Crimsonwings92: It is two in the morning and I'm up writing. I'm either persistent, crazy, or just not tired yet! Hahaha! Anyway, story behind this…story…is that a wonderful, faithful reader of mine brought to my attention that I never disclosed the whole parent situation with Peter and Lucy in the actual story, The Cair Paravel. She then proceeded to ask me to write a prequel, so I did because I agreed with her. We didn't know what was up with them and how Peter met Julia and I thought you guys deserved to know. So here's the result of that request. I hope all of my current readers like it and I hope it encourages the new ones to read The Cair Paravel. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Chronicles of Narnia not mine.
The Cair Paravel
Prequel
July 10, 2001
Bright, blue eyes were filled with impatience and child-like wonder as they stared out the foyer window in hopes of spotting the familiar, sleek black Jaguar that belonged to his mother and father. Eleven year old Peter Pevensie just couldn't sit still as he bounced in the window seat, waiting for the much anticipated arrival of his new baby sister with the impatience of a child waiting for Christmas morning. When Peter had heard, nine months ago, that his mom was going to give him a new sibling, possibly a girl, he had been ecstatic; he was tired of being an only child, he felt so alone all the time, so empty without a sibling to share the very large mansion with. So, from that very first moment, he became very involved in the preparations for the new baby, including the decorating of her room and the choosing of her clothes and toys, making sure that everything was just perfect for her.
"Young Master Peter, please stop fretting about. You're making me nervous," one of the housemaids, Dolores, spoke up in good humor as she came into the foyer to straighten up.
"But I can't, Dolores, I'm too excited!" Peter argued, getting to his knees in the window seat and pressing his hands and face to the glass.
"Young Master Peter! You're smudging the glass!" Dolores exclaimed, looking slightly agitated that her newly cleaned windows were being dirtied up again.
However, her cry fell on deaf ears as the little blond boy continued to stare out of the window, motionless as he waited.
And waited.
And waited.
And waited some more until…
He gasped, "They're here! They're here! They're here!"
He jumped up and down in the window seat as the black Jaguar pulled up the impressive driveway and stopped in front of the mansion. Just as the driver was getting out and helping Roderick and Lillian Pevensie out as well, Peter bounded out the door, down the stairs and over to his parents, both of which were busy talking on the phone since Mrs. Pevensie was a lawyer and Mr. Pevensie was a business man.
"Mum! Dad! Is she here? Is she here? Can I see her?" he begged, hopping around in front of his tired looking mother of whom he acquired most of his looks from.
The golden haired woman with the bright blue eyes and pale skin sputtered a little over the phone since she was trying to listen to the conversation as well as listen to her son before she finally sighed in exasperation and turned irritated eyes to the blond boy.
"Peter! Mummy is very busy!" she snapped, thinking that was enough to calm him as she went back to her conversation on the cell.
Peter looked crestfallen before he turned to his father, "Dad, can I please see-"
"Not now, son. I'm making a very important phone call," Mr. Pevensie immediately dismissed his son as he followed his wife up the stairs and into the mansion, the driver carrying their suitcases and handing the baby over to Dolores.
The blue-eyed little boy stared after his parents, feeling that familiar, empty sensation at being dismissed so easily by the two people that were supposed to love him and show him attention fill his body. He followed after the adults, hearing his mother give instructions to Dolores as they made their way down the hall to the new nursery.
"I was pumped for milk at the hospital, so there are four bottles ready for her. Feed her in two hours and then every four hours after that; I will continue to breast pump because Lord knows I don't have time to sit and breast feed her myself. If nothing else, we'll look into getting her a wet nurse. I believe you know the routine from when we had Peter; I am utterly exhausted and wish for no one to bother me for the rest of the day. Keep Peter entertained and well occupied. Nigel! Get me Mr. Bruckenheim on the phone!"
With those final instructions, Mrs. Pevensie turned to leave and go to her room, Mr. Pevensie already immersing himself in his study, when she encountered her one and only son once again at the door.
"Mum?" Peter spoke up, being ignored as the older woman brushed past him, "Mum!"
"What is it now, Peter?" Lillian snapped once again at her child, turning with agitation to face him.
"What's my new sister's name?" he asked softly, clenching and unclenching his fists at his sides.
"It's Lucy, now don't bother mummy any more for the rest of the day," the older woman ordered, whipping around and disappearing inside her room.
