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WALKING IN THE WIND
ii. WHEN THE HOPELESS MEETS HOPE

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  THIS WAS A JOKE.

  This, as in Edmund Pevensie's life, was a joke.

  Albeit he had hardly lived, he had endured a lot, all ranging among different levels of insanity. For example, once he and his siblings had accidentally traveled to a faraway kingdom in the back of a wooden wardrobe. They eventually became kings and queens of the said kingdom, but only after they fought a witch and Edmund was nearly slaughtered for betraying his siblings for some Turkish Delights.

  No, he wasn't kidding.

  Aslan had actually died on Edmund's behalf to justify his betrayal. Of course, the lion was resuscitated, but Edmund always felt rather guilty afterward because he was later stabbed by the White Witch during the Battle of Beruna and nearly died anyway.

  ...Sorry, Aslan.

  Everything Edmund had done in his life led up to this exact moment. It was daunting to think about. Everything you do now will have some sort of consequence or reaction several years later. He believed that was called the Domino Effect, which he'd read about recently before he ended up where he was right now: standing in the castle that housed a princess he would soon wed through the terms of an arranged marriage.

  It was a long story. Peter had volunteered his poor brother to marry the Princess of Wysteria because his hands were tied as High King, making Edmund the best candidate for the occasion.

  "Arranged marriages are all for display and the sake of treaties, Ed. It's the law of the land," Peter had explained. "Think of this as a good thing! It's certainly better than marrying a faun or a minotaur, isn't it?"

  The brothers debated the matter for days. As much as Edmund didn't wish to marry a girl he didn't know, he didn't want to see an entire kingdom, one that had been loyal to Narnia for centuries, crumble. If they could help Wysteria, he felt that they should do what they could.

  So, against his better judgment, Edmund agreed to the stupid marriage.

  He had been under the impression that Wysteria's princess, his fiancée, would feel similarly to him concerning the situation, but after meeting Odette and discovering her excitement to marry him, he felt hopeless.

  He supposed things could be worse. Princess Odette might've been spoiled and remarkably high-maintenance from what he had witnessed when she and her parents visited Narnia to discuss their situation, but she was a sweet girl nonetheless. Edmund shuddered at the thought of being stuck with an obnoxious princess for the rest of his life.

  Today was the first day of Edmund's month-long stay in Wysteria. He had never traveled to the kingdom until now, but he had read about it on several occasions. The books didn't do it justice. Wysteria was, to put it nicely, the gloomiest kingdom he'd ever witnessed.

  Though it'd hardly been more than an hour since his arrival in Wysteria, Edmund was having trouble adjusting. It was strange to be in a land that almost completely lacked magic and talking animals. It reminded him of his original home.

  The most familiar thing he'd encountered since his arrival was getting bodyslammed by a red-haired girl that had been recklessly running through the castle. The interaction reminded him of Lucy, who never paid attention to where she was going. Edmund wondered why that girl had been in such a rush.

  Soon, he and a few Narnian and Wysterian guards reached the castle's Grand Hall, where Princess Odette had been waiting for them. Her face was wrinkled with concern for reasons that were beyond him, but once she noticed Edmund, her worries seemed to have disintegrated.

  "Oh, Edmund!" beamed Princess Odette. A grin consumed her face until her eyes became nonexistent. Despite the restriction of her tight dress, she skipped forward to greet him. "It's so wonderful to see you again!"

  Edmund was used to forcing smiles during incidents he didn't desire to be involved in. "There's no place I'd rather be," he kindly told her, taking her small hand and delicately kissing it.

  To his surprise, her smile stretched even further. "I can't wait to show you Wysteria! It's more than what meets the eye, I promise," she informed.

  As they chatted about all the things they would do in Wysteria, he noticed that Odette had a habit of rambling. He also noticed how she kept looking over her shoulder as if she was waiting for something to happen.

  Suddenly, Odette spoke, "There you are!"

  Oh, so he was right. She had been waiting for something, or rather, someone. All eyes fell on a girl with fiery red hair as she entered the Grand Hall. In her hands were a small pair of gloves.

  Wait... was this the same redhead who had bodyslammed Edmund just moments ago?

