Fic: For Duty's Sake

[caramelsilver]

Title: For Duty's Sake
Author: caramelsilver 
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 4700

Summary: Of what value is a man's life be he brother or king or spy? What price would Edmund pay for any of them?

AN: One scene in this story was written for the narniaexchange , that scene is almost the same. The rest is new. I re-wrote it because I thought it deserved more. I knew there were more story, but in November I didn't have the time to write it. This is that story.


___

A letter arrived at Cair Paravel an early spring morning. The letter was addressed to the Throne of Narnia, which meant all of the four sovereigns, but the message found its way quickly into the hands of King Edmund.

It was a message from King Kurtaín of Terringesia. Terringesia was a tropical country which bordered to Calormen in the south and had a long sea border. Thus, they had a growing fishing industry, but what Terringesia was most famous for was their spices. Narnia had managed to make a profitable exchange, giving Narnia cheap spices, while Terringesia got a discount on the famous Narnian wool.

Lately Edmund had started to mistrust the king of Terringesia. His worries had been confirmed earlier that year, when Edmunds spy, a boy named Quinton, had informed him that Terringesia was planning on making a war alliance with Calormen by marrying off the eldest daughter of King Kurtaín to the Tisroc's second oldest son.

The letter was short and while it was peppered with the usual flatteries and courtly language the underlying tone of the message was threatening. The presence of one of the four monarchs was requested, and should they not come, Terringesia would start looking for wool in other places.

Edmund had been prepared to receive a letter like this for quite some time. He had not heard from Quinton in over two months.

Edmund sat in his chair in his office while reading over the letter for the fourth time. He realised he had to move quickly or else they might have another war hungry nation on their tail. One was enough. It was less than a week before Peter and he were ready to ride to the north. The giants had been too much trouble for too long, and they had finally decided that enough was enough.

He rubbed his forehead and sighed. What to do, what to do? He rose slowly and looked out the window before making a decision. He needed to talk to Susan.

---

Edmund found Susan taking a stroll in Lucy's garden. The gentle queen was deep in thought reading a letter. He walked up to her and walked with her for several paces before she realised he was there.

"Oh, Edmund! You gave me a fright!" Susan gasped and clutched her chest.

He laughed and rubbed her back. "Sorry, Su. I didn't see you failed to realise you had company," he joked.

"We really need to put a bell on you. It's so hard to hear you coming!" Susan said and looked at him as if he did it on purpose. "How on earth do you manage to be so quiet?"

Edmund shrugged. "Well, when you learn to not make a sound while wearing armour, I guess it becomes second nature while not wearing any heavy metal."

They walked together in silence for a while, before Edmund said, "What was that letter you where reading? Must have been something important since you didn't notice my presence?"

Susan blushed pink and said, "It was a letter from Prince Rabadash of Calormen."

A disgusted look threatened to appear on his face, but he fought it down for his sister's sake. He had never liked Rabadash. The prince had come to visit them last summer and entered their annual tournament. Edmund had duelled him and won, and even managed to break his nose. Obviously the broken nose had not sent the message Edmund had intended, for the Calormene prince had continued to court his older sister. For over a year they had been exchanging letters.

"And what does he write this time?" Edmund asked in a polite voice. He looked at his sister as she shyly looked away. This was not like Susan at all. She had always been in control of her feelings and emotions and none of her numerous suitors so far had been able to get any kinds of warm feelings out of her.

Opening the letter, as if she was to read it again, she looked down and said, "Prince Rabadash has invited me to visit him at his home in Tashbaan."

Edmund was quiet for a long time and Susan looked at him in worry when he didn't say anything. "What do you think, brother?" she finally asked when the silence stretched out too long.

"I think…" Edmund started to say before looking around to make sure they were alone. "I think he is going to ask you to marry him."

Susan nodded. "I think so, too."

They reached a bench and sat down. Edmund gently took her hand and asked, "And what are your feelings on that subject?"

She looked at him and smiled, and then she shook her head and looked away. "I do not know."

"You will go, off course?" Edmund asked, halfway hoping she would say no.

She squeezed his hand and nodded. "Yes, no matter what my answer is, I have to go."

"When?"

She avoided his eyes and said in a whisper, "In a month."