Peter stared down the hallway his mother had walked to get to her room, the silence resounding in his ears as a deafening reminder of how lonely he truly was and how much his parents actually did ignore him; they didn't even have time for their new born daughter on the day they bring her home. Speaking of new born, the eleven year old heard small whining and turned his attention to the pink nursery. He stepped inside the room with the fluffy white carpets, baby bunnies, elephants, giraffes, and zebras painted on the pink walls, the small bookcase filled with baby books, a chest filled with baby toys, and finally the crib that held the most precious cargo in the world. Peter stepped up to the crib and peered inside, feeling his heart melt at the beautiful baby girl lying there. She had a tuff of brown hair, inherited by their father, and the brightest bluish-green eyes he's ever seen on anyone before and when those hazel eyes met with his, she smiled and reached for him. Peter smiled back, tears brimming his eyes as he got up on a stool and reached into the crib, bundling his baby sister up in her blankets and then holding her in his arms protectively, bouncing her up and down soothingly as he cooed at her.
"Hello, Lucy, I'm your big brother Peter," he spoke softly, "We're going to have lots of fun together. We're going to play and read and just have a blast!"
She simply looked up at him, trying to make sense of the words he was saying and reaching up with her tiny hands to grab hold of his blond locks. Peter just laughed at the precious baby in his arms, holding his finger out for her to take.
"I'm always going to take care of you and I'm never going to leave you alone, like I've always been. I love you, Lucy, and I always will," he promised, sitting down in the rocking chair that was in the corner of the room.
Lucy made a gurgling noise before she squealed and then calmed herself, closing her big, curious eyes and falling fast asleep in her big brother's arms. It was as if she understood what he was saying to her and trusted him to keep his promise.
As if she just knew he would.
8 Years Later
Nineteen year old Peter Pevensie was seated at the long, family table, a newspaper in his hands as he ate his breakfast which consisted of eggs, bacon, toast, an apple, and a glass full of orange juice as well as a small cup of coffee. He had grown nicely throughout the years, puberty being extremely kind to him and blessing him with a strong build, a masculine jaw, beautiful eyes, and luscious hair, the very appearance of an Adonis. He heard the sound of running feet and smiled to himself as he put the newspaper down and turned around in his seat just in time to catch his baby sister bursting through the door.
"Morning, Peter!" the little 8 year old cried, large smile on her face as she spotted her dear older brother.
"Good morning, Lu!" Peter greeted back, holding his arms out as Lucy ran to embrace him, "Ready for another day in third grade?"
Lucy nodded vigorously as she twirled around to show off her pristine uniform- a box-pleated black and green skirt, a green collared shirt, white stockings and black loafers. Peter smiled at his adorable little sister, bringing her close to kiss the top of her head before letting her go to hop over to her side of the table for her breakfast. Lucy scrambled into her seat and dug into her chocolate chip pancakes and scrambled eggs eagerly. She peered at her older brother, who had gone back to reading the newspaper, and blinked her eyes curiously.
"Peter?" he looked up at his name being called, "Don't you have that meeting today with all those other students at the college?"
"You mean the orientation? Yes, I do," Peter answered.
"Are you going to go by yourself?"
"I have no choice, Lu."
"But I thought mom and dad were going to go with you."
"They're still in Australia doing business," the blond young man replied with a strained voice, anger developing in his chest at the fact that his parents would put work before their children, but then again, what else was new.
Lucy's face mirrored Peter's anger as her nose scrunched up and her eyes glared down at her food, "They're still in Australia! They knew this was important to you! I can't believe they would do that!"
"Well, Lucy, they have to work hard in order to give us the lifestyle that we live and to help put me through school. All we can do is be grateful for that much," Peter sighed, folding up the newspaper and setting it aside as he got up from his seat, "Are you almost done? I'll drive you to school today on my way to the orientation."
Lucy nodded her head solemnly before shoveling whatever she could into her mouth, swallowing it down with her orange juice and then jumping down from her seat to follow her older brother. After each respectfully brushing their teeth and gathering their things, the two siblings made their way towards the door where Dolores was waiting with Lucy's lunch pail and Peter's bag.
"Thank you, Dolores. I'll be taking Lucy to school today and I may be picking her up as well depending on how long the orientation and the tour last…I'll call to let you know," the older child spoke to their aging maid, the woman nodding her head and smiling.
