Chapter 11


Edmund managed to catch Caspian alone for a moment before supper, gently and pointedly reminding the king that it was not proper to flirt with one's sister, adopted or otherwise. And that it was particularly not healthy to flirt with a sister who had two other overly-protective brothers. Luckily Caspian took his advice, and his behavior towards Susan at dinner suitably reflected this.

That settled, now Edmund only had to worry about Peter's attitude. Dinner was fairly tense, as the royals traditionally ate separately from the other Narnians (Caspian had been confused by Glenstorm's insistence on this, until Edmund explained that the Narnians were trying to show their respect to their new king). Lucy and Edmund tried to hold up a conversation, but whenever Caspian was cajoled to speak, Peter would make some insulting remark that caused Caspian to grind his teeth in anger. Peter could not speak without Susan snapping at him, and Caspian was so dedicatedly trying to not flirt with Susan that he would not talk with her at all. It all resulted in a very quiet meal.

By the time dinner was over, Edmund was incredibly ready for his usual sparring practice with Caspian. In fact, he was frustrated enough to ignore Peter's glower as Edmund and Caspian left the group. Armed now with the Narnian sword that Lucy had returned to him, Edmund let out some of his anger on the sparring field, allowing Caspian to do the same.

After a time, they had tired themselves enough that they agreed to take a break. Downing some water, Caspian was the first to speak. "I do not think your brother likes me very much."

Edmund grimaced as he glanced across the field, where Glenstorm was showing Peter the training grounds. "He's…still getting used to being in this different Narnia. Remember, he's only had about a week to wrap his head around the fact that everything we knew is gone."

"You never acted like this," commented Caspian in indignation.

Edmund did not really want to go into detail about Peter's actions and behavior since leaving Narnia a year before. Instead, he simply said to Caspian: "When I came, I didn't have to jump straight into a war. Plus, he doesn't know you from any other Telmarine: and he is none too fond of Telmarines."

Caspian seemed to hear what Edmund did not say: And Peter doesn't believe, as Edmund, that Aslan wants Caspian to be king. "He is not the High King that Doctor Cornelius told me about," he complained, almost bitterly. Edmund bit his lip; then his eyes lit up with mischief. Caspian eyed him warily. "That look usually ends with you doing something recklessly dangerous."

Edmund just grinned. "I have an idea. If you don't mind skipping training." Usually, after sparring, Edmund and Caspian would help each other learn their different fighting techniques. Caspian nodded his assent at missing this, and Edmund turned to look across the field. "Oi! Peter!" he shouted. The older boy looked away from Glenstorm to raise a questioning eyebrow. Edmund's grin broadened and he drew his sword, rotating it lazily in his hand. "Care to dance?"

Peter's eyes flickered between shock and pleasure. Edmund nearly shouted in delight when Peter smiled back and drew his own sword, walking over to them. "We'll need Lucy."

"Need me for what?" They turned as Lucy approached with Susan.

Edmund's eyes were practically twinkling now. "Dancing."

Lucy's face lit up. "Oh! Of course!" Edmund could practically see her mind going over the forms they could use without armor.

Susan did not look so excited. "Just…be careful."

Edmund flashed her a smile as he joined Peter in the sparring circle. "Of course." He took his place opposite Peter. "Think you can remember how to do this, old man?" Perhaps it was wicked of him, but, ever since Peter had found his first grey hair at the tender age of 24, Edmund tended to mock his brother's advanced age. Of course, Peter usually laughed and blamed his premature aging on Edmund and all the trouble the younger king got into. That is, he had until their ages reversed; the one time Edmund had called him 'old man' in England, Peter had practically bitten his head off.

Not now, though. Now Peter just smiled, and Edmund was cheered to see that it was a real smile. "Just wait, I'll show you what an old man can do, laddie."

Edmund's laughter was only partially hidden by his mock scowl.

