Disclaimer: I do not own the wonderful country that is Narnia.
96. Cloud
"Edmund…Edmund wake up. Come on, Ed. There's a good chap."
Edmund grumbled a bit and tried to push away the hand that was shaking his shoulder. He didn't want to wake up, thank you very much. He was comfortable right where he was. The hand continued to shake him gently, but he refused to give in. Doing his best to ignore the pest, he rolled over onto his side, curled up tightly, and tried to fall back to sleep.
"Phillip, can you help me for a moment?"
Though Edmund never heard his friend reply, he found out just a moment later that Phillip was more than willing to assist Edmund's waker. The Horse hoisted the teenager up by the collar of his shirt, forcing Edmund to choose between standing and falling. Seeing as how falling would do no good for his current situation, he stood, stumbling a bit and rubbing his eyes in exhaustion.
"Are you alright?" Edmund's eyes fluttered open to look at a very pale Peter.
His first reply was too slurred with sleep to be understandable between either of the boys. His second attempt proved to be a little better, but not much.
"'m sleepy, Pete…" As if to prove his point further, Edmund sagged against the wall and began to slide back to the floor.
"Oh no you don't," Peter thrust his hands under Edmund's arms and forced his brother to remain standing. "Let's get you to Lucy. You're making me nervous."
"I don't wanna…"
But Peter wasn't listening. Against his will, Edmund found himself being led out of Phillip's stall and up the stairs to face the bright sunlight and chilly weather. The cold did much in waking him up, and he let out a breathy shudder before turning into his elder brother in an attempt to warm up. Peter wrapped his arms tighter around Edmund but did not stop or turn around. It took a few minutes, but eventually they found Lucy leaning over the starboard rail, watching a pair of mermaids swim alongside the ship.
"Lucy." Peter's voice made her jump and turn to face them.
"Hello there." She smiled and walked over to her brothers, her smile quickly vanishing when she took in Edmund's condition. "Edmund, are you alright?"
Edmund nodded, frowning a bit. "I'm perfectly fine. Peter here," Edmund jabbed his elbow lightly into his brother's ribs. "Is being a worrisome git, that's all."
"Edmund fell asleep again." Peter rubbed the offended spot.
"Oh?" Lucy tilted her head, a bit confused as to why that was such a problem.
"In Phillip's stall in the middle of a conversation."
"Oh." Her expression went grave.
"Do you think your cordial would do anything?" Edmund grumbled in protest, but neither sibling took much notice of him.
"I don't know. Unless he's sick, I doubt it."
"I'm not sick, I'm just tired." At this, both siblings looked down at him in worry before turning back to their conversation.
"Perhaps he's right, Peter. We haven't let him sleep for as long as he wants, and maybe needs, since he first got on this ship. Maybe we should just leave him be until his body is ready to wake up."
"Yes. Yes, that's a brilliant idea. Leave him be." Edmund's voice was still far too weak and quiet to make the statement sound as forceful as he wanted it to, but it still got the message across.
Peter sighed in resignation. "Alright, Lu."
With a peck on the forehead from Lucy, Edmund felt Peter tug gently on his waist and lead him down to his bed chamber. Peter talked to him on the way there, but he spoke so softly and Edmund was so tired that everything he said was lost in the space between them and the younger of the two never heard a word of it. Peter rested his sibling on the bed and sat on the floor next to him, continuing to whisper whatever one-sided conversation he was trying to have. He paused for a moment to take a breath, and in that short space of time, Edmund went back to sleep.
Edmund woke slowly to the dim light of a dying candle. He looked around, but the room was too dark to make anything out. Beginning to worry, Edmund sat up and widened his eyes, trying to take in as much light as he could though he knew any efforts would be futile until his pupils dilated. A strong smell of must and dirt overpowered him and he felt the blood drain from his face. He wasn't on the ship with his brother, his family. He hadn't been rescued. He was still in Mahir's home, and he was alone.
Wanting more light, Edmund slipped out of bed and headed for the candle. He picked it up and searched for more that he could light, but he found none. Beginning to panic from the darkness and being so alone, he rushed out of the room and down the stairs, candle still in hand. He went straight to the kitchen and dug through cabinet after cabinet, trying to find more candles that he could ignite. The longer he dug and found nothing, the more terror took hold, until he could feel it wrapped around his chest like a vice. He struggled to breathe properly and his hands shook, making the silverware he was digging through clatter loudly.
