Because I couldn't get this idea out of my head and wanted Phillip to join the adventure.
This fanfiction is dedicated to all the Narnians who still hold on to the books and the movies and keep the fandom alive. Let us hope that what Netflix is doing is worth all the trouble they are going through.
Enjoy!
It didn't matter how much his feet hurt, or how dehydrated and hungry, how scared or confused, or just how sore his whole body was; he had to run, escape, don't let anyone catch him, for if he was caught, then Alsan's trouble to get them to Narnia would be in vain.
Running next to him was Phillip, his loyal horse since their first time in Narnia. He should have been gone like everyone else, like Mr. Tumnus, Mr. and Mrs Beaver and so many other friends. But imagine how great it was their surprise when they found Phillip near the ruins of Cair Paravel, confused as to why he was there.
"I woke up here" he told them that afternoon "And there was no castle, town or beasts to be seen"
After that they had a long conversation and ate apples, as it was the only food they had. As you know, days and nights of only eating apples made the kids' stomachs protest, but Phillip was all too happy to eat his favorite meal, and that always makes one feel much better.
But rapidly enough, Trumpkin was rescued from the Telmarine soldiers and with Phillip they heard the story of the current situation in Narnia; Miraz usurp, King Caspian's escape, the gathering of the many beasts who still believed in a Son of Adam as their true King, how they came to blow the Queen's Horn, and lastly how he ended up being thrown to the ghost infested waters.
They all listened carefully and made plenty of questions; however, instead of leaving the island without much trouble as it was supposed to happen, the Telmarine Lord -the one who ordered Trumpkin's execution- sent a party to kill them once they reached the other side.
For what Edmund knew to be true, the soldiers hadn't killed anyone yet, but they had thrown arrows at them and managed to divide the group in two -or three, he didn't know, for he turned the other way first-. Phillip went with him as the loyal horse he was, but one of the soldiers hit him with an arrow in one of his thighs and they were still chasing after them.
"If I had a sword" Edmund thought "I could fight them off". But in the way it fell, and he did not know where it had landed or had time to go for it.
To make it easier for Phillip, the young King ran beside him instead of riding on his back, for he knew how much it hurt to be wounded and carry heavy weight at the same time.
Some time after, they lost them -or were a few minutes ahead, far enough to rest-
Edmund bent over to catch his breath, but Phillip fell to the ground with a moan "Are you ok?"
"I am sorry, but I'm not. I may be young again but this arrow… I don't think I can go on"
Edmund, worried as they had not had the chance to take a look at it, came closer to his companion and examined the wound. The arrow was still embedded in his thigh, painfully so but not deeply.
Unknowingly to them, surrounding them and listening to their every word, there were not Telmarines hidden, but other kind of soldiers: Narnian soldiers, who had been gathering more beasts a few feet away from this scene. They were witnessing the situation with fear and confusion.
A man with a beast? Was he a Telmarine? They seemed to be running from something -or someone- But the way the boy was dressed; he was wearing a narnian armor, and the way the horse spoke to him, in a friendly way, it meant they were probably close...
Their speculations were interrupted when the horse grunted. The boy had taken the arrow out and now was trying to bandage the wound.
"Please, you need to leave me here"
"I'm not leaving you Phillip. Not again"
"The Telmarine soldiers are getting closer. I will only be a burden to you"
The boy finished his work and grabbed the horse's face, who's name seemed to be Phillip "Don't you say that, you are not a burden, you're my friend, my companion, my brother in arms"
Their little moment was cut when suddenly, some soldiers got to the small clearing. The boy stood in front of the horse, who was still on the ground, and faced the soldiers.
But without a sword he had no way to defend himself. The Telmarines saw how defenseless he was and launched forward. But before they got to do him any harm, out of what seemed to be nowhere, a Minotaur and two Leopards jumped in front of them and finished the enemy.
Edmund, who was used to the beasts of Narnia, was not afraid to see the Leopards, but he felt weary of the Minotaur, for they had once been with the White Witch, though now he knew they were with Caspian.
"Good friends" said Edmund "We thank you, you've saved me and my friend. I'm indebted to you"
And before he knew, out of all corners of the clearing, dozens of more beasts came out to join them.
"It was no problem" said a Badger who got closer to them "We couldn't let them hurt you, for we noticed your armor and your sentient friend. We hoped you were old Narnians"
"Except for you" said a black haired dwarf while pointing to Edmund "You are a man, and there are no men here in Narnia who is not from Telmar"
"Believe me, that I'm your kin" said Phillip "This man is no Telmarine"
"Man?" voiced a faun "He is no more than a boy" to which everyone agreed.
"I assure you" said Edmund with a soft smile "I am older than I look"
"But if you're not a Telmar, and you're not a boy, what are you?"
Edmund straightened his back and raised his chin. His face turned to a more serious one and spoke to the creatures "My name is Edmund, but many years ago my people called me King Edmund the Just. I'm the help you asked for"
That night, around a fire, the beasts asked Edmund and Phillip plenty of questions, like what had happened in the Battle of Beruna, what had happened to Aslan -who some thought was dead-, what was Narnia like; mainly to see if the stories were any true.
Both young and old listened to their answers as if hearing a fantastic tale for the first time, and by no other than the man, the King, who lived through it all.
"Why did you leave?" asked a young centaur. King Edmund explained what had happened.
"We were told it had been seen a white stag in the woods near Cair Paravel, and that you could make a wish if you caught it. So my siblings and I went for a hunt to get it. That day Phillip came with me, but I left him behind with the other horses when we got to a part where the trees were closer together.
There we found a lamp post"
"A lamp post?"
"Yes, a tall torch made of steel. When we found it, we all felt we had seen it before. And indeed we had, for it was part of our world, though we had forgotten about it after living for so long in Narnia. We kept walking as the space became narrower and narrower, until the trees were no longer trees, and the wood's floor disappeared.
And before we knew it, we were back to Spare Oom"
All of them saddened when they listened to the story, but mostly Phillip, who had been there.
Three days after the fire, they reached Aslan's How, where Edmund found his brother and sisters already waiting for them. They all hugged and spent some time by themselves.
"We thought you had been caught" they told him "For when we arrived we waited for you three days and still you weren't coming"
"The soldiers did get to us. Phillip was hit by an arrow and I couldn't leave him. But just when the soldiers were about to harm us, a Minotaur and two Leopards saved us!"
"Oh, thank Aslan for them!"
"But what about you?"
Peter answered "After we lost you, we were chased some more until we also splitted up. It was me and Susan, Lucy and Trumpkin. With Susan we were able to finish them off and went where we thought might be Lucy and Trumpkin, to help them, but they had already disposed of the other soldiers"
"Yes!" exclaimed Lucy "Which reminds me of this" Lucy grabbed a sword from somewhere and gave it to Edmund with excitement in her eyes "We found it, and I used it to fight one of the Telmarines"
Edmund smiled happy and proud of her sister "Well done Lu!"
They got ready that same afternoon when Aslan came, for Peter and Miraz were to fight the next morning; Peter would win, and Narnia would be given to King Caspian, who would rule for years and years.