Phillip steps aside as Edmund returns alone. Edmund pauses at the threshold and glances back into the night. He trusts Adan to do as he said, but that doesn't mean he won't still worry about him.
"Your friend?" the princess asks, drawing Edmund's attention.
"Adan," he responds, turning away from the entrance at last. The girl, who repeats the Wolf's name with a short nod, is dressed now in his spare clothes— which look less like a shirt and trousers on her and more like the tunic and leggings Lucy prefers while sailing— with the blanket pulled tight around her shoulders. She stands across the fire from him at the back of the cave, watching the entrance behind Edmund anxiously.
"He'll be back. He's checking the trail," Edmund explains, exchanging a look with Phillip. The Horse snorts in a concerned sort of way, but says nothing. The girl, though, shifts her anxious gaze to Edmund.
"They weren't far behind," the princess says, her hands clutching the edges of the blanket. "I could hear them in the woods all day." Phillip looks at Edmund meaningfully, and Edmund looks down at the fire.
"That…" Edmund rubs at the back his neck, pushing his hood off his head to shake the fine layer of snow off and then replacing it. He stalls, adding a few more branches to the fire.
It had seemed a good idea at the time to observe her before interacting. Knowing now what they may have run into if they'd collected her earlier and turned back for Corsecant, he was glad they had opted to follow from a distance. However, though making noises in the woods had been effective in prodding her toward the right path after Adan had found the cave ahead, Edmund realizes now how terrifying that might have been for the princess.
"That was us," Edmund admits slowly. When he looks up at last, the princess simply stares down at him. "We picked up your trail by midday, and caught up to you after a few hours," he adds.
Edmund expects shouting or anger of some sort— having been on the receiving end of his sisters' ire more than a time or two— but she says nothing. Instead, she slowly sinks to the ground and tugs the blanket tight around her shoulders. She pulls her knees up to her chin, but Edmund can still see the slight glow of a blush on her cheeks. He looks to Phillip, but the Horse merely tilts his head toward the girl. Edmund sighs.
"I'm sorry," he says quietly, still crouched across the fire from her. "We didn't—"
"I know," she interrupts stiffly. Edmund can see her hands clenching tighter in the bunched up fabric by her knees. "I understand," she adds, addressing the fire.
After a moment, Edmund gets up, not knowing what more he might say. He busies himself instead with his other supplies. There's a bedroll still leaned against the far side of the cave, and the hastily gathered pile of deadfall and branches. He reaches to add more thick branches to the fire, hoping to stave off the cold as the light snow continues to fall outside.
"I'll take the first watch," he tells Phillip.
"Sir— um…" the princess says suddenly, glancing up at Edmund.
"Edmund," he supplies. "And Phillip," he adds, nodding to the Horse. Susan would never let him forget it if she knew what a lapse in manners he'd perpetrated, but until now he hadn't even thought of introductions.
"Sir Edmund," she says, and Edmund winces at the misunderstanding. She continues before he can correct the title, though. "Won't the fire draw in others?" she asks, her gaze straying to the entrance rather than meeting Edmund's eyes. Edmund follows her gaze, considering, but ultimately dismissing the concern.
"No one will be traveling tonight," he decides, "It's too dark with the new moon and cloud cover." Edmund picks up the bedroll now. He's behind the girl, and when Phillip looks at him he gestures to the girl and then the empty space between her and the back of the cave. Phillip eyes the stone floor uneasily. Edmund knows the Horse needs at least a few hours rest, just as any non-talking horse would. He also knows, however, that both Talking and dumb horses prefer to lay down only when they feel secure, and Phillip's uneasy gaze at the entrance tells Edmund that's not the case.
"You should sleep," Edmund says, sending another look at Phillip while spreading out the bedroll behind the girl. She glances back at Edmund, but quickly returns her nervous gaze to the cave entrance.
"Of course!" Phillip says suddenly, all traces of anxiety suddenly gone. He quickly skirts around the edge of the cave to position himself behind the girl and lowers himself carefully to the ground. Edmund sees his slight wince, but he hides it quickly as the princess turns to watch him. "Come," Phillip says, addressing the princess, "We'll keep each other warm and everything will look much better in the morning. You'll see!"
The princess hesitates, but at a slight wave from Edmund as he crosses to the entrance she shifts backwards onto the bedroll. With her back against Phillip, she lays on her side, eyes still fixed on the fire. While Edmund stares out into the dark, Phillip regales the princess with stories of past adventures and insurmountable odds that had turned out in their favor. Though only by the Lion's grace, Edmund thinks, and he hopes one day this particular adventure will be the same.
It's nearly an hour before Phillip's voice trails off. Edmund looks over his shoulder to see that the princess, curled tightly under the blanket, has finally fallen asleep. Phillip settles his head gently near hers, and it's not long before the crackling of the fire and the deep breaths of his companions are the only sounds within the cave. Edmund shifts his weight, staring into the night.
The snow is falling slightly faster now, but it still seems to Edmund only enough for a light dusting. He tightens and loosens his grip on his sword, over and over, waiting for Adan to return.