IMPORTANT NOTE: i edited a few chapters and added smol thoughts from edmund abt emma's actions, s'not necessary for y'all to re-read them again (unless u want to i guess) but please do reread the part in the first chapter when edmund's thinking of "what a new narnian might be like",, it'd help w the plot
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THE MERE SIGHT of Edmund picking daisies from the fields was enough to surprise Susan and Lucy, if anything.
Peter and Caspian were inside, arguing, probably about something stupid, and probably won't find an end if not for time. Susan and Lucy decided to leave them and take some fresh air to calm themselves. Last night was brutal.
They approached Edmund and were curious on what the flowers were for.
"Is there to be a funeral? For those we lost in the first attack?" Susan asked, wondering why the news hasn't reached her yet, not even after she had spent most of her morning comforting the families and friends on those they've lost the night before.
"I think so, but not today," Edmund replied. "I think one of the centaurs said it's to be held after we've won the war."
Susan and Lucy looked at each other. "Then what are those for?" Lucy asked.
Edmund glanced at the daisies he held and had a sort of realisation that his picking and talking to his sisters occurred at the same moment. "Oh, these are for Emma."
He supposed they would cheer her up, hopefully if she wasn't allergic to them. Emma was strange, and Edmund wasn't sure if picking these would delight her or repulse her. Her opinions were always unexpected, but he liked her either way and was willing to deal with it for her case. He'd probably do anything for her case, it seems.
"Oh? Who's she?" Lucy asked, waking Edmund from a trance.
"She's . . . wonderful, if anything."
Lucy and Susan narrowed their eyes and crossed their arms. This information did not help anything.
"I met her the day we went back. She's been living on her own, apparently. She's one of the older Narnians, but I've seen her even during our reign before we went back to Professor Diggory's closet—she has lots of brilliant ideas for ruling, they'd help, I think. She's kind of moody, too, but that's alright. She's also really fascinated in technology and the evolution of it, you know? She's so impressed at the idea of mechanical cars. Can you believe that, Susan? Cars. She's so lovely. She can also sword fight as well as our best knights, did you know?"—They didn't, as this was their first time hearing her name. Edmund continues—"But she can't throw to a target to save her life. Oh, and she swims at night. In the cold. How hard core is that? She's amazing."
Neither Susan nor Lucy could think of ideas on what to do with this information. Edmund had supplied them with facts from which the only thing they could conclude was his infatuation with her, but not who she was.
"What does she look like?" Susan asked gently. "I don't think I recall seeing her."
"Oh, she has red hair," he supplied.
"Huh," Lucy replied, before smiling brightly. "It's good you've met someone, though, Ed."
"Thanks, Lu." He smiled, fond of the thought.
"You should take her to meet us some time," Susan added. "Are you seeing her after this?"
"Yeah, though she often runs into me. Usually just as I'm thinking of her."
"How coincidental."
"I know." He definitely seemed more into their discussion now as he had been in a daze prior to this. "It's like that time we were camping out with the DLF. She was swimming in the cold."
"That's peculiar," Lucy commented.
"It's fate, more of," Edmund replied without thinking, before adding, "I mean, I guess."
"You don't suppose she's a Telmarine spying on us?"
Edmund looked insulted. "She'd never! It's out of the question, too. She wants the Narnians to live peacefully. She fought alongside us last night."
"She's just saying," Susan said calmly. "It might be an elaborate plot."
"She'd have killed me on the spot if she were a Telmarine. She'd not have sorrow painted on her face when she saw the fallen Narnians."
It made sense. They dropped the subject of her side.
"Well, when else did you see her?"
He pretended to rack his brain despite these memories appearing vivid and wonderful every time so much as her name pops up. "When we first got back," he told them, "I saw her by the shore."
"By the shore!" Lucy exclaimed. "First, on the beach, then swimming at night. You don't suppose she's a mermaid, do you?"
Susan was laughing silently as Edmund thought that Lucy certainly had no preamble or restrictions in suggesting that. He didn't know how to feel about the idea, though, but certain facts seemed to tie together pretty well. He liked her enough, but then the thought of her not being a "daughter of Eve" would emit a slight hint of betrayal in his heart.
This was stupid thinking. "I don't think she is, Lu."
"It makes sense, though, admit it."
He sighed and looked at the flowers in his hand. "Fine; I'll ask her later, though I seriously doubt it."
Suddenly, Reepicheep's panting voice came yelling from the ground within the tall grass. "Your highness! Come quick! It's Caspian, and King Peter!"
The attention of all three were diverted immediately. "What is it?" Lucy asked.
"It's"—he heaves in and out—"King Edmund must come inside quickly. Caspian's got himself into trouble and High King Peter's going with him!"
Edmund looked at his sisters, who gestured for him to leave if it was necessary. "Should we come along?" Susan asked.
"No," the mouse said, finally gaining his breath. "I appreciate it, your majesty, but I think it's best King Edmund solved this. It has something to do with, er, a former enemy."