  The girl curtseyed before Princess Odette while explaining, "I'm truly sorry for taking so long. I promise I ran. Here are your gloves."

  Fascinating! It was!

  Edmund restrained himself from chuckling at her words. Was that really the reason why she'd been running around in the first place? How silly.

  "Gloves?" echoed Edmund, eyeing the gloves. "In the springtime? It's quite warm, you know."

  Odette's doe eyes were wide as she faltered. It was like she was taking a test she studied the wrong information for. But soon, she smiled again. "That's what I said!" she exclaimed. She turned back to the girl. "I told you you didn't have to bring those, remember?"

  The girl just stared at Odette for a moment. She might've been smiling, but Edmund recognized the look in her eyes. It was the famous "I would murder you right now if I didn't love you" gaze. He got that look from Susan and Peter all the time!

  "Right," the girl returned. "Of course, silly me. It's springtime!"

  Edmund sensed that it was the girl who had opposed Odette's gloves in the first place, not the other way around. He was charmed. This time, he allowed himself to laugh.

  As the girl passed the gloves to a maid who had offered to take them, Odette introduced, "Hope, this is Narnia's Just King, King Edmund. Edmund, this is my lady-in-waiting, Lady Hope."

  So, it seemed his attacker had a name, and judging the sudden look of dread on her face, only now did Hope realize who the stranger she tackled earlier was.

  As Hope politely curtseyed, he noticed how her pale face was crimsoned. "It's an honor to meet you, Your Majesty," she greeted.

  Donning a cheeky grin, Edmund retorted, "Please, the honor of... running into you is all mine, Lady Hope."

  He found himself failing to suppress another chuckle as her eyes widened. He wondered what was going through her mind at that moment. Whatever it was, he was severely entertained.

  Noticing the sudden tension (Was it tension? Honestly, it just looked like the King of Narnia was messing with the princess's lady-in-waiting) between the two, Odette glanced between them and inquired, "Is... there something I'm missing?"

  Hope pressed her lips into a fine line, hesitant. Then, she turned to the princess and whispered something in her ear. After a few seconds, Odette gasped, "You bodied the King of Narnia?!"

  "You told me to run!"

  Now, that wasn't something Edmund was expecting. Hope, a clear servant to the princess, was defending herself. That wasn't something that happened often, not even in Narnia, where all servants worshipped the kings and queens regardless of how equally they were treated. Edmund's attention was hooked.

  "Yes, but—"

  "Oh, don't worry," Edmund cut in. His smile remained, only it wasn't fake anymore. It was a true, genuine smile that was born from sheer amusement. "I'm sure Lady Hope didn't intend to knock us both onto the floor."

  Odette whipped back around to face Hope. "You knocked the King of Narnia onto the floor?!" she whispered, frantic. It was clear Odette wanted to impress Edmund and things were surely not going according to her plan.

  "If it helps, I was the one that hit my head!"

  Softly laughing, Edmund chimed in, "Yes, I recall." He glanced toward his fiancée. "Actually, Odette, Lady Hope saved me. She was a... How should I put this?" His smile grew. "An efficient cushion."

  His words brought Odette relief, but he didn't seem to care about her reaction. His attention was trained on Hope. He observed as she closed her eyes, scrunching up her nose in an attempt to compose herself. She was entertaining to him, not to mention intriguing.

  "Well, that's a relief," Odette admitted before moving on, eager to put what happened behind them. "Hope will accompany us everywhere we go. She hardly leaves my side. So, whatever you desire, ask her and she'll be more than happy to assist you. Don't be shy."

  Edmund's gaze shifted back to Hope, his smile remaining. Something about the handmaid was magnetic to him, and he wasn't sure why. He felt compelled to get to know her. If she was bold enough to defend herself a princess, then surely Hope was an interesting person, wasn't she?

  At the very least, Edmund was eager to make a new friend.

  "Something tells me that won't be a problem."

  This wouldn't be so bad, after all.

○ ○ ○

  If it wasn't obvious, Hope hadn't stopped internally screaming for the past hour.

