AN: I really am trying to stay as close to the books as possible, but to fit the plot of my story, I had to make a few changes. The age differences between the Pevensies are still the same, as is the age difference between them and Caspian (in case you wonder about that). The biggest change I made was keeping the Pevensies in Narnia at the end of Prince Caspian, because if they had left, there wouldn't be a story! The time line is pretty much the same in the books, however. So, in conclusion, I guess this story is a healthy combination of Book-verse and AU with a dash of Movie-verse sprinkled in for fun.

Chapter 4

Edmund stood on the balcony, his hands clasped behind his back, of the large sitting room he shared with his siblings, taking in the magnificent view of the Eastern Ocean. This spot was a favorite of his in the newly redesigned and rebuilt Cair Paravel. It had been almost four years since Edmund and his siblings, Peter, Susan and Lucy, had returned to Narnia. They had helped Prince Caspian (King, Edmund. It's King Caspian now, Edmund reminded himself again) defeat his uncle Miraz, the usurper who had murdered Caspian's father and stolen the throne. Caspian was now King of Narnia, having been named rightful heir to the throne by Aslan and given rule over the entire land of Narnia. Something, Edmund smirked, Peter has yet to become accustomed to.

Remembering the fateful day when they were offered a life in Narnia, Edmund considered the results of their decision to stay in Narnia rather than return to... Edmund scowled. It's happening again. Where did we come from? Engford? Engleshire? Increasingly the siblings had been forgetting key points of their past lives, struggling to remember the places and faces that they had once interacted with. Aslan had offered the Telmarines an opportunity to return to their original land and had extended the Pevensies the same choice. Knowing their unhappiness in England, yes that's it! and how they longed to return to Narnia, the four decided to stay and rule with Caspian.

Ruling with Caspian proved to be more of a challenge than any of the siblings could have foreseen. Peter and Caspian constantly disagreed over how to run the country, and often their disagreements ended in heated arguments. Susan, who would although deny it, had fallen for Caspian and was completely useless when around him. And Lucy seemed to always wind up in some sort of dilemma, usually caused by herself. Something she always seemed to wind up in when she was this age before, Edmund chuckled to himself. Of all his siblings, Lucy was the one he least minded helping with problems because at the end of the day her outrageous scrapes always provided a good laugh. Edmund despised getting in the middle of Peter and Caspian's arguments; the two were so alike that most times when he intervened they both turned on him, angry that he did not choose either of their respective sides. He tended to skip Council meetings because of this, finding them more of a headache now than he did before. He did miss those meetings, however; even though it could prove trying, he enjoyed ruling a country. He loved the challenge it brought, the satisfaction of knowing he had helped others have a better life. Edmund now took on the role of diplomat, visiting other countries and cities when necessary and corresponding with foreign dignitaries regarding the changes in Narnia.

Susan had become the most frustrating sibling to deal with since their decision to stay in Narnia. Somehow during all the planning and all the fighting during the battle with Miraz, she had managed to develop feelings for Caspian. Edmund had not understood it then, nor did he try to understand it now. Susan, being too young at the time to be courted and married, had been discouraged to follow through on her feelings and instead to direct her energies upon taking up her role as Queen again. She had complied, flourishing as the gentle queen of Narnia she once was, but her feelings towards Caspian had only strengthened throughout the years, making her increasingly more difficult than ever. The once graceful and well-spoken queen turned into a clumsy and stuttering fool whenever Caspian was around, which, considering he ruled alongside the four Pevensies, was quite often. Her siblings, especially Edmund, had taken it upon themselves to ensure that during the numerous balls, parties and dinners they hosted she was positioned away from Caspian, so as to not make a fool of herself in front of their guests. Luckily for Susan, Caspian held similar feelings (although currently unpronounced) for her and also tended to be as clumsy and stumbling as she whenever they were near each other. Had their awkwardness not been so detrimental to the monarchy, Edmund felt that in any other situation watching the two of them together would have been a great laugh.

Edmund sighed and unclasped his hands and placed them on the balcony's rail. Nearly a year had passed since Edmund and his siblings had moved back into Cair Paravel. Caspian had rebuilt it in all its former glory and the five had moved in as soon as it was completed. They then spent the next several months establishing their rule over the country and reintroducing themselves as the Rulers of Old, the Kings and Queens of Narnia. Edmund had enjoyed moving back to his once home; living in Miraz's old castle had been hard on him, as it was rumored to be in the same site as the White Witch's castle from so many centuries ago. He had also enjoyed taking up his old role as King Edmund, relishing in the duties that came along with that title. But now, after being easily accepted by the Narnians, both new and old ones, he longed for an adventure. He needed something active, some sort of excitement, to occupy himself with. Edmund had become bored with castle life and was anxious to find something new.

"Edmund! "Edmund where are you?!" cried a voice from inside the sitting room. He knew that voice and what the scared and anxious tone of it meant. It was Lucy, who undoubtedly had gotten herself into another scrape and was looking for him to help her fix it before Peter or Caspian found out. He chuckled softly and with a last longing glance at the ocean, turned and walked inside to save his younger sister from a king's impending wrath.

As predicted, Lucy's current trouble provided the entire court with a good laugh, much to her immense embarrassment. Lucy's innocent mind was similar to that of a young girl and she was quite unaware of her affect on men. At 15, she had begun to grow into a rather pretty young woman, often being compared to her older sister's renowned beauty. Peter and Edmund constantly had to warn her of her actions, claiming her to be unknowingly flirtatious and that men often fell quickly for her charm and wit. Weekly they turned away young men who had become enamored with Lucy, begging an audience with the young queen, claiming she was too young for "gentlemen callers" as Peter referred to them. Despite all this, however, Lucy found herself feeling awkward and plain. "Who would not," she often remarked, "when one has a great Narnian beauty for an older sister?"