Edmund's eyes widened, he knew whom Reepicheep was talking about. Immediately, he bid the flowers to Susan and ran back inside with Reepicheep.
Susan looked at the bouquet now in her hand and faced Lucy. "You don't suppose they're talking about the White Witch?"
"Hopefully not," her younger sister replied. "Where is everyone else, actually? I've only seen few of our people inside, and I know a lot survived last night."
"They're out," Susan replied, recalling what one of the wives told her earlier. "Distractions, I think. It's been hard for them."
Lucy looked at the rising hill in front of them, and saw a bull approaching. His name was Hugo, as she remembered. He carried a pile of wood on his arms, they greeted him with a smile.
"Are those for fire?" Lucy asked.
"No. I don't know, actually. Mr. Beaver requested for them," he replied.
"Ah, carry on, then."
They smiled once more before Hugo noticed the daisies. "Are those from King Edmund? I saw him picking flowers earlier."
"They are!" Susan said. "Hugo, have you seen Edmund with another human recently? A redhead?"
He shook his head. "Not really." He paused, before remembering something. "Would her name be Emma, though?"
The queens' eyes lit up. "Yes!"
"I have not," was his disappointing reply. "I did once caught him having a conversation with the air, though."
"With the air?" Susan repeated, incredulous. "What do you mean?"
Hugo changed the way he carried the logs in his arms, for comfort, before Lucy allowed him to just leave it on the ground if needed. "Well, it was the noon before the attack"—he placed the wood on the grass—"he was talking and laughing . . . at times, he even looked shy, before he brought back a gleeful aura. I couldn't see whom his was talking to, though. I even moved around to see at a different angle if she was being invisible and I'd see a distortion, or something, but I saw nobody."
Susan and Lucy share a confused look. "You don't suppose she was just hidden by the trees?" Susan asked.
Hugo shook his head. "They were in the middle of the hill, Your Majesties." He picked up the wood again and realised the daisies were for Emma. "Is he quite alright?"
Before anyone could even answer, Edmund was back, a tired disposition on him.
"What happened?" Lucy asked.
"Jadis," he replied. And just as the three were reacting, he added, "It's okay, we had it sorted. I'll tell you about it later." Then, he sees Hugo. "Oh, good you're here. Mr. Beaver asked me about the wood."
Hugo nodded. "I'll be going first, then. It was a pleasure, Your Highnesses."
They all nodded and permitted him to go. Edmund took the flowers from Susan and thanked her for holding onto it for him. He then bid farewell, and walked away.
Susan and Lucy looked at each other, the absence of ease simultaneously quite visible through this, the same thought in their heads regarding Emma.
• • •
Edmund's been ignoring the mermaid thing, but then it just managed to creep its way to the front of his mind amidst distractions of other things such as the color of the sky or The White Witch. It's ridiculous.
He encountered Emma just as he was making a turn and thinking she wasn't a mermaid. None of the traits fit her, she just wasn't a mermaid. They'd have an even more difficult time meeting each other.
He presented to her the flowers, hoping she'd find them uplifting, at least (he could've sworn he'd heard one of his classmates back in Finchley comment that daisies were the friendliest flowers).
To his luck, she loved them. She even hugged him for it. She said she was going to make a hat out of it. Edmund didn't even find it strange at this point (thinking at first that she wasn't the type to braid flowers), knowing how everything is unpredictable from her, he just agreed to sit down by the side of the lake as she entwined the stems.
Inside, Edmund wished for her to talk about anything just to get his mind off of the mermaid thing, which was bothering him so incredibly. (Again, ridiculous.)
They sat there by the lake quietly. He couldn't handle it. She just wasn't—"Are you a mermaid?"
She stopped weaving and looked at him, confused. "A mermaid?"
"Yeah."
"Why are you asking?" She was amused, and she spoke like she was teasing him. She was, obviously; she wasn't answering the question.
"I just, I don't know." He looked down. Couldn't she just answer?
She placed a hand on his. It sent a weird chill to his arm, and then his body. "Edmund," she said, and he looked at her. "I'm not a mermaid."
He was oddly ecstatic. "You're not?"
She laughed. "Would it have mattered if I was?"
He thought about it. "No," he replied, smiling, "it wouldn't have."
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ANOTHER NOTE?? GASP: SO IT'S BEEN A YEAR AND I'M SORRY?? i mean if anything i'm still surprised ppl are reading this shit story lmao that's literally the only reason why i haven't taken this down yet (shut up bc i need the validation)
also like the plot "twist" (twist?? most of y'all p already saw it coming whoops) is kind of peeking already? yay? uuhhh this chapter wasn't much but i hope y'all like it anyways? please let me know by commenting or voting!! i love them all sm (thank you 💖💖💖)
ded. to all those who binge read this and waited / those who are old readers i love y'all ---- but also to @shotgunned bc she pointed out edmund's male ego in the previous chap, wc i agree w
the song above is from hadestown because i'm quite in love with it and i'd rec it to all who enjoy a) musicals b) [greek] mythology c) folk music