"I think I'm falling in love with you."
"Always."
"I would never-"
"If I ever court someone, it is going to be you, Sophie."
"And I cannot wait to do it."
"That, Sophie, is supposed to bring about peace."
"You have a charm around that."
"It's going to be hard with you staring at me like that."
"You'll always be with me."
"Sophie!"

"Sophie! Sophie!" The teenager shook the shoulders of the woman lying on the floor who was hugging themself to sleep. The woman was slowly seeing the most important person in her life fade away from their eyes when one final shake broke her forever. "Sophie, wake up!"

Sophie sat up straight, gasping. Her eyes were slowly opening from the stinging pain that were brought by the lack of sleep that she had been experiencing again. She looked around her and saw the girl wearing the gray cardigan in front of her. "You were sobbing in your sleep again," said Lucy, who had had gotten ready for the ready and heard Sophie whimpering in her sleep, still getting used to the different timezone.

"Oh, Lucy!" Sophie buried her face in her hands. "I'm so-" Her hands trembled as they touched her face. She really had to get control over her anxiety and the stress that she was going through. But how could she? After everything that had happened?

"You don't have to apologise." Lucy gave Sophie a one-arm hug, letting her rest her head on her shoulder. "Are you ready to talk more about it? Believe me. You'll feel better once you do."

"I'll continue later in the afternoon. Mrs. Scrubb will want my help now." 

Sophie stood up immediately, not wanting to cry like a fool about something that was entirely out of her control now. She started to fold the bed sheet and thought about Nina. Her legs stumbled as she remembered her dream. She had heard him again. She had been close to him.

"You don't have to sleep on the floor, you know? I really don't want you to feel cold."

"I like it. It makes me feel safe somehow." 

After everything that had happened in the last two years, Sophie couldn't sleep on a soft surface. She couldn't let herself feel any sort of comfort. The worry of losing control over the emotions that was driving her crept into her mind. Holding on to her sorrow was keeping her intact. She wouldn't let that go, even if a weight formed on her chest from fighting tears.

Lucy nodded, clearly not convinced by Sophie's answer. She could see that Sophie needed to talk to someone and she wanted to help her, but didn't know how to. "But just know that the left side of the bed is always open." 

"Thank you. I'll keep that in mind."

After Sophie had a bath and got dressed, she rushed to the kitchen to help Mrs. Scrubb with her daily chores. Sophie kept to her word about helping around in the house as discussed in church, a place that was only a way for Sophie to contact the being that created the earth that she lived on. 

"I've asked Edmund and Lucy to go to the market in a few minutes." Mrs. Scrubb informed as she started to wash the vegetable tray, wanting to clean all around the house before something could happen.

"Can I accompany them? It's been a while since I went out."

"Of course, dear. I was going to suggest that as well. It will do you some good. You spend all your time helping me." She laughed.

"I don't know how to repay your kindness and-"

"It's completely fine, dear. Like Harold said before, we love helping people."

Right then, Eustace entered the kitchen. "Good morning, Eustace." Sophie wished him but he was dumbstruck as he always was when she tried to talk with him.

Eustace never really talked to Sophie, but the one time that he did do it, he became emotional. That was when she realised that he wasn't a mean person at all. He was putting on a face and preferred to push people away because he didn't know how they would treat him. He reminded Sophie of herself sometimes, although she didn't tell him that. She should have, because all Eustace needed was for someone to understand who he was.

"We are leaving for the market," Edmund informed his Aunt from the hallway.

"Sophie will be accompanying you." 

"Shall we?" He asked her, looking eager to leave the house as soon as possible. There was a bulge in the left-side coat pocket, which made Sophie suspicious of his true plans.

Lucy, Edmund and Sophie walked to the farmer's market a few streets away that had the best produce, where good bargains could be made in the morning time for the price to be less than what the vendors demanded. It was where they could buy the most with the amount of money they had as the war left . 

Edmund looked around and saw the place getting crowded as he bided his time. "I'll be right back," he informed Lucy and Sophie as they got busy with the purchasing.

"Where are you going?"

"Don't worry," he replied before hurrying through the crowd.

"Ed!" Lucy shouted for him but he wasn't going to listen. She knew that. "He's always like this. He tries to redeem himself after what happened with Jadis when he refuses to listen to what we have to say.

"Does he realise that he doesn't have to blame himself for everything? He is such a meathead!"

Lucy laughed. "That is one way to describe him. He can be such a martyr sometimes. He used to annoy me all the time when we were ruling Narnia." She smiled quietly to herself, remembering the good old memories. But when all was said and done, Edmund was the one she would wish to turn to. They weren't the younger ones for no reason.

"Brothers are supposed to be like that. I've always wanted one." 

Sophie didn't really have anyone that she could call her own but she made her own family along the way - Cassie, Melody, Chad Ward and.....it hurt to think about her family in Narnia because she was the one who had left them behind. Would they grieve her? Would she ever find out what happened to them? To him?

"You have a brother now." Lucy put her arm through Sophie's as they moved on to the next shop. "You have two, in fact. Peter included."

Peter Pevensie was studying at Professor Kirke's house in the countryside of England. The four Pevensies were sent there during the time of war and that was where their beautiful journey began where they created history. Sophie had talked with both Peter and Susan through letters. Lucy couldn't help herself while writing about the newcomer and told them everything that Sophie had told her and Edmund. The elder Pevensies were more than happy to mention her in their letters that they sent once in a while.

Peter asked her questions about the recent administrations in Narnia and wanted to know if everything was alright there. He also inquired about Caspian, Reepicheep and Trumpkin. 

Susan didn't have many friends and confided in Sophie about the navy official she was considering to court, wanting someone to talk to her age.  

