-LATE NIGHT EMOTIONS-
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ˏˋ°•*⁀➷CHAPTER FOURˏˋ°•*⁀➷
(act i)
———PROMISES———
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EDMUND FLUSHED the toilet, walking out the door and he looks up to see Lucy walking around the corner with a candle lit.
Edmund smirked before following her towards the wardrobe. Lucy climbed through the door to the wardrobe as Edmund entered the room.
"Lucy.. Where are you?" he asked, slowly walking towards the wardrobe. He reached the wooden door of the and opens the door.
"Boo!" he shouted but his sister wasn't in there. He frowns, looking back at the door and then back at the wardrobe. "Lucy.." he said as he stepped into the wardrobe.
"Hope you're not afraid of the dark." He smirked to himself as he completely shut the wardrobe door.
All he could see were giant fur coats. "Lucy?" He walked further in the wardrobe and saw a branch. He pulled a face at the branch, moving it out of his way.
He moved further, turning and walking backwards when he tripped and fell back. He felt the softness and coldness of the snow as he fell to the ground.
He sat up and looked around to see that he was surrounded in snow. He looked around, at the forest before looking ahead. "Lucy.. Where are you?" he called out but got no answer.
He trudged throughout the snowy forest calling out his sisters name. "I think I believe you now." He soon reached a lamp post. He frowned, staring up at it as the brightness of the fire blinded his eyes.
He trudged deeper in the forest, calling out his sisters name. He reached the top of a hill and reached what seemed to be a road. Yet it was covered in snow. He heard a branch snap in the distance and he looked in the direction it came from.
Bells were heard and some figure approached at speed. "Lucy?" the figure soon turned into reindeer as they galloped and someone was snuggled so far in Edmund couldn't see their face.
Edmund stepped back not breaking eye contact with the moving sleigh. He fell backwards as the sleigh travelled past him and stopped not too far away from him. A small figure hopped out of the sleigh.
The dwarf began running at Edmund. He quickly stood up and tried to run but the dwarf throws a whip around his legs, making him fall over. The dwarf holds a knife to his throat. "Leave me alone!"
"What is it now, Ginnerbrick?" a woman's voice asks from the sleigh. "Make him let me go! I didn't do anything wrong!" Edmund panicked. "How dare you address the Queen of Narnia!" The dwarf kept the knife held to his throat.
"I didn't know.." Edmund said. "You will know her better hereafter" The dwarf raised the knife, about to stab Edmund, he closes his eyes and turns his head away waiting for the impact of the knife. "Wait.."
Edmund opened his eyes, and looked to see a woman emerge from the sleigh, dressed all in white as if she was going to a wedding. Edmund sat up, staring at the woman. "What is your name, Son of Adam?" the woman asks.
"Uh, Edmund" he asked, glancing at the dwarf then back at the woman. He stood up from the snow. "And how, Edmund, did you come to enter my dominion?" she asks, clearly offended.
"I-I'm not sure. I was just following my sister.." Edmund spoke. "Your sister? How many are you?" The woman asks, intrigued. "Four.. We'll, five but Emily isn't part of the family." Edmund ranted, not knowing what he had done.
The dwarf raised his eyebrows, giving the witch a look. "Lucy's the only one that's been here before. She said she met some faun called.. Tumnus. Peter, Susan and Emily didn't believe her. I didn't either.." Edmund carried on before the witch interrupted.
"Edmund.. you look so cold. Will you come and sit with me?" she asked. Edmund looked down at the dwarf and then back at the woman, but she immediately turned away. Edmund followed after her and joined her on the sleigh.
She sat on the sleigh, smiling at Edmund as he stepped on. She held out her fur coat and wrapped it around him as he sat down. "Now.. How about something hot to drink?" the witch asked. Edmund hesitated. "Yes, please.. your majesty"
The witch pulled out a vile from her coat and poured a small drop onto the snow and it formed into a goblet filled with hot chocolate. Edmund watched as the goblet formed and the dwarf picked it up and held it out for him. "Your drink, sire."
Edmund took it from the dwarf. "How did you do that?" he asked before taking a sip. "I can make anything you like." the witch answered. "Can you make me taller?" Edmund asked, looking up at her and licking his lips from previously drinking the hot chocolate. The witch laughed. Edmund took another sip from the goblet. "Anything you'd like to eat."
Edmund hesitated, wanting to see if she was actually telling the truth. "Turkish Delight?" The witch raised her eyebrows before turning and pouring another drop onto the snow.
A circular box appeared on the snow and the dwarf picked it up and handed it to Edmund. The witch took the goblet out of Edmunds hand and gave it to the dwarf and he took the sweets from the dwarfs hand.
The dwarf threw the goblet and it hit the tree, turning back into the snow again. Edmund wrapped the paper and picked out one of the sweets, immediately eating it.
"Edmund. I would very much like to meet the rest of your family. And whoever this Emily girl is.." she said, interrupting his enjoyment. He frowned. "Why? They're nothing special." He answered, the flour from the sweets covered his lips.
He picked another sweet from the box. The witch picked Ginnerbrick's hat off of his head and started wiping Edmund's mouth with it.
