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#i always end up regretting my 'fancy' gifsets
evakant · 3 years
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me @ me after planning this gifset for an hour: wait.. bear grylls is right... you should keep it simple, stupid
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lillianofliterature · 5 years
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A Thousand Years - To Be Brave Songfic 
A/N: This is for @fantasyworlds1234‘s birthday. This is the first out of two songfics I have written for her about Edmund and Hannah from her Narnia fanfic To Be Brave, which can be found here on Quotev and her Hannah account @hannahgrunberg. 
Disclaimer: Gifs not mine, I found them on google. If they are yours, let me know! I will give credit. I just put them together. 
Happy Birthday month, Fantz! I hope it’s a good one. Thank you for your friendship, it is precious to me. I’m so glad to have met you. <3 I hope you like the gifset, too. :) Also, this is so long. And it didn’t come out quite as I intended, but I hope you enjoy it still. <3
Song: A Thousand Years by Christina Perri
                                       -  Hannah’s Ballad to Edmund  -
The day we met,   Frozen I held my breath
When Hannah had first seen Edmund, it was evident that there love had not simply began there from tender greetings and kind conversation. She had seen the stubborn and immature boy who could find nothing better to do than to terrorize his siblings and complain about the world around him. 
But in the beginning, it was unknown to Hannah that Edmund would one day change and that she would witness great things and a wondrous land alongside him. In the cursed winter of Narnia, she would watch another land almost fall at the hand of another tyrant, in the deadly chill of an unnatural winter.
In the beginning, Hannah’s breath was stolen from her not because she was immediately infatuated with the boy, but because she found herself flustered and annoyed in his presence and at the brunt of many of his insipid remarks. Every spiteful word that flowed from his lips made her cheeks burn red and her mind tick with any sort of retort. 
His heart seemed calloused, his mind sharp and cold. Surely, this was the last boy on earth she would ever find herself fancying. 
But isn’t that how real, honest, true love is supposed to be?
Right from the start   I knew that I’d found a home for my heart
But Hannah had been on her own for some time, apart from the Professor and the Macready. She had spent rainy afternoons sitting alone in the library, skimming through books, practicing her english, and avoiding the demands of the housekeeper. And on sunny days, when she managed to finish her chores, she had walked the gardens of the country mansion and drank in all the familiar scents that had been stripped from her homeland. 
Hannah had once had her parents at her side, but here in the manor, away from the war, away from her homeland, Hannah was alone once more.
Of course, the Professor entertained many of her conversations and had become a good friend, and she had even managed to get the Macready to become a little softer - but it wasn’t the same. There was no one Hannah’s age, no one like Hannah, no one who understood her point of view on the war.
That is, until the Pevensies arrived.
As soon as Hannah had seen them, she knew she’d found friends - she wouldn’t be on her own, day in and day out. And most importantly to Hannah, the english children understood how she felt about the war. They, too, had been forced to flee their homes and leave their parents behind.
Hannah wasn’t alone - in every sense of the statement.
Somehow, even though they’d never met, Hannah felt at ease around them. Especialy with little Lucy, who was open to Hannah from the moment they greeted each other. 
Hannah could now remember her home, remember the scent of her father’s modest cologne and the fun she used to have with the other children before Hitler had promised peace - and brought was in its stead.
These children, these four companions, were already like home to her. 
But Hannah Grunberg had no idea how much Edmund would truly mean to her one day; that in another life, in another world, Edmund would become the true home of her heart. Every breath he would take would flow from Hannah as well, every promise of the future, every bright star that would one day shine in the darkened skies of Narnia . . . they would cherish and hold onto together. 
Heart beats fast   Colors and promises
With them the children brought the promises of a new life at the Manor. 
However, much to the children’s surprise, something grand would result of their great misfortunes. Something miraculous - something impossible.
The vast kingdom of Narnia would become theirs to rule, as well as it was theirs to save and keep safe from the evil that threatened to ensnare the land as it had during the eternal winter of the White Witch. After Edmund had left his sour disposition behind and had begun to mend from his treacherous ways, Hannah could no longer deny the connection she had to the dark-haired king.
Edmund and Narnia - they were the promises of a new life for Hannah, a new beginning. One where evil could be smothered, one where tyrants and warlocks stood no chance against the forces of Good, against the ordained monarchs of Narnia. Edmund and his siblings had not only fueled hope and joy back into Hannah’s life since the devastating separation of her family, but they had become her family, even before she realized how much Edmund meant to her.
