Being Brothers
Chapter One
"I say! Give that back. I mean it this time Corin!"
His brother merely laughed. Corin ran into his bedroom, with his twin hot on his heels, and onto the wardrobe where Cor couldn't reach. "Corin!" he yelled trying to knock the leather book Corin was holding out of his hand. "Give it back, give it back I say!"
"What is this anyway?" Corin looked down at the book he was holding and let out a jubilant cry.
"Your diary? Your diary, Cor? Oh, Lion's Mane." He burst out laughing.
"Stop it." Cor had turned bright red.
His twin laughed even more loudly. "I didn't know boys kept diaries. I thought only girls-but then even Aravis wouldn't keep a diary. What do you write in here?" Nearly choking in his mirth, Corin opened the diary.
"Dear diary," he read. "Today Father took me fishing. We had a wonderfull – Cor you've spelled wonderful wrong, it only has one l you know."
By this time Cor had managed to grab his book back. Corin lunged for it, and the wardrobe, which until now had been wobbling dangerously on three legs, toppled over.
There was a strangled yelp and a cry of pain followed by a tremendous, echoing crash.
"Gerrof me!" Cor cried his arms flailing in the air. Corin had landed on him when the wardrobe toppled over. It now lay in several pieces on the floor, beside them. Miraculously, neither of the boys had been hurt save for a cut on Cor's face and a bruise on Corin's knee.
"I say, get off me ," Cor cried again. Corin finally obliged by getting to his feet. "Look at it," he said gesturing at the remains of what had ten minutes ago been a perfectly good wardrobe. "It was Mother's; Father's going to kill me when he finds out. It's all your fault." He pointed accusingly at his brother.
"My fault?" Cor said getting to his feet. "My fault? Who was the one sitting on top of it?"
"Who chased me up there?"
"Who was the one that took my stuff without my permission?"
"Who knocked it out of my hand?"
"Enough!" a deep voice rumbled. "Enough! Stop this incessant bickering at once" The two brothers turned to see a stocky dwarf standing in the doorway.
"What is going on here?" a second voice said. There was a sound of running feet and a moment later a tall, thin woman appeared. "Goodness," she gasped looking at the heap that was the utterly destroyed wardrobe. "Your Highnesses, explain this at once!"
"It wasn't such a big deal Aunty" Corin said. Seira had actually been Corin's governess when he was younger,but had remained in the castle with him even after he got a tutor as she and Corin had grown close. "Except he-"
"It is a big deal to me," Cor snapped looking tearful, "Taking my stuff without my permission-"
Corin looked ready to knock Cor down
"If you hadn't acted like such a sissy, I would have--"
"You started it-"
"Enough!" the dwarf roared again, causing Cor to clap his hands over his ears and Corin to scowl.
"Thank you Master Brittlerock . Of your courtesy, escort His Royal Highness Prince Cor down to the kitchens for a cool drink. I wish to speak with Prince Corin alone."
"Certainly, Lady Seira," the Red Dwarf nodded "Come along, Prince " he added to Cor . Cor followed him out the door muttering, 'I hate him! I hate him!' as he went.
Lady Seira turned to look at Corin. "Really, Prince. Will you never grow up? You are not a child anymore"
"I'm not grown up yet," Corin said. "I can still have a little fun now and then if I want to. Or at least, I try to."
"Oh, Your Highness? Perhaps I should tell the king you are not mature enough yet for the war horse you just received on your birthday. Perhaps I should tell him that he should take it back until you are.
"Aunty!" Corin protested. "That's not fair. Lightning has nothing to do with this."
"Then what does have to do with this?" Seira looked stern.
"Well I just wanted to know what Cor kept writing in there."
" And you couldn't just ask him?" Lady Seira made an exasperated noise.
"I did! He wouldn't tell me and acted all secretive about it and I got really curious so I was just going to take one peak. One peak! It wasn't such a big deal. Really!" he added looking at his aunt shake her head.
"It wasn't princely" she said.
"Well.. anyway, Cor suddenly came in and saw me there. He started yelling at me to give it back and I said I wouldn't until he said it nicely. That's when he started chasing me."
"And pray tell me, why was it so important to you that you see what he wrote in there? It doesn't concern you, surely."
"It's so funny to see what he's written Aunty. His handwriting is so big and he makes all these silly mistakes and all."
"Prince Cor has greatly improved in his reading and writing." Lady Seira said firmly. "I've never seen anyone learn so much in six months."
''Yeah, yeah." Corin mumbled.
Lady Seira looked at him intently. "Tell me Corin, don't you like your brother?"
"I do," Corin said quickly. "It's just that he's such a wet blanket. He can never take a joke and he's always running to tell everything to Father. And Father always favors him. It was more fun and all in the beginning but you cant help but tire of him.
"I don't see how other people have tired of him"
"That's because he only tattle-tales on me!"
"He is just trying to keep you out of trouble."
"No, he gets me in trouble when he does that. It makes me so angry." Corin said frowning.
"He's your brother.'
"So?"
"So you should forgive him."
"Just because he's my brother doesn't mean I have to excuse his bothering me all the time."
Lady Seira drew a deep breath. "Let me tell you a story."
"About what?" Corin asked at once.
"About King Edmund and his brother the High King."
"What happened?"
"A long time ago, when you were very young, in the seventh year of their reign there was a conspiracy. A terrible conspiracy to overthrow the sovereigns of Narnia."
Sensing a long story, Corin shifted his seat into a more comfortable position, leaning against the stone wall....
A/n: Well, I'm back! I've been really busy with schoolwork and all,but I'm going on break soon;should be able to put up more stories then.
So, what do you think? Is it good, bad, OK? Please review, reviews really make my day and help me be a better writer. I take all sorts of reviews long, short, signed, anonymous, you name it...
Oh,and a big thanks to Tonzura123 for beta-ing this,good luck on PE :) (go read it!)
