Fic: Innocence and Dreams; Edmund Pevensie, Susan Pevensie
Innocence and Dreams
Chronicles of Narnia. Bookverse AU/Movieverse. Edmund, Susan; Susan/Caspian, Edmund/Ramandu's daughter. G. 1,141 words.
Summary: "Why, Ed? Why would Aslan do this to us?" Susan whispered in a broken voice.
Note: A companion to A Fate Decided and Choosing to Believe.
Edmund watched his sister. America had not helped her as they hoped it would. If anything she had only become more distant since she got back. He couldn’t blame her. He knew exactly how she felt now. Still, it didn’t make it any easier to see her like this.
He cleared his throat, announcing his presence in the room. Susan turned away from the window she was intently looking out of.
“I thought maybe you’d like some company?” He smiled hopefully.
“Not really,” she said listlessly, turning back to the window.
He sighed in frustration, letting his temper get the best of him. “We’re all banned from Narnia now, Su. You’re the only one being a brat about it.”
She looked at him coldly.
Edmund gulped nervously, despite the irritation still coursing through him. He knew this look, it never meant anything good.
She stood up and walked towards him. He backed away as she came closer to him. He realized too late that he was in the hallway and Susan slammed the door in his face. He cursed under his breath.
“You’re going to have to talk to me sometime!” He yelled through the door. “I have something I need to tell you.”
“What do you need to tell her?” Peter asked, his head poking out of his doorway a little further down the hall.
Edmund glared at him. “It’s private.”
“Good luck with that then,” he said and retreated into his room.
Edmund sighed and leaned his head on the closed door. “Please, Su,” he whispered. “You’re the only one who would understand.”
-
The time had come for goodbyes on the Dawn Treader but Edmund felt numb. He knew that he wouldn’t be going back, deep down inside he knew. He had still hoped though. And the thought of never seeing her honey eyes, her golden hair…Never holding her in his arms again…It was as if his heart was being ripped out of his chest and stomped on.
Caspian laid a hand on his shoulder and lead him to a quiet part of the ship, away from where Lucy and Eustace were exchanging tearful goodbyes with the crew.
“I, um…I saw you with Ramandu’s daughter,” Caspian said.
Edmund nodded, his eyes focused on the blue water below them.
“You must care a lot about her. I’m sorry it has to be this way.”
“You know how it feels. You went through the same thing.”
Caspian sighed. “Indeed.”
Edmund looked up. “Do you still think about Susan a lot? After all this time?”
It was Caspian’s turn now to look down at the water. “She is in my thoughts every minute of every day, in everything that I do. No amount of time has been able to change that.”
“She thinks about you too, you know. Not as much time has passed for us but she misses you.” Edmund was tempted to tell him about how distant and lonely Susan was now but he couldn’t do it. Caspian didn’t need to know how unhappy she was back home.
“May I ask you a favor, Edmund?”
He was surprised. “Of course,” he said without thinking.
“Will you tell her that I miss her?”
Edmund hesitated. He didn’t know exactly if this would help Susan. She needed to move on from Narnia and hearing this message from Caspian might only make her sadder. But seeing the hopeful, earnest look on Caspian’s face, Edmund didn’t have the heart to tell him no.
“Yeah, I’ll tell her.”
“Thank you,” he smiled.
Edmund patted him on the shoulder and started to leave. But then a thought crossed his mind and he turned back.
“Caspian, will you do something for me?”
“Anything.”
“Will you take care of her? Make sure she’s alright?”
Understanding dawned on Caspian’s face and he stood up straighter. “What is it exactly that you ask, Edmund?”
“I don’t know…” He sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “Just make sure she’s happy and taken care of, you know? You’re the King of Narnia, you can do that.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Edmund looked him straight in the eye. “Do you swear?”
“I swear,” Caspian said seriously.
-
She was in the living room, sitting on the couch with a book in her lap, though she wasn’t reading it. Edmund squared his shoulders and walked over to her. At least there wasn’t a door to slam in his face this time. He sat down beside her, she didn’t move. She was like a statue, sitting ramrod straight with her hands folded neatly over her book.
“He says he misses you,” Edmund said without preamble, knowing that this was the only way to get her attention. It did. There was a sharp intake of breath and the statue sprung to life.
“He said that?”
The hope in her eyes felt like pinpricks to his heart. He nodded.
She sighed heavily and slumped forward. The book fell from her lap with a thump. “I miss him too.”
“I know,” he cleared his throat. “Listen, Su. There’s something I want to tell you and I’m only telling you because I think only you could understand. Peter and Lucy don’t know. Well, Lucy sort of knows but not everything.”
Susan looked at him curiously now. “What happened to you, Ed?” She asked softly. “You’ve seemed different since you came back.”
Edmund was surprised at this. “I didn’t think you paid attention anymore.”
She shrugged.
“I am different,” He said solemnly. “Changed. Just like you were at the end of your last trip to Narnia.”
And he told her everything. Meeting Ramandu’s daughter and his time alone with her. He tried to describe the beauty of the field of flowers. He even told her about the painful goodbye. When it became hard for him to talk, Susan put a comforting hand on his arm and for the first time in a year, Edmund felt like he really had his sister back.
At the end of it all, the two siblings sat in silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts.
“Why, Ed? Why would Aslan do this to us?” Susan whispered in a broken voice.
“I don’t know. But I think we have to believe that we’ll see them again one day. Believe that this is for the best. It’s all about believing, Su,” He said in a braver voice than he felt.
“I don’t think I can.”
Edmund wrapped an arm around her and for the first time since she came back from Narnia, Susan truly cried. Her sobs filled the living room as she held tight to her brother. Edmund shed a few tears himself and together the siblings mourned the loss of innocence and dreams. They thought they had lost them the first time they returned from Narnia. They had no idea.
