Disclaimer: I do not own Narnia.
A/N: No flames, please, this is just a random oneshot that I thought of awhile back. It's from the POV of one of the boys Peter was fighting in the beginning of the movie.
Peter Pevensie was one of those boys. The kind of boy that the girls secretly admired and all the other boys were either jealous of or in awe of. The kind of boy who actually did what his parents wanted, and who made all the other boys look like cavemen. The kind of boy that parents just adored, and the kind that would walk a woman across the street even if she didn't ask.
At least, that's what kind of boy he used to be.
Then something in him had changed. He'd gotten restless, moodier, able to snap at the slightest of insults.
Not that Geoffrey minded. He and his friends liked those sorts of people, the folk who were easily upset and even more easily discredited by a simple fight.
It had certainly been easy enough to "accidentally" bump into Pevensie and then demand an apology. Without a word, the golden boy had hurled himself onto Alf, the biggest boy in the group. And so the fight had begun. Geoffrey hadn't counted on his brother Edmund to charge in, but that wasn't a big drawback. Granted, Edmund was a fearsome fighter and it was obvious that he could control both his brother and his temper, but Geoffrey knew that all he had to do was pick on Peter again to get his temper flaring.
He hid a smirk as he and his friends approached the four Pevensies. They were chatting away with no idea that the train was about to become a fighting ring. Striding forward, Geoffrey bumped into Peter, causing him to stumble forward. The eldest turned to face them, and when he recognized Geoffrey, a strange gleam entered his eye. Geoffrey felt elated and frightened at the same time: this one was ready for battle. Swallowing, he pointed an accusing finger at Peter.
"You bumped me!" he cried.
"I did nothing of the sort," Peter growled.
"Liar!" Alf bawled. "Liar! You did bump him! We saw you!"
"I demand an apology," Geoffrey said, drawing himself up to his full height, which was still several inches shorter than his opponent.
"For something he didn't even do?" the elder girl demanded, her blue eyes flashing.
"He did, too!" Nate, standing beside Alf, argued.
"Apologize, Pevensie!" Geoffrey commanded. Peter stared calmly down at him. Geoffrey tensed, waiting for the first punch, but nothing happened. Peter just stared at him. Geoffrey wilted under the boy's gaze and stared at his shoes. Finally, Peter spoke.
"I do apologize for bumping into you, Geoffrey. I hope you're not hurt."
All three bullies gasped and stared at Peter in shock. Peter met their gazes squarely and then cleared his throat, obviously not finished.
"And I apologize for losing my temper earlier and starting a fight. It was immature and irresponsible of me, and I do hope you'll accept my apology."
There was a long silence, and then the three bullies glanced at one another. Geoffrey felt a huge lump within his chest. Never before had anyone dealt him this much grace. Shame overwhelmed him and he shrugged.
"We're all fine, Pevensie," he mumbled. "C'mon lads, let's go."
Not looking at any of the Pevensies, the three of them shuffled off.
"Gaw," Alf breathed once they were out of earshot. "What happened to him? He changed!"
"Yeah," Nate agreed. "But why? What made 'im change, I wonder?"
"Who cares?" Geoffrey demanded, puffing out his chest. "Come on, let's go find someone else to pick on!"
But as they left, he glanced back at the four siblings. They were talking animatedly again, and Geoffrey couldn't help but think that in the fifteen minutes that had passed since the fight, Peter had aged. He looked older, wiser. For a second, Geoffrey could've sworn he'd been wearing a crown when he'd apologized.
Which was ridiculous, of course. How could Peter Pevensie be royalty? It was absurd.
But still, Geoffrey couldn't help glancing back, just to make sure.
Enjoy! Hopefully this isn't too AU or anything.
