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EDMUND

The sun was blaringly hot on his skin when he finally demounted Phillip. Truthfully, he hadn't meant to ride as long as he had, but with the arrival of the ambassador from Calormen and his entourage, Edmund had found himself spending increasingly less time in Cair Paravel.

Phillip nudged the King gently, "Will we ride out again tomorrow, Sire?"

"Most likely," Edmund replied, taking a paddled brush and grazing it over the talking horses mane. He caught Phillip's sidelong gaze and upon the concern held there, Edmund placed a comforting hand on Phillip's neck.

The talking horse was clearly reminiscing Edmund's first years in Cair Paravel when the Great Peace had begun. Edmund had taken to riding with Phillip in the mornings when he found he could bear the claustrophobic walls no longer. After years of sleeping under the stars, endless skirmishes and peace treaties to bring their land to order, Edmund found sitting still in the castle unsettling.

It was one such morning that Phillip saw Edmund trudging past the stable. He must have looked quite pitiful for Phillip offered to join him on his walk and at Edmund's request, offered him some council on his worries. Over time the two fell into a steady rhythm whilst the King became used to this new era in his reign. On days where Edmund was especially troubled, however, Phillip offered him a ride through the woods. For, according to the talking horse, "Nothing clears the mind better than the fresh morning air across your face".

It had taken the better part of a month to convince Edmund as he knew that a Talking Horse was not to be ridden except in times of great need and didn't want to dishonour his friend. Phillip, however, was stubborn and determined to get his way; in the end he had offered that the King can ride him upon invitation and in return the King must groom him personally. This, Edmund agreed to.

Eventually, when Edmund was able to fill his time with matters of state and council meetings, the morning rides lessened to once every few days. Nowadays he had even more on his plate with the threat of the Ettins invasion.

The attacks had stopped for the moment, and Peter had taken the opportunity to send the cartographic parties to the Northern Marshes to begin working on a map of the region. It was a sound plan and if everything ran smoothly, the parties would return in two or three months with detailed maps. Edmund offered a silent prayer to Aslan that the peace would continue to hold.

He would have taken a party to the border himself but with the Ambassador in residence and the unexpected arrival of Grace; it would be impossible for Edmund to leave Cair Paravel with a clear conscience.

So, he had begun riding daily again. If Phillip disliked the amount of riding they undertook, he did not protest.

With the silence in the North and the understandable yet complex nature of Susan's marriage contract to negotiate, he would normally have been fine. What bothered him most about the current predicament was that he had been unable to determine an appropriate job for Grace. It was such a simple task and the answer dangled at the tip of his tongue frustratingly.

To be clear, he had thought of over a dozen things she could do for work but knew that Lucy would immediately decline them all. He may be Grace's warden for the time being, but there was no need to tempt Lucy's fury by disgracing her friend.

Edmund patted the Talking Horses neck encouragingly, "Same time tomorrow then, old chap?"

Phillip whinnied in indignation, "Who are you calling old? I can see grey streaks in your mane, old chap."

"It's all the stress from seeing you every morning," Edmund quipped.

Phillip dipped his head into an oat bucket nearby, using his muzzle to launch it into the sky. Effectively covering the King in rolled oats. Phillip chortled humorously.

"Tomorrow then," Edmund laughed.

He hurried out of the stable, less anything else be thrown at him and began shaking the oats from his head as began the trek to the Cair. There was to be a council meeting today, and Susan would have his head if he was anything less than 'regal'.

Honestly, he'd been King for thirteen years and he didn't even know what that meant. He supposed it meant clean to begin with and if Susan was involved there would be an unnecessary amount of velvet and jewellery. She always was interested in matters of fashion which he didn't wholly understand.

As he was thinking and shaking his hair, he ran straight into someone. Her frame was small and barely reached his shoulder and he caught a whiff of jasmine as a flurry of dark hair swept away from the impact.

"Oof-" Susan muttered amongst the sound of fabric hitting each other. Then, she looked up and sighed, "Honestly, Edmund, why weren't you watching where you were going?"

Speak of the devil and the devil shalt appear, Edmund thought.

He looked down at her with a lopsided smile, "If I had then I would not be able to do this, dear sister."

He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her into the air, spinning them for a few short seconds while she protested in soft whispers.

"Edmund stop, let me down," Susan batted his head with her hands.

He dropped her obediently with a light thud, "My apologies. It seems I'm still a little overexcited from my ride."

Susan eyed his dark hair sceptically, "Is that why you have oats in your hair?"

Edmund smiled sheepishly and tousled it to expel the excess oats, "Yes."

Susan hummed knowingly.

"Theres a council meeting today," She began as she took his arm.

"Yes, yes," Edmund said impatiently, "I am going to bathe now. You needn't pester me."

"Good," Susan quipped, "It wouldn't do for you to lead a council meeting smelling like a horse."

Edmund automatically corrected her, "A talking horse. There is a difference in smell."