~*~

Caspian watched with interest as the two kings took up positions, armed with one sword each and no shield. They stood utterly still for a moment; then Lucy shouted out "Tree Branch!" and they burst into motion in unison, striking out against each other. Caspian was not quite sure what Lucy's shout meant until she yelled again and, within an instant, the sparring kings changed fighting style.

Edmund lost himself in the dance, striking and blocking, moving his feet in steps remembered so easily from so long ago. Despite the fact that they were ostensibly fighting each other, in reality he and Peter were moving almost as one person. Each move was choreographed to the second, each strike having to hit steel at exactly the right time. Each change in fighting style had to be timed exactly when Lucy shouted the name of the next technique: one slip, one second off timing could mean a dangerous injury.

Despite the near perfection of their movements, Edmund could tell that Peter was still hesitant, slightly awkward. That was, until Lucy shouted out "Bear Claw". This style, all raw power and brute force, had always catered to Peter's strength, and was most similar to how the High King fought in battle. The moves seemed to spark some dormant part of Peter, the memory of a High King instead of the boy he had regressed to. The light came back to Peter's eyes…and Edmund smiled, for the High King had returned.

Caspian could not precisely pinpoint when the change occurred. One moment he had been watching two brothers spar playfully on the field. Within an instant, however, he blinked and suddenly there were two kings before him, strokes filled with strength to slay a giant, swords quivering from the force of each block. Caspian could not see the arrogant boy in this High King, could not see his friend in that royal warrior.

The change was obvious to others as well. Narnians slowly gathered in a circle around the dueling monarchs. Caspian vaguely noticed that Reepicheep was sitting on Suncloud's shoulder, practically falling off the centaur in excited agitation. The young king could not blame him; he himself was thinking, "This is what I expected of the Kings of Old."

He continued to watch, awed, as Lucy called out two new forms. In fact, so intent was he in following the kings' movements that he almost missed seeing Susan and Lucy circling the pair, each holding a sword. Caspian realized their intent the moment Lucy called out "Swan Wings". The High King and his brother spun away from each other, pausing only long enough to catch the swords their sisters tossed to them before they continued their dance, now each bearing two swords.

The crowd murmured excitedly, but they had only a few moments to admire the slow, fluid movements of the style before Lucy shouted a change: "Winter Storm!"

If Caspian thought Bear Claw's brute force was impressive, it now paled in comparison. The Kings of Old fought faster than ever, their movements blurring together. The sun glinted off of four swords as they cut through the air, barely blocked before striking again. Just as Caspian was sure that the swords were moving too fast, that someone would slip, Lucy gave a final shout, "Halt!"

In a move that would make any general beam with pleasure, both kings stopped only mere seconds after the young queen's voice faded. After the fury of motion, their utter stillness made them look like statues, frozen with the High King's sword at his brother neck, the Just King striking at his liege's side, and both strokes blocked easily by the other. There was a pause of silence before the crowd erupted in a loud roar of approval and enthusiasm.

Edmund's chest heaved, his lungs desperate for air, and his body trembled from the adrenaline still coursing through it. A glance at Peter showed that the High King was in the same straights. But the pleased, light-hearted grin on Peter's face belayed any trouble, and Edmund felt that that smile was worth the inevitable muscle aches he would have come morning. "I can't believe we actually remembered all that," Edmund muttered.

Peter nudged him playfully with his shoulder. "Well, the number of times we went through that routine, I bet we could do it in our sleep."

Edmund gave him a mock glare. "The way you move in your sleep, I wouldn't be surprised."

Before Peter could respond, Lucy bounded over to them. "Edmund, Peter, that was wonderful! It is too bad you weren't wearing any armor, though I suppose the others wouldn't know what to think if you had really let loose."

It was then the two kings realized that they had gathered quite an awed audience. As if on cue, the Narnians converged on them, exclaiming over their abilities and peppering them with questions. Laughing, the kings could barely get a word in and never really answered anything in the end. Finally, the crowd dispersed some under Susan's gentle glare and insistence that her brothers needed rest. And air.

