Chapter 18

Five Years Later

Edmund sat in Cair Paravel's apple orchard, leaning against one of the trees eating an apple he had picked. He had just returned from Narrowhaven and was trying to steal a few minutes of peace before his meeting with the Council. They had requested he report on the trade routes set up in the main city of the Lone Islands and the developments with the situation in Calormen. He had visited the Duke of the Lone Islands, Lord Bern, there and had spent time being updated on the improvements made in the governing of the islands since Gumpas, the former governor, had been removed. It had been a trying trip and overall had bored Edmund. While he had a real talent in diplomacy and was often successful in handling conflicts that arose, he found spending time with dignitaries and other rulers quite dull. Lord Bern, who was actually a very interesting man in Edmund's opinion, had spent the entire visit from Edmund informing him of the increase in foreign trade, the restructuring and training of a new guard, and Calormen's growing irritation from losing its slave trade route, something Caspian had disbanded when they had visited Narrowhaven on the Dawn Treader all those years ago. Edmund's main priority during his visit was to learn as much as he could about this "irritation" so that Narnia could prepare itself and its surrounding provinces and islands in the case that Calormen decided to retaliate.

When he finished his apple, he tossed the core across the orchard and laid back on the thick grass, propping his hands behind his head and closing his eyes. The sun was warm on his face and soon he began to feel drowsy. He had lain there for several minutes before he felt sleep begin to overtake him when he heard the distinct sound of the crunch of grass. Someone was sneaking behind him, slowly walking through the grass. Preparing himself for whatever attack might come, he tensed, ready to spring up if necessary.

"Edmund!" cried a voice, its owner plopping down close to him, the feel of fabric covering his elbow. Soft hands covered his eyes and he smiled, knowing exactly who his attacker was. "You'll never guess who I am!" came the voice playfully, distinctly trying to disguise itself but failing miserably.

"Is it... Trumpkin?" Edmund guessed, playing along.

The person snorted, replying "I don't sound that bad. Guess again!"

"Hmm. Could it be that damn Calormene spy we captured all those years ago who has continued to be a pain in my side ever since we let her out of her cell?" he asked, pulling his hands out from behind his head and wrapping them around Georgie's wrists and pulling her hands away so he could look up at her. Her bright green eyes twinkled in merriment as she looked down at him. Oh Aslan, I've missed those eyes, he thought, inwardly sighing. It had been five years since they had shared their first (and only) kiss. Neither had spoken of that disastrous night since, fearing what might happen if they ever did.

Lucy was dancing with the Terebinthian prince, whom Georgie had danced with earlier, and was enjoying his company immensely. She loved hearing how wonderful her dancing was and he continuously praised her for it. He had just finished comparing her gracefulness to that of a dryad when she saw Georgie rush in from the large glass balcony doors and walk quickly towards the staircase. "Georgiana?" she said, pulling away from the prince, who stood dumbfounded and confused. "Georgiana, wait!" she cried, running after her friend who was already halfway up the stairs. Lucy caught up to Georgie at the top of the stairs and grabbed her arm, turning her to face her. "What happened?" asked Lucy. Georgie shook her head quickly, her curls falling out of their pins from the force of her shaking. Lucy dragged her out the doors and shut them behind her before grabbing both of Georgie's arms and giving her a small shake. "Tell me what happened. Now," Lucy ordered in a voice Georgie could hardly ignore. "I can't- He kissed- I ruined it," she stuttered, pulling herself from Lucy's grip and running down the hall towards her bed chamber. Lucy stood frozen, staring after her friend, before finally understanding Georgie's words. "Edmund," she growled low, before turning to reenter the Great Hall to find her brother.

Georgie sighed theatrically and said, "You always win. There's simply no fooling you."

"I'm very smart," Edmund said simply, before adding with a wink, "And you're a terrible actress."

"I know, I know. It's silly to keep playing that game. I should just admit defeat and move on," she said mournfully.