  She was beyond mortified upon the realization that she had bodyslammed the bloody King of Narnia. It was undeniably unprofessional and disrespectful of her to go about her duties without properly apologizing to him.

  Honestly, how had she not put the pieces together sooner? She had bodied a king for the sake of retrieving a pair of gloves! How insane was that?

  Lady Luck has her favorites, and Hope certainly wasn't one of them.

  While Odette guided King Edmund on a private tour of the castle, Hope decided to busy herself with cleaning and aiding the servants in their duties. Hope figured it was the only way she could distract herself from her sheer embarrassment, which, of course, didn't happen considering everyone decided the incident was rather hilarious.

  After an hour or so, Hope was informed by a guard that the King of Wysteria wished to speak with his daughter. She was to find Odette and send her to him. She pondered what he intended to discuss with the princess, but she suspected it had something to do with Wysteria's guest of honor.

  It wasn't an arduous task to track down Odette, not because she was the princess, but because she always made herself known wherever she went. She was quite loud, especially for a princess, but Hope was thankful for this. It made her job easier. That was how she found herself wandering through the gardens only five minutes after receiving her orders.

  The gardens were one of Hope's favorite places in the estate. She liked to think it was the last magical place in Wysteria. It was simply so pretty and whimsical that it gave off that illusion. Flowers were abundant, particularly of wisterias, and gorgeous statues were scattered between the hedges and near the grand fountain. It was a lovely little corner of the castle grounds.

  When Hope eventually found Odette, she had been chatting King Edmund's ear off. Their arms were linked together as they strolled through the gardens, a guard following them in the near-distance. Hope had always been an attentive girl, but even she was unable to discern whether the Just King was uninterested or extremely captivated by Odette's babbling.

  Odette's rambling ceased upon Hope approaching them from behind and clearing her throat. The couple turned to face her, and in an instant, Hope wished Edmund would vanish out of existence. Or... perhaps she could try to beg the earth to swallow her whole.

  ...Were Odette's overdramatic tendencies rubbing off on Hope?

  Hope curtseyed as she greeted, "Your Highness, Your Majesty." She turned to Odette. "Your father wishes to see you."

  Odette tilted her head to the side, a frown tugging on her face. "Oh." She pouted, uninterested in abandoning her fiancé's side. "Is it of any importance?"

  Hope shrugged. "Important enough for him to send me to find you," she returned. "All I know is that he's expecting you in the throne room."

  Noticing her despair, Edmund patted her arm. "Don't worry," he assured. "I'm sure it'll only be a moment."

  Odette hesitated before unhappily sighing. "Alright." She pulled away from him to leave, but before she did, she turned to her lady-in-waiting. smiling once again. "Would you accompany Edmund while I'm gone? This is a wonderful opportunity for the two of you to get to know each other!"

  Hope hesitated, trying to decide if the princess could catch her if she started running. No, nothing ever stopped Odette from getting what she wanted.

  So, Hope forced a little smile and nodded. Beaming, the princess rattled something off about how she'd be back as soon as she could, and then, she was gone.

  Meanwhile, Edmund studied Hope during the brief encounter, fully taking in her appearance. She was of average height, around 5'5", only an inch or so taller than Odette. Her red hair reminded him of Aslan's mane: kempt, yet untameable. Her facial features were pointed and angular unlike Odette's; however, Hope was a gentler spirit than the aggressive princess. Her eyes were a shade of emerald that reminded Edmund of the forest in Narnia. It was as though he was transported back home when he looked into her eyes, and that in itself brought him comfort.

  He noted the distress on her face and her awkward stance. With a smirk, he teased, "Well, don't look too upset."

  Hope's eyes widened. "W-What? No! No, I'm not upset, I—" she stammered. That was when she noticed the amusement on his face. Swallowing a sigh, she realized, "...You're joking."

  "Indeed," he revealed before beginning to walk again. He didn't wait for her as he called, "Come along, Lady Hope. It's a nice day, wouldn't you agree?"

  She hurried to join his side. "I suppose," she meekly replied. She hesitated as they gallivanted the gardens together, adding, "I mean, I wouldn't say it's not a nice day—"

  "You're quite jumpy, aren't you?" the king interrupted. She shot him a glance while clasping her hands together. Edmund took that as a sign of nervousness.

