Edmund slowly became aware of his surroundings and for a moment, he felt lost. He was in his room in Cair Paravel a mere moment ago- or so he thought. Now, he was walking through a snow-covered forest. It wasn't unpleasant as he remembered. No, the forest was calm and the sun overhead was bathing the land warm rays of light.
In the light of the forest, there was nothing to fear- even if Edmund was cautious of snow. But something about this place felt comforting and almost welcoming.
"Do you like it?" a deep voice asked, making Edmund glance to his right. There, standing next to him was Aslan, giant, golden and magnificent to say the least.
"Um," Edmund was unsure what to say to the lion's question. "Should I?"
"For awhile, I suppose," the Lion laughed a bit, nudging him lovingly. "I never thought Jadis would do something so… interesting."
"Can you fix it? The curse?" Edmund asked next as they continued to walk together through the snow, leaving a trail behind them.
"Yes, but not yet. There is much I see upon the horizon that troubles me. Tell me, Son of Adam, does her power trouble you?"
"…No." That was the truth. Edmund felt ashamed to admit he didn't mind them. "I suppose it's what I wanted all along."
"Yes, it is," Aslan sighed heavily, coming to a halt in a wide clearing. "And it is of great use. Kneel, Edmund the Just, King of Narnia."
This he did without question or hesitation. As he did, Edmund could feel Aslan's approving gaze follow.
"Do you acknowledge I am son of the Emperor across the sea?"
"Yes."
"And as much, am the rightful ruler of Narnia?"
The young boy nodded again and a gentle purr met his ears.
"Do you understand you remain under my command? And any command I ask of you, you shall carry out?"
"I do understand."
"Then, I command you, Edmund the Just, King of Narnia to merely do as your brother will ask. I know it will be a difficult burden for you to carry, but I hereby entrust you with protecting Narnia with the deep magic that dwells within. Use it only for this purpose and you shall have my blessing and a willing ally."
"Yes, Aslan," Edmund understood what he meant.
"Now," the Lion said after a pause, "allow me to share the knowledge of old so you may go forth and protect my lands and my people."
The Lion bent down to Edmund's level and as their eyes met, the wisdom of all things, of the Deep Magic was shared.
Then, Edmund awoke in bed. The light of the morning coming through the windows of his room and he sense he wasn't alone. He glanced to his right and saw his father, the man he missed so dearly, sitting next to the bed, asleep. Edmund smiled a little, only to shudder as a wave of nausea washed over him.
Don't think about that.
But it was unavoidable. It lingered in his mind in the form of a throbbing headache and made his stomach turn. The witch's enchantment- the Turkish delight was created through blood magic. Blood he consumed and filled his every sense with delight- and made him wish to do as she commanded.
Edmund groaned and leaned back on the pillows. Perhaps if he slept, his mind would settle along with his stomach. But before he could close his eyes again, his father awoke. The man instantly asked how he felt and how long he had been awake.
"I don't know," the young king admitted, suddenly becoming aware of how dry his mouth felt. But speaking made Edmund realize he was able to breathe again- making it clear Lucy had healed him. "Did you sleep all right?"
He had no idea what to say to his father. There were so many things he wanted to say, but couldn't find the words.
"As best as one can in a chair," John laughed a little and related how Peter brought them all to Narnia. "I didn't think it was real to be honest. But here we are and I am glad we came. Lucy's grown so much since the last time I saw her, and you…does it bother you? This curse?"
"Not as much as I thought," Edmund muttered, not sure if he wanted to talk about any of this- "Is that wrong?"
He had wanted to ask Aslan that, but knew the Lion understood his feelings. As for his father, Edmund had no idea and that scared him. Would he be upset with him, or worse, afraid of him?
"Not if you use it for good," John told him, a hand reaching for his own. "Anyway, your siblings told me over dinner last night how Lucy discovered Narnia. And by the sounds of it, you're a hero for breaking that Witch's wand."
"Almost died, though," Edmund noted, wishing his siblings hadn't mentioned his heroic deeds.
"But you were saved by Lucy and Aslan and I am grateful to them both. Honestly, I never thought you would be a soldier like me- not that I would want you to become caught up in this war-"
"Then why did you leave?" Edmund didn't understand. If his father didn't want to go to war, then why did he leave at all?
"I didn't have a choice," John said, moving to sit on the side of the bed. "Britain drafted me into the army. I didn't want to go- but I thought of you, Lucy, Peter, Susan… all of you and I knew in my heart, I had to do what I could to protect my family. I am sure you understand- at least a little."
"Yes," Edmund hated to admit it, "I do. But I wish I didn't." When the Witch was making her way toward Peter, he just knew what he had to do. "Dad… I am sorry."
"What for?"
"I hated you, because you left us. Left me and I… I was horrible. I am sorry."
"It's all right now." John wrapped an arm around his son's shoulder. "And from what I hear, your whole adventure in Narnia was quite an ordeal. I can't imagine what it was like for you to be kidnapped at the talking Beaver's house. It must have been frightening. But you're a brave boy, Edmund."
"…Thank you," Edmund stammered, not sure what he meant by 'kidnapped', but he wasn't going to correct his father. If that's the story his other siblings had decided to tell him, then that was the story. "I…"
"What?" John asked.
Edmund glanced away, not sure if he was just going to embarrass himself. "I-I love you, dad."
John tightened his grip on his son's shoulder and kissed the top of his head. "Love you, too. Now, do you want to rest more, or try to eat some breakfast? According to Lucy, you should be feeling better now. After the doctors finished fixing you up, she used some kind of magic to completely heal you."
"Food sounds good," Edmund admitted, realizing his stomach felt a bit better. "But I am sleepy."
"Well, sleep for now if you can," John said and tucked his son back into bed, before settling into the chair again. "The pain medication should wear off by the time you wake up."
"Good…and Dad?"
"Yes?"
"Have you heard from Mum? Is she all right?" Even though he didn't worry about her like Peter did, and Edmund knew his brother did, he was still concerned about his mum back in London.
"I have," John told him. "And she is doing her best and most importantly, she's all right."
"Good," Edmund smiled and finally let his eyes close. Soon, he was back in a deep sleep, one void of dreams, but full of peace.
A/N: I AM BACK! Thanks again to Elecktrum here on FFN ( u/450594/) for writing such an awesome headcanon- that Jadis made that Turkish Delight from her blood. It's so creepy and weird, I love it and am glad to be using it in this story. Thanks for replying to my PM I sent you about it. :)
And so, I did skip ahead in time here. The last chapter with Susan was yesterday and after reading CURRENT OBSERVATIONS ON WAR WOUNDS OF THE CHEST By COLONEL B. NOLAND C. AND LIEUTENANT COLONEL MICHAEL E. DEBAKEY - MEDICAL CORPS, U. S. ARMY (AUG 1944) - I learned what I needed to continue with this story. Because I wasn't sure exactly what was done for chest wounds during this time. So, this one comes from the US and talks about injuries from the Civil War and forward. So, I learned a few things: 1. Wounds from shrapnel and other larger sources should not be stitched until the wounds could be properly cleaned. 2. Draining of the chest could take place a day or so after the patch job. 3. The patch job was done with gauze and adhesive plaster. 4. Lung injuries, if drained properly don't tend to start bleeding again. So, in short, that's why Edmund isn't coughing up blood or anything. Also, if you're wondering why Lucy healed him, it was because she was given the go-ahead by the doctors once they made sure everything was in order.