Title: At the Water
Summary: Peter baptizes his brother. Follows VDT; no pairings. Spiritual, family.
Rating: K
Pairings: None
Disclaimer: All of the characters from The Chronicles of Narnia were created by C.S. Lewis and thus belonged to him, though now perhaps they belong to Douglas Gresham, Walden Media, Disney, Fox, and possibly several other individuals or companies; at any rate they do not belong to me, and I'm not making any money by writing this story.
Author's Notes: I was reading through Acts and that book inspired me to write this fic, which is set at the Pevensies' home in England following Voyage of the Dawn Treader. In this story Edmund is a new Christian, Susan believes that Aslan is probably Jesus in our world but would rather focus on other things, and Peter and Lucy have been Christians for a little while and are very glad to be.
At the Water
Edmund sat in the yard, frowning uncertainly as he read.
Peter came round the bend and stopped to listen. After a moment his face lit up. "Isaiah."
Edmund's head whipped round so quickly he nearly got whiplash. "What?"
"What you're reading." Peter came and took the book from him, thrilled to see his brother so interested in the book which had brought him so much joy. "That's from Isaiah."
Edmund was impressed. "You know it?"
"A little."
"Hmm." Edmund tapped the cover and looked at his brother.
"Do you understand it?" asked Peter.
"How can I unless someone explains it to me?" asked Edmund reasonably. "Come on Pete, help me. What does it mean?"
Edmund tugged on his jacket until Peter sat down, laughing. "Read me the rest."
Edmund read it to him. "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so He did not open His mouth. In His humiliation He was deprived of justice. Who can speak of His descendants? For His life was taken from the earth." He looked up at his brother.
"Isaiah was a prophet," clarified Peter.
"I get that, Pete. But what's this got to do with it? Who's this prophet talking about? Himself or someone else?"
"He's talking about Jesus, Ed... But what made you think I know?"
Edmund shrugged, looking uncomfortable. "You're closer to Him here." He looked at Peter in honest confusion. "I'm not, somehow."
Peter frowned at the sorrow in his brother's voice. "Hey." Edmund looked up. "Walk with me."
The boys stood up and walked down several roads until they found themselves in the high street, and Peter began to tell his brother all he had read about Jesus and what He had done, and about baptism, faith, obeying Him, following Him, and learning from Him. And Edmund grew more and more amazed, and longed to hear more and more. They walked and walked until they reached the lake.
Suddenly Edmund stopped. Peter stopped too and looked at him. "What?"
"We're at the water," said Edmund, as though some marvelous thought had just occurred to him.
"So we are," agreed Peter.
"So what's stopping me from being baptized?"
Hope rose inside Peter, and he grinned. "If you believe with all your heart, you may. Nothing's stopping you, Ed."
Edmund grinned back at him, the same wild hope reflected in his eyes. "I believe, Peter! I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He's here, Pete, He really is. You were right; Aslan's here!" Edmund closed his eyes, clinging to that with all his might. He had felt Him with them when he and Peter had been walking and talking about Him. Now he knew he could know Aslan here even better than he had in Narnia, and Edmund never wanted to be separated from Him again.
Peter's voice broke through his reverie. "Do you want to be baptized?"
"Yes!" said Edmund, practically knocking his brother over in his enthusiasm. More than anything, he thought.
Peter looked out over the lake. There was no time like the present. "Do you want me to baptize you?"
Edmund's eyes flew open and he stared at Peter in astonishment. "What?"
Peter smiled at him as he gestured toward the water. "Do you want me to baptize you?"
Edmund's mouth dropped open. "You'd do that for me?"
Peter threw an arm around him. "Come with me."
There were those who paused to look at the two boys who walked into the lake fully dressed, but most ignored them. Edmund followed his brother, his steps sure as Peter led him into the water. Something wonderful was about to happen, and he was suddenly overwhelmed. He felt hot tears in his eyes, but he didn't care who saw. Edmund's heart beat faster and faster and he walked so quickly that he almost crashed into Peter when he stopped.
"You understand what you're doing? You understand what this means? That being baptized symbolizes washing away your sins? You'll be buried with Christ into death, and when you come up you'll walk in newness of life," Peter quoted.
"Yes," said Edmund solemnly.
Peter took Edmund by the shoulders and smiled wide. "Are you ready to be baptized, Edmund Pevensie?"
"Yes, Peter!" said Edmund impatiently.
"All right then." Peter grinned at his enthusiasm. "I baptize you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit."
And he pulled Edmund under the water.
Whether it was the Holy Spirit or his overwhelming joy he could not say, but Edmund felt something amazing rush over him then, and he was fuller than he had ever been before.
When Peter pulled him up Edmund was amazed. He stared at his brother, tears mingling with the water from the lake. He couldn't speak for the joy in his soul.
"There," said Peter, the same overwhelming joy in his eyes. "You're a new creation. The old has washed away and the new has come." Peter was crying, too. He embraced his little brother.
"Oh Edmund!" Both boys turned around to find their little sister smiling at them. "I'm sorry!" she said, throwing her arms around Edmund just as Peter released him. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I came out here to talk to Him." She smiled. "Jesus, I mean. It's a good place to talk to Him, don't you think?"
Edmund was still enraptured. "Any place is a good place to talk to Him, Lu."
"Yes, quite! Anyhow I saw you coming and I followed you." The boys pretended to be shocked. "I'm sorry!" cried Lucy again, looking overjoyed instead. "I couldn't help it! Susan, look!"
Lucy turned and the boys looked up to find Susan staring around at them all in awe. They all grinned at her. She frowned slightly at them at first, covered as they were in water- even Lucy looked as though she'd gone for a swim- but the way they were grinning at her she couldn't help but smile back.
She had been sent to find Lucy but she had seen her brothers along the way, and when she'd heard what they were talking about she had decided to follow them instead. But it wouldn't do to let them know she'd been eavesdropping… "What- what were you doing?" she asked when she could speak.
"Come on Su, I'll tell you." Peter threw his arm around her, grinning when she tried to keep the water off her.
Lucy was excited. "Peter baptized Ed! Oh, I read about something just like this in the Bible!"
"Did you?" asked Edmund, turning to Peter. It seemed there were a lot of interesting things in the Bible.
"In Acts, I think," agreed Peter. "Though perhaps it didn't go exactly the way it went for us. Unless you're really an Ethiopian eunuch."
"And your name is really Philip," laughed Lucy, poking Peter in the ribs.
"And I haven't been taken away…"
Susan and Edmund stared at each other. "What?" they asked together.
Peter tickled Lucy and spun her around until she stopped poking him. He grinned at the others and took her hand. "Well it's like this, you see-"
Susan shook her head at them and tried not to laugh. "Come on, all of you. Mum will wonder where we've gotten to."
"But I want to know what they're talking about," began Edmund.
Peter grinned and began to follow Susan, pulling his younger siblings along behind him.
"Come on Ed. I'll tell you on the way."
Fin.
Author's Note: I suppose much of this could have been the story of many a brother's baptism, but if anyone was wondering, Edmund and Peter's conversation in Isaiah and Edmund's ensuing baptism were loosely based on chapter 8 of the book of Acts in the Bible. I also borrowed from chapter 6 of Romans.