The kingdom, this wondrous land that had enraptured Hannah’s entire being, was the force that drove Hannah’s blood through her veins.
And Edmund was the force that drove her heart to keep beating; to keep hoping.
How to be brave?   How can I love when I’m afraid to fall
When war threatened Narnia, Hannah would draw her sword and don her Narnian armor  and muster every ounce of courage Aslan had given her. To Hannah, Narnia and its people was all she had left that had not been scorched by the flames of hatred and genocide. Hannah could be brave when it came to fighting for the safety of her new homeland, but when it came to loving Edmund?
Hannah was terrified. She wasn’t sure how to love without losing, how to hope without being crushed. Her own family that had been her entire world had been ripped from her - and still were. 
All those moments and memories they’d shared never left Hannah’s heart; the times Edmund would tease her harmlessly, resulting in a battle of jeering and wits. Or the times she offered her own sarcasm to combat his own in everyday conversation, or the times she pushed herself to train harder to ensure she would always be able to fight alongside him. And the hours of early mornings and late evenings that Ed often called her to his study to help make diplomatic decisions that he couldn’t quite pin an opinion to. . . 
All of these things they had shared since coming to Narnia had begun to nestle itself tenderly inside of Hannah’s heart. To her, Edmund was the source of her hope, the source of her light. He could be difficult and stubborn, even impossible at times, but he was good. He was kind, he was loyal, and he was just. 
But Hannah, for the longest time, forced herself to ignore her love for him.
If she allowed herself to love him, to expose her earnest feelings, wouldn’t she lose him as she had lost her parents? As she had lost her childhood friends? 
As she had lost Germany?
Hannah was undeniably brave in battle, when spears and swords clashed in deafening echoes. But when it came to the battle of her own heart, Hannah could feel the tension swell and the fear grip her soul. 
She needed someone to help her be brave when it came to loving freely.
She needed Edmund. She needed the Pevensies. 
But watching you stand alone?   All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow
When Edmund would sit up in his study through all hours of the night, afraid of the terrors of his own dreams and from the regrets of his youth, Hannah was there to steady him. As his brother and sisters slept, Hannah could feel her other half trembling with guilt, even after years of forgiveness and growth.
In the darkest hours of Edmund’s torments, when he could feel the touch of the White Witch’s hand upon his face, when her voice taunted his memories and the chilled breeze of winter seemed to nip at his skin, even in summer, Hannah stood by his side. She, too, could remember the frozen palace and it’s menacing evils. She remembered the sound of Jadis’ voice and the shrill hatred that dripped from her wicked tone. But Hannah didn’t have Edmund’s regrets of aiding the Witch, nor did she completely understand why he wasn’t able to let them go. 
But she knew one thing; she would never leave him to suffer through it alone. 
She could be brave for Edmund. 
In the times when Edmund was his weakest, the fear that sometimes gripped her heart faded instantaneously. Hannah, with raw courage, could step forward and become Edmund’s rock. 
When he often forgot the sound of Aslan’s roar, when the words of reassurance the Great Lion had spoken to him faded in his memory, Hannah could repeat those assurances. She would comfort Edmund and console him in his hours of his deepest horrors - when he feared he could never truly be saved.
Hannah reminded Edmund of how the Great Lion had sacrificed himself so Edmund could one day become King of Narnia, so he could be crowned with a promise - that he was Just.
But it was hard for Hannah to be brave for herself. 
One step closer   I have died everyday waiting for you
When the Golden Age was nearing it’s unexpected end, Hannah now had the bravery of heart that she’d once been unable to tame. And years after they had returned to save Narnia from the tyranny of the Telmarines, when the train crash had stolen her new family from her, Hannah and Susan were left to each other; to try and mend their shattered hearts. 
While Susan, in the wake of her immeasurable and unspeakable loss, began to forsake the happy memories she once held, Hannah set her pen to paper.
She refused to forget all she had seen, all she had overcome to get to where she was today. Surrounded by the reality of her own loss, Hannah wrote her story. In every word, she imagined she was speaking to Edmund in the late nights in his study, bidding their worries and hurts to each other in confidence. 
As Hannah continued to grow stonger, to grow braver, she could only ever picture Edmund’s approving smile. She wouldn’t forget Narnia, she wouldn’t allow her grief to suffocate the progress she had made. She couldn’t bear to forget all they had shared in the magical land in the upstairs wardrobe. 
