Chapter 22


Edmund gave Susan a mock glower as she forced him to sit to the side in the larger war council instead of standing with Peter and Caspian to present their plan. While he was almost fully recovered, thanks to cordial and much-needed sleep, he also knew it was better to give in to her fussing now in order to escape it later; a warrior knows when to pick his fights.

Sitting to the side also allowed Edmund to think over the day's events while not in the main attention of the Narnians. In fact, he was still uncomfortably confounded by the changes in atmosphere and personality that permeated the How since his unfortunate, and slightly embarrassing, encounter with unconsciousness and the floor of the tunnels. Edmund was fairly certain the change had not come solely from his, regrettably harsh, words, but the others – even Lucy! – seemed to be avoiding telling him what exactly happened after he left the Stone Table room.

Something happened, though. Edmund had vaguely noticed a change in Peter before falling asleep the day before, but his memories of the time were still fuzzy. More obvious, at first, was Caspian's contriteness when the older king woke him to begin planning the Narnians' next move. The boy could barely look Edmund in the eye before stammering out a sincere apology, and even winced when Edmund easily gave his forgiveness - as if Caspian expected Edmund to condemn him, even after seeing how terribly guilty the older king felt at what he had done! It was all very strange, and the smaller council had been even stranger. But they had succeeded in creating a plan to give to the larger Narnian war council.

Edmund held back a frown in said council as he listened to Trumpkin complain about the idea of Lucy seeking out Aslan on her own. He also wasn't too fond of Lucy putting herself in danger, but he understood the necessity of Aslan's presence to win this war; the fact that Susan and Caspian would be following, to make sure she got past the Telmarines, made it slightly easier for Edmund to approve.

He saw his frown matched by Caspian as Peter began explaining the plan for distracting the Telmarine army. Which led Edmund to think back on how the plan evolved…and just how much Peter especially had changed:

"Right, so Lucy will seek out Aslan, followed by a guard, to be determined but including Susan." The council, which consisted of Peter, Edmund, Caspian, Susan, and Lucy, nodded at the High King's summation of the plan thus far. "Next, then, we need to determine how to keep the Telmarines from noticing her leaving…and hopefully put off full-scale battle as long as possible." Edmund was heartened to see Peter acting more like the High King he remembered, willingly seeking suggestions from others. More importantly, when Lucy insisted on the necessity of looking for Aslan, Peter's face had not shown anger. Instead, he looked more ashamed, and Peter had fully agreed that Aslan was their only hope.

Caspian spoke up and Edmund noticed that his calm, contrite attitude was applied to Peter as well. He was truly humble as he said, "If I may?" Peter nodded permission and Caspian continued: "You might know this already, but there are expectations that a Telmarine king must adhere to if he is to keep power. Miraz may be a murderer, but if I could challenge him to take part in single combat, it is likely he would accept to save face and not seem a coward."

Edmund did not like the calculating look in Peter's eye as he answered Caspian. "That's a good idea. Except you can't be the challenger." There was no arrogance in his voice, only a clear, firm statement.

Not that Caspian was happy with that statement. Still, he managed to hold his temper as he asked Peter, in as a polite a voice as Edmund had ever heard, why he could not fight Miraz. And Edmund agreed completely with Peter's answer.

"It's a matter of strategy. You were raised and taught by Telmarines, under Miraz's instruction: He would know your fighting style, giving him an advantage. And, as family, he would know exactly what to say to distract you." Again, Peter spoke calmly, no tone of blame or spite. Edmund was glad to see that Caspian accepted Peter's reasoning, even if he was not happy about it. Better yet, Peter then skillfully reiterated his trust in Caspian by telling him that he hoped he would go with Susan to protect Lucy. There was no higher compliment to Caspian's skill and ability than entrusting him with the queens' safety.

Now, with Caspian settled, it was time for Edmund to put forth his own proposal. Unfortunately, along with his calm poise, Peter had apparently also regained his ability to tell exactly what Edmund was thinking. The younger king had barely opened his mouth before Peter gave his stern, "No, Edmund."

Of all the attributes Peter had to reclaim, it had to be his blasted overprotectiveness. "Peter, strategically I'm the best choice to fight Miraz. I fight like a Narnian, but Caspian has taught me Telmarine styles, so I can better read Miraz. And I've been back in Narnia longer." The last point was surprisingly a strong argument. The four months Edmund had been in Narnia had allowed him to regain much of the strength and skill he had as an adult. Though Peter was older, those months made the brothers equal in ability, if not given Edmund the advantage.

Peter, however, did not seem to accept this as sufficient reasoning, if the unmoved expression on his face was anything to go by. "Edmund, right now you're the one king we can't risk losing in a diversionary duel."

This made absolutely no sense to Edmund and he had no qualms about saying so. "Peter, Caspian is the king who can unite Telmarines and Narnians under one banner," he protested, "and you're the High King!"

Edmund almost shivered at the sharp, resolute look in Peter's eyes. "Yes," he admitted calmly, "but, right now, you're the only one whose orders the Narnians will trust without question. And if the duel should end badly, you have to be the one to lead them until Aslan arrives, if they are to have any hope of surviving. I will fight Miraz, because I am the most expendable."

The girls, and Caspian, gaped at Peter, and Edmund actually reeled back a step, eyes wide. For the past year Edmund had wanted Peter to acknowledge his contributions, his worth as a king, as he had during their reign. Not like this, though. He did not want Peter to think that the life of the High King was worth less than his brother's. "Peter…"

He didn't let Edmund finish his protestation. "You can't argue, after all that's happened, that the army wouldn't be wary of trusting my judgment."

"Or mine," insisted Caspian with a glare, not willing now to let Peter take all the blame – a new competition that Edmund would find humorous if it weren't frustrating his plans.

Peter nodded. "Besides, Ed," he added with a slight twinkle in his eyes. "There's something else I need you to do."

Edmund shook himself out of his reverie as Peter finished outlying the battle plan. He saw some of the Narnians looking between him and his older brother in concern, and unfortunately had to conclude that Peter might have been right in his description of Narnian morale. Edmund silently noted to himself to spread the 'rumor' that he completely supported the High King and their plan. He fully expected that they would eventually have to fight the Telmarines, and Edmund knew - or hoped - that Peter would be the one leading that battle, so the Narnians needed to be able to trust his leadership.

As he finished speaking, Peter asked for any input on the strategy. A few Narnians asked clarifying questions. Finally, Trumpkin spoke up with a question likely on more minds than his. "This plan is all well and good. But how can you be sure that Miraz will even accept the challenge? He has all the advantages."

Peter's almost wicked smile startled the Narnians. The High King pointedly looked at his brother, and Edmund matched his brother's smug look with a grin of his own. "Oh, he'll accept. Trust me, he'll accept."