-LETTERS AND TEARS-
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ˏˋ°•*⁀➷CHAPTER FORTYˏˋ°•*⁀➷
(act iii)
———PROMISES———
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EDMUND SAT ALONE in his shared room with Eustace trying not to think about Emily's death. But he couldn't get her out of his mind.
He sighed laying back on his bed staring up at the ceiling remembering how the two of them looked up at the stars.
Edmund didn't have to worry about Adelaine's parents or Adelaine herself. But he wanted what he couldn't have.
He sat up feeling something in his pocket, frowning he reached into his pocket, taking out a tube.
Frowning, he opened up the small glass tube and pouring out its contents. There was a crumpled piece of paper, rolled up. Confused, he opened the crumpled piece of paper and a necklace fell out. It was the crystal Emily explained before she died.
He moved the necklace and set it down on the bed beside him. He picked up the piece of paper until he paused for a moment.
Should I really be reading this? This is going to hurt me even more.. He debated for a minute before giving up and unrolling it and unfolding it revealing his name in her handwriting at the top of the page.
He looked away from the paper putting it on his bedside table sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He sniffled before picking the letter back up and reading what she had written.
Dear Edmund,
I am so sorry that it had to come to this. I know you may be confused but that is why I had to write to explain this.
Do you remember when I got stabbed by the white witch? Yeah, she froze my heart with her stupid ice staff and it's been slowly affecting my lungs. That's why I kept coughing so much, and I was always cold.
I know you may be mad at me but I only found out too late and I also couldn't bring myself to talk to you because I was afraid.
I was afraid I would add on to the many problems we were dealing with and most of all I didn't think you would care. But now, I'm regretting that decision and I'm writing this now because, you do care.
I will miss all the times whenever I was being my clumsy self and you catching me every time I fell. But you didn't catch me when I fell for you.
I will miss our late night conversations about what our lives would be like if none of this had happened. I will miss the grumpy, annoying, sarcastic boy I met at the professor's house. I will miss the times we would argue about stupid things and me hitting you every time you annoyed me.
If I could re-live those moments, I would. But they now remain in mine and your memories. Don't forget me. I know I will never forget you.
I love you too much for that. Even if your stubborn, sarcastic younger self annoyed me a lot. I love you and I always will.
If you're reading this now that I'm gone, just know I am happy in Aslan's country. I don't know if it's real but if I am dead then I'll know for sure it's real. Hopefully I can be reunited with my mum and Ivy, if they are even there. But there's one more thing.
I want you to promise me that you will find someone that will love you as much as I have. Just don't forget me while you're at it. And take care of the others for me. Goodbye for now.
Emily ♡︎
Edmund was now letting the tears fall from his eyes. She was too stubborn to let him tell her his feelings.
He had known, the moment they had their first kiss on the night of the storm. He told her that he would always protect her.
The one time he chose to be the hero, she got herself killed. And he believed it was his fault.
He planned to run away from his arranged marriage. He wanted to run away with Emily. But now, he could only run away by himself.
He wanted to run away from his arranged marriage. But now, he wanted to run away from any signs of Narnia. Any memories he had shared with Emily. He wanted to run away from it. He wanted to run away from everything.
Edmund put the letter safe in the bedside table draw where, he hoped, nobody would find it. He read it every night just to remind him that she loved him back but there was nothing he could do to let her know how much he loved her..
Lucy then walked into the room with Eustace. "Ed?" he didn't look up at her. "Did you know?" he looked up at his younger sister.
She and Eustace could see the tears and his red puffy eyes. "Did I know what?" she knelt down in front of him. "Did you know about what the white witch did to her?" Lucy looked down feeling guilty and tears prick her own eyes. "You did. didn't you?"
"I only found out when Gale told me that she took off the crystal." Lucy replied, sadly.
Edmund lowered his head down trying to wipe his tears away. He couldn't stop them from falling. This was probably the most he's ever cried. Lucy wrapped her arms around her brother as he sobbed into her chest.
She gently stroked his hair trying to calm him. Eustace later joined in with the hug. Eustace and Lucy had never seen Edmund cry so much. They both knew by the way he was sobbing, he was hurt and he loved her a lot.
"Come downstairs, Ed. Everyone is worried about you. You haven't eaten anything since we came back. Even Uncle Harold is worried and that's saying something." Lucy begged.
Lucy and Eustace pulled away from Edmund as he wiped his tears before following them both downstairs.
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
It took a couple months for Edmund to start eating more and socialising with more people.
