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“Wan’ so! Wan’ so!”
“Yes, I know you want to go out in the snow, but you can’t until you’re bundled up properly. It’s cold outside.” Edmund caught at the chubby little arms Rilian was waving everywhere, trying to pull a sweater over the heavy winter tunic he already had on. “Come on, Ril; hold still for a minute, would you, kid?”
“So! So! So!”
Rilian wriggled loose so he could jump up and down in mixed eagerness and frustration. If Edmund didn’t calm him down soon, he was going to throw a tantrum until Edmund took him outside. Never mind that that was what Edmund was trying to do.
“I see you two are taking your time getting ready,” a voice teased. Edmund looked around to see Caspian striding into their chambers. “Maybe you don’t really want to play in the snow after all.”
“Papa!” Rilian ran to Caspian as fast as his little toddler legs could carry him. Caspian crouched down to catch him, and Rilian tugged desperately on Caspian’s arm. “Wan’ so.”
“We’re going out in the snow,” Caspian said. “Didn’t Daddy tell you that?”
“Dad told him he had to get dressed before he went outside, and that’s about where the conversation derailed,” Edmund said drily, following Rilian over with the contested sweater. “Your son has way too much energy for this early in the morning.”
“Oh, he’s my son now, is he?” Caspian asked, as if Edmund couldn’t see perfectly clearly the little thrill of delight the words still gave him. It was why Edmund liked to use phrases like ‘your son’, reminding Caspian he was no longer the unwanted orphan he’d been but a beloved man with a family of his own.
“Well, he didn’t get his early rising habits from me. Yes, I know, Ril, I know.”
Rilian was yanking on Edmund and Caspian in turn, whimpering in frustration.
“Go so,” he wailed.
“We’re going to the snow,” Caspian promised. “But we have to dress up for it. Don’t you want to be warm?”
“Wan’ so.”
Rilian stamped his foot, lower lip trembling dangerously.
“Well, if you’re patient a little longer, you can have all the snow you can grab. You can throw snowballs at Papa and Daddy for taking so long, and go sliding on the hill…”
“Make a snowman,” Edmund suggested.
“Yes, you can make a snowman,” Caspian agreed, like it was the most exciting thing in the world.
“Wha’ so-nan?” Rilian demanded.
“A snowman,” Caspian said, emphasizing the ‘m’ slightly, “Is a person made out of snow. Like the toy faun Aunt Lucy carved you, but carved out of snow instead of wood.”
Rilian stopped jumping around, needing all his energy to think that over.
“So-m’nan,” he whispered to himself.
Edmund lifted up the sweater, but Rilian promptly began swaying from foot to foot.
“Snowmen stay really still, though,” Caspian said. He looked thoughtful. “I bet they’re even better at staying still than you are.”
Edmund stifled a grin as Rilian puffed up with the indignation only very small children know.
“Nod,” he said.
“They’re not?” Caspian asked.
“Nod,” Rilian repeated. “Wil.” (Rs were quite beyond Rilian yet.)
“I dunno,” Edmund said. “You dress up snowmen—scarves or hats, you know—and they stand still for it.”
“Wil stan’!”
Rilian’s face was starting to turn red with fury. Edmund had to turn away a moment, summoning all his diplomatic training to keep from laughing. Of course this was all very serious to Rilian, and it was important for Edmund to respect that, but the little fellow was unfairly adorable. Luckily, Caspian jumped in before Rilian could get impatient.
“So, if Daddy tried to put your sweater on, you’d let him?” Caspian asked.
Rilian nodded fervently. Edmund began pulling the sweater over him again, and this time Rilian let him, though he was wiggling in place with excitement, or maybe determination.
“It’s your nice sweater, too,” Caspian chattered to Rilian, distracting him while Edmund worked at getting the sweater into place. “Aunt Susan knitted it just for you, and you know she’s very busy. And it’s yellow, your favorite color.”
“Lellow!”
“Yellow.”
“L-l-lellow.”
“We’ll work on it,” Caspian reassured Rilian as his face wrinkled up in frustration. “Time for boots, now. You’ll be way better at this than a snowman. They don’t have feet.”
“Why?”
“Same reason you have two feet, and Glenstorm has four,” Edmund said, “While the merfolk don’t have any.”
“Why?” Rilian insisted, starting to wriggle again, hopping in place with one fur-lined boot on. Caspian laughed.
“Daddy was getting to that, you impatient little monkey.”
He grabbed Rilian and blew a raspberry into his neck. Rilian shrieked with laughter. Edmund couldn’t help laughing too at the sight of them.
“He means not everyone has the same number of feet,” Caspian went on. “Some might have more or less than you, who has two. But only one of them has a boot on right now.”
Rilian contemplated his feet, having gone back to standing on only one of them. Caspian caught his hands and lifted Rilian into the air by them.
“Other foot now.”
Giggling, Rilian switched which foot he had stuck out. Caspian lowered him back to the floor again, and Edmund began getting his second boot on, while Caspian kept him from tipping over.
“Thank you, Rilian,” Caspian said, as seriously as if his son had just helped him settle an important matter of state. Rilian giggled again.
“Wil stan’!” he declared proudly. He thought about it for a moment, and added, “An’—an’ go so.”
“Yes,” Caspian agreed. “And then we will go see the snow.”
“Last thing,” Edmund said, draping a cloak around Rilian’s shoulders. A moment later it nearly slid off again as Rilian began to bounce in place.
“Go so! Go so!”
Caspian crouched beside Rilian as Edmund struggled to get the cloak’s clasp fastened.
“Well, you’re awful wiggly for a snowman,” Caspian said. Rilian went stock-still.
“So-m’nan,” he declared fiercely.
Edmund latched the clasp.
“Alright,” he said, standing up. “Now we can go play in the snow.”
“So! So! So!”
“There’s a lot of stairs between here and outside,” Caspian said, while Edmund grabbed his own cloak. “You want me to carry you till we get out in the snow?”
“Up!” Rilian cried, raising his arms. “Papa up!”
Caspian grabbed him and swooped him upside-down over Caspian’s head, Rilian shrieking with glee, before settling him on Caspian’s shoulders. Edmund put his arm around Caspian’s waist and kissed him on the cheek.
“You’re in a good mood,” Caspian said.
“You’re good with our son.”
“Go so,” Rilian reminded them, tugging on Caspian’s ear and hair. Edmund laughed as Caspian winced.
“Ow. We don’t pull on people, Rilian.” Caspian began to walk even as he said it. Edmund made sure his arm stayed about Caspian’s waist.
“Sowwy.”
“Thank you for saying sorry. Now let’s go play in the snow."