"Of course, young Master Peter," Dolores replied as she watched Peter put on his coat and help Lucy into hers, feeling pride at how much he had grown from that scrawny 11 year old boy to the responsible and strong young man that stood before her now, "I'm so proud of you, young Master Peter."
Blue eyes looked up to meet her kind, green ones as she continued, "You've grown to be such a wonderful young man. If only your parents would see that."
Peter had no response to that, so he simply forced a smile and gave his faithful house maid a warm embrace, "Thank you, Dolores. We'll see at the end of the day."
"Good bye and be safe."
With that, the two siblings were out the door and hopping into Peter's silver BMW that his parents had bought for him on his 18th birthday. They took off down the long driveway that belonged to the Pevensie Mansion and came out onto the street, heading in the direction of Lucy's private elementary school. Peter pulled up in front of the brick building and smiled down at his little sister.
"Okay, Lu, have a good day at school, okay? Do your best," he told her, giving her forehead a kiss.
"I will Peter. You have a good day, too, okay? Good luck at the college! I love you!" she bid back, leaning up to kiss her older brother's cheek and hug him before she got out of his car and ran across the grass to join her schoolmates in a game of tag before class started.
The young man watched her go, a loving smile on his face that only little Lucy could bring out. He was so proud of her, so proud of how well she was growing and how sweet and kind she was as a person. She was his little sister, the most important person in the world to him and he was glad she knew that. Sighing, he leaned back in his seat and pulled away from the curb and back onto the main street, heading for London University. 30 minutes later finds our young British man fighting to find a parking spot in the crowded lot in front of the University. After successfully finding one, he parked his car and stepped out, looking on in wonder at how grand of a feel the building had as young men and women wandered about in the same daze. When he saw that each first year student was with one or both of his or her parents, he felt a pang of jealousy strum against his heart.
'Why couldn't my parents care enough to be here?' he thought bitterly, but quickly shook that thought away, raised his head proudly, and walked towards the front entrance where the other students were filing in for the orientation.
The auditorium, like the parking lot, was packed with people, most of them students and the other half of them the parents of the students. They were given a show by the Clef Notes, a campus choir group, as well as a show by the school band. Then, when all the festivities were over, the dean of the University, Charles Ludwig, stepped up to the podium to address the audience.
"Mothers, Fathers, my new Sons and Daughters, we welcome you to the University of London," he greeted, gaining applause from the audience, "We are one of the finest schools in the UK with an amazing educational staff full of doctors and professors ready and willing to assist you young successors in accomplishing your goals as you step through that threshold from childhood into adulthood. We will help mold and shape your dreams and aspirations into an attainable reality. As your new family, for we are all in the same boat together, trying to survive and swim in this great ocean that is too big for us to swim alone, we will be your lifeline and see you through to the very end. Put your faith in us and you will be amazing!"
There was another round of applause at the dean's words, words of inspiration that settled in Peter's heart and made him light with faith and excitement. From those words, he felt he could do anything, with or without his parents ever being present. He would do it for him, for Lucy, and for no one else. The dean's speech came to a dramatic end and the prospective students along with their parents stood to vacate the auditorium. Peter stumbled along slightly, being jostled here and there by overexcited first years that were eager to get to their respective groups to begin their tour, one of them shouldering past so roughly that the blond haired boy ended up running into someone else, that person dropping all of their books on the ground.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to bump you like that!" he apologized, bending down to pick up the person's books.
He heard a dainty, feminine giggle as a girlish voice said, "No worries, kind sir. It was just an accident."
Peter looked up and found himself staring into beautiful hazel eyes, the woman owning them giggling once again as the rest of her face came into focus. Her hair was an ash-blond, long and silky and lovely and her skin was a flawless, alabaster pale. Her stature was small and petite, tiny, and just all around a very beautiful creature to gaze upon.
"U-Um…I'm sorry," the young man stammered, standing up and handing the girl her books.
"It's alright, stranger, no harm done," she replied again, a sugary-sweet smile on her face, "My name is Julia Bonnet. What is yours?"
"Uh, Peter! Peter Pevensie!" he hastily greeted, taking her hand in his and giving the back a gentle kiss.
"My, my, Peter Pevensie, you are quite the gentleman," Julia giggled flirtatiously, acting very delicate and fragile.
