Edmund didn't think before he jumped into the brawl. His mind had switched to an old instinct – save Peter. He hadn't felt that urge in almost a year; the urge to fight, to defend, to conquer, to rule. He could recall every single punch Orieus had taught him in the training room at Cair Paravel. His muscles, his nerves, his very being followed his memories of sparring with Amelia in the courtyard and battling it out with Peter on every other occasion.
"Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!" The children's calls echoed around him as he pushed the one guy who was holding his brother to the floor. Edmund landed on top of him but was quickly pushed off and shoved against the wall of the train station. Edmund's muscles moved on instinct as he shoved his opponent to the floor again before tackling the other one that was throwing punch after punch at Peter's face.
He could feel the worried glances of his sisters' on his back, but he kept fighting. He managed to jump onto the back of the third aggressor, forcing him to the floor, before the tunnel was filled with the familiar sound of police whistles.
Edmund scurried off the boy, making sure to disappear into the crowd before the police had the chance to see him. Students scurried all about him, everyone trying to avoid the prospect of getting into unnecessary trouble. Edmund could just about catch a glimpse of Peter being pulled onto his feet by an officer before the crowd dragged him away, back to his bag that he had left abandoned on the floor. He sighed as a sense of nostalgia overtook him. The feeling that had coursed through his veins – the old instinct that reminded him of Narnia – had now faded into the back of his mind, into a place so deep he was afraid to pull it out. He knew he would only feel worse if he let the memories fill his mind.
Edmund made his way back to the platform where his three siblings already sat on a bench. As he sat down, he made a point of gazing at his brother, "Your welcome." He said.
"I had it sorted," Peter scoffed back before standing up and walking to the edge of the platform. Edmund was tempted to retort, but his mind was hardly in the mood for another quarrel.
"What was it this time?" Susan questioned. He could hear the frustration in her voice.
"He bumped me"
"So you hit him?" Lucy questioned.
"No. After he bumped me they tried to make me apologize. That's when I hit him." Edmund knew the problem lay far deeper in the situation. Peter wasn't one to get angry easily.
"Really? Is it that hard just to walk away?" His older sister, ever the wiser.
"I shouldn't have to!I mean, don't you ever get tired of being treated like a kid?"
"Um, we are kids," Edmund felt the need to point out.
"Well, I wasn't always." None of us were, Peter. As his older brother made his way back to the bench he said, "It's been a year, how long does he expect us to wait?" He sat down between Edmund and Lucy with a frustrated thump.
"I think it's time we accept that we live here. It's no use pretending any different." But Edmund couldn't bear to hear the words coming out of Susan's mouth. He didn't want to be in London. He didn't want to be in England. He wanted to go home; to Narnia – his real home. Susan glanced behind her for a small second before turning to face her siblings, an irritated look on her face, "Pretend you're talking to me."
"We are talking to you." Edmund butted in. His sister gave him an are-you-serious face before a loud cry bolted out of his youngest sibling.
"Ow!" Lucy cried out, jumping off the bench.
"Quiet, Lu."
"Something pinched me!"
"Hey!" Peter got up as well, sending a pointed look toward Edmund, "Stop pulling!"
"I'm not even touching you!" Edmund defended himself as the train pulled into the station.
"Would all of you just-" Susan couldn't finish her sentence before both she and Edmund jumped up. Edmund looked around his sitting area, trying to find the culprit who pinched him, but to no avail.
The wind started blowing harshly through the tunnel, whipping Edmund's hair back and forth while the other civilians continue forward as if nothing was happening.
"It feels like magic!" Lucy cried out. Edmund felt a tingle of hope bubbling in his stomach. Could it be?
"Quick, everybody hold hands!" Susan held out her hand expectantly to Peter, who took it without question before holding out his other hand to Edmund.
"I'm not holding your hand!" Edmund protested. Peter scoffed before grabbing Edmund's hand, ignoring the protests.
Edmund could hear the lamps crashing against roofs and the clang of the platform signs as they bumped into each other. His pants whipped around his legs as his scarf slapped him in the face. The black and pale yellow tiles were ripped off the walls, along with the metal grid surrounding the train's exit. Despite all the chaos, Edmund felt no panic in his heart. Deep down, he knew what this was. He just hoped he wasn't wrong.
