Chapter Ten: Gifting

Julie has made me some marvelous artwork to accompany this chapter. Check out my profile for the link to her deviantART page to see Edmund giving Peter his gift!

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

I had little appetite as we sat down to eat that evening. Aslan joined us as we supped on the balcony shared by Lucy's and Susan's rooms. It was a simple meal by our regular standards, delicious I was sure but everything tasted like sawdust in my mouth. Edmund was somber as he picked at his food. He wasn't eating well, even with Aslan here.

During the course of the meal one of Susan's Hummingbird messengers arrived. It was a very pretty picture to see her holding the bird close to her ear, for their voices are as tiny as they are, and she couldn't help but smile the whole time the little creature rested on her palm. Message delivered, it zoomed away over the balcony and Susan said to Edmund, "Phillip says you can ride Jett or Marsk."

"Marsk?" he howled, then sulked for a while. I was the only one who knew why and I grinned, especially since now Susan would figure it out. My sister was as clever as she was lovely.

We spoke at length with Aslan, establishing a protocol for my absence. I was grateful Aslan would stay with them, but I also realized that we needed to expand the protocol for the future when he was not here and any one of us was away. They all agreed with my plan to turn the army over to Oreius until I returned. Edmund could not ride to war for fear of capture or further injury and Susan had not the inclination to devise strategies, though she was a formidable fighter in her own right.

That last night in Cair Paravel was spent not in my room, but Lucy's. We never made it past her room after supper. She was completely worn out but refusing to go to sleep, trying to spend as much time as she could with me before I went into the west as we waited for midnight to strike Edmund down once again. I remembered him saying to Phillip that he was sore and I realized that though healed the area of his wound was tender. The pain would do nothing but build as time went on until it became a constant in his life. I was suddenly glad I was leaving at dawn despite the short notice. The sooner I left, the sooner I would return. And I would return.

We crowded close to him as tomorrow drew nearer. He was fighting to control his trembling. I couldn't help but think that Jadis would have been very pleased with herself for the results of her curse and how we ourselves were forced to perpetuate it. True he had not died, nor would we allow him to, but every night was torture for us all and it would go on until the Tree of Protection was restored.

He sat between me and Aslan, one hand held in mine, the other gripping as much of the top of the Lion's paw as he could. When he gasped, I gasped, so pained was the sound. Lucy sprang to with her cordial and even as I eased him back against Aslan's flank the wound was healing. He would bear the scar all his life, I knew. I could only hope he would see them as I did, as a sign of his strength and valor and not a symbol of any punishement he thought he deserved.

Someone, one of the ladies, I think, handed me a bowl of warm water and a cloth and I gently washed the blood from Edmund's body and Aslan's golden pelt. Edmund leaned heavily against me, his brown eyes filled with so many types of pain that I had trouble looking away. I settled down next to him, right against Aslan's warm side. The girls crowded in until we were all a tangled heap on the rug in Lucy's room. I didn't expect to get any sleep that night, but Aslan had other plans. The last thing I remembered was a low purr eminating from his throat before Silvo woke me with a gentle touch. Aslan was again gone and we were all jumbled together on Lucy's wide bed. In extracting myself I roused my siblings. Susan immediately hurried to her rooms and Edmund asked for breakfast to be served in the small sitting room down the hall before growling at nothing and shuffling off to dress. He was so pleasant in the morning. I watched my brother and sisters prepare for the day anxiously and a little sadly. Edmund caught my eye and the expression I wore and gave me a look of understanding. He didn't say anything, but he knew how I felt and I was sure he felt the same. I wondered what had become of Aslan, half expecting him to join us at breakfast.

Her toilet complete, Susan return dressed and groomed and wrapped her sleepy little sister in a robe and put slippers on her feet before shooing her down to the sitting room. A lady-in-waiting and Martil had tea prepared and breakfast was not far behind. I had trouble eating, but under the stern looks of the Gentle and the Just I choked down a decent meal.

Susan pushed a small bundle wrapped in fabric towards me. "This is for you. I hope it will help."

I hadn't even seen it yet and I was absurdly pleased. Setting aside my cup of chocolate, I carefully undid the ribbon. Inside was a small satchel such as the archers wore over their shoulders to carry arrowheads and string and other small supplies. It was made of brown felt that the Sheep here at the Cair produced, soft and strong and waterproof, with a simple leaf design embroidered on the front. I recognized it instantly because I had seen it in Susan's hands for months. I knew she had been laborously working on this for ages - she wasn't a fast sewer by any means - and she must have strained her fingers to get it done.

