**TRIGGER WARNINGS** - dub-con, sexual content, almost non-con, blood!
It was around midday and the skies were thankfully clear. A strong breeze cooled the sweat running down Edmund's back, a relief to the heat of the sun.
He welcomed it, though. He had enough stormy seas to last him a lifetime. He was sure if Lucy and he encountered rough waters on their way to America, they would make him deathly ill. That is, if they ever make their way to America. He was sure this was his last time in Narnia, but he wasn't entirely sure now if he would ever reunite with his family. It just seemed so easy to just forget about he and Lucy in London.
And Peter? You know if he was here, you would be forgotten, too.
Jadis' voice rang through his head. He bit back a curse, pulling roughly on the oar in his hands. The boat stalled a bit, jostled by the uneven rowing.
"Easy, Ed." Caspian said over his shoulder, a radiant smile on his face. "We're not far from shore, but we'll never get there if we don't keep pace."
"You're right." Edmund replied, a forced smirk on his face. "Forgot myself for a second."
Lucy shook her head, a small smile pulling her cheeks. His smirk then was real as he fell back into rhythm with the others.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Reepicheep scurry to the front of the other boat, head high as he observed the island. "I doubt the lords stopped here, my liege." He called. "There's no sign of anything living."
"Right." Caspian replied, never faltering in the pace of their rowing. "Well, once we get ashore, take your men and search for food and water. The three of us will look for clues."
"Hang on, you mean the four of us." Eustace spat. Edmund paused, as did the others. He briefly wondered if they also rolled their eyes before turning back to stare at the young boy.
Eustace glanced at the royals before sighing. "Come on! Please don't send me back to the rat!"
"I heard that." Reep called back as they turned back to row.
Edmund didn't hear anything for a moment before Eusatce mumbled, "Big ears."
Reep shook his head. "I heard that, too!" Edmund couldn't help it. He broke out into a laugh with the others. He almost fell silent when he and Caspian's eyes met. The smile on Caspian's face was bright and it warmed Edmund from the inside out. Sweat slicked his hands and it took everything in him to keep up with the others as they continued to shore.
When Edmund climbed down into the caves, he honestly had no idea what to be on the lookout for. It was obvious someone had been down here, but whether any evidence of them remained other than the rope he had no clue. He carefully tread along the rocks, barely acknowledging the pool of water below him. Perhaps there was some cloth? Bones?
The mirror image of himself caught his eye. It was certainly a strange pool. The sheen of the surface appeared metallic, almost as if it was perfectly set gold. It reflected the caves around him perfectly, with hardly a single flaw or ripple. Below the surface, though, Edmund noticed a shape. He then realized that the golden shine of the pool came not from the water, but the golden statue underneath.
Footsteps echoed off the rocks as the Caspian and Lucy came up to where he stood. Caspian reached him first, sparing him a brief glance before gazing down at the strange water below them.
"What's that?" He asked, gesturing to the statue.
"I don't know." Edmund shrugged. "It looks like some sort of gold statue." He took another minute to look at it, before walking over to the stone wall beside them. With a grunt, he tore a dried root off the wall. He walked back over to the water, noticing how close Caspian stood behind him as he reached into the pool to try and pull up the statue. Once the stick touched the water, though, Edmund felt the bite of magic in his hand. The gnarled root then began to shift to gold.
With a cry of shock, Edmund dropped the stick, barely catching his balance on the slick rock. It was a moment of surrealness when the stick sank, hitting the statue with a dull clank. It was then with a shock that Edmund realized that it wasn't a statue, or at least it wasn't always.
He carefully edged away from the water, pausing when Caspian knelt in his place. Lucy stayed where she was, looking between her brother and the form in the water, eyes wide with horror.
"He must have fallen in." Caspian said. Lucy stepped closer to them, a firm grip on the hilt of her dagger.
"The poor man," she said.
"You mean, poor Lord." Edmund replied, catching sight of the golden shield half-submerged in the pool. Caspian stood, rushing over to where the shield lay, deflating when he recognized the design.
"That's the crest of Lord Restimar."
"And his sword!" Edmund added, finding a better spot at the edge of the water. Caspian followed; arms partially extended to help Edmund should he slip.
"We need it." Caspian said, a slight edge to his voice.
Edmund nodded, brain racing on how they could possibly retrieve the sword from under the water. He then stiffened when he caught green mists out of the corner of his eye. When he turned to face it, however, there was nothing there.
With a deep breath, he unsheathed his sword.
"Be careful." Lucy called.
Edmund crept closer to the edge of the water, pausing when what felt like a live wire travel up his arm. He looked over his shoulder to see Caspian holding his hand, his warm, rough-skinned palm pressed to his. Their grip was sullied with a bit of sweat and the grit of the cave, but with Caspian's hold, he felt a pleasant warmth ignite just below his skin.