Edmund gazed at the train that was racing past them at the speed of light, but a certain sight made his eyes squint to get a closer look. Through the windows, he didn't see the other platform, but instead a beautiful cave that led out to a calm beach with tropical blue waters. He watched as the image grew more vivid until he could no longer see the train, but only the sight beyond it. He felt the wind die down and the screeching grow softer before the train disappeared into the void, and only the beach could be seen.
He walked forward with his siblings at his side, no longer holding hands. He couldn't stop the smile from etching itself onto his face as he gazed upon the clear blue waters. He could feel the happiness being pumped from his heart to every single part of his body. I'm home now.
But the thought was banished from his mind as he and his siblings rushed towards the water, yanking off their blazer's, scarves, hats and ties in the boiling Narnian sun. Edmund could feel the laughter resonate from deep in his chest as he flung himself into the waves in pure bliss, not even thinking about his wet uniform.
The siblings all splashed and laughed as the water hit them. Edmund took in the beauty of the waves and serenity of the shore. Only one place in the universe gave him this feeling, Narnia. But as he took in the sights all around him, he noticed a compound of scattered rock sitting atop a cliff that looked over the beach. Are we really in Narnia?
"Ed! Ed!" Susan called out to him as Peter splashed her, but Edmund's mind was elsewhere.
"What is it?" Peter asked.
"Where do you suppose we are?"
"Well, where do you think?"
Edmund sighed, "Well, I don't remember any ruins in Narnia..."
Edmund directed his siblings' gazes to the top of the cliff. He knew they too were confused as the waves rolled over their ankles.
After a long hike up the side of the cliff, Edmund and his brother and sisters trekked along the ruins whilst examining the details in hopes of finding a sense of familiarity. Edmund knew that the place was somewhere where he had been before, he just couldn't place it in his mind.
He examined all the ancient pillars laced with gold and the few remnants of personal objects that littered the floor, but his mind came up empty handed. He could see the beach from his place atop the cliff, and he smiled at the sight of the pure blue sea. As he walked passed the remains of an old staircase and an old wooden door that was adorned in metal patterns, he heard the voice of his little sister ask aloud, "I wonder who lived here."
There was a pregnant pause before Susan's voice echoed in his ears, "I think we did."
At the statement Edmund rushed to her side, only to see a familiar object resting in her hands. Could it be? "Hey! That's mine from my chess set." Edmund gingerly took the golden centaur into his hand and a sudden nostalgia overwhelmed him.
"Which chess set?" Peter asked.
"Well, I didn't exactly have a solid gold chess set in Finchley, did I?" Edmund placed the golden centaur into his satchel, wondering what this place was and when they had been here.
"It can't be," he heard Lucy whisper before she walked off onto the middle of what looked like a stage with for sharp rocks protruding from it. Edmund followed her, along with Susan and Peter. A look of recognition crossed her eyes as she gazed at the four rocks, "Don't you see?"
Peter asked, "What?"
Lucy frustratedly adjusted Peter so that he gazed out onto the ruins whilst he stood in front of an outcropped rock, "Imagine walls." She adjusted Susan next before pointing into the void, "And columns there." Edmund watched from where he stood –in front of the far left rock – whilst Lucy took her place, "And a glass roof."
Edmund pictured it in his mind. A building, an extravagant one, with a glass roof and a stage with four... thrones! As the thought hit him he realised exactly where he was standing.
"Cair Paravel," Peter spoke for him.
The four walked around a little more, recognizing more and more details about their lost home. Edmund felt like he was forgetting something, but what? What detail could be more important than the fact that his home is now in pieces?
Edmund glanced at the large rock laying before him and a thought crossed his mind, "Catapults."
"What?" Peter questioned.
"This didn't just happen," Edmund explained, "Cair Paravel was attacked."
At that thought, Peter noticed a familiar wall standing opposite them. Edmund followed his older brother as his thoughts raced through his head, I'm forgetting something. What is it? What can it be?
