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Chapter Text

Edmund walked with Aslan several yards away from the camp. He had been rescued from the Witch's power just the night before, and was in no mood to get any sleep.

Aslan paused in his steps, causing Edmund stumble a bit before coming to a stop. For a moment, his eyes filled with fear, as if scared he was going to be reprimanded for a small trip, but when nothing happened, he relaxed.

"Look." Aslan nodded towards the horizon, where the sun was rising. He watched it with a sort of pride, as if he was the very one who made the sunrise. Which, of course, he was.

Edmund, however, watched it with a sickening mixture of shame and dread. Mostly shame. He plopped down in the grass and hung his head, lost in thought.

"What is troubling you?"

Ed started and turned to find that Aslan was now laying beside him, looking at him awaiting an answer.

"I- Well, nothing, really."

"Surely it must be something if such a shadow crosses your face."

Ed pursed his lips and thought of how to respond to the lion. It took him several moments, but he finally answered softly, "What if I'm not good enough? What if they... what if they don't love me?"

Aslan hummed and looked over his shoulder and out over his camp. Despite the fact that it was early morning, the place was still aflame with activity - the good creatures of Narnia were training, yelling, eating, and generally doing their best to prepare for the war of their lives. He kept looking out as he responded.

"Who won't love you? Your family or your people?"

"My fa - well, both really. I betrayed them! And for what? A handful of candy? A month of imprisonment and enslavement? I failed them, Aslan, and I just don't..." He sighed. "I don't see how they could ever trust me again." Edmund lowered his head once more and whispered. "I know I wouldn't."

Aslan turned his head back around to look at the boy. "You mustn't doubt yourself so much, Edmund. You have learned a lot over the past couple weeks, not just about Narnia but about yourself as well. The treatment you received was incredibly harsh, and no one your age should have endured it. However, it is over now, and you have been made all the stronger because of it. You will be a great king and an even better brother, believe me."

"But-"

"Yes?"

"I'm scared, Aslan."

"Good. If you weren't, then you'd be overconfident. And putting too much confidence in the input will never create a good outcome." Edmund finally picked up his head and looked the lion in the eyes. "You know your weaknesses, Edmund, and with that information you can learn how to work around them. That already makes you far stronger than many of the creatures here."

"And what about my family?"

"Well, if you can't trust your family, who can you trust?"

"I already broke their trust, remember?"

"Do you feel sorry for what you did?"

"Yes! Of course! I... I love my siblings, all of them, I really do. I know I never really said it before, but - Oh gosh, I've never really said that before, have I? Well I'm saying it now, and that must count for something, right?"

Aslan chuckled and stood up, shaking his mane. Edmund quickly got up after him, wiping dew off of his pants. "If you love your siblings as much as you say, and if you are truly sorry for what you have done," said Aslan, "Then tell them. For they love you just as much, and nothing can change that. They will forgive you."

Together, the two started walking back to the camp. By the edge, standing with the Beavers, Ed could see his three siblings. They waved at him. He waved back, but stopped walking. Aslan took a couple more steps before looking back at the boy.

"Are you sure?" Ed turned his focus onto Aslan. His hand was still raised slightly, even though his siblings had stopped waving.

The lion smiled. "Of course. Now come on, they're anxious to see you again. They missed you."

Chapter Text

It had been four years since the siblings had been coronated as Kings and Queens of Narnia, and the kingdom was in the midst of celebrating Susan's coming-of-age birthday.

The festivities were in full swing, with dancing and feasts and one almost-wedding, and it was only the third day! (Do not, however, bring the wedding up to any of the dwarves or the dryads, espically those who were involved. They claim they were drunk and we shall have to take their word for it.)

It was late afternoon, almost sunset, and Susan had been pulled away from yet another conversation she had been (trying to) hold with her younger siblings, this time by a group of young Nyaids who seemed to want to do her hair. Peter was off in the crowds, making sure no chaos erupted in the middle of the party (and failing quite miserably), leaving Lucy and Edmund to themselves.

"Oh! I do believe I see Tumnus over there, I haven't seen him in a couple months! I'll see you later, Ed, I'm going over there to catch up with him."

Leaving Edmund to himself.

He sighed and shook his head with a smile on his face. Lucy was the most sociable out of all of them, always making friends with the most unlikely of creatures, all while maintaining the relationships she already had. Ed could never see how she did it so well.

Across the room, a Archenlandian woman seemed to be trying to catch his eye. Ed nodded at her and did an awkward little wave. She winked at him in response.

He winced slightly, realizing what she was after, and shook his head subtly. She looked dissappointed for a second, then moved on to try and find another man to woo.

"She just wasnt my type," Edmund said to himself.

No woman's your type, said a voice in his mind. Not necessarily a bad voice, just one that was... there. Ed shook his head and made his way out of the palace, hoping for some fresh air. He weaved his way through crowds, smiling and nodding at those who acknowledged him, but never stopping, even as he went into the woods. He just wanted to be alone. Away from the party.

Several minutes later, he finally stopped in a small clearing. He could still hear the sounds of celebration in the distance, but they were far enough away that he know he wouldn't be disturbed. Edmund let out a deep breath he didn't know he was holding and sat down in the grass. He closed his eyes, taking in the momentary solitude and the sweet Narnian air.

Suddenly, he felt something - or someone - lay down beside him. Eyes popping open in alarm, he shouted.

"Aslan's mane!" And that was, in fact, what lay before him. And connected to it was the lion in question, eyes closed. One the those eyes opened and turned to look at Edmund.

"I do not appreciate you using my hair as an exclamation, young king."

Edmund stammered out an apology, still in shock.

Aslan laughed and opened both of his eyes, bringing his full attention to Edmund. "Nevermind, child, calm down. I wanted to speak with you, that's all."

Ed eased himself down slowly until he was relaxed again. He looked up at the sky, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Aslan do the same. Without looking down, he asked, "About what, exactly?"

"I felt you were troubled again. You are doubting a part of yourself, King Edmund, and you must come to terms with it."

"What about my siblings? They have things to come to terms with, too. Why am I the one you decided to talk to?"

"Whatever made you think I wasn't planning on talking to them?"

"Oh. Good point."

"You are all still young, both in this world and in your bodies. You need encouragement every once in a while, and for someone to keep you on the right track. This party and all the friends you've made are doing you good."

"Then why did you pull me away from it?"

"Because something is on your mind, child, and I fear that if you leave it brewing there it will boil over and burn you."

"What are you talking about?"

"You know what it is, Edmund."

Ed looked down from the sky and into the woods. It was growing dark out, and he could see fireflies start to appear. The creatures of the night were starting to awaken; he could hear the loud chirps and croaks of crickets and frogs start up, much closer than the distant sound of the birthday celebration.

He did, in fact, know what Aslan was talking about, but he was too scared to say it aloud. He was too scared to say it to himself, to be honest. All he could think about when he thought of it was what people back in England would think, and he knows that they would hate him for it. He'd be dead within the day if his hometown knew. And if people would do that in England, then the least they would do in Narnia would be to kick him off the throne, right? And-

"This isn't England, child. The people will not judge you here. Espically your people. Do not be afraid; you are safe here."

Ed looked over at Aslan, who was still looking up at the sky. Sitting there, it felt as though waves of peace and reassurance were coming off the lion. He started to feel better, and tried to gather enough courage to speak what was on his mind.

"I don't like women." Ed furrowed his brow and shook his head. "No, no, no, wait - that came out wrong. I like women, they're nice. I just don't like them the way Peter does. The way I'm supposed to."

"Whoever said you were supposed to like anyone in any way?"

"I- I don't know, really. Society at large, I guess."

"Perhaps they were wrong."

Ed smiled. "Perhaps."

They sat in silence for a minute, watching as the stars came out. Edmund was always amazed by them, by how many there were, how colorful they were, and how different it was from England, through and through.

Aslan was the one to break the silence.

"Who do you like, then? The way Peter likes his women?"

"Oh, don't put it like that, it sounds weird."

"That's how you put it."

Ed chuckled. "I guess you're right."

They sat for a few beats longer before Aslan spoke again. "You never answered my question."

"I'm scared to."

"Think of your hesitation like an enemy on the battlefield: strong and angry and seemingly impossible to beat, but once you do, you will have the rush of victory once again. Take victory over your thoughts, child, or else you will not be sure of who you are. And if you are soft within, any hard exterior you try to put up will quickly crum-"

"Men."

"What was that?" Aslan was the one to turn his had now, looking at Edmund who was the one gazing at the night sky. In the distance, fireworks bought from one of the closer of the Seven Isles were going off amidst the crowd's cheers.

"I like men the way Peter likes women. The way Susan likes - well, not exactly like Susan, I guess. Or Peter either, really. I like them the way I like them. Which is to say... I like them." The teenaged king looked down at the great lion, and for the first time since the beginning of their conversation, they looked at each other eye-to-eye.

"I am proud of you."

"Wha- Why? I didn't really expect you to say that, honestly."

"Because that took a lot of courage to come to terms with, let alone to say. And you will have to say it several times more."

"Why?"

"Your family? Your people? You wouldn't want to be misrecorded throughout history, would you?"

"Oh. Yeah, they'd probably need to know about that. And no, I don't think I would."

"Good. I wouldn't want that for you, either. But you have no need to tell them tonight, Peter and Susan are probably at least slightly drunk, and you just now came to terms with this yourself. I'd recommend a bit after the festivities have ended. But not too much later, I worry about you when you worry too much."

Edmund smiled and got up. "Alright Aslan, I'll keep all of that in mind. Thank you for talking with me, you've helped a lot."

"I hope I did. Oh, and Edmund, one more thing."

Ed stopped at the edge of the clearing at looked back. Despite the fact that it was quite dark out now, he could still see Aslan as if he were standing in broad daylight.

"No matter what happens, no matter where you go, you mustn't lose hope. I shall always be beside you, as I shall always be beside all of your siblings, and everything will turn out for the better in the end. Remember this."

"I wouldn't dream of forgetting, Aslan. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, child, and may your path be blessed."

"And yours as well." With that, Edmund turned around and trecked back through the woods, heading towards the sound of laughter. The sound of his people. The sound of his home.

Edmund smiled.

Chapter Text

Caspian was three when he first heard of Old Narnia.

His nurse was putting him to bed, and sat on the edge of it to pet his hair.

"And what story would the Prince like to hear tonight?"

Little Caspian scrunched his face up and thought. There were a lot of the Nurse's stories that he liked, but tonight he wanted to hear-

"Something new!"

Nurse chuckled and smiled. "Alright then, I've got just the story in mind."

And she told Caspian a tale of the best world the boy had ever heard of. Where the trees and rivers and animals spoke, and they were all friends. Where four people ruled, and they ruled in peace and harmony. Where magic was everywhere, seeping out of the ground and the air and the sea. Where a great lion was the protector and creator, who was feared and loved.

The Nurse didn't even tell much of a story, she just talked about this beautiful land. Caspian was asleep with a smile on his face before she had even finished.

For the next couple years, Caspian fell asleep in a manner very similar to this night. His Nurse would tell him stories of Old Narnia, of the great battles they held, of the good people that lived there, and most of all, of the wise Kings and Queens that ruled the land. Caspian's favorite was Edmund - the just king who used his mind and words to win battles just as much as he used his sword and shield. When he told his Nurse this, she smiled and said that her favorite was Lucy. She said that the queen was always making friends with every creature she came across, and that having many friends was one of the best things in the world.

One day, as he was taking one of his mandatory walks with his uncle (and everyone knows children hate most anything that's mandatory), Caspian let slip that he knew about Old Narnia.

In his mind, the young prince had said this in good nature. He thought his uncle would love the stories as much as he did, with all the wars and swords that were in them. He thought that they might bond over it, that they might be friends.

But the look on his uncle's face was not one of good nature. In fact, it made Caspian cry.

Caspian was seven, almost eight when his Nurse was sent away and he was told he wasn't to talk about or even think of Old Narnia again. His new tutor came one week after his birthday.

At first, the young prince thought he would hate his tutor, whoever it was. But he found it impossible to not love the face that appeared in his drawing room that day.

The little old man walked over to where Caspian was sitting, and pointed to a spot on the painting he was doing. "I think you should put more red right there, it will compliment the piece quite well."

Caspian did as he was told, and smiled. The painting did look much better now. Well, as better as an eight-year-old's painting could look. He dipped his brush into the paint and continued, listening to his new tutor's advice along the way.

As he painted, they talked about many things. They started with the usual pleasantries (Caspian learned that the man's name was Doctor Cornelius, and that he liked cats), then moved on to greater topics, like color theory and why the sky went red at sunset (which is what Caspian was painting).

About an hour into their conversation, Caspian paused. "Wait. I'm learning things!"

Doctor Cornelius sat back in his chair amd chuckled. "Well, tutoring you is my job, is it not?"

"Yes, but you're making it interesting!"

"Whoever said learning wasn't interesting?"

Caspian had to think about that, and the doctor chuckled again.

"If you haven't got an answer, let's go back to our conversation then, yes? I believe we were talking about why it rains."

And so Doctor Cornelius tutored Prince Caspian. They did, of course, have actual lessons where Cornelius would give a lecture and Caspian would take notes and ask questions, but most of their lessons were held within conversations. The prince found he was learning a great deal more than he thought he was, especially when quizzed by his uncle about what he was supposed to have been taught. Caspian was quite content with his life at the moment, even if he didn't have anyone to share his dreams about Old Narnia with.

And then one fateful afternoon, the doctor let slip that he knew about the days before the Telmarines, and Caspian's curiosity burst out. Cornelius managed to calm him down, for the time being.

That night, the doctor brought Caspian to the top of the great tower to show him an amazing astronomical occurrence - two stars passing by each other for the first time in two hundred years. He also brought the boy up there to tell him the truth about the history of his country.

Caspian was nine when he learned that Old Narnia was real.

As time went on, Caspian continued to receive his lessons. But in addition to math and grammar and foreign language, he was also learning about the truth behind his people and the country.

The more he learned, the more his curiosity grew. He wanted to learn everything about the Kings and Queens of the Golden Age. The doctor taught him everything he knew.

As Caspian grew older, he started to learn how to be a king. Along with his lessons from Doctor Cornelius, Caspian would be pulled away by his gentlemen-in-waiting to have lessons the doctor wouldn't have been able to teach him. Lessons on things such as swordsmanship, horseback riding, hunting, archery, and all other sorts of kingly things. He also started to realize things about himself, and about some of the people his age that he would see about the palace.

Caspian was twelve when he realized that he liked girls. He was twelve and a half when he realized that he liked boys, too.

The first bit was fully realized during a swordsmanship lesson he was having in one of the smaller courtyards. The swordmaster had set up a small duel in order to test Caspian's abilities and to see what of his teachings had stuck. Caspian, however, seemed distracted, and could barely maintain eye contact with his teacher.

"What is it, now? You aught not to be so distracted while holding a sword, young prince." The swordsman looked around the courtyard to try and find the source of Caspian's mind wandering, until his eyes settled on a servant girl who was watching the lesson from a doorway. The girl ducked her head down and giggled. He looked back at Caspian, who was still watching her with a smile on his face.

"Ah, I see."

Caspian's head shot up, eyes wide. Meanwhile, the girl ran off, too scared to get into trouble.

"It happens to all boys your age, don't worry about it. For now, however, focus on what you need to do to beat me, not on the pretty girl from the kitchens, ok?"

Caspian nodded and adjusted his stance, muttering something under his breath.

The teacher adjusted his stance as well. "What was that?"

"I said she helps clean, she's not from the kitchens."

"Oh! My apologies, then, my prince." He moved to start the scrimmage.

The second bit did not have as calm of an outcome when realized. It started when Caspian noticed one of the stable boys, an apprentice about his age.

Caspian smiled at him. The boy smiled back. Caspian was determined to get him to smile again, no matter what.

He found himself looking forward to his riding lessons, even keeping track of his hectic schedule in order to try and find out when the next one was. Sometimes, when he had free time, Caspian would go down to the stables and talk to the boy as he worked. Those conversations made him feel the happiest he had in a while.

After a couple months of this, Caspian realized that he liked the stable boy, in a way very similar to how he liked the maid girl. He wasnt quite sure what to do with this information, but he made sure to keep it to himself for the time being. He knew that his uncle didn't like many, many things, and Caspian wasn't sure what he would think of this. He was fairly certain, however, that Miraz's opinion wouldn't be a good one.

The next time he went down to the stables, however, the told the boy about his feelings. The other's face lit up, and he said he felt the same.

Caspian was thirteen when he had his first kiss.

They were caught.

Caspian was thirteen the first time he was hit by his uncle.

Caspian cried long and hard that night. Not loudly, for he was in enough trouble as it was, but deep into the night.

The stable boy, he was told, was to be sent away to where Caspian was sure to never see him again. And Caspian was locked in his chambers for the next week. They were to bring him food and water, of course, and there was a chamber pot and a bath within his rooms, but he wasn't to have his lessons or explore the castle or the grounds until his door was unlocked.

Good thing Caspian, the troublesome young boy he was, knew how to pick locks.

He snuck through the castle, avoiding guards and maids and other adults who were milling about, until he made it to his tutor's chambers. He knocked softly.

"And whom is it that decides that it is a good idea to be knocking at my door at this hour? I swear, if you're here to talk to me about Cas- Caspian?" The door opened, revealing Doctor Cornelius in a long nightgown, holding a candle. "Caspian, my boy, you're supposed to be in your chambers."

A tear rolled down the boy's face in response. He didn't trust himself to speak.

"Oh, my boy, come here, it'll be alright." Cornelius set his candle on a table beside the door at opened his arms. The prince ran into them as more tears spilled down his face.

After a few moments of standing in the doorway in the hug, Cornelius spoke up again. "Would you like to go up and have a last-minute astronomy lesson?"

Caspian nodded and pulled away, wiping off his face. He followed the doctor through the castle and up several flights of stairs until they reached the top of the Great Tower. Caspian looked up, and realized that the night was far too cloudy to see any stars. Despite this, he smiled, knowing that he was about to learn more about Old Narnia.

Cornelius sat down on one side of the tower and gestured to Caspian to do the same next to him. "Have I ever told you about the courtiers of the Kings and Queens of old?"

Caspian shook his head. He still didn't trust himself to speak.

"Well, much has been lost over the years, so I'm telling you what I've heard from books and stories I've heard that have been passed down through generations. Neither of which are very accurate when it comes to the more personal lives of historical figures, but it tells as much as it can, I guess.

"King Peter is first, of course, but he didn't really have many suitors. It is said that he would find a woman and court her for several months until their inevitable separation. Most sources say that they broke up with him because he was too caught up in his kingly duties, which is understandable. The relationships he had though, he would make them special. It is said it would have been an honor to have courted him. Well, I guess there are a few sources that said he slept around, but I do hope that those weren't reliable in any way."

"I don't see what this has to do with my situation," said Caspian.

"Does everything have to be about you?" asked his tutor. Caspian pursed his lips tightly shut in shame. "Oh, relax, I'll get to that part, let me lead up to it at least."

The boy nodded, and Cornelius continued.

"Now, Queen Susan was almost the opposite of her brother. She had men coming from miles around, all across the land, who wanted her hand. She courted many of them, but never married. It is said that she was almost always courting someone, and almost never the same man. It's even rumored that she was dating several at once at one point, but I don't believe this. The dwarf that told me this was very drunk at the time, and I believe that he was exaggerating the story. The point he was trying to make, I'll never know.

"However, he is my only source on the love life of our dear Queen Susan, only I do hope you find a better source than I. As I hope you find a better source about Peter's."

At this, Caspian chuckled slightly, and Cornelius smiled, glad that he was making the prince feel a little bit better.

"Queen Lucy-"

"You skipped Edmund." This was the first time Caspian had spoken in a bit, and his tutor looked over at him with a smile.

"I'm getting to Edmund, give me a minute. I'm saving him for last.

"Queen Lucy, now, doesn't have any recorded loves. Based on what I read, she wasn't interested in anyone who tried to woo her - romantically, that is. She was the friendliest of all, and seemed to keep her relationships to just that - friendship. I've heard it said that she claimed she saved her love for three things: her family, her people, and Aslan. Which are very good things to have your love saved for."

"And now for Edmund?" asked Caspian.