"Whatever the smell is, it isn't pleasant," She replied shortly.

Edmund raised his hands simply, "And so, I will take a bath. Relax Su."

Susan looked up at him sternly, her blue eyes stern, "You'd better."

They walked in peaceful silence after that, crossing the castle with mild haste. The council meeting was not for an hour or so if Edmund judged the sun correctly.

"Why am I leading the meeting today?" Edmund asked thoughtfully, "I'd thought Peter might have liked handle the talks of your marriage contract."

"Peter is running a small meeting separately with the Generals regarding the Ettinsmoor situation," Susan replied simply.

Edmund paused, incidentally yanking Susan to a halt also, "That doesn't make any sense."

Susan tugged him forward with increasing urgency. He really must smell bad if she was in such a hurry to get him in a bath.

"It makes the most sense, logically," She grunted a little from hauling his weight, "You are our best negotiator and will provide the best outcome for the marriage contract."

"I am also one of the best strategists," Edmund argued, "I should be in that meeting room. We will have to postpone the negotiations."

Susan eyes turned scalding, "No. It's already been a week. Any longer and the ambassador may think that we are hiding something."

Edmund rolled his eyes, "If the Prince comes to Narnia - which may I remind you, is something you requested - He is going to gather the situation anyway."

Susan hushed him, "By that point the contract will be drawn up and agreed to."

Edmund huffed and repeated, "I should be in that meeting.

"I hardly think Peter is going to leave you out," She reasoned, "If it bothers you so much you can meet with him later to go over details."

Edmund nodded, "I will."

"You'll need to fit it in amongst managing the trade affairs and correspondence," Susan added mildly.

Edmunds looked to her in surprise, "I thought you were handling that for me?"

Susan shuffled uncomfortably, it was a very un-Susan like action, "With keeping the ambassador busy and my correspondence with Rabadash, I'm no longer able to assist you."

Edmund sighed in annoyance, "Su, I can barely handle my workload as it is."

"I'm sure you'll find a way," Susan reasoned, "It is your work, no one would know how better to manage it than you."

"But I don't have the time," Edmund protested, "Between your marriage negotiations, the situation with Ettinsmoor and my current work, I am run completely off my feet."

Susan rubbed the arm hooked betwixt hers comfortingly, her eyes filled with sympathetic waves of blue, "I understand your plight, brother, but I am honest when I say I can no longer handle this matter for you. If the circumstances were different I wouldn't bother you but they are as is and cannot be ignored much longer. If I move to Calormen, there is no chance of this arrangement continuing…"

Susan continued on, rambling in a manner unlike herself. She was fidgeting with his sleeve subtly, as she did when her mind was preoccupied with unhappy thoughts. Edmund distinctly recalled it beginning when the initial declarations were sent to Calormen six months ago.

Susan had first concocted the idea of a marriage treaty with Calormen a year before; after she had received many offers of marriage but still had not found her match. It was at this point that Edmund recognised a resignation in her, as if she had been waiting and waiting, but the right person didn't appear.

He knew that she wasn't only looking for a husband, she was looking for a love-match. He commended her for it, knowing that finding a suitable partner for marriage that one felt strongly for would be a difficult feat. Lately, her hopes for this had begun to dissipate and Edmund could see that her mind had begun to shift to the logical.

It was then she began to look into prospects with nations Narnia had not yet allied with for as she'd said, "What is the point of claiming gentleness and beauty if it does not help my country."

Edmund was inclined to disagree with her, she was so much more than gentle and beautiful. These were her defining traits, it was true; one would not look at his sister and think differently. To Edmund, however, they were nothing compared to her true self. She was smart, efficient and a brilliant diplomat in the areas where he fell short.

Where Edmund focused and honed matters that were important to the Kingdom, Susan filled the empty spaces with the natural joy that she brought to everything. This joy came in many forms: parties, conversation, art, or ideas to name a few. Furthermore, if one were to enter a negotiation, Susan would be the voice of reason they would want at their side.

It pained him to see her whittle herself down to two simple words: gentle and beautiful. He supposed that for the sake of humble appearances, it served her well. That which is great is seen in a better light when it does not know it is so.

With the choice to join hands with Prince Rabadash in Calormen came one specific clause, she would move to Calormen permanently. It was a decision that Susan had mulled over for a long time and if Edmund thought honestly, he knew that she still had not decided.

Edmund patted her hand in reassurance, "I don't blame you, Su. Although I do wish you weren't going so far away."

Susan looked up at him, eyes welling with big tears, "Should you all be alright, do you think? If I decided to go."

"I'm sure we would be fine," He hushed her softly.

They stopped together at the foot of the western stairs and Edmund took the opportunity to pull her into an embrace and whisper, "We're all of age now, you can stop worrying about us."

Susan pulled away, nose wrinkled in disgust, "Clearly not, if you need to be reminded to bathe," She pushed him forcefully towards the stairs, "Go, before I throw a bucket on you."

Edmund laughed.