If any blood had remained in his face, it vanished when he heard a crash upstairs in the master bedroom, a furious shout from Mahir, and loud footsteps storming down the staircase. Edmund gasped and ran for the front door, knowing that fleeing was his only hope. He made it to the door before Mahir could reach him, but when he tried to open it, he found it was locked. He turned and shrank at the sight of his owner, more enraged than Edmund had ever seen him.
"You!"
The large Calormene reached for Edmund, who tried to jump out of the way and failed. Mahir grabbed the tail of his shirt and dragged him across the hardwood floor, slinging him into the wall. The teenager's back struck the corner, making him shout in pain. Not wasting a moment, the slave owner pulled Edmund to his feet by his hair and threw him against the banister of the stairs. Once again, he didn't give Edmund any time to recover before forcing him up and punching him square in the jaw. At long last he gave his slave a chance to escape. Edmund scrambled across the floor, dashing into the kitchen and running straight for the large pantry. He struggled to hide himself and close the door, but Mahir proved to be much stronger. He forced it open and pulled Edmund out, striking him with everything he had in him.
"Edmund!"
Through the blur of fists, the young King managed to look up at the stairs and see Nath running for him, looking horror-stricken. Remembering the promise he made to Nath to not let Mahir win, Edmund began to fight back. He swung at his owner, but missed his mark and wound up hitting the wall instead.
"Edmund, stop it!"
He swung again, but again he missed. His arms were too short and Mahir was keeping too far away. The more he tried to fight back, the more he got hurt. He wanted to give up, he wanted to let Mahir kill him already, but he could still hear Nath screaming his name in the background and he couldn't let his friend down. He refused.
He swung one last time, finally catching Mahir in the stomach. The Calormene gasped, the wind knocked out of him, and he tumbled to the ground, pulling Edmund with him. When the two hit the floor, Edmund tried to scramble away, but Mahir refused to let go. The room was completely black again, he noticed, but he didn't have time to worry about that. With one final swing, he caught Mahir in the jaw and managed to escape his clutches.
Before his master could chase after him, Edmund dashed for Nath and the stairs. Nath stepped in his way and engulfed him, refusing to let him move.
"EDMUND, WAKE UP!" Nath grabbed his shoulders and shook him hard.
Edmund jerked away, suddenly rather dazed. His body trembled with adrenaline and fear as he slowly turned his head, taking in his new surroundings. He wasn't in Mahir's home. He was on the ship. And it wasn't Mahir lying on the floor, barely breathing and clutching his jaw, it was his brother. Edmund paled and took a shaky step back, stumbling and falling against the wall. Wrapping his arms tightly around his stomach, he allowed himself to slide to the floor, continuing to stare at Peter. He watched in horror as his brother slowly regained his breath and stood up weakly.
"Edmund…" His voice was full of pain, though he was trying to hide it, and his jaw cracked ominously when he spoke.
"Peter…" Edmund was ashamed at how quiet and squeaky his voice sounded.
He refused to move as he watched his elder brother slowly approach him and stick a hand out to gently brush Edmund's jaw. Edmund's trembling worsened as Peter touched him, and he let out a small whimper.
"Oh Ed," Before Edmund could say anything, his brother wrapped his arms around him tightly and pulled him close. "You're safe now. It was just a nightmare."
Ignoring all sense of self-preservation and dignity, Edmund broke down in his brother's arms and sobbed. He clung to Peter's shirt tightly, trembling to the point where it looked and felt like he was having a seizure. He rarely reacted so strongly to nightmares, but he didn't care. It felt good to finally cry after all he had been through.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Edmund shook his head violently and cried harder. "Alright, shh, shh. You don't have to. It's okay. I was just asking. It's alright, I'm here."
As Peter whispered soothingly and stroked his back, Edmund finally found it in himself to relax. He could sense Nath standing a few feet away, and he hated that he was still here. He didn't mind his presence usually, he just didn't want Nath to see him in such a pathetic state.