He went to the graveyard one afternoon, searching for Emily. He didn't know if she'd be buried here.
In the distance he noticed four people stood around a gravestone. One smaller than the other three.
Three figures walked past Edmund. One of them looking very similar to Emily. He was assuming that was her father. He had lost both of his daughters to a magical land yet he had no idea.
The fourth figure stood. "I'm sure our little plan worked, Emily." The man whispered. "Are you talking to yourself?" Edmund asked, raising his eyebrows.
The man stood straight as he heard the voice. "Yes. I do it very often." The man answered.
"How'd you know her?" Edmund asked, squinting his eyes at the man. "Arranged marriage."
"You?" The man asked. "She was.. she was my best friend." Edmund answered looking down at the grave. "Oh my god."
"What?"
"You're the little friend." The man gaped. "Little friend?" Edmund questioned, frowning. "Well, the two of us originally planned to fake her death so she could run away. With you. But I thought you'd be in Dover by now." The man explained.
"Dover?"
"I'm sure she forgot the keys. Honestly she's quite something isn't she?" The man said handing the keys to Edmund.
"Did she tell you about some magical land?" Edmund asked, not taking the keys. "Yes, why?"
"She didn't fake her death." Edmund stated. "What do you mean? Here's the proof." Matthew said, motioning to the grave.
"Mate, she's gone. She died in my arms in that other world. Her sister died in the same world. They didn't both kill themselves as the grave says." Edmund explained.
"Wait. So. She's actually gone?" Matthew asked, retracting the keys. "Yes. She is. That's why I came here."
"I'm sorry." Matthew apologised. "It's fine. She did tell me she was planning to run away. She said that you two had a plan."
"Yeah. She was meant to find you and you two would live in Dover in a cottage I had access to."
"You can keep the keys. I won't be here to use the house." Edmund said.
"You're leaving?" Matthew asked. "For now. I'm visiting my family in America."
"Well.. good luck."
The two bid goodbye and Edmund walked back to Eustace's house.
Soon enough, Lucy and Edmund left Cambridge to go to America with their family.
They hired a carriage to take them down through the English countryside and to the nearest dock. They soon reached Coome Halt. Where everything began.
"Excuse me, could you stop the carriage?" Edmund asked the driver.
The driver nodded. Edmund got out of the carriage and Lucy quickly followed after her brother mumbling a quick apology to the driver. They soon stopped in front of the professor's house.
"Ed? What are you doing?" she asked.
Edmund ignored his sister and opened the door which was surprisingly open. He walked in and it was almost as if the temperature dropped by a hundred degrees.
"Why's it so cold in here?" Lucy asked, rubbing her arms. Lucy followed after him up the familiar steps of the house and towards the professor's study.
Lucy knocked at the door waiting for a reply but no reply came. They both frowned before opening the door to reveal an empty room.
They both knew it. They both knew that the professor was dead. They both walked back out of the room and towards the rooms that they stayed in just 3 years ago.
Edmund walked into Emily's old room looking around at the pictures. There was one of both of them smiling and another of all of the Pevensie's and Emily outside before they left to go back to London.
There was another photo of a younger Emily and Ivy with their parents, all seemingly happy and smiling brightly.
Edmund smiled slightly before taking the picture of his siblings and Emily from the table and placing it in his satchel.
Lucy was looking around Emily's old room and noticed something underneath the pillow. Frowning, she picked up the pillow and took out a key.
"Ed?" Edmund turned his attention away from the photos and walked towards his sister. There was a keyhole where the key could be slotted into.
He took the key from Lucy's hand and turned it in the keyhole.
The drawer opened and inside was a notebook and pen. Edmund picked up the book and opened it. Inside was a picture of Emily, Ivy and her parents. All one happy family.
'This book is the property of Sofia Mendez'
Edmund stuffed the book into his satchel and followed Lucy out of Emily's room.
Forever. The last room they visited was the spare room. Edmund walked up to the wardrobe opening the door and stepping inside.
He reached the back of the wardrobe hoping to find branches, snowy or not. But all he found was the back of the wardrobe with plain old wood. No entrance to a magical land.
"It's different, isn't it? Now that she's gone." Lucy said. "Yeah. But it shows that not every fairytale story has a happy ending." Edmund replied, sadly looking down at the picture.
They both walked back out of the house. Edmund took one more look back at the house before following Lucy back to their carriage as they carried on their journey away from England and to start their new lives in America.
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