"Well," Edmund began. "You never know. One day you may fool me!" He chuckled at that, letting go of Georgie's wrists and rolling to his side, propping himself up on his elbow. "So what brings you out here?" he asked.

"I came to see where you were hiding. I went to the docks a while ago and saw your ship had returned, but the crew said you had left hours ago," she explained. "Why are you hiding? Did something happen in Narrowhaven?"

Edmund rolled his eyes and sighed. "Not really. I was bored most of the time there. I was shown the countryside, which I've seen dozens of times, entertained by speakers who were incredibly dull, and informed of improvements to crumbling barrier walls. And on top of all that, everywhere I went I was fawned over, which made for very awkward and embarrassing trips to the market and into the city," he said.

Georgie laughed, "Oh, you poor, poor man. It must be so very awful to have people adore you."

"Oh shut it, you," Edmund said. "You have no idea how much I hate it sometimes. I stopped by a jewelry cart in the market, and the woman there tried to give me her most expensive necklace. Then she had the audacity to push her daughter towards me, probably hoping I would give her daughter the necklace that she was attempting to give to me, and began to ramble on about how wonderful of a girl she was and how she would make an excellent wife."

"Ha! As though you would marry such a common woman!" Georgie teased.

"Well, I might be tempted, if she was attractive enough," he said, quickly chuckling, but stopping when he saw a funny look pass on Georgie's face. An awkward moment of silence passed between them before Georgie spoke, "I think Peter wanted to talk to you when you returned."

Edmund sighed before replying, "Well, I would imagine he does. You know him. He'll want an update of my trip before we meet with the Council." He smiled before adding, "Luckily he doesn't know I'm back yet, so I have a while before-" he quickly stopped when he saw Georgie bite her lip, looking guilty. "What did you do?" he asked suspiciously, his smile fading and eyes widening in alarm.

"Well I may have let it slip that your ship had returned a while ago and that I was looking for you," she explained innocently.

Edmund saw through her and groaned. "Why, G? Why would you do that to me?" he asked painfully.

Georgie rolled her eyes and hopped up, brushing off the skirt of her dress and saying, "Oh, get over it already. Come on, let's go find him." She bent down and grabbed his hands, pulling him up to no success. He laughed at her attempt to lift his long frame off the ground.

Did she honestly think she was strong enough to lift me? He stood and brushed himself off before wrapping an arm around Georgie's shoulders and giving her a light squeeze. "It's good to be home," he said.

Edmund and Georgie walked back to the castle and entered, he going to find Peter and she heading back to the sitting room she now shared with the Pevensies.

Georgie was walking back to her bed chamber, reading a book as she walked, when she heard Lucy calling after her. Turning, she saw the young queen hurrying towards her. "Georgiana, come with me! I have a surprise for you," she said, pulling Georgie with her. The two walked to the Pevensies' apartment in the castle, Lucy pushing open the door which led into the sitting room. "Now Georgiana," Lucy began hesitantly. "I know things between Edmund and you have been rocky, but I want to propose something to you. You see, all four of our rooms have an adjoining bedroom, supposedly for the person we marry, if any of us ever do. Of course, none of us particularly want to live in here if we do get married; we would rather have a private suite like Caspian and his wife do. So all of our extra bedrooms have just been going to waste. Peter and Edmund both use theirs as storage rooms, or junk rooms, whichever you prefer. And Susan uses hers as an extra closet. I, however, thought maybe you would want to move in to my extra room. So you can be closer to us, instead of alone in your wing of the castle," Lucy explained, smiling widely at her suggestion.

"Oh!" Georgie exclaimed. "I, um, well, I don't know what to say."