Peter could only smile in the presence of this French beauty, wringing his hands slightly as he became nervous. He was saved, in a sense, as an older man with dark brown, graying hair, light brown eyes, and white skin came over, his very presence one of a refined gentleman. Right behind him was a petite woman, an exact replica of her daughter, only she looked much older with pretty, hazel green eyes.
"Julia, darling, how do you like the school?" the man asked the girl, putting his hand on the small of her back and smiling down at her lovingly.
"Oh, I like it so very much, daddy!" Julia replied in a sweet tone, batting her eyelashes at him and giving him her best little girl smile.
"That's my baby doll!" the man praised proudly.
"It is such a beautiful school," the woman commented with a smile.
"And who is this young man here, Julia darling?" the man inquired, his attention finally being drawn to Peter.
"Oh! Silly me," the French beauty feigned bashfulness at herself, "Mother, Father, this is my new friend, Peter Pevensie. Peter, these are my parents, Sherman and Melody Bonnet."
"Nice to meet you, young man," Sherman greeted, holding his hand out.
"And you as well, sir," Peter replied, taking the man's hand in his and shaking it firmly.
"It's a pleasure, Peter," Melody added, holding her hand out.
Peter took her small hand and kissed the back of it gently, a pleased smile making its way onto the older woman's face. Mr. Bonnet cleared his throat and stood tall before the young man, regarding him carefully with inquisitive eyes.
"So, my boy, why did you pick this school to attend? What are your goals for the future?" the older man asked.
"I chose the school because I wish to become a doctor, sir. I want to help people, make them healthy again and be the helping hand this world needs," Peter replied, quite passionate about his decision.
Julia stared at him with an impressed gaze, her heart pounding in her chest that such a beautiful boy could have such a heart of gold…she smelt a possible suitor. She grinned predatorily as her father continued talking to him.
"Is that so? That is an impressive dream to have, my boy, very impressive to me," Sherman told him, smiling down at Peter.
"Peter, if you don't mind me asking, where are your parents?" Melody inquired, looking around for anyone that might look like Peter, "I would love to meet them."
Here, Peter had to fight to keep the scowl off his face, his features going blank as he said, "My parents couldn't make it today, they had business to take care of."
"Is that so? What a shame? And this is a very important day for you!" Mrs. Bonnet voiced, looking perplexed and saddened for the young man.
'You're telling me,' Peter thought, working to keep his expression pleasant, "Well, I wouldn't want to keep you too long from your tour. I'll just excuse myself."
"Oh, nonsense, Peter!" Julia latched herself on to the young man's arm, "Join us on the tour! We can learn about the school together! After all, we are going to be classmates, so why not? And afterwards, you can join us for lunch!"
"I-I wouldn't want to impose on you and your parents," he argued, though it was a weak argument as he felt himself slipping into her beautiful hazel eyes.
"You're not imposing at all, my dear boy! We would be delighted to have you join us!" Sherman added, clapping his large hand on Peter's shoulder and steering the boy down the long corridor to where they were to meet with the tour guide, Julia and her mother following close behind.
Peter smiled at the man and thanked him graciously, for once feeling like he was being accepted somewhere by people that were impressed with him. Which is more than he could say for his own parents. He found Julia and her parents to be very charming people, Julia more so than her parents of course, as he spent the whole day of orientation with them. Mr. Bonnet was a businessman himself, bringing home all of the money to provide his family with everything they wanted, and Mrs. Bonnet was a housewife and loved it. To wrap it up, Peter had a blast with the Bonnet Family, finding he really did enjoy their company and absolutely adored having Julia's company. She was a sweet girl with the warmest eyes and brightest smiles; he felt she was someone that would be good to have around, someone that would be good for Lucy.
Well, that's not how said 8 year old looked at it.
A week after her brother's orientation at the college, Lucy finds herself standing in front of a blond young woman, staring at her with a sense of impending doom. Peter stood beside the woman, smiling proudly down at his baby sister as he introduced the two.
"Lucy, this is my friend from college, Julia Bonnet," he said, "Julia, this is my dear little sister, Lucy."
"Oh, Lucy, it's so good to finally meet you! Peter has told me all about you, but he never told me just how pretty you really are!" Julia gushed immediately, holding her hands to her chest before she approached the little girl and squeezed her cheeks.