Chronicles of Narnia. Bookverse AU/Movieverse. Edmund, Susan; Susan/Caspian, Edmund/Ramandu's daughter. G. 1,141 words.
Summary: "Why, Ed? Why would Aslan do this to us?" Susan whispered in a broken voice.
Note: A companion to A Fate Decided and Choosing to Believe.
Edmund watched his sister. America had not helped her as they hoped it would. If anything she had only become more distant since she got back. He couldn’t blame her. He knew exactly how she felt now. Still, it didn’t make it any easier to see her like this.
He cleared his throat, announcing his presence in the room. Susan turned away from the window she was intently looking out of.
“I thought maybe you’d like some company?” He smiled hopefully.
“Not really,” she said listlessly, turning back to the window.
He sighed in frustration, letting his temper get the best of him. “We’re all banned from Narnia now, Su. You’re the only one being a brat about it.”
She looked at him coldly.
Edmund gulped nervously, despite the irritation still coursing through him. He knew this look, it never meant anything good.
She stood up and walked towards him. He backed away as she came closer to him. He realized too late that he was in the hallway and Susan slammed the door in his face. He cursed under his breath.
“You’re going to have to talk to me sometime!” He yelled through the door. “I have something I need to tell you.”
“What do you need to tell her?” Peter asked, his head poking out of his doorway a little further down the hall.
Edmund glared at him. “It’s private.”
“Good luck with that then,” he said and retreated into his room.
Edmund sighed and leaned his head on the closed door. “Please, Su,” he whispered. “You’re the only one who would understand.”
-
The time had come for goodbyes on the Dawn Treader but Edmund felt numb. He knew that he wouldn’t be going back, deep down inside he knew. He had still hoped though. And the thought of never seeing her honey eyes, her golden hair…Never holding her in his arms again…It was as if his heart was being ripped out of his chest and stomped on.
Caspian laid a hand on his shoulder and lead him to a quiet part of the ship, away from where Lucy and Eustace were exchanging tearful goodbyes with the crew.
“I, um…I saw you with Ramandu’s daughter,” Caspian said.
Edmund nodded, his eyes focused on the blue water below them.
“You must care a lot about her. I’m sorry it has to be this way.”
“You know how it feels. You went through the same thing.”
Caspian sighed. “Indeed.”
Edmund looked up. “Do you still think about Susan a lot? After all this time?”
It was Caspian’s turn now to look down at the water. “She is in my thoughts every minute of every day, in everything that I do. No amount of time has been able to change that.”
“She thinks about you too, you know. Not as much time has passed for us but she misses you.” Edmund was tempted to tell him about how distant and lonely Susan was now but he couldn’t do it. Caspian didn’t need to know how unhappy she was back home.
“May I ask you a favor, Edmund?”
He was surprised. “Of course,” he said without thinking.
“Will you tell her that I miss her?”
Edmund hesitated. He didn’t know exactly if this would help Susan. She needed to move on from Narnia and hearing this message from Caspian might only make her sadder. But seeing the hopeful, earnest look on Caspian’s face, Edmund didn’t have the heart to tell him no.
“Yeah, I’ll tell her.”
“Thank you,” he smiled.
Edmund patted him on the shoulder and started to leave. But then a thought crossed his mind and he turned back.
“Caspian, will you do something for me?”
“Anything.”
“Will you take care of her? Make sure she’s alright?”
Understanding dawned on Caspian’s face and he stood up straighter. “What is it exactly that you ask, Edmund?”
“I don’t know…” He sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “Just make sure she’s happy and taken care of, you know? You’re the King of Narnia, you can do that.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Edmund looked him straight in the eye. “Do you swear?”
“I swear,” Caspian said seriously.
-
She was in the living room, sitting on the couch with a book in her lap, though she wasn’t reading it. Edmund squared his shoulders and walked over to her. At least there wasn’t a door to slam in his face this time. He sat down beside her, she didn’t move. She was like a statue, sitting ramrod straight with her hands folded neatly over her book.
“He says he misses you,” Edmund said without preamble, knowing that this was the only way to get her attention. It did. There was a sharp intake of breath and the statue sprung to life.
“He said that?”
The hope in her eyes felt like pinpricks to his heart. He nodded.
She sighed heavily and slumped forward. The book fell from her lap with a thump. “I miss him too.”
“I know,” he cleared his throat. “Listen, Su. There’s something I want to tell you and I’m only telling you because I think only you could understand. Peter and Lucy don’t know. Well, Lucy sort of knows but not everything.”
Susan looked at him curiously now. “What happened to you, Ed?” She asked softly. “You’ve seemed different since you came back.”
Edmund was surprised at this. “I didn’t think you paid attention anymore.”
She shrugged.
“I am different,” He said solemnly. “Changed. Just like you were at the end of your last trip to Narnia.”
And he told her everything. Meeting Ramandu’s daughter and his time alone with her. He tried to describe the beauty of the field of flowers. He even told her about the painful goodbye. When it became hard for him to talk, Susan put a comforting hand on his arm and for the first time in a year, Edmund felt like he really had his sister back.
At the end of it all, the two siblings sat in silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts.
“Why, Ed? Why would Aslan do this to us?” Susan whispered in a broken voice.
“I don’t know. But I think we have to believe that we’ll see them again one day. Believe that this is for the best. It’s all about believing, Su,” He said in a braver voice than he felt.
“I don’t think I can.”
Edmund wrapped an arm around her and for the first time since she came back from Narnia, Susan truly cried. Her sobs filled the living room as she held tight to her brother. Edmund shed a few tears himself and together the siblings mourned the loss of innocence and dreams. They thought they had lost them the first time they returned from Narnia. They had no idea.