Back To Square One

By the time realisation dawned on Edmund there was no turning back. Susan continued to lead him and Lucy determinedly towards the Grove, eyes fixed on the path ahead and mouth set in a firm line.

"You'd better have a good reason for this," he muttered to his older sister. There was no time to lose and he wasn't prepared to deal with loss of lives tonight. He knew there would be no arguing with the Gentle Queen so he followed her horse in a pouty silence.

A faint orange light had appeared in front of them; some sort of small fire was burning. As they drew closer Edmund began to hear voices. They were soft, musical voices, soft as a summer breeze and yet as wild as the whistle of wind across a hilltop. Dryads.

The forest Spirits seemed to be highly agitated about something. Susan halted her mare far enough away from the circle of light cast by the fire so that they could watch unnoticed in the shadows. A group of about twenty were crouched in a circle to the right of the fire, though they remained a good distance away from it. A selection of branches of a similar size had been arranged neatly side-by-side on the ground and the workers seemed to be weaving vines in and out of the gaps between them as though they were making a wicker basket. The structure was long and wide enough for a human – or a Dryad – to lie on with a little room to spare.

Towards the far left of the small clearing, another group of five or six Dryads were huddled close together. They seemed to be discussing something with great fervour. Something lay at their feet, although their position prevented Edmund and the girls from glimpsing more than a dark, lumpy shadow from where they stood.

Closest to the fire stood Davlon and a Dryad woman that Edmund had never seen before, but from her posture and the respectful inclination of Davlon's head he guessed she must be the new Empress. She was nowhere near as beautiful as Nina but, like all nature Spirits, was far prettier than any of the girls back in England. She and the Centaur were in deep conversation, their eyes switching from one side of the clearing to the other. Something decidedly melancholy hung over them all like a heavy cloud. It made Edmund's skin tingle without him really knowing why. Philip's body shifted beneath him – the Horse could sense it too.

"What do you suppose is going on?" asked Lucy in a rather loud whisper.

Susan glanced around nervously, afraid someone had heard them. "I don't know but I'm not sure I like it," she said in a barely-audible voice.

"Are we just going to stand here all night?" Edmund demanded. He urged Philip forwards and, before either of the girls could stop him, entered the circle of firelight. The activity around him immediately ground to halt and every pair of eyes turned in his direction.

Davlon was the first to speak. "King Edmund?"

Edmund nodded at the Centaur distractedly. "Good to see you." He was hyper-aware of the Empress' fierce glare and a part of his mind began to wonder what it was he'd done to offend her. "I don't believe we've met," he said to her coolly.

"I know who you are," the Dryad woman replied. Her tone was none too friendly.

Edmund raised his eyebrows. "May I have the… pleasure of knowing your name, Lady?" The politeness was obviously forced.

"Maia," she answered shortly.

"I presume you know what I'm here for, Lady Maia?" Her eyes narrowed further; Edmund took it as an affirmative. "If you would be so kind, then…" He gestured with his arm, indicating the Grove as a whole.

"I'm afraid that's out of the question." Shock knocked the words out of Edmund; he could only blink in response. Davlon took a step forward and started to speak but was silenced by Maia. "From what I've learned about you and Zia, Sire, she does not wish to see you."

"You're mistaken," Edmund growled.

"Zia is under my protection – it is up to me to keep her safe and if that means keeping her away from you and your siblings then I shall do just that."

"Is that any way to address your king?" Edmund exclaimed.

"Sire…" Philip murmured. Edmund shushed him; he presently didn't care if he woke up the entire forest.

"If Your Majesty would be so kind, it would be much appreciated if you left immediately," Maia said in a low voice, her eyes flashing in the glow of the dancing flames.

"I'm not going anywhere until I see Zia!"

"Edmund!" Lucy cried from the trees. The young Queen was cold and tired and wished for nothing more than to curl up in her bed back at Cair Paravel. The dark expression on her brother's face caused her stomach to turn and her horse scraped at the ground uneasily with its front hoof.

"Quiet, Lu." Edmund addressed his sister softly but the gentleness was forced. The Just King turned back to the Dryad Empress, whose demeanour had not altered. Her stance remained robust and stubborn and her dark eyes bore fearlessly into Edmund's across the clearing.

"I shall ask you one more time; I request an audience with Zia."

"I forbid it," Maia returned.

"You have no right!"

"I have a right to protect my clan! I'm sure you of all people would understand that, my Lord."

"Stop it!" Susan and Lucy shouted.

Suddenly the clearing erupted into a raucous of indignant yells as the Dryads leapt to their Empress' defence and Susan and Lucy moved their horses to flank Edmund. The argument between Edmund and Maia was all but drowned out and very soon a number of sleepy forest creatures had gathered and grumpily requested to be told what all the fuss was about. They saw the three monarchs and grew even more confused; they began muttering amongst themselves and their noise only added to the thunderous clashing of voices.

