Twenty-fourth Prompt: Smile

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Edmund stared out of the window and watched the snow fall.
He was more comfortable around it than a few years ago, and he probably was okay, but he wasn't fine at all.

„Will you just sit there, stare outside and do nothing?“, Susan asked behind him.
Edmund didn't turn around.
„Maybe“, he said.

„Come on, Lucy wants to do something with us“, she said.

„I'll be on my way“, he said, still staring outside.

Susan left but Edmund stayed where he was.

„Edmund“, someone said and he thought that Susan had come back, but the voice didn't sound like her and she wasn't anywhere.

Nor was anyone else.

„Hello?“, he asked and stood up, grappong the blanket that was draped over him.

„I can make you king“, the voice said and Edmund dropped the blanket.

„No!“, he choked and stumbled backwards, looking around.
„You're death!“

The witch laughed, but no one was there.

„Sho- show yourself!“, he said with trembling voice, his breath going fast.

When he realised that the voice was coming out of his memory, he froze.

No. He didn't even want to think about it!
Why was it still alive?
Why was she still alive?

„Your little family is nowhere to be found!“

„No!“, Edmund said, trembling and shaking.
„No, no! Stop it!“

He pressed his hands to this ears, but it didn't stop, it only got worse.

„NO!“, he screamed.

The door flew open.

„Ed!“, he heard Peter say.

Edmund was crying by now, although he didn't know when he started to.

Peter pulled him close.
„Sh“, he said, hugging him tightly.
Edmund sobbed and grabbed after Peter's shirt to have something to hold on.

„What happened?“, Peter asked softly.

„I can...I still hear her“, Edmund choked.

„She's death, Edmund! That's the one thing I promise you, she is death“, Peter said.

„That changes nothing!“, Edmund sobbed.

Peter was silent for a long time.

„What did she say?“

„The usual“, Edmund answered quietly.
„She could make me king and all of that.“

„But you are king, Edmund. And you are king because Aslan thinks that you can be one.
No, because Aslan knows that you can be one.
He believed in you.“

Edmund said nothing.

„And so do I“, Peter said, with a small smile on his face.

„Oh, now you're quoting me, what?“, Edmund said and laughed a bit.

Peter's smile grew bigger.
„Maybe“, he said.

„Idiot“, Edmund grumbled while burying his face into Peter's shirt.

„I don't want to go to Lucy“, he said.

„I know“, Peter said. „I won't make you.“

„Thanks“, Edmund whispered.

„Can you stay?“

„I can.“

„Promise?“

„Promise.“