𝐃𝐀𝐖𝐍

prologue

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The room was crowded and loud in his ears. Occasional flashes of light would brighten his chocolate eyes, making him squint and blink without noticing. Standing in the long line, his palms were sweating so much that he continuously wiped them on his trousers.

"All right, that's it. One, two, three," A woman in the back of the room projected loudly, she was taking pictures of the men who were able to sign up for the military. Men who were over the age of eighteen. 

The man in front of Edmund stepped around the sign-up table and headed towards the stool to take his picture. He had gotten in quicker than was expected, probably because his features made him look more mature. 

Stepping up to the table, Edmund handed his aunt's certificate to the stone-faced man on the other side. He looked over the writing for a couple of seconds before glancing back up at Edmund suspiciously, "Are you sure you're eighteen?"

Edmund shifted his weight from foot to foot, trying to contain his growing nerves, "Why? Do I look older?"

The man rested his forearms on the edge of the table, getting a better look at Edmund's face, a scoff coming out from between his teeth, "Alberta Scrubb?"

"That's a typographical error. It's supposed to be Albert A. Scrubb," Edmund cleared his throat, pointing to the letters on the small yellowing paper. 

Suddenly he heard his sister call his name with a tone he knew would get him in trouble. He turned and saw her standing by the door with a brown bag full of groceries in one hand, "You're supposed to be helping me with the groceries."

A man behind Edmund chuckled and ruffled his hair under the hat he was wearing, patting his back in a mocking manner, "Better luck next time, eh, squirt?"

Edmund huffed in annoyance, stalking over to Lucy with a glare. Grabbing the bag out of her hands, he set it into the basket on the front of her bike, "Squirt? He barely had two years on me! I'm a king! I've fought wars and I've led armies!"

Lucy sighed and shook her head at her brother, "Not in this world."

Edmund seemed to get even more agitated by the simple fact, "Yeah, instead I'm stuck here, doing battle with Eustace Clarence Scrubb. If anyone so deserved a name."

Lucy stopped for a second and gazed at her brother, hoping to grab his attention. Which proved to work, as he stopped what he was doing too and looked back at her.

"Edmund, some good has come out of living here for the past while. We have met some good people. And one, in particular, is coming over in half an hour," Lucy spoke with hidden intent.

When he stared at her blankly and didn't respond, Lucy tilted her head to the side, "Don't tell me you have forgotten. Edmund, Dawn is coming over to finish your school project. You have fancied her since we moved in with Eustace."

Edmund's eyes widened, his heartbeat starting to pick up again, "Right let's go then-"

He grabbed his bike while speaking, but stopped when he noticed Lucy looking elsewhere and tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," She blurts out quickly. Grabbing her identical bike, she walked it a few steps in front of Edmund before calling back at him, "Come on then, we wouldn't want to keep Dawn waiting."