"Ed! Oh Ed!" Sobs tore through the fog in Edmund's mind as hands pressed against the new wound. His eyes finally obeyed his desperate pleas and cleared, revealing his two sweet sisters who never should have been in this position. Susan cradled his head in her lap, just as she had done all those years ago at Beruna. Lucy's face was streaked with tears, and he could see the helplessness in her eyes.

"Lu…" he murmured. Her eyes shot to his, and the tears began anew.

"Oh Ed, I don't - I can't… If I had my cordial but I…"

Exhaustion pulled at him, certainly mixed with blood loss, but the sight of his sisters so distressed numbed all but his desire to comfort them. "Shh, it's alright. In truth, I'm as likely to bleed out internally as externally." Her lip quivered in protest, but he knew she had seen too many battles to disagree. He coughed, frustrated but unsurprised to taste new blood on his lips afterward. "Lu, pack it up as best you can. There's no point in you holding me together with your hands. Sweet Lu, I know you don't want to hear that and I'm sorry, but I don't want to give you false hope." He fought to bring his hand up to her face but both arms refused to move. "I know you want to help. My shoulders are dislocated. There is something you can heal."

With hands that were far too practiced, Lucy obeyed. Susan remained silent, her hands gently running through Edmund's hair and brushing his cheeks. He watched her stony face, and his heart broke for her. "Susan," he spoke softly, but still she started. "Peter?" The High King's absence was not lost on him.

A single tear broke through the dam, and she brushed it away hastily. "The guard no longer brought bandages. We've done the best we can, but he's touched with fever and weak. Lucy thinks his brain is bleeding as he seems to have lost his sight. He floats in and out."

A tear tricked down his cheek, relief and dread fighting for supremacy. "But he is alive? Praise Aslan, I knew that snake lied."

Susan was perplexed, but it only took her a moment to figure out what Favelo had done. "Oh, Edmund! That wrenched man told you Peter died, didn't he?" Feeling like a younger brother for the first time in days, Edmund melted into the care of his elder sister. He nodded as much as he dared. Susan lovingly stroked the raven-haired king's cheek. "Your brother lives. The High King lives. He is unwell, but he is alive and not beyond Aslan's salvation. Neither are you." Edmund closed his eyes for a moment, the dam of tears finally breaking. Susan murmured softly and rubbed his cheek as she had when he was sick as a child until Lucy finished her bandaging. Then her sweet voice brought him back to the present once more. "Come now, let's get you sitting, and we'll see to your arms."

He tried to help as much as he could but was almost completely at their mercy. Thank Aslan his sisters were whole, and he could give himself to their care.

Once he was upright and the Queens could see the full extent of his damaged body, a tremulous quality came into their hands and their gentle movements became even softer.

"That's nothing. You should see the other man," Edmund tried to joke.

"Oh, I'd like to when Oreius gets ahold of him," Susan growled through gritted teeth. Edmund's huff of laughter became a groan as Lucy set the first shoulder. She shifted to his other side, studying his mottled skin through the rips of his shredded shirt as she went.

"Ready?" she asked softly. As he opened his mouth to answer, she set the second shoulder. Through more groans, he glared at her. She tried to give a teasing grin, but tears slipped through. A moment later it all collapsed, and she carefully wrapped her arms around his. "I don't want to lose you," she whispered.

He shushed her gently, even as tears pooled in his own eyes, and he rubbed her back in soft circles. "Come on, Lu. You know you'll never lose me. Even if we're apart for a short time, we'll meet again in Aslan's Country." He felt her nod, but tears continued to soak his skin. He was soon thankful for Susan's steadying hand on his back as his burst of adrenaline waned.

"Susan?" Peter's weak voice from behind them a few minutes later. She cleared her throat and wiped away the tears that Edmund could see glistening in the corners of her eyes.

"I'm here, Peter."

"Where's Lucy? Is Edmund here? Have they brought him back?" The normally strong presence of the High King was gone, a scared older brother left in his place.

With as strong a voice as he could manage, Edmund called over his shoulder. "I'm here, Pete."

He nodded at the girls, and they helped him rise as best as he could. When they turned him around toward their brother, his heart sank. Peter was pale and sweating, his eyes unfocused. As Lucy and Susan all but dragged him toward the wall to sit beside Peter, he fought a temptation to despair. The girls stepped away to quietly discuss something on the other end of the small room. Edmund let his head fall back against the stone and tilted it so he could study his elder brother's face.

