Do you have any thoughts on Edmund and Peter's dynamic as kings and brothers in Narnia?
do I. do I have thoughts. friend I have so many thoughts
- on the field of Beruna, Edmund watched his brother reel back from the edge of devastation and was stunned to discover how much power he had over Peter. It was the thing he thought he’d wanted, that the Witch could give him, but at that moment he realised he’d had it all along. He was careful and protective of that power forever after.
- Raising his siblings had been a part of Peter’s life since long before Narnia, but now, faced with a parentless nine-year-old, every childhood upset, joy, fear, embarrassment, accident or illness, victory, and all the rest was now his business. His brother became also in a way his son.
- In England, there had been certain ideas of what boys should be. In Narnia, tenderness is a sign of strength, and it was a great relief to Edmund (who in a hidden, innermost way was softer than Lucy) to be in a place where this was something he was allowed to want and to have, not just from his sisters, but also from his brother (who had always been good at that sort of thing).
- As a king, Peter was not particularly talkative, but his presence had such a power that it was impossible not to be drawn to look at him, not to want to listen even to his silence. This gave Edmund a lot of space to move in the shadows, with all eyes on Peter. They used this to their political benefit more than once.
- Edmund was by far the best at reading other people, but Peter was better at reading Edmund than Edmund was at reading him.
- For various political reasons, none of the Pevensies ever competed against one another in public tournaments - one would represent the royal house. Still, it would have been impossible to answer the question of who was the better warrior. Peter was stronger, Edmund more agile, and each performed better under certain conditions.
- Edmund always made a point of showing subtle deference to Peter, not so much in judgement but in hints of speech and body language. They both knew that, with their history, there were enemies who would leap at the hint of a rift between them, so it was essential that they appeared united at all times.
- But this unity wasn’t a front. All four of them became very close, by the trials of building up a country from ruin and weathering war and threat, and the isolation of being royalty they shared with one another only. Disagreement was usually talked out privately; by the time they left Narnia they were rumoured all four to be of one mind and one heart.