"Peter, what was that screaming? Is everything alright?" Edmund tensed when heard Susan dash into the room, but he daren't look up. "What's going on? Edmund? What's wrong?"
"It's alright, let's leave them be. I'll explain in the hallway." Edmund relaxed once again as he heard the two leave the room and shut the door behind them.
The two remaining boys sat on the floor together, holding each other tightly, until Edmund was finally able to calm down completely. He sniffled a bit and pulled back, keeping his gaze fixed on the blackness that was the floor. Peter slowly tilted his chin up to look him in the eye, but when Edmund caught sight of the large, swollen red mark on Peter's cheek, he quickly looked back down.
"It's alright, Ed. I'll be fine." Peter whispered, stroking his brother's hair gently.
"I'm sorry…" Edmund replied just as softly.
"Don't be. It wasn't your fault. I should know better than to shake you." A few long moments of silence filled the room before Peter spoke up again. "Was it about Mahir?" Edmund nodded weakly. "He can't get you here. You're safe. You'll never see him ever again, I swear." Edmund nodded again. "Are you going to be alright?" Another nod. "You're worrying me…"
"How long was I asleep?"
"Almost a day and a half." Edmund looked up sharply. A day and a half? It didn't feel at all like it had been that long. "We'll reach Narnia in a few hours. We've already sent a Gull out to let the cooks know so they can get started on a big breakfast. You are hungry, aren't you?" Peter smiled weakly.
"I'm famished." Edmund was relieved that he could give his brother the answer he wanted without having to lie.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. At least you'll get to see me eat more than usual," Edmund gave his best attempt at a smile. "And there had better be peppermint. I miss it."
Peter's weak smile ballooned into a huge, honest, relieved one. "More peppermint than even you could eat, Ed." The two sat in silence for a few minutes before Peter spoke up once again. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm not tired anymore, if that's what you mean." In fact, Edmund hadn't felt so rested since he left the Cair.
"That's good." Peter's shoulders sagged a bit in relief. "I was so worried that something was wrong."
Edmund shook his head. "I'm feeling better than I have in ages."
Peter relaxed more. "Why do you think you were so tired?"
"I don't know," Edmund blushed a bit in embarrassment. "I just…needed the rest to cope with the shock of being found, perhaps. I mean, I still can't believe it."
Peter fell grave and nodded. "Neither can I."
"I'm glad you found me though."
"As am I." The smile returned.
"Where are the girls?"
"I'm sure Susan's pacing outside the door worrying about us," Peter's smile turned into a slight smirk. "Last I saw Lucy, she was still asleep. She should be getting up soon though."
Edmund, remembering about Nath and Susan outside and not wanting to shun them anymore, got up and opened the door to the small room. He was bowled over almost immediately by his sister who hugged him tightly and fussed over him mercilessly.
"Are you alright? Nath said you had a nightmare. What happened?" She paused for a moment to look over at Peter. "Are you okay?"
"I'm perfectly fine. It's not broken, just a bit sore." Peter reassured her.
"Good. Oh Edmund, you poor dear."
"I'm perfectly fine, Susan." Edmund swatted her hand that was now fussing with his hair away.
"Of course you are." Susan's smile was deceptive. She managed to hold it for several seconds before crumpling into Edmund and sobbing into his shoulder. "I was so scared you were dead. We missed you so much."
Edmund bit his lip and looked at Peter, who was too busy watching Susan solemnly to notice his brother's gaze. Edmund held Susan tightly as she cried and rubbed her back comfortingly.
"I'm here now. It's alright." He looked up again when he heard movement and almost jumped when he saw Peter standing right next to him, beginning to stroke Susan's hair.
The three stood like that for quite some time, a nervous Nath making a hasty retreat when it first began. It wasn't until Lucy came bounding in almost fifteen minutes after Susan started crying that the elder sister tried to pull away from Edmund. He shook his head and refused to loosen his grip, knowing quite well how much she needed this. Seeing her sister and taking it as an initiative, Lucy rushed to Edmund and buried her face in his side. He managed to pull one arm away from Susan and wrap it tightly around Lucy's shoulders, massaging one shoulder with his hand while she shook with silent tears.