Edmund took a deep breath and breathed out one word: "Damn."

"I know."

Quickly thinking through the dates, with the war campaign that was to begin in a week and the letter in his pocket and now Susan's trip to Calormen, Edmund knew that everything would not go according to plan.

"You can't go on your own," he said in a voice that broached no argument.

Susan sighed. "Yes, I know. Well, I could, but it wouldn't be proper." She waved her hand. "But what are we to do? You and Peter will be in the north and I do not have any other male relatives!"

In Calormen it was custom that no unmarried woman could visit an unmarried man's home without a male relative to escort her. But since Susan was queen of her own country this could be overlooked, but it would not be looked upon nicely.

"The Calormene already thinks so badly of us. I do not want to offend them further," Susan said, slightly panicked.

"I'll come with you," Edmund said.

"But what about the giants?" Susan asked.

"There is something else I have to do before I can leave with Peter, anyway," Edmund said in a tired voice, and handed Susan the letter from Terringesia.

Taking the letter, Susan quickly read through the short note from King Kurtaín. "This is bad," was all she said.

"Yes. I have to get there as fast as I can," Edmund said. "No matter what, there's no way I can come back in time to leave with Peter and the army."

"We need to have a family meeting," Susan said, and got up from the bench. Calling for one of her messenger birds, she instructed it to give a message to both Peter and Lucy to come to Edmund's office immediately.

---

The room was quiet. After telling Peter and Lucy about the news they just all sat in silence.

Then Lucy said: "This is bad. Edmund can't be in Terringesia and fight the giants at the same time. Susan needs a male relative to chaperone her meeting with her boyfriend and Peter needs support! We all know what happens if he gets left alone too long! He'll drown or something!" Her voice had gotten shrill and her rant had been accompanied with large hand gestures.

"Oi!" Peter called out indignantly. "I am perfectly fit to look after myself."

Lucy deflated. "I know. I'm sorry. It's just I feel a lot more safe when the two of you are together whenever you go out in battles." She sat down in her chair and put her head in her hands. "This whole mess could almost be avoided if I could just go with Susan, but I can't. One, I'm a woman, and two, someone has to stay behind here."

They were seated in Edmund's office around the fire. Even though it was spring it was still chilly when the sun wasn't out.

Peter stood up and traced his finger over the spines of the books standing in the nearby bookshelf, deep in thought, before turning back to them. "Very well, this is how we will do it. Edmund, you are going to Terringesia as fast as you can possibly go. You'll sail with The Duchess since she is the fastest ship we have. The voyage to Mombasal will take six days if we're lucky. You'll conclude the business with King Kurtaín as quickly as humanly possible, then you will come back home. When you come home, the army and I will hopefully have left," Peter said, looking at Edmund who nodded along in agreement.

Turning to Susan, he continued to say: "Susan, you will have made all the preparations for your journey to Tashbaan while Edmund is been gone. I suggest you take the Splendor Hayline. She's fast and she will impress the Calormene. When Edmund arrives home, you'll sail for Calormen as soon as possible. How long are you planning to stay in Tashbaan, Su?" he asked.

Susan frowned in thought and said, "I'm not sure. No more than twenty days, I think."

Peter nodded and started to pace. "Good. Good." He turned to Edmund again. "Hopefully, you'll be back with us in the north in less than two months."

Edmund smirked, "Hopefully the battles will be over by then, you mean?"

Peter smiled wistfully. "Yes. But I have a bad feeling we won't be so lucky."

---

The day went on with each sibling making the proper arrangements. Edmund contacted the captain of The Duchess who informed him they could be ready to sail in two days. After telling his valet to pack his trunk for a week's journey, he went in search of his brother.

Peter was to be found cooped up in his office behind a large stack of papers. Edmund sat down in a chair waiting for Peter to finish reading an important-looking document.

"What are you reading?" Edmund finally asked when Peter didn't seem to be nearing the end of the parchment anytime soon.

Peter looked up and said in a tired voice, "The list over how many extra weapons we need to bring."

"Sounds like captivating reading," Edmund quipped.

"It isn't! Especially since this was actually your job. But since you are leaving in… When are you leaving?" Peter stopped to ask.

