||6||

✩.･*:｡≻───── ⋆♡⋆ ─────.•*:｡✩🍃Into The Woods🍃✩.･*:｡≻───── ⋆♡⋆ ─────.•*:｡✩

They continued on their hike until they found themselves stopped at the end of a cliff. A river flowed below it, much to their perplexity.

"You see, overtime, water erodes the earth's soil," Susan explained in an attempt to hurt Peter's pride, "carving deeper.."

"Oh shut up," Peter retorted abruptly, annoyed by his sister's pride on her knowledge.

Edmund, Charlotte, and Trumpkin stood behind the three of them as they continued inspecting the cliff.

"How would we get across?" Charlotte asked, looking to Edmund for answers.

"Is there a way down?" He clarified, creating a chain towards Trumpkin for answers.

"Yeah, falling," he replied sarcastically.

"Well, we weren't lost," Peter insisted, attempting to defend his leadership.

"There's a ford near Beruna," Trumpkin suggested, "how do you feel about swimming?"

"I'd rather that than walking," Susan agreed.

"I agree, don't think I can take much longer," Charlotte sighed, turning on her heel weakly.

"Aslan? Aslan! It's Aslan over there!" Lucy's cheer caught everyone's attention.

Charlotte's head swiftly turned as she was eager to see Aslan. But her eyes were met with a plain rock sitting at a stone's throw over the other side of the cliff.

"Don't you see? He's right..." Lucy's smile dropped when she turned back to see nothing in plain sight but trees and rocks, "there..."

An uncomfortable silence filled the atmosphere.

"Do you see him now?" Trumpkin asked dryly.

Lucy turned back to him with a frown, "I'm not crazy. He was there. He wanted us to follow him."

"I'm sure there are any number of lions in this wood," Peter suggested, "just like that bear."

Lucy frowned at him, "I think I know Aslan when I see him."

"Lions in this wood?" Charlotte quoted with a frown, "if you're saying that, Peter, then I'd believe Lucy. Lions don't live in woods."

"Exactly," Lucy agreed hastily, relieved that someone believed her.

"Look, I'm not about to jump off a cliff after someone who doesn't exist," Trumpkin said tiredly.

"Last time I didn't believe Lucy," Edmund spoke up, looking at everyone, "I ended up... Looking pretty stupid."

"Why wouldn't I have seen him?" Peter insisted.

"Maybe you weren't looking," Lucy suggested.

"I'm sorry, Lu," Peter said, walking off to follow Trumpkin.

Lucy and Edmund shared a look with each other, then he gestured for her to follow them.

"Thanks, Charlotte," Lucy embraced Charlotte in a hug.

"It's not a problem, perhaps we weren't ready to see him," she replied, rubbing Lucy's back comfortingly before she parted to catch up with the older Pevensie siblings.

"What happened the last time you didn't believe her?" Charlotte asked curiously, shifting her gaze to Edmund.

"She discovered Narnia from a wardrobe, and I mocked her for having a wild imagination," Edmund admitted, "I was a horrible brother."

"Oh, Edmund," Charlotte shook her head, "that was mean."

"I know..." He agreed, before clearing his throat sheepishly.

"And then I got into Narnia, and she found me. Then I lied about playing along with her imagination to my older siblings," he added, "so when they found Narnia the next day, Peter was mad at me."

"Yeah, I can see why," Charlotte agreed, "but you seem to have grown since then. For that, you've earned my respect."

"Thanks, Charlotte," Edmund shared a genuine smile with her.

Charlotte trudged forward slowly, and Edmund kept her company.

"Sorry for holding you back here, I can catch up, I promise," Charlotte said sheepishly.

"Do you train?" He suddenly asked with a teasing smirk.

Charlotte stopped in her tracks and crossed her arms. Edmund stifled a laugh and ended up snorting instead.

"You know, I'd prefer to walk alone if you're going to mock me," she rolled her eyes, "my ankles are bloody sore."

"Alright, I'm sorry," he apologised.

"Oi! If I can walk this far, you can!" Trumpkin called, causing everyone to stop to wait for her.