Edmund looked up at Peter once again, who he realized was also crying. Not having any free hands, Edmund did his best to accommodate and wiped away what tears of Peter's he could reach with his nose. Feeling much too awkward and off balance, he stopped after a few seconds, but Peter didn't seem to mind. He rested his forehead on Edmund's head, breathing deeply, albeit shakily.
Lucy was the first one to pull away. After clinging to Edmund until she had been drained of tears, she slowly relinquished her spot and took a step back. She smiled sadly at her brother and fondly ran her fingers through his hair.
"You need a haircut."
A wet giggle erupted from Susan, enticing the same reaction out of the rest of the group. That one comment shattered the tension in the room, and Susan and Peter released their brother, both smiling a bit.
"Lucy's right. I've never seen your hair so long." Susan ran her fingers through it and pulled a section taunt, frowning a bit at the length. The waves in his hair made it look shorter than it was, and she wasn't at all pleased with the actual length.
Edmund shrugged. "I kind of like it. It's starting to straighten out a bit."
"From the weight." Susan confirmed.
"Oh please let us cut it? You look so out of place with it getting in your eyes like that." Lucy begged, still smiling.
"Only if you promise to cut it the way it used to be. I don't want you shearing all of it off."
Peter's smile grew. "I'll personally make sure they do no such thing, Ed. Don't fret."
"Thanks, Pete." Edmund sighed and rested his head on his brother's shoulder.
"How are you feeling?" Peter stroked Edmund's hair gently.
"Pretty good."
"Not completely good?" Lucy frowned a bit. Edmund looked over at her and gave a small smile.
"I just miss home, that's all. I haven't slept on a real bed or eaten real food for months."
"Less than an hour, and you'll be able to." Everyone looked up at Nath, who had just sneaked into the room.
"That's all? We're moving faster than I thought." Peter watched him curiously.
"Or you've been down here longer than you thought." Nath smirked good-naturedly.
"Or that." Lucy giggled.
"Edmund," Nath looked at his friend. "Could you come topside?"
Edmund looked at him for a moment, trying to read his expression. Getting nothing, he looked up at Peter, who tousled his hair a bit and nodded, taking a step back. Edmund's stomach dropped when he could no longer feel his brother next to him, but he bore it and walked over to Nath. His friend placed a hand on Edmund's shoulder, tossed a smile to the remaining King and Queens, and led Edmund out of the room.
He kept his hand firmly on Edmund's shoulder as he led him not to the deck but down a corridor to a small, unoccupied room. Edmund watched him in confusion as he sat down on the floor and leaned against the wall. Nath looked up at him and returned the expression, patting the floor next to him. Edmund hesitantly complied, getting more and more confused the longer time dragged on.
"Any reason you brought me down here?" He kept his eyes fixed on Nath, who in turn had his eyes closed.
"It's quiet. No one comes in here."
"Oh…" Edmund didn't understand in the slightest what he was getting at.
Nath opened his eyes and looked at him. "You really think we could have any sort of a relaxed conversation surrounded by your subjects?" Edmund's face lit up a bit with realization. "There it is. Now you understand."
Edmund nodded. "So what is it you want to talk with me about?"
"I have to have a specific topic? We haven't had a chance to talk at all since you got sick. I missed having a mate to just mull things over with." Nath smirked a bit.
"Then what would you like to mull over? We need some sort of vague topic to get a conversation started, don't we?"
Nath smiled. "So, King, huh?"
Edmund chuckled a bit. "Yeah, for six years now."
"And how's that life been treating you?"
"Well, right up until about six months ago. Now what did you really want to talk about? We both know there's something."
Nath's smile faded and he sighed. "I'm worried about you, kid. I'm worried about everyone I've seen pass through that household, but you especially. I didn't know you before you were bought by Mahir, but everyone's heard plenty of stories. King Edmund the Just, who faced the White Witch and shattered her wand, who faced Rabadash and his army and won. Who battled and killed an uncountable number of Fell Beasts singlehandedly, who-"
"We get the point. You've heard all the good and none of the bad." Edmund hung his head and blushed.
"What I'm saying is, you sounded like an amazing person. And when you first came to us, you really seemed to fit the profile. You stayed in line and all, but you had that fire in your eyes. I could see that you weren't meant for that sort of life. And when you fought Mahir in the pasture? Before he cheated…damn."
