A/N: This is my first Lucy/Edmund sibling fluff fanfic. It took me a while to figure out how to pinpoint Edmund's character, not wanting to seem too much like Peter, with whom I am so used to writing about. I do hope that you all enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters nor the song I used for inspiration. There is also a quote I used from author William P. Young. I have to give credit where credit is due.
Her Diamonds
"I just can't seem to get through to her," Edmund heard Lucy say one night to herself as he passed by the room she shared with Susan. He stopped, turned around, and quietly peeked in to see Lucy lying on her bed in the dark, the moon being the only source of light. Edmund sighed, and figured that his little sister needed someone to talk to. It certainly wasn't going to be Susan.
Ever since he and Lucy returned from their last trip from Narnia with their cousin Eustace, Susan seemed more distant than ever. She no longer joined them in their conversations about the magical land they ruled over for fifteen years, no longer shared memories of the adventures they had and the people they met. It was if she was trying to forget Narnia altogether.
Lucy was the one who took it the hardest. In Narnia, Susan was the person that Lucy looked up to. It was more than once that Edmund heard them sneak to each other's bedchambers and stay up late talking back in Narnia. Susan was a mother and sister to Lucy, and now it seemed like she wasn't being much of either.
Earlier on Edmund had heard Lucy and Susan having a bit of a disagreement. Susan had asked Lucy her opinion as to what shade of lipstick she should wear. She was once again going out with her friends, spending less and less time at home. Lucy, truthful as always, said that she didn't need any, being beautiful the way she was. She also mentioned that in Narnia she didn't wear makeup at all and that many suitors practically lined up at the gates of Cair Paravel just to get a glimpse of Queen Susan the Gentle. He could hear Susan laugh and insist that Narnia was a game that they had played back the professor's house when they were sent away, nothing more than that. As the sound of Susan's shoes slowly faded downstairs and out the door, Edmund could only think of how hurt Lucy must have been to hear those words come out of her own sister's mouth.
Coming back to reality, he gently knocked on her door, not wanting to scare her. She noticed him, and sits up, only to be temporarily blinded by the moonlight. He made his way over to her bed and sat down next to her. Edmund looked into her eyes, and immediately felt the need to comfort her, to do something to ease her pain.
"She'll come around Lu," he said as he rubbed her back gently, not sure of what else he could say to make everything all right.
Lucy leaned against his shoulder and looking down at her, he could see tears starting to slowly fall from her eyes. To him they looked like diamonds, sparkling in the night, before falling on her sleeve. This only made his heart ache more for his little sister. It was so hard to see her crying, not being able to make it all better. He was at a loss for words that would take away her unhappiness and heartache; he didn't know what else to do.
Peter was the one that was good at this, the one Lucy usually ran to when she needed someone to comfort her and tell her that everything will be okay. But he was away at the professor's house studying for school, too far away to ease her pain.
Thinking that there was nothing more he could possibly do, Edmund sighed and rose from her bed, but a tug on his sleeve stopped him.
"Do you think that you could stay with me a little longer Eddy?" Lucy asked him, her eyes still bright and glossy with unshed tears.
"As long as you don't call me 'Eddy' ever again," he replied teasingly, and he was happy to see a little smile appear on his sister's face.
They stayed up late into the night, talking about their favorite memories from their stay in Narnia, jokes and laughter filling the small room. It was only after that Lucy yawned for the fifth time that Edmund decided to call it a night. She snuggled underneath the covers and bid him goodnight. As he left the room, she gave him a small smile, though it had a tinge of sadness around its edges.
Oh what the hell she says
I just can't win for losing
And she lays back down
Man there's so many times
I don't know what I'm doin'
Like I don't know now
By the light of the moon
She rubs her eyes
Says it's funny how the night
Can make you blind
I can just imagine
And I don't know what I'm supposed to do
But if she feels bad then I do too
So I let her be
And she says oooh
I can't take no more
Her tears like diamonds on the floor
And her diamonds bring me down
Cuz I can't help her now
She's down in it
She tried her best and now she can't win it's
Hard to see them on the ground
Her diamonds falling down
A week or so later Edmund still didn't know what to do when it came to Lucy. She hadn't been overly sad since that night, but then again, she wasn't the same bright, ray of sunshine that he had always known her to be.
