soldier, poet, king || e. pevensie | slow updates

the king • 3

there will come a ruler, whose brow is laid in thorn, smeared with oil like david's boy, oh lei-oh lai-oh lord.

The man's sword fell to the ground with a clatter. The look on his face was priceless.

King Edmund thought back to earlier, of the man trying to steal his sister away. He hadn't believed that Edmund was a good fighter, and agreed to a duel.

"You win, Queen Susan will consider you a suitor. You lose, you pack your things and go," Edmund had said. Knowing he would crush this man, he didn't stop grinning the whole way through.

"You're just a kid! I mean, I hadn't expected Your Majesty to be so strong."

"Ah, yes," Edmund held his hand out to the suitor and helped him stand. "I was trained by the greatest swordsman in Narnia."

They shook hands, and the man reluctantly left the grounds.

"Ed, I wish you wouldn't do this." Queen Susan said quietly. "I can choose a husband just fine."

She was accompanied by Queen Lucy, as High King Peter was off doing who-knows-what.

"But this is just so much more fun." His cunning smile reappeared. "Now, I've got to change. I have a meeting soon and I must look presentable." He tossed his sword down next to the others and hurried to his quarters.

Perhaps Susan is right, He thought. She was old enough to decide who she wants to marry. He just wanted to practice with different and new swordsmen. With the help of his valet, he changed from his blue tunic to a similar colored ensemble. This included a cloak and his silver crown.

"Thank you, I'll be headed down now." His valet nodded and hurried out of the young Kings chamber. Edmund plopped onto his bed and sighed. He'd be meeting with the ambassadors and rulers of every nearby lands.

The boy was excited, but he also was dreading the meeting. He was years younger than these men, not even truly an adult yet. This was their annual meeting about all the happenings in the lands and how to maintain the peace during the Pevensies' rule.

He opened his door and slowly walked to the throne room. Fashionably late, of course.

"Gentlemen!" He announced as he crossed through the room to his throne. He glanced around the room, quickly taking a mental attendance.

King Lune of Archenland. A trustworthy ally. Emperor Tisroc of the Calormene Empire. Tensions had slowly been rising with the Calormen government, but Edmund was planning to turn that around. The King of Ettinsmor. Edmund was half-expecting said king to lunge across the table to slit his throat. They'd been in unofficial war with the Giants of Ettinsmor for years. The Telmarine king. Not very significant, if Edmund was being honest.

"Alright gentlemen. Let us get started. Dear King Lune, do you have a report from this past year?" Edmund directed everyone's attention to Lune.
"Not many new things, Your Majesty. The security is doing well, protecting from outsiders..."

He was interrupted by the King of Ettinsmor. "And what outsiders might there be, Lune? We're all here. Having a civil meeting."

"That's not what I meant, sir. All I am saying is that there is no threat to my land."
The other lords seemed to be enjoying the spat, and some looked like they wanted it to escalate.

"Now, Lune," Edmund butted in, glaring at the King of Ettinsmoor. "Is that all?"

"Yes, your Majesty." He bowed his head.

Edmund wasn't egotistical. Not that he knew of. He'd grown much since he first visited Narnia and was much more mature. He did like the feeling that he was in charge of this meeting, though. It was why he enjoyed hosting them. Traveling to Ettinsmor was not enjoyable. Ever.
"Tisroc. Anything?"

King Tisroc stroked his dark beard. "All has been well."
A lie.
"Our kingdom is running smoothly. Though I do see your older sister Susan is getting of age. You know, my son is around her age as well. Perhaps we could..." He smirked rather than sharing his idea. Edmund glared at him.

"I will not have you speak of my own sister, a Queen of Narnia, in this way. Now if you can be civilized, tell the truth about what you want with Narnia."

The Calormene man just looked away, before saying more. "My empire wants nothing from you. We only wish to strengthen our bond. I was simply making an observation."

"Oh, there are plenty of observations I could make about you right now, but I am an example, as this is my castle and therefore I have every right to dismiss you from this conference." Edmund kept his chin up high and ignored Tisroc for the rest of the gathering. They'd gotten off on the wrong foot and there was no turning back.
There was glaring, arguing, some shouting, and no civilized conversation.
Edmund spent much of his time rubbing the bridge of his nose to reduce his headache. It didn't work.

Many hours later, they finally wrapped up. King Edmund had gotten in a few comments about the Narnians and their needs, and also a few comments that struck chords with the other rulers. That was his favorite part. Degrading them with sarcastic comments and shocking them silent.

As soon as the last one of them had left, he ran up the stairs and back to his chambers to change immediately. Back into his tunic. He needed to fight. Once he'd pulled off his shirt, though, he realized how bored he'd still be. He'd fought every swordsman nearby so many times that he wasn't getting any challenges.

Perhaps he needed a personal guard. With excellent skills. A new one, someone who he had never fought before and could learn from or teach. But getting someone new would be a pain, and he didn't like people that much anyway. He decided against the training and put his other tunic back on. He'd wander the grounds or bother Lucy. Perhaps both.

He lazily strolled through the castle until he reached his favorite spot: a window in the library. He grabbed one of his favorite mystery novels. As he sat there, reading, he soon found himself falling fast asleep.

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lolz pls vote and stay hydrated