In the sharpest corners of my heart
There's a boy who's calling out in the dark
So far from home 'cause he's run too far
I know I'll start to heal but I'm scared of the start

~"Belafonte" by Brolly


Edmund Pevensie raced down the long, marble hallway, doing his best to balance the large pile of books and maps in his arms. The many courtiers lining the hallway bowed politely as he raced past, whispering about his hurried demeanor. The Just King ignored them and burst through a large set of doors, causing all heads in the Narnian council to turn to look at him.

"Nice of you to join us," Peter Pevensie said from the head of the table. The high king sat perfectly poised, his blonde hair perfectly slicked back out of his eyes. Mr. Tumnus, the lead councilman, motioned to the empty seat to his left. Edmund sat down quickly, spreading out the books and maps across the table.

"My apologies," Edmund said, giving an annoyed look to his brother. "I was collecting the many documents you requested."

Peter shot his younger brother a disapproving look, but turned to Mr. Tumnus who was clearly uncomfortable at the brothers' interaction.

"Tell us of the Calormenes," Peter said to Mr. Tumnus. "Why the sudden interest in Queen Susan?"

"Prince Rabadash is the only legitimate son and heir of the Tisroc," Mr. Tumnus said, unrolling one of the maps Edmund had brought. "Their empire has greatly expanded over the last several decades. They attempted an alliance with Archenland a few years ago, but nothing came of it.

"That's not a good sign," Edmund interrupted, inspecting the map as well. "Why would King Lune refuse an alliance with Calormen?"

Several of the councilmen murmured in agreement at his comment.

"The Calormenes lead very different lives from the Archenians," Mr. Tumnus said. "I'm sure their customs and cultures were bound to clash."

"So now they've turned their attention to us," Peter said. "And why should Susan consider a marriage to Prince Rabadash if only to acquire land?"

"Calormen is a great empire," Mr. Tumnus said. "An alliance with them would certainly ensure victories against any outside threat. Their empire also offers a vast amount of resources that are not available here in Narnia."

"I'd like to think we do pretty well for ourselves," Edmund said, crossing his arms. He pushed back some of the dark hair that had fallen in his eyes and looked to Peter for insight.

"An alliance with Calormen would be beneficial to the Narnian people," Peter said. "But how do we know we won't simply be absorbed into their empire? The Tisroc is prone to invading any country he doesn't see as a threat."

"I don't think there's any harm in encouraging friendly relations with Calormen," Mr. Tumnus replied. "We can keep Prince Rabadash at arm's length until we get to know him better."

Peter felt a brush against his arm and looked down to see that Ardas, his personal guard, had settled himself next to the high king.

"What does Queen Susan say of all this?" the wolf asked. "I noticed she is not present in this council."

"Susan is dutiful as usual," Edmund said. "She says she wants to do what's best for Narnia, even if it means becoming a Calormene bride."

A growl emitted itself from Ardas, but Peter raised a hand to silence him.

"If there is a union between Susan and Rabadash, her child would become heir to the Calormene empire," Mr. Tumnus pointed out.

"But not for Narnia?" Edmund asked.

"No," Peter said. "My child would."

Edmund snorted at the thought which earned him another disapproving look from Peter.

After an in depth conversation of other affairs in Narnia, including threats from Giants living in the north, Edmund did his best to pay attention, but couldn't help but spend most of the discussion staring out the nearby window. Both of his sisters, Susan and Lucy, had taken the day to travel to the local villages and dwelling places of the native Narnians. He envied them. Edmund loved being with his people and loved spending hours roaming the countryside or riding along the shore. But as the four siblings had grown older, their responsibilities were changing. Peter, who was twenty-five, and Edmund, who was twenty-two, found themselves locked aways in their studies and engrossed in long council sessions nearly every day. His fingers drummed on the wooden table as he thought through how he could convince Peter to join him in a sparring match at the end of the meeting.

When the council at last dispersed, Peter slumped in his chair.

"Would you like some time to yourself, Your Majesty?" Ardas asked.

"I would love nothing more," Peter replied wearily.

The wolf bowed his head in understanding before padding out the door, leaving the two brothers alone.

"Join me for a sparring match," Edmund said, a cheeky smile crossing his face.

"I'm too tired, Ed," Peter said. "Besides, don't you see all the proposals we need to go over? These will take all afternoon to sort through."

"They can wait until tomorrow," Edmund said. "The weather is perfect outside, and when was the last time you got any fresh air?"

Peter stared at his brother for a long moment before finally smiling. "Fine. Only because I need to remind you why I'm the high king."

The two brothers spent the majority of the afternoon on the sparring field, demonstrating to the court why they were the best swordsmen in Narnia. It wasn't until Lucy and Susa returned at dusk did they finally stop.