"Say yes!" Lucy cried, grabbing Georgie's hand. "Come look at what I've done!" She pulled Georgie through one of the doors which led to the empty bedroom. Lucy had decorated the room in pale green, which, combined with the dark wood of the furniture, made the room look like the inside of a forest with the light shining through. "It's lovely," Georgie said, smiling at Lucy. "So you'll stay?" Lucy asked excitedly. "But what about Edmund? He won't like this," Georgie said worrying over what he would think about her living so close to him. "Oh, hang Edmund! He's being an idiot about all this and it's time he got over it," Lucy said scowling. Georgie smiled and sighed. She had been lonely lately, living alone in her wing. It would be nice to be closer to them, even if Edmund and I currently aren't getting along, she thought. "Okay, yes!" she said, smiling wider at Lucy, who clapped her hands and hugged Georgie tightly.

Pushing open the sitting room door, Georgie saw Susan sitting on a plush sofa reading what looked to be a long letter. "Hello!" she said, looking up when Georgie walked in the room. "Did you find Edmund?"

Georgie nodded and sat next to Susan on the sofa, tucking her feet under her. "He was in the orchard, apparently hiding from the Council," she giggled.

"Well, that's Edmund for you," Susan laughed gently.

"What are you reading?" asked Georgie.

"Peter left it in here. It's correspondences from Anvard and King Sol. Apparently Lord Brin has escaped from his prison and has fled Anvard. Princess Laira is also nowhere to be found. King Sol seems to think that she helped him escape and the two left together," Susan explained, her lips pursing as she continued to read.

"Oh dear!" Georgie exclaimed worriedly. "You don't think he means to come here and finish what he attempted before, do you?"

Susan shook her head. "He would be a fool to think he could get into Cair Paravel unnoticed, and even more so to think he could get into our apartment without raising some suspicion."

"Does King Sol mention where they might have gone?" asked Georgie.

Susan scanned the letter before answering, "He writes that travelers spoke of seeing a woman who looked like Princess Laira in Calormen, but that was some time ago. It's very possible they could have traveled there. They would most likely find sympathizers to their cause there," she said angrily.

"Do Edmund and Lucy know about this?" Georgie asked.

"I believe Peter was planning on telling Edmund when they meet. Lucy doesn't know about any of it though. The letter only came yesterday. I suppose I should tell her, but I haven't seen her all day," Susan said.

"So do you think this is something we need to be worried about?" Edmund asked.

Shaking his head, Peter replied, "I'm not sure. Lord Brin didn't seem like the most sane man when we last saw him, but if he has gone to Calormen, I wouldn't doubt he would find a way to add to their irritation with Narnia." The two men were sitting the Council's chamber alone discussing Edmund's trip and the escape of Lord Brin.

"I can't imagine the Tisroc sending an army here over a fugitive Archen lord," Edmund stated.

"I can't either. He may not be too happy with us at the moment (although when is he ever really), but he's no fool. No, I suspect if anything happens, Brin will take his revenge himself and just hire a few Calormenes to do the dirty work for him," Peter said.

"Who would he go after? All of us? Caspian?" asked Edmund.

Peter paused and considered his question for a moment before answering, "I believe his most likely target will be me. Or Georgiana."

"What?!" Edmund roared.

"Well she was the one who foiled his plans before by waking me and intervening with Susan. He may want revenge on her for preventing his assassins from killing Susan and me. Obviously we won't let that happen," Peter said quickly, trying to ease his brother's anger.

"If he touches one hair on her I will personally see to ending his miserable life," Edmund said between clenched teeth, struggling to control his anger over the idea of Georgie in danger.

"We all feel that way, Ed. Even Lucy would gladly slit his throat for even considering to harm her," Peter said. Edmund gave a small smile, picturing his younger sister attacking a man who was most likely twice her size. No doubt she would win, though. She's pretty scary when she's mad, he thought, remembering when Lucy had found him on the balcony the night of Georgie's crowning ceremony, after she had run off.

"Edmund Pevensie!" Lucy screamed at her brother, who quickly spun around to stare at her, his eyes wide with fear. When he saw it was Lucy, his eyes relaxed and he said, "Not now Lu." "Oh no, it will be now," she said scathingly, storming to her brother. "How could you? She's miserable! Of all the horrible, no good things you've done in your life, ruining this night for her is by far the worst!" she yelled, poking him in the chest. "Hey!" Edmund yelled at her, anger seeping in. "I'm not the one who ended it! I'm not the one who ran off!"

