This is the sequel to my Edmund OC story - Justice for the Just. It can be read without reading the first one, but may be a little confusing. It will mainly be an Edmund / OC story but will include a little Suspian. I felt I rushed Edmund and Tess's relationship in the first story so I wanted to expand on it here. I hope you like it.

The return of The High King.

The four Pevensie children waited at the train station. It was the end of the holidays and they were all returning to school. Edmund was feeling a bit gloomy. It had been a marvelous holiday. They had spent a lot of time at the house of their old friend, the Professor. He and his friend Aunt Polly (as she had insisted they call her) knew about and had even been to Narnia.

And then there was Tess. Tess was the Professor's niece and had gone to Narnia with them last year. She was the same age as his little sister Lucy, but always seemed older. Of course, that could be because, like them she had lived to be a grown up in Narnia. Whatever the case, Edmund found himself drawn to the girl, which was strange in itself because, as an eleven-year-old boy, he usually put girls firmly in the category of disgusting or annoying. He and Tess had been inseparable during the holidays though, and now, now he really missed her.

Looking around the platform, Edmund gave a sigh, he would probably not see Tess for another year, or at least until the Christmas holidays. Suddenly Lucy gave a sharp little cry.

"What's up Lu?" asked Edmund – and then suddenly broke off "Ow!"

"What on earth?" began Peter and then he too suddenly said "Susan let go! What are you doing?"

"I'm not touching you," said Susan. "Someone is pulling me too"

Recognising the feel of magic the children clasped hands as the train station began to shimmer and change. Next moment, the station had disappeared, and the children found themselves on a beautiful beach, standing in the sunshine.

Lucy grinned at her sister. "Do you suppose we're in Narnia?" she asked hopefully.

"Where else?" chuckled Susan joyfully, and as one, still holding hands they ran into the sparkling waves to play. Grinning Edmund ran after them, closely followed by Peter. They romped in the waves, like the carefree children they were. Suddenly Edmund, who had been scanning the cliffs above them stopped.

"I don't remember any ruins in Narnia!" he said puzzled. They all stopped in their play to look where he pointed. Peter's face had once more assumed the expression of the High King that he was. "We'd better go and look" he said.

Edmund wandered around the ruins, which were at once strange and yet achingly familiar, looking for Tess. Surely, she would be here too. Although he vaguely remembered that she had entered Narnia some years after they had. Edmund looked up to see Susan walking towards him, holding something.

"Who do you suppose lived here?" he asked her, although he was aware that, deep down, he already knew the answer.

His sister confirmed it. "I think we did" she replied in a shaky voice, holding out a golden chess piece to him.

Edmund felt the blood rush from his face. It was his. This was Cair Paravel. He was barely aware of Lucy, who rushed up to them, excited as usual, and dragged them up the hill towards an open space with a dais at one end, and placed them one by one where their thrones had been.

"Cair Paravel" Peter whispered with reverence – they were back!

Roaming the ruins once more in search of Tess, Edmund bent to examine the rocks on the seaward side of the ruins. They were pitted, pitted as if by cannon fire. "Cair Paravel was attacked!" he murmured to himself. Looking to sea, he could see a distant shore from this height and realised that they were on an island

He was interrupted in his musings by Peter,

"Ed, Susan, Lucy" he called. "Come quickly – look what I found!" Rushing to his side Edmund and his sisters were stunned. It was the door to the treasure chamber, the door that was sealed by magic, which only a monarch of Narnia, ruling with Aslan's grace could open. "And it's still closed!" Lucy breathed.

Slowly as if he were worried that it would disappear, Peter reached out to the Lion's head on the door and released the mechanism that would open it. As the door slid open the children peered down into the murky depths.

"Good thing I brought my torch!" said Edmund shining it down the stairs. One by one they descended the steps to the room beyond.