Don't give up, Aslan had said. The faintest hope flickered in his heart. Fear fought to overcome it, reminding him that never had they been in a situation quite this dire. Never had all his siblings been at risk at the same moment. Never had both he and Peter been so far gone that they could not protect their siblings as they had promised mother so many years ago.

For just a moment, his mind turned to their parents. He and his siblings had talked of them less and less as the years passed. Once, he had asked Aslan if they could be brought to Narnia, but the Lion had simply said their place was in England. He felt guilty at having left them. No doubt they had mourned their children. He hoped they did not hate the kindly professor; he had only ever been kind to the children. Even Edmund, who had been at his worst in those short times on the manor.

Peter spoke beside him, snapping Edmund out of his revere. "Ed, are you there?" Peter's head turned toward his, but it seemed that his eyes, though open, saw nothing. Blindly, Peter's hand scrabbled for Edmund's. Edmund slipped his hand into Peter's and the elder man squeezed it tightly. "Eddy, I'm not doing so good. You must look after the girls, now."

The younger king swallowed hard, keenly aware of the sickly scent of blood that permeated the air. "Pete, they're in Aslan's paws. We'll both have to trust that now."

Somehow Peter understood and paled even more but nodded. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I should have taken your place."

Edmund scoffed. "You were in no position to, and I wouldn't have let you anyway. So don't you dare. Don't you even think about doing that. I made my choice. I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

Peter huffed. After a moment, he whispered, "Tell me Ed, how bad?"

He eyed their sisters, thankful they were still deep in discussion. "Not great."

"Edmund. I can take it. I- I can't see. I need to know."

A pause. "Torn up back. Shoulders were dislocated but Lucy set them. I think my torso is one large bruise at this point. Broken ribs, possible internal bleeding. Broken leg. And- and Favelo may have stabbed me."

"May have?"

"Definitely did. Though I'm not sure it was entirely necessary. From how hard it was to breathe already…"

Peter somehow laughed. "And here I am with a bump on the head."

"Well, you were always the more… fragile one," Edmund grinned. The moment was dampened when a wet cough fought its way through his lips. Edmund's hand came away with fresh blood to cover the dried and drying bits that had accumulated over the last days.

Peter squeezed Edmund's left hand, still trapped in his brother's grasp. "Hold on, Ed. Oreius is coming."

"Pete, the only way now-"

"The Cordial, I know."

"The what?"

All four siblings started at the sound of a fifth voice paired with the creak of the door swinging open. Edmund cursed his muddled mind for not having noticed Teravus' approach. The young man hesitantly pushed the door shut behind him, his head bowed. When his eyes came up to meet Edmund's he saw a familiar overwhelming shame. In that instant, any tendrils of anger that had subtly invaded his heart at the man's abandonment melted away. Teravus rushed over to the two weak kings, his hands hovering uselessly over their wounds. "Tell me, King Edmund, what can I do? What is the Cordial you speak of? I abandoned you to this fate for fear of my own. Please forgive me, for I have been deceived."

"It's alright, Teravus," Edmund murmured, startled by how much more his energy had faded even in the last few moments. "That you are here is what matters."

"Sir, the Cordial is mine, it was taken when we were captured." Lucy stepped forward. She glanced at Edmund who weakly nodded for her to continue. "It is a diamond container with red liquid. The juice within is the only thing that can save our brothers now." Teravus nodded, casting one last glance back at Edmund.

"I will find it and return as soon as I can."

"Please hurry. And know we are trusting you with our last hope."

Teravus bowed, closed and locked the door, then they heard his feet rushing down the stairs.

Lucy came to Edmund's side and brushed her hand across his forehead. "Rest, brothers," she murmured, sounding once more like the valiant and wise queen she had come to be. "Your sisters are here for you and Aslan holds you safely between His paws."

Edmund smiled weakly. The blood loss was truly setting in now. "Proud of you, Lu," he whispered. Peter nodded a little in agreement. He felt her gently shift him until his head leaned against Peter's upper chest. His brother's breathing, though labored, was steady and calming. The younger king allowed himself to fade into oblivion.

He clawed his way back to consciousness some undetermined time later at the sound of Lucy's gasped, "Look!" He tried to pry his exhausted eyes open but could not, so he listened, the sound of Peter's breaths as a steady background. "Good Bird, what news do you bear?"

"The army stands ready just over the hill. In mere minutes they will charge and take the castle by force. My Lord Oreius bid me warn you and give him an update on your Highnesses." The kindly Bird must have finally seen the two Kings for his small voice took on a tremulous quality. "My Queens… the High King and King Edmund… are they…?"