"Don't you take that tone with me, Edmund!" Lucy yelled back. "I just spoke to her! She's blaming herself. She's miserable!" repeated Lucy. "Good! She should be! I'm not exactly thrilled myself, you know," Edmund stated, turning away from his sister. "So now you're happy she's upset? You want her to suffer like this?" Lucy asked, shocked at her brother's uncharacteristic cruelty. Edmund spun around, his eyes flashing with anger. "Of course I don't want that!"

"Then why don't you go tell her that? Fix this!" Lucy demanded. "She left me! I didn't do anything but love her and she didn't want it!" he yelled, storming to the door. He stopped briefly when he heard his sister say menacingly, "You're a fool, Edmund Pevensie, if that's what you believe."

"I think until we get to the bottom of the Calormen situation and find Lord Brin, we should increase the number of guards at Cair Paravel, as well as those surrounding G," Edmund suggested.

"I agree. We should also have them increased around Susan and Lucy as well. Thank goodness Caspian and his wife are taking an extended second honeymoon; she seems to need more protection than all three women put together!" The two both laughed over the problems Caspian's wife had caused since she arrived, although none of it was her fault. Men fell to pieces over her beauty and many fights broke out over who she liked best. She had quickly become a favorite, nearly passing even Susan in being the most-loved monarch in Narnia.

"That plan sounds best. I'll speak to the captain of the guard later today about increasing the numbers and having a few watch over the girls. Just do me a favor, will you Pete?" Edmund asked.

"What's that?" smirked Peter, knowing exactly what his brother was going to ask.

"Don't tell G about us placing guards around her. Susan and Lucy won't mind, but she'll throw a tantrum if she finds out. She hates when I think she's too weak to take care of herself," Edmund explained, rolling his eyes slightly.

Peter chuckled and replied, "Sure, sure. Anything to keep the peace, right?"

Later that evening the four Pevensies and Georgie were lounging in their sitting room, Edmund and Peter playing chess, Susan and Lucy looking over new plans for the redesign of the large dining room, and Georgie reading a large book of children's fairy tales. She had nearly read all of the historical books in the library since her arrival in Narnia and, in her search for something new, had developed an interest in the customs of everyday life. Susan put down the drawing of a new stained glass window pane she had been considering and spoke, causing the others to look at her. "I've been thinking. As you all know, Georgiana's birthday is coming up soon," she began, looking mischievously at Georgie.

"That's right!" Lucy said excitedly. "Twenty-four! That seems so old!"

Georgie rolled her eyes before Edmund spoke up, "Yes, practically decrepit."

"Excuse me," Georgie said pointedly. "If I recall, you're nearly a year older than me, correct? If I'm practically decrepit, you must already have one foot in the ground." The five laughed before Susan continued, "As I was saying, it's almost her birthday and I think we should discuss what we would like to do to celebrate. Obviously, tradition dictates we have a party and invite the usual guests (here the others groaned, earning them a glare from Susan), but I was thinking that maybe during the day we could do something different, something fun and unique," she suggested.

"What did you have in mind?" Peter asked, placing his knight in front of Edmund's king, quietly adding, "Checkmate." Edmund's eyes widened as he glared at the board and quietly swore before flicking his king over in defeat. Lucy giggled at her brothers, knowing Edmund hated losing to Peter. Susan cleared her throat before answering, "I thought it might be fun to have a tournament of sorts. It's been years since we had a friendly competition and this would be the perfect opportunity to have one!"

"That sounds wonderful!" Lucy exclaimed. Edmund and Peter both agreed and began ribbing the other over who would be the winner.

"What do you think, Georgiana?" Susan asked, turning to Georgie.

"I think it sounds like a great idea," she said, a slow smirk growing on her face. "Only if you don't mind losing to me in the archery contest."