"And now for Edmund," the doctor agreed. "He, much like his brother, had courtships that lasted for months. It is said that in his younger years, he wasn't so wise in who he loved, but as he grew older he found good men who-"

"Men?" Caspian's brow was furrowed, the gears in his mind turning faster than they ever had.

"Yes, my boy, King Edmund the Just, just like you, loved men. You are not as alone as your uncle would have you think, or as weak. In fact, you are not a great deal of things that your uncle would have you think you are, you've just got to figure them out on your own."

Caspian thought on this for a while, then said, "Did he like both?"

"How do you mean?"

"Both men and women. I like both."

"I don't know, my prince. As I said, many of my sources are not as reliable as I would like, espically when it comes to the personal lives of the Golden Rulers. I don't think he did, though, as every story I came across about who he loved spoke of men."

Caspian nodded, listening to his tutor. "No matter. Even if he liked one and I like both, it is comforting to know I'm not alone in this. Espically when I'm with someone as grand as King Edmund."

"I agree, it must be. Now, hurry along, we must get you back to your chambers before someone gets wind that you're gone."

And with that, Caspian hurried back down the stairs and through the castle until he reached his chambers again. He made sure to lock the door behind him.

Another year passed, Caspian learned how to lie to his uncle better, and everything seemed fine for the time being.

And then his aunt grew sick.

And Doctor Cornelius took Caspian up to the top of the Great Tower one last time, and explained a great deal of things to him. Such as how his father died. And how his uncle stole the throne. And how now his life was in danger, and how he had to leave within the hour.

As he rode off, Caspian tried his best not to despair. All he allowed himself to think of was how he had to go south, and how he had to follow the doctor's plan as closely as he could.

But storms happen, and sometimes (not very often, but sometimes) you get knocked out by a tree branch and kidnapped by a badger and a couple of dwarves, and sometimes things don't go as they're planned.

But maybe that's for the better.

Caspian was fourteen when he learned that Old Narnia wasn't as old as he thought. In fact, it was still alive.

Chapter Text

Edmund didn't mean to leave Narnia, he swears. Falling out of the wardrobe and back into England was like a slap in the face.

Well, to be honest, a slap in the face didn't exactly cut it. It was more like he was reading a book and someone came up to him, told him the plot twist, then slapped him in the face and walked away. But now he was stuck back at the beginning, and the book doesn't seem half as good as it did before.

It was that feeling but worse. Much, much worse.

He could see it in his siblings' faces, too - the shock of being thrown back into another world, back into a child's body - it was almost sickening, at first. He could remember feeling things moments before that his current body wasn't developed enough to do yet.

Like love. True, burning desire mixed with warm compassion, heat shared with another person on a winter's night.

Now Edmund just felt cold. But that might have been the draft coming through the window.

They could hear footsteps in the next room; they passed by without stopping. None of the siblings could remember who they belonged to.

Peter was the first to speak. "Dear sister, 'tis far greater an adventure than I believe we expected." But those words, in that order, didn't sound quite right. Not coming out of his mouth, not going into the spare room, and definitely not coming to rest within the world they were in. They looked at each other quizzically.

It took quite a bit of getting used to, being back in England. They spent most of the rest of that day sitting in the room they fell into, trying their best to remember who they used to be.

Now, picture this: you are in your thirties. Then, through no fault of your own (except maybe your own foolishness, in part), you are transported back to your twelve-year-old body in a blink of an eye. Now you have to remember how to be a child again, in a time and place you barely remember. It would be incredibly hard, wouldn't it?

Edmund certainly found it to be. As did his siblings.

It took them a full two weeks before they could get their bearings again. The professor and Mrs. Macready were concerned with how the children would lock themselves in their rooms during this time (though Mrs. Macready less so, she was mostly glad to have them out from under her feet). Then one day, the four siblings left the room they had been discussing in and went up to the Professor's office.

Professor Diggory looked up from the book he was reading and smiled. "Come in, come in!" he exclaimed. "It's wonderful to see you all up and about again. I know this war is taking a toll on all of us, so feel no need to apologize."

The siblings, however, just stood in the doorway and looked at each other. None were sure of what to say.

"Well, dont just stand there, come in! Sit down, relax, I'm sure I have some tea around here somewhere." The Professor gestured to the two chairs in front of his desk, which Peter and Susan took. Lucy sat on the arm of Susan's chair while Edmund remained standing between them all.

Professor Diggory finally found some tea, and poured it into five cups, all of which were promptly ignored. He sat back down and looked at the children expectantly.

"We're sorry we lost some of the coats in the old wardrobe in the spare room," Lucy blurted. Everyone raised their eyebrows; nobody really expected the conversation to start like that.

"Well, how exactly did you lose them?" asked the Professor.

The children looked at each other again and shrugged.

"You go on, Ed, tell the story," whispered Susan.

"What? Why me?" Ed whispered back.

"You're the diplomat," whispered Peter, and elbowed his brother.

Ed sighed and shook his head, then looked back up at the Professor. Then he started to tell their story, right from the beginning.

He ended up telling very little of the whole thing, what with Lucy taking up the first part and Peter and Susan telling most of the middle, when he was captured. The rest was interrupted, again, by his siblings interjecting in order to tell their side of the whole thing. They generalized most of their time as Kings and Queens, much of it too recent and close to the heart to be told without tears shed. They ended with their hunt for the white stag and their arrival back in England, confident that they managed to tell as much as they could to the Professor. They sat back and smiled. Sharing the whole thing with someone besides themselves lifted quite the weight off their backs.

They looked at the Professor expectantly. He looked back. Then he took the first sip of his cup of tea, then let it fall back into the cup because it had grown far too cold.

"Well," he finally said. "That's quite a way to lose four coats." The siblings chuckled and the Professor smiled, knowing that his joke landed. He continued, "And this explains quite a lot of your behavior during the past couple weeks. This must all be quite a shock, mustn't it?"

The siblings all nodded, and the Professor continued again. "If you ever need advice about being in England again, feel free to come to me. In fact, if you need advice about anything, feel free to come to me. I've been told I have some wisdom hidden up my sleeve somewhere."

The children looked at each other again, and then Lucy asked the question all four were wondering: "Do you think we could make it back to Narnia again? Through the wardrobe, that is."

"No, you won't get to Narnia again through that route, that's for sure."

"But will we get back to Narnia?" This was Edmund.

"Yes, of course you'll get back to Narnia again someday. Once a King in Narnia, always a King in Narnia. But don't go trying to use the same route twice. Indeed, don't try to get there at all. It'll happen when you're not looking for it. And don't talk about it too much, even amongst yourselves. And don't mention it to anyone else unless you find that they've had adventures of the same sort themselves."

"But how will we know?" Susan, this time.

"Oh, you'll know alright. Odd things they say - even their looks - will let the secret out. Keep your eyes open. Bless me, what do they teach in these schools?"

And that seemed to be the end of their conversation with the Professor. The children went out of the room and found themselves standing out in the hall.

"Well, that went as well as I think it could have," said Susan.

"Yes, but we're still here!" Peter was the last to leave the room, closing the door softly behind him. His face, on the other hand, was anything but soft. "We're back in England again, where we're children. And even after we're children, we won't be much more. We could never be who were were in Narnia. It's almost like Aslan has left us." He opened his mouth to say something else, but was quickly cut off by Lucy.

"Oh, don't say such things!" she exclaimed. "Even if we are stuck here, we can still make a name for ourselves. And don't you dare say that Aslan has left us, he would never do such a thing!"

"Lu's right," said Edmund. He was looking down fiddling with his hands, face too obscured for the siblings to see how he felt. "Aslan wouldn't leave us. He said that no matter what happens, no matter where we go, that he would be with us. That we just had to trust him. To not lose hope." He looked up. "And I think that hope is all we have right now."

The rest of the summer was a confusing one. They spent it continuing to adjust to their new (or old, if you look at it that way) world, and trying their best to be passable enough teenagers (or pre-teen, in Ed's case) to not be called out at school for it. Lucy, on the other hand, would be staying at the Professor's house until the threat of Air-Raids was completely gone, and studying under his care. She had an extra year to learn how to be a little kid again. The others were off to boarding school in the fall.

It was easy enough for the most part. Sometimes they had good memories, and the four would stay up through the night reminiscing about the best of the times that they had. The bad bits were when strong memories would flood over them, engulfing them with a sense of grief. Other times, the sense of loss was much stronger than usual.

Those were the worst times.

Edmund woke up one night in a cold sweat. It was different from the nights he would wake up from nightmares from old battles, for he was (mostly) used to those. No, this one felt like he had forgotten something he really, really shouldn't have forgotten, and the guilt was coming over him in waves.

Then he remembered. Verin. They had been courting for several months, almost a full year, before Edmund went out to hunt the white stag. They were happy together, and the people were happy they were together. He had proposed to him a week before they had left for the hunt. They were to have the first wedding at Cair Paravel, the first wedding of one of the four Great Rulers, and what a wedding it was going to be to behold.

"Aslan's mane," he whispered.

How could he have forgotten?

"Ed?" Peter must have heard the commotion from his side of the room, years of training having woke him up at the slightest sound of distress.

"Verin."

The response was quieter this time, and took a few moments to arrive. "Oh, shit."

By the time the two made it over to the girls' room, Ed was in tears. The more he remembered, the sadder he felt. He knew that Verin was gone now, and that his chances of having anything close to what they had in England was slim to none. Compared to everything else he lost - his titles, his throne, his land - the loss of his freedom and his love seemed to be the worst to Edmund.

He didn't leave his room for five days.

The school term was worse, somehow. It was confusing for all of them to be cast back into the world when their emotions and minds weren't at the stage of development they were used to. The friends they went back to had been forgotten ages ago. The lessons they were learning were so simple they were boring. Everything was dull compared to what Narnia had been.

All in all, though, it brought them back to England and the lives they had to lead more than ten summers at the Professor's house could have. But that didn't mean they weren't excited when the summer holidays rolled around again.

This year, they were back at their home in London, and everything felt right for the first time in months. They had their mother and their father, who was back from the war, and they truly felt like a family again. It was the second best summer they had all had. (The parents' best summer was the summer after they had gotten married, when they went to America for their honeymoon. The siblings's best, of course, was the one spent with the Professor.)

And then it was all over, and they all had to say goodbye to their parents again. Lucy was finally going with the other three to boarding school, and they all sat on the bench at the junction station together.

Until they weren't. In fact, they doubted they were in England at all.

And as they looked around, at the ruins above them and the sea behind him, Edmund realized that he was home once more.

Chapter Text

The night after their fight with the Talmarines there was a great feast. It was like nothing any there had seen before, even the Pevensies. The bonfire roared, the people and animals ate and drank and laughed, and everyone felt at peace. Aslan was sitting near the fire, nodding at the creatures that passed his way, smiling at the little children who were playing around him.

Near the edge of the crowd sat the four siblings. They all laughed together, still recounting tales of their royal years. Being back in Narnia had brought back many of the memories, without as much of their sting.

Peter took a sip from his glass and gasped, remembering something, then pointed at Edmund. "Do you remember? Remember?"

Ed smiled. "Remember what, Oh High King?"

"The first Diplomat's Competition!"

Ed nearly dropped his drink, eyes wide. "NO! We agreed to never speak of that ever again!"

The other three laughed over the rest of his protests. Meanwhile, Caspian walked over to their group. "Never speak of what again?"

Susan paused in her laughter and opened her mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by Ed's "DON'T YOU DARE TELL HIM, SUSAN!", which only made her laugh harder. When she finally caught her breath again, she turned to Caspian.

"Ok, so, in our second year in Narnia, we discovered the southern countries, right? And how they have other humans in them? So Edmund, the smart little fourteen-year-old he was, called a friendly "Diplomat's Competition" or whatever he called it, inviting some of the younger diplomats of those countries to challenge him. But he," she paused to laugh again, "Just completely froze when he saw his competition! He looked star struck, oh god! And this was before any of us, even him, I think, knew he liked men, so it just looked like he was losing miserably at his own competition for no reason? I mean, I get it, that one Calormen boy was cute as all Narnia, but just-" she started laughing again, along with two of her other siblings.

Susan eventually started up once more, gulping down her laughter. "I mean, honestly, Ed, those "Diplomat's Competitions" were just an attempt to get yourself laid, everyone could te-"

Edmund looked up sharply. "FINISH THAT SENTENCE AND YOU'RE DEAD, SUSAN!"

Most of his reaction had been cut off by the others' laughter, Caspian joining in this time.

Peter raised his flask in a mock-toast. "Well, he did succeed most of the time, didn't he?"

"He what?" Lucy sounded incredulous, but with the glances she gave Edmund, Caspian could tell she already knew the whole story. Meanwhile, Ed had his head back in his hands and was mutting something that sounded like "shut up" on repeat.

"Oh, you haven't heard?" Peter drew out his words, turning his body so slowly and dramatically towards his sister that it broke Susan down in hysterics. "Well, I can tell of this one time when I walked in on him - yes, Edmund! Our dearest brother! The Just King HIMSELF!" Peter turned back to Caspian now, getting a kick out of telling the story to someone new, "Getting down! and! dirty! With the very same Calormen boy you spoke of, Susan! Imagine! Wait, don't, actually, I have trouble getting the image out of my head myself - But imagine the gossip! The SCANDAL!"

The sister in question was lying on her back now, crying from how hard she was laughing. Caspian, along with Lucy, was nearly in tears himself from the way Peter had told his tale.

Edmund, however, had his head back up, a pleading look in his eyes (but a smile on his face). "Pete, you've told this story a million times! You're the one who broke into my room! Who climbed up to the third story and picked the lock on my window! It's your own fault you saw that!"

"Well, you shouldn't have left your window so easy to unlock, what if burglars came, Ed-"

"I was on the third story!"

"That's not an excuse! I'm the High King, if I want to be able to sneak back into the Castle through your window after doing my own scandalous things, I should be allowed to!"

Susan seemed to have calmed down a bit by now, for from her spot on the ground, she cried out, "Ooooh Pete! Tell us all about these 'scandalous things' of yours, we're dying to know."

The other three went into a new conversation, and Edmund put his face in his hands and groaned, still embarrassed from the last topic. Caspian could see the smile still breaking through, though.

Caspian listened to the other three for a bit (It turned out that the woman Peter had spent the night with cheated on him not even an hour later (with Susan, no less!), but he dragged the story out for so long that it somehow managed to seem more dramatic than it must have been when it actually happened), then eventually turned to sit next to Edmund. The other boy now had his head back up and was watching his siblings continue their banter with his grin finally settling fully on his face.

"So it's true?" Caspian asked softly.

"What's true?" Edmund turned to the young king.

"Well," Caspian started, "I heard stories from my tutor about how you loved men. Or courted them, or whatever you want to call it. Was he right?"

Ed got a strange look on his face, as if he was thinking about something that went a lot deeper than he ever expected it to, then nodded. "Yes, I suppose so. I mean, you did hear that whole conversation we just had." He paused. "Why do you ask?"

"I just..." He paused, scrunching up his face, then apperently deciding against saying whatever it was he wanted to say. "Oh, never mind." Caspian turned away from Edmund and watched as the other three were laughing at a new memory.

Ed continued to look at the other boy's face for a second, contemplating something, then shook his head and spoke again. "How do you feel about being King?"

Caspian looked back over at him. "It's scary, really. I'm still a kid, I don't see how I'm fit to lead a country."

Edmund nodded. "That's how we felt at first, too. For the first few years, really. You're going to make mistakes, loads of them, and it's going to be hard. But there will be people there to help you and to give you advice. And you'll learn more from your mistakes than a million lessons could ever teach you. Besides, you're gentle and valiant and just and magnificent and..." Edmund trailed off.

"And?"

"And you're many other good things, and you'll be a wonderful king. I know it." Ed smiled. "Trust me."

Caspian smiled back, getting a look in his eye as if he were determined to do something now, no matter what. Edmund wasn't sure what that thing was, but he was sure it would be good.

"I trust you."

The rest of the night passed by in a flash, and before they knew it, everyone was asleep. The following days passed by similarly - time spent enjoying life with good company, nights spent sleeping by friends and allies. Aslan sent out a message to the remaining Talmarines that if they wished to leave the New Narnia, they were to come at noon on the fifth day.

That day came much sooner than many had hoped.

Edmund stood by his siblings, next to Aslan. On the other side of the lion stood Caspian and his company. As the boy looked out over the Talmarines gathered in front of them, he felt a strange sense of anxiety.

He wasn't sure what was about to happen. He had an idea about what Aslan was doing with the weird doorway he made. He was also quite certain that he was about to go home.

That last bit Ed wasn't too excited about.

Aslan explained what was to happen to the Talmarines, none of whom seemed very keen on the idea, and waited for someone to take him up on the offer. One man stepped out and did so. Aslan blessed him, then he stepped out through the doorway, back into his own world, and disappeared.

The reaction was immediate. A ripple of fear went through the people gathered before the royals, and their voices grew louder until one stood out from among the rest:

"Well, why don't you send one of your own, then?"

A surprisingly large amount of Narnians were willing to go to Earth for the sake of their people, but Aslan turned them all down. Eventually he turned to Peter and gave a small nod.

Peter pursed his lips and nodded back. "C'mon, our time's up," he whispered to the others. He started walking towards the woods behind them.

"What do you mean?" Edmund asked, who had a feeling he knew all too well what his brother meant.

Susan nodded and followed him. "This way," she said, looking back at the other two and gesturing at them to follow her. "Back into the trees. We've got to change."

Lucy jogged a bit to catch up to her brother and sister. "Change what?"

"Our clothes, of course. Nice fools we'd look on the platform of an English station in these." Susan gestured at their Narnian clothes. Ed looked down at his with a sense of dismay.

"But our other things are at Caspian's castle," he said.

"No, they're not," said Peter. He had reached the woods already and was starting to push through the branches to get to the thickest part. "They're all here. They were brought down in bundles this morning. It's all arranged."

Edmund zoned out as his siblings carried on the conversation. The anxiety growing in his stomach seemed to climax, but he was quickly snapped back to reality when he heard Peter say, "... Not coming back to Narnia."

"Never?!" cried Edmund and Lucy.

"Oh, you two are," said Peter. "At least, from what he said, I'm pretty sure he means for you to come back some day. But not Su and me, he says we're getting too old." Susan nodded along as he said this.

"Oh Peter," said Lucy. "What awful bad luck. Can you bear it?"

"Well, I think I can. It's all rather different than what I thought. You'll understand when it comes to your last time." He stopped, having come to a dense thicket, behind which sat their clothes. "But, quick, here are our things."

But as the other three stepped forward and gathered their things, Edmund found himself stuck where he was. Peter's last words were still echoing in his mind. "When it comes to your last time." Edmund supposed that he was right, that he really aught to go back to England one day, to his home.

But was it really his home? Or was Narnia?

"Ed? What's wrong?" asked Susan. She had a kind, yet puzzled look on her face, as did the other two. Edmund found that he had to make a decision right there and now, and that that decision would be what shaped the rest of his life.

He knew what his choice was.

"I'm not going back to England."

"But don't we have to go back?" asked Lucy.

"Oh, you do, Lu, you haven't gotten a chance to really live there yet. And Peter and Susan must, because that's Aslan's word. But I..." he paused, thinking. "I can't be myself in England. There's a part of me that I can't show over there, but it's really such a big part of me that I can't live without it."

Confusion crossed his siblings faces, then understanding. Lucy ran toward and hugged him, hitting him so hard and squeezing him so tightly that a small "oof" was forced out of his mouth.

"Oh, Ed, I'll miss you."

"Hey, you're the one I'm gonna see again. Or at least, I hope I will. I'll find a way to write, though, I promise."

"Are you sure?" She looked up at him.

"I swear by Aslan's mane and tooth and claw, hell, his whole body, that if he doesnt let me write to you or the others, I'll learn magic and send the letters myself."

Lucy smiled and hugged him tighter, finally letting go after a few more moments of that.

Then Susan came up and hugged him, a short, yet incredibly sweet one.

"Promise you won't forget me?" Edmund asked.

"Ed! How could I ever do such a thing?"

"You never know! You could get distracted by boys and beauty and other... English stuff."

Susan laughed, then hugged her brother again. "I'll never forget you, I promise," she whispered.

