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remix_reduxTitle: We Can Start Over (the Warm By the Fire Remix)
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
bantha_fodder
Summary: The plain between Narnia and Archenland was a sanctuary, a border they did not have to guard, and for that they were grateful.
Rating: G
Fandom: Narnia
Spoilers: For 'The Horse and His Boy'
Title, Author and URL of original story: We Can Start Over Again byliminalliz
**
Though Peter had long been High King of Narnia, and though the winters in Narnia came but once a year and stayed for only three months, the ways of the Narnians were not as peaceable and pleasant as they had been before the Hundred Year Winter. King Edmund, the Just, and Queen Lucy, the Valiant, rode hard and often away from their home at Cair Paravel, and the plains surrounding Narnia were not always free of blood.
The plain between Narnia and Archenland was a sanctuary, a border they did not have to guard, and for that they were grateful.
**
"I am glad," Lucy murmured, "that we have come this way again." She tilted her head towards her brother, and flexed her toes in the rug. The fur was soft between her toes, though she worried about the poor beast who had provided his skin for the pleasure of the Kings of Archenland.
"Lu," Edmund said, a stern look on his face. "I don't think it's very becoming of you to slip your shoes off."
Lucy met his eyes; knew that he but teased her, and laughed. "You're just jealous that you hadn't thought of it first," she replied. "That's not very becoming of you, Edmund."
He touched the back of her hand lightly, forgiveness for her laughter, and turned his head. She followed his gaze and together, they watched as Prince Cor lifted a glass; conversed in hushed tones with his brother.
"Those two are rascals," Edmund observed, a slight grin about his mouth.
"But very clever," Lucy reminded him, the memory of the latest battle still fresh in her mind. "Without them we might have been lost."
"Nonsense," Edmund said, and rested on his side, propping his chin on his hand. "I am a King of Narnia. I have my sword and my wits, and my armies would have been fine without their assistance."
"And I?" Lucy asked, leaning towards her brother. "What role do I have in this fantasy which you have constructed? I assume I am still by your side?"
He leaned forward, lowered his voice as if he were imparting some great secret. "You send me letters from Cair Paravel," Edmund explained, nodding seriously. "Carefully written letters with tales of Susan's conquests and Peter's worry, tales of Mister Tumnus' tea parties and your newest toys, gifts from foreign princes looking to woo the exceedingly fair Queen Susan."
Lucy thought of the languid, painted eyes of Susan's suitors and the childish gifts they brought Lucy, and laughed, loud and long, and heard it ring through the hall.
She pushed Edmund away, her hand firm against his chest. "Oh, Ed, I'm no longer a child!"
Edmund captured her hand before she could remove it, squeezed her fingers tightly between his own.
"Really?" he said, his face solemn. "Sister, you are still but a child."
She moves to draw her hand back, but his grip is firm. "And how many did I kill today in battle?" she asks. "Since I am still a child."
"You are a child," Edmund said, shaking his head, "and therefore I cannot talk of these things before you."
She succeeds in wrenching her hand away. "Fine. I can talk about dresses, if you would rather," she said. "And shoes. And the colour of the ribbon that I intend to wear in my hair when we ride back to Cair Paravel."
"Hardly," he replied. "I would rather we talk of unexplored territories and your new sword and perhaps, very perhaps, a joke that we can play on Peter when we return."
"I think it is you who are still the child, brother," she accused him.
"Guilty," Edmund said, and the guilt of his betrayal flashed across his face. He smiled quickly, to hid it from view, but not before Lucy saw it. Her heart ached for him and she wondered if ever, in time, he would not feel so guilty, so deserving of punishment.
"Oh, Ed," she said, and embraced him there, on the carpet in front of the fire for all the palace to see, which was also not very becoming but very much required, and anyway in Narnia such affection is not deemed unseemly.
"It's all right, Lu," Edmund said after a long moment. She released him, looked carefully upon his face.