Of course, no sooner had the Narnians drifted away than Caspian finally gathered his wits enough to approach the kings. "That was…amazing!" came his rather unoriginal comment.

Edmund was glad to see that Peter was still smiling, despite Caspian's presence. "Thanks. It's a routine we learned early in our reign. It was hard for any visiting dignitaries to dismiss us as 'just children' when Susan happened to tour them past the training yard during a performance."

Caspian's eyes were still wide in amazement, much like those of the visiting dignitaries had been all those years ago. "I can see why. I would not like to go up against someone who could fight like that."

Edmund shrugged. "It took a lot of practice, didn't it Peter?"

The High King nodded. "I think Orieus had us go over it several times a day for nearly a year before he let us actually perform it for an audience."

"And even then he started us with the easier forms."

Caspian grinned at his friend. "Well, I am certainly impressed, as were the others I think. Do you think you could teach me some of it, Ed?"

Edmund's heart sank as he watched Peter's smile turn brittle. His cold attitude was nearly palpable in the aftermath of the exhilaration of the dance. He wasn't quite sure what brought the change on, but this was not the time to interrogate his brother. Edmund fixed a smile on his face to answer Caspian. "I'm not sure we'd have enough time to go through all of the forms. Maybe a few of the simpler ones."

"It will take longer than we have to teach him right now," snapped Peter.

Caspian frowned, obviously sensing the High King's hostility. "Ed has taught me a few of the Old Forms already. I am a quick learner."

"That's yet to be proven," Peter practically sneered, "seeing as you haven't even learned how to address a king properly."

Caspian stepped closer, eyes narrowed. "I address my fellow kings as equals."

Peter matched Caspian's glare. "A throne stolen by your ancestors doesn't make you a king."

Any retort a furious Caspian might have made was cut short as Edmund grabbed Peter's arm and dragged him out of earshot of the fuming Telmarine and their wide-eyed sisters. "Enough, Peter! Caspian is not his ancestors; he did not steal any throne. And, for your information, I was the one who first proclaimed him a Narnian king."

Peter turned his glare on his brother. "You had no right to do that."

Edmund shook his head. "Perhaps not, but you don't have the right to say he's not a king. Only Aslan can do that." Edmund bit back a sigh at the hurt and angry look that crossed Peter's face when Aslan was mentioned. The younger king softened his voice. "Look, Peter. You're tired; you've had a long week, and I'm sure you haven't been sleeping well. I know I didn't the first few weeks back. Go, wash up, and have Trufflehunter show you to our room."

"You're trying to order me to bed?" asked Peter incredulously.

"No, I'm trying to tell you that you need to rest. We all do." Edmund decided to play his trump card. "Please, Peter? You know the girls are more likely to agree to rest if we are as well, and I know Lucy is running low on steam."

Peter frowned, but could not overcome his propensity for being overprotective of his sisters' physical well-being. "Fine," he growled before storming away.

Edmund watched him disappear into the How before turning on a still-glowering Caspian. "Stop letting him get a rise out of you, Caspian, or he'll never respect you!"

"Right now I do not see why I should care if he does or not," replied Caspian in angry frustration.

Edmund gave Caspian a fierce glare which seemed to startle the Telmarine. "You should care because, whether you like it or not, Peter is High King of Narnia, so appointed by Aslan." Edmund would have said more, but Lucy placed a hand on his arm. Reading her intention in her eyes, Edmund nodded and turned to Susan. "Come on, Su. Let's let Caspian alone to wash up, and I'll show you where you and Lucy will sleep."

Susan seemed to sense what Edmund was doing. "Alright, that sounds like a good idea." As the two walked back to the How, Susan leaned closer to her brother, hissing a whisper in his ear. "And you, my dear brother, can tell me why Caspian is trying to ignore my very existence."

Edmund groaned.