He looked up from the book he had been pretending to read at his desk and noticed that the moon and stars were out shining in the night sky. Losing track of time, he got up from his desk to put his books away, when he noticed something in their backyard. A figure was sitting in the middle of the lawn, looking up at the necklace-diamond sky. Edmund knew it could only be one person.
He quickly grabbed a blanket from his bed and headed downstairs to the door leading to the backyard. He made his over to where she sat, gazing up at the bright full moon, clutching her arms for warmth from the chilly night air.
"C'mon Lu," he whispered gently lifting her up by her shoulders to get her to stand. She slowly did, and he wrapped the blanket around her shoulders, leading her back inside. As they went up the stairs, Edmund noticed that Lucy seemed to be doing this almost mechanically, as if she was in a trance or a state of shock.
Now somewhat concerned for his sister, he led her back to his room. He had her sit down on Peter's unoccupied bed. With the moonlight now shining on the bed, Edmund could see that she was trying to hold back tears, though failing miserably.
"What is it Lucy?" he asked quietly, sitting down next to her, "You're starting to scare me a little."
Without warning, she wrapped her arms around his midriff and buried her head into his chest, crying. Edmund let her hold him, her body shaking with the sobs that she had been holding in for so long. He reached his own arms around her, holding her close to him, rocking her ever so slightly, having never before seen his baby sister so shattered, so crushed, so vulnerable. He kissed the top of her head soothingly, reassuring her that he wasn't going anywhere. He was her rock, her shoulder to cry on.
"It's Susan," she finally said in between gasping for air, "Sh-she said that I should learn to grow up and stop believing in such fantasies as Narnia. She said she doesn't see the point in remembering something that never happened in the first place, that it was all just a game."
"I'm tired of Susan pretending Narnia isn't real…and I'm tired of pretending that it's okay."
Edmund shed a few tears of his own during Lucy's recount of what Susan had said to their loving little sister, careful to not let her see them. It was as if the wind had been knocked out of him. Oh Gentle Queen, he thought, where have you gone?
He quickly wiped away his own tears, and gently disentangling himself from her embrace, got down on the floor in front of her, taking her hands in his.
"Don't let her get to you Lu," he said, stroking her hands softly, "Don't let yourself think for one minute that she's right and you're wrong. You've always been right from the very beginning. It was your faith that has kept us strong…has kept me strong and I know with Aslan's help and guidance that we'll get through this, together. The last time I didn't believe you, I ended up looking pretty stupid."
Lucy gave a small giggle, and as she tilted her head up to look at him, he could still see the remnants of her tears glistening like fine jewels in the moonlight.
"I think you're channeling Peter's spirit," she said with a slight smirk.
"Oh, great," he mumbled sarcastically, and he noticed Lucy's smile was a bit wider than before.
He got up off the floor and sat on his own bed across from her and said, "My Valiant Queen, you don't have to face this alone. You know you can tell me anything. I am here for you when you need me, always. I care about you very much, sister mine."
"I should do well to remember that, my Just King," she replied, and leapt up from the bed, and gave him a hug, knocking him onto his back.
"Well, this Just King might not live to see tomorrow if you keep this up," he said, tickling her to get her off of him. She rolled onto his bed next to him, catching her breath.
Before Lucy could reply, they heard the front door open and close, indicating that Susan was home.
"Do you want to sleep here for the night?" he asked, seeing a look of sadness beginning to wash over her face.
"You sure?" she asked almost timidly.
"Of course Lu," he answered, giving her hand a gentle squeeze of reassurance.
She sits down and stares into the distance
And it takes all night
And I know I could break her concentration
But it don't feel right
By the light of the moon
She rubs her eyes
Sits down on the bed and starts to cry
And there's something less about her
And I don't know what I'm supposed to do
So I sit down and I cry too
But don't let her see
And she says oooh
I can't take no more
Her tears like diamonds on the floor
And her diamonds bring me down
Cuz I can't help her now
She's down in it
She tried her best and now she can't win it's
Hard to see them on the ground
Her diamonds falling down
They both shared his bed, getting beneath the sheets, and whispered goodnight to each other. He watched her fall into a peaceful sleep, her chest rising and falling rhythmically. He knew Lucy would find a way to get through this. She had always been the one who held onto that hope, that faith, no matter how grim the circumstances were back in Narnia. She brought joy and light into his siblings' lives as well as his.