"Good," he whispered back.

Then it was Peter's turn. He started with a handshake, then turned it into a hug that somehow managed to physically crush Edmund more than Lucy's did. Peter pulled away with tears in his eyes.

"Keep Narnia safe for me, will you?"

"Wouldn't dream of doing anything else." Ed smiled. "Keep Susan and Lucy safe for me, will you?"

"Of course."

They stayed like that for a few more seconds, still locked in their handshake, tears in both of their eyes, before Peter spoke again.

"I hope to see you again, one day."

"And I you. May Aslan bless your path."

Peter really choked up then, knowing that this truly was goodbye. "And yours as well. I'm holding you to that letter thing, you know."

Ed laughed. "Obviously. I wouldn't have it any other way."

Edmund then stepped away and let his siblings change their clothes. They walked back to the assembly together, in a line with Edmund taking up the rear. When they arrived where Aslan and the others stood, Caspian leaned over and looked at Edmund quizzically.

Edmund looked at Caspian as he spoke, but said it loud enough for everyone to hear. "I'm not going back to England, where I came from. Narnia is my home."

There were murmurs throughout the crowd and Caspian raised his eyebrows in surprise. Ed shifted his focus onto Aslan, who smiled at him and nodded, as if giving his permission.

Edmund then watched as his siblings and the first of the Talmarines stepped through the doorway in one big line. It saddened him to think that he would only see one of those people again in his life, and he still wasn't sure when it would be.

But, when he looked out at the (now thinning) crowd before him, at Caspian and the good creatures, at Aslan, he knew he make the right choice. He knew he was home.

And how wonderful it felt to be home again.

Chapter Text

Two weeks into her term, Lucy got a letter. Not in the mail or outside her door or in any way a letter would normally be delivered, but instead it fell on her head as she was studying outside. It was also covered in dirt.

She picked it up and looked around. Nobody was anywhere near, having chosen their own spots in the schoolyard to chat with friends or do work. She wasn't sitting beneath anything that someone could have dropped the letter from, either. It really did seem to appear from thin air.

Then, she looked down at the letter. Besides the dirt, it was in an envelope sealed with wax and stamped with a seal that looked familiar to her. She couldn't quite place where she knew it from, though. Turing the envelope over, she saw Lucy Pevensie spelled out in a tight cursive. She smiled. The handwriting was Edmund's, and she suddenly realized that the seal on the back was his, too. She hadn't seen much of either since they were King and Queen.

Excitedly, she broke open the seal and opened the letter itself. She couldn't wait to see what her brother had been doing.

To Lucy: my dear sister, good friend, and fellow royality,

Greetings from Narnia! I'm not sure how long it's been since you've left us, but on our side it's been nearly seven months. I do apologize for not writing sooner, I've been caught up with politics and kingdom-rebuilding and castle building and all sorts of other things, and this has been the first time I've had over a solid hour to myself. Besides sleep, of course (though sometimes I'm disturbed even during that).

And don't worry, I'm sending similar letters to Peter and Susan, they will not feel left out of the news I'm sharing.

Caspian's doing splendidly as King, all the people and animals love him. He's surprisingly wise (wiser than any of us were at his age, at least), and knows his people well. He knows what they want to live a happy life in this land, and he gives it to them, all while keeping everything balanced. It's quite a wonderful system he's set up, though I doubt I could explain it in full without boring you to tears.

He's asked me to be his offical diplomat, as well. He says I'm far wittier than him, though I beg to differ - he is a natural speaker, and would have been a good competitor at any of my Diplomat's Competitions.

Though we are technically both Kings, Caspian still has most of the power. Well, I like to think that. The people (or rather, the creatures), of Narnia tend to be more swayed when I give the speeches. Must have something to do with being a hundreds-of-years-old legend, I suppose. Behind the scenes, though, with the bigger decisions, I just try and give him council where I can. Try to not get in his way much, be a common sense filter, that sort of thing. Reminds me a lot of ruling under Peter, sometimes.

Oh, and I'm sure you'll love this - we're restoring Cair Paravel! The trees have moved themselves back and gave us room to work, and working we are. We've gotten almost all of the foundations up and we're starting on the walls next week. The castle is as ginormous as I remember, and it's going to be quite a while before everything's done. By Aslan's blessing we'll have it done by the year after next.

As of now, several well-chosen council members, Caspian, and I are living in the castle where Caspian grew up. When we have a moment to ourselves, he'll being me around the whole place and tell stories of what he would do there. I hope to do that with him once Cair Paravel's finished. I know it won't be exactly the same, but I'll still enjoy showing him the place I used to call home. I'm certain he'll enjoy it as well, if my reactions to him showing me around are any indication.

And I almost forgot - my birthday passed here! Again, I'm not sure how long it's been over in England, and I'm certain you haven't gotten to the date of my actual birthday yet, but we had quite the celebration here in Narnia. I certainly don't have time to explain everything that happened, which is a shame, but let it be known that the dwarves and dryads (mainly the dryads) do in fact remember the Forbidden Wedding from way back when Susan turned 18 the first time, and I'm fairly certain that I'm not allowed to eat plums from any tree in Narnia anymore.

For now, this is goodbye. I do hope you can find a way to write back (Aslan told me to bury my letters in the ground to send them. I don't know what would work for you, though), and I cannot wait to see you again. Until then, may Aslan bless your path.

Sincerely,

King Edmund the Just, High Diplomat to King Caspian X, Duke of the Lantern Waste and Count of the Western March, etc. etc., and your brother. Love you.

Lucy was still smiling as she finished. She took a second to look around again, making sure nobody had been reading over her shoulder, then ran back to her dorm with her books in hand. She started writing a response almost immediately. She just hoped that the "bury it in the ground and Aslan should take care of the rest" idea would work.

It did indeed work. Edmund woke up a month later to three envelopes falling on his head, covered in dirt, each from one of his siblings. He picked them up and grinned - he couldn't wait to see what was inside.

~~~

Three more years passed in Narnia. Edmund continued to send letters to his siblings, keeping them updated with all the goings-on, and they tried their best to keep him updated as well. It was strange, though, to fully see how Narnian time moved faster than England's. His siblings were barely finished with their school year; it hadn't even been ten months on their side.

Caspian and Edmund had finally moved into Cair Paravel, and Edmund finally got to show him around and tell stories of the Golden Age. Caspian held on to his every word, but sometimes Edmund wondered if he was listening at all. It often seemed that Caspian was just watching him speak for the sake of watching (not that Edmund minded).

Despite the fact that they were the only two living permanently in the castle, they were far from lonely. Councilpeople would be there almost constantly, always ready with advice and a helping hand when the Kings needed it. Ambassadors from the southern countries would be having discussions with Edmund about trade treaties and the like, Narnian people would be in the Great Hall looking for guidance from Caspian, and all in all they were kept quite busy.

Edmund had just gotten back from one of these discussions, flopping on his bed to try and get some rest, when he heard footsteps running towards his chamber doors. He groaned. He may be a King, but that didn't mean he liked being disrupted every time he had a moment to himself.

His door flew open and hit the wall with a bang. Ed sat up, a questioning look on his face. "Wha-"

"WE HAVE A BOAT!" Caspain was panting slightly, as if he had run from the other side of the castle to tell him this. (Which is, in fact, what he did.) There was a wild look in his eyes, and his grin was infectious. He looked more excited than Edmund had ever seen him.

The other king laughed, smiling back at Caspian. "I'm guessing the Dawn Treader has finished construction?"

Caspian jumped down on Edmund's bed, nodding furiously. "Yes! And once we finish up the details on the mission and hire the crew, we'll be ready to go out and seek the missing Lords! Aren't you excited?"

Ed laughed again, putting his hands on the other's shoulders to try and calm him down. "Of course I'm excited! I've always loved the sea, and of course I've always loved helping you."

Caspian's grin grew wider, if possible, then he jumped up again and started pacing. He rambled on about his plans for the mission, what he hoped sea would be like, what he hoped the boat would be like, until he finally stopped, breathing hard, and looked back at Edmund.

Edmund, meanwhile, was sitting back in his bed watching Caspian with a dreamy look in his eyes and a dumb smile on his face. He didn't respond.

"Were you even listening to me?" Caspian asked in a joking tone.

Edmund started, blinking. "Wha- yes! Of course! Boats! The sea! The mission! We're all very excited! It'll be a good trip all around!"

The other teen squinted, still smiling but disbelieving, and walked over to the bed. Caspian leaned over Edmund until Ed fell flat on his back, then put on his own arms down so he could hold himself over the other.

"Oh really? Because I don't think you heard a word I said."

Edmund just nodded, looking over Caspian's face. They stayed like that for a good minute, just staring at each other's faces, moving slowly closer.

Suddenly, Ed reached out, as if to touch Caspian's cheek, but paused an inch before he could. The tension was thick; both could feel it.

Caspian took one of his hands and guided Edmund's to his face.

The tension was broken.

Ed pulled Caspian's face down to his slowly, meeting his lips halfway. They both smiled into the kiss, pulling apart a few seconds later.

Suddenly, Caspian's eyes went wide, and the arm that held him up started to shake. It went out from under him, causing him to fall on top of the other king. The lay there like that for a moment before Edmund started to laugh, causing Caspian to do the same. He pushed himself off, lying next to Edmund on his bed. He took Caspian's hand as they started at the ceiling, smiling.

~~~

The Pevensie children (those who were in England, that is) were getting on their last train to go home. From there, they would stay together for a couple weeks before Susan would go off to America, Peter to the Professor's new cottage, and Lucy to their cousin Eustace's. (The older of the two seemed happy with their arrangements, but Lucy not so much. Eustace was a bore, and, besides, she wouldn't have anyone there to talk about Narnia with.)

They found a compartment to themselves, putting their luggage on racks, but right as they sat down, a letter fell on Lucy's head.

"Oh, it's Edmund again! Let's see what news he has," said Susan.

Peter reached out to Lucy for the letter, which she handed to him. He flipped it over to see that it was addressed to "Peter, Susan, and Lucy". Beneath it, in smaller text, was "Oh Aslan let them be together when they get this, I don't think I can write it more than once."

Susan looked at Peter, who looked at Lucy. They were all concerned about what the letter contained, but when they broke the seal and opened the envelope, all it said was this:

Send help and advice and oh god oh aslan help I've fallen in love with Caspian, he KISSED me and I didn't think he WOULD and oh god I've REALLY fallen in love oh aslan help me

-Ed

They all finished reading around the sam.e time, and sat in silence for a bit. Then Susan broke out laughing. Lucy started, too, and then Peter.

When they finished, Susan looked back down at the letter. "Well, it took them long enough!" She laughed again.

Chapter Text

A few more months passed, a lot more preparations were made, and then they were finally ready to set sail on the Dawn Treader.

The first few weeks of the voyage went splendidly; they first stopped the island of Galma, whose people, after not seeing their King for a few hundred years, were anxious to hear news from the mainland. The crew learned that the seven lost lords had passed through there many years before, but had all long since left.

After telling this news, the Duke of the island then invited Caspian and Edmund to a great tournament which he had made in their honor. Caspian had the better luck of the two, Ed having just relearned how to joust in the past couple of years, but together they managed to come out victorious.

Afterwards, the Duke offered his daughter in marriage to Caspian. He politely declined, all while watching Edmund out of the corner of his eye. Afterwards, Ed pulled his fellow king into an alley beside the main street and talked.

"She was a perfectly fine girl. I don't see why you wouldnt take her."

"Do you jest?" Caspian raised an eyebrow. "Or do you really not remember who I have my eye on?"

"Let's say I don't, for the time being." Edmund was smiling, almost laughing, and Caspian could see through him like a window pane. He told him as such.

"Well, if you know what I want, the-" Edmund was cut off by Caspian's mouth on his. He smiled wider, then pulled him closer. When they finally stopped, Caspian rested his forehead on Ed's.

"She squinted far too much for my taste, anyways."

"Caspain, I may not love girls, but I doubt that's a way of measuring if you like one or not."

After that, they stopped at the Seven Isles, whose people were just as anxious to hear from Narnia. A similar story about the Lost Lords was told to Caspian's and Edmund's crew, so they gathered as many supplies as they could and continued on their way. From there it would be a good bit of open sea before they reached the Lone Islands.

Unless you were one of the head navigators, there wasn't much to do on the ship at that point. The two kings and the captain, Drinian, continued to throughly plan their course and plan of action for the next couple of days, but after having done much of the work already, they felt that they had planned everything they could. Besides, they knew not of what was to come after the Lone Islands, and it's hard to prepare when you don't know where you're going in the first place.

What ended up happening was most of the people on the ship took up dueling each other. It was mostly for fun and practice; nothing too big was at stake - besides, perhaps, a good bottle of wine. The lesser crewpeople enjoyed dueling the two Kings - they were the two best swordsmen on the ship, and they were always gracious winners. (The most exciting times were when the two Kings would duel each other - the fight would go on for at least an hour, and almost always end in a tie. The few times when they didn't, however, much money was exchanged all across the ship. Some bets were even set on how much Reepicheep and Drinian had bet against each other.)

Today, however, nothing much was going on. Nobody felt like dueling, instead spending their time on deck enjoying the good weather. Edmund was teaching Caspian and Reepicheep how to play some card games he remembered from England; Caspian may have been doing better than the mouse (given his size relative to the cards), but Reepicheep was having a far better time.

Suddenly, a voice called out from the side of the ship. "Captain! Something... Most curious has been spotted on the starboard side!"

Almost immediately, most of the crew was on the side of the ship looking out. The crowd parted to let Edmund, Drinian, and Caspian through.

"By jove, it almost looks like people," said Edmund.

"But they're just... standing there. In the air." this was Drinian.

"Wait, no, they're falling... Oh, Aslan, they're in the water now! We must help them!" Caspian exclaimed. He was already stepping up on the railing, ready to dive in to help the two mysterious people.

"Oh, my King, I dont think that that's such a good id-" Drinian's words were cut off by a splash, for Caspian had already dived in.

"Oh, I aught to go help him, I doubt he could carry both of those people by himself," said Edmund, who promptly dived in after him.

"King Edmund, I really don't think this is necessar-" the rest of the Captain's protests were cut off as the King went under the water.

Edmund came back up, shaking his head to clear the water from his face. In front of him, he could see Caspian already swimming towards one of the people. She seemed to be struggling. "This way, Ed!" Ed nodded and started swimming after him.

Caspain took the girl in his arms, leaving Edmund to take the other. The boy he grabbed, for it was a young boy, started struggling immediately.

"Get off me, you brute!" the boy shouted. Or rather, tried to shout, as there was still a good deal of water in his mouth. The voice sounded strangely familiar to Edmund, but he couldn't quite place it.

"Oh, calm down! I'm helping you! You'd rather be on our ship than drowning, right?"

The boy fell quiet, but weither it was because he saw the sense in what Edmund said and stopped struggling or because it seemed to him to be a good idea to play dead, the king would never know.

Looking ahead of him, Ed could see that the ship had sailed closer in order to help the strangers up. Caspian was already at the side, tying ropes around the girl (whose face Ed couldn't quite see) to help her up. After a moment, during which Ed managed to swim next to Caspian with the boy, the girl was completely secured with ropes and the crew started to pull her up. She got onto the ship, then the boy, then Caspian smiled and helped push Edmund up, too.

Ed stood on the deck for a second, graciously accepting towels from his crewmembers, and watched as Caspian came over the side as well. Then he looked at the two strangers.

And he quickly realized that they weren't strangers at all.

"Edmund!" Lucy cried, running into his arms, managing to keep her towel wrapped around her as they hugged. As she broke away, she looked behind him at the other king and gasped. "And Caspian! Oh, how wonderful it is to see you again!"

Caspian smiled at her, shaking her hand but quickly releasing to wrap his towel tighter around himself. Then he turned to the other boy, whom Edmund finally recognized but quickly realized that he'd really rather not, and smiled. "But who is your friend?"

The boy was crying, and ran to the railing. "Take me back, let me go, let me go back, I don't like it." He looked out at sea, as if looking for the place he fell out of the sky from.

"Back? But to where?"

But the boy didn't seem to hear him. Ed walked over to Caspian, who was still confused as to why his kindness was not only rejected but completely ignored, and rubbed his shoulder consolingly. "Oh, don't worry about him too much," he whispered. "He's my cousin, Eustace. He's always been a bit of an ass."

"Cousin?" Caspian whispered back. "I didn't know you had family other than your siblings back in England, besides maybe your parents."

"Yeah, well. There's a reason I don't talk about him." Ed nodded at Eustace, who now had his head on the railing and was sobbing miserably. These next few months on the ship were going to be long.

~~~

Edmund tried his best to avoid Eustace during the days until they reached the Lone Islands, but that wasn't very difficult as Eustace was trying to avoid everyone else, as well.

The first time he saw his cousin again after the said boy was brought on the ship was the morning before they reached the Islands. Lucy was trying to show him around, but he was complaining, as was his usual, and most of the crew seemed to be avoiding them at all costs.

Edmund, however, wanted to talk to Lucy (catching up over letters was good, but never as good as catching up face-to-face), and realized with dismay that he would have to get through Eustace to do so. He heard part of their conversation as he walked closer.

"...Being nonsensical, Lucy! He's dead, we were both at the funeral. You've got to get it through your head that he's gone." Eustace had his face squished up and his hands on his temples, as if frustrated from explaining something one too many times.

"Who's dead?" Edmund asked, now standing next to Lucy.

"You are!" Ed raised his eyebrows at this, but Eustace continued. "Or, at least, the person Lucy says you are. I must admit, she has a point, you do look a lot like her brother Edmund, but you aren't him! You're older! Besides, more importantly, he died last year! In England!"

Lucy sighed, then gestured vaguely in Eustace's direction with her hand. "Ed, please explain to our cousin that you aren't dead."

"But he isn't Edm-!"

"Oh, no, I'm Edmund, alright. And I'm very much alive. But Lu," Edmund said as he turned to his sister, raising his eyebrows, "You didn't tell be the people back in England thought I was dead. That would have been nice to know."

Lucy shrugged and smiled apologetically while their cousin continued with his rant. "Because you- I mean, he - is dead! I was at the funeral, I read the newspaper article, the obituary, and, sure, there was no body but that was because the driver pushed you - I mean, him - over the bridge-"

"Wait, how did I die?"

"Automobile accident," they both answered, then Eustace continued with the explanation. "Yo- HE was walking to his school from the train station at the start of his term, but as he walked over a bridge along the way, an automobile swerved off the road, pushing him into the river. The driver wasn't hurt, and the body was never found."

Ed was nodding along as he said this, eyebrows raising as he nodded. He waited a couple seconds to be sure Eustace was done, then clicked his tongue. "Well. That's quite a way to die, I suppose."

"Well, it happened!"

"Are you sure?"

Eustace, for the first time since he got on the ship, took a second to think before he spoke. And the more he thought, the more he realized that Edmund (no, not Edmund, he thought. The man who looked and talked and walked and acted an awful lot like Edmund. Almost too much like Edmund. Wait...) was right - he wasn't sure. In fact, the memories of the funeral and the newspaper article and the obituary didn't seem hazy because he had been sad, but more because the memories were foreign to his mind. And when he thought even more, he realized that Edmund hadn't died at all - he had just disappeared and everyone acted as if he died.

He kept thinking for a few moments more, then he finally spoke again. "What did happen, then?"

Ed smiled, glad that his words had gotten through to his cousin for once. "I stayed here in Narnia. England just... wasn't home to me. Your world wasn't home to me. Narnia was. It still is, really."

"But why? It's dreadfully boring here, with no technology or good books or, or anything, really, to keep you occupied."

"Oh, there's plenty of things. Running a country, for example. That's keeping me pretty busy at the moment."

Lucy laughed, and Eustace's face turned into the closest thing he had gotten to a smile since he came aboard.

Edmund was smiling, too. Maybe the rest of the trip would be much better than he thought.

Well, of course it wouldn't, but he would've liked to have thought that.

~~~

It was ages before he had a proper (or in any way good) conversation with Eustace after that. The closest they got to one (that was proper, that is. The good conversations were still a long ways off) was after the whole slave trade ordeal in The Lone Islands.

