Hero
by Eraleigh Aminah
Disclaimer: All rights reserved to C.S. Lewis, Walden Media, Walt Disney, and 20th Century Fox.
Author's Note: Alright, so I don't know if this has been done before. If it has, hopefully it hasn't happened in the same way. For clarification, this is a brother-fic, and not an incestuous one. It takes place in the Night Raid on Miraz's Castle, so yes, it is Movie-verse. This chapter is a little short, but it is only the prologue. I'll try to update as often as possible, and let's pray that my updates are good. Alright, enjoy!
Prologue: Peter, High King and Hero
Edmund Pevensie, King of Narnia, furiously struggled with the Telmarine soldier that had him pinned against the stone ledge, which was the only thing keeping him from falling into the courtyard. Edmund could feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins, but it was difficult to gain the upper hand—far too difficult. His sword was locked with the soldier's, his other hand caught. He was just about to push, when his focus was thrown by the voice of his brother, High King Peter, reaching his sensitive ears.
"Now, Ed, now! Signal the troops!"
"I'm a bit busy, Pete!" Edmund managed to snap before he pushed the soldier's sword to the side and angrily butted the man's head. Now that he finally had room, he swung his sword ferociously, hitting the steel of the Telmarine's blade fiercely. Edmund whipped his sword around widely, an his opponent managed to block his hit once more. That only served to make him more frustrated. There was a time when striking down the Telmarine wouldn't have taken more than a couple seconds. During the Golden Age, there hadn't been anyone but Peter that could best him in swordplay. The fact that he was wasting his time with this untalented guard seemed ludicrous.
Due to his distracted state, the man was able to send Edmund's blade flying from his hand. Edmund ducked as the Telmarine's own sword swung above his head, noticing as he did so that his new torch was within reach. He snatched it up, whacking the man with it twice before he fell. He breathed heavily for a moment, then formed an expression of extreme disbelief as he realized it wouldn't turn on.
"Ugh..." he breathed, hitting it against his palm and swearing when nothing happened. He continued to bang it against his hand, trying to get a response. "Come on." He slapped the lens and was shocked but relieved when it came on. He immediately pointed it outward, signaling for the troops to come.
He saw Peter, Susan, and Caspian opening the gate before he turned and ran across the length of the tower. He placed one hand on the ledge as jumped over, landing on a balcony on the other side of the castle. He glanced around for possible ways back to the courtyard before his eyes landed upon the roof. He pulled himself up with a little difficulty, kicking his legs to try to gain some momentum. He grabbed onto the tiles, pulling himself up further and looking down at the battle that was unfolding beneath him. Archers began to line the balcony, and Edmund followed the gaze of the one to see the soldier was directing his crossbow at none other than his brother.
Narnia's youngest king set his jaw angrily, kicked his feet in front of him as he slid down the roofing and rammed into the archer, causing him to fall over the balcony ledge and slam into the courtyard below. Edmund smirked victoriously. Not while I'm still breathing, he thought fiercely, looking at his brother.
Peter reciprocated Edmund's action as if he sensed his life being saved (which he probably did). His eyes went wide, and he shouted, "ED!"
Unfortunately, Edmund had earned some unwanted attention. The other archers on the terrace turned their attention to him and took aim with their crossbows. Edmund barely managed to fly through the door without getting shot by a bolt. He breathed a short sigh of relief as he swung entrance shut with his foot and the rest of the arrows embedded themselves in the door.
He didn't have any time to waste, though. Edmund scrambled to his feet and ran up the closest staircase. He stopped hearing the battle raging furiously below, only aware the thumping of his own heart as he ran for his life. He could hear a couple of the soldiers following him, and he pushed himself faster, thinking of his brother and sisters and Aslan. He drew his strength from them and reached the top of the large tower in record time. He pushed the door open and closed it just as quickly, locking it with his new torch.
He turned around, only to find that he was on a small balcony, overlooking a drop onto rocks that seemed to be over five hundred feet. He looked around in distress, seeing no way out. His pursuers rattled at the door before finally kicking it down. Edmund was actively thinking up a way to convince the soldiers not to kill him or take him prisoner as the approached him with their swords drawn out. He slowly backed up to an opening in the wall of stone surrounded the balcony, a look of sheer terror and surprise on his face, before his eyes caught sight of a Gryphon approaching to catch him.
