Dedication: MyBlueOblivion. Good my friend, this one is for you.

Chapter 8:

Lucy padded quietly down the hall towards the kitchen. Everyone in the Cair had long since gone to sleep, with exception of those who preferred the darkness of night, and the night guard. She looked around for anyone before concentrating on keeping the slender white candle steady. She was almost silent as she walked down the hall, and she had to grin. It wouldn't do for anyone to catch her out this late at night, now that everyone knew that Peter had been wandering the castle for almost a month at this time. They would probably think she was developing the same habits.

She breathed a sigh at the thought of her oldest brother. A full week after he had woken up from his mishap at dinner, and he still wasn't sleeping any better. They couldn't continue to drug him, since it hadn't helped any, and it was wrong of them to do, but it was obvious that things were getting even more out of hand. Edmund and Susan were coming to lessons with shadows under their eyes from restless nights, and they got darker every day. Lucy was worried that before long, she would have three worried and sleep deprived siblings. And as much as running Narnia by herself scared her, she was terrified of that outcome because it would mean that all of her siblings would be in declining health.

The light of a candle burned from the large library that was up ahead, creating an eery glow across the stone floor. She crept over to the door, curiosity over taking her hunger. Edmund sat in one of the arm chairs near the fire, a monstrous book open in his lap. Knowing Edmund it was something about law. They had almost been here for six weeks, and already her brother had dived into the books concerning law. Justice and laws of any kind or country had captured his attention, drawing him in as nothing in England had. Perhaps Edmund had been spurred on by the title Aslan had given him.

But he wasn't reading the large text that lay in his lap. Instead, he was staring into the fire, his face pulled into a pensive frown. Lucy forced the door open a bit more, slipping into the library as quietly as she could. She leaned against the door, slowly pushing it shut. The click of the latch echoed through the silent room, and her brother's eyes flashed up, pinning her to the wood.

She smiled sheepishly.

"What are you doing up Lu?"

She felt heat rise in her cheeks, but refused to look away. Lucy grinned, knowing her question was inane, but needing to ask anyway.

"What are you doing up?"

"Reading." Edmund reply escaped his tight pressed and pale lips even before she had completed her query.

Lucy's eyes narrowed.

"Reading?" she asked dubiously.

"Yes, Lucy, reading. Now, what are you doing up?"

Her stomach chose that moment to gurgle and then groan.

"Not much to eat in here." Edmund gestured around the room full of musty books.

"I can see that."

But instead of retreating, Lucy came closer, pulling another arm chair close to his. Edmund raised an eyebrow. She laid her head on his arm, scooting as close as the two chairs would allow her. Worry bubbled in her stomach, and her hunger left her. She tried to snuggle closer, feeling the need for her brother's comfort very badly. Edmund put an arm around her after a few seconds of hesitation. It was almost as if he had just remembered how to be affectionate.

Silence reigned for several minutes, and Lucy let Edmund stare into space as she watched the fire flicker. It did no good to push him for answers, he would only bristle at the intrusion. But before long, she could not take it anymore. Silence was nice, but now it only made her feel more uncomfortable. Lucy looked up from the fire, her anxiety getting the best of her.

He sighed heavily, and stayed silent. She lifted her head from her arm for a moment, and glared up at her brother before dropping it back down. He was impossible, there was no denying it anymore. The facts were plain. Perhaps if she confessed her own worry, Edmund would confide in her. All he did, though, was frown.

He frowned, as though mulling over something impossible to figure it out. His eyebrows pulled down, only showing how severely he was really concentrating. It was rare that anyone was privy to see Edmund pondering with so much purpose. Lucy was tempted to tell him not to think too hard, he could end up hurting himself. It was dangerous to disturb Edmund when he was like this, he could get annoyed if anyone diverted his train of thought.

They each had unconscious habits when they were deep in thought. Edmund frowned, rather as if he was trying to decode a riddle or puzzle. When Lucy was thinking, she would bite her lip in concentration without even knowing that she had done so. Susan clasped her hands in front of her, her knuckles sometimes turning white. And when Peter was upset or thinking hard and fast, he paced. Lucy had once watched him pace and had gotten dizzy from trying to follow him for so very long.

When Edmund got like this though, there was no reaching him; not until his puzzle was solved. Peter was like that too. In fact, Peter and Edmund were very much the same. There was no denying they were brothers, what they lacked in looks they made up for in mannerisms. They were not similar in the least, but in the same right, they were. Including their capacity for guilt. Since they were so alike, Lucy reckoned, was it not possible that when Peter worried himself into sickness that Edmund would follow suit?

"Edmund, I'm worried. Peter-"

Edmund slammed the book closed with a loud thud that echoed through the library.

"That's it!"

Edmund came to life, leaping out his chair, his eyes blazing with determination. He smirked, the frown chased away by his triumph. He turned to her in excitement.

"Don't you see? This is the answer! I know what's wrong now!"

Lucy frowned. "What answer, Edmund? What are you talking about?"

But her brother ignored her questions. He seemed to have forgotten she was in the room.

"It's me," he murmured. "I'm the reason. Why didn't I see it sooner?"

"What didn't you see?"

Edmund's smirk turned into a full fledged grin. "Of course that idiot wouldn't tell me if he didn't want me to know why he was worried. Not that he should be worried about me in the first place." He frowned at the last mumbled thought, before shrugging it off.

"Luc, you're the best sister a chap could have."

Her brother, who a month or so ago would have never complimented her, let alone allow her to be in the same room as him, pulled her into a hug. She let out a surprised squeak just before he set her down, only to plant a kiss on her forehead.

Lucy blinked slowly, a smile creeping across her face. She had not expected such a response to come from him. Whatever had happened, it seemed to be for the good. Edmund turned, already striding out of the library.

"Where are you going?" she called after him, although she had a good guess.

"To see Peter!"

Lucy smiled softly, perfectly at ease. Having Edmund so excited meant something good for all of them. Well, perhaps everyone except Peter. With another yawn, she snuggled deeper into the armchair, letting her eyes close. She was not hungry anymore, it was almost as though her hunger had been connected to her anxiety. She trusted Edmund was doing the right thing, whatever the right thing happened to be. A peace settled over her, and she felt as if she had been blessed by Aslan once again.

She drifted off to sleep, golden dreams wrapping themselves around her.