A/N So this started out as a oneshot...now each Pevensie will have their 'own' chapter, that is, one focusing on them. Edmund knowing smithying and working in Bricket's forge (also the mentioning of the werewolf) belong to Elecktrum's amazing story "Black Dwarfs, Blue River". Go read it!
I only know about blacksmithing second hand, so if you spot any particularly glaring errors, please let me know.
"Peter! Come look at this!"
Peter and Edmund exchanged an eye-roll for what had to be the fifteenth time that afternoon.
"Why you let Lucy and Susan drag us here I will never know, though I suspect it had something to do with Lucy saying 'Please, Peter,' with those puppy dog eyes of hers. You have never been able to say no."
Peter grinned good-naturedly. "You are most likely right, Ed, though I would have held out longer if I had known it would have been like this."
'This' was a historical reenactment of the middle ages, but the people doing the demonstrations were not, for the most part, very enthusiastic about their jobs.
Lucy, however, was thrilled with everything, and had called her brothers over multiple times to see some cunning bit of basketwork, or to see how fast a lady was knitting.
Peter and Edmund couldn't help but notice that there was more enthusiasm in the workers directly after Lucy had passed. But they themselves were not all that pleased.
It wasn't the nicest day in this world, and they had looked forward to spending the day reading and playing chess in the professor's library, but instead their sisters had dragged them off to this 'historical' place that was, frankly, boring.
Susan and Lucy were ecstatic, however, so the brothers confined their disgruntlement to eye-rolls, gentle hints, (Peter) and heavily sarcastic comments (Edmund).
Now the girls were dragging them to see the barn with it's 'cunning' occupants.
Suddenly, though, both boys' heads jerked up and they looked in the same direction before looking at each other. Edmund's face had gone very pale, and Peter turned to his sisters. "Susan, Lucy, Ed and I are going to look at things this way now." He ventured.
He was met with a dazzling smile from Lucy and a "Yes, yes, fine; oh Lucy, just look at this kitten!" from Susan.
Sharing yet another eye roll the boys moved off.
"You know," remarked Edmund to Peter, "You would think after fifteen years of exclaiming over each and every clutch of kittens they would get tired of it, but no, this one is just 'so cute!'"
Peter smiled at this last, which was done in quite a passable imitation of Susan.
"I think, Ed, they are enjoying the kittens and other things so much because it reminds them of home. I really would not be surprised if they cry a bit."
A week ago Edmund would have sneered and said something nasty about girls crying for no good reason, but now he only nodded thoughtfully.
They were walking across a green sward towards a small cabin with black smoke coming out of the chimney and a ringing sound came from the door.
If you had been watching the two men (for so they would have appeared to you) you would have seen the younger stiffen and straighten, his shoulders go back even more than they already were, and his expression become intense.
You would have seen the other, older man put his hand on the younger's shoulder and lean in close and ask a question, which the younger one answered with a smile and a nod.
Then they walked on together, arms about each other's shoulders.
As the two brothers entered the smithy, Edmund muttered in a low tone to Peter "at least this time there is no were-wolf, so on that account at lest you may rest easy, brother mine"
Peter smiled but made no other answer.
The two of them had come in the middle of the smith giving a lecture. Peter and Edmund stood quietly waiting for him to finish, although Edmund did cast some longing glances towards the smith's tools.
Peter laid a restraining and comforting hand on his shoulder, and murmured, "Patience, good my brother."
The smith finished at length, and the group of visitors drifted out, leaving the boys alone with the smith.
He was a good-natured looking man, and with a smile he asked what he could do for them.
"Sir, I was wondering if perhaps you would lend me the use of your tools and forge for a time." Edmund said this politely, but very firmly, so that, at least to the smith, it seemed more like a command, by one that expected to be obeyed.
The smith scrutinized the boy before him carefully. "I'm very sorry, lad, but I'm afraid it is quite against the rules. You have to be fourteen to work here."
"But sir," interjected Peter, "Smiths often had apprentices as young as ten or twelve. I do not see why my brother could not become your apprentice. He could, at least, try, could he not?"
The smith could not deny what Peter had said, so he said he would ask. He came back a minute later, saying - Edmund, was it? - could try.
"Come on back, lad, and I'll show you the basics."
Peter and Edmund exchanged a look of amusement, then Peter clapped his brother on the shoulder and whispered, "Use caution in thy speech and deed, brother mine."
Edmund gave him a lofty look and said, "Never fear, Peter, only you would be ass enough to do something that stupid. I shall use skill and restraint."
Then he slipped behind the rope and stood patiently through the smith's lecture on teachability, safety, and the rest, then eagerly picked up the tools and stepped to the forge.
"Sir, what am I to call you?"
"Master Hadron will do fine, lad. Now, I think you should begin with something easy. Let's see what you can do with nails. To start,"
But he had no time to finish his sentence.