Edmund sighed and banged his head into the headrest of his chair. "Two days," he said, exasperated.

"I hate this," he mumbled. Peter looked at him in confusion. "Not being able to come with you," Edmund clarified.

"It'll be fine," Peter said. "We know that this sometimes happens. Duty always comes first, and this time we have to split up for the good of Narnia."

Edmund harrumphed. "I still don't like it! Lucy's probably right. On your own you have a tendency to get yourself into trouble. You'll probably go and get yourself dead!"

"'Get myself dead'? What kind of poor grammar is that?" Peter asked laughingly.

"You're avoiding the point!" Edmund almost shouted. "I hate it when you go into battle without me at your back. Someone has to make sure you don't do anything courageously stupid."

Peter got up from his desk and came around and sat down next to his brother. Putting a comforting arm around his shoulders in a one armed hug, Peter said, "I know."

And that was enough.

---

The Duchess left the harbour early Fifthday. The army was scheduled to leave Cair Paravel the following Firstday. Edmund couldn't help but feel that this was all going the wrong way. He should be with his brother now, not on his way to fix a stupid political mistake that should never had happened in the first place.

"Your Majesty?" A gruff voice said behind him. Edmund turned around to meet the tall, bearded man that was the ship's captain.

"Captain Lochlan," Edmund nodded.

"The wind is good and we should enter the open sea in an hour or so," said the Captain. "Hopefully if the weather keeps being this great we'll be in Terringesia in five to six days."

"Let's hope for five," Edmund said, before walking down to his cabin.

---

They met no trouble and all Edmund had to do was wait. He spent his days on deck reading through the reports Quinton had sent him through the two years the man had been in his service. Sometimes, to break up the monotony, he played chess with the captain.

"Your Majesty is a bloody good chess player," Lochlan remarked for the fourth time that game.

Edmund smirked. "Well, good my captain, I have been working on my chess skills for over fifteen years now."

A surprised looked crossed the captains bearded face. "Really? Fifteen years you say? Aye, that's enough to make anyone good, I suppose."

---

When they were nearing Mombasal, Edmund could feel the subtle shift of air. From being the dry desert air that came with the winds from Calormen, it shifted to the heavier damp air of the tropical country Terringesia.

As they anchored up and went ashore Edmund commanded the captain to reload and make the ship ready to leave as quickly as possible.

A messenger was sent off to inform the King of Terringesia that Edmund had arrived.

To kill time until the messenger came back, Edmund took a walk through the market on the harbour. The atmosphere was so different here from Narnia -or Calormen for that matter. Here, because of the humid air, everyone was dressed in thin shirts and short trousers. The women, whose skin was dark as the coffee he drank in the morning, displayed their shoulders and legs without shame. Edmund found it refreshing, just like the last time he had been here.

In the market there was booths filled with exotic fruits and nice-smelling spices. Following his nose Edmund ended up at a booth that sold strong coffee with honey, and sweet buns with dark chocolate. He could not resist and ended up with buying two buns and a large cup of coffee. He sat down on one of the small tables and for a minute he let himself just enjoy. He had always been fond of travelling. He mourned the fact that he didn't get to explore this wonderful world as much as he wished he could. What was to be found in the unexplored east? How he wished to find out.

The market, which spanned over the entire harbour, was one of the most well-known market places in the entire known world. Lucy had told him that if he did not come home with jewellery made out of white jade, then she would no longer think of him as one of her two favourite brothers! That was why Edmund found himself in front of a spread of necklaces and bracelets bejewelled with white jade. He scratched his head, and looked at them with a dazed expression. To him they all looked almost the same and he just did not know which Lucy and Susan would like best.

"Can I help you, sir?" the girl behind the booth asked, after Edmund had stood there for solid ten minutes without making a move.

"I'm trying to buy something for my sisters, but I have no idea what to buy," Edmund said, looking at her helplessly.

She laughed at his expression and came over to his side to help him.

"Well then, sir. What does your sisters' usual jewellery look like?" she asked, logically.

He frowned. "Well… Lucy prefers necklaces that has… you know… small jingly things on it…" Edmund tried to explain by jingling his hands in front of his chest.

The sales girl grinned and pointed to some necklaces, "You mean charms? Like these?"