"Yes," she said, and looked away to give him a moment to compose himself, for though she could hug him, it would not have done to talk about Edmund's watery eyes. "Oh, look," she said, to distract him, nodding her head towards the table. "Prince Cor is holding Lady Aravis' hand."
Edmund smiled at his sister. "Are you going to coo over the young love? Perhaps I should send you home to Susan," he said, his grin wide.
"Then who would ride with you, brother?" she asked. "Those young rascal princes?"
"You are right," he said, "And I seek but to tease you. I would not have any other by my side."
"I know," Lucy said, and yawned.
"But not for much longer," Edmund continued softly. "For it is clear that you are tired, and it is past your bedtime."
"I have not had such a thing for many years!" Lucy declared. "Must we have this argument again, not five minutes after the last?"
"I am your older brother, Lu," Edmund said, "come, it is your bedtime."
Though her soft bed was an enticing thought, Lucy protested, for warm in front of the fire, she had no wish to tread through the cold halls of the castle. In Cair Paravel, she could dart from heated room to heated room, but in Archenland she could not play such games, and she would have to trudge from one end of the palace to the other. "It is cold," she said, the truth, but Edmund shook his head.
"It cannot be so cold, why, look, Prince Cor and the Lady Aravis are eating ices!"
"Oh," said Lucy, suddenly not so cold, nor tired. "Do you think the kitchen has any more of those mango ices?" Lucy had not ever eaten mango before dinner with the King of Archenland that evening, and the cold was immediately banished by thought of such a delicious fruit.
"Yes," Edmund said. "I'm sure they do." He helped her to her feet, and waited as she squashed her feet into her very fashionable but highly impractical courtshoes. When she was ready, he extended his arm; "My lady," he said. She gently placed her hand upon his arm, for though they played and made light she was confident in her role as Queen, and they laughed as they walked through to the kitchens.
In the distance, she heard the horns sound; but that is a story for another time.
END
Author:
bantha_fodderSummary: The plain between Narnia and Archenland was a sanctuary, a border they did not have to guard, and for that they were grateful.
Rating: G
Fandom: Narnia
Spoilers: For 'The Horse and His Boy'
Title, Author and URL of original story: We Can Start Over Again by
liminalliz**
Though Peter had long been High King of Narnia, and though the winters in Narnia came but once a year and stayed for only three months, the ways of the Narnians were not as peaceable and pleasant as they had been before the Hundred Year Winter. King Edmund, the Just, and Queen Lucy, the Valiant, rode hard and often away from their home at Cair Paravel, and the plains surrounding Narnia were not always free of blood.
The plain between Narnia and Archenland was a sanctuary, a border they did not have to guard, and for that they were grateful.
**
"I am glad," Lucy murmured, "that we have come this way again." She tilted her head towards her brother, and flexed her toes in the rug. The fur was soft between her toes, though she worried about the poor beast who had provided his skin for the pleasure of the Kings of Archenland.
"Lu," Edmund said, a stern look on his face. "I don't think it's very becoming of you to slip your shoes off."
Lucy met his eyes; knew that he but teased her, and laughed. "You're just jealous that you hadn't thought of it first," she replied. "That's not very becoming of you, Edmund."
He touched the back of her hand lightly, forgiveness for her laughter, and turned his head. She followed his gaze and together, they watched as Prince Cor lifted a glass; conversed in hushed tones with his brother.
"Those two are rascals," Edmund observed, a slight grin about his mouth.
"But very clever," Lucy reminded him, the memory of the latest battle still fresh in her mind. "Without them we might have been lost."
"Nonsense," Edmund said, and rested on his side, propping his chin on his hand. "I am a King of Narnia. I have my sword and my wits, and my armies would have been fine without their assistance."
"And I?" Lucy asked, leaning towards her brother. "What role do I have in this fantasy which you have constructed? I assume I am still by your side?"
He leaned forward, lowered his voice as if he were imparting some great secret. "You send me letters from Cair Paravel," Edmund explained, nodding seriously. "Carefully written letters with tales of Susan's conquests and Peter's worry, tales of Mister Tumnus' tea parties and your newest toys, gifts from foreign princes looking to woo the exceedingly fair Queen Susan."