At the slave market, Edmund and Lucy managed to stay together. Reepicheep was sold to someone else, while Eustace wasn't sold at all. Edmund couldn't help but snicker at that - even the scum of the earth didn't want him. (Afterwards, though, he felt quite guilty for thinking that.)

Before long, though, Caspian came riding in with Drinian and a few other men Edmund didn't recognize, stopping the selling in its tracks. It took all his self control to not run up to him as soon as he broke down the door. The hand of the man who bought him on his shoulder, which appeared as soon as he stepped foward towards Caspian, might have been part of what stopped him, too. Ed would like to think that it was his self-control, though.

As Caspian spoke to Pug, the slave dealer, he seemed incredibly intimidating up on his horse. But he seemed even scarier when he came down, for now the people could really see his face, and there was no denying how angry he was. When he set all the slaves free, the men who were there looking to buy some nearly fled in terror, quite honestly. But he paused for a moment in his rant, looking around the room anxiously. "Where are my friends?"

Pug smiled. Not a kind smile, but one of an evil man who he thinks he has the upper hand. "That dear little gel and the nice young gentleman? Why, they were snapped up at once-"

"We're here, Caspian!" cried Lucy, jerking her shoulder away from the man who bought them and jogging over to Caspian with a smile on her face. Edmund, however, sprinted through the crowd, barrelling into Caspian and gathering him into a tight hug.

"I thought I lost you," Ed whispered as he held on. "Not dead, I know. But just... gone. I thought I'd never see you again."

"Well, you're seeing me now, aren't you?"

Ed leaned back a bit and smiled, and Caspian smiled back. They nearly kissed there, but Caspian remembered that he hadn't told his crew (or anyone, for that matter) that he and Edmund were together yet, and he grew worried, and Edmund remembered that there were a few people here (namely his cousin) who might not like that part of himself, and he grew scared, so they quickly pulled apart and stood next to each other, not touching.

Caspian continued to disband the slave market, forcing Pug to give all the people their money back, and they finally left once gathering together the remaining members of their party.

Caspian introduced Lord Bern, now Duke Bern, to the others, and told them all of the adventure they had in the time the group had been separated. Edmund, Lucy, and Reepicheep were all glad they were one step closer to their goal. Eustace, however, was glowering in the back as usual.

Edmund went over to him, a smile still on his face. "Coz, whatever's the matter? We're alright now, and, besides, you're finally off the ship. We're going to a feast at the Duke's house right now!"

Eustace humphed, then opened his mouth as if to speak. He paused, closing it, then opened it again. Then he closed it again, reconsidering exactly what he wanted to say. Then he looked at his cousin, glared, and decided to take his anger about his situation over the last week out on him. "You sure seemed excited to see your friend Caspian again."

"Er, yes I was, but why-"

"Yeah, well, you didn't have to be such a fairy about it."

Edmund stopped in his tracks, his mind reeling. It truly took every ounce (and then some) of his self-control to not punch the other boy in the face then and there. Everything else he had said up to this point was just a nuisance, but this? This was the last straw.

Eustace took a few more steps before stopping as well. He hadn't really felt guilty about anything he had said to his cousins in the past, but looking back at Ed, he could see that what he said really affected him. Eustace realized he had a decision to make - take the bullying further, or apologize.

Before he could choose, though, Edmund plastered a smile on his face and kept walking, going fast enough that Eustace had to jog a bit to keep up. "Do you know how to fight?" he asked.

"Uhh, I guess?"

"With a sword, that is."

"No, not really-"

"Fancy a duel? Not to the death or anything, just to... show you how it's done."

"Sure? I mean-"

"Good! See you tonight!" Edmund then quickened his pace so that he was back in the front of the procession with Caspian and the others, leaving Eustace alone once again.

The duel was set for that night, after the meal. The whole crew gathered around a courtyard in the new Duke's house; they couldn't wait to see the fight. They doubted it would be much, though - bets were not placed on weither or not Edmund would win, but rather on how fast he would do it. Indeed, within five seconds, Eustace's sword was on the ground.

"Hey! That wasn't fair! I wasn't ready!"

"The duel had started, you were supposed to have been ready. Pick up your sword and try again, maybe you'll be ready now."

This time, the fight lasted longer - a minute, tops - but the people could tell Edmund was going easy. Not too easy, but he wasn't giving his all.

"I think I've got it now," said Eustace, panting slightly.

"Oh, really? Ready to go again?" Edmund had barely broken a sweat.

Eustace nodded, and picked up his sword again. The duel started, and Edmund waited a moment and made sure the other was ready. When his cousin nodded, adjusting his grip on his sword, Ed flashed out, having Eustace's sword clattering on the ground in the blink of in eye. By the next second, he was standing behind the boy with his arm pinned behind his back and his sword to his throat. It wasn't touching him, and Eustace was in no real danger, but he had never been more terrified in his life.

"Make fun of me for who I love ever again, and I'll do far worse to you than any half-hearted duel could, you understand?" Edmund whispered. Eustace nodded, still petrified, then his cousin let him go and smiled at the audience. They all clapped politely, and Eustace ran to the edge of the courtyard, out of sight.

After that night, both boys did their best to avoid each other at all costs.

Until Dragon Island, that is.

~~~

It was the second day after discovering that Eustace had accidentally turned himself into a dragon, and he was already getting along much better with the crew.

Edmund, along with Caspian and Drinian, had been trying to find a way to fix their mast and get back on course, and hadn't gotten a chance to really get to know Eustace as a dragon. There were, of course, times when Eustace would be helping out around the camp and found himself working beside Edmund, but they hadn't spoken to each other. Or rather, Edmund hadn't spoken to him, seeing as Eustace couldn't talk. But that day, after seeming to have thought about it for quite a while, Eustace tapped the King on the shoulder and gestured for him to follow him to a more secluded area of the beach.

Edmund wasn't sure what to say at first, but quickly realized that he wouldn't have to say anything for the time being, as Eustace was writing in the sand.

Of course, his writing wasn't very good, but he was trying his best. What Edmund saw looked something like this:

"I'M SCRRY"

"You're sorry? But, cousin, you're doing wonderful work in the camp and helping with the ship and-" Edmund stopped, seeing that Eustace wasn't finished yet.

"F R CALLINGY OU A FAI RY. ITWAS A DREADFUL T INGTO S-" Eustace stopped here and scowled at the ground. It seemed he was too frustrated with trying to write to continue. Instead, he nodded at Edmund, then back at the ground, as if saying "You know what I mean".

"Oh." That was all Edmund said for a moment, making the dragon grow antsy. Then he continued, "I forgive you, Eustace." He took a deep breath. "And I'm sorry, too. That duel was nothing but petty revenge, I never should have suggested it."

Eustace smiled as best he could given the state of his body, and Edmund smiled back. "Let's go back to camp now, I guess. They might be wondering where we went."

They worked together a lot more after that.

A couple days later, Edmund woke up in the very early morning to some shuffling from outside the camp. Sitting up, he looked around, but couldn't identify the source of the noise from the dying light of the fire.

He got up, taking his sword in case it was something truly dangerous. Walking over to the woods, he could see a dark figure. He drew his sword, advancing slower.

"Is that you, Edmund?" The teen in question stopped.

"Yes. Who are you?"

"Don't you know? It's me - Eustace."

"Aslan's mane." Ed put his sword at ease. "So it is. My dear chap-"

"Hush," Eustace said, then lurched foward, almost falling. Edmund managed to steady him before he hit the ground, though.

"What's up? Are you ill?"

Eustace was silent for a while, then managed to straighten himself with the King's support. "It's been ghastly. You don't know... but it's alright now. Could we go and talk somewhere? I don't want to meet the others just yet."

They moved over to some rocks and sat in silence as they watched the sun start to rise.

Finally, Eustace took a deep breath amd started to speak. "I won't tell you how I became a - a dragon till I can tell the others and get it all over," he started. "By the way, I didn't even know it was a dragon until I heard you all using the word when I turned up here the other morning. I want to tell you how I stopped being one."

"Fire ahead."

And fire ahead he did. Eustace told him of how he went out that night and saw a lion - later Edmund told him that he was Aslan - and how that lion told him to shed his skin. And when Eustace couldn't do that himself, Aslan took the dragon skin and ripped it off of him. Then he bathed in a beautiful well, took clothes from the lion, then came back to camp. Edmund interjected a few times, but mostly listened to his story. When it was finished, they sat in silence for a bit longer, watching as the sun fully rose.

"I really am sorry, you know," said Eustace.

"Hmm?"

"About the fairy thing. I didn't mean it, I swear, I was just so angry and I took it out on you and I'm... I'm sorry. And I'm sorry for all the other ghastly things I've said - not just here, either. I was an ass back in England, too. I just... I'm sorry."

"I forgive you. I'm sorry, too. Again about the duel, but I've really been an ass right back at you. It was wrong, I was wrong, but I do think we can be friends now."

Eustace smiled. "Me, too."

They sat there for a second, and Edmund furrowed his brows as if trying to decide weither or not to do something. It seemed that he decided to do it in the end, for he opened his mouth to speak.

"Do you want to know why I really stayed in Narnia?"

"Honestly? Yes. Very much so."

"Well, Narnia is my home, really, not England-"

"You said that already." Edmund side-eyed his cousin, annoyed about being interrupted, but could see that Eustace was kidding by the smile on his face.

"As I was saying, England isn't my home. Because they... wouldn't be accepting of a big part of me. A part of me that is so consequential to who I am, I don't think I could live a good life without it. But I can live that life here in Narnia."

"And what part of you is that?"

Ed took a deep breath, gathering courage. "I'm homosexual."

"Oh." Eustace paused. "Ok. That's good to know."

Edmund looked over at his cousin, who gave a small, but still reassuring smile in return. He suddenly felt the most relieved he had felt since Eustace had come aboard, like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

They looked back out at the sunrise together, until the younger boy spoke up again.

"I'm going to have to apologize to the others as well, aren't I?"

"Yes."

"Do you think they'll forgive me?"

"Yes. They've been waiting for the chance to, if we're being honest."

"But how can you be sure?" Eustace turned to Edmund as he said this, who sighed.

"Remember when I said that the first time I was in Narnia, I was a traitor?"

"Yeah?"

"I had to apologize to my family for that. I had to apologize to all of Narnia for that. Aslan, too. Do you know what they all did?"

Eustace paused, then looked down. "...Forgave you?"

"Forgave me." Edmund nodded. "And I can tell you with absolute certainty that if you really mean it, if you're truly sorry about what you've done, then Caspian and Lucy and all the others will forgive you, too. That's what Aslan told me, at least, and he's never been wrong before, has he?"

Eustace chuckled. "I guess not."

"Ready to go back to the camp now?"

Eustace nodded, then smiled.

"Good, because they're anxious to see you again. I'd almost say they missed you."

Then the two cousins walked back to the crew of the Dawn Treader together, facing the new day.

Chapter Text

The party, sans Lucy, was waiting anxiously at the foot of a staircase at the moment. The Dawn Treader had brought them to a new island - this one with mysterious voices. The voices (who hadn't seemed very smart, quite honestly) had asked Lucy to break the spell they were under, the one that made them invisible, for only a young girl could do it. And they were apperently too cowardly to do it themselves.

So, on the morning of their second day on the island, Lucy went up the stairs to find the magician's book and break the spell, leaving Edmund, Caspian, Reepicheep, and Eustace in the great hall at the bottom. The mysterious voices (or invisible people, rather) had gone off for a midday nap, leaving the boys alone. And for a good minute, they sat there in silence.

"How long do you reckon she'll be up there for?" Eustace asked.

"No idea, honesty," Edmund said. "But I just hope she's not too long, waiting with nothing to do is always dreadfully boring."

After another good minute sitting there and making small talk, Eustace and Reepicheep went into a corner and tried to make a game out of some of the rocks they found on the ground. It ended up being something like chess, but riskier and more room to make your own decisions. Despite co-creating the game, Eustace found that he was horrible at it. Reepicheep, on the other hand, became quite the master.

Edmund watched the two brainstorming and smiled, turning to Caspian. "They ended up being quite the team, huh?"

Caspian smiled back, nodding. "I'm glad they wound up being friends, it's good to see all the members of my crew happy."

They sat in silence for a bit, continiting to listen to Eustace and Reepicheep ("And there! I've captured the Duke's house, that provence belongs to me." "But that's where you're wrong, dear boy, because the Duke was a puppet, only the face that scared the populace, all along! The people have been rising in anarchy, this upset of power has only made them all the stronger!" "Oh, bloody hell-") before Caspian spoke again, this time in a whisper.

"Do you think we should tell them?"

"Tell who what?"

"The crew. Our people."

"About what, Caspian? You didn't answer that part."

"Our relationship."

"Oh." Edmund thought for a while. "Well, yes, we should tell them, obviously. But what do we tell them? What is our relationship?"

Caspian didn't have an answer to that. He only looked at the other for several more moments, then took his hand. He raised their joined hands, placing their elbows on the table between them, and stared at that for a moment.

They had been through a lot together in just the past several months. Jousts, slave trades, the breaking up of said slave trades, people falling from the sky, storms, dragons, sea serpents, their fight at Deathwater. Even now, they were still sailing to the end of the world.

But they were doing it together. And at the end of the day, Caspian was glad that Edmund would always be by his side. And he knew that he would always be by his.

Caspian squeezed Edmund's hand. "I love you."

Edmund squeezed back. "I love you, too."

They sat in silence for a couple of seconds, quickly releasing that the whole room was silent, not just them. The two looked over to Eustace and Reepicheep, hands still intertwined, who looked back at the two kings. Caspian moved to pull away, but Edmund held on, giving Caspian a reassuring smile, and rested their hands fully on the table.

Caspian smiled back, then turned to the boy and the mouse. "So tell us more about the game you've made. It seems quite interesting!"

Reepicheep practically jumped out of his skin to tell the other two about what they were doing, and after a brief explanation of the rules, the two kings joined in as well.

They didn't start that conversation back up again until they were in the Silver Sea. Quite honestly, with all the commotion from the Dark Island and Ramandu's Island, both had nearly forgotten they had the conversation at all. But sitting in the vast expanse of lillies, with nothing to do except watch the sea flow out behind them, it was bound to come up again.

"We need to figure out what exactly we're going to tell everyone."

Edmund was leaning over the rail, watching the lillies as they sailed past, when Caspian came up to him and said this. It took him a moment to realize what he was talking about, but Ed eventually nodded. "Well, I'd tell people we're courting, because that's the term for it, I guess, but that suggests that we're getting married soon."

"Do you not want to get married?"

"What? Yes, of course I do, I just... Want to wait a couple years first, that's all." Edmund looked at Caspian out of the corner of his eye with a smirk. "Promise you won't marry me until we're both of age, at least?"

Caspian smiled and rolled his eyes. "You don't have to be so dramatic about it, but yes. I promise." He reached out to shake Edmund's hand, and they shook on it.

"Ha! Now you have to marry me!"

"Wha- you- Well, we were going to already, right?"

"Maybe so, but now you've shaken on it!" Ed turned back to the Silver Sea with another smirk, this one more of a grin than anything. "No going back now, King Caspian."

"I wouldn't take it back for all of Narnia, trust me." Caspian reached out over the railing to take Ed's hand again, but this time, he just held it. "But now we've got to get married the day you turn eighteen. Or the day after, that might be easier."

"Could we wait one more year?"

"Why?"

"I just... I need to be absolutely sure before everything's official. As sure as I can be. That everything will be alright when we're together, that as long as I'm by your side, I can get through anything."

"Haven't we gone through enough? This trip alone has-"

"Not yet." Ed squeezed Caspian's hand. "Sure, we've been through a lot on this adventure, but it's the little things I'm worried about. The domestic things." He turned to smile at his partner. "That doesn't mean I don't love you, though."

"I never would have thought it did." Caspian leaned foward and kissed Edmund. He pulled away after a second, a worried look now on his face. "But what are we going to tell the crew?"

"Oh, I think most of them already know."

"How do you mea-" Caspian was interrupted by a small cough from behind him. He turned to see most of his crew standing on the deck and watching them. Their conversation was definitely the most interesting that would happen on the ship that day, after all, and while few would admit it, half the ship ran on gossip.

Lucy was to one side, relatively close to the pair, and when she caught Edmund's eye she gave him a thumbs-up. Ed rolled his eyes and smiled, leaning in to kiss Caspian again as the crew whooped.

~~~

Caspian was nineteen when he got married.

Edmund was nineteen and a day.

It was the first marriage at the new Cair Paravel, the first marriage of one of the four Great Rulers of the Golden Age.

And what a marriage it was to behold.

Edmund stood at the altar, in front of the hundreds of Narnians gathered before him. Several he knew were at the front - Trufflehunter the badger; Old Drinian, the Captain; and the four remaining Lords they had saved on the Dawn Treader mission (Lord Rhoon having died the year before), just to name a few. The good giant Wimbleweather sat near the back, with many people on his shoulders and head to try and get a better view. Trumpkin was officiating, and stood next to the King. People had come from all across Narnia, from every isle in the Eastern Sea, even from Calormen and Archenland. They were all there to see the two kings - and those kings were certainly dressed the part.

Edmund was wearing dress armor specially made for the occasion by the dwarves. He didn't wear dress armor too often, even at events where he should have (he always said it was far too thin to give any protection), but he felt safe now, surrounded by his people. The armor was silver in color and in nature, and the cloth parts were covered in designs of flowers and birds. It was so detailed and delicately designed that if you looked close enough, they almost looked as though they were moving. He had a silver ringlet in his hair, and the dryads had adorned the rest of his head with small flowers. Caspian, though Ed couldn't see him at the moment, was dressed similarly, but his outfit was golden.

Trumpkin looked up. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," said Edmund with a smile.

Suddenly, the band of fauns started up, and a small procession of dryads, talking beasts, and a couple young dwarven girls started down the isle. The first few were flower girls, who threw their petals so high in the air it came over the whole party like rain. It was beautiful.

Then Caspian started down the isle. He was by himself, having no family in Narnia to lead him down (besides, he wanted to walk this himself, he said), and he had a long cape that flowed out behind him like a veil would have. He held a bouquet of golden flowers in his hands - and they truly were golden, again made by the dwarves. Edmund nearly started crying at the sight of him.

Caspian got to the alter, and a couple of talking rabbits pulled his cape up after him. He nodded at them and smiled, mouthing a "thank you" before they hopped back to their places. Then he turned back to Edmund. They stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds, tears in both of their eyes and smiles on both of their faces, truly and wonderfully in love.

Then Trumpkin coughed, startling them back to reality. "Wow, you kids really like each other, huh?" Most of the audience chuckled. The others were just too far back to hear him. "Let's get this ceremony under way, then, yeah?" At that, the audience whooped in agreement, and the two Kings laughed.

The vows were exchanged, then the rings, then the two kissed as their kingdom cheered.
They walked back through the crowd, hand in hand, as more petals rained down upon them. Caspian was laughing, and as he looked to Edmund, holding on to the golden circlet on his head, Ed couldn't help but laugh, too.

The party afterwards was the greatest Narnia had seen in years. The feast lasted for hours, fireworks went on nearly all night (and into the next few nights, as well), and the people and creatures of Narnia sang and danced themselves nearly to sleep. The two Kings received gifts in the hundreds, from all across the land. (Caspian's personal favorite was the two swords given to them from a small tribe of dwarves - both masterfully made and finely decorated. Edmund's was a chess set given to him by an old faun - she claimed that she had learned a spell that could replicate forgotten objects - that was a near exact copy of the set he had when he was King during the Golden Age.)

After nearly a week of feasting and dancing and the general chaos of having a country-wide party, Edmund dropped into his bed, exhausted. Well, his new bed - his chambers had been expanded and his bed replaced so that he could share a room with Caspian. The said man walked into the room after his husband, chuckling.

"We're going to have to go back to being regular kings again after this, you know. Meetings, treaties, the works."

A muffled groan came from the pillows. Caspian took that as Edmund be dissatisfied.

"Yeah, it'll be boring as hell after all this, huh?"

Edmund rolled over and snorted. "You're telling me."

Chapter Text

Caspian stared at the young boy in front of him.

He started back.

"Oh, what am I going to do with you, huh?"

The little boy was smiling, his black hair in short curls that framed his dark face quite nicely. As small children went, he was of the cuter variety. "Give me a pie!"

