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𝕿𝖜𝖔 𝖘𝖔𝖚𝖑𝖘 𝖆𝖗𝖊 𝖘𝖔𝖒𝖊𝖙𝖎𝖒𝖊𝖘
𝖈𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖊𝖉 𝖙𝖔𝖌𝖊𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖎𝖓 𝖑𝖔𝖛𝖊
𝖇𝖊𝖋𝖔𝖗𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖞❜𝖗𝖊 𝖇𝖔𝖗𝖓

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━━━━━━━Ｃｏｒｎｅｌｉａ

CORNELIA STARED at the dark-haired boy in front of her, her heart never ceasing its rapid rhythm. In almost a whisper, hardly daring to believe what she'd dreamt of for so long was actually happening, she asked, "you're Edmund? Edmund Pevensie?"

She can't help but think finallyfinallyfinally.

The boy nodded, his dark eyes wide with shock.

"Oh, wow," she breathed, her eyes scanning over the boy, taking in his odd attire— similarly styled to Lucy's, "I can't believe it. I mean, I always wanted this to happen, but I thought— I thought because there was always nothing-"

"You didn't feel anything either?" was the first thing out of the boy's mouth.

She shook her head, "I, well, I thought you didn't exist."

(But of course he does. It's almost impossible— but then again, impossible wasn't a word Cornelia liked to use. There was always a chance.)

A prick of guilt shot through her— not her own. That was something to get used to— and she quickly said, "it's not your fault. I think I figured out why. I, er— it's a bit too complicated for me to explain right now but I can definitely tell you later," she wrapped her arms around herself, the cold setting in since they were standing still.

Edmund— Edmund!— looked down at the coat in his hands and then back to her before he approached her slowly, shaking out the fabric so he could drape it around her shoulders. Cornelia accepted the coat, instantly feeling warmer. He was so close she could reach out and touch him if she wanted to. She didn't, though, uncertain of how to proceed. She wasn't really used to meeting people her age, let alone her soulmate.

"I'm, um, I'm Cornelia Lewis," she said hesitatingly, "Lucy probably told you my middle name is Sophia."

"I know," the boy said, but not in a mean sort of way— more awed, if anything, "Cornelia Sophia Lewis."

She nodded, her face warming in a way that had nothing to do with her recently acquired coat. He was still staring at her. She hoped he wasn't disappointed. 

(His eyes were brown, she noted. All good things were, after all— chocolate and bread and strong tea.)

"This is all very nice," another voice cut in to their trance, "but where did you come from?"

It was the dark-haired girl again and Cornelia turned to her. She felt Edmund's spike of anger but she pushed back with gentle patience, not minding the question, "I came from the wardrobe, like you guys."

"Yes, but there aren't any other children in the Professor's house. It doesn't make sense, we would have seen you."

"Oh, well-"

"I think she's a ghost," Lucy cut in, "and comes to life in Narnia, because she wasn't with me when I went into the wardrobe either. Maybe she's a spirit guide!"

"Uh, I'm not a spirit guide," Cornelia said, "I just... it's terribly complicated and it doesn't really make sense unless I start from the beginning so until we have time to do that, I'll hold off on explaining if you don't mind."

The dark-haired girl hesitated, then nodded, "I'm Susan," she said finally, "you've met the rest of my siblings, right?"

"Peter, Lucy and Edmund, yes," the girl said, feeling a thrill at saying the last name. (Because it— this— was real. She'd always known it.)

"Well, that's settled, then. We were just about to go to Mr. Tumnus', would you like to come with us?" Peter asked.

"Oh! Yes, please. It would be good to see him again," she answered and thought, now that he's not kidnapping us.

Lucy skipped up to the blonde, "will you walk with me?" she asked, taking the older girl's hand.

"Oh, uh—" Cornelia started, her eyes darting back to the dark-haired boy. She didn't want to disappoint her friend but she did want to talk to Edmund.

