LOWBORN : Edmund Pevensie

14

It is the summer solstice, which means we are halfway through our trip. I still have no idea if Evangeline and King Edmund are spending any time together. They are supposed to be betrothed in a few short weeks, married less than a year after that. Time is running out for both of them. Worst of all, I'm finding myself more sympathetic towards King Edmund.

People are gathering at the castle once more. This is an important day in Narnia, especially considering the years of eternal winter the country suffered. Military veterans come, as well as common citizens. They fill the courtyard.

We are heavily guarded. By we, I mean Evangeline, myself, and the Kings and Queens of Narnia. Each of us is assigned two guards, so I cannot even scratch my own back without being watched. It is quite an eerie feeling, but I know better than to complain. It's for our own safety. With so many people on the property, bandits might sneak in. They would be easy enough to spot, granted, as they are the only sons of Adam for kilometres and kilometres.

Still, we all eat lunch together, the six of us and a dozen guards. Evangeline and Lucy are giggling over in a corner. King Edmund is hunched over his food, refusing to talk. Queen Susan and High King Peter are both discussing political matters to do with the bandits.

Then, King Edmund turns to me. "Do you know what we do on the summer solstice?"

I look over at Evangeline, who is still enthralled in a conversation. So, I shake my head.

"Once the festivities have died down, you know, the magicians and such who entertain on castle grounds, and it is night time, if the wind is right, we all release a lantern into the Eastern Sea," he says. He turns to his brother. "Pete, the wind is blowing east today, right?"

He nods.

Queen Susan looks at me. "We even have enough lanterns for Princess Evangeline and Theodosia."

"Did you hear that?" Lucy pipes in. She turns to Evangeline, knocking her arm. "You can light up some lanterns with us."

"How wonderful!" Princess Evangeline says.

I wish she would be that pleasant around me. Instead, she has been stalking around. She has been getting Ornia, the fawn seamstress, to dress her since I have refused. No one else has seemingly noticed our lack of closeness. I mean, perhaps Lucy has, but she has said no such thing to me.

I continue to eat my lunch. It consists of a salad and fish and cheese, right from the sea. Today, I left the poison in my room in case someone were to try and pickpocket me in the crowd, so I cannot poison King Edmund. I don't particularly want to poison him, but it is certainly not a possibility at all now.

"We should remain in groups," Queen Susan says. "Who shall pair up with you?"

"I shall go with Princess Evangeline," King Edmund says, wiping his mouth with a cloth. I assume it is to wipe his scowl away.

Lucy seems to blink a few times, looking between her and Evangeline. "I'd quite like to show her around."

"Well, you can't have her all day, can you?" King Edmund rolls his eyes. He turns around to look at Lucy.

"Look, Lu, I'll go with you," High King Peter suggests.

That leaves Queen Susan and me together. Both of us nod at each other.

Once lunch is done, we begin to walk across the castle grounds. We visit a few booths, and Queen Susan makes it a point to talk to all the commoners that she can. We barely have time for words between each other. People of her station do not go to events such as these to enjoy them. Queen Susan is undetachable from her title, and her actions must reflect such.