(Untitled)

[giftless]

If there is any finer feeling in this world than that of returning home after a long journey, to the arms of one's family and loved ones, I do not know what it is. It is nearly as grand, to be sure, as the feeling of being warmly welcomed in a place unfamiliar to you, having all your shyness and worries eased by a smiling face and the best

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[giftless]

Compared to their last trip off the island, this trick seemed more a treat to Edmund. He could have, perhaps, complained about the timing, but this was just where he'd left Narnia more than a year ago, and though whatever magic pulled them hither and thither would let centuries seem to pass before they arrived again, it never sent them back in time. So, really, they should simply be thankful only a few weeks had passed as opposed to decades.

He did, however, ride out in the morning just to get a lay of the land and see if anything were brewing beyond their notice. Roger, the horse he had taken with him, fancied himself something of a war stallion and theorized attacks from every mountain pass north and south. The horse was so ridiculous that soon Edmund felt himself ridiculous for even suspecting a quarter so much danger, and returned to the castle.

Those apple trees they'd been so fortunate as to plant ages ago were ripe with fruit, and Edmund plucked one for himself and a few for Roger and his mates on the way back. He left the horse unsaddled and brushed down, free to go about his business, and leaped up the stairs of the castle two at a time, chomping on his apple as he wondered who might be around.

[eldestking]

"Oi!" Peter was standing through the main doors of the castle, and recognized the distinctive figure of his brother traipsing toward him. He smiled widely, happy. This was more the type of visit home he'd been hoping for, if he'd been honest. For all the trouble she caused and the fretting, Narnia was home. He pulled in a deep breath of the fresh, good air, and smiled wide, waiting for his brother to catch up with him.

[giftless]

"Good morning to you too," Edmund replied with a smart smile and another bite of his apple. His long legs made short work of the stairs, now that he had something to shoot for. "What have you been up to?"

[eldestking]

He grinned wide. "Morning," he let it out like a sigh, happy to be here, happy to have his brother here. "Not much of anything, really." He shrugged, glancing around the castle. "Exploring. Cair Paravel is quite the place."

[giftless]

"You don't have to tell me that," Edmund said with a laugh. "I like what Caspian and the dwarfs have done," he remarked, looking up at the towers and parapets, the solid stonework and tasteful decoration. "It's good to see it in one piece again. Wouldn't really be home without it, you know?"

[onceaqueen]

"You didn't bring me one?" Susan asked teasingly. "We even planted those trees together, and you can't bring me an apple? Hrmph."

[giftless]

"I thought you'd have your hands full with Rickon!" Edmund countered in the same tone, smiling broadly as he sped up his steps and reached his sister. "You can't very well eat an apple without a hand to help you."

[onceaqueen]

"If I had to put Rickon down every time I want to eat something, I would have starved to death ages ago," Susan retorted, sticking her tongue out at her brother. "I mastered one-handed eating when Rickon was about three days old." It was either that or try to eat while he cried, which was a very unappealing option.

[giftless]

Ed could only shrug his shoulders helplessly, and extend to Susan the half-eaten apple. "We can go halvsies," he offered with a remarkably straight face.

[onceaqueen]

Susan took his arm instead of the apple. "Well, just for that, Your Highness, you can escort me to the orchard so I can get my own apple." She wasn't really angry with him--in fact, after what they had been through together in England she thought there was very little he could do to actually make her angry with him again.

[giftless]

"You do me great honor, fair sister," Edmund replied, holding Susan's arm close to him as they retraced his steps towards the orchard.

"Was it like this the last time?" he asked. "When you were in Narnia in your dreams before?"

[onceaqueen]

"No, not really," she said, with a little shake of her head. "It was Narnia in the Golden Age, just like when we ruled years ago. But you and Peter and Lucy weren't there, not the way Caspian is here but he's not our Caspian. Peter was off dealing with giants in the north and you and Lucy were in Archenland dealing with--helping out King Lune." Of course, the reason they had been in Archenland was to deal with the mess with Rabadash that Susan had caused in the first place, so she didn't dwell on that much.

[giftless]

A part of Edmund wished they could have woken up in that time again. Narnia was always beautiful and, when Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve sat upon her thrones, blessed, but that had been an especially wonderful time. And although it was good to see Rhince and Drinian and those they'd fought with to put Caspian on the throne, and especially their Dear Little Friend, there were many more friends long gone now that Edmund would have liked to have seen again, just once more.

"I remember," he said quietly. "When King Lune met his son Cor again. But at least you were away from the battle. That's not the way to spend any sort of dream." And Edmund and Susan knew this especially, after how they had done in their last dream like this.

[onceaqueen]

"Jon and Sansa and Caspian were here," she said. "And Jill and--" She almost said Ygritte, but she found she couldn't manage to think about her even now, much less talk about her. "--and they didn't know who Caspian was, of course," she went on quickly, "since it was long before his time. And there was a big mess about the wolves, because Ghost and Shadow and Lady were here too and we didn't know it until the guards went a bit mad and were about to put them down because they thought they were hers, not that they could have known otherwise."

[giftless]

"No, of course they couldn't," Edmund said, but he couldn't help the wince. He hadn't been very comfortable with the direwolves at all when he'd first arrived, but now that he had Honour (and Honour had him) Edmund could imagine how truly terrible a situation like that could be.

"Were Sansa and Caspian wed then?" he asked, then smiled softly. "I imagine she would have liked Narnia very much."

[onceaqueen]

They were at the orchard by this time. Susan went to reach for an apple, but a little Squirrel popped up and said, "Oh no, Your Majesty, let me get that for you!" Susan was mildly amused by this but let the Squirrel fetch it for her, and then thanked him graciously.

"Oh, no," Susan answered. "Not then. This was right before Eddara was born, and everyone could see they were just silly for each other but they wouldn't admit it. She did like Narnia very much, though. Maybe she'll get to come back again some day."

She took a bite of the apple. Had Narnian apples always been this good?