Beyond The Lamppost

How Rare and Beautiful it is to Even Exist

Lucy sighed warmly after taking a drink of her fresh hot chocolate, she smiled to herself when it warmed her up all the way down to her toes. She was standing on the balcony outside her room, holding her favorite Christmassy mug tightly in her hands. It was porcelain white, with silver snowflakes all over, and the very Lampost at Lantern Waste stood front and center. The mug was a Christmas gift from Peter, and it was even hand painted and had her name on it. The young queen treasured it deeply.

It was a beautiful winter night, there was snow glistening on the ground, it was cold but not unbearably so. Perfect weather for a cup of hot chocolate outside to keep you warm. Lucy loved winter nights like these.

She took another sip of hot chocolate, and her eyebrows furrowed when she noticed something. Or rather, someone. Edmund was walking towards the woods, which seemed perfectly normal if you didn't know him the way Lucy did. She could tell by his demeanor that he was upset, or had a lot on his mind. And when he got to the woods, he veered left, which instantly told Lucy that she was right. There wasn't much in that direction, and most people never went that way because it was simply a dead end. Most people, except for Lucy and Edmund. They had a secret hideout over there, nobody knew about it except them. They either went there together, or when they were upset or wanted to be alone.

Lucy sighed sadly and turned around, heading back inside. She grabbed a coat, her cup of hot chocolate, and headed outside.

It was about a five minute walk from the castle to the hideout, but Lucy walked quickly because she was worried about Edmund.

Just as Lucy suspected, Edmund was there. He was sitting on the bench, his head was down and his fingers were digging into his hair as he took deep breaths.

Lucy took a deep breath and slowly walked towards him. "Ed?"

Edmund gasped and his head shot up, once he realized it was only Lucy he let out a sigh of relief. "Lu." He said. "You scared me."

"Sorry." Lucy said, before sitting next to her brother. "I brought you some hot chocolate."

Edmund turned to face her, smiling as he took the cup from her. "Thanks." He said, before taking a sip. He let out a warm sigh as the hot chocolate warmed him up, he'd been outside for a while now and was starting to get cold. "How'd you know I was here?"

"I was on my balcony and saw you walking towards the woods." Lucy answered. "I could tell by your demeanor that you were upset or thinking about something. I think now that it's both."

The young king stared down at his cup before taking a deep breath and leaning back against the bench. "You've always been the best of us at reading our emotions."

Lucy smiled a little. "What's bothering you?" She asked, placing a gentle hand on her brother's arm.

Edmund was silent for a long while, he ran his fingers across the cup in his hands. Lucy was patient with him, Edmund was never good at showing his emotions and talking about his feelings. She knew he would talk to her when he was ready though.

"I've just been thinking a lot lately." He finally said.

"About what?"

Edmund took a deep, long breath, before he finally answered. "About what Aslan did for me."

"You mean how he died for you?"

Edmund nodded. "And how he forgave me so easily. I don't understand why he did. Or even why you all did."

"We forgave you because you apologized." Lucy said. "Because you regret your choices, and we all knew you were sorry. Most importantly, we forgave you because we love you."