Edmund and Peter pushed the wall out of the way to reveal the secret chamber Mr. Tumnus had shown them all that time ago. Peter pulled out a pocket knife and started to hastily rip off a piece of his shirt before wrapping it around a stick he picked up from the floor, "I don't suppose you have any matches, do you?'
Edmund considered it for a moment, "No, but..." He dug into his satchel and pulled out the torch he had been carrying with him, "would this help?"
Peter looked at him incredulously, "You might have mentioned that a bit sooner!"
Edmund only chuckled lightly before leading the way into the chamber, his thoughts still running mad. The majority of the walls were still intact, with the exception of a broken column here and there. Edmund recognised every detail of this place. They hardly ever kept anything in the chamber, only a few things which they found were too important to leave around the castle, such as the sword and wand of the White Witch and a few personal items. However, when Edmund came to the balcony that overlooked the chamber, he didn't see the sword or the wand, but instead his eyes found five statues standing behind five similar chests. He smiled upon recognising them, happy that they were exactly where he had left them the morning of the hunt. Edmund wasted no time and rushed down the stairs to the lowest level of the chamber.
"I can't believe it. It's all still here!" Peter happily stated as Edmund, Lucy and Susan all rushed towards their own chests. Edmund pulled his open and found all his personal items in there, even the ones which were in his room on the day that he left. The Narnians must've put them there after he and his siblings left. Edmund pulled out his old helmet, which was far too big for him, and put it on his head.
"I was so tall," Lucy remembered as she held her old dress to her body.
"Well, you were older them," Susan pointed out.
"As opposed to hundreds of years later, when you're younger," Edmund remarked. He continued to sort through his things, recalling them all from his time as King. He spotted his old sword and strapped it to his side.
"What is it?" he heard Lucy ask her older sister.
"My horn," Susan explained, "I must've left it on my saddle the day we went back."
Edmund lifted his out from inside his chest and watched as Peter opened his own, pulling out the sword that saved and took many lives. Peter released it from its scabbard and read the print, "When Aslan bares his teeth, winter meets its death."
A sudden chill came over Edmund as his mind raced once more What am I forgetting, "When he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again." His younger sister said from across the room, "Everyone we knew, Mr. Tumnus and the beavers... they're all gone."
The thought hit Edmund harder than a running train and the words left his lips faster than the speed of light, "Amelia" He voice was a soft whisper t first, but his heart grew more worried with each passing second, "Amelia!"
Edmund raced up the stairs without a second thought. His heart was pumping harder against his chest as each second passed. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that he had forgotten about the girl who had consumed every thought he had every single day since they left. Worry was consuming him fast. He needed to get outside. He needed to find her. She couldn't be dead, she just couldn't be. How was he supposed to survive without the thought of seeing her again driving him forward?
He could hear the cries of protest from his siblings below him, but he needed out. He needed fresh air to think. He needed to find her and save her from whatever danger she may be in. She was ambushed, he knew it. Each step grew taller and taller until finally he was outside and all the air was pushed out of his lungs, "Amelia!" He screamed so hard he was worried that those who stayed at the remains of the White Witch's castle could hear him but he paid no attention to that. He only cared about her. Where could she be?
"Edmund! Edmund!" Peter grabbed onto his shoulder's before he could move and forcefully turned him around to face him, "We don't know what happened yet. There is still a chance that she may be alive, but we can't assume anything. We need to find the Narnians, can you stay with us until then?"
Edmund could feel a small stream of tears rushing down his cheeks, but nodded nevertheless. Peter gave him a hard pat on the shoulder, but it made no effort to calm his racing heart.
"I think it's time we found out what's going on."
Hi Guys!
This chapter is definitely a favorite of mine! It took me forever to write, but I just love that last scene where Edmund shouts her name :) It gives me serious feels.
So, how have you guys been? I feel really bad for not updating, trust me. But I unfortunately have no excuse other than I was a lazy ass. Feel free to mentally slap me for that.
What did you guys think about the chapter? DId you like or do you feel it could use a little more oomph? Do you sense a change in Edmund or do you feel he is more or less the same? Please let me know what you think!