Then with a shiver, the warmth turned to a fierce burn.
Edmund tightened his grip on both Caspian and his sword as he leaned over the metallic pool, catching the tip of his sword under the other's chappe. His bicep strained and his hand shook as he carefully lifted it out of the water, tightly holding on to Caspian as he salvaged the blade.
Lucy leaned closer to them, observing the swords as they passed. "Your sword isn't turning to gold."
"Both of the swords are magical," Caspian explained.
"Here." Once the sword was clear of the water, Edmund hurried to pass it to Caspian, who gingerly took it. It didn't occur to either of them for a moment to stop holding hands. When the Telmarine held up the sword to the light, Edmund had to look away. The light on the blade reflected onto Caspian's face, making him look all the fierce warrior Edmund knew he was.
The sight of him so regal and beautiful made Edmund's heart ache. He was perfect in every way. A king of Narnia, passionate and kind. His skin was the most golden, sun-kissed tan. His eyes were deep and endless, the color of the darkest chocolate. His hair was shorter than when they were last in Narnia, but Edmund's hands still ached to run his fingers through it. He would give anything…he would do anything to keep Caspian. The heat under his skin burned so bright, it was almost icy in its intensity.
"He mustn't have known what hit him." Lucy sighed, looking down at the gilded Lord.
Edmund's gaze snapped up from the statue, then looked carefully at the water below. "Maybe." He replied, a deep, dark thought coiling at the back of his mind. Suddenly it seemed as if everything fell into place. Caspian, Narnia, his family, all of it. The answer was right there in front of him.
Without thinking, he dropped his sword, looking around for a loose object. "Or maybe he was onto something."
He could feel Caspian's gaze burning in his back. "What are you talking about?"
Edmund bent over to pick up a large shell, kneeling at the edge of the water and carefully dipping the tip. He placed it on the ground, barely avoiding the gold as it consumed the shell. Edmund's breath caught in his chest as he stared at the shell, his brain getting foggier and foggier. He couldn't bring himself to think of anything else. The answer to all of his problems was right there in his hand.
"What are you staring at?" Lucy asked.
Edmund barely heard her. To be honest, he forgot that she was there.
This was the answer. He could finally have everything he wanted. Everything he deserved. Just the idea of leaving Narnia for the last time…it made him sick. Here, he was a king. There, he was a nobody.
In Narnia, he could travel the land, see how things have changed since the Golden Age. In England, he would barely be able to appreciate the park.
Here, he could rule by Caspian's side, see his smile shine through his eyes every day. At home, he would be forced to marry some twig of a woman to give him absent parents grandchildren, and since they would be his, they would ignore them, too.
He had a death grip on the golden shell. His eyes shifted wildly from the shell to the water, images of what could be racing before his eyes. "Whoever has access to this pool could be the most powerful person in the world." This was it. This was Edmund's chance to have everything he wanted.
He turned to his sister, knuckles white around the shell. "Lucy," he urged, ignoring her wide-eyed confusion, "we'd be so rich!" The words rushed from him. It felt as if his blood was pounding through him, stealing his breath. "No one could tell us what to do. Or who to live with."
Caspian then spoke. His voice was empty, with an edge of an unknown emotion underneath. "You can't take anything out of Narnia, Edmund."
Edmund didn't look up from his prize, shrugging off what he thought was Caspian's concern. "Says who?" He sneered.
"I do." Caspian's voice cut through the fog in Edmund's mind. It had sounded so cold and calculated. Edmund had never heard this side of his king. He turned to take a good look at the Telmarine. The sight of Caspian standing stiff, his gaze hard and unwavering, amused Edmund.
Then words as cold as ice slipped through his mind, chilling his expression.
That Telmarine boy who wants to take your throne, your power? Are you so certain that you can trust him?
He stood, plucking his sword from the ground. The fire inside Edmund cooled drastically. What felt like frost clung to his insides. He suppressed a shiver as he met Caspian's eyes.
"I'm not your subject." He spat, clutching both the sword and the shell tightly.
Honestly! Every time Edmund thought he got a little further ahead, a little more independent, someone constantly had to step in and order him about like a child! The sardonic smirk on Caspian's face chilled Edmund further. The tips of his fingers tingled with the cold.
"You've been waiting for this, haven't you?" Caspian asked, though he sounded as if he knew the answer. "To challenge me. You doubt my leadership."
No, Edmund thought, circling the ruling King. It was never his leadership he doubted. Caspian is a good King, but with Edmund beside him, he could be a great King.
"You doubt yourself." He replied, face clouded with rage. The hurt he sees in Caspian's eyes when no one is looking, the constant indecision, the looks he gives Edmund and Lucy to check if he is doing the right thing. How has he ruled this long with so much insecurity?!
"You're a child!" Caspian yelled over him.
