Something to Believe In ➳ Edmund Pevensie

| twenty-two. when the magic's run out

☾ ☽

            The clouds darkened as the Dawn Treader sailed into the waters of Dark Island. Lydia couldn't stop her hands from shaking as she stood next to Lucy, Edmund, Caspian, Drinian, and Tavros at the ship's wheel. She stuck her hands behind her back so none of them would notice, and already she felt darkness seeping into every object aboard the ship.

            "So," Tavros said in that usual grumble of his, "what do you think is in there?"

            "Our worst nightmares," Edmund answered.

            "Our darkest wishes," Caspian added.

            "Pure evil," Drinian supplied. "Tavros, unlock the armory. Archers, prepare yourselves."

            Lucy pulled lightly on Lydia's arm. "Come on, Gael's below. We should tell her what's happening and prepare her for it."

—

            Lydia sat on the edge of the bed, nervously untying her braid. Her hands still shook as she threaded her fingers through the soft waves, an annoyingly obvious sign that she was scared. It was also inconvenient for her as she braided her hair back, and she tied it tighter than she had before. She was just scared, and she admitted this to Gael when she was asked. There was nothing wrong with being scared of something.

            "When I grow up," she heard Gael say to Lucy, who was putting her hair back into its usual ponytail rather than the half-braid Lydia had put her hair in just before Ramandu's Island, "I want to be just like you."

            Lydia looked over and watched as Lucy gave the girl a smile, sitting beside her and wrapping a sisterly arm around her shoulders. "When you grow up," Lucy said to her, "you should be just like you."

            The corners of Lydia's mouth turned up at that. She kept her eyes on them for a few more seconds before excusing herself. She quietly closed the door back behind her and glanced at the door to the map room, where Caspian and Edmund were preparing for what lied ahead. She knocked lightly on it, and it was opened by Caspian. He said, assuming correctly that she wanted to talk to the just, "I'll give you two a minute."

            Caspian let her in and exited the map room, leaving Edmund and Lydia alone. He was sitting by the table, previously examining the sheath of the sword he held before Lydia came in. "Peter's sword," he told her as she sat across from him. "Caspian said Pete would want me to have it."

            "He would," Lydia agreed. "I'm not sure how Peter would react finding out his brother ran into danger without a weapon on him."

            "I do. It happened once. He tried to ground me."

            "Tried?"

            "It didn't work," Edmund explained. "He had to get Su to talk to me... which, I'm ashamed to say, did work." Lydia let out a quiet chuckle, clasping her hands in front of her. "What's wrong?" he asked her. "Your hands are shaking."