Letters To Edmund |book 1|

Chapter 32. Lessons From A Swordsman

Like always, Edmund was training in the archery room. Swords were his escape when the garden was occupied or he didn't feel like going outside. The best swordsman in Narnia tried his hardest to keep his balance as he swung his sword around the wooden doll that threatened his existence. He was experienced, clutching the sword in his right hand and throwing it back into the left. A flash of memories from the battle came to his mind, he was trying to go through some mistakes he might have made, but Edmund remembered no flaw. Finally, driving his sword into the wooden dummy, he noticed how the door cracked and Johanna stepped into the room making her way towards him.

Edmund didn't mind her at first, hoping she would leave sooner than she got there. Her red hair was tied into a bun and her smile as wide as always. Pulling out the sword from the dummy and swinging it back and forth, his attention was not on her, rather it was focused on the imaginary fight he was having in his head. 

She on the other hand did care about how he looked, her eyes peeled on his sweaty body that was training since morning. Johanna had a silver cup in her hand and admired him from where she was standing. Then she moved in closer. Her eyes ran down his body and Edmund felt a bit uncomfortable upon noticing her eyes on him. From the center of the rink where he was, Edmund stopped his fighting and looked around, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

"You are an amazing swordsman," Johanna spoke.

He tried to style back his damp hair that wouldn't stay behind his ears, "thank you." He wanted to give her a small smile, but decided to go against that.

"I love looking at you train, I have to admit in the past I used to do that a lot. You probably never noticed me behind the door, but I'd watch every single second rooting for the imaginary fights in your head." She ran her fingers down the sword he was holding, the sharp edged threatening to cut her skin.

His eyes went wide and he didn't know what to say back to her, he didn't even know if he should respond. Johanna was Johanna, and from what he remembered about her, which he didn't forget, is that he had no interest in her. Once there was a time when he was compelled to be nice to her, to get to know her. What he found was a soul filled with dreams and thoughts only about herself and for her good. Johanna didn't even understand that it takes more than riches and a crown to be a princess. Edmund never liked stuck up people who thought they could get anything with a flip of their finger, Johanna was exactly that.

Still, his character and strive for justice didn't let his judgement of her cloud his behavior towards her. Instead of openly telling her at times how annoying she was, he would be kind to her. For such was the king of Justice, he saw no justice in treating Johanna anything other than a human being that she is. So, he smiled softly and took in her compliments, not letting his guard down at any time.

"I brought you some water," she handed him the cup.

Edmund took it out of her hands, "thank you very much." He drank and smiled back at her as she smiled at him shyly.

"You know, I don't know how to fight with a sword, I was never taught to do so." She innocently walked up to the stack of weapons and picked one up, "you could teach me." She swung it at him, which he kicked away with the one he was holding.

"Be careful with that, you might hurt someone." Edmund looked concerned since she didn't even know how to handle a sword.

"Like you?" Johanna smiled flirtatiously.

He didn't know how to respond, "I will bring you a wooden sword from the throne room." Edmund walked out.

~***~

Angelina was walking down the halls of Cair Paravel, the castle walls were the same as she remembered them to be. She was so close to calling this place home that her life in London was forgotten. Of course, she was reminded of it by her dream, but her wish to return perished since she had a mission, since she had Edmund. But she was losing all that, especially Edmund.