"Enough!"

This last commanding yell finally threw everyone into silence. Zia stood beside Davlon; she had changed out of the dress Lucy had picked out for her back at the Cair, which had been torn and filthy and not fit to be seen, and kicked off the beige slippers to feel the earth under her feet. The din had disturbed her whilst tending to Breejit and she had stood watching the chaos in utter disbelief.

"You're all behaving like children!" This was said with a meaningful glance at the three Pevensies. "Edmund, Lucy, Susan, you should all know better. With all due respect, my Lady, so should you. No one within a mile will have slept through that noise and it's extremely important that Breejit rests as much as possible – he's been through a very traumatic time, he needs prayers right now, not more stress. Now, if you'd all be so kind, I'd like to get back to my work in peace and quiet."

"Zia, wait!" Edmund called as she started to walk away.

The ground shifted unsteadily beneath Zia's feet as she turned to gaze at the King. His pale skin bore an orange tint from the firelight but the expression on his face was as clear as day. Her stomach did nervous little flip-flops and her throat suddenly went dry. Where had he been when she needed him most? He could go on about protecting her and keeping her safe forever but he had failed to keep his word when carrying it out had been so crucial. She couldn't really blame Maia for wanting him gone; part of her felt the same way.

Yet, his eyes were so sad, so honest, that Zia doubted her own thoughts almost as soon as they passed through her mind. She found herself once again hit with the urge to throw herself into his warm, strong embrace and cling to his solid body to stop her body tearing apart at the seams. There was so much he needed to know – especially about Pelerine. But something held her back.

"I have to get back to Breejit," she said quietly and hurried away.

"I won't give up on you, Zia!" Edmund called after her, not caring about the thirty pairs of eyes still fixed on him. "Don't think for a moment this is farewell!"

A few days later, Breejit was on the road to recovery. Zia knelt in her near-permanent position by his side where he lay on a soft bed of leaves and earth. His large brown eyes were fully open now and he could raise his head to lap up the herbal medicine Zia prepared for him on the hour, every hour. He still preferred not to talk and slept most of the time but his progress put Zia in a good mood. There was a smile on her face as someone approached her from behind.

"Zia?" Zia turned to look at the visitor, a Dryad she had never seen before. She was a head taller than Zia with long earthy-brown hair and, unlike the Dryads Zia knew, the stranger's skin was tinted green. "My name is Ivy," said the woman, "I was sent here from Cair Paravel – I work in the hospital alongside Lady Alexandra, who I'm told you already know?"

"Oh, yes! I hope she is well?"

"Yes, very well. She just returned from Archenland and went straight back to work, wouldn't even hear of resting first. In fact, she said I was the one who should be resting." Ivy chuckled. "Do you mind if I talk to you in private?"

Zia glanced down at the Fox. His eyes were heavy and he appeared to be half-asleep. "The medicine contains a sleeping draught," she said. "He won't be aware of us at all in a few minutes."

Ivy nodded. "I have a message for you from His Majesty the King."

"Which one?" Zia asked, already knowing the answer.

Just then they were interrupted by the rustling of trees and the twins, Daliah and Delilah, toddled rather unsteadily over to plop down beside their furry friend. Visits from them were very common and they knew to keep very quiet when Breejit was sleeping.

Ivy's eyes lit up when she saw the two girls. "Who are these lovely young ladies?"

Zia looked from Ivy to the twins. The expression on Ivy's face was one of pure delight; it was as though she had never seen children before, or was a mother looking upon her new-born baby for the very first time.

"This is Daliah and Delilah," Zia introduced them, indicating each of the twins in turn. The girls gazed at Ivy with their large eyes. "They're Bree's biggest fans."

Daliah pressed a pudgy finger to her lips. "Ssshhh! Bree seepin'."

Zia nodded and put her own finger against her mouth. She gestured to Ivy and stood up. She led Ivy a little way into the forest, making sure she could still see the twins watching over Breejit between the tree trunks. "What's the message?"

Ivy tore her eyes away from Daliah and Delilah. "King Edmund requests that you will meet him at the beach two nights from tonight," she said. "He said you'd know the place he's talking about."

Zia's stomach squirmed uncomfortably. "I can't leave Breejit," she mumbled feebly.

Ivy glanced over Zia's shoulder. "Looks like he's in perfectly good hands," she said smiling. "Of course, I shall stay here and keep watch over the girls."

Part of Zia would have been happy to walk to Cair Paravel right away to see Edmund but the memory of the distress when he hadn't come to save her kept that urge back. There had to be some explanation as to why he didn't show up when she'd been in that dungeon. From everything he'd told her that evening on the beach and in the brief moments they had spent alone together, it seemed he would have had a rescue party assembled within ten minutes of finding out she'd gone missing. There was nothing she wanted more than to believe that.