Edmund had found the source of Lucy's predicament to be this very issue. She had been walking the castle grounds when she came upon a group of workers who were reinforcing the western part of the castle wall. A young builder, Morian, who was known to be captivated by Lucy (although she was quite unaware of this), waved at her as she walked towards the workers. Lucy, being Lucy, began a conversation with Morian, asking questions about the type of work he was doing, the progress being made and other such similar questions. The young builder, not being particularly bright around ladies, leaned against a large stack of bricks while he spoke to her. However, the bricks were unable to hold his tall frame and fell as soon as he leaned against them. Lucy, startled at the falling bricks, jumped back to avoid being crushed by them, and thus stumbled into a beam, knocking it over. This beam, unfortunately, was holding up scaffolding being used next to the wall and with the loss of one of its supports, came crashing down, bringing with it three workers and knocking down several rows of newly laid bricks. Lucy, luckily unscratched, had let out a small scream and scurried away from the destruction she had helped cause. The workers who had fallen had picked themselves up and checked their bodies for any injuries they may have sustained during the fall when someone angrily yelled "Who is responsible for this?!" Morian had timidly spoken up and said "I am, Captain Perth." "No!" Lucy had interjected. "Your Majesty?" Captain Perth questioned her, looking surprised at the presence of the young queen. "It was not Morian's fault for this accident. It was mine. I fell against the post. Morian was kindly giving me an update of your progress and I became startled and fell." "I-uh..." the captain had stammered. Seeing Lucy's apologetic and worried face, he had sighed and turned to the builders. "Let us clean this up and resume our work." Turning back to Lucy, he said to her, "Your Majesty, I would ask that you steer clear of the building site while we are here. I would hate for another accident to occur and risk your health." Lucy had nodded and turned quickly towards the castle to avoid letting the captain see the tears welling in her eyes. She began briskly walking to the castle, and, when she was sure she was out of sight of the builders, broke into a run to find her savior of a brother.

After calming a distraught Lucy, Edmund visited the construction site, apologizing to the captain and adding several more workers so that the mess Lucy had caused could be quickly rectified and the part of the wall that had been knocked down rebuilt. He also sternly warned Lucy to stay away from any similar sites in the future and to be more cautious of her actions. "If it happens again," he warned, "I won't hesitate to tell Peter about your incidents." Lucy's eyes widened at this threat. Although Peter was often her favorite brother, his anger was not a force to be reckoned with, as she had quickly discovered during their first time in Narnia when she had gotten into similar trouble. She found sanctuary in Edmund and since then had ran to him for help before Peter could discover whatever trouble she caused.

Of course, once Edmund fixed whatever scrape she was in, he happily told their siblings (and anyone who would listen for that matter) what had happened and they all had a good laugh at Lucy's expense.

Later that night, Edmund lay in his bed unable to sleep. His sleeplessness had been increasing lately and was a result of, he concluded, his restlessness with life at Cair Paravel. Often he would toss and turn for hours before finally falling asleep. Sometimes he would read until he felt tired, other times he would walk throughout the castle hoping to wear himself out or find something interesting to do. Edmund allowed himself to close his eyes, sighing at the fact that he neither felt tired nor like getting up to do anything. It was an aggravating conundrum, one in which he was in no mood to deal with.

Moments later (or perhaps it was hours, one really can never tell when trying to sleep) Edmund heard a deep breath behind him. Instinctively reaching to his side for his sword, he turned to where he heard the noise. Before him stood a great golden lion, one he knew very well. Dropping to his knee, he bowed his head before Aslan.

"Rise Edmund," the lion said. Edmund stood and saw that Aslan seemed to have a great smile, or as close to one that a lion could have, on his face. "Come, walk with me." Edmund walked next to the lion through what looked like a colorless, featureless fog, but the lack of scenery did not bother him for he was focused on the lion's presence. "You are bothered by something Son of Adam," Aslan stated.

Edmund nodded, "Yes Aslan. I'm happy to be in Narnia, but feel there is something missing. I feel restless in my home." The lion nodded in acknowledgement and Edmund continued. "I thought that once we were back at Cair Paravel I would resume the duties and activities I did before. I used to enjoy them, but cannot seem to find the same pleasure in them as I once had."

Aslan chuckled at hearing this and said "Things are not always the same as they once were. You are not the same as you once were." Silence came upon the two as they continued walking, heading no where particular but going somewhere important at the same time. Edmund thought of what Aslan had told him, and considered that perhaps he was different than he had been before. His current situation required him to be. "We will stop here, as we have reached our destination," Aslan said, stopping suddenly. Edmund looked around and saw that they were still in the nothingness, but felt that somehow they had reached where they had been walking to. "Do not worry. You will find what you are seeking soon and will discover your place among the others. Do not lose faith in both me and in yourself."

Edmund's eyes widened at hearing this, wondering if he had somehow lost faith in Aslan. He knew he had come close to losing it in himself several times over the past years.

"This is where I will leave you. You must sleep now for tomorrow is close at hand." Upon hearing this, Edmund leaned to the lion and hugged him, something he had not done since he was a child. "Thank you Aslan," he said straightening. The great lion nodded and began walking. Turning, he left Edmund with a final thought. "A visitor may come to Narnia. You must greet this visitor as a King of Narnia, for the visitor is friend to me."

Edmund's eyes flew open. Morning sunlight poured through the window, causing him to squint at the new brightness. A dream, he thought. It was a dream.