"And you're a spineless sap!" Pure venom coursed through Edmund. He wanted to hurt Caspian. He wanted to see him cry out in pain.
No, he didn't want to hurt him.
He wanted to destroy him.
"Edmund!" Lucy called, reaching out to stop him. He slapped her hand away, barely sparing her a glance. He couldn't possibly look away from the fierce anger in Caspian's eyes.
Such heat. Such warmth. Edmund's feet felt frozen solid.
"I'm tired of playing second fiddle. First it was Peter, now it's you." That's all you ever saw me as! Edmund wanted to scream. A child! You look up to me, but then you talk down to me!
This had to end. He was King Edmund the Just. Keeper of the Western Wood and Slayer of the White Witch's Wand. He died on the battlefield to prove his worth to his people! He followed Peter and Caspian blindly, faithfully, even when it slaughtered their soldiers within the gates of Telmar.
He was the High King of Narnia.
"You know I'm braver than both of you!" He spat, breathing heavily. "Why do you get Peter's sword?" The sword that was gifted to the High Kings of Narnia, one of the only things left of the Golden Age. "I deserve a kingdom of my own. I deserve to rule."
Edmund knew how to rule a kingdom. He was not afraid to fail, like the man standing before him. And he has paid his due and proven his worth a thousand times over!
"If you think you're so brave," Caspian hissed, a fire igniting in his eyes. The burn of his glare soothed some of the frost-bitten parts of Edmund's chest, but not by much. "Prove it!"
Caspian gave him a hard shove, and before Edmund could think, he swung the sword around with a harsh cry. Caspian caught the swing with his own blade, barely reacting to the jarring impact.
The caves echoed with the loud clangs of their duel. Edmund could faintly hear Lucy yelling at them, but he couldn't understand what she said. His mind was hazy, buzzing.
I want to destroy him! He thought as he blocked an overhead swing. I want to break him down until he's a writhing, whimpering mess of a man. The image of just that came to Edmund's mind, making him falter in his attacks. Caspian barely managed to nick his arm, causing him to growl in pain.
Caspian then hesitated as well. Edmund managed to leave a small cut on his thigh.
As they fought, memories of their duel on the ship came to mind. They were as equally matched here as they were there. But here, there was no playful banter or laughing. Caspian's face was blank, but his gaze raged with fury. Edmund could only guess his own expression was twisted in anger.
Edmund then brought his sword down with a loud cry. Caspian blocked the blow and pinned Edmund's hands between them. They were then locked in place, their faces hovering inches from each other, between two magical blades.
Edmund felt Caspian's breath hit his cheeks, and he could feel the race of Caspian's pulse through the arm pinned to his chest. The silence around them was suffocating. Caspian's eyes drifted from his to his lips and back.
Edmund then did the same. Caspian's lips were perfect, like the rest of him. His beard was trimmed and kept. It made the ruling King look so rugged, so handsome. His dark, endless abyss of brown eyes pulled him in, making his mind grow foggier, but crystal sharp at the same time.
Caspian, despite his insecurities, was a good king. He deserved his kingdom. What he needed was guidance, a voice of reason in his ear, reassuring him of his place in Narnia. Caspian needed Edmund.
And Edmund needed Caspian.
With a chaos of sound, Edmund dropped the shell and the sword. Caspian let him go in shock. Edmund used his free hands to frame Caspian's cheeks before rushing forward. Their lips met, and Edmund heard the crash of another sword. He smirked before pressing their lips harder together, pulling a guttural groan from Caspian when Edmund's teeth grazed his lips.
Hands suddenly gripped his arms. Fingertips dug into his triceps. It hurt and it made Edmund wince, but he moaned, pushing Caspian backwards until his back collided with the stone wall of the cave.
Caspian then moaned loudly when Edmund wrapped a hand around the Telmarine's neck. Caspian's knees wobbled, making him list to the side. Edmund caught him, keeping one hand on his throat while the other gripped his shoulder. Tongues battled for dominance, not too much unlike their swordfight, before Caspian broke away for air.
"Ed," he gasped, hissing through his teeth when Edmund wedged a knee between his legs. "What is happening?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Edmund sneered, his lips gliding over Caspian's cheek down to his neck. His voice sounded so dark, so hoarse. It didn't sound like him at all. "You are a brilliant leader, Caspian. So strong, so daring," Caspian cried out when Edmund sunk his teeth into the pulse on his neck. Edmund growled low in his throat. "And so incredibly tempting. These eyes," he lifted the hand on Caspian's throat to brush his fingers over Caspian's closed eyes, tickling his lashes. "These lips." He slid his touch down Caspian's cheek to his parted lips, brushing a thumb just inside before pulling away. "This body." He thrust his hips forward, feeling the hard line of his cock brush against Caspian's.
Caspian made a sound that made Edmund's blood boil. No chill anymore.
