Eternal || Edmund Pevensie (The Chronicles of Narnia) [2]

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

POSTED 5/10/20

A/N: Before I start, I'd just like to say I'm not very familiar with how things work in London and even more so for London in the 1940s (for context: I'm asian so... HAHA). I did a little bit of research but I don't think it was enough, so if something is historically inaccurate, feel free to point it out so I can fix it! :>

It was a regular day in London — well, as regular as it could get with the war ongoing in the year 1942. A few cars and bicycles rolled down the streets, adults brisk walked to and from work, some children were playing in the park, and there were planes flying overhead that served as a constant reminder that the war was far from over.

Mary just wished things could be peaceful again. She wished her real world wasn't at war the same way that Narnia wasn't at war with the Telmarines anymore. It had been almost a year since she left Narnia, and months since she last saw the Pevensies, too.

A lot had happened since then. Peter temporarily moved away to study under Professor Digory Kirke's guidance; Susan left for a trip to America with their parents; Edmund and Lucy were forced to stay with the Scrubbs, their relatives, in Cambridge until the rest of their family returned; and Mary was stuck in London.

After the previous school year, Mary was lucky enough to still spend a little more time with the Pevensies before they went on their own ways. It felt strange now that they didn't see each other on more or less a daily basis, to say the least. The Pevensies were special to her, and after becoming so close to them, she never really considered the fact that they wouldn't all be present in her life forever. She was sure she sounded dramatic; she knew they weren't gone — they were just off doing their own things, and she still kept in touch with them. However, it didn't lessen the odd feeling it left her with, almost like having to give away a dress you loved to wear as a kid that didn't quite fit you anymore, so you knew it didn't make sense to keep it any longer because it was better off elsewhere.

Mary had other friends, of course, but it just wasn't the same. She had formed a bond with the Pevensies before Narnia, and it only strengthened after their time there together. Furthermore, Edmund was her closest male friend — and more, though she wasn't exactly sure what to refer to him at their point of their relationship — and despite Lucy being a bit younger than Mary, she considered the girl her closest female friend. Another little thing that made them unlike the others: she couldn't talk about Narnia with just anyone. They would think she's crazy. Many times, she'd want to express her thoughts about that magical place, but her parents would never understand, nor would her classmates.

Mary often wrote letters to the Pevensies, especially Edmund and Lucy. Writing to Peter and Susan was a bit rare knowing that they were busy and currently living farther away from them, but it was at least nice to know how they were doing once in a while. Other times, Edmund and Lucy would be the ones to include Mary in their letters to their older siblings. As impatient as Mary was, she often felt restless whenever she'd have to wait for one of them to reply to her. Luckily, there were times where she could speak to Edmund and Lucy on the telephone, but that was a privilege that needed to be monitored. Phone calls were a luxury during their time and were thus expensive and not always readily available. She felt bad whenever she'd use it for her sake, but as cheesy as it sounded, that slight guilt would be overridden with happiness the moment she heard Edmund's voice. It was quite an adjustment to resort to this arrangement for the meantime, but they were fine with it for they did not know when exactly the Pevensie parents and Susan would return to bring Edmund and Lucy back to their hometown — just that it would be "soon."

But, "soon" couldn't come fast enough. Mary should have been thankful that her life was as normal and comfortable as it could get despite the war, but things seemed to be dragging by and going too fast all at the same time. Now that she was on her own in some sense, she was starting to ponder on a lot of things that determined her future. She would eventually have to think about entering a university, what course she would take, and thus, what career path she would choose. Or, would she have to think about getting married to some well-off businessman after graduating like many women her age were still expected to do? Her parents hadn't brought up that possibility yet, and she desperately hoped that they never would. After everything she had gone through in Narnia, the last thing she wanted was to be a submissive housewife like society expected her to be rather than pursue what she truly wanted. The problem was, she didn't even know what it was that she wanted.