Chapter Text
Edmund stared up at the wide blue sky in wonder. Aside from the fact that he was obviously not where he had expected to be, he also felt rather different. The tiredness of the interrupted night and the wet morning spent digging up a stranger's garden was gone and instead he felt fresh and relaxed and also… excited.
"Oh, do get up, Ed," Lucy's voice said nearby, and Edmund could hear in her voice an undercurrent of the same excitement he was feeling. "Get up. I think we might be in Narnia… or perhaps even Aslan's Country. I'm not sure."
Edmund sat up quickly and clambered to his feet. The first person he saw was Lucy, but not as he'd last seen her, for she was not wearing the clothes of England. Instead she was dressed as she had when they had all lived in Narnia, and her shining hair was piled on her head and restrained by the coronet she had once always worn. But it wasn't just her clothes that were different for there was also something different in her face, and suddenly he realised that she looked as she had done when she had been one of the great Queens of Narnia's Golden Age.
There was another woman standing beside her and Edmund blinked as he realised that it was Aunt Polly, dressed in a similar fashion to Lucy, and although when he looked at her he could not discern any physical difference to the way she'd appeared before, she did seem more youthful in some way.
"Where are Jill and Eustace?"
It was Peter who spoke and Edmund turned quickly to look at him, for his voice had been the voice of Peter the Magnificent, High-King of Narnia and the tall, noble man who now stood before him was as Edmund remembered him from that time. And yet, there was a difference, for now he could see that Peter was tempered by his experiences as an adult in England.
"I do not know, Sire," the Professor replied, and Edmund was not surprised to see him dressed in Narnian clothes and also looking more youthful. "They were definitely on the train with us but they are not here now. Perhaps they have passed through that door."
And finally Edmund was able to take in his surroundings… and he could not help gasping as he did so. He stood in a grassy meadow, with a small woodland standing in the distance, but just near them was a door; a door that seemed to stand on it's own, with no walls to support it and that seemed to lead nowhere.
As Edmund watched, Peter walked around the door, examining it closely, and then he took hold of the latch and pulled. The door would not open, and when Peter tried from the other side, again the door remained closed. Then Peter leaned forward and put his eye to the crack between two planks of wood.
"This is a fascinating thing," he said, "for when I look through this crack, I see darkness, instead of the sunlight that I should see. I would say that this door leads somewhere but to where, I cannot say. Did anyone see Jill and Eustace go through this door?"
They all looked at each other and shrugged.
"They were with us on the train," said Aunt Polly. "But, I did not see them after that. Certainly not since we arrived here. Wherever here is."
"I think," Lucy said, frowning. "I think that they may be in Narnia. But if they are, then where are we? Edmund, what do you think?"
Edmund had been making his own inspection of the door but now he looked around thoughtfully. The surroundings were familiar, in that the grass was green and the sky was blue, but he did not think they were anywhere in England. There was a fresh, sharpness to the air that reminded him of Narnia but there were no Narnian landmarks that he could recognise.
"I don't know, Lu,' he finally said, with a shrug. "Perhaps you were right and we're in Aslan's Country."
Peter hummed doubtfully and then also shrugged. "Well, I suppose all we can do is wait here by the door and see what happens. Hopefully Jill and Eustace will turn up."
There was a hint of anxiety in his voice that made Edmund give him a searching look, but Peter's face was as impassive as ever, so Edmund said nothing.
After that, they stood some distance from the door and watched and waited, and it was at this moment that Edmund realised that if they were in Aslan's country, then this was the place where Jill and Eustace had last seen Caspian, and it was entirely possible that he was still here. The thought almost made his heart stop for a moment and then it beat hard and so rapidly that it was almost painful. There was a strange mixture of anticipation and fear fluttering in Edmund's stomach and he fought hard to suppress it, telling himself that it was foolish to think of such a thing. Caspian was dead, and even if they were all in Aslan's country, he had never felt more alive himself, so the possibility of meeting Caspian here was remote to the point of impossible. But it was still a sobering thought, made more so when he realised that he had no idea how he would react if he did see Caspian now.
And, of course, he had no idea how Caspian would react to such a meeting either, for this was now a Caspian who had lived a lifetime without Edmund, a Caspian who had created a family for himself, and a Caspian who'd had other lovers and had grown away from what he and Edmund had once had.
Edmund shook his head, trying to banish his thoughts, and he was grateful when he felt a hand slip into his and saw Lucy's reassuring smile. He was thankful that she didn't say anything, even though he was sure that she'd guessed the nature of his thoughts. For now, he was finally able to dismiss them… but he hoped that they would not have much longer to wait for something to happen.
And they didn't, for at that moment the mysterious door opened.
The events that followed the opening of the door were extremely odd and they all watched with bewildered expressions as, first, a Calormene soldier (who obviously could not see them) stationed himself at the door, sword ready, and then a cat followed him. When Tash appeared they all gasped and Peter and Edmund drew their swords, but Tash did not come near them, and they realised that their own involvement in the events was to be only as spectators at a very strange performance.