Caspian chuckled and shook his head. "I don't think the cook would like that very much, Dragnor."

Dragnor pouted, trying to plead to the King with his eyes, but Caspian had already jumped back onto his train of thought.

Dragnor had appeared in Cair Paravel's orchard that morning, found by one of the gardeners. He said that his father had disappeared one day, so his mother brought him north to Narnia to... Well, he wasn't quite sure, but he knew that it was for some good reason, but he had forgotten. But when they arrived at the city near Cair Paravel, his mother had grown sick and he wasn't allowed to see her anymore. He didn't know what had happened, but the old lady who owned the house he was staying at said that she wouldn't be coming back, so he ran out onto the streets. From there, he found his way to the castle and into the orchard.

Caspian could tell based on what the boy said that he was an orphan, and it seemed apperent that he didn't have anyone coming for him. He needed a family, and that was the part Caspian was struggling with.

He could send Dragnor to one of the many orphanages, which was the sensible thing to do. But there was something in the boy's eyes that just... Caspian wasn't sure how to explain it, but he felt that there was something different about this kid. He wanted to keep him as his own son. So he had called to Edmund to help him decide. But Edmund hadn't come yet, so Caspian was struggling to keep up with all the thoughts in his brain.

Just then, Edmund walked into the room, making the two pairs of eyes turn to him. "Caspian! What was it that you need- Oh!" He noticed Dragnor sitting on the ground. "Why hullo there. And who might you be?"

"My name's Dragnor! My mom said it made me..." His brow furrowed. "It made me... I forget what she said it meant, but I'm pretty sure it means I'm awesome!" He lightened up again, his smile bright enough to be a second sun.

"And awesome you are, Dragnor." He started walking towards Caspian, making wide eyes and small gestures at the boy, as if saying 'What in Aslans good name is a six-year-old doing in one of the drawing rooms, why are you sitting here having a conversation with him, and why am I here for this??', to which Caspian just shrugged and shook his head, equally wide-eyed, smiling apologetically. "My name's Edmund."

"Ohhh, I like that name!"

"Why, thank you!" He smiled at Dragnor one last time before turning back to Caspian and glaring. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to have a conversation with my husband for a moment because he's been a bloody idiot, apperently, so if you'll excuse us." The last part of Edmund's sentence was said through gritted teeth, pulling Caspian up by his sleeve and out the door.

"We'll see you in a second, Dragnor!" Caspian managed to slip out before the door shut behind the pair.

As soon as the door was closed, Edmund turned to his husband. "By Aslan's breath please tell me you didn't adopt a child without telling me."

"What?!" Caspian gasped, fake-shocked. "As if I would do such a thing!"

Edmund raised his eyebrow.

"Ok, yes, I totally would, but this time I'm talking to you about it first, right?"

"This suggests that there will both be a next time and that you are seriously considering adopting that boy."

"Of course I am! Did you see his face? He's practically begging me - begging us to take care of him! Besides, he's an orphan and has no other family. He needs someone."

"And that someone has to be us? Why not give him to one of the orphanages? They'll take good care of him there, I know that for a fact," Edmund said.

"But I can't just send him there! He's different, I can tell." Caspian had a pleading look on his face. "Besides, don't we need someone to inherit the throne after we're gone? Why can't it be him?"

Edmund sighed, looking back at the door to about where Dragnor would be sitting. "He's Archenlandian, Caspian, he can't inherit the Narnian throne. The people wouldn't have it."

"My ancestors did, and they weren't Narnian."

"OK, one: that was different, that was a conquest, and two: the people really didn't have it then, did they?"

Caspian sighed then, trying to find a good argument. "He still needs someone, Edmund. Why can't it be us? We can give him a good life, one better than any other child his age would get. We can at least give him that, can't we?"

Ed pursed him lips, thinking. The longer he took, the more Caspian figited. The air seemed to grow think with tension, with Edmund seemingly oblivious to it all.

Then Edmund finally spoke again, having made his choice. "Alright. We can raise him."

Caspian jumped, nearly knocking one of the paintings that hung in the hallway down, and squeezed Edmund into a tight hug. "Oh, thank Aslan! You agreed!" He let go of the hug, still rushing his words in excitement. "Now, we'll have to teach him everything there is to know, like horseback riding and swordsmanship and history and math and sailing - oh, I do hope he likes sailing. Oh, Edmund, what if he doesn't like sailing, then I wouldnt be able to go and show him around the Seven Isles or my favorite ships or-"

"Caspian!"

"Hmm?"

"Calm down!" Ed had has hands on Caspian's shoulders, trying (and failing) to calm him down. "Everything's going to be ok! Well, we still have to explain things to the advisors and the kingdom and such, but it'll be fine!"

"Yes! Yes, of course it will." The other king took a deep breath, smiled, then gave Edmund a quick kiss. "I was just overthinking, that's all."

"We should go talk to him now."

"Yeah! Of course." Having to have seemingly gotten all of the extra nerves out of his system, Caspian opened the door. "Dragnor?"

"Yeah?"

The two kings looked at each other for a second, before Edmund spoke up. "How would you feel about staying in the castle? As in, living here?"

The boy's face lit up.

~~~

The first couple years with Dragnor were hard, to say the least. He managed to find literally every place in the castle that kids his age shouldn't have gotten, including the kitchens. Which was a mess. (Needless to say, many pies were stolen.)

After those years, though, he seemed to calm down (for the most part). He focused in his studies, tending to put more energy into the more athletic ones, such as archery, riding, swimming, and swordsmanship. Espically swordsmanship.

The first time Dragnor saw a full duel, not just a small scrimmage, it was between his two fathers. He had never been more amazed and captivated in his life. About five minutes into the match, he knew he wanted to do what they were doing, fighting like they were fighting, for as long as he could.

The family was the only three in the courtyard, for it was a private practice, but the Kings had let their son watch so he could learn how it was done. He was ten now, and already really starting to understand how to fight like that. Edmund won in the end, breathless, relaxing his sword when Caspian showed he surrendered.

Dragnor could tell they were done and started clapping. "That was wonderful! Congratulations on winning, Father."

"Thanks!" Edmund was still catching his breath, hands on his knees.

Caspian was already starting to take some of his armor off, but he turned to Dragnor. "Were you rooting for anyone in particular?"

"Oh, that's not fair! I love both of you. And the match was really cool just by itself." He thought for a second. "But I did like that move you did where you leaned back to dodge him, Papa, I want to learn how to do that one day."

Caspian grinned, clapping his hand on his son's back and leading him indoors. Edmund followed. "Maybe I'll show you one day, how's that sound?"

"I can't wait!" He ran the rest of the way indoors, taking a sharp right at the doorway.

Edmund sighed. "That's the way to the kitchens, right?"

"Yep."

"He's going to steal another pie, isn't he?"

"Most likely, yeah." Caspian smiled. Edmund looked at him out of the corner of his eye and smiled, too, then laughing, as if this was a joke between them. The other king couldn't help but laugh as well.

~~~

When Dragnor turned sixteen, two major things happened. The first was that he surpassed his swordsmanship tutor in skill - his new swordsmanship tutor, whom they had hired because the last three all found that they had reached a point where they couldn't teach him any more. This last tutor had claimed she was one of the best sword masters in the land, and she was quite right in making that statement. But now the Kings found themselves with a prodigy swordsman eager to learn and nobody to teach him but themselves.

The second thing that happened is that they found another kid to take care of.

Edmund was in Calormen for a diplomatic meeting, on his way back, when his caravan passed by a ditch that appeared to have a... something in it. What it was, Edmund wasn't sure, but he made the caravan stop so he could investigate.

Getting down into the ditch, he found a young girl lying there. She was severely injured, and seemed to have been left there for dead. Eyes widening, Ed called for some of the people from the caravan to help her up into one of the carts. He stayed with her, making sure that she at least somewhat healed, and was there when she woke up about halfway through the Archenlandian Desert.

"Wha-" She looked around for a second, then scrambled in her small cot in shock.

"Shh, calm down, you're safe here," Edmund said. "We found you in a ditch left for dead, you're in a cart that's part of a caravan headed to Narnia right now."

"Narnia?" she whispered. She raised her eyebrows and smiled. "That's... wow." She lifted her head as much as she could to Edmund, still smiling. "Thank you."

"Of course." Edmund didn't press for answers as to why he found her the way he did. In fact, he didn't get those answers until about twenty years later. But right then, he just wanted to calm her down and bring her to safety. He learned that her name was Coralind, that she was thirteen, and that she had always dreamed of going to Narnia since she was a little girl. Really, she had dreamed of going everywhere the world had to offer, but Narnia was at the top of the list.

About ten minutes into the conversation, Edmund knew he wanted to adopt her. Weither she grew to be the Queen or not, he didn't care, he just wanted to take care of this girl and protect her from anything that could hurt her further.

When he got back to the palace, Coralind trailing behind him on a set of crutches and taking in everything she could, Edmund found Caspian and Dragnor sparring in the main courtyard. As he walked closer, he could see that most of the castle staff was gathered around to watch, and for good reason, too. The match looked as though it had been going on for at least an hour, judging by the amount of sweat of his husband's and son's faces, and the two were evenly matched despite their age difference.

Edmund held his breath as the saw Dragnor advance, then swiftly twist his weapon in a manner Edmund had never seen before, making Caspian's sword drop to the ground with a clatter. In a flash, he had the tip of his sword to his father's throat, who slowly put his hands up and smiled. The staff and Edmund erupted into applause. Coralind looked out from over Edmund's shoulder to try and see what was going on. Seeing her out of the corner of his eye, Ed turned to her and spoke.

"I need you to go the main hall, we passed through it on the way here, and wait for me there. I need to talk to Caspian about something." He gestured toward the courtyard, where the man in question was patting Dragnor on the back in congratulations, huge smiles on both of their faces. "He's the guy who just lost that sword fight."

Coralind nodded and limped off, continuing to admire the scenery around her as she went. Meanwhile, Ed turned back to the assembly, cheering for his son.

"Good job, Dragnor! Glad to see you could finally beat that old man!"

Caspian and Dragnor turned to Edmund at once, Caspian's protests about being called "old" drowned out by Dragnor's hearty welcome home to his father as he ran to him.

"Did you see me, Father? I beat him! I beat Papa! I did it, finally, ohhh this is so exciting, I can't wait to tell everyone!" Dragnor pulled Edmund into a hug, looking up at him.

"Yeah! Aslan's ass, you really did it! I am so, so proud of you." Edmund was genuinely surprised at his son's progress. He could remember when the boy could barely lift a sword (albeit a long time ago) - and now he was literally one of the best fighters in Narnia. After a few more minutes of grinning celebrations, Edmund let Dragnor go to his friends and then turned to his husband. "Caspian, come with me for a minute."

As the two walked together to the great hall, Edmund explained the situation with Coralind. Caspian was ecstatic; he agreed with Ed that they should adopt her, and he couldn't wait to have a new daughter. When they finally reached her, they sat down with her and explained what they were planning, and she seemed too stunned to speak for a good minute.

"Well? What do you say? Do you want to stay here with us, as our daughter?"

With tears in her eyes, Coralind nodded.

~~~

Coralind was harder to raise than Dragnor was. First of all, she had already lived out a good bit of her life, so Caspian and Edmund found that they weren't really sure where to start with her. She was also quite irritable at times, sometimes shutting people out for days at a time. When she learned to fight, she fought with such vigor and anger that even her tutors were scared sometimes. But other times, she was so reserved and quiet that the two Kings wondered if they had imagined that part of her completely.

Nearly a full year passed like this, and the husbands were starting to struggle to keep her and themselves in good spirits. Until, one night, Caspian went to his navigation room after having a rough time trying to sleep. In there, he found Coralind studying the maps hung around the room.

"Coralind! I didn't expect to see you here. It's quite late, you know."

Coralind started, turning around to face Caspian. She looked guilty for a moment, stuttering out an apology. "I- Papa, I'm sorry, I just couldn't sleep."

"No, no, don't apologize, I understand completely. I often come here to calm down after a rough day, myself. In fact, that's what I'm doing right now." Caspian strode over and stood next to the girl, finding himself in front of the map the Magician had given him on the Dawn Treader Voyage.

Coralind pointed to one of the islands further east. "Where's that? I don't see it on most of the other maps."

Caspian squinted, getting closer to the map to see the island better. Then his eyes widened with a smile, satisfied that he had recognized the place. "That," he started, leaning back to fully face his daughter, "Is Dragon Island. Named thusly because one of our party on the Dawn Treader, your Father's cousin, actually, turned into a dragon." Seeing the look of shock on Coralind's face, Caspian laughed. "Oh, don't worry, he turned out quite alright in the end. If anything, I'd say he come out of it all the better."

"What exactly happened on that voyage?" Coralind still stared at the map in wonder, taking in all of its detail. "If you don't mind me asking, that is," she added in a rush. "I've just heard so many different stories and I'd really like to hear the full version."

Caspian's eyes sparkled, and he immediately launched into the story of his great voyage, being as dramatic as possible all the while. He kept telling the story until well into the night, having just gotten to the Deathwater part when the two noticed that the sun was shining into the room.

"Oh, Aslan!" Caspian cried, scrambling up quickly. "We stayed up too late, I think, I'm dreadfully sorry." He smiled apologetically, offering his hand to help the other up. "I'll continue the story another time, sound good?"

"Yes! I do love hearing about the sea."

"Do you now? That's wonderful! Perhaps one day we'll have a voyage of our own." Caspian smiled, genuinely ecstatic that his daughter was a excited about the ocean as he was, then held the door for Coralind as she left. All the way to breakfast, he told her more stories about the sea and the several voyages (though none were as great as the Dawn Treader's) he's been on through the years.

As the months went on, Coralind found herself having much more time and fun in her navigation classes, even being allowed to be a part of a crew that went off the Galma for a fortnight, about a year after she had that conversation with Caspian about the Dawn Treader. Those were the best two weeks of her life, and she couldn't wait for the day when she could captain her own ship.

It was a couple months after this trip that Caspian and Edmund called their two children into the throne room. When Dragnor and Coralind got the message, they were in the middle of a small duel. The latter was nowhere near as good with a sword as her brother, but she was still incredible compared to many others her age.

The siblings stopped, looking at each other. They knew that if their fathers wanted to talk to them, they would normally seek them out themselves, but if they were supposed to go to the throne room to meet someone, they would have been notified beforehand. This summon, in this formal of a fashion, was... curious, to say the least.

As they walked, Dragnor leaned over to whisper to his sister. "What do you think this is all about?"

"No idea. Hope it's nothing too bad, you know?"

Dragnor nodded. They walked the rest of the way in silence.

As the older of the two opened the doors to the Throne Room, they were met with silence. Nobody else was there, their fathers. The walk down the empty room to the two thrones was echoey and intimidating. While the tension was relieved by the reassuring smiles on the two Kings faces, it was never completely dissipated.

When they finally reached the thrones, Caspian chuckled, seeing the fear on their faces. "Don't worry, you're not in trouble. There's just something we need to talk to you about. Edmund can explain it better than I." He turned to his husband and nodded; Edmund nodded back and turned to the teens.

"So, as you two know, Caspian and I are the Kings of Narnia." The teens nodded, and Edmund continued. "Which means that after we're gone, we'll need someone to take up the throne. That job usually goes to the children of the Kings, especially the eldest." At this he gestured at Dragnor. Dragnor gulped.

"However," said Edmund, then paused. "However, you two are not our children by blood. We took you into our family and you, in turn, decided to stay with us. This creates quite the... dilemma, because while the throne is not technically yours to take, as neither of you are Narnian by blood, you two are the next ones in line for the throne."

The two teens nodded, now unsure where he was going with this. Caspian was the one to speak next, picking up where Edmund had left off.

"So we're giving you a choice. If you want, you can stay here and learn to be a good ruler, taking up the throne when we're gone. That will be a long time off, we hope," he chuckled, "but we need to be sure of your decision as soon as possible. The other choice is that you turn down the throne, which lets you go out into Narnia and lead whatever kind of life you choose."

"But not a foolish one," added Edmund.

Caspian nodded. "Obviously." Then he turned to his son, a very serious look on his face. "Dragnor, since you are the eldest and first in line for the throne, you must decide first. And since you're of age, if you decide that Kinghood is not the life for you, you can leave Cair Paravel whenever you see fit."

Dragnor blinked, all the information and the weight of what he had to decide shocking him into near silence. "Wha-"

"You don't have to decide now, of course," said Edmund. "And whichever path you choose, know that we'll support you wholeheartedly. Do what will make you happy, for if you choose to be King and you are not happy, you will not be a good King, and that will make nobody happy."

"What about me?" asked Coralind. "I'm not of age yet, and Dragnor's the one in line for the throne."

Caspian smiled sweetly, turning to his daughter. "Yes, but if he chooses to leave, then you'll have to make the same decision yourself. And we thought it would be much easier to give you both this information at the same time and let you decide together."

Dragnor nodded, still thinking. "But what if we both decide to leave? Who will inherit the throne then?"

Caspian opened his mouth then stopped, looking as though he hadn't thought of that yet. Edmund caught his eye and his hand, giving him a reassuring smile and squeeze.

"We'll find someone, don't worry," Edmund said to the three in the room. They all relaxed at his words, even if they seemed almost like an empty promise. With that, Dragnor and Coralind left the room, now burdened with the weight of the decision they had to make.

They just hoped that they would make the right choice.

Chapter Text

Five days passed, and Dragnor and Coralind found themselves in front of their dads in the throne room once more. They had made their decisions. Dragnor took a deep breath and spoke first.

"I've decided that I'm... I'm not going to take up the throne." He smiled, grateful that the burden that had held him down for the past week was gone. Caspian and Edmund smiled back, proud that he was able to know what would make him happy and glad that he made the right decision for himself.

Edmund turned to Coralind. "Have you made your decision yet?"

Coralind pursed her lips nervously and nodded. "I, also, will not be taking up the throne. The sea calls too strongly."

Caspian seemed delighted by her reason for abstaining, and jumped down to hug her. Then he turned to his son and did the same. Whem he stepped back and gazed at his children lovingly.

Those children, however were confused. Dragnor voiced their concern: "But we just gave up the throne! I know you gave us the choice, and, if I may speak for Coralind here, we really do appreciate that, but who will take your place when you're gone?"

Edmund stepped down from his throne as well, walking up to the pair. "As I said last week, we will figure it out. We are not foolish, you know," he smirked at this, "and we will be able to find an heir in the ample time we have before our passing. As for now, I would like to say I'm proud of you. Both of you."

"What for?" asked Coralind.

"It takes a lot of strength and courage to do what you know is right for you. While is it good to put others before yourself, it is one thing to serve and another to forget who you are in the process." He smiled warmly, waiting for the two teens to return it. They did. "If you aren't happy with where you are, then you can't be your best self. And if you aren't your best self, then you aren't really making the world a better place, are you?"

Dragnor and Coralind shook their heads, and Edmund gathered them both up in a big hug. They stood there for a second, just the three of them, before Caspian came and joined in, too. All was well.

~~~

Sixteen years came and went, and Dragnor and Coralind eventually left Cair Paravel.

Dragnor became a great swordsman, taking up (and winning) challenges wherever he went. "Dragnor the Great", they called him. Sometimes "Dragnor the Swift", too, for he almost seemed to dance around his opponents, dodging their blows with ease before disarming them with a flourish. Everyone loved him, especially since he was such a humble winner after the match. He would often take his opponent out for a meal or a drink afterwards - or a feast, if he felt up to it after a big tournament.

Coralind finally got her own ship. It was named the Big Ben, after something Edmund had told her about his old world. Her crew was filled with good, strong men and women, all striving for adventure. They had even sailed to the end of the world, following the Dawn Treader's path, and Coralind came back to Caspian with all sorts of news from the places he had gone to. As of right now, she and her crew, along with Dragnor, were making cycles through the Bight of Calormen, carrying people and goods between the islands there. (The people were brought along for a good number of reasons, usually travel; the goods were there to be traded; and Dragnor was there to be taken to tournaments and defeat the occasional pirate.)

Edmund and Caspian were still Kings over in Cair Paravel, still holding meetings and making treaties and generally trying their best not to implode from stress.