Edmund had already moved to the scrap-heap of metal and was inspecting the contents. He chose a piece and moved just as rapidly to the furnace. He tossed the metal into the inferno and turned to the anvil. Then he did something that made Master Hadron's eyes open wide.
Without so much as hesitating, he took the current anvil off the stand and placed it next to the furnace. Though surprising, that was not the astonishing thing. The astonishing thing was, without breaking a sweat, he lifted another 125 pound anvil to the stand.
Then he turned and took the metal out of the fire and picked up the hammer. Only to stop and frown at the forge. He put the hammer down and raked back half the coals and cleared out the ashes before he pushed the coals back.
Coolly, and without expressing an ounce of surprise at the feat of strength and knowledge his younger brother had just displayed, Peter said, "I think Brickit would have your hide if he knew you had even picked up the hammer without noticing that."
The younger boy picked up the hammer again as he replied sarcastically, "He'd not have my hide, merely make me clean out the ovens again."
Whereupon both boys laughed.
Master Hadron now thought that he had better find out a bit more about how much training Edmund had had.
This was obviously not his first time in a smithy.
Edmund looked up as the smith cleared his throat loudly. "Carry on, Edmund. I'm just going to talk to your brother here for a minute."
Peter straightened up from his lounging position against the doorframe, and Edmund noticed a wary look coming into his eyes. The boy behind the rope gave the boy in front of it a wink, then returned to his work.
As the medium built and not at all intimidating smith approached Peter, the one called Magnificent wished desperately for Susan or Edmund, they were always the ones good at keeping things surreptitious.
As though brought by his wish, Lucy and Susan appeared at the door. "Peter, we were just thinking it might be time to - oh." Lucy finished differently then she had intended as she saw Edmund. He gave her an unrepentant grin and she turned to Peter. ''I suppose we aren't leaving."
"Lucy, this is Master Hadron, who has kindly allowed Edmund the use of his forge."
Then as Lucy, with a beaming smile, said how delighted she was to meet him, and how kind it was of him to let Edmund use his forge, Peter whispered urgently into her ear, "Distract him please"
Lucy, Lion bless her, did not question him, but immediately began inquiring as to whether there were a Mistress Hadron, and did he have any children, and so on.
Peter turned to Susan and pulled her outside. "Susan, he is going to ask where Edmund got his training from, and I don't know what to tell him, and I've never been good at maneuvering, and I would say something stupid and bungle the whole thing!" Peter ended more desperately than the situation seemed to require.
Susan, who had calmly taken in this outburst, now said, "Has Edmund not talked to him? No, of course not, you would not be babbling now if he had. Peter, I would be more than happy to talk to Master Hadron, and I suggest you go with Lucy to visit the gardens. I understand they have some lovely rosebushes."
Peter thanked her heartily, and calling to Lucy, headed off to the gardens hastily.
Susan smiled, then turned to the somewhat bewildered smith, and with another gracious smile, introduced herself.
Master Hadron determined that this sibling wouldn't get away without answering some questions and so asked a little abruptly, "How on earth does he do that?"
Susan, with an inward reflection that it really wasn't on earth, calmly inquired "Does what, Master Hadron?"
"How does he come to be so strong and know so much about smithing? If I believed in reincarnation, I would say he had been a smith in an earlier life."
This last made Susan smile, but she replied, "My brother has been very interested in blacksmithing for several years now. He has read many books and gathered much information on the subject. Master Hadron, perhaps you could show me some work you have done."
The smith brightened perceptively at getting back to familiar (and comfortable) ground and turned to go back into the smithy. Susan followed, there to exclaim over horseshoes and cooking implements for the next quarter hour.
At the end of that time Edmund appeared in the doorway. "Master Hadron, I'm finished."
"Eh?" The smith looked up, startled.
"I made the dozen nails, as you said, and I was wondering if I could make something a little different next."
"Like what?" The smith asked, a little skeptically. He took the nails, and his eyebrows went up. "These are very good."
"Thank you, sir. I was thinking about a ring or something like that. Nothing ornate," he added hastily, seeing the smith's expression, "but I've found some metal I believe will work, so if it is all right with you,"
Edmund paused as if for permission, but Susan, looking at him, saw he had his 'court diplomacy' face on, which meant that the whomever he was asking for something might just as well give it to him now and save time, because King Edmund would most certainly get it in the end anyway.
Master Hadron, perhaps getting a glimmer of this, acquiesced, albeit reluctantly.
Edmund nearly bowed in thanks, caught himself, and turned to Susan instead. "Su, you might want to go rescue Peter. Aslan knows what Lucy's dragged him into."
Susan laughed. "I will. Master Hadron, it was a pleasure. Thank you very much for the tour of your shop and showing me your work."
What say you? Any feedback is highly welcomed, no matter how short. (And isn't the fact that the regular anvil actually weighs over 150 pounds incredible?)