"I know! That's what I said, alright?!" The young girl blurted out in frustration, "bloody hell!"

Trumpkin stood there speechless. The Pevensie siblings broke into grins and laughter, urging Charlotte forward with the promise that they would stop to rest soon.

"That was mean," Edmund shot back, amused by the girl beside him.

"Yeah, I know," she shrugged, "I'll apologise when I'm in a better mood."

"Come on, you stubborn lady," Edmund suggested, bending down to pick her up.

"No, Edmund, believe me, I'm heavy, you couldn't possibly- Ah!" Charlotte let out a shriek as she felt her feet lifted off the ground.

"I already told you," he said proudly with a smirk, "I'm the best sword fighter in Narnia. I can handle anything, even heavy girls."

"I don't want to be carried," she remarked.

"But you need to be," he reminded her, "don't want you collapsing from exhaustion."

"Goodness," she remarked, clinging on to him, "I guess you really can lift me."

"You insult me," Edmund scoffed, "it's easy to carry a soft lady."

"How heavy are you anyway?" he asked, "you don't look that fat."

"I'd prefer if you didn't ask," Charlotte shot a glare at him, "I have heavy bones, let's keep it at that."

"Fair enough for a tall girl like you. By the way, your cheeks are red," he remarked, snickering.

"What? Oh," Charlotte sheepishly looked away.

"Don't be shy," Edmund teased, "you could have asked earlier."

"I didn't want to," Charlotte said firmly, dismissing his flirtatious remark, "I can carry myself, I don't need a King to do so."

"Oi, stop flirting already!" Peter called, "We'll rest here for the night. That might give us some energy tomorrow. We'll cross the river then."

"I'll get the fire going," Trumpkin suggested.

"I'll help," Susan added, following after him.

"We'll all help, Charlotte and Lucy can stay here," Peter instructed.

"Well, that was short-lived," Edmund complained, setting her down, "did you enjoy the ride?"

"Not really," she shrugged.

Edmund winked at her with a smirk plastered on his face, before Peter hauled him away to gather wood for the fire. Charlotte shifted her attention to Lucy who was in giggles.

"He's never been that way," Lucy shared, "he's usually shy around ladies. Peter usually gets the girls with his charm. Even some of my friends have a crush on Peter."

"I wouldn't be surprised," Charlotte chuckled, "you all have attractive features. You're one good-looking family."

"It's odd to see Edmund try to impress a girl. But I don't blame him though, you're very pretty. I'm sure I'll understand when I'm older."

"Thank you Lucy," Charlotte smiled, "you are too. You're beautiful."

"Oh no," Lucy insisted, shaking her head, "Susan is beautiful. Not me."

"Both of you are," Charlotte assured her, holding her hand.

✩.･*:｡≻───── ⋆♡⋆ ─────.•*:｡✩

When night fell, Charlotte laid on the ground, with her hands under her head. She was positioned in between Susan and Edmund, staring at the night sky. Edmund, still wide awake, noticed Charlotte simply staring at the stars. He then coughed to gain Charlotte's attention.

"Hm?" Charlotte turned her head to him.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" He asked.

"It's been a crazy day," Charlotte whispered, "also, my bed feels more comfortable."

"Perhaps you might be comfortable here," he suggested.

Charlotte shifted her head up to look at him and said nothing.

"I wouldn't do anything harmful," he promised with a sheepish grin, "if that's what you're thinking."

"You know, I've only grabbed hold of a sword today, and you're the first person I plan to use it on before the Telmarines," Charlotte said dryly.

"Alright then, just putting it out there," he defended his suggestion, "you wouldn't be able to anyway. I'm the best fighter in Narnia."

"Oh!" She gasped and flipped her body over to have more access to interacting with him, only for him to shush her.

He wheezed quietly by placing a hand over his mouth, seeing the rest stirring in their slumber.

"You wait," she pointed a finger sharply at him, "I'll train. And I'll be a better fighter than you. You know, I don't even think you're the best, Peter's probably the best."

"He's not."

"Is too."

"Oh, alright then, if he's so interesting to you," Edmund said with a sour look.

"He's not," Charlotte teased with a smile, "you don't need to be jealous."

