In Which This Kid has Problems
"I fell from the sky."
The kid looked confused. "You fell out of the sky?"
Leo frowned, "Ok then how did you get here?" If the kid was British then he obviously had come into Narnia from somewhere, and it could be a way back.
"My siblings and I walked through... a wardrobe"
"But falling from the sky is weird. Sorry."
The kid had a faint grin on his face as he talked, and Leo was struck again by how young he looked. Like the kid was only twelve and yeah, he knew Percy had his first quest to save the world at twelve, even he had been on the run from one foster home to another, but this kid was just a mortal. At least he looked like just a mortal. Besides, he looked so thin too- in fact Leo had no idea how long he'd been with the witch, but it looked like a while judging from how thin he was.
"What's your name kid? I'm Leo"
"Edmund. Where are we?" The kid looked around, seeming to notice he was stuck in a tree. "And how did we get up here?"
"Oh yeah, well I'm not completely sure, we're in a tree, I dragged you up, but we're heading to the hill of the stone table, apparently there's this talking Lion there, who might be able to help me get home. Hey you mentioned siblings. Where are they?"
"They are probably already with Aslan, they were talking about him with the beavers, and they said he would help them."
Leo frowned again, that was not on. "They left you behind?"
"No, I left them."
"If you got lost they should still have come to look for you- you're probably better off without them kid. Any family that abandons you isn't family worth having." The kid crumpled in on himself then. Leo heard sniffing coming from where Edmund was.
"Yeah, you are probably right. They are better off without me."
Leo frowned again, ok, so the boy blamed himself for something and had low self esteem- why? "I feel like I'm not getting all the story here kid. What happened to leave you in the withes cell?"
Edmund looked up. "We were evacuated to the country to escape the bombings on London. We were exploring the big manor we had been sent to when my sister Lucy found a wardrobe. She came out almost immediately, and said she'd had tea with a fawn in a country called Narnia. Of course we didn't believe her. But then we played hide and seek, and I followed her into the wardrobe- I wanted to tease her about it, because I was a right little beast you see."
Edmund sniffed again "But then I found a snowy wood, and then the witch came along. Called herself the queen of Narnia, and gave me some Turkish delight. It was the nicest thing I'd ever tasted. She asked me about my siblings so I told her and about the fawn that Lucy had met before. I didn't know then but she wants to get rid of every human that ever comes to Narnia; because apparently when two human brothers and sisters come along with Aslan's help they can get rid of her." Edmund frowned again and Leo could see tears running down his face in the dark.
"But I was so mad at Peter for trying to be like dad and Susan for always acting so grownup, even though she's only a child too, I even got mad at Lucy, and she hadn't even done anything. So I when the witch told me she'd make me a prince, and I could be king of Narnia one day, I wanted it so much. Then Peter would have to stop treating me like a baby- I'd make him my servant, and he'd have to do what I say. The witch said I'd just have to take my family to her, and then I'd be a prince, and have a room full of that delicious Turkish delight. So when I went back through the wardrobe and Lucy said the witch was evil I didn't believe her. She told Peter and Susan about Narnia again and told me to tell them I'd been there too. I told them she had made it all up again. I made her cry by saying that. Then one day we all came to Narnia, and I wanted to take them to the witch, and I saw what the witch had done, how she turned innocent animals into stone, and she'd covered the land in snow for a hundred years, but I still wanted that Turkish delight so badly. I knew she'd probably turn them to stone, because the beavers had said so, but I wanted to be in charge, I wanted to be able to boss Peter around. But they wouldn't come, so I went alone. I was put in a cell near Mr. Tumlus, that's the fawn from before, and he was so hurt, and sad, and I did that, because I told the witch about him. Now she's gone out to find my siblings so she can kill them too; and it's my entire fault!
Edmund looked down at the floor, below the tree, "I betrayed my family, for power, and Turkish delight! So you're right. They probably are better off without me."
Leo gulped. Well what a mess he'd landed himself in. "Look Ed, that's a mess- but you just said- Narnia needs two brothers and two sisters. Not two sisters and one brother. You made a mistake, and yeah, it was pretty big one- but Narnia still needs you. You were an ass, you've learnt from it, and you won't do something so stupid in the future. Besides. The witch gave you that Turkish delight- who's to say it wasn't enchanted."
"But that's the point. I chose power over my family, I... The four people that defeat the witch are supposed to be kings and queens afterwards. I don't deserve to be after all that I've done."
"Kid, who has ever deserved to be a king? It makes more sense to crown a hero than the old kings' son. Just remember your mistakes and learn from them- and you'll be a pretty decent king. Besides, got to get the witch out of the way first, which means we need to get to the stone table, which means we need sleep. So sleep and we'll be on our way in the morning."