  "I'm not jumpy," she gently defended. "I'm just..."

  "Jumpy?" he finished. She didn't notice he was still smiling at her, amused.

  "Well, no—"

  "Easily flustered?"

  She shook her head. "No, no, I... I just wanted to apologize for my actions earlier," she revealed. "It was entirely inappropriate."

  To her surprise, Edmund didn't mind. "It wasn't your fault," he dismissed. "Though, it was quite comical. I'm hardly ever knocked off my feet like that, you know."

  Hope was baffled. He wasn't accepting her apology? But he was a king! Wasn't she, his obvious inferior, supposed to beg for his forgiveness? Even with Odette, Hope apologized for everything she did to upset the princess, and they'd been friends for years!

  She questioned if Edmund was being nice to her because he pitied her or because he was a genuinely nice person. She wasn't too sure. All she knew was that he intrigued her.

  "Well, you knocked the wind out of me, Your Majesty," she shyly quipped.

  He appreciated her lack of hesitation to joke with him. He chuckled. "Please, we're the same age. Call me Edmund."

  His words threw her off. She hadn't realized that he was right. She was 16, whereas Edmund and Odette were 17.

  "Alright... Edmund," she replied. She had a feeling she wouldn't get used to that anytime sooner. "Aren't you rather young to be a king?"

  With a smile, he confessed, "I thought the same. But when Aslan decides you're worthy of being a king, you don't argue."

  Her eyes lit up at the mention of the majestic lion. "Aslan?" she repeated. "I haven't heard that name in ages."

  'How curious,' he thought. There wasn't a day in his life where Aslan wasn't mentioned.

  "Is that so?"

  She nodded. "Most Wysterians aren't faithful followers of Aslan anymore, I'm afraid," she woefully reported. "I've always thought that was how our kingdom ended up the way it is now." They slowed to a stop before a tall statue. It was of a male soldier. The name inscribed in the stone was illegible due to an overgrown hedge.

  Edmund supposed that made enough sense. If enough people stopped believing in Aslan, his magic and good fortune would no longer benefit the land and its people.

  He peered down at the shorter girl, wavering. "And I reckon you're the same...?"

  But she quickly denied, "The opposite, actually." Her gaze was locked on the statue. Edmund wondered who it was. "The idea of not believing in Aslan feels wrong to me. My father used to tell me stories about him when I was younger. I suppose I never outgrew them."

  Edmund furrowed his eyebrows together. "No one can... outgrow Aslan."

  "Oh, don't worry. I agree," she assured before frowning. "The Wysterians think he's just a fairytale, but... I don't think there's anything wrong with fairytales. We grew up on them for a reason, right?"

  At first, Edmund wasn't sure what to think of her words. The idea of referring to Aslan as a fairytale should've been an insult, but he strangely understood what she was implying.

  Fairytales are easier to believe when we're younger, so when we grow up and realize these stories are real, our beliefs should strengthen. But instead, people are quick to diminish their faith because it seems childish.

  The way Hope's mind worked fascinated Edmund.

  After a short silence, Edmund suggested, "Maybe one day, I'll introduce you to Aslan." He observed how she whipped around to face him as though he'd just grown two heads. Puzzled, he asked, "What?"

  Hope hesitated. "I'm sorry, but you're mad," she declared. "Why would Aslan want to meet me? In case you've forgotten, I'm just a handmaid."

  Edmund shook his head, smiling. "Aslan welcomes all who believe in him. That includes a strange girl like you," he teased.

  She scoffed. "I'm strange?" she remarked. "If I recall, you're the one who laughed after I pushed you."

  "Look who isn't so shy anymore," Edmund bantered. His words brought a smile to her face. It was subtle, but the sight of it fueled him. He wanted to get to know the princess's lady-in-waiting more.

  Wysteria was an odd kingdom, indeed. The longer he was there, the more his desire to help this land and its people grew.

  Perhaps he hadn't been eager about his situation, but to say the least, Edmund didn't feel so hopeless anymore.