This is my first attempt at a Chronicles of Narnia fanfic. Hope you like it.

Disclaimer: There is a reason why they call a fanfic a fanfic.

He was pale, terribly pale. The red of the fabric he wore over his chainmail seemed to drain away the little colour left in his skin. His ragged breathing was the only thing assuring her that he was still alive, but it sounded so painful, she almost wished it would stop.

Lucy knelt down beside Edmund. Peter was already at his side. Susan was taking off his helmet. The young girl reached for her cordial. Edmund wasn't dead yet. Father Christmas said that the juice of the fireflower could heal any wound. As long as Edmund was breathing, it wasn't too late.

Fingers met with empty air. She looked down. Panic and dread washed over her at the sight that met her.

The cordial wasn't there.

But it had to be there. She remembered putting the cordial in the strap, and the strap was around her waist. How could the cordial be gone when the strap wasn't? She wouldn't have been so foolish as to take it out, would she?

"Lucy, the cordial." Susan said urgently.

"It's not here." Lucy cried out in dismay.

"How can it not be there?" Peter sounded so desperate and afraid.

"I don't know." She was close to tears.

They could only watch as Edmund struggled for his last breath, and then stayed still. The brown eyes would forever be hidden from the world.

She woke up abruptly, finding herself in her bed and not on the grassy plains of Beruna. The pillow was damp with the tears that had flowed as she dreamed.

Her hand quickly felt for her cordial, but it wasn't there. She scrambled down from her big poster bed, not bothering to wear her slippers in her haste. The young queen did a frantic search around the room, unable to recall where she usually kept her Christmas gift.

Lucy finally found it in one of the drawers at her vanity. Clutching it close, she ran, bare-footed, towards Edmund's courter. He needed it. If he wasn't given the juice of the fireflower, he would die.

Her royal brother's private chamber was opposite Susan's which was located right next to hers. She could only be glad that they weren't far apart. Soon, she would be able to give Edmund the fireflower juice.

The Valiant Queen fumbled with the door and in her panic, almost failed to complete her task. She managed to calm herself enough to pull the handle. As soon as there was enough space between the door and the door frame to squeeze her petite body through, she entered her royal brother's chamber.

Lucy moved quickly towards his four poster bed. When she reached it, she quickly clambered onto the bed and knelt beside him.

Using the moonlight, she realized that Edmund didn't look as pale as earlier, neither was he wearing red. Deep, even breathing replaced the ragged breathing she remembered from her dreams.

Lucy sat on the bed with a sigh of relief. It was just a dream. Ed was given the fireflower juice. He was still alive. The Battle of Beruna had ended four months ago. She must have forgotten it after the nightmare.

Feeling relieved, Lucy shifted into a more comfortable position. She stretched herself and lay on her side, propped by an elbow so that she could gaze at Edmund's face.

Edmund, being a deep sleeper, had not reacted to the racket she made when she entered the room. For that, she was thankful. She wouldn't want her nightmares to cause someone else their sleep. And if anyone needed sleep, it was Ed.

Although she never said anything, she knew that Edmund spent a lot of his time either in the library or in his study when he wasn't having any meetings or lessons. He barely gave any time to himself, and would sacrifice his sleep without a thought to carry out his duties or find ways to help the Narnians back to their feet after the hundred year winter.

But he was running himself to the ground. At this rate, he was bound to fall ill one day and they probably would not notice until he passed out. They knew what he was doing, they knew the strain he was putting on his body, and the worst thing was, they couldn't do a thing. All three of them had acknowledged Edmund's need to redeem himself. They knew Edmund was finding it hard to forgive himself, and the only way he could was if he did something for Narnia, so they let him.

Lucy let herself fall back to the bed and snuggled close to her royal brother. Narnians were very forgiving, and Edmund destroyed the White Witch's want and almost got killed for it. How could he still think that he had not redeemed himself? Why did he still think of himself as a traitor? He was tricked and manipulated by the White Witch. It wasn't his fault.

She knew that Peter blamed himself for Edmund's actions and Susan would also feel guilty, but it wasn't their fault, really. If anything, it was Jadis' fault, and also Edmund's school. The horrid school was the one that made Edmund change, and the White Witch saw that opportunity and used it. It shows how cunning she was that although she was the one that caused Edmund to betray them, it was her siblings that felt at fault.

The funniest thing was, she was the only who thought that way. And when she brought that up, her royal siblings still continued to blame themselves. Why couldn't they just forgive themselves and get it over with? If that was the mindset of adults, she did not want to be one.

Her eyelids felt heavy. Edmund's even breathing was like a lullaby, lulling her to sleep. A yawn escaped her lips. Perhaps Edmund would not mind sharing his bed with her tonight.

"Night Ed." She mumbled sleepily as she was embraced by sleep.

The Valiant Queen slept beside her brother, the cordial held carefully in her hands.

Please review to let me know what you think about it.