And a strange performance it was, for once the cat had passed back through the door, another Calormene came through it and killed the first one. At this point they tried to talk to him, but he seemed in a daze, and eventually he simply wandered off. After that, a monkey was flung through the door, but they only saw him for a moment for Tash suddenly reappeared and took the monkey away.
Then a bunch of dwarves came through, Narnian dwarves, and Lucy, in her excitement, attempted to speak with them. But the dwarves did not behave in the way that other Narnian dwarves they knew had behaved – these dwarves were rude and abrasive – and eventually Lucy gave up.
They were still watching the dwarves where they had gathered in the distance, with some puzzlement, when the door opened again and a boy came through. For a moment, Edmund glimpsed him in a mail shirt, filthy and weary from battle, but then the boy walked forward and it was clearly Eustace, now dressed in the same comfortable and fine Narnian clothes that they all wore. His face was washed clean and fresh but when he saw Peter, his skin went pale, and Edmund watched with a sinking heart, as Eustace walked towards Peter and sank down on one knee, his head bowed.
"I'm sorry, your Majesty," he said. "I fear that Narnia is lost. We…I… have failed you."
Edmund heard Lucy's little gasp but he was too caught up in watching Peter to take much notice. He saw the brief flash of pain in Peter's eyes but he wasn't sure of its cause. Was it related to Narnia, or Eustace? At any rate, it was gone in a second and then Peter was reaching down to grip Eustace's wrist and pull him to his feet. Eustace obeyed the summons but his eyes remained downcast and Edmund saw Peter's concerned frown.
"Eustace-" Peter began to say in a gentle voice, but he got no further for the door opened again and Jill came rushing through, and in the excitement that followed only Edmund noticed the way that Eustace quickly moved away from Peter.
And then all of Edmund's attention was captured by the arrival of the last King of Narnia.
King Tirian, Narnia's Last King, was not as tall as his ancestor, King Caspian, nor were his eyes as deeply blue, but there were enough similarities for Edmund to feel a little discomfort as he watched the long explanations that followed the King's arrival.
Thankfully the discomfort did not last long, and he forgot about it entirely once Aslan had appeared. As he breathed in the soft, rich scent that always seemed to cling to the Great Lion's mane, Edmund's heart filled with peace, and when he glanced at Eustace he was relieved to see the tension had left him as well.
Edmund was thankful for that peace as he watched the slow waning of Narnia's existence through the mysterious door, for the sadness of it ran deep, even as he felt that they all stood on the precipice of something new.
Finally it was over and they were left to slowly follow Aslan 'further in and further up' into the west, for they soon lost sight of him after his final instruction.
Edmund, at first, watched Eustace, noticing the way that he remained close to Aunt Polly, and he was sure that Peter noticed it too. Peter walked with Jill and Lucy, and Edmund was so caught up in the way that his brother's eyes would take on a worried expression whenever he looked at Eustace, that he did not notice that King Tirian walked at his side, until the King spoke to him.
"I beg leave, Your Majesty, to ask you a question," King Tirian said, with a shy smile when Edmund started and looked at him in surprise.
"Of course, Your Majesty," Edmund eventually replied. "And I think you may as well call me Edmund, if you will."
King Tirian gave him a blinding smile. "Thank you, and I am, of course, Tirian."
"You had a question?" Edmund asked, curiously.
"Is it true? Are you really that King Edmund that travelled with my ancestor, King Caspian, to the end of the world?"
"Oh, yes," Edmund said. "But Lucy and Eustace were there as well, you know."
"I do know," King Tirian replied. "But King Caspian's private journals spoke more often of you."
"Oh, … uh, I see," Edmund faltered, for there was a note of knowledge in Tirian's voice that made his heart sink. "Um… his private journals, you say."
"I apologise," Tirian said quickly. "I did not mean to embarrass you. I assure you, his private journals were only held within the family, and the legend of his great love for you was common knowledge only among his descendants."
"Oh… really…" Edmund stammered in a choked voice and he could feel that his face was beginning to heat. He could not think why Tirian was choosing to talk to him about this and he was trying to think of a way to deter him, when the King continued speaking.
"Perhaps now, I can see the reason for that love," he said, and Edmund saw him glance at Lucy. "There is much beauty in your family. However, again, I did not wish to cause you embarrassment. I am simply taken aback by the marvel that those who once travelled with my ancestor, seven generations afore, are now here with me."
"Yes, of course," Edmund said kindly. "It does take some getting used to, believe me, I know."
Tirian gave him a rueful smile, which Edmund returned, but he couldn't help feeling relieved when the discovery of the Calormene who had wandered off earlier, interrupted them.