"I'm not," he retorted, rolling on his back, "I just wouldn't be surprised. All the girls at Saint Finbar gawk at him. Even Lucy's friends, who are much younger, fancy him. It's ridiculous."

"Perhaps you just don't see the girls gawking at you too?" she suggested with a soft giggle.

"Oh, I highly doubt that," he shrugged, "at best, I'm only known as Peter's brother."

"What a shame, you both are attractive," she admitted, "those girls are blind."

"So you think I'm attractive?" he shot a smirk at her.

"And I take that back now," she declared, "perhaps there is a reason after all why those girls don't fancy you."

"Hey, I'm sorry," he apologised with a chuckle, "I promise, I'm not usually like this. I'm just not used to being complimented. It feels good."

They both shared a laugh and laid in silence.

"Edmund?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What was the White Witch like?"

Edmund stiffened once again at the mention.

"She's one of my biggest fears," he sighed.

"Was she really as frightening as my mother described?" Charlotte asked.

"Well, I wasn't scared of her at first," he shrugged, "she was nice to me. Despite her pale and icy appearance, she was very motherly. She offered me water and some Turkish Delight."

Charlotte rested her head on the palms of her hands as she listened attentively.

"She offered me power over Narnia if I turned my siblings in. Me and Peter, we weren't really getting along, you see. She told me Peter would be my servant. And I thought that would teach Peter to be nicer to me."

He sighed, sitting up to lean against a tree, "I don't know what was in that Turkish Delight, but it made me crave for more. It was like... A spell over me. Also, I was a young boy, you know? I hadn't had sweets ever since the war began."

"So what did you do?" Charlotte encouraged, "I'm listening."

"Well, Lucy told me she was no good because she met a fawn who warned her about the White Witch, but I didn't quite believe her because of my encounter with the White Witch herself. Like I said, she was very motherly. So when I realised they all thought the same thing, I abandoned them and went to see her."

"Oh my," Charlotte whispered, "Then what happened?"

"That was when I developed a huge fear of her," Edmund shivered, calming himself with deep breaths, "she was a monster. She imprisoned me and turned Narnians to stone ruthlessly. I didn't want anyone to get hurt, and I'd reveal information, hoping they'd be spared. And she'd turn them to stone anyway. I was horrified. She played with my concern for their lives, and threatened to kill me."

"That must have been traumatising," Charlotte empathised, scooting closer to place her hand over his comfortingly.

"Aslan's army rescued me. Peter wanted to bring us home, but I convinced him to fight because I didn't want us to abandon these Narnians. I convinced Peter to lead in battle," he revealed, "and during battle, I saw her going after him. He'd told me to go home, but I couldn't leave him behind. He was seconds from being murdered."

By this time, they both sat up next to each other. Charlotte had already scooted over, patting his shoulder. She leaned in, hanging on to every word he said.

"I lacked experience then," he added, "I knew that to defeat her, we had to get rid of her wand first. So I fought her, and my first move was to break her wand. Without it, she could no longer use magic to her advantage."

"Wow," Charlotte whispered, "that's very brave of you, Edmund. And very smart."

"But that's not all," he added, "she stabbed me not long after."

Charlotte's mouth fell open as her eyes widened in fear. Edmund traced his fingers over his lower abdomen where the wound used to linger.

"I was so close to death," he recalled, "it was all thanks to Lucy. She has a cordial that heals injuries. But the White Witch still haunts me. She may be dead already, but she's still very much alive in my mind."

"Oh Edmund," Charlotte sighed, "you are so strong."

"My relationship with my siblings got better," he said, finally seeming optimistic about his struggles.

"I can see that," Charlotte agreed, "I may only have known you for a day here, but I can see now that you're a good person at heart. You are the bravest because you saw, up close, all the evil in her. That is probably why you are King Edmund, the Just."

"I never thought about it that way," Edmund said, "I've always just seen myself as the black sheep of the family who turned in his siblings for sweets."

Charlotte held his hand in hers and patted over it with her other hand, "You did so much more to make it right, and you have my respect for that."

"Thank you, Charlotte," he smiled.