"Alive. For now." Susan murmured softly. "A young guard here left a short while ago to search for Queen Lucy's Cordial. It seems King Edmund made some kind of impression on him."

"As he has on all of his subjects, my Lady."

Lucy replied, "Edmund has that effect."

The Bird chirped in agreement. "I will carry this news to Lord Oreius, my Queen, and the army of Narnia will come bearing both prayers and swords." With the soft fluttering of wings, the Bird left.

The next Edmund knew, the sound of clashing swords carried up from the ground. This time, he was able to pry his eyes open to the sight of Susan and Lucy watching through the small window, holding each other tightly. The room felt warm, and his throat felt parched. Everything seemed fuzzy, dull. He wondered dimly if it was getting late, everything seemed so much darker.

"Narnia?" He asked, as loud as he could. Lucy turned from the window and rushed over to him.

"Yes, Narnia has come for us," she whispered. She dabbed a damp cloth across his forehead and Edmund realized the heat was coming from his own body, likely an infection. In truth, he was surprised to have woken again, despite the blood loss, infection, and overwhelming agony.

Lucy continued dabbing the cloth against his skin, deliberate but gentle. It felt heavenly but he couldn't figure out her purpose, until he glimpsed the red staining the cloth. Vaguely, he supposed he must be a rather distressing figure, so coated in blood.

The thought that he was forgetting something important gnawed at his mind before he finally remembered. "Teravus?" he murmured through the haze.

Lucy shook her head. "It has been hours. Perhaps he was caught."

Or killed in the attack, Edmund wondered. He didn't dare voice the fear, choosing to hope Teravus would have done as he had urged, calling on the name of Aslan.

A clatter on the stairs turned three sets of eyes toward the wooden door. Swords clashed and voices cried out. Long moments later, a key clicked in the latch and the door flew open. Fauns broke through, weapons at the ready. For a few seconds, both groups stared at the other, hardly believing what they saw. At the same moment, Lucy and the lead faun cried out.

"Your Majesties!"

"Captain Lundre!"

More Narnians crowded into the room, eager to see their monarchs but dismayed at what they found. A faun healer broke through the crowd and came to kneel beside the Kings. "My lady, where is your Cordial," he asked urgently.

"A guard named Teravus went to find it. He is on our side; you must find him!"

A shout went up from the Narnians and the name was passed back down the stairs to all the troops below. Many rushed down to search for the guard who held their Kings' lives in his hands.

Lucy picked up Edmund's hand in her own and brought it to her lips. "Hold on, brother. Help is here. Just a few moments."

Despite fighting with everything he had left, Edmund feared that even those few moments would be too many. Susan came to kneel beside Peter, fighting tears. Peter himself had been far too still for far too long. Edmund heard breath still rattling around in his chest, but barely. As his own breaths became shuddering gasps, Edmund again thought back to Beruna. Lucy's tears, Susan's hand tangled in his hair, his brother at his side. He thought as he had then, if he was to go, this is how he would rather go. Protecting his siblings, with them at his side. His eyes roamed as reality became blurred. He saw Aslan over the old faun's shoulder and smiled at him. Aslan smiled back and Edmund was almost sure he was being beckoned to follow Him. His hand raised toward the Lion, whispering in his heart of his trust.

"The Kings! To the Kings!" A cry rose from the Narnians.

Aslan nodded to Edmund. Though the Great Lion did not open His mouth, he heard him say, Well done, faithful son. Then He was gone.

Teravus rushed through the spot where Aslan had been and all but threw the diamond container at Lucy. He cried something about being trapped and captured and Aslan, but no one paid him mind. With practiced hands, she uncorked it and tilted Edmund's head back to receive that precious liquid. For a moment, all his wounds came rushing back upon him at once and he groaned in agony. Then that too familiar glow came upon him as the wave of pain passed and healing began. Behind him, Peter shifted for the first time in a long time, and in some subconscious way he understood that the High King was on the mend as well. Despite far too many uses of the Cordial, Edmund still found himself caught off guard at the incredible lack of pain that had been his constant companion. Peter's arms wrapped around his body, strong once again. The older king pressed his face into Edmund's hair, and both allowed themselves a moment of utter relief. The girls collapsed around them, and Edmund held tight to every one of his siblings, relief streaming through his veins. As far as they cared, nothing else in the whole world existed because all four of them were safe and healthy.


Personal update that no one asked for but I'm happy to give anyway:

You remember that wonderful boyfriend I mentioned in the note of chapter 1? Well as of Sunday he is my wonderful fiancé! A happy update at the end of a chapter that I hope finally provides some relief from the angst :)