Edmund had just finished a meeting with some of the people of Narnia, hearing their concerns so he and Caspian could make Narnia the best it could be. It was starting to get late, but Edmund knew that he had to focus on what the people had said and find a way to make it better. One concern, however, was prevalent above all others throughout the discussion - the matter of the heir to the throne.

Edmund knew that he told everyone that he and Caspian - well, mostly himself - would figure something out. But the Kings were getting older, and Edmund was running out of ideas. It seemed like everyone that he thought was a good candidate would either be killed, fall from favor, or, in one case, be the reason Aslan came to the King in a dream specifically to tell him to not let that person take the throne.

Edmund stared at his bed, wishing that he was young enough to flop on it in exhaustion with breaking a bone. He sighed. "Aslan help us."

"What do we need the Lion's help with this time?" Caspian walked into their bed chambers, leaning against a wall to look at his husband.

Edmund didn't look up. "An heir. The people are growing restless, Caspian.

Caspian sighed, nodding. "I know. The advisors are saying the same thing - 'we aren't going to live forever' and all that." He paused, staring at Edmund for a while, contemplating their mortality. It was a second before Caspian spoke up again. "Aslan will give us an heir soon, though. We've just got to trust him."

Edmund finally looked up. "I know, I just..."

"Wish he'd help us sooner rather than later?"

"Yes, exactly."

"Well, he's not exactly a-"

"Tame lion, yes, yes, I know!" Edmund exclaimed, then sighed. "I'm just... frustrated. And worried."

Caspian walked foward and rubbed Edmund's shoulder consolingly, smiling at him. "We all are. Now, c'mon, we've got to get some supper."

~~~

That night, long after he had gone to bed, Edmund awoke to a voice calling to him.

"Edmund!"

He blinked, looking over at Caspian next to him in the darkness. He wasn't awake. Edmund furrowed his brows, trying his best to look around the room for the source of the cry.

"Edmund!"

Caspian shifted this time, blinking awake. "Edmund? What do you need?"

"I don't need anything. What are you talking about?"

"I heard you calling for m-"

He was cut of by the voice, now louder. "King Edmund, King Caspian, come down to the orchard!"

The two looked at each other, quickly deciding that they should do as the voice said. It was a commanding one, and one that seemed incredibly familiar, they just couldn't place it.

Hastily donning slippers, the two made their way down to the orchard, where they found...nobody.

"What?" said Caspian. "Where are they? Who called for us?"

"Over here, children," said the voice. The two turned around and nearly fell over in shock, for directly behind them stood Aslan. He chuckled at their reaction.

"You've got to stop doing that!" Edmund exclaimed, pulling his sleeping tunic around him tighter.

"Wait, Aslan, the Great Lion, has snuck up in you before? And chuckled?" Caspian stared at his husband incredulously.

"Yes? He hasn't to you yet?"

"I am still here, children," said Aslan, making the two turn to him. Edmund bowed his head in slight shame and apologized. Aslan nodded in acknowledgement, then continued. "I hear Narnia is in need of an heir?"

The pair nodded, and Edmund spoke. "Nobody has been fit for the job, Aslan."

"Because nobody has been born for the job," said Aslan. "Now, there has been something I have been meaning to give you for a while, and the time is finally ripe for the gift to be given. Each of you hold out your hands."

The two looked at each other, then Edmund look Caspian's hand in his own and smiled at him in Aslan's light. Together, they held out their free hands.

"Do you trust me, children?"

They answered together, unwaveringly. "Yes."

Aslan held his paw above the two hands and pricked them both in the middle of their palms. Both men gasped, for the claw went much deeper than either had expected.

Aslan pulled his paw away, and all three watched as a large drop of blood formed in each palm. But then, instead of running down the hands, the droplets went upwards, towards the stars. The droplets seemed to dance around each other, going higher and higher until the men couldn't see them anymore. Then there were beautiful flashes of light high in the air, as if the stars had seen what had come to them and were doing... something. Then the lights faded, and something slowly drifted back to the earth. Aslan caught it in his paws and handed it to Edmund. Caspian looked over his husband's shoulder to get a better look.

Looking down, Edmund could see he was holding a baby, a newborn, wrapped in the softest blanket he had ever felt. His eyes widened as he thought about the implications, still staring at the baby in his arms.

Caspian, however, turned back to Aslan. "How- Wha- Is this ours?"

"Yes, of course."

"Biologically?"

"You did see what just happened, did you not? The baby is of your blood, formed by the stars. He is your child, in every sense of the phrase."

Meanwhile, the baby gurgled, and Edmund took one of his fingers for the boy to clasp his fist around. The king smiled, eyes still wide in shock. Caspian looked at the two and smiled, love filling his heart.

Aslan smiled, too, continuing. "He will be a wonderful king one day."

Edmund spoke again for the first time in minutes. "Thank you, Aslan. I- I don't know what to say. How will we repay you?"

Aslan shook his head, dispelling the fear the suddenly grew in the new fathers' eyes. "No need to repay me, don't worry. It was my duty to Narnia, just as it is your duty to Narnia to raise him to be the best man and king he can be. Now, what will you name him?"

Caspian looked at Edmund. Edmund looked back.

"Caspian the Eleventh?"

Edmund shook his head. "No, I don't like that name."

"What do you mean you don't like that-"

"Besides, that's a Telmarine name, and this isn't a Telmarine country anymore. This boy is Narnian, he will be a Narnian king, he needs a Narnian name."

"And what name were you thinking, hmm?"

"I like the sound of 'Rilian'." Edmund looked up at his husband. "What do you think?"

Caspian leaned over Ed's shoulder to kiss Rilian's forehead and smiled. "I love it."

Aslan smiled, and made a deep rumbling sound that sounded very much like purring. "Rilian it shall be, then." He walked up to the small family and breathed upon them. "Be blessed, King Caspian the Tenth, Seafarer; King Edmund the Just; and Prince Rilian. Long be your reigns."

"Thank you, Aslan," the two men whispered.

"Trials will come to you, as they always do with life. But remember to always trust me. Things will turn out for the best in the end."

"We won't forget, Aslan," said Edmund. "Don't worry."

"Oh, but I will. It is you two who should not worry - I always grow worried when any of my children are distressed. I care about the two of you and all the members of your family quite a lot." Aslan gave one last smile, then started to back away. "Now is my time to go, and it is yours to go, as well. The sun will be rising soon, and I don't think the guards will like waking up to find the Kings missing."

"Of course," said Caspian, then the pair and their new child watched as Aslan turned around and walked back into the deeper woods. Caspian and Edmund were left in the darkness once again.

"C'mon." Edmund started walking towards the castle, Caspian trotting up beside him and walking with him in step. "We're going to have a lot of explaining to do, and besides, we'll have to find little Rilian a room. Won't we, Rilian?" This last part was directed at the baby in his arms, who gurgled happily and waved his fists in the air.

Caspian laughed. "Look at him! Making grand speeches already." He leaned over and booped Rilian on the nose. "Aslan was right, he'll be a fine king one day."

Chapter Text

All the way back in England, the remaining Pevensies were sitting in a garden. It was the last week of their summer vacation, and they finally got a chance to be together before Peter went off to university and Susan and Lucy went back to school.

Eustace was with them, too, for, while everyone else had found him more enjoyable since the Dawn Treader event the year before, his Mother found him to be a bore. While she wasn't sure about the Pevensies' affect on her son, she knew that staying with them before he was due to go to the Experiment House would get him off her hands.

The four sat together under a great oak tree, watching as birds and bugs flew past, telling stories from their times in Narnia. Even Susan was getting into the fun; she liked the distraction from from all the boys and makeup and expectations. It gave her a chance to go back to simpler times.

Eustace was in the middle telling the story of how the Dawn Treader defeated the Sea Serpent, with some help from Lucy, ("And then I heroically started attacking the beast with my sword while everyone else stood there like dumb chickens-" "You hacked at it with a sword, Eustace, I wouldn't call that heroic. Brave, at best.") when all of a sudden four letters dropped out of the air and onto their heads.

~~~

Coralind and Dragnor were staying in an upper room of a pub in Galma. The rest of the crew occupied the few other rooms available, and most were already fast asleep. Dragnor had just won another swordsmanship competition, the Big Ben's crew just dropped off a shipment of fruits from Calormen, and Coralind was just gald to have a break.

Dragnor was taking off his boots, shaking the dirt and rocks out of them as he retold the story of how he defeated his opponents, drawing out the tale as dramatically as possible. Just as his sister scoffed at one of his exaggerations, two letters dropped from the ceiling and onto their heads.

~~~

The three siblings and their cousin stared at the letters in their hands.

"I'm scared to open it, quite honestly," said Lucy, turning the letter over to mess with the seal.

"Yeah, I'm with you," Peter whispered, then spoke louder for all to hear. "The last one came, when, yesterday? And the one before that only a couple hours before."

Susan nodded. "And the letters said that they had been sent almost a year apart. Oh, Aslan, I hope he isn't too old now."

They sat in silence for a little while longer until Eustace cleared his throat. "Well, may as well it over with. The longer we wait the older he'll get."

He broke the seal on his envelope, getting the letter out as the others did the same.

~~~

Coralind picked her letter up and dusted it off. Reading the back, it said Princess Coralind Pevensie. "What's this?"

"A letter, I guess," Dragnor said from the bed as he turned his envelope over. "It's in Father's handwriting."

The two siblings looked at each other, shrugged, and broke their seals together.

~~~

To Peter, Susan, Lucy, Eustace, Dragnor, and Coralind (Oh, Aslan, my writing list is getting too long):

Greetings from Cair Paravel! To Dragnor amd Coralind: this is Edmund, in case you haven't guessed already. I don't believe I've sent a letter to either of you in this fashion just yet, and I do hope it works.

You're probably wondering why I'm addressing all of you at the same time, and that is because I'm writing one letter and then getting the court magician to duplicate them. "Why?" you ask? Because of many reasons, mainly that 1) I'm old (not terribly old, don't worry) and my hands hurt, 2) I may or may not be getting lazier, 3) I'm a King and I truly don't have the time, and 4) this news is big and I've been meaning to write about it for a while but I'm several months late. First, however, some updates:

To my siblings and cousin: It has been five years since I wrote my last letter. I am sorry, for I do not know how long it has been in England, but I wanted to wait a bit before sending the next one due to the lack of response from the letter before last. When it came to my attention that not even a day had passed, I realized how troubled this must make you. Even still, barely a minute may have passed for you between this one and the last and I would be none the wiser.

In the years that have passed, Dragnor has won countless more duels (speaking of which, Dragnor, I hear you have another competition coming up? If so, good luck! If it has already passed, I know you tried your hardest and were the strongest and best you could have been), and Coralind has set off on a new mission with Dragnor at her side. (May the wind be always at your back, my daughter!)

Also, (and, Coralind, I do hope you don't mind me telling this but it is news and this is my family and you had a beautiful wedding and your wife is wonderful and she loves you and I'm telling the others, ok?) Coralind got married! Her wife's name is Lalkie, and is of Nyaid descent and is very beautiful and I'm very happy and proud of them both. I am going to cry just thinking about it, to be honest. She is currently visiting the other side of Narnia, but will be at Cair Paravel by next month, so I'm told. (Coralind, if you don't come back home to visit your wife, Caspian said he will sail out and drag you home himself. I know that you wouldn't dream of not coming home to see her, but he is standing over my shoulder as I write this and told me to add that in.)

To my children: You two know all of the things I have just said, but might not understand some of the other things in this letter, which I will explain to you now. Peter, Susan, and Lucy are my siblings (as you have probably already gathered), whom I served as King with back in the Golden Age, and Eustace is my cousin (as you have also probably already gathered), who sailed with me and Caspian on the Dawn Treader Voyage. This is probably the closest you'll get to meeting them before we're all sent to Aslan's Country. (Though I've heard that there's a chance Eustace will come back to Narnia? In which case, I hope you're alive to meet him, he's nicer than the stories say.)

Time passes differently here in Narnia than it does over in England, in that it moves much, much faster. Which can be quite the hassle, as you can tell from the opening part to my siblings and Eustace.

If you're wondering how this letter was sent, I buried it in the ground and Aslan delivered it directly to all of you (which is why it's covered in dirt). When I first decided to stay here in Narnia, Aslan and I came up with a way for me to continue to keep in touch with my family, a fact that I am incredibly grateful for. If you'd wish to write a letter to me in return, simply bury it in the ground and there is a good chance Aslan will send it to me. If it doesn't work you can send it the old-fashioned way; it'll probably get here around the same time as the ones from the others will.

And now for the eight-month-late news! Coralind and Dragnor, you might have already head because news travels fast, but at least pretend to be surprised. For me. Also Caspian.

We have a new son! And not an adopted one, either - Aslan gifted him to us. (Neither of us got pregnant, though, don't worry. I'm honestly not sure exactly what happened that night, the whole memory's quite fuzzy, but I know Aslan was there. And that he told us that this baby was to be our heir! Finally!)

His name is Rilian, he's going to be eight months old next week, and he is the happiest baby I've ever met. Seriously, he rarely cries, mostly just stares wide-eyed at the world around him and babbling happily.

It's quite shocking, really, to notice the similarities between him and me. He hasn't really matured at all, of course, so most of his features haven't grown in, but you can already tell he has my eyes and nose, along with Caspian's hair.

Caspian's holding Rilian right now, singing some song his old Nurse taught him years ago. It's honestly quite beautiful, but I can't make out the words. If only I could capture it and send it to you, like a radio. (By Jove, I haven't thought about radios in years. Pete, you'll have to tell me how they work, again. I remember being fascinated by them back in grade school, but I can't for the life of me remember anything about them.)

This is really all, for now. But I would like to reiterate the fact that we have an heir to the throne! At last! Praise Aslan!

With all of my love,
Your Father, Brother, Cousin, and King,
Edmund Pevensie

P.S. - Pete, I know I've said this in every letter I've sent you since I've come of age, but IM OLDER THAN YOU NOW, HAHA

P.P.S.- Right before I sealed this, I realized that, if I'm doing my math right and I remember my old life correctly enough, I'm older than Father, now, too. Which is... strange. To say the least. I do hope he is doing alright. Give him a hug for me, will you?

P.P.P.S - One for Mum as well?
~~~

Eustace was the first to finish. He put his down, then looked up at the others with a satisfied huff.

"That's... a lot, I'd say."

Susan sushed him, barely through the bit about Rilian.

Peter was the next to finish, but the others wouldn't have been able to tell. He stared at the post scrips for a good while in silence.

Then Susan finished. "Well, I'm gald everyone's happy. And safe, that's always good."

Lucy was the last one to finish her letter. She looked up at the others with tears in her eyes.

"Peter?" she asked. He was still staring blankly at the sheet in his hand, but looked up when she called to him. A tear rolled down his cheek.

"Oh, Peter, I know." Susan walked over to hug her brother, then Lucy joined in, too. Eustace stood to the side for a second, awkwardly, then finally decided to join in, as well. Before long, they were all crying, and eventually they almost forgot what for. It was just good to get it all out.

They eventually sat back down on the grass, again, glad to have the shade and all of nature around them.

"We're going to have to write our responses soon," Eustace said. "So they get there in time."

Lucy got up, preparing to run back to the house. "I've got some stationary in my room, let me go get it." She took off, leaving the rest to think about what they might say.

~~~

"A new brother!" Dragnor leaped up from the bed, then quickly groaned and sat back down, regretting slamming his bare feet on the hardwood. He picked his letter up again eagerly eyes wide as he continued reading.

"Shh shh! I'm not done yet!" Coralind waved her hand vaguely in her brother's direction, continuing to read the letter with a grin on her face. She was, in fact, already done with the part about Rilian and was now on the post scrips, but Dragnor didn't need to know that.

The two wound up finishing their letters around the same time, and Dragnor jumped back off the bed (carefuler this time) and started talking excitedly.

"Rilian! Oooh that's a good name, imagine it - Prince Rilian, no, no, King Rilian! He'll be wonderful, I just know it!"

"Also you won't be forced to be king if Papa and Father up and died on us."

"That, too! Oh, Aslan, I can't wait to meet him! Do you think they'll let me teach him how to sword fight?"

"Obviously, you're the best in the land."

"True, true. And the others! Our aunts and uncle! And cousin! To think they touched a copy of this exact letter - to think that they might be reading it right now, that's! I don't  really know how to put it, but it certainly is something, isn't it, Cora?"

"I mean... Yeah, yeah, definitely."

"You're thinking about something, you've got that look in your eye." Dragnor walked closer to his sister and squinted suspiciously.

"Well... we don't have to write back to father right away, right? Really, we don't have to write back at all, since we're going back to Narnia in a few weeks and we'll be the only ship going from Galma to the Cair Paravel harbor this month. So any letter we write would have to go with us."

"I thought we were going to the Seven Isles after this? A friendly visit?"

"Yeah, well, I need to make a 'friendly visit' with my wife, too." Coralind raised her eyebrow.

"Oooooh yeah, that." Dragnor chuckled. "But what were you thinking?"

"Well, now that we know how to send the letters, why don't we try and send one ourselves?"

"To whom?"

"Our aunts and uncles. Get to know them or something, they are our family, after all."

Dragnor's eyes lit up, and he ran over to the desk that was in the room. "You have a pen and paper, right?"

Coralind nodded, and after a bit of shuffling around, they managed to find a quill and a couple of sheets of paper, so they wrote their letter as fast as they could, ran outside amd buried it. (All while giggling like schoolchildren pulling a prank, making the woman cleaning the pub that night look at them quizzically as they ran outside.)

~~~

The Pevensies and Eustace finally finished their letters to Edmund, after about an hour of writing and discussing together what they were going to say. Peter threw his pencil far from him into the darker parts of the garden, flopped down on the ground on his back, and sighed.

"Peter!"

"What, Lu?"

"That's littering! It was also my pencil!"

Peter flopped his arm over his eyes, not getting up. "Sorry."

Eustace sighed, walking over to where he thought he saw the pencil land. "I'll get it, don't worry."

As he tried to find the pencil among the bushes, the other three (two, really, as Peter refused to get up, claiming "University's hard" and "I do too much writing there to not stress out over one letter") went to work digging a hole to bury their envelopes in. By the time Eustace got back, they had managed to rearrange the dirt in such a way that you couldn't tell there was a hole there in the first place.

Right as Eustace tossed the pencil to Lucy, however, something happened that they didn't expect. Another letter fell from the sky, right about in the middle of the group. The middle of the group happened to be Peter's face.

"Oi!" Pete grabbed the letter from the ground where it now lay and tried his best to get the dirt out of his eye. "What- oh."

The others gathered around, also scared about what it contained. But when Peter turned it over to look at who it was addressed to, their fear grew into confusion.

To Peter, Susan, and Lucy Pevensie; Eustace Pevensie We dont know your name we're sorry Cousin of the Pevensies

Eustace was the first to speak. "What."

"Who sent it, I wonder?" Susan asked. "They know how to send it, but they don't know your name, Eustace."

"And that handwriting," said Peter. "It looks a lot like Ed's, especially the person who wrote the apology bit, but also... not?"

"We could open the letter, you know." Lucy reached over her brother's shoulder and snatched the envelope. "You can't know what's inside until you open it."

She broke the seal, pulled out the letter, and held it out for all to see.

To Our Aunts, Uncle, and Cousin in England:

We're Coralind and Dragnor, Edmund's (adopted) children. (Coralind's the one writing, in case you were wondering, I have better handwriting.) We've heard many stories about you, and learning that there is a way to contact you -intregued us greatly- piqued our interest.*

Greetings from Galma! We're writing this immediately following our reading of Father's letter, which we assume you have gotten as well. This afternoon, Dragnor was extremely successful in the Annual Galma Fall Festival Swordsman Competition (long name, we know, but nobody's gotten the king of Galma to change it yet.**)

Anyways, we were wondering a lot of things about you guys. What's England like? Father never tells us much, he always says he's forgotten most of it.*** We heard you live on a globe world? Father explained a lot of it, but I still dont really get the physics of it all. Also that radio thing Father talked about in his letter - it sounded complicated, and we both love complicated things. They give you more satisfaction once you have them figured out.