Taking a deep breath to dispel the doubts from her mind, Zia nodded. As Ivy went back to fuss over Daliah and Delilah, Zia stayed where she was and prayed to Aslan that Edmund wouldn't give her reason to regret her decision.

Alexandra knew she was going to be in trouble with Edmund. He had that look on his face - the look that would often be seen on his father's face when someone was going to get a smack for being naughty. She had been anticipating this telling off ever since she had arrived back from her trip in Archenland. He was going to be angry with her, she knew that. There was no way she was going to get away with this one.

With a slow, deep breath she knocked and entered through the door to Edmund's private chambers. His room was as grand and furnished as Peter's with a golden and scarlet king-sized bed. His wooden desk was unusually tidy where it stood in the corner by his fireplace and bookshelf. Edmund was standing tense by his balcony window looking out towards the sea.

Alexandra gulped and cleared her throat. "You called for me?" she said tentatively.

"Sit."

She flinched at the harshness in his voice. Yes, she was definitely in trouble. She closed the door quietly behind her and sat down at Edmund's desk. Edmund remained facing the sea, his hands clasped behind him in a formal and almost calm gesture. Alexandra wasn't fooled – she could feel the tension rolling off him from where she sat apprehensively in her seat, fidgeting with her hands and occasionally drumming her fingers against her thigh.

After what felt like an eternity Edmund let out a sigh, turning around and looking at his friend with a hardened expression. "Why?" Alexandra hesitantly looked up at him through her eyelashes. "Why did you try to stop me from rescuing Zia? You know how I feel about her, so why?"

"I was following what Peter told me to do," she replied in a quiet voice.

"You could have said no," Alexandra began to shake her head in protest but Edmund interrupted her. "No, don't give me that. Just because Peter is High King and always has the final say doesn't mean he's always right. I thought we were family Alex."

"We are -"

"Then why?" Edmund seethed. He glared at her across the room, his brown eyes full of a mixture of anger, confusion and hurt. Alexandra took a deep breath and stood up from her perch. She was just going to have to tell him the truth.

"You weren't thinking with your head," she said, keeping her eyes fixed on the King's pale face, which was flushed pink with his rising temper. "If you had just gone gallivanting off to rescue her without thinking it through first then you could have died."

"I wouldn't have died. I'm not that stupid."

"What did you think we were going to do?" Alexandra exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. "You looked so determined about it I thought you were going to elope with her or something."

"And what if I did?" Edmund's voice trembled in a barely controlled fury. Alexandra came to a screeching halt and stared at him in shock.

"I... what... Excuse me?" Alexandra spluttered. Edmund turned his back on her and stared out of the window.

"Alex, you know I l-"

"Don't you dare, Edmund Pevensie," Alexandra said through gritted teeth, "Don't you dare say the l-word! You barely know anything about her!" Her own fury rose began to leak out of her and mingle with Edmund's, causing the air between them to spark and crackle.

"I know enough," he replied stubbornly. Alexandra wanted to grab his shoulders and scream at him – either that or just slap some sense into him outright.

"Oh, stop being so foolish! You're King, for Aslan's sake. You can't just run away with her, you have commitments! She has a family, you have a family! You belong here with them! With us, Edmund!"

"If I can't be with Zia then I will run away with her."

"No!" Alexandra reached forward and turned her friend forcefully around to face her. Edmund looked away towards a particular area above his bed. "Please Edmund, listen to yourself. If you even think about eloping with Zia you will rip this family apart." The physician's voice trembled and her eyes stung with the threat of fresh tears. "What is this really about Edmund? Do you think that we won't support you? Do you think that we don't know how you feel about Zia?"

Edmund turned his head to look at Alex with a frown. There was something in her voice - something he could've sworn sounded like... No, it couldn't be. He would know.

"All we're asking is for you to think through what you're doing. We don't want to see you hurt again. Do you know how much we care about you?"

"Of course I do." Edmund rolled his eyes.

"Do you? Do you really realise how much you mean to us? How much you mean to me?" Alex could feel the tears threatening to fall as she desperately tried to make him understand.

"What are you talking about? We're family, I know that. How can I not understand how much I mean to you all?" Edmund groaned in frustration. Alex stepped away from him and slowly started to edge back towards the door. Edmund's forehead creased with concern. "Alex? What's wrong?"

Alex shook her head, still edging back. "I knew it..."

"What is it, Alex?" Edmund asked worriedly. Did he say something wrong?

Of course he wouldn't understand. Alexandra had her hand on the door handle and her back pressed against the wood, staring at Edmund with huge, tear-filled eyes.

"Alex..? What did I say wrong?" Edmund asked, alarmed at the destroyed expression on his best friend's face. He reached out to her but she slapped him away.

Without looking back, Alexandra ran from the room, tears streaming down her cheeks and feeling like a fool, leaving Edmund behind alone and confused, still wondering what he'd done wrong.