Emeth was the Calormene's name, and listening to his story was a welcome distraction for Edmund, and he suspected that it was the same for Eustace, for Eustace stayed silent and close to Edmund's side, even when they continued their journey westwards.
Finally Edmund broke the silence.
"Are you all right, Eustace?" he asked quietly.
"What? Oh, yes," Eustace said, eventually meeting Edmund's eyes. "It's just what happened in Narnia was all very strange and disappointing, and sort of painful as well, and now here we all are." He glanced at Tirian and Jill who were walking with Lucy, and then Edmund saw his eyes dart over to Peter. "I suppose I'm just not adjusting as easily as the others. I thought… I thought I'd failed."
"You thought you'd disappointed Peter," Edmund said quietly, and Eustace gave him an annoyed look.
"It wouldn't be the first time," he said. "And I've told you, I don't want to talk about Peter anymore. That's all over with."
"Things might be different here," Edmund offered tentatively, because he had a feeling that Peter certainly might think so, although he was fairly certain, from the way that Peter was occasionally watching Eustace, that his brother was finally realising just how much he'd messed things up with him.
"Wherever here is," was all that Eustace said, and then they both fell silent again.
Edmund was lost in the wonder of it all and really didn't feel like speaking much anyway. He couldn't escape the feeling that they stood on the brink of some great, new adventure. An adventure that none of them had ever expected, but at the same time it felt as if they had been waiting for it all this time, perhaps even during their time in Narnia as well.
He was still pondering the strange feeling when they finally came into a wide valley before a gently sloping hill, which was crowned with a tall green hedge and golden gates. They stood before the gates, breathless with anticipation, and then a loud call of a horn came from within, and the gates slowly swung open.
And Reepicheep the mouse came through and stood before them.
Eustace got to him first but Edmund, Lucy and Peter were not far behind him and it was as they were still exclaiming and laughing that Edmund looked up and saw Mr Tumnus come through the gates.
Lucy was in the faun's arms in an instant, almost crying with joy, and they spent many more moments greeting him, and introducing him to Jill, Eustace and King Tirian, as they gathered in a tight little circle near a grove of trees.
"Well then, shall we walk on through the gates?" Peter asked eventually, after they'd all finished exclaiming over Reepicheep and Mr Tumnus.
"I am sorry, Your Majesty," Mr Tumnus replied, "but I am not sure you can. Where we stand now is where the Living and the Dead may mingle, but the Living may not pass through the gates into the Realm of the Dead, just as the Dead may not pass through the shadows to the Lands of the Living."
"You mean, then, that we are not dead?" Eustace asked, and the faun gave him a wary smile.
"It is not for me to answer that question, young Lord," he replied. "However I do not think it would be wise to make the attempt to enter through the gates until we know for sure."
"But you came through the gates, Mr Tumnus," Lucy said, with lingering sadness in her voice. "Does this mean that all who we see here are no longer living?"
"I have never passed back through the gates before this, dear one," Mr Tumnus replied. "But I have heard that there are some living here, who have remained in the valley, having travelled neither through the gates or back into the Lands of the Living."
Edmund heard this and tried, in vain, to ignore the knot of tension growing in his stomach. He really didn't know what to think of what Mr Tumnus had said but before he could say anything or ask anything about it a loud shout interrupted his thoughts.
"High King Peter," the vaguely familiar voice called, and when Edmund turned he saw Prince Corin running towards them from the nearby stand of trees.
All Edmund really got to notice of him, before he flung himself into Peter's arms, was that Corin looked somewhat taller and a little older than the last time he'd seen him.
Peter staggered backwards, laughing, and then suddenly Corin kissed him, in a tight embrace. Eustace had been standing near Edmund, and Edmund heard his sharp intake of breath and sensed his body stiffen with tension. He glanced at Eustace and saw that his eyes were fixed on Peter and Corin, his face frozen and drained white with shock, and Edmund couldn't help wincing. Then Eustace suddenly turned away and began talking to Reepicheep. Edmund could not hear their words but a moment later they moved away from the main group and disappeared into the trees.
By the time he turned to look back at them, Peter had managed to untangle himself from Corin's arms, and was making some teasing, smiling remark to the Prince. But when Peter glanced in the direction that Eustace and the mouse had taken, Edmund glimpsed the anxiety in his face. A moment later it was gone as he continued talking to Corin.
Edmund sighed to himself, for at that moment it seemed as if the chasm between Peter and Eustace was widening by the second, causing both of them pain, and he could only hope that they would soon have the chance to talk to each other. In the meantime, all Edmund could do was attempt to reassure Eustace as much as he could that Peter's feelings for him were still strong, and he was just about to follow Eustace into the grove of trees in order to do so, when a soft voice halted him.
"Hello Edmund."
His heart leapt into his throat and he felt the blood drain from his face, leaving him, he suspected, as pale as Eustace had been. Edmund slowly turned to face the owner of the familiar voice.
It was Caspian.