Stunned by what they saw, the Pevensies drew a collective breath. "It's all still here" exclaimed Susan. With breathless little laughs she and Lucy flew to their chests and started to rummage through their things, which by some magic in the air of the chamber had remained untouched by time. Peter followed and after a pause Edmund too went to his chest, his brow puckered. Where was Tess? He didn't want his 'things' he wanted his … friend!

Looking up from his chest, holding his sword Rhidion, Peter turned to his brother, "We should change, arm up. We don't know what to expect here." Nodding Edmund started to dress. His sisters were well ahead of them, excited once again, to don their royal clothes, albeit with body armor on top of them. The clothes were all a little large, having been made for them as adults, not the children they now were.

Edmund turned to help Peter with his armor as they always had, and as he did so, caught a gleam of something in the middle of the room. "What is that?" he murmured drawn to the spot.

Peter, Susan and Lucy had followed him. "It's our Coronation rings" exclaimed Lucy. As if compelled by some outside force, they each reached for their respective rings and put them on.

Suddenly, as one, they were driven to their knees, shaking as memory after memory assaulted their psyche. Memories of their adult lives in Narnia, memories of battles and wars, memories of loved ones and lovers, memories of intricacies and nuances of their time in Narnia, that as children they had forgotten. Events and relationships, that as children, they would have been too immature to be able to understand or process. As they shakily rose to their feet, they realised that, not only had their understanding and memories grown, so too had their bodies. They were once more adults. In fact, they were about the age that they had been when Tess had entered Narnia … 'Tess'

As one, Edmund's siblings turned to him. He was still on the floor. Had he not already been on his knees, his memories would have driven him to them.

Tess …

… His love

… His wife

… The Mother of his child

With a wild cry Edmund scrambled to his feet.

"Tess!" he wailed. Racing up the steps two at a time, he looked wildly around. She was nowhere to be seen. Tearing to the edge of the cliff, Edmund spied, not Tess, but a small boat, rounding the point. There were two soldiers in armor in it, and between them, a small bundle that squirmed as if, as if it were alive. Galvanized into action, Edmund and his siblings raced down the rocky path by which they had ascended the cliff. As they ran, they saw that the soldiers had raised the struggling bundle.

"It's a dwarf!" Susan exclaimed. Stringing her bow as she ran down the precarious path. But they were too far away, they were going to be too late! Suddenly an arrow embedded itself in the boat beside one of the soldiers and within seconds another hit the other soldier on his helmet. With cries of fear, dropping the dwarf back in the boat, the soldiers leapt into the water and swam towards the shore of the mainland. Edmund ran down to the beach. "Quick Susan, before she drifts!" he shouted over his shoulder, as he dove into the water and swam towards the boat.

Peter looked at Susan who stood behind him, her arrow still in her hand, she had never shot, she had been too far away. Looking back towards Edmund, who had by now almost reached the boat, they saw another figure, also swimming towards the boat. They also noticed a bow discarded at the surf line. This was the archer, but who was it?

Meanwhile Edmund and the archer had reached the boat. One on each side of it, they towed it and the still struggling dwarf towards the beach. "I've got it Su" Edmund gasped as he dragged the boat up the beach. He heard a muffled giggle from above him. Looking up he saw his siblings looking at him, amused expressions on their faces – all of them.

"Wait … Su?" he asked her, his brow creased in confusion. This time the giggle came from behind him. Excruciatingly, painfully slowly, Edmund turned. His heart beating loudly. Almost afraid to look, afraid that it might not be she. But he would know that giggle anywhere.

At last he fully turned and found himself looking into the sparkling blue eyes of his wife, now grown again as he was. "Tess" he shouted, vaulting the boat towards her. Tess let out something between a laugh and a sob as he reached her. Tenderly Edmund reached out his hand towards her face. Tracing her cheek gently as if he were afraid that she would dissolve before his eyes if he touched her. Edmund felt tears coming to his eyes, a reflection of her shining blue orbs.

"It's really you" he breathed. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Tess pulled his head towards hers.