Each day, as she awoke in the chilled sheets of her bed and remembered the horrific reality of the accident, Hannah’s heart broke anew. But she never lost the fight in her she acquired as a noble Knight of Narnia. She vowed on her love for Edmund, on her love for the Pevensies, for Narnia, that she wouldn’t forget to be brave any longer.
Hannah vowed to love freely, to not waste any time being afraid.
Darling don’t be afraid I have loved you   For a thousand years
In all the time they had spent in Narnia, Edmund had loved Hannah as well. Each day, even from the day they quarrelled over that blasted game of Cricket, Edmund had been drawn to the German girl, even though he had ridiculed her. 
As Edmund now stood in Aslan’s Country, awaiting Hannah’s arrival, he could catch glimpses of her in his mind. Glimpses of her pouring words onto paper with a candle to light her way. Of her meek laughter when she remembered tender moments they had all shared in the Golden Age. Of Hannah being brave, despite her fears of loss having come into fruition.
Hannah, in the cold and rainy reality of England, never went a day without thinking of him. Of their kingdom. Of his siblings. Of everything they’d shared.
But somewhere in her pain, in her grief that tasted just as it did when she was a child - when her country burned and her family was stolen . . . Hannah knew that Edmund loved her still, as did she. 
I’ll love you for a thousand more
Hannah would grow old and see much of our world, but Hannah would never forget. Hannah never stopped loving. No matter if she had to wait another century in Narnian time, or a decade in ours, she would thrive on the hope of returning to that blessed country. 
Each day that passed, she could feel Narnia drawing nearer.
Time stands still
As the Pevensies awaited Hannah’s return, they celebrated in the renewed kingdom that Aslan had forged in His promises. As they danced and sang, ate delicacies and were merry, Hannah’s image never faded from Edmund’s mind. For him, his life would remain frozen until she returned to them. 
For Hannah, life in this world was bleak - but she never lost hope. She chose joy in remembrance, happiness in little things, the hope of truth. 
The truth that Narnia was real and her reuniting would one day come.
Beauty in all she is
Edmund, from his haven in Aslan’s country, prayed to the Great Lion that Hannah knew just how captivating she was. Not only her features, but her heart; her strength. Had it been Edmund who had been left behind, he knew he would have forsaken himself to his old ways long ago. 
Perhaps that is why it was Hannah who as chosen to remain there, in that broken world.
Hannah had the strength of a thousand armed Narnians to face those trials that had come to her since his death; she was brave.
I will be brave
Hannah realized she had been left in this world with purpose; for the Great Lion never acted without reason. Hannah made a promise, not only to herself and to Susan’s chances of redemption, but also to Edmund and to Aslan Himself.
She would be brave. 
Every day she drew breath into her lungs and found herself waking up to a day full of obstacles and hard chances, she would utilize her life to the best of her abilities. She hoped the Pevensies would be proud that she chose to use her life for good, for others, and not for grieving. 
And they were.
I will not let anything take away   What’s standing in front of me
In the years ahead, Hannah knew her return was swiftly coming. She would never waste a day in mourning, in wishing things had been different.
For they were not, and she wouldn’t let the sorrow overrule what good Aslan had allowed her to become and create. The hope and the tales she was able to give to others was far greater a reward than the result of the tears she could have spent her life with. 
Nothing could take away her future and her purpose.
Nothing could undo what the Great Lion had set in motion.
Nothing could strip her of her reuniting with her family in Aslan’s Country.
Every breath   Every hour has come to this
All the years she had spent in Narnia, all the days in the Professor’s manor, and all the years before that had lead to the life she was given now and the promise she clutched to her heart of returning to Narnia.
Every day she had once spent in Germany, the days she fled to England on the train, the days she spent lecturing tourists about the grand country mansion, the years she had spent with the Pevensies in Narnia. . .
One step closer
Had lead to this life; sharing her story to enable the hopes of others to ignite. 
To encourage others to be brave in their own stories.
To fight for love and conquer fear.
To give Narnia to the souls in this world who would truly never know it as she had. 
I have died everyday waiting for you   Darling don’t be afraid I have loved you For a thousand years                                                                                            I’ll love you for a thousand more
When the day came that Hannah, in her greying years, did not awake to the morning sun, she felt the sweet breath of the Lion upon her face. He was calling to her, to finally return home; to her true home, where He and the Pevensies dwelt in unbridled joy. And all the words, the colors, the memories, the smells, the music - every bit of Narnia she’d ever witnessed in those golden years came rushing back into her veins.