"Yes!" Edmund exclaimed.

The girl held a chain with several charms on it out for Edmund to look at. The charms ranged from hearts and stars to a tiny elephant and a tiny crown, all made out of white jade. He liked it immediately, and nodded. "Yes, that's lovely. Lucy will love it."

The girl smiled in victory and put it away in the back of the counter. Then she turned back to Edmund and said, "I believe you mentioned more than one sister?" Her voice was hopeful. White jade was rather expensive and it wasn't often people bought more than one at the time.

Edmund smiled in response. "That's right. I have an older sister too."

"What kinds of necklaces does she like?" she asked.

"Hmm… Susan is more moderate than Lucy. She likes single pieces of…" he trailed off as his eye caught a necklace curled up in the back of the display. It was a golden chain with a pendant carved into a rose. "That one," Edmund said and pointed. "That one is perfect."

The girl picked it up and went to pack up both the necklaces.

He paid and felt he had been successful. He was sure both the girls would love their presents.

Reluctantly he walked back to the ship. And as he expected, the messenger was back, and said that the King was waiting for his arrival.

---

Edmund and his two guards reached the castle just before sundown. The walk had Edmund getting quite mad. He shouldn't be here at all! He should be with his brother. And why had Quinton gotten caught? He had done well for over two years, and Edmund had paid him handsomely for it too. Quinton's intelligence had given Narnia great advantage when dealing with both Terringesia and Calormen.

Edmund reached the hallway before the throne room and he took a deep breath and slipped on his diplomat face. He had to be cold. He had to be callous. He had to be cruel. To make King Kurtaín think that he has made a mistake, Edmund had to be in full control. He could do this. In Galma and Tashbaan they called him Silvertongue, this should be no challenge for him.

He straightened his back and started walking down the corridor quickly. Edmund's guards had trouble keeping up and he smirked. The poor guards guarding the throne room trembled when they saw him coming. He did not stop and they hurryingly opened the door for him as King Edmund swept into the room.

The herald at the door looked at him in confusion and not before Edmund stood in the middle of the room did he manage to stutter out, "King Edmund of Narnia seeks audience with The Great King Kurtaín of Terringesia!"

"What's the meaning of this?" King Kurtaín bellowed when Edmund came barging in.

King Kurtaín sat upon his throne. A piece of furniture that was more pompous than that, Edmund had never seen. It was painted gold and was bedecked with jewels and the seat was comprised of numerous silk pillows. The king himself wore robes in the same colours as the cushions and thus was a little hard to spot.

"I believe you summoned me," Edmund said. "And here I am. All the way from Narnia."

He looked the king straight in the eye, his face carefully arranged into a passive expression, and said with an icy voice, "So, what exactly is so important that you had to drag me away from my duty to my country?"

The king smirked and gestured towards one of his guards. "I have something you might find interesting."

One of the many doors opened and a guard came in dragging a dirty, ragged man into the room. He was tossed on the floor in front of the gigantic throne and remained lying down.

Edmund glanced at him only for a second. He needed Kurtaín to think he didn't care who this beaten man was, but inside Edmund ached for the young boy he had once picked up from the streets of Mombasal and thought him how to properly follow someone. Quinton was thin and there was tiny burn marks all over his skinny body. His dark skin, which used to be unmarred, was now littered with scars and sores.

"And what's that?" Edmund haughtily asked. A brief look of confusion passed the King of Terringesia's face.

"Him!" Kurtaín said, and pointed to Quinton.

"And who is this young man?" Edmund asked with polite interest, as if he had never seen the boy before.

King Kurtaín started to get red in the face and he shouted, "Don't pretend that you don't know who he is! This man was caught trailing my Secretary of State! When questioned he said the Thrones of Narnia had employed him!" The red colour was starting to look a little more like purple.

"Really? And what kind of 'questioning' was this?" Edmund said, disgusted, and looked at Quinton again. "Torture can make anyone say anything," he said dismissively.

King Kurtaín straightened up and looked at Edmund with something akin to hate. "He said that Narnia was paying him money for telling them what's going on in our administration!" he bit out between clenched teeth.

