A/N: HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH, HALLELUJAH, HALLE-LUJAH!! Finally, after a very, very, very, very, very long wait, which I apologize profusely for, the final chapter is up!! Never, never, never, never again will I publish a story without finishing it first! This is Edmund and Lucy's chapter. Enjoy!
Lucy Pevensie sat down by the creek. She had been reading, but now her eyes were closed and a soft smile was on her lips. She listened silently to the rush of the creek, the chirruping of the birds, the rustling of the leaves. If she listened hard enough, it was almost like being in Narnia.
"Hey Lu."
Lucy gasped and whirled around quickly. "Edmund! You scared me!"
"I'm sorry Lucy," Edmund sat down beside her. "I thought you heard me."
"It's okay, I was day dreaming," Lucy said.
"About what?"
"Narnia."
Edmund smiled at her. "That was a stupid question wasn't it?"
Lucy smiled back and nodded. "Mum's looking for you. She wants you to start packing," Edmund said.
Lucy grimaced. "That's why I'm out here."
"We're stuck this time Lu. There's no way to get out of this," Edmund said. "Believe me, I've been trying. Mum and Dad aren't going to change their minds."
Lucy sighed. Even she, who loved everyone, had a hard time finding something to love about their aunt, uncle, and cousin. Spending a whole summer with Eustace was no exactly anybody's idea of a good time. "I don't want to go," she said softly.
"I know. Me neither," Edmund said. "But we'll just have to make the best of it. At least we'll be together."
Lucy grinned at her brother. She remembered a time not long ago when a summer with Edmund and Eustace would have seemed like a death sentence. How glad she was that things had changed, especially now that Peter and Susan were often out with friends.
"What are you thinking?" Edmund asked.
"That I'm glad you're not mean anymore."
Edmund laughed. "I'm not joking!" Lucy cried. "I'm glad we went to Narnia because I got my brother back!"
"That's pretty common huh?" Edmund said. "First me, then Peter. I guess we like to learn our lessons the hard way."
"The point is that you learned them."
They were silent for a moment. "Edmund…are you scared?" Lucy asked in a voice barely above a whisper.
Edmund was startled at the rapid change in subject. "Of what Lu? Eustace?"
Lucy finally turned to face him and Edmund was shocked to see tears in her eyes. "Lucy! What's wrong?"
"I don't know if I can go back to Narnia without Susan and Peter," Lucy sobbed into Edmund's shirt.
Edmund, who very much disliked physical contact, patted her awkwardly on the head. "Lucy, Lucy calm down," Edmund said, taking a deep breath to focus himself.
Obviously this had been bothering Lucy for quite a while. He was going to have to tread carefully in this new role as a protector to Lucy. And, no, he wasn't' sure he wanted to go back to Narnia without his brother and sister. They were the protector and the planner. He just followed their lead. And when he messed up, they were there to pick up the pieces and put things back into place.
"We're just going to have to trust Aslan," Edmund said. "Aren't you the one who always says he knows what he's doing?"
Lucy nodded and sniffled as Edmund wiped the tears off her cheeks. "Don't be scared Lucy. Aslan doesn't want that and neither would Peter and Susan. They want you to be happy. And you never know, maybe we won't go back at all," Edmund said, very satisfied with his brotherly advice.
He heard Lucy gasp and turned back to see her large eyes welling up with tears again. "Oh Edmund! Don't say that! That's worse than going back without them!" Lucy wailed, burying her face in his shirt again.
"Oh no! Lucy don't start crying again!" Edmund said desperately. "I didn't really mean it! Of course we're going back! Aslan wouldn't do that to us."
Lucy's head came up slowly. "Promise?"
"Promise," Edmund said all the while praying fervently that he wasn't lying to his sister. "Now please stop crying or Mum will be vexed with me."
"We wouldn't want that," Lucy said, wiping her eyes and giving him a small smile. "Mum gets vexed enough at you without my help."
"Haha," Edmund said ruffling her hair.
Lucy threw her arms around him. "I love you Ed!"
"Erm…I love you too Lucy."
"Lucy!" called Peter's voice.
Lucy scrambled to her feet as Peter walked toward them. "Lucy, Mum's been looking for you for an hour. Have you been crying?"
"Oh yes, but it's all right now," Lucy said. "See you later!"
And with that she was off to the house. Peter cast a sideways glance at Edmund. "Want to share?"
Edmund stood, shaking his head. "I don't know how you do it Pete. I just don't know."
Peter laughed and put an arm around his brother. "Edmund, you just make it up as you go."
They both laughed and walked back toward the house, on excited for the summer and the other dreading it. But both knew that at its close, they would be together, all four of them, again.
A/N: So, it's not perfect, I wouldn't even say it's all that great. The important thing is that it's written, and I think some of the sentiment is right. It's a little choppy, but, it's not the worst thing I've written by far. :) Reviews make me happy!