"I have wanted you since they day we met. And together, we could rule Narnia better than we ever could alone. We have this gold, Caspian. This pool will give us everything we wanted. I would never have to leave. I could stay, with you."
Caspian gasped as Edmund brushed a hand against the hardness in his pants. His hand started rubbing in slow circles that made Caspian's toes curl and his eyes roll back in his head. The sounds he made were downright shameful.
For a moment, he thought he heard someone call their names, but he couldn't take his eyes away from Edmund's. In them burned the passion and lust that was making him sweat, but then underneath, Edmund's gaze was unsettling. There was a coldness to them, and they looked as hard as stone. The twisted smirk on his face as Caspian reacted to his ministrations chilled him to his core.
"Stop." Caspian gasped, fear gripping his heart. "This isn't you. Stop."
"Why?" Edmund scoffed. He leaned forward, licking a wet stripe up Caspian's neck to his ear. He bit his earlobe, causing Caspian to moan. "I thought I wanted to destroy you. To break you. But now? I see what I've wanted all along. To have you here. In front of me, behind me, above me, under me, I don't care! I want to have your body over and over again, until you're absolutely wrecked and begging for more!"
The laugh that tickled Caspian's ear both aroused him and petrified him. Over Edmund's shoulder, he saw Lucy standing there, hand firmly over her mouth and a look of absolute shock on her face. "Help me." Caspian begged, hissing through his teeth again as Edmund viciously bit the skin below his ear.
Lucy rushed forward, picking a sword up off the ground.
Then Edmund leaned into Caspian's ear again. "Say you'll join me, Caspian. I can be everything you need. Everything you want. I will serve you and rule you until my last dying breath."
Lucy was up to them, grabbing roughly at Edmund's shoulders. Edmund fought to stay, clinging tightly to Caspian. The position pressed the full length of Edmund's body fully to his, causing him to whimper in a mix of pleasure and fear.
"Ed, stop. Please."
Edmund ignored him, as if he didn't hear Caspian's pleas at all. Instead, he pressed his lips hard back to Caspian's, biting his lips until they bled.
He pulled away, his mouth stained red, and gave a deceitful smile. "Join me, Caspian. Be mine. Stay with me. Be my King—argh!" He was ripped away from Caspian, leaving the Telmarine stiff and shivering.
Lucy took a defensive stance in front of Caspian, sword held high to keep Edmund at bay. Edmund's face, if it was still Edmund at all, was like that of an animal. It was wild and furious. His eyes were frozen and dead.
"Edmund, stop it!" Lucy shrieked, hesitantly pointing the blade at her brother's neck. "Don't you hear yourself? That was the Witch, not you! Don't let her words poison your mind!"
Edmund stiffened. His eyes showed a brief flicker of light, passing in and out, as if he was fighting off some internal force. When the light returned fully, his body sagged, and his eyes met Caspian's.
Caspian stood tall, despite his rumpled clothes and bloody lips. Edmund then saw the fear in his eyes. A fear he recognized all too well. He sees it in the mirror whenever he thinks of Jadis. The words he said then echoed in his head, and disgust turned his stomach. He briefly wondered as the cave wobbled around him if his vomit would turn to gold in the pool. The taste of blood, Caspian's blood, in his mouth only further fueled the nausea.
He saw Lucy and Caspian relax, lowering their guard only by a little. Caspian still wouldn't meet his eyes. He looked everywhere but his eyes.
What the hell has he done?!
His face paled, and he could feel the sick climbing up his chest to his throat.
"I am so sorry." Tears clouded his vision as he darted back to the entrance of the cave, fighting back his nausea long enough to clear the surface before emptying his rationed breakfast all over the sharp rocks under him. When he caught the slightest red of blood mixed in, he dry-heaved, rubbing his throat raw.
He couldn't stand. He had to get out of there, though. He wasn't ready to face them. Not after what he had just done. He remembered Caspian asking him to stop. Why didn't he? Why did he want to hurt him? To ruin him?!
He ignored the cutting sand and rocks under his hands as he crawled away to a tall outcropping of rocks. He then curled up at the bottom of the pile, wrapping his arms tightly around himself. Despite the heated volcanic island and the harsh sun, he felt like ice.
He was afraid if he saw his reflection now, he would see him. The White King.
He couldn't face Caspian. He most certainly wouldn't be able to sail with him. Not now that he knows the truth.
He didn't know if Caspian's Narnians were as accepting of a gay King as they were during the Golden Age, but he knew that Caspian could never accept him. Not now that he knows that Edmund was attracted to him.
Maybe it was in his best interest to leave Narnia. At least in his world, he could hide who he was. Pretend that it was only something he had in his fantasy kingdom. He couldn't hide from Caspian.
It was only then that Edmund realized he may have just lost the man he loved forever. He realized then that, even in death, the White Witch was taking her revenge, for he would rather die to ever become her King again.