Sorry I've been gone for so long! It's been a busy couple of days. I'm probably not going to publish tomorrow since it's going to be Christmas. Merry Christmas, everybody!
So, the bracketed part of the last chapter is not something I put there. The name of the chapter was supposed to be "Together", but for some reason, when I published the chapter it added on that last bracketed part. I tried once to get rid of it, but it didn't work. I'll have to try again soon.
"Edmund?"
The boy smiled at Susan. Her feet seemed glued to the spot, and she knew the shock must be evident in her eyes.
"Hello, Su."
This boy looked just like Susan's little brother. It had to be Edmund before her; Edmund or some creation of her own deluded mind. But Edmund was dead; his body was brought back, mutilated and abused. Susan had mourned for him, weeped for him. Edmund was gone.
"You- you're not here." She stuttered. "You're dead."
The form of her brother shook his head. "I'm here. I'm alive."
Susan shook her head. This thing, this person? seemed sincere. Those familiar brown eyes held a sense of sorrow, but the sorrow seemed mixed with the greatest joy one could find. Susan could read his expression as well as she could read Edmund's. It must be him.
Could it all be a dream? This moment filled with her own denial and the tears of joy from her siblings at the return of their lost brother couldn't possibly be real. She was dreaming it all up. If she were to touch Edmund, she would find that his cloak held none of the thickness that it should, his hair none of the soft, tangles that it used to, and his eyes none of the life that once dwelled there.
Susan closed her eyes, willing the whole scene away, wishing herself to awaken in her own bed in her chambers at Cair Paravel.
Tears dripped from her eyes and streamed down her fair cheeks. Susan lifted her hands to cover her face, lowering her head in grief. It was not a minute later when she felt two warm hands touch to her own, lowering her arms and revealing her tear-stained face. The warm hands then touched to the sides of her head, brushing her dark hair away from her face.
Susan felt comforted by the familiarity of the touch. She opened her eyes and stared right back into those lively brown orbs. Edmund's face was level with her own. Since when was he her own height?
She touched her hand to the one on the right side of her head, allowing the warmth to fill her from the outside in. It all seemed so right, yet so wrong.
Susan reached one hand out and gently touched one of Edmund's bruised cheeks. The dark blue marks looked painful covering his fair skin. She looked further down and noticed how much blood covered his tunic. So much blood.
Tracing her hand down, Susan reached the tunic. It felt so thick and so real. Looking back up to Edmund's face, she moved her hand to his hair, allowing her chilled fingers to run through the black locks and untangling the little knots that restrained her hands from moving further.
It was so real. It couldn't be a dream. But it couldn't be real... could it?
"Susan." Said the slightly raspy, but still recognized voice of Susan's little brother. But his eyes said more than his words ever could.
"Edmund." Susan sobbed, throwing both arms around Edmund's frighteningly thin form and allowing her tears to run down her face. Even if it was a dream, it was far better than the others she'd had, and she wouldn't let tree moment escape her.
"It's alright, Su." Edmund comforted, rubbing circles on her back.
"If this is a dream," Susan cried. "I don't ever want to wake up."
"It's not a dream. It's not a dream." Edmund's voice held choked sobs in it. He spoke as if he was trying to reassure himself of the same truth he had been giving to Susan.
"You're... you're here." Susan gave a light, happily broken chuckle. "You're really here."
Edmund sniffled and laughed. "I can hardly believe it myself."
PSELPSELPSELPSELPSELPSELPSELPSELPSELPSEL
The joy Peter felt at seeing his family reunited was unexplainable. He hadn't believed that much joy possible. But, then again, there were a lot of things he didn't believe possible that Aslan had proven to be so.
It was only by the grace of the Great Lion that this had even been remotely possible. Less than an hour ago, Peter had been dreading the moment when his sisters would walk through that tent flap, now, he couldn't deny anybody the joy of this dream come true.
"I can hardly believe it." Lucy said quietly, so that only Peter could hear.
Peter smiled. "Most of us still can't believe it, at all."
"I knew Aslan would follow through. He told me that all would be right when the pain was over."
The High King shook his head at his little sister. Lucy never ceased to amaze him. "I wish I could say I had your faith, Lu. I thought that Narnia would never again see the light."
"Darkness is never permanent, Peter. It stays only for a little while to show us where we would be without the light."
"Such wise words. Who told you that?" Peter asked.
Lucy shrugged. "Nobody. It's just, through life, I've found it to be more true than anything."
Peter chuckled. "You truly are a wonder, Lu."
Though Lucy was the youngest, surely she was the greatest of them all. It had broken his heart to see her change when they had lost Edmund. After all this time, she was back to being herself. She had always said that all would be okay, but she wasn't the same after what happened; nobody was the same. But Lucy had always held more hope and more faith than he or Susan ever did. In the end, Peter supposed it was Lucy that kept them from going completely insane.
Dear, little Lucy.
Now, their family was back together, and Peter wouldn't let anything happen to break that apart, again. Those responsible would pay for what Edmund went through - what all of them went through.
So, I would just like to point out that my story is, and has been for a while, longer than the average Narnia book. I just feel a bit accomplished :).