Disclaimer - I own nothing you may recognize. Typris is mine…that's about it. I hope you enjoy the story! It's my first Narnia Fanfic! 

"Ed!"

….

"Ed!"

…

"EDMUND!" Edmund threw his King-sized covers off his head and sat up. He had always thought that if he ignored something long enough, it would eventually go away. Somehow, ignoring Peter never worked.

"WHAT!" He hollered, irritated that he was being awoken in such a fashion. In a second, his giant wooden door slammed open and Peter was standing in his doorway.

"What did you do with my sword?"

"I didn't do anything with it!"

"You had it last!"

"I did not!"

"Where is it then?"

"I just told you I didn't touch it! Maybe you could try listening to me for a change!" Peter silenced. In the few months since their coronation, Peter and Edmund had tried to act more like Kings than brothers, but on occasions such as this morning, Edmund felt as though they were back home in Finchley and he was being yelled at for spilling water all over Peter's homework. Typical. Peter loses something and blames me for it.

"I'm sorry Ed, but I really need to know where it is. I have about fifty counsels set up in the next few months."

"And you need your sword in case someone disagrees with you, is that it?" Edmund knew the remark was childish, but it was too early in the morning for him to be polite. Peter's ears went red.

"It's a symbol of Aslan's blessings upon us and I need it for protection." He said.

"Well, I don't know where it is. Go ask Lucy." Edmund yawned as he lay back down on his feather soft pillow.

"I've already asked her, and don't go back to bed. You've slept in late enough as it is."

"I barely slept in at all." Edmund muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing, oh High King brother of mine." Edmund replied with a bow. Peter gave him a skeptical glance as he left the room and closed the door behind him. Edmund pulled a face and stuck out his tongue before dragging himself out of bed. "Peter…always blaming me… 'Edmund, my sword is gone. You must have lost it since I'm the great High King Peter and I never lose anything.'" Edmund mocked Peter, lowering his voice as much as he could. "Right."

After breakfast, Peter nearly drove Edmund crazy requesting his aid in finding his sword.

"Why don't you ask Susan and Lucy to help?" Edmund asked, rubbing his head after he had collided rather nastily with a chair while looking to see if Peter had left his sword under the dinner table. "Aren't four sets of eyes more useful than two?"

"I don't want them, especially Lucy, crawling around the floor and getting dust in their lungs."

"But you don't mind if I die from choking on dust. I appreciate that Peter."

"It would be improper to ask them to help."

"Improper? What are you talking about?"

"They're ladies."

"They're not ladies! They're our sisters! They don't care if they get dirty. Lucy used to eat mud, for goodness' sake!"

"This coming from the boy who nearly choked on a beetle means nothing to me."

"I what!"

"Yeah, you tried to eat a beetle when you were two."

"That's disgusting!"

"No kidding."

Edmund was positively appalled. "You never told me about that!"

"You don't remember?"

"No!" Peter laughed. Edmund shuddered. "That is so revolting!"

"Yeah. That was the day you lost your soul to Turkish Delight."

"What?"

"After Dad pulled that beetle out of your throat you started gagging and Mum felt sorry for you and ran down to the store and bought you a whole box of Turkish Delight. I don't think I'd ever seen you happier than when you took that first bite."

"Well, I think it will be a long time before I can look at another piece of Turkish Delight without feeling sick."

"I bet." Peter laughed, and seconds later Edmund laughed too. Edmund couldn't believe how good it felt to laugh with Peter. He could hardly remember the last time they had laughed together. They were still chuckling when Lucy entered.

"Did you find it?" She asked.

"Not yet."

"Well, Susan sent me to tell you that lunch is being served outside."

"Come on Ed." Peter grinned and offered his hand to help his little brother up. Edmund smiled and accepted his help.

Outside, Susan and Tumnus had laid out a blanket for them to eat lunch on. The four monarchs and the Faun sat and ate and talked and laughed for over an hour.

"…And then the Chief Merman said to the crab, 'Well, maybe you shouldn't be so shellfish." Tumnus laughed at his own joke. Lucy and Susan laughed with him, Peter chuckled, and Edmund smiled politely. He had to admit he had heard better. As Tumnus started another joke, Edmund noticed a large black beetle crawling onto the blanket. Trying not to think about the story Peter had told him, Edmund attempted to brush the beetle off the blanket with his foot.

He missed.

He tried again.

Miss.

Third time's a charm. Edmund aimed, pulled his foot back, and kicked. "EEEEK!" Oops…

Edmund's foot, instead of kicking the beetle off the blanket, had shattered Susan's wine goblet, sending fragments of glass and wine all over Susan.

"EDMUND!" Peter was on his feet in an instant. Edmund automatically went into defense mode.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to…It was an accident!"

Peter gave him a murderous glare before kneeling down beside Susan. "Are you alright Su? Are your eyes alright?"

"I'm fine, Peter." Susan said, wiping wine out of her eyes. Peter gave her a brotherly rub on the shoulder before turning back to Edmund.