Neither of us are sure of what else to say, as Father went over all the news (speaking of which, we have a new brother! I don't know about you guys, but Dragnor and I**** are incredibly excited. We can't wait to meet him, and to possibly meet all of you one day.)

Sincerely,
Their Highnesses Coralind and Dragnor Pevensie

P.S. - All the footnotes are by Dragnor, I let him add them after I finished writing

P.P.S. - Except the last three footnotes. Those are me.

*How the fuck is that any better, Cora? "piqued our intrest" you sound like you're writing for a stuck-up ambassador*****
**Which is a shame!!
***And the stories he does tell are boring as all Archenland******
****Why did you stop saying "we"? I'm dictating this, too, you know*******
*****Shut up
******You're from Archenland, I don't think you're allowed to say that
*******It sounded better, also see footnote 5

"Is it possible to love family you've never even met?" Lucy said, smiling.

Susan nodded. "Absolutely, yes."

Chapter Text

Rilian really was the happiest baby anyone had ever seen. As a baby, he looked almost like a cherub - all rosy cheeks and soft blond hair and sparkling eyes. Those features didn't seem to leave him as he grew, too.

Wherever he went, the little Prince seemed to leave smiles in his wake. Even when his older brother taught him how to steal pies from the kitchen, all the head baker could do was smile and sigh and shake her head.

When Rilian started taking lessons, he soaked in all the knowledge he could. He might not have been able to retain that knowledge very well at times, but he was as curious as could be. Whenever one of his fathers or siblings would tell him a story, he would sit there, full attention turned to the story-teller, truly committing the whole story to memory.

Caspian knew this.

Caspian knew Edmund knew this.

Caspian wondered why he was telling their seven-year-old son the story of the first Battle of Beruna with every gory detail imaginable.

"You're going to scare him, Ed!"

The man and his son both turned to Caspian, identical pouts on their faces.

"But Papa!"

Edmund nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Papa! I was just getting to the good part! Aslan's about to kill the White Witch."

"It's a good story, Papa! Have you heard it before?"

Caspian sighed, giving in, then walked over to his husband and son and sat down on the floor next to Rilian. "Why, yes, I have, a hundred times. But I guess it doesn't hurt to hear it again." He nodded at Edmund to continue.

Edmund smiled, picking up his arms to continue the dramatic affect of the story. "And then the Lion jumped out of nowhere! And I was like 'AHHH' and the White Witch was even more like 'AHHHHH' and then Aslan bit her face clean off!"

"Ewwwww!" Rilian made a face.

"Yeah! It was disgusting!"

"But I'm glad she's dead now! I wouldn't want to meet her." The prince shuttered, and Caspian put his arm around him.

"Don't worry, Rilli, you'll never have to worry about that witch. Or anything like her. We'll protect you, won't we, Ed?"

Edmund smiled, his eyes full of love. "Of course. But right now I think it's time for bed, come on."

Rilian grew older, and his lessons grew more advanced. He learned swordsmanship and navigation from his two siblings, and while he wasn't a natural at either, he picked them up well with time. He learned how to ride, becoming great friends with his horse, Victor, and also how to hunt (and the difference between the smart and dumb animals of Narnia), archery, diplomacy, speech-giving, science, math, a good number of languages, geography, history, and many, many other things besides. (Including why you should never speak of the Forbidden Wedding of the Fourth Year of the Golden Age in front of any type of tree. They are always watching. They will always hit you.)

Rilian loved life in Cair Paravel, he loved his family, and he loved his kingdom. So, on his eighteenth birthday, when his fathers asked him if he was willing to take up the throne, he said yes. He knew what he wanted to do with his life, he knew what would make him happy, and he knew that he would be happiest serving his kingdom.

The two Kings sat back on their thrones and sighed, a great weight having finally been lifted from their shoulders.

They finally, truly, for certain, had an heir to the throne. Everything would be good from here on.

But one day, everything wasn't good.

A couple months after his 19th birthday, Rilian went hunting with a few of his friends. They would be gone for a couple of weeks, and the prince was glad for the escape from his seemingly endless studies - his fathers added on a couple more courses to get him ready for his Kinghood.

Rilian's party went north, into the Wildlands.

They should have known better.

The party came back nearly a week late; Edmund and Caspian were worried out of their minds. But when they saw the hunting party, when they saw who was missing, their worry and fear only grew.

Caspian was out of his throne in an instant. "Where is he?!" he shouted. "Where is our son?"

The small group gathered before him looked at each other, trying to decide who would be the one to give the bad news to the kings. They eventually shoved the youngest of their party, a teenaged faun named Braxan, to the front.

"We, uh," he started, then glanced back at his friends.

"Go on, Brax," Edmund said calmly. "And Caspian, dear, sit down. Yelling won't help the situation." Caspian pursed his lips, but did as he said, and Ed gestured towards the faun to continue.

Braxon looked back at the group for a bit more encouragement, and when they nodded, the whole story fell out of him in a tumble of words. "He's gone, Your Majesties. We don't know where he went, we just woke up one day and he wasn't at camp and we thought he'd come back at first but then a couple hours passed and he still wasn't back so we called out for him and nobody responded and we kept looking all day and the day after that amd the day after that and-" he took a deep breath, going back out with a shaky sigh. He looked almost on the verge of tears.

"Is this true? You all tried your best to find him?" Edmund sat foward in his throne.

The small group nodded.

"Then we'll all have to try harder. I know several good trackers, we should be able to have him home by the end of the week."

Rilian's friends smiled, relieved, and the tension in the room eased at the mention of a plan. Caspian looked at Edmund and smiled. Edmund smiled back. Both felt confident that they could find their son again.

But as the days went on, that confidence dwindled. Soon, the promised week passed, and even the Kings' best trackers came back with empty hands and paws.

A month passed with Rilian gone, and word got out about the missing prince. For a couple days there was some chaos, but once everyone calmed down, the search became kingdom-wide.

Dragnor and Coralind heard the news, and they quickly found themselves spending every waking moment either searching for their brother or writing updates to the Pevensies back in England. (Edmund was getting too old to write out four full letters as often as he needed to (he still did write occasionally, though), so he trusted his children to keep the rest of his family updated.)

Back at Cair Paravel, the stress of looking for their son was really getting to the Kings. As the years passed with no sign of Rilian, Caspian and Edmund felt themselves growing weaker under the pressure. Besides, the older they grew and the longer Rilian was gone, the more they feared for the future of Narnia. There was no heir anymore, and they were growing desperate again.

Ten years passed, still no sign of Rilian, and Caspian took Edmund's hand in his. They were sitting on one of the balconies of Cair Paravel, looking out over the sea.

The day was beautiful, with the sun shimmering against the light waves. Coralind was back home for the week, (Dragnor was up north for another competition (not to compete, but to officiate. The other swordspeople in Narnia knew better than to challenge him by now)) and they could see her ship docked in the harbor from where they sat. Birds called out, a breeze blew, and Edmund and Caspian felt content to just sit there and watch the day pass by.

Edmund looked over at his husband as his hand was taken. Caspian's age was really showing - his beard had grown to his waist (much to the disapproval of nearly everyone that saw it), lines on his face that used to just show laughter now showed age, and his once blond hair was nearly see-through with how white it was. Edmund knew he looked very much the same; the main difference was the taste in facial hair styles.

Caspian sighed. "I want to go out to sea again. One last time. Do you think Coralind will take us?" He looked over to Edmund.

The other man laughed. "Of course she will!" He paused, looking out over the water again, then back at Caspian. "But what do you mean, 'one last time'?"

"You know what I mean, Ed." Caspian rolled his eyes with a smile, but quickly grew serious again. "I'm getting tired. Too tired."

Edmund raised Caspian's hand, the one still clasped in his, and kissed it softly. "I do know." They sat in silence for a couple minutes more, simply enjoying each other's company, before Edmund spoke again. "How do the Seven Isles sound? We haven't visited them in a while."

"Sounds wonderful, my dear."

As the Kings prepared for their journey, something in the back of their minds told them thet they needed to find a new heir, and find them fast, for neither had much time left. But another voice, one much stronger and confident, told them they they didn't need to worry. That Aslan had told them that he would take care of them, and that they just had to remember to trust him. That Rilian would be home soon.

They trusted that voice. So they did as it said, and continued to prepare for their journey.

Chapter Text

Eustace had quite literally crash-landed back in Narnia. One second he had been riding on the air; the next, his butt hit the ground of a grassy hill and he stumbled to his feet.

In front of him, several feet away, a large crowd was gathered. With the added height of the hill he was on, he could see what was at the center - two old men about to go on a royal-looking ship. Something about the ship ringed a bell in his mind - not that he had seen that exact ship before, but more the style in which it was designed...

He snapped his fingers as he recognized it. It was Narnian! Which means I'm definitely in Narnia he thought. Stepping closer to the crowd, he went through what he remembered from his letters from his cousins to try and figure out what was going on.

Two old men...

A royal-looking ship...

When he finally put the peices together, he nearly cried out. Going faster now, he pushed through the crowd, determined to get to Caspian and Edmund.

He finally reached the front, breathing heavily. One of the men (Eustace thought he looked more like Edmund, but he wasn't quite sure. He did have a better beard compared to the other's, and Eustace felt confident in his family's facial hair fashion sense) was speaking.

"... away for about three months. Trumpkin will watch over Cair Paravel while we're gone, so he'll be the one to give am ear to your problems. If he has an ear to give, that is." The man chuckled at this, as did most of the crowd, as the dwarf in question looked around, confused. "Now, however, I believe it is time we depart. May Aslan bless your paths, wherever they may lead you, and farew- Eustace?!"

Most of the crowd had already dispersed at this point, so it was really just Eustace and the front row of people when Edmund got to that point. Eustace looked around, as if making sure he was talking to him, but when he looked back at Ed and saw that he was still staring at him incredulously, Eustace stepped foward. Looking behind himself, he saw that Jill had now landed, and gestured to her to come over to him. She didn't see, so he just rolled his eyes and took another step.

"Eustace! I can't believe it! You're here! In Narnia! Not just a letter!" Edmund shook Caspian's shoulder, as if the other hadn't already seen him, and pointed at Eustace. "Caspian! It's Eustace!"

"You can stop shaking me, dear, I see him, too. We may be old, but neither of us are delusional."

Edmund stepped foward and gathered his cousin up in a hug. "Oh, it's been ages! Letters never really cut it, do they?" He released Eustace, allowing Caspian to shake his hand. "But who's this?"

Jill had finally made her way over to the trio, looking at Eustace. "These are your 'old friends', I'm guessing?"

Eustace chuckled. "You could say that, yes. That's Edmund, my cousin," Edmund smiled and nodded, "and the one with the beard is Caspian, his husband. They're the kings here."

Jill squinted, giving the two an intense look-over. After a few tense seconds, she nodded, as if giving her approval. Then she turned to Eustace. "I thought your cousin Edmund was your age? And didn't he die a couple years ago? That's what everyone that the House says, anyways."

Before Eustace could say anything, Caspian cut him off. "We can explain everything soon, but Ed and I really do need to get on our way to the Seven Isles. You're welcome aboard the ship, if you'd like." The two children nodded eagerly and the four stepped onto the ship together.

A couple hours later, everyone was introduced (including Coralind, who was beyond exuberant to meet one of her English pen pals), everything was explained ("You're here to rescue Rilian?! I could kiss you!" "Caspian, she's twelve, you're married, to me-"), and a plan was sorted out.

With Eustace and Jill needing to go north, Coralind decided that it would be best to, instead of turning east at Galma, continue northwards until they hit the port town just south of the Eastern Marshes.

"That's as far as we can take you, though. There's no ports further north, and besides, we're on a tight schedule on our ship. After that, you're on your own." Coralind rolled up the map they were using and got up to return it to her desk.

Eustace smiled gratefully. "You've already done so much already. We really cannot thank you enough." Jill nodded along as he spoke.

"And we, you," said Caspian. "Once Rilian has returned, peace will truly return as well."

"Plus Dragnor won't have to take up the throne 'by default' or whatever." Coralind chuckled. "Could you imagine him as king? Dear Aslan, then we'd be in trouble!"

Edmund swatted her arm jokingly. "Don't be like that! Dragnor can be intimidating when he wants to be."

"And when does he ever want to be intimidating, besides during a duel?"

Edmund huffed and sat back in his chair.

"Exactly!" The room laughed, and the ship sailed ever further north.

~~~

They were barely even a month into their trip, having dropped Eustace and Jill off weeks ago, when Aslan appeared to Edmund and Caspian.

The two were walking along the beach of Terebinthia, holding hands and looking at the stars together, when they rounded a corner and saw the Great Lion lying there.

Edmund jumped back, putting his free hand on his heart. "Aslan's mane! I-"

"What have I told you about using that phrase, child?" There was a hint of laughter in Aslan's voice.

"Sorry, Aslan." Edmund hung his head as Caspian snickered. Ed elbowed the other in an attempt to get him to stop (it didn't work).

Once Caspian caught his breath, he brought his full attention to the Lion. "What do you need of us, Aslan?"

Aslan hummed, looking back up at the stars. The two men looked up as well, and Edmund was reminded of a night similar to this one, when he talked to Aslan under the stars long ago, near the beginning of his life. He couldn't help but feel like this conversation sat near the end of it.

"It is time to go back to Narnia, my Kings."

Caspian started to pout, whipping his head back to Aslan. "But we've barely started the trip!"

"Well, which would you rather see: the sea or you son?" Aslan turned to the two husbands. Caspian's eyes widened as Edmund took his time turning his head to Aslan.

"Rilian's home?" Edmund asked in barely a whisper.

"Not quite yet, but by the time you get back, he will be."

Both of the men had tears in their eyes, and suddenly, Caspian ran foward (as much as someone his age could "run") and hugged Aslan around the neck. Edmund stepped foward and did the same, muttering thanks under his breath the whole time. Aslan laughed, a warmth radiating from his mane that spread through the men's bodies, giving them a new strength.

Caspian stepped away first, wiping some of the tears from his face. "But, Aslan, I-" He paused, unsure of how to continue.

"Yes?"

"Will I make the journey? Edmund, too." At this, he grabbed his husband's hand. "We're old, Aslan, as much as we hate to admit it, and, quite honestly, I wasn't expecting to complete the journey." Edmund gave his hand a squeeze.

"You will both see your son again in this life, do not worry." Aslan smiled warmly, gaining a smile from the Kings in return. "Now go, you have much to explain to your daughter and her crew. And a good amount of sleep to catch up on - it's past midnight, you know." And with that, Aslan dissapeared into the night. Where he had once been standing, Caspian and Edmund now looked at the open sea and clear, star-filled sky.

~~~

As they finished the last leg of their journey, Caspian and Edmund found themselves growing ever weaker. They knew Aslan was right. They didn't doubt that they would see their son again, but neither was sure how long they would last /after/ that. In fact, by the time they could see Cair Paravel on the horizon, Caspian couldn't even get out of his bed. Edmund wasn't doing much better.

As they neared the harbor, Edmund described everything he could see from the window in the royal chambers to Caspian.

"Oooh, there's a crowd forming already! It looks as though they've been there most of the day, too. Someone's at the front, he's standing a bit away from everyone else -"

"Is it Rilian?" came the voice from the bed.

"I can't really make out the features yet, but I believe so." Edmund turned back to Caspian and smiled. "Oh, I can't wait to see him again!"

Once they landed, Coralind went out first to explain to Rilian that Caspian would have to be brought out on his bed. Then it took quite a while to get the bed out onto the deck and off the ship. But once it was done, both Caspian and Edmund knew it was worth it.

The three stood in silence for a few seconds, the crowd around them holding their breath. The only sound was that of the waves lapping against the boat and the shore.

Then Rilian broke the spell. "Father? Papa?"

Edmund nodded, smiling and crying, letting go of Caspian's hand so he could walk foward and envelop his son in the tightest hug he had ever given. "We missed you so much, Rili," he whispered.

The crowd around them cheered, and the two walked back to where Caspian lay. He was crying, too. Rilian leaned down and hugged him, then got down on his knees as Caspian whispered in his ear.

Edmund couldn't hear what he said, but Rilian nodded back, so together they sat there, enjoying being in one another's presence once more.

Suddenly, but still very slowly, Caspian reached for his son's head and brought it down, kissing his forehead. Then he took Edmund's hand and brought it to his lips as well. "It is my time to go."

Edmund nodded, somber, while Rilian just pursed his lips and looked down.

"Look at me Rilian."

He did as his father said.

"I love you. So does Father. Never forget that, ok?"

Rilian nodded, and with that, Caspian laid his head back on his pillow and closed his eyes. He never opened them again.

As the crowd realized what just happened, waves of silence washed through them. The band that had once been playing triumphant music as the ship had rolled in now switched to a somber tune. A tear rolled down Rilian's face.

Edmund got down on his knees next to his son. He took his face in his hands, forcing Rilian to look at him, and wiped the tear from his cheek.

"Promise you'll take care of Narnia for me, will you?"

Rilian smiled, more tears starting to come down. "I wouldn't dream of doing anything else."

"Good. And Caspian was right, you know. We both love you. We always have, and we always will. And don't forget Aslan - just trust him, and everything will be alright in the end."

"You've told me that a million times, Father. I doubt I could ever forget it." Rilian chuckled, his voice really starting to break as the tears kept coming.

"Well, don't." Edmund chuckled, too, then looked out over the audience. Way in the back, he saw two centaurs, and atop their backs, two children. He waved at them. One, the boy, waved back. The other reached out her hand and rubbed his shoulder. Satisfied, Edmund looked back at his son. "Goodbye. And may Aslan bless your path."

"And yours as well, Father." Rilian's voice really broke with those words, but he didn't care. He just watched as his father sighed, then rested his head in his arms on the edge of the bed.

It almost looked as though he was sleeping. But after a few more seconds, Edmund stopped moving entirely, allowing Rilian to cry freely.

The children at the top of the hill got off the centaurs. It was time for them to go home.

Chapter Text

Edmund woke up with a gasp, bolting upright where he lay. It took a few seconds to get a good look of his surroundings. He was laying in a small creek, which... ok? Next to him lay Caspian, but a version of him he hadn't seen in over fifty years. His beard was back down to a reasonable length (praise Aslan), the limes of age were gone from his face and the color was back in his hair. Overall, he looked peaceful. It suited him.

Suddenly, Caspian woke up with a gasp as well, blinking water from his eyes before they made contact with Edmund.

"Ed! You're... I don't even know, just-"

"Young?" Edmund looked down at his hands and saw that they were hands he had when he was maybe 20. He moved his fingers around, glad to have strength in them again. He looked back up at Caspian and smiled. "So are you."

They kept admiring their new bodies for a few more seconds, still sitting in the shallow creek, before someone cleared their throat. For the first time, they looked offshore at the land around them.

About three feet away stood Eustace, Jill, and Aslan. Eustace seemed to be the one who cleared his throat, his hand still to his mouth. As soon as Edmund laid eyes on the three standing there, he started laughing, jumping up and picking his cousin up into a tight hug. He even managed to spin him around once as Caspian ran over, also laughing, and hugged Jill as well. Before long, they were all laughing, as if they were sharing an inside joke. Caspian and Edmund turned and hugged Aslan as well, still laughing, and eventually everyone was hugged so much they couldn't tell who had hugged who how many times. It was wonderful.

A while later, though none could say how long that while was, they stepped back, breathless, infectious grins still shining on their faces. Caspian was the first to speak.

"You did it! You really did it! Oh, thank you, both of you. Even if we won't see Rilian again for a long time, Edmund and I are grateful and relieved that you managed to bring him home." He reached out and took his husband's hand with a smile. "Aren't we?"

Ed laughed. "Grateful is an understatement, to be honest."

They stood there for a while, all smiling, before Eustace's face furrowed amd he looked quizzically between Aslan and the two Kings. "But aren't they- I mean, didn't you two-"

"Oh, don't be such an ass," said Caspian.

Eustace looked back at Aslan, and managed to stammer out the rest. "But... Haven't they - er - died?"

Aslan chuckled, the mirth from earlier still in his voice. "Yes, they have died. Most people have, you know. Even I have. There are very few who haven't."

"Did you think we were ghosts or something like that?" Edmund asked. "Because I doubt any ghost could pick you up and spin you around like I did."