"What a wonderful tale. My guess is that your 'spy' here, was only going to pick your secretary's pocket, and when he got caught, and you put him under torture, he said what you wanted him to say. Narnia is probably the only country he knows of that isn't Calormen," Edmund said with a lazy voice.

Quinton had turned his head and was giving him an impressed look. Edmund was glad that Quinton seemed to know that Edmund could not help in anyway, but only try to dispel the notion of him being a paid Narnia spy.

He took a breath before saying what he hoped would shut King Kurtaín up and silence the rumour of Narnian spies in every big city of the world.

Edmund gave the king a deadly glare. "I cannot believe that you would pull me away from aiding my brother for a dirty street urchin. I have never met this man before in my life. My sisters would not even be allowed to be in the same room with someone like him. And if you are even suggesting that the High King of Narnia would hire a spy to keep track of his allies…" Edmund trailed off, and he could see King Kurtaín wince a little at the forceful use of 'allies'. "Well, you shouldn't. The High King trusts his friends. And surely we have nothing to fear from Terringesia?" Edmund finished lightly.

Edmund knew very well, from the last report Quinton had managed send him, that Terringesia was thinking of forming an alliance with Calormen to try and invade Archenland and later Narnia. King Kurtaín had been deeply insulted when Susan had refused his offer of marriage. King Kurtaín, who was over fifty, had had 'a snozberry tart's chance of seeing tomorrow with Edmund around',as Lucy put it, and shouldn't have been so offended.

Under Edmund's hard stare, King Kurtaín had the decency to blush.

"Now, was there anything else Your Majesty wanted to discuss?" Edmund asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

King Kurtaín squirmed a little, but said, "No, King Edmund, there wasn't."

"Good. Send Our greetings to your lovely daughters. And rest assured that Narnia will come on a proper visit later when we are not so pressed for time," he said politely.

The king nodded. "Thank you, I will."

Edmund turned to leave, but stopped and added, "When I think about it, you should expect my sister, Queen Lucy, to arrive in a three months time to renegotiate our spice trade. We might have found someone cheaper than you." With that, Edmund swept out of the throne room, his cloak billowing behind him.

He kept up the pace as he walked through the corridors of the castle. He was careful not to change his facial expression and he probably scared a lot of people. Not before he reached The Duchess did he allow himself to smile in relief. He'd done it. And with minimal lying too!

His sisters wouldn't be allowed to be in the same room as any of his spies. Not that many of them were at Cair Paravel. Only Tumnus and he knew who they were. And Peter did trust his allies, but only because of Edmund's reports. Peter would also never hire someone to track a high-ranking official because he had Edmund to do it for him.

---

It was dark, but the city was not quiet at all. He could hear soft upbeat music from the many pubs and taverns, and he could hear the soft sound of the waves from the sea.

The Duchess was still, though. All crew who was not on duty had gone to bed hours ago, and the few who was stood still in the shadows. Edmund stood on deck and tried to just be. He was so worried that Terringesia would attack them anyway. He was afraid of Peter, up alone in the north. And he was not sure what to think of the imminent trip to Calormen. All he could think was that he hoped that Susan would take to her senses and that he would be able to bring her home unattached.

He sent off a message to Cair Paravel, telling them that everything had gone well and that they would be on their way in the morning.

Edmund had been unable to sleep and now he was just listening to the sound of one of his favourite cities in the world. If he disregarded the official reports and the people who came along with it, the people here were one of the most welcoming he had ever met. He felt easily accepted here. And the food was amazing. If he could, he would be in one of the taverns right now, getting drunk on coconut wine and singing Mombasal drinking songs unique to this city. But he couldn't, because at the first sign of light they would be sailing home. And if he thought really hard, he didn't mind. He was really looking forward to going home.

---

Fin.

Comments

[turkeyish.livejournal.com]

I like this!

I love your attention to details and the plot, and the way the story flows in such a matter-of-fact manner.

The bit with Edmund looking for gifts for his sisters is too cute. :D

[caramelsilver.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm so glad you liked it.

I've been experimenting with a little worldbuilding and such, and it's so much fun. The part with Edmund shopping might just be my favorite part, it was so much fun to write.

Thank you for reviewing, darling=)

[burntcopper.livejournal.com]

oh, brilliant. love the webs and frustration.

[caramelsilver.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I'm glad you liked it!