Disclaimer: Yada, yada, I don't own Narnia.

I've never been a loud person. I hate to raise my voice in any way, and yelling is pretty much out of the question (unless I'm angry, in which case I turn into the She-Hulk). But as I ran like a madwoman through the camp that morning, every cell in my lungs creaked under the strain of my shouts for the Pevensies.

"PETER! SUSAN! LUCYYY!"

I was still twenty feet away when I saw a tousled blonde head peek out of the tent. "Eden?" Peter sounded worn and mildly concerned. I trudged to a stop in front of him, placing my hands on my knees and trying to catch my breath.

"What's going on? Why are you yelling?" he mumbled, rubbing at his eyes. I held up my hand, still sucking in air like it was blood and I was a mosquito.

"Edmund," I spit out, "he's here. Now. With Aslan."

Peter's expression instantly changed and for a moment he seemed to be at a loss for words. Right then, Susan and Lucy stepped out of their tent.

"Peter, Eden... what's happening?" Susan asked, pulling her blanket tighter around herself and looking between the two of us.

"Is it Edmund?" Lucy was staring up at Peter with wide eyes.

He nodded, then looked straight at me."Where is he?"

"On the hill overlooking the camp," I replied, pointing in its direction. Peter turned towards the hill, but I grabbed his arm to stop him. "Peter, please don't be too hard on him." Of all the things Edmund needs right now, an angry and resentful brother isn't one of them.

Then something changed in his eyes and I suddenly realized how much emotion Peter hid beneath the surface. "I won't be," he said.

I let go of him and watched as he walked away, Susan and Lucy at his side. I trailed along behind them, but put a safe distance between us. I didn't want to get stuck in the middle of the siblings' reunion. I'd probably just make it more awkward than it already will be.

I sat down with my back against a tree and watched from a distance as Edmund saw his siblings for the first time in what probably felt like years. And at that point, it honestly had felt like years. Years since we were at the beavers' lodge. Years since I met the Pevensies. Years since that stupidly stormy day that I fell through time and space to end up in Narnia. I began to wonder if anyone even missed me at home or if I was in one of those situations where they end up not even noticing that you were gone. Strangely, I felt a bit jealous of the Pevensies. As hard as it had been, and was going to be, they still had each other. Maybe that made it worse, knowing that your family was in danger along with you. But they seemed stronger together, and I wished I had that strength.

As I sat pondering these things under the shade of the trees, I barely noticed when someone sat down beside me.

"Deep thoughts?"

I looked over to see Kiremnus staring out into the distance along with me. "Oh yes. The deepest," I said, giving him a half-smile that ultimately fell flat. "I just miss my family."

The faun nodded slowly. "Your family is in another world, then."

"Yeah." I glanced down at the ground and ran my fingers through the grass. "I mean, I'm glad. I wouldn't really want them to be here, in danger... but it would be nice to have their support, you know?" I sighed.

He was quiet for a moment. "I must admit, I have wondered about where you came from. You aren't from the same world as the Kings and Queens, are you?"

"It's... complicated. Basically, no." I made a face. "It's really confusing, but I come from another place and time in their world. That's why I look and sound different, I guess. American versus British and all that jazz."

Kiremnus gave me a blank look and I shook my head. "Like I said, it's complicated. Which is also why I'm not entirely sure how... or if... I'll be able to go back. I'm kind of hoping Aslan will help me with that when the time comes, but I guess I'll just have to wait and see."

My heart felt suddenly heavy, but I frowned and tried my best to remember the hope I'd felt earlier. I glanced over at Kiremnus. "So what about you, any family in the picture?"

He blinked, hesitating a moment before replying, "I have a sister."

I perked up. "For real? That's awesome! What's her name?"

Kiremnus' eyebrows furrowed at my exclamation. "Karys."

"That's a pretty name," I mused, "We have a name like that where I come from. It means 'grace'."

Kiremnus breathed out a heavy sigh. "Then she does not deserve her name."

I frowned. "How come?"

"She is in the pay of the White Witch," he muttered. "She has been for a many years now."

My eyes grew wide. "I'm so sorry," I replied quietly, not sure what else to say, "That's really awful."

He nodded and looked towards the sunrise, which was now a blazing pink-orange. "It's not... ideal."

"Maybe when she sees that Aslan is truly back-"

He shook his head. "My sister is stubborn. She likely never admit that she's on the wrong side, even if she knows the truth."

The look on his face was killing me inside. I couldn't stand to see him looking so hopeless and resigned. I felt the urge to reach over and grab his hand, but I didn't know if that was allowed in the Faun Code of Friendly Conduct. So I did the next best thing that came to mind – I reached over and patted him on the shoulder.

"What are you doing?" The 'this-girl-is-insane' look made a sudden reappearance.

I grimaced. I AM the awkward penguin. "I was trying to comfort you."

Kiremnus just stared at me for a moment before shaking his head and standing up. A hint of a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth."I don't need to be comforted, lyfreid. But thank you for trying."

"No problem," I replied. My eyebrows knit together quizzically. "Was that an insult?"

Kiremnus frowned down at me. "Was what an insult?"

I rolled my eyes. "That word. Lyfreid? What does it mean?"

The faintest hint of pink flashed across his cheeks and he reached back to scratch his neck. "It is just an expression. A old word that fauns use."

"An expression that means...?" I narrowed my eyes as he ignored my question. "It was an insult, wasn't it!" Probably meaning something along the lines of 'incompetent eejit'.

He coughed once and turned to walk away. "I should get back, I've been avoiding my duties for too long this morning."

I glared after him and shook my head. "Yeah, yeah, sure. Have fun polishing those swords, or whatever it is you actually do all day."

He didn't look back and soon disappeared from sight.

My stomach growled unexpectedly. OW. Food, where art thou when I needest thee? I climbed to my feet and patted my empty stomach sadly. It was long past time to get some breakfast. I needed to be prepared – who knew what the day ahead might bring?