Edmund's arms were clutching at the railing, his heels at the edge. He slowly looked up at the soldiers, and, purely for dramatic effect, slowly let go and fell backward, dropping almost twenty feet before the Gryphon swept him up and shocked the Telmarines with a warlike screech.
The last thing Edmund heard as they flew away over turrets and from the battle was the sound of his brother's voice, all but lost in the fury below.
"MIRAZ!"
-EP-PP-
Peter Pevensie sprinted at full speed across the Telmarine courtyard, determined to win the battle and save the day. That was what he did, after all. It was his job, his duty, his oath to Aslan. He was supposed to sacrifice everything and anything, put away his own desires, and step up to the demanding task of loving his country with everything he had. Aslan had made him the High King, and he would protect Narnia at the cost of his life, defend it with every fiber of his being, be its savior. He was supposed to be the hero.
"Now, Ed, now! Signal the troops!" he yelled up to his brother who was struggling with a guard. Peter withdrew Rhindon from its sheath as two more guards approached him. He met blades with the two soldiers, spinning and slashing, his sword meeting the metal of theirs before he struck them down and continued on his way, hardly hearing his brother at all as he pumped his legs furiously.
He reached the gates and began turning the wheel, straining his muscles to do so. Peter felt rather than saw Susan and Caspian approaching him from behind, and he wanted to yell at them to just help him already because everything was not going as planned and it was all Caspian's fault, but he just set his jaw and pushed.
"Peter! It's too late. We have to pull it off while we can," Susan insisted.
"NO! I can still do this!" The two just stood there, most likely looking at the Telmarines as they rushed out into the courtyard. "Help me!" he cried, frustrated.
Susan and Caspian joined him and Peter saw his sister roll her eyes angrily. There was no doubt in his mind that she was absolutely fuming, but he couldn't let that bother him. He had a mission: to free the Narnians. The only way to do that was to take control of the castle. He had to do this.
"Exactly who are you doing this for?" Susan demanded bitterly as they continued opening the gate. Peter just looked at her, indignant and livid. Who did she think he was doing this for? Wasn't the answer obvious? Was it not absolutely crystal clear that he was trying to save his country? Wasn't it obvious he was doing this for Narnia?
The Telmarines began to flood the courtyard, and Peter was finally able to force the gate open with Susan and Caspian. As the Narnians raced through the gate, Peter turned and unsheathed Rhindon, raising it up in a fearsome pose. "FOR NARNIA!" he screamed as he charged, hoping Susan understood his answer to her question.
He rushed forward into the fray, immediately engaging in battle. He threw a soldiers spear to the side and cut off his head, repeating the action with the next Telmarine. His blood was pumping wildly through his veins, and Peter could feel his battle instincts kicking in. The familiar motions naturally came back to him, and he was relieved to let them take over as he tried to figure out how to kill Miraz.
Peter was battling a particularly skilled opponent by a well, and had just managed to cut him down when he heard a scream of sheer terror as a man fell after flipping over a railing. He whipped around to see archers lining the balcony, with all eyes staring in astonishment as the one soldier dropped into the courtyard. But Peter didn't care about that. What he cared about was the fact that he brother was standing right next to them within easy shooting distance.
"ED!" he shouted, his eyes wide as he looked at his brother. Edmund managed to take in the situation and within a second, he was running out the door. Unfortunately, Peter didn't have any more time to worry about his brother. Another Telmarine flew at him with his sword shining and Peter barely was able to get Rhindon up in time. He slashed at the other man and managed to hit a major artery in the upper arm before he felt as if something was about to go extremely wrong.
Peter wasn't one to go against his instincts, and his eyes were immediately drawn to the balcony of Miraz's room, where the devil himself was standing and watching the battle with an almost exasperated expression on his face. Peter bared his teeth, omitting a violet "UGH!" as he glanced around before running toward the stairs. He had to get to Miraz.