"You saw that?" Edmund's head jerked up.
"Are you kidding? Half of the slaves saw what was going on. You were amazing. If he hadn't of called his stallion over, you would have beaten him hands down, and you so skinny and weak and he so strong and…huge. But I'm getting off track, here. What I'm trying to get at is, I've never seen anyone with such strength and resilience before, and neither has Mahir.
"I think that's why you were sold for so much. They could see what you had in you and only someone who could afford to break you could afford to buy you. But you did break. You don't have that look in your eye anymore. If you saw Mahir and he came at you, I'm willing to bet everything I will ever earn in my life that you would run, or at least cower, rather than fight back. Don't give me that look. You know you would.
"I'm really worried that King Edmund the Just, the one everyone knows about, the one who had that fire in his eye, won't come back. Your siblings need you back, just the way you were before. I'm not saying you should try to pretend to be like that or anything. That would be impossible, and your siblings already know you're not you at the moment, and lying would just hurt them. But they do need you back, and I'm worried what will happen to you if the real you can't come back, if that fire has been stamped out forever."
Edmund sagged against the wall and pulled his knees to his chest. Nath was right. He wasn't himself anymore. If Mahir was on the ship right that moment and came for Edmund looking as though he was going to hurt him, Edmund would run. He would run right back to his brother and leave Peter to sorting the mess out. If he couldn't face a murderous Calormene, how was he supposed to face anyone in battle again? How was he supposed to face the court again? How was he supposed to face his brother again? Edmund sank lower and pulled his knees to himself tighter, biting his lip hard enough to make it bleed.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I just need to know if there's hope. Your siblings will help you. You need to tell them first that something is wrong, but-"
"You already did that for me." Nash winced at Edmund's comment.
"Yeah. And your brother wants to help, but he needs to hear it from you first. He needs to know what to do, and you have to be the one to tell him."
"What did you tell him, exactly? Word for word. Tell me everything that happened between you two." Edmund kept his eyes fixed on the ground.
"I…" Nath sighed. "I waited until you were asleep. I went into your room and saw Peter. I asked him if it was a good time to talk. He didn't say anything for awhile, just…watched you sleep. He looked so drained. I stood there for awhile and asked him if I should come back later. He said no, he would come. He left your side so slowly, but we came to this room. He asked what it was I wanted to talk about with him. I said you. He just looked at me, so I started talking. I told him that you had been through a lot, that Mahir was a cruel owner and Tahj before that had seemed to do some damage. I didn't want to go into details, and I didn't, but I said that the time you spent with Mahir changed you, from what I could see. I said that the person I met on the first day you arrived and the person Peter and your sisters saved were two different people. He just stared at me the entire time."
"Poor Peter…" Edmund's voice came out weak and raspy.
"I'm sorry. I was just so worried. I thought I was doing the right thing. If I hadn't told someone, I was afraid you wouldn't either, and I don't want to find out what would happen to you if you didn't get any help, wanted or not."
"Yeah…it's fine…"
"Edmund?" Peter's voice echoed down the hallway, interrupting the conversation.
"Peter?" Edmund scrambled to his feet and rushed for the door. He pulled it open and caught Peter who was in the process of reaching for the handle.
"You weren't on deck. I was starting to get nervous." He looked past Edmund's shoulder and stared at Nath for a moment before glancing back at Edmund. "You're so pale. What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Nath and I were just talking. I'll be fine." Edmund half-lied.
Peter didn't look convinced, but he gave up the battle. "Cair Paravel is in sight. I thought you might want to come up to the deck with me."
Edmund smiled and took Peter's hand, running for the stairwell and pulling his brother helplessly along. He ignored the bitter cold when they reached the deck and plowed through the large crowd of people, Animals, and creatures as quickly as he could, keeping his brother in tow. The two hit the rail at a speed that nearly made Edmund flip over the bar, but he managed to catch himself and look up. Through the dense clouds that covered the ocean and cliff, Edmund could see the sweetest sight for sore eyes he could have imagined. Just ahead of him was Cair Paravel, standing on its perch in all of its glory, with a fresh coat of glistening snow donning its grounds.