"Peter!" Lucy cried, jumping down from her horse and racing towards them as soon as they were within earshot. "It's so nice seeing you out of the castle! How on earth did you pull that off, Ed?"

Peter smiled. He was undeniably devoted to his youngest sister, who still carried that naivety of a child even though she was twenty years-old. Her skirts and long, brown hair billowed behind her as she ran onto the sparring field, hugging both of them fiercely.

"Pete can never turn down a good sword fight," Edmund replied.

Susan approached them slowly on her horse. Edmund would joke that Susan was the true oldest sibling, as she had a tendency to try and act ten years older than she really was. She dismounted and came to Peter's side, analyzing his sweaty and unkempt appearance.

"Are you going to extend an invitation for Prince Rabadash to visit Cair Paravel?" she asked, tucking back a piece of dark brown hair that had fallen loose from its bun.

"Why are you doing this, Su?" Edmund asked, plopping himself on the grass to stretch out his legs. "Why, there are plenty of strapping lads in Narnia and Archenland who could easily be yours!"

Susan rolled her eyes. "Doesn't an alliance between Calormen and Narnia interest you at all?"

"Not particularly," Edmund said, a lopsided grin on his face. "I think us Narnians can take care of ourselves."

Peter slapped his brother on the shoulder. "There's no harm in having the prince over for a visit. Besides, we don't know much about the Calormen empire. It might be useful to finally know what's going on over there across the desert."

"They keep slaves, you know," Lucy said. "I don't know if I'd want to be queen over an empire like that."

"Slavery has been in Calormen before the ruling of Jadis," Susan said nonchalantly. "I agree, it's a terrible thing. But perhaps a union between our kingdoms can change their ways."

"But you would be living and ruling with them, not us," Lucy said, her blue eyes concerned. "And you know the Tisroc has more than one wife!"

"Lu," Peter said, silencing her. "Let's not spread rumors or make assumptions until we meet them. This is Susan's potential marriage after all. She's more than capable of making her own decisions. No one's going to force her."

"No one from Narnia is going to force her, you mean," Edmund muttered.

Susan held up a hand, quieting them. "And what about the future of Narnia?"

"What do you mean?" Edmund asked, his body stretched in an awkward position. Peter would have laughed at his brother's ridiculous position if it weren't for the solemn look on Susan's face. He let out a groan. "Not you too!"

Edmund looked from Susan to Peter, trying to understand what was happening. Lucy playfully punched him on the shoulder. "She means, when are you two going to start thinking about marriage? If Susan becomes the Tisroca, that means her children will be Calormene and unable to rule here in Narnia. I'm certainly not going to marry first, so that means it's up to you and Peter."

Edmund stared wide-eyed at his brother. "Marriage? Us?"

"Weren't you paying attention at all during the council meeting?" Peter said, shaking his head. "Tumnus only spent over half an hour stressing the importance of a Narnian heir!"

"But why is this my problem?" Edmund asked incredulously. "You're the high king!"

Peter sighed. "Yes, but if I'm unable to have children, your children are next in line for the throne if Susan does end up marrying Rabadash."

"We need to think about what's best for Narnia," Lucy added.

Edmund groaned, but it was clear Peter had made up his mind. The two kings would begin a search to find wives to ensure succession to the throne.

"That's the last time I invite you to spar with me," Edmund muttered, going back inside the castle. Peter and Lucy both held back a laugh while Susan stared after him with fire in her eyes.

"He does realize he's going to have to make an effort, right?" she said, turning to them.

"Edmund will be fine," Lucy said. "It's Peter we need to worry about."

Peter's eyebrows knitted together. "Why me?"

Susan and Lucy both gave him knowing looks. "You haven't let a woman near you in nearly ten years," Lucy said. "At least Edmund's inexperienced."

Peter blushed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You most certainly do," Susan said, mounting her horse. "You learned your lesson when the women you were with came back looking for power and money. You're going to need to open your heart again and trust someone other than us."

Lucy mounted her horse as well and winked at Peter. "Just stay away from the ladies in the court. Maybe Princess Aliena?"

When they rode off, Peter dropped to his knees in the grass. Dear Aslan, what had he gotten himself into? While he admired King Lune, his daughter was brash and spoiled and certainly didn't have what it took to be a queen of Narnia. He just prayed that Edmund would find someone before him so Susan would stop looking at him like that.

As he picked up his sword, Rhindon, he outlined the lion engraved in the hilt.

Send Edmund a wife, he prayed, before going back inside.


Please R&R!

I hope you all are enjoying the story thus far! I'm trying to get these first few chapters up in quick succession to help introduce us to our main characters and establish the story. Once the first four or five chapters are up, I'll probably move to uploading once a week to give me more time to write/edit between chapters!