Peter raced up a short flight of stairs near the entrance door, seeing a Centaur and Faun fall almost simultaneously as he did so. Actually, there seemed to be more Telmarines than Narnians in the courtyard. Far more. They looked nearly overwhelmed.
He tried to ignore that. As High King, Peter had faced impossible odds before. He had hardly even been a teenager when he led the battle against the White Witch and saved Narnia. This wasn't any different. He could save Narnia again. Everything would be set right, if only he could kill Miraz.
Peter forced his way up a narrow flight of stairs. Upon reaching the landing he swung Rhindon at a Telmarine before pushing the soldier into a support. The man proceeding to fall, and Peter turned to continue forcing his way up. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a Satyr (Tirius?) make an insane leap and catch hold of the railing of Miraz's balcony. General Glozelle and his soldiers came rushing out, crossbows poised, but they didn't shoot.
Miraz slowly approached the Satyr and Peter watched as he did so. The usurper's upper lip curled, and, with a mighty shove, the Satyr fell.
Peter followed the Narnian's plunge to the ground with his eyes, suddenly not feeling as if anything else mattered. The Satyr collided with the roof and shingles came flying down with him as he hit the stone once more before impacting the ground. Peter's eyes moved to take in what else was happening in the battle. Narnians were falling left and right, killed by the swelling number of Telmarine soldiers. And they weren't done arriving. Within ten minutes even the best of his warriors would be dead. They would all be dead, and it would be his fault. He had to do something!
He hit an approaching soldier with the pommel of his blade as he tried to think something—anything—up. Then it hit him. The only way to save the Narnians would be to sacrifice himself. That's what Aslan had told him to do.
"MIRAZ!" he shouted, turning to lock eyes Caspian's uncle and bringing Rhindon up in front of himself in defense. The man in question narrowed his eyes dangerously as he saw who was addressing him in the midst of the battle. He obviously recognized Peter from earlier when they had barged into his bedchamber and attempted to murder him.
"Yes, High King?" he asked imperiously, clearly mocking Peter. Peter ignored it; he couldn't care about that now.
"Let my troops go," Peter said as calmly as he could once he had the man's attention.
Miraz looked honestly confused and maybe a little disbelieving. "Just how stupid do you think I am? Why would I do that when I could end this all now? When I could kill you?"
"You didn't let me finish," Peter said. "Let my troops go, and you can take me as prisoner." Miraz's eyes widened ever so slightly in comprehension, but he still scowled.
"Why?" he demanded. "Why, when you know there is absolutely no hope for them? They will all die eventually. You could get away and maybe, possibly, live. Why? Why sacrifice yourself for nothing?"
"Because," Peter answered, "that's what Aslan told me to do."
Miraz growled furiously. "I could kill you now."
"You could," Peter agreed. "But then my troops would retreat, and you wouldn't be able to use me as ransom or whatever other ideas have been running through your mind." Miraz sneered at his logical explanation, appearing more than a little disturbed that Peter had, no doubt, accurately predicted his thoughts. Peter knew men like Miraz. They were cunning, selfish, and self-serving. And they couldn't help but take advantage something that seemed too good to be true.
Miraz leaned forward over his balcony, his dark eyes smoldering. Peter stared just as intently back. "Do you accept?" the High King insisted.
There was a brief moment when Peter thought that maybe he was wrong about Miraz, and the man would refuse. He needn't have worried. Miraz's lips curled into a small, sinister smile. "I accept."
Author's Note: I hope that the action and fighting sequences didn't suck. I know Peter's conversation with Miraz was somewhat awkward, but I couldn't find any way to make it less so. Hey, I'm here to learn. Plus, that was something that needed to happen. I don't think there will be any part of this fic quite like that again, so we're lucky there.
Please, review. I love to hear anything you might have to say, even if it is "good", "bad", "continue", or "sucks". Well, actually, in the case of the latter I might be slightly upset, but that's alright. Criticism is loved,
One more thing: I'm looking for a Beta reader. I don't want someone who will just edit typos or replace too many repeated words. I want someone who will actually give me advice and help me develop my story. If you're interested, or know a Beta reader who would be good at that, please PM me. Thank you!