you…" Edmund stopped, his hand tightening so hard on Lucy's she felt the bones press together. Trying to pull her hand away from him, he stopped gripping so hard and apologetically raised her hand to his lips to to kiss it before laying it down gently and continuing "I had my knife in my hand, I could see so clearly what I was going to do. Susan knew, she knew I would have killed him for touching you. Betrothal be damned".

He stood up then and began to agitatedly pace her chambers "it kills me Lucy, for another man to take and touch what should be mine".

She had never seen him like this before, his lack of control, the flash of madness upon his face. It terrified her, and hidden away so deep inside that she tried not to acknowledge its presence, his loss of control thrilled her.

Jumping up she tried to halt his walking, putting her hands on his chest, pressing back against him.

"Please" she said "please stop. You cannot say these things".

Edmund stared down at her, his expression thunderous. He caught both her hands against his chest with one of his, pinned them to him. His other he used to put around her waist pulling her hard against him. His black jacket fell from her shoulders onto the floor behind her, the rip in her silver dress had become more pronounced drifting downwards to reveal the swell of a breast, as Lucy's chest heaved as she fought to catch her breath.

"I will make you see" he was saying desperately, urgently to her. Whispering it to her against her cheek and into her mouth. His hand had risen to position her head and neck as he moved his head down slanted his lips against hers, kissing her with the frenzy and urgency of a dying man.

Lucy's cries and denials were muffled, swallowed by his ardour. She was stumbling back, and he was upon her, pushing her up against a wall, she could feel every hard inch of him against her. His tongue traced the seam of her lips, as Lucy instinctively opened her mouth to him, letting out a small involuntary moan as his tongue entered her mouth, caressing her tongue deepening the kiss. It had nothing on the kiss from last night, this kiss promised of things to come, drove her so crazy she couldn't think. She was just nerves responding to it.

Though Lucy was not entirely ignorant of the actions that took place between a man and woman in their marriage bed; Susan had attempted to explain it in halting embarrassed tones to her on the day Lucy first bled, she was still unsure of the exact logistics of it. Still she knew enough to know that she and Edmund were venturing down a dangerous path, a path from which there could be no return.

She pushed her hand against his chest, hard, attempting to stop him, as he bent his head and kissed butterfly kisses along her jaw "No Edmund" she said shakily.

In response his hand wickedly lifted and cupped her breast through the thin silver fabric of her dress, his thumb rubbing lightly across her nipple. The shocking sweetness of the action spiked along her nerves, and was echoed by an answering pulse at her core. Without meaning to she moaned again, the sound of it causing Edmund to grind himself against her.

"Please…" she wasn't even sure now what she was asking him to do.

When all of a sudden he did stop, raising his arms either side of her against the wall. He rested his forehead against her, his harsh breathing mingling with hers.

"I cannot stand this any longer, I have tried Lucy, God knows I have tried." She knew he was hurting; she could hear the agony in his voice. It broke something inside her to hear him like this, what they were to each other, she didn't know, but she knew she loved him more than she had ever loved anyone else. Her arms came around his hard body and she hugged him to her, he held himself away stiffly at first, keeping his torso rigid until eventually relaxing into her, his arms coming around her too. And for a long while the two stood in a silent embrace.

The knock at the door startled them both. Edmund would have backed away from her, but she held on, reluctant to let him go.

"Lucy?" it was Susan "are you asleep?"

Lucy looking up at Edmund could see once again his mask of scornful indifference that she hated so much settle back in place, the slight sneer puckering his mouth. He had stepped away from her and was opening her door, letting in Susan.

Susan spared him a quick glance of puzzlement, she hadn't been expecting to see him with Lucy, but her concern was all for her sister. Walking towards her younger sister she took Lucy's hands in hers, looked deeply at her.

"Dear one, your face is so hot", Susan stroked Lucy's cheek, pushed her damp hair away from her forehead "and you haven't changed out of your dress". Lucy said nothing, still heavily flushed, her guilty glance sought out her brother who was stood now, leaning against the doorframe watching them both with his habitual stillness.

Susan following Lucy's glance, shook her head at him "Edmund, leave Lucy with me, I will take care of her".

Edmund appeared to pay her no attention, his eyes still on Lucy, watching as she tried to gather herself together, she rubbed a small hand across her face and shifted her dress up so it was more secure.

Hearing Susan's huff of impatience, Lucy gave Edmund a small nod – she would be fine – and watched as he gave them both an ironic bow as he left the room.

Susan in full-on mother-hen mode fussed around Lucy, putting her into her nightdress and washing her face. She plaited her hair and tucked her into her bed. All the while talking of small inconsequential nothings, kind murmuring words, meant to soothe and distract her.

As Susan bent down to kiss her goodnight, Lucy put out a hand and caught her sister's wrist.

"Corin?" she asked.

Susan hesitated "he is sleeping it off. We will talk more tomorrow dear one. Go to sleep now". With a final smooth of her brow, Susan left closing the door quietly behind her.

Much to Lucy's surprise she felt the pull of sleep immediately upon her, the long exhausting events of the day conspiring to shut out any conscious thought. Turning onto her side, she snuggled deeper into her pillow and fell fast asleep instantly.

It was almost dawn when the shouts and harsh clang of swords fighting woke her. She could hear the screams and running outside in the corridor. The shouts of men struggling, and over and over again one-word repeated throughout, women screaming it, children crying it. It drifted into her consciousness until it set off an alarm inside her, causing her to leap out of her bed and hunt urgently for her weapons:

"Rabadash! He's here!"

A/N: 'Code of toys' – I heart you Edmund.