Chapter Thirteen:

"I am King"

Edmund hardly remembered when he fell asleep. All he remembered was that everything went black, and then he felt gentle yet frantic hands shaking him what felt like moments later.

"Ugh! What is it now?" Edmund moaned, rolling over to face whoever was shaking him.

"It's time to wake up, Edmund," Crystalline's voice sounded softer than he had ever heard it before. Goodness! What was with this girl and her changes in mood?

"Alright, I'll be up in a minute," Edmund replied, rolling over again. He sighed when he felt Crystalline gripping his arm.

"You don't have a minute, Edmund," Crystalline replied, firmly this time. Edmund turned his head to squint up at her. He would have looked at her straight, but there was sunlight in his eyes. Squint because of sunlight? Edmund was fully awake now. Sitting bolt upright in bed, he starred in horror at the one small window in the wall, and the mid afternoon sun that poured through it.

"What time is it?" Edmund asked, almost too afraid to hear the answer.

"Almost noon," Crystalline replied.

"What?!" Edmund jumped out of bed, quickly nodding to Crystalline and racing past her, out the door of the slave's quarters. Oh Aslan! What would his punishment be for oversleeping?

A little ways behind, Crystalline dashed after Edmund, hiking the skirt of her dress every few steps. Her raven hair was flying in the wind, resembling the mane of a wild horse

"Wait, Edmund!" Crystalline called after Edmund's rapidly retreating back. She had followed him a long distance, and now she was falling farther and farther behind.

"I don't have time to wait, Crystal!" Edmund replied, stopping long enough to turn and face her. "I'm in enough trouble as it is!"

"No you're not!" Crystalline called back, hiking her skirt once more and racing up to Edmund.

"What do you mean?" Edmund asked, a dark eyebrow raised.

"I mean that you're not going to be in trouble for sleeping late," Crystalline replied, letting the hem of her skirt fall to its proper place just above her ankles. "James took over your workload. He said not to wake you, but I knew you'd be angry enough when you woke up and found James did a day's work for you, so I came and woke you."

Edmund groaned and put his head in his hands. "Why?"

"I just told you," Crystalline replied.

"No. Why did James take my work load?"

"Oh. Well, he wanted to do the same thing you did for him."

"But there's a difference between being healthy and taking over a sick person's work load and being ill and taking over a healthy person's work load! Why didn't anyone stop him? Or at least tell him that he's gravely ill and he needs rest!"

Crystalline's eyebrow quirked. Edmund sounded like a physician.

"How do you know that he's not going to get better?" Crystalline asked. Edmund read her suspicious glance like a book.

"I'll tell you later, Crystal," He sighed, and turned back to the road that lead to the fields to find James.

"Tell me what?" Crystalline asked, trotting after him.

"I can't tell you now," Edmund replied, trying to keep from rolling his eyes.

"Why can't you tell me now?" Crystalline asked, equally annoyed. She hated having to wait to hear news.

"Because," Edmund sighed, stopping short, "It's too complicated to summarize. Meet me at that citrus tree after your duties; and I'll tell you," Edmund said finally, pointing to a small, forked citrus tree that was standing about four yards behind Crystalline, beside the main path from the slave's quarters to the Great House.

"Alright," Crystalline compromised, nodding. Edmund smiled at her and nodded in her direction.

"See you later," He said, relief flooding his voice. Crystalline blushed as she saw him turn and walk away. That smile… it worked magic on her.

It would not be at all interesting to tell you how the rest of the day was spent by Edmund and Crystalline, for in truth, it was spent in exactly the same way as many other days had been. Edmund worked in the fields, overturning earth, gently scolding James for taking on his work load the moment he saw him. Crystalline spent her day in the hot and noisy kitchens, preparing food, washing dishes, and scrubbing floors. The whole day long, both were thinking of their rendezvous after their duties. And so it was in excitement that Crystalline hurried out of the Great House that evening after supper (which is not much worth talking about, for the slave's supper usually consisted on dry bread and water) bound for the forked citrus tree.

Edmund however, was not particularly excited about his meeting with Crystalline. And so this was why he was lagging behind James the whole way back to the slave's quarters.

"Edmund, are you coming or not?" James asked, eying Edmund concernedly.

"I'm just…" Edmund tried to think up a plausible excuse as to why he looked like he expected to get beaten up at any moment.

"You're just what?" James asked, turning fully around and placing his hands on his hips.

"I have to talk to Crystalline," Edmund finally admitted, gesturing to the forked tree in the distance, where he could see a small figure standing by it, "and I don't think she'll like what I have to tell her."

James quirked his eyebrow. "It's not about me, is it?"

"No," Edmund admitted before adding, "It's just about Narnia. I have to correct her on something."

James smiled warmly. "Ah. So you expect her to get mad?"

Edmund nodded. "That's the gist of it."

James chuckled and grabbed Edmund by the arm, pulling him along down the path. "I'm sure that it won't be that bad."

"Probably not," Edmund admitted, to which James replied with a smile.

When James and Edmund had made it to the forked tree, James nodded to Edmund and walked on in the direction of the slave's quarters. Edmund looked up. There was Crystalline, sitting in the fork of the tree.

"Hello, Crystal," Edmund said politely with a nod, acknowledging her presence. "Did you have a good day?"

Crystalline nodded. "I did, thank you. Did you?"

Edmund smiled and nodded in return. "Yes, I did as well."

"Good," Crystalline replied, trying to slide out of the fork in the tree without her skirt going up. When she found that she could not get out of the tree without looking indecent, she stayed where she was, casting Edmund a helpless look. Edmund chuckled.