"Pwease wet go of me," Lucy muttered, removing Julia's hands from her reddening cheeks, "And it's nice to meet you, too…I think."
Julia merely giggled and stepped back as Peter spoke to his sister again, "Julia's going to be joining us for dinner, okay?"
"Um…sure," Lucy replied as her big brother stepped forward to give her a kiss on the cheek.
"Great! I'm going to go wash up. Why don't you take Julia into the foyer and I'll be right back."
With that, the man of the house quickly left to wash his hands and face, leaving Lucy with the older woman. She looked up at Julia, surprised to see a sinister smile on the blond female's face.
"Um…this way," she instructed, walking into the foyer and sitting down in an armchair while Julia sat down on the couch, "So…you and Peter are going to the same school?"
"That's right."
"Oh…do you have any classes together?"
"We have two classes together."
"Oh…do you like my brother, Julia?" little Lucy asked curiously.
There it was again, that sinister smile that made Lucy shiver as Julia shook some of her hair out of her face and narrowed her eyes, "Oh yes, very much so. In fact…I believe I love your brother."
"Love him?" Lucy repeated, feeling confused at Julia's strange choice of words.
The blond woman nodded slyly, "Yes, love him. I find Peter to be a very capable man, very honest and sweet and responsible and protective. He's the perfect marriage material."
Lucy gasped, "Marriage? But Peter's too young to get married! And who's to say that he's going to marry you? You don't even know if he feels the same way!"
"Oh, trust me little girl, we are going to get married because I am Julia Bonnet and I always get what I want," she sneered, leering at Lucy, "So you better not ruin this for me."
Lucy leaned back from the look Julia was giving her, fearing for her brother's life. She couldn't let a succubus like Julia get ahold of her dear Peter!
"Alright, how are you two getting along?" Peter asked as he came back in the room, warm smile on his face.
"Peter! Peter!" Lucy cried as she got up from her seat and ran towards her brother, "It's Julia! She's-"
"Quite famished!" Julia cut in, getting up as well and gliding over to the handsome young man, "Is dinner almost ready?"
Peter smiled at her and nodded, "Yes, it is. Come, let's sit at the table."
He held his arm out for Julia to go first, the older woman doing so with dainty footsteps as she swayed her hips back and forth. Before Peter could follow after her, Lucy grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him back.
"Peter, wait!"
"What's the matter Lucy?"
"Julia! She's…" Lucy trailed off, she couldn't finish her sentence as she looked up at her big brother.
There was a bright smile on his face, brighter than she's seen in a long time. His eyes sparkled with a happiness she's never really seen before. Peter was unimaginably happy and it was because of Julia; Peter has never looked like he was glowing before and he deserved to be that happy, so who was she to rip that from him?
"Lucy?" Peter inquired, worried that his little sister was coming down with something.
"Um, it's nothing big brother…sorry," she finished lamely, forcing a smile.
"Are you sure, Lu? You don't look so well. Are you getting sick?" he bent down on one knee in front of her, worry evident on his face as he felt her cheeks for any signs of a fever.
"No, Peter, really! I just…I just…" she looked at her big brother before wrapping her arms around his neck, "I just love you so much and I want you to be happy."
Peter was surprised by her sudden change in mood, but he decided not to question her any more about it and simply hugged her close and rubbed her back.
"Thank you Lucy," he whispered before pulling away and standing up, taking her hand in his and leading her to the table, "Now, how about we get some food in that stomach of yours, huh? I can hear it talking to me."
"Hey!" Lucy exclaimed, hitting her brother in the arm before she took her seat across the table from him.
Julia was sitting beside Peter, getting rather close to him throughout the entire dinner and making Lucy scowl in disgust. She didn't like Julia, didn't like her at all, but for the sake of Peter's happiness, she would keep her tongue still. For the moment anyway.
'I just hope there's someone better out there for you, big brother…I really do.'
End Story
Crimsonwings92: You want to know something? The hardest part of this whole story was figuring out what year Lucy should have been born in order for the ages between the two siblings to make sense to everybody else. I'm so embarrassed that I couldn't even do simple math like that! Ugh! Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed that and now understand the strained relationship they have with their parents and how Peter met Julia and why Lucy hates her so freaking much. See you all in the next chapter of The Cair Paravel! Ciao!