soldier, poet, king || e. pevensie | slow updates

the king • 12

there will come a ruler, whose brow is laid in thorn, smeared with oil like david's boy, oh lei-oh lai-oh lord.

Edmund grinned at Coralia. "Alright, Sir Coralia. We're packing for a trip to Ettinsmoor. I don't want you to come because then you'll have a chance to spill all of my secrets to your king, but everyone insisted that you have to come with me on every trip."

Coralia frowned. "Why are you going to this meeting when the tensions are so high?"

"Don't question me. It'll look worse if I'm not there. Besides, I have you to protect me from assassins. That's your job, right?" Edmund patted her on her shoulders and pulled his bag out from under the bed. "Let's get packing. The trip is three days there on horseback, one day in Ettinsmoor, then three days back. Pack me six shirts and six pants. Go on, we leave in two hours."

Coralia sighed, but started going through his closet anyway. Edmund smiled and wandered around, getting everything else he'd need. Coralia was finished packing within the hour, and he dismissed her to let her pack her own bag. He would usually travel with his servant as well as a bodyguard, but with Coralia acting as both he only needed to have two horses rather than three. He wasn't too excited about spending over a month alone with her, though.

He met up with Coralia by the stables and they mounted their horses. He looked over the map one more time before putting it back in his bag and having his horse, Phillip, start off towards Ettinsmoor.

•

"Wake up, Sire. There's Ettin scouts nearby. They won't like to see us so vulnerable."

Edmund stood up quickly and rolled his blankets. They both mounted their horses and started again for Ettinsmoor. They'd be there before that night. It had been two weeks of torturous traveling with his bodyguard, and Edmund was ready to drown himself with the little water he had left.

His only headspace was taken up with worrying about Coralia giving information to the King of Ettinsmoor. As much as he didn't want to spend time with her, he'd have to keep her by his side at all times to make sure she never got the chance to speak to the King.

They arrived at the Ettinsmoor castle and were met by the giants guarding the gate. "King Edmund of Narnia. I am here for the gathering." The giants nodded and opened the gates. Some servants took their horses and began to lead them to their rooms.

"Wait," Edmund said. "Is there a way to get adjoining rooms?"

"The servants and guards stay in the attic, the nobles stay in the rooms, Your Majesty." The servant he'd asked looked at him warily.

"No exceptions?"

"If you would like, I could get another bed into your room for her."

"This isn't necessary, my King," Coralia began.

"I need to be sure that I don't get assassinated." Edmund hissed, and Coralia sighed. "Bring the extra bed in, but leave it once you get it into the room. My bodyguard can move it on her own."

The servant nodded, and led them up to the room.

"This is comfortable." Edmund deadpanned. The room was almost bare, only holding a bed, a small desk, and curtains for the windows. Coralia moved the curtains to find a door and gasped. "Don't act surprised." Edmund waved a hand dismissively.

Coralia opened the door and coughed. It had exploded with dust and stale air. She waved away the dust and peered inside.

"Oh, don't go inside it. Leave the creepy door the way it is and move that bed." He could only think of the way he'd arrived in Narnia just seven years prior. Through a very similar door. Coralia set down her bag and started dragging her bed to the corner of the room. If you could call it a bed. It reminded him of the cots they had in the infirmary of Cair Paravel. But worse.

It was a tight room, and there wasn't much space for it but she made do. After she had secured her space, she went out the door and stood against the wall to guard. Or so Edmund hoped. He laid down to rest. In the morning, he had his meeting, then they would leave at dawn the next day. He soon fell asleep for the night. The journey had tired him out, and he hadn't slept in a proper bed for quite some time. He fell asleep before Coralia went to bed, and woke up after she'd already gotten up. The only sign she'd slept at all was the slight wrinkle in her bedsheets.

He dressed himself and went down for breakfast, followed by Coralia. She stood behind his chair through the whole meal. Every diplomat was on high alert all day up until the meeting.

Edmund easily spoke circles around everyone during the meeting, making them stumble over their words and get frustrated and angry all while keeping his own calm composure. He could start wars with his words if he wanted.

They had two hours after the meeting before their supper feast. Edmund wandered the castle in silence, trailed by Coralia. When they went to the meal, he noticed the Princess of Calormen seated quietly next to her father. When they finished the meal, he approached her, making sure Coralia was behind him. "What is a princess doing here at a political meeting?" He took her hand and kissed her knuckles.

"My brother will be king, but I would be queen if anything happened to him. I'm here to meet and get to know the nobles and kings."

"Indeed," Edmund held out his arm. "Care to see the library with me? I'd go through the gardens but I'm afraid they aren't very impressive here."

The princess, Ailee, took his arm and they started towards the library. Edmund snapped at Coralia to make sure she followed. He made light conversation with Ailee as they browsed the library. He was amazed to find out how much they had in common. She liked the same books, they felt the same way about politics, and were the same age. It wasn't until Coralia cleared her throat that he realized it was getting very late.

"I apologize for keeping you up so late, Your Highness. I seem to have lost track of the time."

"Please, call me Ailee. And there's no need to apologize." The two of them headed out of the library and back to their rooms. When they reached Ailee's room, she whispered something into Edmund's ear.

He kissed Ailee's hand again before she shut the door to her room, then headed off to his own.

"Coralia, we're going back to Princess Ailee's room in a bit. Make sure no one is in the halls between the rooms so I can make a quick entrance."

"Do I have to come? I'm not exactly needed."

"Yes, because you're going to cover for me if we get caught." Edmund grinned. "Now go and check. I have to get ready."

He took off his day clothes and removed his crown, changing into simple pants and a blue tunic. He considered what he was about to do. Is this type of behavior a king of Narnia should be exhibiting? If anyone was to find out about this he could easily have even more tensions hanging between the nations.

An unmarried king, sneaking to an unmarried princess's room in the middle of the night. If the King of Calormene heard a breath of even the idea of it, he'd tear Edmund to pieces.

Coralia came back to the room. "Most people have gone to bed. The princess's rooms aren't guarded, for some reason. If you leave now, you'll make it without being spotted."

"If we leave now. You get to stand and guard the room, remember? Now, off we go."

•

slut <3