Wonderstruck ➳ Edmund Pevensie

viii

Walking to the How with the other Narnians was probably the first time I actually felt safe. There was something about being around them that made me feel secure, or was it because we were going somewhere safe? "No", I told myself, to me, there was no such place as safe, just safer.

"Delbert," said the fox beside me. I looked around to see who he was talking to but there was no one near him but me. "E-excuse me?" I stuttered not knowing what he was talking about. He sneered at me from the corner of his eye and raised his chin up. "I find it very spunky, don't you agree?" Spunky? I looked at the red fox and he looks back at me for an answer. "Uhhh, sorry? Do you mind repeating yourself? W-what exactly is spunky?" I asked nervously while I awaited the animal's response. I didn't know what to expect, I mean, to be fair, this is my first time talking to a fox. "My name," he said looking at me and realizing that I still had no clue of what he was talking about. "Hmm, strange, I thought you would be more excited to hear my name," the fox said turning away from me and I stared at him in confusion. He must be very self-absorbed to come up with that, I thought. Not to be very mean or anything, but Delbert may have seemed a little too presumptuous and overconfident. I was just about to clarify what he'd meant until he interrupted me by saying, "So, tell me, what do they call you?" he asked with a posh accent. "Henley, and you?" I asked trying to have a fresh start. "I already told you," he said like he was taunting me. I thought about it and it finally processed in my head. "Delbert?" I said, hoping I wasn't wrong. "Was that a question or a statement?" he asked looking at me with his golden eyes. "Um, I believe it is a statement," I said nervously. I felt like taking an exam around him. I needed to think about what was right to say to him. "Good, now then, Henley, I am pleased to say that I have allowed you to be my friend," he said with excitement as I wore a fake smile. "I've never had a friend before!" he chuckled loudly and walked closer to me. "I can't imagine why," I said with a fake laugh.

After chitchatting with Delbert for about a good fifteen minutes, we arrived at the how and there I saw two rows of centaurs who held swords that they pointed at an angle to the air. "Wow... what is this place?" I said, not realizing how my mouth was hanging open as I was taking a good look at the structure. "Welcome to Aslan's How," Delbert said dramatically in a way that sent me chills down my spine, in a good way. The Pevensies and Caspian led the group to the entrance and they, too, paused to take in the view with the Pevensies on both sides and Caspian in the center. The Pevensies started walking again without Caspian as he stayed behind to let them walk ahead. The place felt so unreal to me. It felt like I traveled back in time and returned to the days where swords were being repaired and iron was being melted into a weapon. "It may not be what you are used to, but it is defensible," Caspian told Peter who was in the middle of it all. "Peter, you may want to see this," Susan called from another room. Peter and Caspian walked towards the room Susan came as I followed.

The room led us down into a more private area, and there I saw the other Pevensies looking at the cave's stone walls. I looked at what looked like carvings of Kings and Queens. Without a doubt, the carvings represented the Pevensies. The longer I looked at it, the more it gave chills. I couldn't quite point out what was making me like this. Whether it was probably the fact that the Pevensies have been crowned legends here or the fact that they, outside of London, were greatly looked up to like the high kings and queens the people have been waiting for. I just knew I didn't belong here. "It's us," Susan said and Lucy looked at Caspian. "What is this place?" she asked and Caspian looked astounded. "You don't know?" he asked picking up a torch and led the way deeper into the how. The others followed him as I stayed observing the strange carvings on the wall .

I couldn't help but stare. The carvings meant that they've protected Narnia with all their heart for so long. The people, or creatures, who have put them here wouldn't have drawn these into the walls of Aslan's How, otherwise. I guess that they would've been Aslan's right hand. Carried out his plans and guarded Narnia willfully and all. I wish I could meet this Aslan. Thinking about it made me seem much more worthless than I had already felt. I have no clue of what could appear before me and I haven't done much help to these people. Except, that time when I saved Edmund's arse. But I had no idea how I did it and it seemed as if something was controlling me or telling my body what to do rather than having me think for it. So I basically did not save him somehow, in some way. It just wasn't me. I was still staring at the carvings and thought that maybe they could have saved him better than I did. "That was before we left," a voice said coming from behind me. I turned around to see Edmund there who, too, was looking at the carvings with a sad face as he reminisced every single second of it. "You- you see that? That lamppost over there, beside the faun," he said walking over to where I was as he pointed at the carvings of a lamppost."That's where we first were when we found Narnia," he said, nostalgia filled his emotions. "Who-who's that?" I asked pointing at the faun wearing a red scarf around it's neck. "That... That was Mr. Tumnus," he said, sadly as he had his palm on the walls and his fingers were tracing out the carvings. I quickly recalled where I knew that name from. Lucy has mentioned it before. I wanted to hit myself after bringing up such a touchy subject. "I'm sorry," I said quietly probably a little too soft that he couldn't have probably hear me but he nodded anyway and quickly pulled himself back together. "We should get going," he said turning away fast and I just nodded.