"You'd better believe it" she murmured, crushing her lips to his. Assured that she was really there, Edmund lost no time in kissing her back. Wrapping his arms around her waist he pulled her to him, trying to leave as little space between them as humanly possible. Tess gasped as his hands roamed up and down her back and Edmund took the opportunity to slip his tongue between her lips and explore her mouth. He groaned; she tasted every bit as good as he remembered. Tearing himself away from her lips he traced a leisurely path down her neck with his lips and tongue, loosing himself in her taste and scent and the tiny moans and gasps he was eliciting from her. Forgetting everything and everyone around him.

"When I came to meet the Kings and Queens of old. This was not quite the sort of Regal Magnificence I was expecting." A gruff voice complained. Turning, Edmund saw a red dwarf regarding him with a half amused, half awed expression. While he had been engrossed in his wife, his siblings must have released the dwarf and seemingly had already introduced themselves to him.

Straightening, but not releasing his arm from around Tess (He did not intend moving any further than arm's length away from her ever again) Edmund smiled down at the dwarf.

"I beg your pardon Master Dwarf" he said "I have not held my wife in over a year. "I hope you will excuse us"

The dwarf bowed low before Tess and Edmund. "Of Course, High King Edmund, High Queen Tess" he answered respectfully. "I understand - Trumpkin, at Your Majesty's service."

"Wait" came Peter's puzzled voice from behind them. "High King Edmund?"

Edmund turned to look at his brother, an apologetic, almost embarrassed expression on his face. "Pete" he began haltingly. He felt Tess's grip tighten on his arm.

"It looks like we shall all have a lot to tell each other, including Master Trumpkin" she said, stepping forward slightly, so that her body was slightly between his and Peter's. "It is getting dark and I for one am quite wet. Let's make camp and light a fire and then we can all exchange information comfortably." Edmund smiled down at his wife. She had always been this way. Supporting him whenever he needed it. Willing to stand between him and any danger – real … or imagined. He glanced at his brother – well perhaps not so imagined, he reflected noting the look on Peter's face.

Peter looked as though he was going to object; but noticing Tess and Edmund's shivering forms he nodded. "We should find a sheltered spot up at the castle" he said, turning to lead the way back up the hill. Susan and Lucy, with curious glances at Edmund and Tess, followed without comment.

Sitting around the campfire; Peter, Susan and Lucy were staring at Tess and Edmund with stunned expressions on their face. They could not believe it – Edmund and Tess had reigned for years after they had left. Ruled Narnia as High King and High Queen. Continuing the Golden Age that they had all started together.

"Eighteen years" Peter gasped. "I thought you'd just gone back for Tess, that you'd followed right behind us!"

Edmund looked around at his siblings. This was hard. He had only just remembered himself. Wrapping his arm around Tess and drawing her closer he drew a deep breath. "I did go back for Tess" he admitted, "but we couldn't follow you immediately … Tess was pregnant."

Peter, Susan and Lucy were stunned at this new information. But wait, it was not new, now that it had been said, they remembered.

"Of course!" gasped Susan looking at Tess. "That was why you didn't come with us on the hunt for the White Stag!" Tess nodded and was about to reply when another thought occurred to Lucy.

"A baby" she cried "there was a baby?"

Edmund drew Tess even closer to him, stroking her arm as she replied through suddenly wet eyes. "Randal" she answered her voice quivering. "We named him Randal."

Edmund dropped a tender kiss on her head and continued for her, wanting to spare her the pain. "He is … was no longer a baby when we left. He was a man of eighteen, and already in love." He said proudly. "We did not want to leave him, but he was ready to rule, ready to raise his own family and we … we missed you all."

Peter was looking at his brother and his sister-in-law with overwhelming sympathy in his eyes. "What happened to him do you suppose?" he asked.

Edmund turned to Trumpkin, who had remained silent throughout this exchange. "I was hoping that Master Trumpkin here could help us with that." He said.