Peter had wanted to know if Caspian had been keeping the promise he had made, which made Sophie feel hopeful for what future held in this world. Love was love. It shouldn't have mattered whether the person one loved was of a different gender or the same. Sophie was really surprised that he did so because Peter knew about Sophie and Caspian's engagement - well, almost one, anyway. 

But all of them got along very well even though they only knew each other through letters.

"You are the best blessing that I've ever got."

Sophie could see that Lucy wanted to hug her but the crowd was increasing as the seconds passed by and they knew that they had to concentrate on getting everything that they needed. "Do we have everything?" Lucy asked.

"Yes, we do," affirmed Sophie after going twice through the list. "Where is Edmund?" She wondered as she looked around for the newsboy hat that he had been wearing.

"I think I know," Lucy claimed, looking at a military officer walking out of a building.

Sophie groaned. "Oh no, not again."

"Nobody can change him," she answered and the two of them walked over to the building where boys were giving names to join the army.

They had to burst Edmund's bubble by calling out his real name when he was at the counter for registration. Sophie was trying to convince herself that he wouldn't actually do it but he would have gotten caught either way. He had stolen Mrs. Scrubb's identity card and was trying to convince the officer that his name was Albert A. Scrubb. 

"I'm sorry, Edmund," Sophie said as the three of them walked out of the building.

"It was worth a try. He wasn't going to let me in anyway." 

Edmund was feeling an ice cold anger that he didn't want to show out on the girls. It wasn't their fault that he had a taste for war. He wanted to see his father again, to know that he was safe despite the charter that came monthly and his name wouldn't be on it.

"I think that your Aunt is making something special today, if that helps." Sophie elbowed his arm playfully.

"I think that she is planning to make the vegetable stew that we love a lot." Lucy said optimistically.

That night once everyone went to bed, Sophie crept out of her room - well, Lucy's room - and opened the door of the attic. She climbed up the stairs without making any noise and reached the cold, dark and empty room above. Then, she opened the skylight and pulled herself onto the rooftop. 

"I thought that I told you to sleep tonight," Edmund teased as Sophie kept the door open.

"If I had listened to you, you would have been stuck here all night."

Edmund knew that the skylight could only be opened from one side and didn't say anything after her comment. Silently, she sat down next to him and the two of them looked at the town and more importantly, the moon and the stars. 

Edmund and Sophie met each other on the rooftop on her first week in London. She went up there to get cold, trying to remember the feeling of being in Narnia. Someone had followed her as she had suspected and when she was about to punch them in self defense, it turned out to be him. He told her that the rooftop was the only place where he had a sense of peace, indicating that it was "his spot". Sophie felt a surge of emotions in her and broke down. Edmund told her that she could share his space as long as they could talk to each other about the things that bothered them.

Since then, Sophie had a new friend to keep her company during sleepless times. That night, she could see that he was lost in his thoughts as he looked at the moon. His shoulders shook, but it wasn't because of the cold. He was missing someone.

"You know?" She started talking to fill the silence. "I was wondering about your time during the Golden Age. It is called 'Golden' for a reason. I always wonder what happened then."

"Ask away." 

He pulled his legs closer to him, a little hesitant to talk about it because of the memories that he had been trying to bury. One question could break all the walls that he had been building for himself.

"I'll ask you tomorrow along with Lucy. I'm noting down the ones that I want to ask you in my mind."

"Can I tell you something then? It might an awful lot personal though. I hope you don't mind. We seem to share our feelings towards silence somehow but I must ask you this."

"Not at all. Ask away." 

Sophie wondered what it was because Edmund wasn't the type to reveal what he thought. He liked to keep his thoughts buried to himself and wouldn't budge unless you annoyed it out of him. And he was right! 

He thought about how he wanted to phrase what he wanted to say and spoke after a few seconds. "I'm happy that Caspian found you. He must have been really happy. You are a very special person, Sophie. You can change people's minds without even wanting to."

Sophie was taken aback, not expecting them to talk about Caspian. "You really think so?"

"I know so. I felt that it was my right to tell you about who you are. You've changed our miserable time here for the better."

"Come on. Eustace is not that bad."

"Try living with him." He shook his head. "Anyway. He is right for you, Su." He scoffed and then stared at Sophie in shock, realising what he had said after that. "I mean, Sophie! I-I didn't mean to say that you were Susan....o-or that I thought you were her and that-"

"Edmund, dude!" Sophie clamped his shoulders as he started rambling. "Calm down. I'm glad that you think of me as your sister. I consider you four to be my siblings as well."

He breathed out in relief. "Well then, as your younger brother, I thought that you should know that you are a wonderful person."

"Says the guy who is still blaming himself for something that happened almost three decades ago."

"I...." he started, making Sophie raise her eyebrows at him.

"You know that I'm right. You shouldn't blame yourself, Ed. It was a long time ago and Jadis had you under her spell. She's a very manipulative person."

"I shouldn't have hated my siblings in the first place," he remarked, finally opening up about that topic, even if it was only a mere sentence. Getting him to talk about what happened to him was the hardest task anyone could be assigned to.

"You were a kid! A middle child, come on. Your siblings have already forgiven you. Aslan himself has forgiven you. I think it is time that you do so yourself." Sophie would have placed a hand on his shoulder but both of them did not like being touched. Maybe it had something to do with what they had been through, maybe it didn't. But she would respect him just as she would want her to be respected.

"Thank you, Sophie," he smiled, his lips pressing together.

She punched his arm playfully. "Anytime, little bro." 

*****
Cast

Georgie Henley as Lucy Pevensie

Skandar Keynes as Edmund Pevensie