"C'mon, Lu. I bet you can't beat me to that fallen tree!" Peter said, indicating the place. Lucy immediately dropped the girl's hand and took off, causing her brother to laugh, "hey! No fair, you got a head start!"

Giving the boy a grateful glance he didn't see, Cornelia fell back with Edmund, "so, uh," she started uncertainly, "I guess we're soulmates?"

"I guess," the boy allowed, fiddling with his coat.

She frowned at his half-hearted response, "are you— are you disappointed?" she asked quietly, not really wanting to hear the answer. (Because she would be absolutely crushed if the answer was anything other than no.) 

The boy's head immediately jerked towards her, "what? No!" he exclaimed, his eyes wide, "what gave you that idea?"

Her cheeks flushed, "well, you don't seem very happy and you're kinda distracted."

"Oh, well, it's got nothing to do with you," he answered firmly, "I've just got a lot on my mind."

"Oh," she said, and then, "d'you want to talk about it?"

He was afraid of something— she could tell that much from the fear that flashed through her at the question, "you don't have to if you don't want to," she added quickly.

"I just... my siblings haven't been very nice to me lately."

She gave him a curious look, "I don't have any siblings," she admitted, "but why were yours being 'not nice?'"

His eyes darted to the trio before back to her, "they don't like me very much," he admitted quietly, "and I'm never good enough for them. I... I didn't think you'd like me very much either."

The last part was spoken so softly she almost missed it. To prove her point about how much she did like him already, she snatched up his hand (real and tangible and warm) and gave it a firm squeeze , "I do like you, Edmund. You're already everything I thought you would be and you will always be good enough for me," she finished matter-of-factly.

The boy's cheeks flushed— and not from the cold— as he glanced away, embarrassed. His hand didn't leave hers, though, even after they both realized what she'd done. It was nice to be able to have an anchor, to have reassurance that the other wasn't going to disappear in a puff of smoke. All he did instead was shift their hands— so while they weren't intertwined, he was still holding hers more comfortably.

Cornelia couldn't help but smile down at their joined hands, every feeling better than she'd imagined. She could already tell that she would grow to love him more than the base feeling a soulbond provided. She squeezed his hand happily again, unable to believe the amazing turn her day had taken. She'd met her soulmate!

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AS THE girl stared at him wide-eyed, she whispered, "you're Edmund? Edmund Pevensie?"

He nodded, unable to speak. It seemed as if all the words he knew had flown right out of his head and vanished. His mouth felt dry and his hands were slightly clammy, not just from the frigid air. It was her. He was as sure of it as he'd never been sure of anything in his entire life.

"Oh, wow," she breathed, "I can't believe it. I mean, I always wanted this to happen, but I thought— I thought because there was always nothing—"

"You didn't feel anything either?" was the first thing out of his mouth. Nice going, Pevensie, he thought, annoyed. He could've at least said 'hello.'

She shook her head, "I well, I thought you didn't exist."

He felt a prick of guilt. He'd thought she was dead.

"It's not your fault," she said quickly, misreading his feelings, "I think I figured out why. I, well— it's a bit too complicated for me to explain right now but I can definitely tell you later."

While her words didn't make sense, her wrapping her arms around herself did and he remembered the coat in his hands. He shook it out and approached her cautiously, almost afraid that if he touched her, she would turn out to be a figment of his imagination. Still, when the coat draped over her shoulders, she didn't disappear.

"I, well, I'm Cornelia Lewis," she said hesitatingly, "Lucy probably told you my middle name is Sophia."

"I know," he said, but not in the mean sort of way he usually said it— it was more awed, if anything, "Cornelia Sophia Lewis."

She nodded, her face turning a pretty shade of pink. He couldn't stop staring at her. A part of him thought this was a dream and that he'd wake up any moment and have everything be ripped away from him.

"This is all very nice," another voice cut in to their trance, "but where did you come from?"

Susan spoke up, cutting into their world. His anger spiked, annoyed that his siblings would interrupt them. He felt Cornelia's— Cornelia's!— gentle reproach of patience to his feelings. That was something to get used to.

