Hope - an Edmund Pevensie love story

Chapter 4

Thoughts in italic

The six of us were walking through the Black Woods on the perfect route to cross at the River Rush to the Shuddering Woods. Note the sarcasm in that sentence. The river is so far down with no safe path but no... the girl who's lived in the current Narnia and a dwarf doesn't know where there going but the King who hasn't been here for 1000 years does. It's ridiculous. Both Trumpkin and I were walking at the back with King Edmund just in front. He occasionally turns round to smile at us, which each time he does I blush. I still don't know why!

"I don't remember this way at all" Susan said.

That's because it's changed since you left

"That's the problem with girls. You can't carry a map in your heads" Peter replied.

Rude much!

"That's because our heads have something in them" Lucy smartly replied.

Haha, well done Lucy!

Susan: I wish he'd just listen to the DLF.

"DLF?" both Edmund and I question. We both smile at each other.

Lucy answers with "Dear Little Friend."

I take a quick glance towards Trumpkin with a smirk.

"Oh, that's not patronizing, is it?" Trumpkin says.

"Oh, I am so calling you that from now on" I tell him. Edmund laughs with me. Oh Aslan, that laugh. Wow. Just wow.

Whilst walking, Edmund falls into sink walking with me.

"So I guess your Hope."

"I am and guess you are King Edmund the Just."

"I am. You realize you don't need to call me by my full title. Edmund is just fine."

"Sorry, it's just that I promised Trufflehunter if I ever met a King or Queen of Narnia I would call them by their full title."

"Who Trufflehunter?"

"That's right, you don't know. When I was a baby, whoever my parents were left me outside of Trumpkin, Nikabrik, another dwarf, and Trufflehunter, who is a badger. For the past 15 years, they've raised me."

"I am so sorry for asking and for what happened."

"Don't be. Those people left a baby for someone to find. I've found people who care for me now and I'm happy. I don't think I could be any happier".

"Well, you have me as a friend now."

"Okay, well you have me as a friend."

We turn to see Peter stops by some rocks.

"I'm not lost" he mutters.

"No... you're just going the wrong way" Trumpkin remarks.

Peter said "You said you two last saw Caspian at the Shuddering Wood, and the quickest way there is to cross at the river rush".

"But, unless I'm mistaken, there's no crossing in these parts" Trumpkin remarked back.

Peter said "That explains it then. You're mistaken".

I share a quick look with Edmund showing my confusion. He just shakes his head at me not to say anything. We continue to walk until we reach the gorge. The others look down at the rushing water below whilst I sit down on a rock to rest.

"Over hundreds of years, water eroded the earth's soil..." Susan says, mostly aimed at Peter.

"Oh, shut up. Is there a way down?"

Trumpkin snorts. "Yeah, falling. Come. There's a ford at Beruna. Any of you mind swimming?"

"Really Trumpkin, you know how much I hate to swim" I say under my breath for no one to hear. Edmund must have though because he starts to chuckle. I turn around to make a face at him and he made one back. Out of the corner of my eyes, I see King Peter shake his head and smile. I pretend not to notice.

Susan shrugged her shoulders and said "Anything's better than walking".

We all turn and start to walk to Beruna. Before we can get far we hear Lucy shout. "Aslan? ... It's Aslan! It's Aslan over there! Well, can't you see? He's right..." She turns back around to see nothing. Her smile fades. "... There."

Trumpkin started to mock her saying "Do you see him now?" I turned to give him a dirty look but am beaten by Edmund. Lucy gives us all a hurt look.

"I'm not crazy" she says. "He was there. He wanted us to follow him".

"I'm sure there are any number of lions in this wood. Just like that bear" Peter told her, trying to change her mind. He obviously didn't do it well because a second later she responded.

"I think I know Aslan when I see him".

"Look, I'm not about to jump off a cliff after someone who doesn't exist" Trumpkin says as if it isn't obvious.

"Well you didn't exactly believe that these were the Kings and Queens of old but you are obviously proven wrong" I retorted, standing up for Lucy. She wasn't named Queen Lucy the Valiant for nothing. "If she says that she saw Aslan, Aslan was there". She looks towards me and smiles.

"The last time I didn't believe Lucy, I ended up looking pretty stupid" Edmund states, looking towards his younger sister with a reassuring smile.

Peter looks at us. "Why wouldn't I have seen him?"

Lucy looks back to where Aslan stood and then Peter. "Maybe you weren't looking".

"I'm sorry, Lu."

The other three started to walk again. Both Edmund and I stayed behind to wait for Lucy. She looked again back to where Aslan was, then came to stand in between us. I put my arm around her shoulder whilst Edmund rubbed her back. We started to walk after the others on our way to Beruna.