The first time he expected him

Narnia was waking, slowly but surely; ancient creatures entering the land which they had left for years. It was as if they had slipped through cracks in Narnia's very reality. The Great River was rushing and its god emerged along with his nymph daughters. The dryads began to leave their trees and were seen dancing wistfully with the fauns. Word of whom they danced for quickly spread. Bacchus. The word was whispered, as though a mere mention would awaken the god. In spring the god arrived, dragging revels behind him. When he asked Edmund to dance the young king accepted.

The second time

The Just King sat at his desk, immersed in his work, sifting through paperwork, trying to separate the innocent from guilty. As if either thing existed. People, be they human or talking beast were a complex mixture of good and bad. He was interrupted by a strong smell of wine and sweat. He turned to find Bacchus sitting on the windowsill, his smile as wild as his curls.

"My Lord," Edmund grinned, leaving his desk to approach the god. When Edmund reached him he pulled the king close whispering, "Relax," and kissing Edmund until he could do nothing but obey.

The third time

Edmund lay on what passed for a bed with his lover, a green mess of tangled foliage which barely cushioned his body. He lay twined with the god, worn out from the frenzied lust of the previous night. Despite being a god his lover enjoyed sleep and would rest with the king. Edmund watched Bacchus' eyes open, a strange glint in the familiar hazel.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Wonderful, my King, as I always am after a night with you," the topic was quickly abandoned but Edmund would always wonder if his lover had predicted his leaving of Narnia.

The fourth time

Edmund returned to Narnia nothing like the sensible young boy of his first visit. Loving a god did not allow one to ignore the supernatural. As Peter fought Miraz, Edmund hoped for Aslan and, secretly, Bacchus. When his hopes were fulfilled and he saw his love he smirked flirtatiously toward Bacchus, declaring, "There's a chap who might do anything – absolutely anything." Bacchus continued to Romp but his eyes never strayed far from Edmund. That night there was a reacquainting of bodies, known yet unknown, clumsy with regained virginity and filled with murmurs of, "my Love," "my Lord," and, "my King."

The time he didn't expect him

The third time he entered Narnia Edmund landed in the middle of the ocean. He boarded the ship with a sense of pride, a bulking mass of Narnian growth and movement, and yet he felt his mood tinged with sorrow. Bacchus had never followed his family on their sea voyages, hating the dead wood of the ship. When asked he said, "My Lord could not bear to be in a place without life." A voice drifted from behind him, "What if he brought life with him," where Bacchus stood small shoots of green appeared.

"You came for me?" a nod.

Bonus: The time he hoped for him

When Edmund entered the Narnia within Narnia with his three siblings, and four other "friends of Narnia" his first reaction was to turn to Susan. She had been the only one of them who had truly built a life outside of Narnia. She herself seemed unsure how to react, but had settled on wearing a hopeful smile. His second thought was for his drunken lover. When Bacchus arrived, only minutes before Aslan officially closed the doors, he did not even turn towards his Maenads, instead finding Edmund and dashing towards him. The god and human embraced.

"Forever?" Edmund begged.

"Forever."