She answered his sister, "I came from the wardrobe, like you guys."

"Yes, but there aren't any other children in the Professor's house. It doesn't make sense, we would have seen you."

"Oh, well-"

"I think she's a ghost," Lucy cut in, "and comes to life in Narnia, because she wasn't with me when I went into the wardrobe either. Maybe she's a spirit guide!"

"Uh, I'm not a spirit guide," Cornelia said, "I just... it's terribly complicated and it doesn't really make sense unless I start from the beginning, so until we have time to do that, I'll hold off on explaining, if you don't mind."

The dark-haired girl hesitated, then nodded, "I'm Susan," she said finally, "you've met the rest of my siblings, right?"

"Peter, Lucy and Edmund, yes," the girl said.

He felt a thrill of excitement as she said his name. He'd never paid much mind to it, not really hating it, not really loving it— but when Cornelia said it, he liked his name a whole lot.

"Well, that's settled, then. We were just about to go to Mr. Tumnus', would you like to come with us?" Peter asked.

"Oh! Yes, please. It would be good to see him again," she answered.

Lucy skipped up to the blonde, "will you walk with me?" she asked, taking the older girl's hand.

"Oh, uh—" Cornelia started.

Edmund sighed. Of course she'd rather spend time with Lucy than with him. He should've expected it, after all. Idiot.

"C'mon, Lu. I bet you can't beat me to that fallen tree!" Peter said, indicating the place. Lucy immediately dropped the girl's hand and took off, causing her brother to laugh, "hey! No fair, you got a head start!"

To his surprise, Cornelia fell back with him, choosing not to race his siblings, "so, uh," she started uncertainly, "I guess we're soulmates?"

"I guess," the boy allowed, fiddling with his coat. He didn't know how to talk to girls, really- much less his soulmate. Maybe he could take her to see the Queen of Narnia! Wouldn't that be impressive?

"Are you— are you disappointed?" she asked quietly.

His head immediately jerked towards her, shock widening his eyes, "what? No!" he exclaimed, his eyes wide, "what gave you that idea?"

How could she think that?

Her cheeks flushed, "well, you don't seem very happy and you're kinda distracted."

It wasn't his fault— he just wanted to see the Queen again, was all, and he had to think of a way to get his siblings there.

"Oh, well, it's got nothing to do with you," he answered firmly, feeling slightly guilty for lying to her, "I've just got a lot on my mind."

"Oh," she said, and then, "d'you want to talk about it?"

Fear flashed through him— he couldn't tell her about his plans! His siblings definitely wouldn't come willingly.

"You don't have to if you don't want to," she added quickly.

"I just... my siblings haven't been very nice to me lately."

She gave him a curious look, "I don't have any siblings," she admitted, "but why were yours being 'not nice?'"

His eyes darted to the trio before back to her, hoping they weren't listening, "they don't like me very much," he admitted quietly, "and I'm never good enough for them. I... I didn't think you'd like me very much either."

At least that was the truth.

Immediately, she snatched up his hand and gave it a firm squeeze, "I do like you, Edmund. You're already everything I thought you would be and you will always be good enough for me," she finished matter-of-factly.

The action caused his cheeks to flush as he glanced away, embarrassed. No one had ever said that to him before. No matter how odd the situation was, he knew one thing— he didn't want to let go of her hand. It was nice to be able to have an anchor, to have reassurance that the other wasn't going to disappear in a puff of smoke. All he did instead was shift their hands so— while they weren't intertwined, he was still holding hers more comfortably.

As they walked through the snowy forest, there was only one thing on Edmund's thoughts: he'd met his soulmate!

And for a short time, the White Witch's spell on his mind was broken. 

A/n: They've met! 

I know this chapter was a bit repetitive, but I wanted to write the first meeting from both POVs. 

Also, I've finished writing all of LLW and I hope to start on the Golden Age soon!




[Edited 08/21/21]