Liana sat perfectly still on the settee at the foot of the bed. Lyra lay curled up at her feet, her tail's dull thumps on the carpet making the only sound in the room. Her eyes stared unblinkingly at the door. It was unlocked, but Liana wasn't scared. She was numb. She felt like she was holding her breath, unable to exhale until Edmund was next to her. It was highly unlikely that anyone would harm him, no matter how much they hated her. But the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach was getting worse with every passing second that he was not near her. The day Ronas had come to her, she had known something bad would happen. Her hands shook as she pushed her hair out of her face. Lyra looked up at her.
"You should not underestimate King Edmund's ability to look after himself, Healer Liana," purred the cheetah. "Calm yourself."
"I'm fine," said Liana. Her voice was hoarse. She cleared her throat, then froze as she heard the door open quietly. She stood up and Lyra automatically took two paces in front, her teeth bared. When Edmund's head poked inside, she stood down. Liana sighed with relief.
"I thought you might have gone to sleep," said Edmund. He ran a hand through his hair and made to close the door. He raised his eyebrows when Lyra slipped past his legs and escaped just before it shut.
"I couldn't sleep," Liana cleared her throat again. Edmund's gaze softened as he approached her. Her face crumpled and she looked away, taking a deep breath. She had never been more relieved.
Edmund's eyes were sad when she met his gaze again. "Its alright," he whispered. "I'm here now."
Her heart broke when she realized he thought she was looking away from him. She couldn't bear it. Covering her face with her hands, she sat back down. When she was sure her expression wouldn't betray her true feelings, she removed her hands from her face. "Did you find anything?" she asked finally.
"Nothing," Edmund sat down next to her. "The guards did hear the noise but so did others. Quite a few people were out walking tonight. They weren't very alert."
"Naturally. This doesn't happen here."
"But it did," he rested his hand on top of hers, unclenching her fist and entwining their fingers. "I will find who did this, Liana. I promise."
"You shouldn't," she sighed. Edmund frowned. "It won't happen once I move back home, to the village."
"What do you-"
"Its obvious this is because someone does not like the fact that this-" she held up their linked hands. "-is being allowed to continue."
"Allowed to?" Edmund's expression darkened. "I do not need permission-"
"-you need approval-"
"-which I will get when the time comes! What does this have to do with anything? Who has spoken to you?"
Liana looked away. "No one."
"You're lying."
"Of course I am. I can't tell you."
"Why not?"
"Because there is no reason for it," Liana let go of his hand and held her head. "And lower your voice, I think I'm getting a headache."
Immediately, Edmund's hands were pushing her own away. He brushed her hair away from her eyes and leaned his forehead against hers, holding her head still with the tips of her fingers. He gently massaged her temples with his thumbs, his heart lurching when he saw the slight mark on the side of her face that had never gone away. Liana sighed and closed her eyes, her shoulders slumping. "Better?" his voice was soft.
"Yes," she rubbed her nose against his. He chuckled. She smiled without opening her eyes. "I'm glad you came back early."
"So am I," he murmured. "I've never seen you so scared."
Liana sighed. "I was scared," she opened her eyes and gently removed her face from his grip. "But not anymore."
"I hope I helped."
"You always do," she smiled wanly. Suddenly, Edmund scrunched up his face. Liana couldn't help but giggle. She knew that expression. "You're tired. You should sleep."
"I'm fine."
"Your eyes are bloodshot and you can barely stand," she smiled a little. "And you just tried to resist a yawn."
"Of course not."
"I know when you're tired. Its my job. Sleep."
"What will you do while I sleep?" Edmund raised an eyebrow. Liana shrugged. He shook his head. "You need sleep more than I do."
"We are not both sleeping in this room at the same time."
Edmund gave her a pointed look. "Liana, we have a guard outside the door and you are known to spend the night in the village sometimes. My siblings will return tomorrow morning. Honestly, we could do all sorts of inappropriate things and nobody would find out."
Liana blushed. "'Inappropriate' being the key word here, King Edmund."
Edmund rolled his eyes and stood up. He held out his hand. "Come on."
Liana took his hand and allowed him to pull her towards the sofa in the corner. It was large enough to serve as a bed, and as Edmund tossed a few cushions off it, she realized he had probably slept on it more than once. He pulled her down and before she knew it they were lying down with her back pressed against his chest. It was ridiculously comfortable. Liana sighed as she readjusted her head on his arm. "I hate you."
Edmund chuckled. "I'm sure you do," he pressed a kiss to her shoulder. "I haven't slept on this in a long time."
"Why?"
He nuzzled the back of her neck. "When we first came to Narnia, I had trouble sleeping," he sighed. "It was just easier to sleep here than on the bed."
Liana frowned. "But you move around in your sleep. How did you manage?"
Edmund chuckled. "I shouldn't be surprised that you know that about me. How many nights did you spend here, Liana?"
"Enough to know something important must have made you sleep here. What was it?"
Edmund sighed. "The bed was too big and the room was too empty. I had always shared a room with Peter. I was afraid."
"Did you have nightmares?" asked Liana. She held the hand that rested against her stomach and pressed it against her face.
Edmund's fingers brushed her cheek. "Every night."
"What were they about?" he shrugged. Liana bit her lip. "Did you talk to anyone about it?"
Edmund snorted. "Do you think I did?"
Liana sighed. "No."
"Lucy slept alone and she was younger than me. Susan didn't have any trouble. Neither did Peter. It was just me. I rearranged the room a hundred times but it was always the same. I kept seeing creatures in the shadows and voices calling me a coward," he shuddered. Liana turned around in his arms so she was facing him and touched his face sympathetically. His eyes were tired. "I don't think they were wrong."
Liana shook her head. "You are the bravest and most honorable man I have ever met."
Edmund's lips twitched. "Then you haven't met many."
Liana scowled and leaned in, giving him a quick kiss. He frowned when she pulled away. She stroked his cheek. "You were a child. You were alone and afraid. When I first moved to Narnia I couldn't even walk out on the street alone, and I had my whole family with me."
Edmund smiled. "You're trying to justify my hallucinations."
"They weren't hallucinations, Edmund. You're too hard on yourself."
Edmund shrugged and pulled her closer, resting his chin on top of her head. Liana bit her lip and rested her palms against his chest. His heart was slow and steady; it soothed her. "I started sleeping on this," he continued speaking quietly. "It was comfortable, and not too grand. It made me feel just a little bit safer, and a little bit more like myself."
"You don't need furniture for that, Edmund. You are incredibly down-to-earth."
"Perhaps," Edmund acknowledged. "But I'd like to stay that way."
"You won't change."
"I hope not."
There was silence as Edmund absently played with her hair. Liana broke it. "Thank you for sharing this with me," she murmured. "I know you're a very private person."
"I have no secrets from you," said Edmund simply.
"But I have secrets from you," she sighed. "I am sorry, Edmund."
"You'll tell me when you're ready," he kissed her forehead. "You should sleep now. We can talk about everything in the morning."
Liana bit her lip again, but thought better of speaking. Resting her head against his chest, she fell asleep to the steady beat of Edmund's heart, failing to see the mask of resolve that slipped onto his face as soon as she looked away from it.