And suddenly she heard the Lion’s voice, rich and tender, roaring and gentle.
“Welcome home, dear Hannah, Knight of Narnia, Braveheart of the Western Wood.”
And the renewed Narnia burst into colors she’d never seen and sweet birdsong filled the valley of the kingdom. Before her stood Aslan, King of Narnia, Son of the Emperor Beyond the Sea, Lover of all things Good. From him branched all source of song and melody, and beneath him no shadow could be found.
His bright and lovely eyes poured into her own and his thick mane rustled with excitement. One of his Daughters had finally returned. 
Then, in graceful elegance, the Lion stepped to the side, revealing the silhouettes of three figures behind him she had not seen in many years. 
And all along I believed I would find you   Time has brought your heart to me
As the light diminished from their frames, Hannah’s heart soared with joy.
Before her stood three of the Kings and Queens of old; the Magnificent, the Just, and the Valient. And it was only a matter of time before the Gentle would be there with them, too. 
In seconds, if time had even passed at all in that sacred world, their voices sprang into praises and their arms engulfed her body. There, in their embrace, Hannah revelled in the voices she feared she’d never hear again and in the laughter that echoed from their lungs.
Aslan’s own laughter met with theirs, of which the sound was like every pleasurable tune you’d ever heard that mingled with his powerful roar, and the golden light from all around them faded into the trees and into the blossoms of the young earth. 
I have loved you for a thousand years   I’ll love you for a thousand more
I’ll love you for a thousand more
  One step closer
As they stood back from Hannah, one pair of arms remained about her frame as she stood trembling with uncontainable joy. 
There, before her, stood Edmund the Just, the stubborn and impossible king who had long been the home of her brave little heart. In his eyes she found a feeling she had never felt so vividly before - and when she felt it, she believed it to be the love she had once traded for fear. 
Edmund’s tears fell slowly and were the product of pure ecstacy, melding with the words that poured from his mouth; words of adoraton and gratefulness.
I have died everyday waiting for you Darling don’t be afraid
When Edmund pulled away and held her at arm’s length, he gazed into her dazzling eyes as if he had never seen them before. In that moment, as every moment they had every spent together flooded his mind, his relieved laughter broke free and encouraged her own to harmonize with his. 
At last, she had returned to him; the Brave woman of his affections of all those years. . . the war-torn years, the days of betrayal, the golden years. 
All was restored to Edmund’s heart as he looked at her again.
I have loved you For a thousand years
All of their waiting, all of their promising, had led to this.
I’ll love you for a thousand more
And all along I believed I would find you
There, in the light and in the beginning of a new life, they stood on the brink of eternal bliss. Eternal and unwavering love, built on the foundations of leading Just and Brave lives. 
As Hannah turned to face the Kingdom upon the horizon, she felt more content tham she ever imagined possible. This contentedness was the sort none of us still living have yet to feel; but a way to describe it is to say that she felt she might burst from every good and honorable thing flowing through her, but one could not help but be happy to feel this way. And no one who ever entered that kingdom ever felt any different from that day forward. 
As the Pevensies made their way further up and further in to the world ahead, the Great Lion turned to Edmund and nodded his graceful head solemnly, with a smile only he could bear. Edmund’s hand tugged gently at Hannah’s arm, leading her to look beyond the hills and mountains far off into another land. Over a shimmering blue lake and beyond the paths of little rivers, Hannah’s eyes took in an unbelievable sight.
There, miles away, but close enough to see with new eyes, Hannah saw Germany.
The old Germany.
With it’s beautiful brick homes and rich lustrious gardens, with cottages and shops smelling of bread and recipes she had long-forgotten the taste of, flourished Germany in all the wonderful beauty she had not seen in a lifetime. But what made Hannah’s smile spread wider was not the miracle of seeing her homeland more beautiful than ever before, but the faces of two people she had not seen since she was a child running from the war.
Her parents, looking healthier and much happier, stood in each other’s arms, waving to Hannah over the long distance.
Time has brought your heart to me
Renewal. 
That is what this tale has told.
And here, in the undying hopes of a new and joyously perfected life, Hannah found herself renewed of all the grief and the horror that had tainted her mind since a child. In the reaches of this perfected world, she would reap the pleasures of the life she spent growing and learning to love - of a life spent trying to be brave.
                        I have loved you for a thousand years                                       I’ll love you for a thousand more
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