"You do realize that you could have blinded her." He accused.

"I wasn't trying to kick her glass!" Edmund could feel his blood boiling. "I was trying to kick that stupid bug off the blanket!"

"Eh-hem." A tiny voice came from the blanket. All four monarchs and Tumnus looked down at the Beetle. "We beetles are actually vastly more intelligent than you larger beings give us credit for."

"Oh…er…sorry…" Edmund said, a bit surprised. He hadn't expected to encounter a talking beetle. Not even in Narnia.

"And do not, for the love of Aslan, call me a bug."

"Right. Sorry."

"Quite alright. Cheerio." The beetle said before crawling off, leaving behind a short silence.

"Ed." Peter said seriously. "Aren't you going to apologize to Susan?"

"I already did!"

"Say it again!"

"Why me? Make that bug apologize to her!"

"Beetle!" The beetle called from the grass. Edmund gave an exasperated cry.

"I can't believe this! Even the insects are scolding me!"

"That's because you can't stay out of trouble." Peter told him.

"Peter, sit down!" Susan said. "It was just an accident."

"That doesn't matter. He'll never learn to control himself." Peter said. Edmund had had enough. With one final icy glare at his older brother, he stood up and stormed off into the woods.

"Good day Your Majesty." Typris, a young gnome whom Edmund had befriended, greeted him. Edmund growled in frustration. "Bad day?" Typris asked.

"You could say that."

"Too bad, Mate. Need to vent?"

"Oh no! Just because Peter thinks he has the right to treat me like vermin just because he's the oldest and I'm his misfit little brother and I get in trouble for everything, even when I didn't do anything…why would I need to vent?" Edmund took a deep breath.

"So Peter's on your case again?"

"Yeah." Edmund said shortly. "You know, he's never been in trouble in his life. He has no idea how hard it is to be in someone else's shadow all the time and to always be scolded by that person. He just makes me so…Urgh!" Edmund was so frustrated, he couldn't finish his sentence. "I'll see you later, Typ." He said as he stomped further into the woods.

Edmund spent the rest of the day in the forest, only returning to Cair Paravel when his hunger outweighed his frustration. He walked silently into the dining hall, glowering at everyone he passed.

"Good evening Ed." Peter said stiffly. Edmund glared at his older brother.

"'Evening." He muttered. Susan and Lucy exchanged glances. The four siblings endured an uncomfortable silence all through dinner. Afterward, they advanced into the living room. Susan picked up a book and began to read by the firelight. Peter taught Lucy to play chess. Edmund sat in a giant armchair and stared at the fire. After an hour, a knock came at the door to the living room. Lucy bounded to open it. A servant stood in the doorway holding a platter of goblets.

"Might I offer your Majesties something to drink?" All four accepted graciously. Edmund noticed that Peter's goblet was gold and decorated with emeralds and slightly larger than the rest of theirs. His, along with Susan's and Lucy's, was silver with tiny sapphires embedded around the bottom. Peter always gets the best of everything.

"This is delicious." Peter said after taking a long drink. "Tell whoever mixed it that they did a spectacular job."

"Yes, your Majesty. I'm sure Typris will be pleased."

"Typris…Isn't he that gnome friend of yours, Ed?" Peter asked.

"Yeah. He loves cooking and mixing stuff like this." Edmund said with a tone that suggested he had yet to forgive Peter for scolding him earlier. He took a sip of the drink and found that it was indeed very delicious. In no time at all, the four goblets were drained. Susan went back to reading her book. Edmund was thinking about going to visit Phillip in the stables when suddenly Lucy cried in triumph, "Ha! I finally beat you!" Edmund was shocked. No one, especially Lucy, could beat Peter at chess.

"You're joking!" Susan cried.

"I'm not! Look!" Lucy pointed to the chessboard excitedly.

"Well I'll be." Susan said, looking impressed. "Well done, Lucy! Peter, I'm surprised at you!" She laughed.

"Peter, are you alright?" Lucy asked, eyeing her eldest brother concernedly. He rubbed his forehead.

"I'm fine…I just feel a little woozy that's all." He said.

"Do you want me to fetch you a warm wash cloth for your head?" Susan asked.

"No…I'm fine." He said as he continued to rub his forehead.

"Perhaps you should go to bed." Lucy suggested.

"That may be a good idea." Peter stood, somewhat shakily. "This just hit me so suddenly."

"You probably stirred up too much dust today looking for your sword." Susan told him."And I know you haven't been sleeping well the past few nights planning all these counsels. You just need a good night's rest."

"I think you're right, Su. I'll see you all tomorrow." As soon as Peter left, Susan looked at Edmund and Lucy.

"I think it'd be a good idea for everyone to go to bed early tonight." She told them.

"Why?" Edmund asked.

"It's been a tiring day." Susan told him. Edmund grumbled incoherently, but hoisted himself off his chair and trudged off to his bedroom.