"Not so easy to get down, now is it?" He said, stepping over to the tree.

"Um…no," Crystalline admitted, her cheeks flushing scarlet.

"Here; let me help you," Edmund said, holding his arms out to her. "Put your arms about my neck, milady."

Crystalline did as she was told. She then found herself hoisted out of the tree my Edmund. When she was safely on the ground, she was flustered to say the least.

"Thank you," She said quietly.

"You're quite welcome," Edmund answered brightly. His brown eyes were still sparkling with amusement.

"Didn't you want to tell me something?" Crystalline asked, eager to change the subject.

"Yes, I did," Edmund replied, his features tensing slightly. His face took on a grave look as he held his arm out to her. Crystalline was puzzled. He had never done this before. After taking a moment to comprehend what Edmund wanted her to do, she blushed again and took his muscular arm. As they walked down the dusty path to the slave's quarters,

"What did you want to tell me?" Crystalline asked.

"Well," Edmund began in an apprehensive tone, "this might sound a bit impossible…"

"What?"

"Crystalline," Edmund sighed. He stopped walking and turned to face her. Crystalline could see the importance of what Edmund was about to say in his brown eyes, which were gazing into hers.

"Yes?" Crystalline asked, raising her eyebrow incredulously.

"I am King Edmund of Narnia," Edmund replied bluntly, giving Crystalline a pleading look, silently imploring her to believe his words.

"What?" Crystalline gasped, reeling backwards as if she had been slapped. Shock flooded her mind, and her heart began to beat wildly in her chest.

"I am King Edmund, and have been this whole time. High King Peter is my brother, and he came to Zalindreh looking for me. I am the person you hoped in to bring about your freedom," Edmund replied, smiling kindly at Crystalline. He thought that she believed him, and for a few seconds, she did.

"What kind of fool do you take me for, Edmund?" Crystalline snapped when she had words to speak, giving Edmund a fierce glare.

"What?" It was Edmund's turn to be shocked. "I haven't taken you for a fool at all!"

"No," Crystalline replied sarcastically, "You just lied to me, that's all!"

Edmund quickly got over his shock as he began to comprehend Crystalline's sudden outburst of anger. "How do you know that I lied to you?" He asked, gravely looking into Crystalline's eyes, "how can you prove it?"

Crystalline was momentarily silenced by Edmund's answer, so he took advantage of the silence by continuing, "And put the facts together, Crystalline. I know how to sword fight, and used my skills at the market in Tashbaan to defend you. Whether you see it or not, I am a just person, and I think you might have noticed by now that I act like a Narnian king—sacrifice before self. By the mane, woman! Just my name alone should make you believe me!"

"Yes," Crystalline replied thoughtfully, "But how can you prove that you're king of Narnia?"

"How about you ask King Peter?" Edmund asked dryly. "He knows the truth."

"No," Crystalline replied, "I refuse to make a fool of myself. No, I want proof from you, Edmund."

"Go ahead, then," Edmund replied calmly, "ask me for proof."

At Edmund's calm demeanor, Crystalline almost let herself believe him, and would have called it off, had she not thought better of her impulse. She thought for a moment. "What about the Battle of Beruna?"

"Yes, I was mortally wounded towards the end of it. What do you want to know?"

"About the wound you received," Crystalline replied, "The White Witch's wand was said to have left a star-shaped scar on your right side, between your ribs. If you really are King Edmund, you would still bear that scar."

Edmund smirked, his brown eyes twinkling with excitement. Thank Aslan she had asked for something so easy for him to prove! Pulling off his tattered and dusty muslin tunic, he pointed to the black and blue scar on his right side that slightly resembled a star.

"There is your proof, Crystalline. Do you believe me now?" Edmund asked gravely. Crystalline only stared at the scar, her crystal eyes wide.

"K-King Edmund?" she finally replied in a whisper that could barely be heard. She looked into Edmund's brown eyes, eyes that she now spotted wisdom and experience in.

"So you finally believe me?" Edmund asked gently, smiling. He breathed a sigh of relief when Crystalline slowly nodded.

Crystalline suddenly came back to life when the memories of how she had previously treated Edmund flooded her mind. "Oh King Edmund!" she said sorrowfully, getting onto her knees, "please forgive me for how I treated you! I didn't know, and I thought—"

Crystalline was silenced when Edmund smiled kindly and helped her back to her feet, saying as he did so, "S-h-h. Do not apologize, Crystal. I'd rather you treated me as you did previous and believe me now than know who I was from the day we met and possibly put Narnia in danger."

Crystalline gave Edmund an incredulous look. "Danger?"

"Yes," Edmund sighed, "If the Tisroc found out that I was a slave in Calormen, and that King Peter had gone to look for me, and wouldn't be back for some months, and that only Queen Susan and Queen Lucy (who, though they are very capable of fighting off invaders, would probably not be able to handle a Calormene army) were left guarding Narnia as a whole, then I am sure that he would send a large army to Cair Paravel with the intention of conquering Narnia and enslaving it's people."

"Oh, that's awful," Crystalline replied, not knowing what else to say in response to such a proposal.

"That is why I need you to promise me something, Crystal," Edmund said, looking Crystalline in the eye.

"What is that, King Edmund? I will promise you anything!" Crystalline replied enthusiastically.

"I want you to promise me that you will treat me as you would normally. Don't treat me as anything other than a fellow slave."

Crystalline nodded. "I promise King Edmund—I mean, Edmund." She grinned.

"Good," Edmund grinned back. He held his arm out to Crystalline, and she took it, still beaming. Together, they walked back to the slave's quarters, back to life.