"Su, this is marvelous!" I exclaimed, completely impressed. I undid the leather thong holding it closed to look inside. It was lined with soft fabric. "I'll carry the apple home in it."

She glowed, pleased with my delight. Then Lucy's lady-in-waiting, a dogwood Dryad named Avraiva, handed her a small bundle. She passed it over to me and smiled shyly.

"My gift."

It was a dozen handkerchiefs made of fine linen fabric. Each was edged with lace and I realized that in her haste she must have cut up one of her dresses to make them. That made them all the more precious.

"Thank you, Lucy. I think I'm going to need these."

"Mr. Tumnus helped," she volunteered.

"Thank him for me, will you?" I asked as I stored them in the satchel. Then I stood and gave them each a kiss and a tight hug.

I rose from the table soon after and went to get dressed. Edmund entered our room as I was pulling in the plain, heavy clothing Silvo laid out for me. He watched me for a long moment as I pulled a leather jerkin over my tunic, saying nothing though I knew he wanted to. I tightened my belt and put Susan's satchel over my shoulder and donned the swordbelt he handed me. Finally he stepped over, holding out a flat, wooden box almost uncertainly.

"Peter...take this. It was your Christmas present, but...you might need it."

Curious and pleased, I took the box, casting him a smile before I cracked it open. Inside was a knife as long as the dagger I wore on my belt, completely unadorned but carefully, beautifully made. It was in a stitched leather sheath and the handle was wrapped in black leather. I set the box aside and drew the knife. It was double-bladed and had a silvery sheen to it.

"Edmund...this is beautiful." I tore my eyes away from it, realizing. "You made this."

Late this past spring Edmund had visited a settlement of Black Dwarfs who worked a smithy not far from where the Blue River joins the Great River. Black Dwarfs are grumpy, argumentative, sour, and suspicious by nature. They had rebuffed Susan's attempts to strike up a steady line of communication and my letters received terse replies at best. They really were among the finest smiths and armorors in the land and we very much needed their cooperation, so when a courier returned with a reply that was nothing short of a dare, we decided to take them up on it. I didn't go to the Blue River. Oh, no. The glove was picked up by the person best suited to this challenge. At his own request and command, I simply unleashed our noble and beloved Sir Edmund on the unsuspecting Dwarfs.

He was supposed to have been there for a week. One week stretched to two, then three. Finally a message arrived from Brickit, Chief Smithy, asking if they could please keep him. The fact that they used the word 'please' was proof of his smashing success. They adored Edmund, probably because he could match (and most likely beat) their sarcastic wit and he wasn't afraid to work and get dirty and lose his temper when pushed too far. Also, he was realtively short and had dark hair and with his oft times acerbic attitude he charmed them until they adopted him as one of their own. He had returned filthy, hating beer and smoked meat, reeking of sulphur, desperate for a bath, and with so many amusing stories about living with Dwarfs that he had even Cheroom laughing. He had put his time to good use and not just diplomatically: he had applied himself to their trade and earned their respect by working alongside them, starting with the dirtiest jobs they had, running coal and cleaning the great furnaces that heated the metal until he had secured their good will and trust. Relations with them since then had been excellent and they constantly asked if they could have 'their' king back for a spell. Susan and Lucy made it a point to send them half a dozen barrels of the best beer in the Cair's cellar and two dozen tanned hides of various sorts for use in their craft. Three weeks were not nearly long enough to learn even the basics of their trade, but the Dwarfs had talked and guided him through a number of projects including bracelets for Susan and Lucy and signet rings for me and himself.

And he had made me a knife.

I stared at it, awestruck that my brother had made me something so elegant. It was balanced and solid and just the right size for my hand. I was speechless for a minute and I sat down on the bed.

"For me? Ed, this...it's amazing! You made this."

"I had a lot of help."

"I...how can I ever thank you for this?"

He rolled his eyes and gave me that special look that told me I was being an idiot, folding his arms as he said, "After you return from riding out blindly into the wilderness to save my life, I'm sure I'll find some means for you to thank me, Peter."

I laughed and he joined me, shaking his head in wonder at my occasional foray into denseness. Standing up, I wrapped my arms around him in a tight embrace. Tears stood in my eyes as he hugged me back. I missed him already.

"I love you, Edmund," I said. I kissed the top of his head. "I'll hurry back. I swear."

"Thank you," he whispered, holding on as if he never wanted to let go. I knew I didn't.