The Call - Edmund Pevensie

13

"I, Peter, by the gift of Aslan, by election and by conquest, High King  of Narnia, Lord of Cair Paravel and Emperor of the Lone Islands, in order to prevent the abominable effusion of blood, do hereby challenge the usurper Miraz to single combat upon the field of battle. The fight shall be to the death. The reward shall be total surrender."

Edmund finished reading Peter's challenge, then began rolling up the scroll. I stood slightly behind him to the left. Despite Caspian's warnings not to let my emotions get the better of me and remain neutral, I couldn't help but wanting to leap over the table Miraz now hid behind and throttle him with my own two hands. Instead, I plastered a plain, almost bored expression on my face. 

"Tell me Prince Edmund..." Miraz started to say. 

"King." Edmund cut him off with no hesitation.

"Pardon me?"

"It's King Edmund actually. Just King though. Peter's the High King. I know, it's confusing." Between Edmund's calm voice yet patronizing words, and the look of pure annoyance on my uncle's face, I found myself fighting a smile. 

"Why? Why would we risk such a proposal when our armies could wipe you out by nightfall?" Miraz asked. 

"Haven't you already underestimated our numbers?" Edmund asked cheekily. "I mean, only a week ago Narnians were extinct."

"And so you will be again," Miraz drawled, his eyes flicking to me. 

"Then you should have little to fear... uncle." I made my voice as sickeningly sweet as possible. His eyes narrowed at me. I could see the anger and annoyance in his gaze so I did the most rational thing I could think of. I smiled patronizingly at him. At this, he barked out an unexpected laugh. 

"This is not a question of bravery princess." He seemed to hiss my title, as though he were spitting it at me. 

"So you're bravely refusing to fight a swordsman half your age?" Edmund asked and I smiled wider. 

"Edmund, you adorable genius you," I wanted to whisper to him, but I didn't. Miraz leaned forward on his table, his face full of venom. 

"I didn't say I refused." This was it. We had him. 

"You shall have our support your majesty, whatever your decision." One of Miraz's councilmen spoke up. I recognized him from my time sitting in on council meetings with Caspian. 

"Sire, our military advantage alone provides the perfect excuse for what might otherwise be..." Lord Sopespian started when Miraz jumped up, cutting him off. 

"I am not avoiding anything!" Edmund quickly glanced back at me, our eyes locking for a split second. There way no way Miraz could say no now, not when he'd practically been insulted in front of his entire council. 

"I was merely pointing out that my lord is well within his rights to refuse," Sopespian pressed. 

"His majesty would never refuse," a deep voice said behind us. All eyes turned to General Glozelle including Edmund and I. "He relishes the chance to show the people the courage of their new king." Miraz looked like he was about to explode and I loved every minute of it. My uncle turned his lethal gaze to Edmund, and I had the instinct to jump in front of him to shade him from Miraz's stare. 

"You," he sneered. "You should hope your brother's sword is sharper than his pen."

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As soon as we crossed the threshold into the How, I flung my arms around Edmund's neck. 

"We did it!" I sang. Although he initially staggered at my surprise attack, soon his arms snaked around my waist and spun me around causing both of us to laugh. "You were absolutely brilliant in there!" I beamed when he finally put me down. 

"Me? What about you?" he laughed. "Then you should have little to fear uncle," he said in a high pitched voice that was supposed to be mine. "That was gold!" 

"Are you joking?" I asked him. "Then you're bravely refusing to fight a swordsman half your age?" I lowered my voice as much as I could to try to impersonate Edmund's dulcet tones but all I did was make my own voice sound froggy which just caused us to laugh more. "That was brilliant! A stroke of genius!" Narnians were now full on staring at Edmund and I as we were practically doubled over in laughter at this point. Peter saw us and came over. He took one look at our faces, and smiled. 

"So I'm assuming it went well then?" Edmund and I looked at each other to see who was able to respond, but all that resulted in was both of us breaking out in laughter again. Peter glanced at Glenstorm who was looking on at the two of us with a slight look of concern on his face. 

"Miraz has agreed to the challenge," Glenstorm answered for us. 

"Great," Peter said. "So what's wrong with them?" He pointed at the two of us, still giggling like school children. 

"Now that's a question you should probably avoid," Trumpkin said in passing as he walked by our small group. Edmund and I looked at each other, our face's lighting up once again. 

"I'm not avoiding anything!" we said at the same time, both with our own impressions of Miraz's voice and his angry face. Peter and Trumpkin jumped, startled, and Edmund and I fell to the floor in our laughter. By now almost everyone in the How was staring at me and Edmund, some even laughing with (or at) us. 

Peter's POV:

"Do they realize you are about to fight her tyrant uncle to the death?" Trumpkin whispered in my ear. I gazed down at my little brother, and the sister of the man who would be the next king. Edmund was practically crying from laughter now, one of his arms wrapped around Catarina's waist as she leaned her back against his chest still giggling at their own jokes. 

"You know they do," I told him still watching Ed. "Let them have their laughs and be kids now. None of us know what's coming, and I don't think anyone is going to be laughing in an hour." Trumpkin didn't say anything to this. If anything, it seemed like he looked at Ed and Cat with new eyes. 

"Besides," I whispered. "I don't think I've ever seen Ed this happy in his entire life." Another full belly laugh from Catarina brought a smile to my face, and even Trumpkin's. It seemed to echo around the How and I saw most of our soldiers smiling at each other, some even laughing. It was a stark contrast to how it had looked not even a few hours ago, everyone somber and nervous for what was to come. It was as if Catarina's laugh had breathed a new life into the Narnians. A reminder that even with all of this dark, depressing war talk there could still be light. There could still be laughter. There could still be hope.