Romeo || Edmund Pevensie

Hole In The Ground

By morning, Trumpkin had remembered the way to Beruna, near the mountains, well enough to guide the Pevensie's without really taking charge. Although, there was definitely an unforeseen issue in the Telmarine army, once again.

     There was an entire camp filled with just wood, and the destruction of the forest. They were making machines of destruction purposefully to destroy the Narnian's, whenever their paths crossed. When they stumbled upon it, they really were lucky not to be seen, as they ended up behind a fallen log. Peter dared to peek over the top, as did the others in his stead, but decided it was best to travel another way when Miraz arrived there.

     If they were caught there, then arriving home would have been for nothing. They were meant for Caspian, and the future of Narnia; not for dead.

     Understanding this, their next course of action was to return to the forest where Lucy had 'seen' Aslan- not that any of her siblings really believed her. They had nothing left to lose. If it really was him, as well, then they would have been complete idiots not to follow his lead.

     "So where exactly do you think you saw Aslan?" Peter queried, skeptically.

Sighing, she turned around. "I wish you'd all stop trying to sound like grown-ups. I don't think I saw him. I did see him."

"I am a grown-up." Trumpkin muttered under his breath, though, Edmund was the only one to hear him.

"It was right over-"

As Lucy wandered around to work exactly where Aslan had been when she saw him, she screamed. The ground had fallen through, and she was unseen by all of her family.

"Lucy!" Susan screamed after her, running to try and see where she had landed, and if she had even survived the fall.

     Instead of seeing a body against the stream and rocks down below, they saw Lucy, completely mobile and alive, only ten feet away. She had landed on another plain which had been blocked off by the roots of the nearby trees. Gladly, she was completely okay, only startled, as the rest of them were.

     "... here." She continued as if nothing had ever happened.

     Despite looking at her like she was some sort of inpatient, everyone followed her lead, anyhow. Going down a steep, muddy path wasn't ideal, but it did lead them to the bottom of the stream where they had wanted to be. It was odd, to hold onto boulders above their heads just so that they didn't slip.

     All of it made Edmund just a little nervous. Why had she seen Aslan and not them? Had she seen Aramis too and not told him? That wasn't fair. He would never know, and that wasn't fair at all.

     The Narnian troops had all gathered together in significant numbers to protect a Telmarine Prince of all people. To many of them asked questions, and others followed with blind faith that Aramis would lead them to wherever it was he needed to go.

It ached inside of his chest, and his head, to be admired in such a way. Their trust in him was favourable, but it did put a lot of pressure upon his already heavy shoulders.

They were moving to a new site, knowing that there was an army not too far behind them. Their mission was to keep Caspian safe, and that was all they could afford to think about. However much Aramis wanted to weigh up the other options, he couldn't risk being distracted.

In the last few days, during which Aramis had taken almost sole responsibility for the Prince, they had talked quite a lot about their lives. Or, Caspian had been prompted to talk about his life as Aramis listened intently, as he insisted his life was far too long and boring to share the details of. Although, there were shining moments. They were the ones that he would prefer to keep to himself.

The ones where Susan needed recommendations for new books to read, as she had finished all of the ones she could reach. Where she would ask advice when she didn't know what to do with herself, knowing that he would be honest, no matter the consequence.

The ones where Peter would practically beg him to practice his combat skills, to which Aramis would have to decline. Though, to make up for his inability to help, he would clean up each and every wound his brother inflicted. It was his apology.

The ones where Lucy wanted to train for battle, but her older siblings wouldn't allow it, so went to Aramis for strategic enhancement instead. She would often ask for them to walk around the extensive gardens, if only to pick flowers and offer them to the various creatures around Cair Paravel.

The ones where he would find Edmund huddled in the corner of a crowded room, desperately hoping that he wouldn't have to socialise with the rest of the population. The sort of day when he didn't want to talk to anyone, and hid away in his room. Those were the times that Aramis liked the most, when he was able to keep Edmund company through his darkest moments.

He didn't talk about them. Not if he could help it.

No matter what, his mind had to focus upon Caspian, and only him. Because as much as everyone seemed to care for the cause, Aramis could be certain that not everyone was. Especially some of the dwarves, when all they did, was complain.

By the night, not much had changed from the day before. The Pevensie's were not exactly the deepest of sleepers, but they fell asleep fast enough so that Edmund was the only one who was left awake.

He was facing away from the fire, clutching his knees, and breathing, slowly. Peter was snoring: it was annoying. He could hear crickets in the surrounding forests, which soothed him, however. All that he could do was wait to fall asleep for himself, and hope that his dreams weren't so awful that he would wake before morning.

As usual, he thought of home (both Finchley and Narnia, in the way it had been). For a moment, he wished for one of his English classes, and for Thomas Wallace to take his mind from everything else as they read Romeo & Juliet. And then, he didn't.

     He thought of Aramis... where he was... what he was doing. All of it, and any of it. He was glad only to think of him.

     "Edmund?"

     He was glad only to think of him, but to hear his voice was so much sweeter. It would have been nicer to see him, like he had those times when he was younger, and captured by the White Witch. Then, he had no idea the friendship that might have formed between them.

     "Edmund?"

     Perhaps it was delirium, tiredness seeping in and affecting his mind. But maybe it wasn't. It could be a sign of sorts, though, the young King did not know what it might mean.

     He looked around to find everyone else still asleep. They hadn't heard it.

     It didn't make sense. Edmund could hear his name so clearly, it couldn't have been his mind. He didn't make it up. He was sure of it. It was Aramis. It had to be. Otherwise, he didn't know what he was going to do with himself.

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Disclaimer!!!!
I do not own these characters. I do not own the Narnia series. I do not own the actors, or the characters. The only thing I own is my adaptation of the story, and my original character.