The Path of the Brave [Edmund Pevensie]

Chapter V: Be Brave, and Run

"Be brave. Be. Brave. Damn it!"

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Alex grabbed onto any piece of rock she could, trying to avoid slipping and dying. "What did you mean when you said you 'ended up looking pretty stupid the last time you didn't believe Lucy'?"

"It's about how we came here for the first time. Long story." Edmund answered, walking a couple of steps in front of her with much more ease. He tried to shake it off, but such a mystic magical story wouldn't go unnoticed by the girl.

"It's a long way to the bottom, and I am getting bored." He didn't say anything else. "I get pretty annoying when I am bored..."

"So you are ALWAYS bored? How does that work?" His brows furrowed in fake confusion as he kept walking.

"Ha-ha," The girl tried to keep her long curly hair out of her face, as it was making it difficult to look where she was going. "But really... How did you get here? I mean, there are stories. Rumours about you guys dropping from the sky or emerging from the depths of the lake shining like golden statues. Have you heard those stories? I guess you haven't, since you haven't been here for the last century... " She took another strand of hair out of the way, having her head down only made it worse. "Oh, there's also the one of you coming from a strange land, having found Narnia through a cupboard, which sounds... really stupid. Would that explain the strange accents? SHIT--" Another curl had blocked her vision, this time making her miss a step and trip.

The black-haired boy turned just in time, catching her and stabilizing before both of them fell from the cliff. Alex sighed with relief as she softened her grip on the boy's neck; the fall had made hugging him by the neck her only chance at staying on the narrow passage. He was forced to grab her by the waist, pulling her back to her feet.

They both panted, the adrenaline washing off, leaving them weak and disorientated. Alex saw how close she was to the edge and her heart skipped a beat. She only took her eyes off the end of the fall when Edmund cleared his throat and swiftly took his hands from her. He tried to fill the gap with something else other than an uncomfortable silence.

"A wardrobe."

"What?" Her mind was still fixated in the fact that she was almost about to die, for the third time... in one day.

The boy sighed with exasperation. "A wardrobe. It was not a cupboard; it was a magic wardrobe, alright?"  It was maybe the first time in the whole day in which Alex had shut up. Her mouth was slightly open, and her eyes were stuck on his. It was hard to define whether the reaction was due to his comment or the near-death experience. "Now, will you stop asking questions and focus?" She slightly nodded, which shocked him even more; her agreeing with him was another first-time type of situation. "Good." He carefully turned around and continued walking, leaving her stuck in her place, stunned. Before turning the corner like the rest of the group had already done, he stretched his hand in her direction. "Come on."