Lucy thought of the languid, painted eyes of Susan's suitors and the childish gifts they brought Lucy, and laughed, loud and long, and heard it ring through the hall.
She pushed Edmund away, her hand firm against his chest. "Oh, Ed, I'm no longer a child!"
Edmund captured her hand before she could remove it, squeezed her fingers tightly between his own.
"Really?" he said, his face solemn. "Sister, you are still but a child."
She moves to draw her hand back, but his grip is firm. "And how many did I kill today in battle?" she asks. "Since I am still a child."
"You are a child," Edmund said, shaking his head, "and therefore I cannot talk of these things before you."
She succeeds in wrenching her hand away. "Fine. I can talk about dresses, if you would rather," she said. "And shoes. And the colour of the ribbon that I intend to wear in my hair when we ride back to Cair Paravel."
"Hardly," he replied. "I would rather we talk of unexplored territories and your new sword and perhaps, very perhaps, a joke that we can play on Peter when we return."
"I think it is you who are still the child, brother," she accused him.
"Guilty," Edmund said, and the guilt of his betrayal flashed across his face. He smiled quickly, to hid it from view, but not before Lucy saw it. Her heart ached for him and she wondered if ever, in time, he would not feel so guilty, so deserving of punishment.
"Oh, Ed," she said, and embraced him there, on the carpet in front of the fire for all the palace to see, which was also not very becoming but very much required, and anyway in Narnia such affection is not deemed unseemly.
"It's all right, Lu," Edmund said after a long moment. She released him, looked carefully upon his face.
"Yes," she said, and looked away to give him a moment to compose himself, for though she could hug him, it would not have done to talk about Edmund's watery eyes. "Oh, look," she said, to distract him, nodding her head towards the table. "Prince Cor is holding Lady Aravis' hand."
Edmund smiled at his sister. "Are you going to coo over the young love? Perhaps I should send you home to Susan," he said, his grin wide.
"Then who would ride with you, brother?" she asked. "Those young rascal princes?"
"You are right," he said, "And I seek but to tease you. I would not have any other by my side."
"I know," Lucy said, and yawned.
"But not for much longer," Edmund continued softly. "For it is clear that you are tired, and it is past your bedtime."
"I have not had such a thing for many years!" Lucy declared. "Must we have this argument again, not five minutes after the last?"
"I am your older brother, Lu," Edmund said, "come, it is your bedtime."
Though her soft bed was an enticing thought, Lucy protested, for warm in front of the fire, she had no wish to tread through the cold halls of the castle. In Cair Paravel, she could dart from heated room to heated room, but in Archenland she could not play such games, and she would have to trudge from one end of the palace to the other. "It is cold," she said, the truth, but Edmund shook his head.
"It cannot be so cold, why, look, Prince Cor and the Lady Aravis are eating ices!"
"Oh," said Lucy, suddenly not so cold, nor tired. "Do you think the kitchen has any more of those mango ices?" Lucy had not ever eaten mango before dinner with the King of Archenland that evening, and the cold was immediately banished by thought of such a delicious fruit.
"Yes," Edmund said. "I'm sure they do." He helped her to her feet, and waited as she squashed her feet into her very fashionable but highly impractical courtshoes. When she was ready, he extended his arm; "My lady," he said. She gently placed her hand upon his arm, for though they played and made light she was confident in her role as Queen, and they laughed as they walked through to the kitchens.
In the distance, she heard the horns sound; but that is a story for another time.
END
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2007-04-22 06:21 pm (UTC)They're so delightfully them and I just LOVE the references to them being at war alla time and yet safe in Archenland to sit by the fire before stealing ice cream from the kitchen and I LOVE THE IDEA of Susan's suitors bringing hideously childish gifts to Lucy. LOVE EEEET. And the tease about Cor and Corin being rascals and and and and. Oh, this is wonderful. Thank you.
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