𝙸𝚁𝚁𝙸𝚃𝙰𝙱𝙻𝙴. ➪ 𝙴. 𝙿𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚎

𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚛

Edmund was miserable without Phillis in his life. Her letters were becoming less frequent and he didn't know why. To top it off, he was stuck sharing a room with Eustace Clarence Scrubb - a boy the Pevensies hated and whose company Phillis enjoyed - in Cambridge and Lucy was growing up. She had a sudden interest in boys and she now cared about how she looked. Edmund thought she looked fine, but clearly 'fine' wasn't good enough for her. He should of expected her eye roll and huff, as when Phillis was pinning her hair back a few months ago, staring into her mirror, she asked Edmund how she looked. To which he replied, halfheartedly, 'you look fine'. She rolled her eyes, glaring at him. She huffed loudly, throwing a pillow at him. Not only was he stuck with annoying Eustace and Lucy pretending she was older than she really was, but he'd been trying to join the army, and kept getting turned away. He was nearly sixteen, but he did look older. That clearly wasn't enough to convince the recruiting officers to let him join.
Life was miserable, to say the least.
"Are you sure you're eighteen?" the recruiting officer asked the almost sixteen year old.
"Why, do I look older?" Edmund asked quickly.
The officer looked him up and down, extending his hand. Edmund handed him his aunt's national registration identity card.
"Alberta Scrubb?" the officer raised a questioning brow.
"It's a typographical error. It's supposed to be Albert A. Scrubb," Edmund replied.
He looked as if he might actually be getting somewhere, when his stupid little sister had to ruin it for him. "Edmund, you're supposed to be helping me with the groceries," Lucy called.
The queueing men behind him laughed. The officer handed him back his aunt's identity card. "Better look next time, eh, squirt?" the man behind him laughed, ruffling his hat.
The two left the hall, preparing to head back to Uncle Harold and Aunt Alberta's house.
"Squirt?" Edmund sighed. "He barely had two years on me!"
He took the box of fresh food from his younger sister, attaching it to the back of their bicycle. "I'm a King! I've fought wars and I've led armies."
"Not in this world," Lucy sighed.
"Yeah, instead I'm stuck here doing battle with Eustace Clarence Scrubb. If anyone so deserved a name," Edmund said.
Lucy watched a couple stood against a brick pillar. The girl, who was particularly beautiful, tucked a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ear. Lucy did the same, observing the two. "What are you doing?" Edmund asked, dragging her away from her thoughts.
"Nothing. Come on then," she said, grabbing the handlebars of the bike.
Lucy had to admit, she did quite like the house she was staying at. The colours of it were dull, but it seemed so alive. Uncle Harold sat in his chair, his face hidden as it was nestled in a newspaper. "Hello, Uncle Harold. I tried to find some carrots but all they had were turnips again," Lucy placed the box down in the kitchen, removing her jacket. "Shall I start making soup? Aunt Alberta's on her way home. Uncle Harold?"
Edmund stuck his tongue out at the gruesome man.
"Father, Edmund's making faces at you!" Eustace called from the stairs. He blew something at Edmund through a straw, which hit him in the neck.
"Why, you little-" Edmund began chasing Eustace up the stairs.
"Father, he's gonna hit me!" Eustace yelled.
And Edmund really was going to hit him, but Lucy interrupted him again. "Edmund, look! It's from Susan," she was holding up an envelope.

I do wish you were here with us. It's been such an adventure, but nothing like our times in Narnia. America is very exciting except we never see Father. He works so very hard. I was invited to the British Consul's tea party this week by a naval officer, who happens to be very handsome. I think he fancies me. Which is, of course, a great shame. Elmer visited us last week. He was based in Hawaii but got some time off. Oh, it was terribly sweet. He'd given me no warning! He told me that he wanted to marry me. He then said that my eighteenth birthday present would be a proposal! How I long to be eighteen now. He says he misses Phillis dearly, but he said hardly as much as he imagined Ed does. And I think he might be quite right. It seems the Germans have made the crossing very  difficult right now. Times are hard. Mother hopes you both won't mind another few months in Cambridge.

"Another few months?" Lucy exclaimed. "How will we survive?"
The two were sat in the spare bedroom, which currently belonged to Lucy.
"You're lucky. At least you've got your own room. I'm stuck with mullet mouth," he said.
"Susan and Peter are the lucky ones," Lucy sighed, "off on adventures."
"And Elmer. At least he gets to fight for Britain. They're the eldest and we're the youngest," he shared Lucy's annoyed sigh. "We don't matter as much."
"You know Phillis wouldn't want you to go," Lucy said, causing Edmund to look up. "Not after she lost her father. She couldn't lose you too, Ed."
"I know. But we've both fought in battles before. I've seen her almost die enough times in Narnia. At least she wouldn't be there to watch," he replied. "It's not like she bothers to write to me anyway."
Lucy didn't reply. She stared at herself in the mirror for a second or two before saying, "Do you think I look anything like Susan or Phillis?"
Edmund sighed, placing Susan's letter down on Lucy's bed. He got up quickly, "Lucy, have you seen this ship before?"
"Yes. It's very Narnian-looking, isn't it?" she said as he pointed to a painting hung on the wall of an ocean and a ship.
"Yeah. Just another reminder that we're here and not there."
"There once was to orphans, who wasted their time believing in Narnian nursery rhymes," the taunting voice of Eustace came from the doorway.
"Please let me hit him!" Edmund said, marching towards the blonde boy.
"No!" Lucy held him back.
"Don't you ever knock?" Edmund snapped, accepting that he'd have to wait for another day to hit his cousin.
"It's my house, I'll do as I please. You're just guests," Eustace said. "What's so fascinating about that picture anyway? It's hideous."
Eustace folded his arms as he sat on Lucy's bed.
"You won't see it from the other side of the door," Edmund clenched his jaw.
"Edmund, it looks like the water's actually moving," Lucy said, admiring the art.
"What rubbish! See? That's what happens when you read all those fanciful novels and fairy tales of yours. You've clearly spent too long away from Phillis, who actually has some common sense and logic about her," Eustace said, for he rather quite liked Phillis from the few times he'd met her.
"There once was a boy called Eustace, who read books full of facts that were useless," said Edmund.
"People who read fairy tales are always the sort who become a hideous burden to people like me, who read books with real information."
"Hideous burden?" Edmund repeated, turning to the boy. "I haven't seen you lift a finger since we've been here. I have a right mind to tell your father it was you who stole Aunt Alberta's sweets."
"Liar!" Eustace yelled.
"Oh, really?"
"Edmund, the painting!" Lucy called as water began to pour from it and now the waves were really moving.
"I found them under your bed, and do you know what? I licked every one of them," Ed smirked.
"Ugh! I'm infected with you!" Eustace screamed.
Water spilled out of the painting as the ship sailed towards them.
"What's going on here?" Eustace demanded.
"Lucy, do you think-" Edmund began.
"It's some kind of trick! Stop it, or I'll tell Mother. Mother! Mother!" Eustace screamed. "I'll just smash the rotten thing!"
Eustace Scrubb pulled the painting off the wall as his cousins demanded he stop. He dropped it and the water began to fill the room quickly. Before long, they were fully submerged in it.
Lucy swam towards the light. "Edmund!" she yelled as she surfaced. "What's happening?"
The ship from the painting sailed towards them.
"Eustace, swim!"
"What's going on?" Scrubb yelled.
They swam as fast as they possibly could, trying not to get squashed underneath the ship. "It's alright, I've got you!" a deep voice came.
"Caspian!" she grinned.
"Lucy," he smiled.
"Edmund, it's Caspian!"