"Oh, I'm sure they're not nearly as delightful as you are." She handed back the hat to which Ginnerbick wiped off the flour. "But you see Edmund, I have no children of my own. And you are exactly the sort of boy who I could see, one day, becoming Prince of Narnia." she said, while stroking his hair. "Maybe even King.."
"Really?" Edmund asked. "Course you'd have to bring your family and Emily." the witch reminded him. "Oh, do you mean Peter would be king too..?" he asked, hoping it wasn't true. "No...No.." the witch laughed. "But a King needs servants.." she negotiated.
Edmund smiled. "I- I guess I could bring them." he said, taking a bite of another sweet. The witch took away the box and handed it to Ginnerbrick who secretly took one and ate it.
"Beyond these woods, you see those two hills.. my house is right between them." The witch pointed to the mountains far in the distance. "You'd love it there, Edmund." She said as Edmund stood up from the sleigh. "It had whole rooms simply stuffed with Turkish Delight." the witch tells him.
"Couldn't I have some more now?" Edmund asked, eager. "No!" The witch angrily stated. Edmund leaned back and his eyes widened. The witch winced. "Don't want to ruin you're appetite." she smiled. "Besides, you and I are going to be seeing each other again very soon, aren't we?" she asked.
"I hope so, Your Majesty." Edmund said as he got off the sleigh. "Until then, dear one." the two stares at each other. "Mmm, I'm going to miss you." she smiled and Ginnerbrick whipped the reindeer and they sped away. Leaving Edmund alone in the woods.
Edmund stared as the sleigh became invisible in the distance. "Edmund?" Edmund looked back to see Lucy trudging through the snow. "Oh, Edmund! You got in too. Isn't it wonderful?" Lucy asked, running up to hug him. Edmund pushed his sister off.
"Where've you been?" he asked, frowning. "With Mr. Tumnus. He's fine. The White Witch hasn't found out anything about him meeting me." Lucy said delighted as Edmund wiped the flour from his mouth. "The White Witch?" Edmund asked raising his eyebrows.
"She calls herself the Queen of Narnia. But she really isn't." Lucy explained. Edmund looked down, feeling slightly guilty. "Are you alright? You look awful." Lucy asked.
"Well, what do you expect?" Edmund snapped. "I mean, it's freezing. How do we get out of here?" he asked more softly. "Come on, this way." Lucy said, taking his hand and leading him towards the exit.
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The light switched on to Emily's room. Someone ran in and jumped on Emily's bed, shaking her awake. "Emily, wake up. Emily, wake up! It's there. It's really there!" Lucy shouted.
Emily rubbed her eyes and squinted at the bright light. "Lu, what are you talking about?" she asked.
"Narnia. It's all in the wardrobe like I told you!" the younger one shouted again. "Oh, you've just been dreaming Lucy.." Susan said, walking in the room. "But I haven't. I saw Mr. Tumnus again and this time Edmund went too!" Lucy explained.
The three of them turned towards Edmund. "Yo- you saw the fawn?" Emily asked him, raising her eyebrows at him. He hesitated and then lightly shook his head.
"Well, he didn't actually go there with me. He... what were you doing Edmund?" she asked turning towards him. Edmund hesitated again.
"I was just playing along. I'm sorry guys, I shouldn't of encouraged her. You know what little children are like these days. They just don't know when to stop pretending."
Emily saw Lucy's eyes fill with tears and she ran out the room bursting out crying. Susan followed after her. Edmund stood back up smirking to himself. Peter sighed and pushed him back onto her bed. "Ow!"
Edmund scoffs at Peter, throwing his arms up at him, mostly trying to say 'What was that for'. "You deserve that, you know." Emily told him.
"Why won't she stop?" He asked, slumping on her bed. "She's only young and has an imagination of her own. I would know, I used to imagine things about how different my life would be than it is now." Emily suggested but once she realised what she said her face dropped. She could see Edmund's face drop as well.
"Come on, I wanna show you something." he dragged her into his room and he went to get something from his suitcase. It was a broken-glassed picture of who Emily was assuming was his dad.
"This is your father?" she turned to look at him, tucking a piece of her behind her ear. He replied with a small 'yeah'. Emily felt herself tear up. She smiled sadly at the picture. Edmund noticed the change in her emotions.
"You okay?" he asked, concern laced in his voice. "You know, you're lucky to have parents that care about you." Emily told him.. "What?" he asked her. Emily sighed and looked up at him.
She told him the whole story. Well, all that she was told by the Professor. She felt like she could trust him even if he was somewhat cold to everyone. She felt like she could trust him even if her parents weren't there to show and teach her trust and love.
"Emily, I'm so sorry. I had no idea." Edmund said lost for words once she finished. "No, It's fine. I've never told anyone. Just promise me you won't tell the others."
"I won't. I promise." Edmund wrapped his arms around the girl and hugged her. Emily froze. She hesitated before hugging Edmund back. Edmund pulled back, frowning as to why she hesitated. "Why did you hesitate?"
"I've never been hugged before." Emily looked down at her fingers and picked at her nails, embarrassed. Edmund noticed this and put his on top of both of hers.
"Don't worry, you can trust me. I'll always be there for you no matter what." He pulled the girl into another hug. She didn't remember anything else because before she knew it, she was fast asleep in Edmund's arms.
Little did the both of them know, that in the future, Edmund would keep that promise forever.
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