"Well," Caspian started, "I guess that if we were to go back to Narnia now, that's what we would be - ghosts. We don't belong in that country anymore, so our bodies aren't made for it. But here -" He threw his arms out wide and spun around, gesturing at the trees and grass around them. "This is Aslan's Country! There are no ghosts here."

"What about back in our world?" asked Jill. "Would you be a ghost there? Would we be ghosts there, if we're in Aslan's Country now?"

Before anyone could think about that for too long, Aslan shook his great head. "No, my dears. When you meet me here again, you will have come to stay. But not now. You must go back to your own world for a while."

Eustace and Jill hung their heads sadly, but quickly picked them back up confidently and nodded. Caspian's grip on Edmund's hand tightened. He glanced at Ed, took a deep breath, and spoke.

"Sir?" The two children and the Lion turned their heads. "I've always wanted to have one glimpse of their world. Is that wrong?"

Aslan smiled once more, as if he knew something Caspian didn't. "You cannot want wrong things anymore, now that you have died, my son. And you shall see their world - for five minutes of their time. That will be enough time for you to set things right there."

And then Aslan set off into explaining his plan for what to do when Eustace and Jill got back to the Experiment House. He gave the four weapons, and told them that together, they would scare off the cowards and children that bullied within the walls of the House.

Aslan led them through the woods, and Edmund watched as the trees around him changed. There was a difference between Narnian trees and English trees - often a subtle one, bit still there - and the trees here were definitely English. He felt the air around them changing, too, to one more polluted and dark. He shivered.

Before they knew it, they all stood before the wall. And with a great roar, one that shook the trees and the sky and the very ground they stood on, Aslan brought that wall down. And with a great yell, the four of them charged.

Edmund never had more fun slapping little boys with swords.

But before he knew it, it was all over. He watched as Eustace and Jill snuck back to their dorms to change their clothes, and as the other boys and girls of the school ran back to the gym in terror. He looked back at Caspian, whose hand was extended. He took it, and, hand-in-hand, they walked back into Aslan's country and their eternity together.

~~~

Caspian and Edmund spent a few days (or maybe months, or years, or maybe even just minutes) by that stream, simply enjoying one another's company and the joys of Aslan's Country. Aslan himself had left without a trace shortly after they had gone to England, but the two weren't worried. They knew to trust him.

At one point Edmund looked up, at the shining blue above, the shimmering greens around him, then finally back at Caspian. "I wonder what the rest of this place is like?"

Caspian smirked, a challenging twinkle in his eye. "Why don't we find out?" Then he took off running.

"Hey, no fair! You got a head start!" Then Edmund took off, too.

They ran and ran, running until they thought they couldn't anymore, but instead of stopping, they just went faster. The scenery blurred around them, and they barely noticed as they jumped over tree roots and ducked under heavy branches, only looking foward. Also at each other. (Mostly at each other.)

Until suddenly, Caspian stopped. Edmund ran into him, knocking them both down into the sand. This last bit made Edmund get up, looking quizzically at the ground below him and back at the woods they had just ran out of.

"Look!" Caspian cried, pointing up. Ed followed his finger up the side of a cliff until he saw what he was pointing at.

"Cair Paravel..." Edmund whispered, then looked around. He recognized the shoreline, now - how he ever could have wondered where he was was a mystery to him. "But how? I thought we weren't in Narnia anymore."

"Oh, no, we definitely aren't. Just look at how bright everything is! And how clear the air and the sounds are!" Caspian spun in a circle, drinking it all in. "No, this is still Aslan's Country. There's just a version of Narnia in it - one that's even better than the last one."

Ed looked back up at the castle. "I wonder who's up there?"

"Probably more creatures like us - good people who loved Aslan and Narnia, who found themselves in this brand new, wonderful version of it when they died."

Ed pursed his lips. "I'm really not trying to be selfish here, but I... I don't want to go up there just yet."

Caspian looked at him and smirked. "Want to spend more time with me, huh?"

The other boy just laughed. "That too, don't worry! But I also want to explore. There's a lot of places I haven't seen in ages, and I feel like we have all the time in the world to see them now."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Caspian got on the balls of his feet, preparing to run again. "Where to first?"

Ed thought for a second, then furrowed his eyebrows. He started walking towards the sea.

"Hey, wait! Where are you going?"

"I need to see if something will work!" Ed kept walking until he reached where the tide reached the sand, then stepped out onto the water. But instead of his foot going through the water, as it should have, it rested on top as though the water was solid. He looked back and grinned.

"What the..." Caspian walked foward amd stepped onto the water, too. They took a few steps together, looking down at their feet and then back at the shore. They laughed, almost disbelieving what was happening right before their eyes.

"You know, we never did get to see the end of the world. We stopped at the edge of the Silver Sea." Edmund caught his husband's eye.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Race you."

"Oh, you're on, King Edmund!"

And together, they ran as fast as they could towards the ever-rising sun.

They spent ages just running across the sea, tagging each other as they would pass one another, nearly always laughing, never growing tired. They didn't stop the whole way to the Silver Sea, only waving at the people they saw as they passed by the islands. As they ran past the last sea, they looked down at the kingdom of the merpeople. But in the blink of an eye, it was all gone, and they found themselves standing at the edge of a sea of lilies.

Caspian took a deep breath, taking in the perfumed scent of the Silver Sea. Then he turned to Edmund. "When was the last time I told you I love you?"

"Back when we were alive, probably."

Caspian crouched down and picked one of the flowers, offering it to his husband. "Well, I do. I always will."

Edmund blushed and took it. "I love you too, you old sap." He kept holding onto the lily as he used his other hand to bring Caspian's face closer to his.

They kissed there, smiling together, standing on the water, a sea of flowers lapping at their feet. It was beautiful.

Slowly, Edmund pulled back, still only a couple inches from the other's face. "We haven't reached the edge yet," he murmured.

"Hmm?" Caspian's eyes were still closed.

"We haven't finished our race yet, Cas."

"Must we?"

"Well, if you dont start running soon, I'll win by default."

Caspian finally opened his eyes, pulling back further. "But you aren't running, either?"

Edmund smiled, stepping back out of Caspian's grasp and into the lilies. He started running, laughing as he called back over his shoulder. "I am now!"

"You aren't winning that easily!" And so Caspian took off, too.

They almost didn't see the wall of a wave until they almost ran into it. The two slowed to a stop, awed by the sight before them. Tentatively, Edmund stepped out and touched the wave; it rushed under his fingers, like a waterfall. Only instead of going downwards, it went up.

"I win," he whispered.

Caspian stepped up and put his whole hand through it. He watched it as it moved under the water. "Well, I got second, which still counts in my books."

They stood and admired the wave for a while, stepping back once they were satisfied. Caspian looked it up and down once more, then tried to look through it. "I wonder what's behind it."

"If Reep's word was anything to go by, Aslan's Country is somewhere back there, right?"

"Yes, back in the living world it must have been. But this is Aslan's Country, and if there was a second, even better Aslan's country hidden somewhere back here, I doubt it would be where nobody would think to look for it." He looked at Edmund.

Edmund looked back. "Well, I guess the only way to find out is to go through, right? Further up and further in!"

Caspian smiled, then turned and fearlessly walked through the wall. The other boy followed right after him.

Walking through it seemed a lot like walking through a waterfall, but... better, somehow. It might have been because the water didn't crash down on their heads with a sound that could challenge thunder. They were also completely dry when they reached the other side.

The other side, which, for the record, was the woodsy foothills of a chain of mountains. Edmund looked back at where they came; he could still see the Silver Sea through the water. Looking at it brought him back to his first trip to Narnia - looking back through the trees to see the Spare Oom on the other side of the Wardrobe.

Caspian sighed happily, turning to Ed with a grin. "Ready for more running?"

"Oh, I've always been ready."

So, yet again, they ran. The two of them were really enjoying running here; they never tired, never slowed, just kept going and going and going. Over mountains, under trees, and across a couple of rivers they went, making it to the other side of the mountain range in a flash.

But suddenly, with a gasp, Edmund stopped. Beside him, Caspian did the same (sans the gasp, as he had no reason to do so).

Ed spun in a slow circle, taking in all of his surroundings, then finally stopped when he faced the other King with wide eyes. "I know this place."

"Well, where are we?"

"The Professor's house."

"The... who?"

"We're in England, Caspian. But I think this is some Aslan's Country version of it, too, because Pete and Su told me this place was torn down years ago." Looking back up at the trees around him with a great smile, Edmund starting walking. "C'mon! I can show you the wardrobe where everything started!"

With a breathy laugh, Caspian jogged to catch up with the other boy. "England?! You'll have to show me around some more than just a silly old wardrobe, Ed."

"Oh, I've forgotten most of the good places to go to. And if you dont know where to go to, the whole place it really quite boring after a while."

"So is Narnia!"

"Maybe so, but here we only have dumb beasts! And no good creatures, like fauns and dryads and the like. Only stupid, mean humans and their stupid, mean ideas."

"That's what Narnia was like for a while when the Talmarines were there."

"Exactly, it wasn't very fun, was it? Besides, we're here."

The two of them walked out of the woods into a wide clearing, and a huge mansion finally came into full view. Caspian whistled, impressed. "And you say this place was torn down?"

"Yeah, it was really a shame. They needed to build a factory somewhere close to the resources it needed, and Professor Kirke didn't have the money to keep the land." Edmund made it to the door first, holding it open for his husband with a deep bow. He stepped in behind him. "But that doesn't matter anymore! The house is here now, which is a wonderful thing, indeed."

They spent a long time exploring the house, longer than they had spent doing anything else up to that point. Caspian spent what seemed like hours slowly walking around each room, admiring the architecture and the miscellaneous objects scattered about. Whenever he came across something he didn't know (which was quite often) he would pick it up and ask Ed what it was and how it worked. Half the time, Edmund had completely forgotten what the thing had done, so they would spend hours making up uses for what they thought it was. More often than not, they ended up laughing rather than actually figuring out what it was.

But finally, after what seemed like (and may have actually been) ages later, they reached the wardrobe room.

Edmund started towards it, but Caspian stayed in the doorway. "That's it then? The infamous wardrobe that brought the Kings and Queens of Old into Narnia?"

Edmund pulled on the door; it slid open effortlessly. "Yep." He turned back to Caspian and gestured towards the inside. "After you, King Seafarer."

The King in question started foward. Right before the door, he hesitated, but after a reassuring nod from Edmund, he walked right in. He felt the other boy walk in after him and almost close the door, leaving it open a crack.

"What now?" Caspian whispered.

"Walk back. See what happens," was the response.

So Caspian did so. But instead of reaching the back of the wardrobe, as he almost expected, it kept going. Pretty soon, he felt tree branches pushing against him and sunlight filtering on his face. Soft panpipe music was coming from close by. He recognized the tune as one his Nurse would sing to him after one of her stories, if he wasn't already asleep. He walked faster.

Very quickly, he was out of the thickest part of the trees and found himself in the Lantern Wastes. And sitting under the lantern in question was a faun, who stopped his music when he saw Caspian come out of the trees. His brow furrowed in confusion, not recognizing the King, but when he looked behind him at Edmund, a smile broke out on his face.

"King Edmund! You're here!"

Ed was wiping excess leaves off his tunic, but looked up when he heard the voice. For a second, he looked pensive, as if trying to think of where he remembered the faun from, but then his eyes lit up. "Mr. Tumnus?"

Mr. Tumnus leaped up and hugged Edmund, tears in both of their eyes as they started catching up. After a minute or so, though, Tumnus looked over at Caspian.

"So this must be King Caspian then? It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty." He gave a deep bow, then quickly rightened himself and his scarf.

"Thank you, Sir Tumnus," said Caspian, "But really, the pleasure's all mine. I have heard stories about you all my life, you are honestly one of my heroes. But, do tell, how did you know who I was?"

"Oh, everyone back at Cair Paravel has been wondering where you two were!" Tumnus chuckled. "But nobody was truly worried, never fear. They just wanted to see you again. It's been many years back in Narnia since you've died."

Edmund's eyebrows raised, and he prepared himself to start running again. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get back to Cair Paravel!"

And so they ran off into Aslan's Country yet again, only stopping when they got to the castle. Someone stood at the entrance, looking out. When he saw the three of them approaching, he waved, then turned around and called back to someone within the castle. Then he turned back to the three runners.

"Father! Papa! You're here, at last!" And as the young man ran towards the trio, Edmund and Caspian could see that it was Rilian, and they cried out in joy and hugged him tightly. From behind him, Dragnor and Coralind came out of the castle as well, and joined in the hug as well.

The family, along with Tumnus, walked back into the castle together. On the way, the children explained that over 100 years had passed since Caspian and Edmund had died, and that Rilian's daughter was on the Narnian throne back in the living Narnia. They would have gone on for ages just talking about what had happened since their deaths, but it was at that moment that they entered the Great Hall of Cair Paravel.

As the six of them entered, a great cheer went up throughout the room. The place was packed full with more creatures and people than it could have ever possibly held outside of Aslan's Country, and they all sat around several long tables piled high with the greatest feast Caspian or Edmund had ever seen.

And all of a sudden, the two Kings were overcome with their old friends. Edmund saw people he had meet since coming to Narnia the second time: Trufflehunter, Trumpkin, Drinian even good old Reepicheep was there. But what surprised him the most, even bringing tears to his eyes, was the people who he knew back when he was King during the Golden Age. The Beavers; his old horse, Philip; even his old fiance, Verin (who had had a couple thousand years to get over the disappearance of Ed, had fallen in love with a Dwarf in his his later years. Together, they wished Edmund and his whole family well) were all there and greeted him like an old friend, for that is what he was to them.

Did he cry? Yes. Absolutely. Who wouldn't have, after being filled with as much joy as Edmund felt?

And after everyone had re-introduced themselves, after a great deal of laughter amd tears were shared, Edmund and Caspian finally joined the great feast. And for ages more, they dined and drank and laughed amd sang and greeted all those who joined them in Cair Paravel.

Every so often, Ed would go outside the castle for a bit - sometimes with others, often alone - and simply reminisce. Everywhere he looked, everything was bigger and brighter and better, and it all brought back the best memories of Narnia his mind had to offer.

But one day, the food ran out. Not that anyone was dissatisfied by that - quite the opposite, actually. Once all the food was cleared, they all sat back and realized that they simply weren't hungry anymore. There was silence for a few minutes, a good, comfortable silence, and then a bright light came from the doorway. Everyone turned and looked, and standing there, in all of his power and glory, was Aslan.

"It is time," he said, then turned and started walking away from Cair Paravel. And all who were gathered stood and followed him.

At first, they were simply walking behind Aslan. But after a while (they were nearly at the Eastern Marshes at that point), Aslan looked over his shoulder and chuckled. Then he started to run.

"Further up and further in!" came a cry near the back, and so further up and further in the people of Narnia went. Through valleys and rivers, over mountains and (impossibly) waterfalls, under trees and skies that grew bigger and brighter and more alive the further they went. Until they stopped, right in front of a great gate that blocked the entrance to a garden.

Aslan opened the gate, and held it open as all the Narnians went inside. "Wait here," he said. "I shall be back with the others." Then he closed the door and walked away.

Throughout the crowd, murmurs spread. Not the dark and sneering murmurs of gossip, but ones that were similar to the murmurs of small children as they sit in bed the night before Christmas.

"Others?" said one badger near Edmund. "There are more coming? Ooh, I can't wait to see everyone else again. And to hear news from Narnia! Oh, Aslan, this is exciting!"

Nobody dared to leave the front of the garden and explore the rest of the world they were in; it felt like spoiling the ending to a story you really wanted to read. No, they stood by the gate and they waited.

But they didnt have to wait long, for after what only seemed like minutes, the gates opened. The people near the front rushed out and started to greet whoever was there, but since Edmund and Caspian were near the back, they had to wait a bit before they could see who it was. Caspian reached out and took Ed's hand with a smile as they shuffled foward with the crowd. Edmund smiled back.

And then all of a sudden, they broke through into the open ground, and Edmund looked up at three people he thought he would never meet again.

"Pete? Su? Lucy?" He let go of Caspian's hand as he stepped towards his siblings, barely believing what he was seeing.

Peter was the first to speak. "Ed?"

Edmund nodded, and the spell that seemed to be over them that kept them still broke, and Ed rushed into his older brother's arms.

"You know, if someone told fourteen-year-old me that I would be this happy to see you, Ed, I'd probably punch them in the face."

Edmund laughed. "I'd do the same thing at eleven, honestly."

They pulled away, tears in both of their eyes. Peter looked around at the crowd surrounding them, every one of them laughing and greeting friends they hadn't seen in years. "It looks like you really kept Narnia safe, huh?"

"I told you I would.

What, did you not believe me or something?"

Peter laughed and elbowed him jokingly. "Hey! I didn't say that!"

Edmund was laughing, too. "It was implied!"

Peter gave his shoulder one last squeeze before stepping away to greet someone else. Then Susan stepped up. They stood there for a second, just staring at each other, before Susan stepped foward and pulled him into a tight hug.

Edmund doesn't know how long it lasted, only that when she pulled back, they were both full-on crying.

"I'm glad you didn't forget me." Edmund started to wipe the tears from his face. "It's good to know that I'm better than boys or makeup or other... English things. That Narnia's better."

"Oh, but Ed," she said, and started to cry a bit more, "I almost did. I promised you, and I nearly broke that promise. I'm so sorry."

Edmund put his hand on her shoulder, hesitating only a second before pulling Susan into another hug. "But you didn't. You remembered, you remembered me and you remembered Narnia and that's what counts." He pulled back again, smiling now. "I love you, Su."

She smiled back, wiping her face dry. "Love you too, Ed." She ruffled his hair, ignoring his loud "Hey!" in protest, then walked off to join Peter.

Then Lucy came foward. She gave hin a hug, too, a soft one, one that was honestly the best hug Edmund had ever received in his life. Or death, for that matter.

"Did you miss me?" he asked.

Lucy laughed. "Oh, of course I did, you're my brother! You're Edmund!"

They stood there for a bit, just smiling at each other, feeling that they didn't really have anything to say to each other. They knew one another so well that all the catching up they had to do had been done with their hug. Then Edmund spoke again. "You knew you would see me again, didn't you?"

"Of course I did, silly. I had a gut feeling about it, and most of the time, when my gut tells me something, it's Aslan telling me it, as well."

"Or you're just hungry."

"That too!" She laughed, and Edmund joined in, as well.

After that, he went around and meet all the other people that had come in through the doorway, eventually introducing his siblings to his children (only to find out that they had been writing letters back and forth for years, and had at least eight inside jokes), talking to people about his life as King and with Caspian. At one point, he met Trinian, the last King of Narnia, and nearly did a double-take at his similar they looked. Well, there wasn't too much similarity, seeing as there were at least eleven generations between them, but he certainly had his nose. And Caspian's eyes. He barely got to introduce himself, though, before he was swept away again by Susan and Lucy, insisting that he just HAD to meet the old Professor, because he was here, too, apperently. How Edmund had missed him earlier was a mystery to him.

A long, long while later, after everyone had met and laughed and enjoyed time together once again, Aslan started leading them back into the garden. And for the first time, the Narnians looked around them. And they gasped, for this place was yet another Narnia, but one bigger and brighter and better, and everyone realized that this must be what heaven really is. And of course that was what it was, seeing as everyone there dead.

But wait, of everyone there was dead, that meant...

Edmund looked over at his siblings, Eustace, and Jill, who seemed to be coming to the same conclusions he was. Then Aslan stepped foward and confirmed their suspicions; they had all died in a train wreck. For a second, all were somber, until Aslan said that they could all stay in Narnia, the New Narnia, forever.

And who could be somber after hearing that?

Edmund looked around; at Aslan's Country; at the Narnians gathered around; at his family, both from England and from Narnia; then finally at himself, remembering how it felt when he realized that he could be himself in Narnia, all of himself, not having to hide any of it, now feeling those emotions exponentially, and he realized that he was home. When he had thought he was home before, when he first decided to stay in Narnia, he hadn't realized what his home could truly be.

And this? Surrounded by everyone he had ever loved? Standing in the place he had served and loved his whole life? Being allowed to be himself, wholeheartedly and unapologetically?This was home. Truly.

And how wonderful it felt to be home at last.