He looked at her sleeping form, and remembered when he had once searched for the definition of 'valiant'. He had not quite understood what it had meant when Aslan bestowed the title to Lucy, and went to the royal library to look it up. He came across "brave" and "courageous," words associated with his sister's namesake. But when he saw the word "lion-hearted," it was then that Edmund knew that the Great Lion had chosen wisely. It just seemed to fit…perfectly.
Lucy brought so much joy and light into the world, and would defend Aslan until the end of time, even when so many people around her doubted Him. She never waivered in her faith for Him; Edmund figured she would all right.
But not tonight. Tonight she can put aside her brave face and title, and just be Lucy. Tonight she can let it all out and it's all right if she cries. Tonight, he is her comforter, her friend, her brother. It's not much, but it's all he can do. It's all he knows; it's all he's ever known.
She shuts out the night
Tries to close her eyes
If she can find daylight
She'll be all right
She'll be all right
Just not tonight
And she says oooh
I can't take no more
Her diamonds like diamonds on the floor
And her diamonds bring me down
Cuz I can't help her now
She's down in it
She tried her best and now she can't win it's
Hard to see them on the ground
And she says oooh
I can't take no more
Her diamonds like diamonds on the floor
And her diamonds bring me down
Cuz I can't help her now
She's down in it
She tried her best and now she can't win it's
Hard to see them on the ground
Edmund sells himself short the next morning, Lucy disagrees; he chases her outside, hearing her laugh when he catches her.
He woke up to find the sunlight streaming through his window. He then realized that he was the only occupant of his bed. Lucy had somehow managed to slip out of bed without waking him up, but then again he wasn't a light sleeper, and Lucy liked to get up early in the mornings, though he couldn't understand why.
He got dressed and headed downstairs where he heard noises coming from the kitchen. He entered the doorway and saw Lucy's back facing him, preparing breakfast, humming to herself. He recognized the tune to be an old Narnian song they had learned and danced to at so many balls together.
"Morning Ed," she said, her back still to him.
"How did you know it was me?" he asked, quite surprised that she had known who had entered the kitchen.
"I know your footsteps all too well," she answered, and Edmund was sure she had a smile on her face though he could not see it, "in Narnia I could hear you making your way to the kitchens late at night, sneaking some leftover sweets."
"I'm sure I have no recollection of me doing such a thing," he said defiantly, even though he was pretty sure that he felt his cheeks turn a bright shade of pink.
"Whatever you say brother mine," she answered as she finished setting the table. She then proceeded to give him a hug around his midriff.
"Lucy, what's this for?"
"Last night," she said simply, raising her head to look at him.
"Lu, there's really no need-"
"Yes there is," she interrupted, "There is no possible way for me to describe how much it meant to me that you were there when I needed you."
"Yeah, well, I'm certainly not Peter," he said releasing her from their embrace.
"I didn't ask for you to be Peter," she stated still holding onto one of his hands, " Nor will I ever ask you to. I want you to be Edmund. That's the brother I sought comfort from, the brother who could make me laugh. That's the brother I had last night, and I wouldn't have it any other way. My Just King was there for me."
She stood on her tiptoes to ruffle his hair, and as she turned around to finish breakfast, Edmund thought he didn't deserve such a wonderful and beloved sister.
"Don't thank me just yet Lu," as he patted down his messed up hair, quickly wiping away the tears that had formed in his eyes.
"Why?" asked Lucy, not seeing the mischievous smile that had appeared on his face.
"Because of this," he answered, and he grabbed her around the waist and started twirling her around in circles.
"Edmund! Stop it!" she pleaded while laughing, but her cries fell on deaf ears. She managed to get away from him, and he chased her out to the backyard. He finally caught her, and twirled her around yet again, making her laugh, the sweet infectious laugh he had not heard in a long time. If a rainbow makes a sound, or a flower as it grows, that was the sound of her laughter, he thought.
They both soon fell down in the grass, breakfast forgotten on the table. They held each other's hand, knowing that whatever the future held for them, they would be able to face it as brother and sister, the Just and the Valiant. Together.
THE END
Well? What did you think? The italicized thought of Edmund's was from William P. Young's book The Shack. I was reading it and that line just stuck out to me as something that would describe Lucy's laugh perfectly. I apologize if there are any spelling or grammatical errors that I missed.
I hope you all enjoyed it! Reviews make me happy!