Made It Home

The battle commenced around them much as it had in the past. Nothing was different. Or so Lucy Pevensie told herself.

There had been a strange feeling in her stomach all this morning and she had pushed it away. For it wasn't unlike her to feel that way when she knew there was a fight in store for them.

This particular fight had been brewing for weeks now. And they timed it perfectly. Lucy thought viciously in her mind.

The Calormenes had waited until her brother Edmund had no choice but go to a neighboring city on business. He'd been putting it off for a while but there hadn't really been any choice now. He had to go.

Susan had left only the previous day to visit her latest suitor's family in Mezreel. She and Lucy had been at odds for a few months now. And right at that moment Lucy would have loved to let her anger get the best of her and tell Susan just what she thought of her leaving when they'd both known the Calormenes might try something. But inside Lucy knew anger at her sister wasn't something she could afford right then.

She had been ready to ride out for at least an hour; she was already dressed in her armor with her daggers at her slim waist.

With Susan gone she felt obligated to carry her sister's bow and arrows. So she had them on to her back as well.

Peter's voice rang had finally rang out, she remembered.

"Lucy we leave now!"

Peter had tried to talk her out of riding with the Narnian's this time, but she'd adamantly refused.

"I'm ready Peter." If only Lucy had known right then, she might have stopped not only herself but her brother as well.

But she didn't know.

~X~X~X~

Lucy was mounted upon Philip, Edmund's horse and right beside her was Peter, on his white unicorn.

She found herself studying her brother. He was scarcely twenty years old and already a magnificent ruler. A great King.

Still, Lucy knew him better than anyone. She and Peter were inseparable. The bond between the two siblings was stronger than it had ever been before.

It was one of the reasons Lucy noticed the sweat on Peter's brow before he put the mask of his helmet down. His hand was steady on the hilt of his sword, Rhince, but Lucy sensed he was as fearful as she, herself of this battle.

Lucy hated seeing her brother worried and she bowed her head, despite the fact that they could already hear the marching of the Calormenes coming their way.

She prayed.

"Aslan, protect us this day. I ask that you give Peter strength and courage. Guide us all throughout this fight."

"Lead us." The last, Lucy said in a whisper aloud.

She sensed Peter tensing in preparation and she found herself stiff with anticipation too.

"Ready!" Her eyes opened and she grasped Philip's short mane in one hand as she held her weapon at ready in the other. Her fingers tightened on the hilt of her dagger just as Peter's did on his sword's hilt.

Lucy caught her breath along with every one of the Narnian's behind them...and they ran. In a few timeless moments they were thrust into the midst of the fight.

Arrow's flew, swords clashed and axes fell condemningly on anyone who came too close. The screams of the dying pierced Lucy's heart. It was something she would never grow used to in battle. Something she never wanted to grow used to.

Her own blades she kept in hand, her arm swinging out in a wide arc as she defended her people and herself.

An hour could have passed when it looked to Lucy's eyes that the Calormenes were backing away.

Running.

Defeated.

"Queen Lucy!" Someone, she did not know who, screamed her name in warning and Lucy ducked. She flung her hand up, the one that held one of her daggers and just managed to block the fatal blow of a sabre to her head.

In return, the force of the black Minotaur's blade knocked her from Philip's back and she went rolling unceremoniously across what had become their battle field.

She was only partly aware of someone slaying the rogue Minotaur and someone else rushing urgently to her side.

"My Queen! Are you alright?" A young faun tried to pull her to her feet but she resisted, shoving roughly at the faun to move. Her eyes were glued to the young man not too far from where she'd been thrown.

He was fighting against three Calormenes, their hooded faces, dark hair and violent attempts at trying to wound Peter coming closer to their mark than she liked.

"Oh no." Lucy jumped to her feet, shoving past whoever was in her way, Narnian's or Calormenes alike to get to her brother's side.

"Help Peter!" She screamed, hoping to draw the attention of her fellow Narnian's. Several heads turned but they were not of the Narnian's.

"Aslan no."

Lucy finally broke through and paused for the briefest of instants to grasp the bow and an arrow from her back. Seconds later the arrow met its target and one dark haired man was felled.

For a moment Peter's eyes flew up and met his sister's, she saw both relief and fear at seeing her.

She paid no heed to the warning he called out to her and bounded into the midst of the now five Calormenes, even after she'd killed one of them.

Another of her sister's borrowed arrows caught one in the hand as he prepared to throw a knife.

To Lucy it felt an eternity had passed until Peter gasped and she swung around to find him clutching his arm in pain.

That moment of unawareness was enough. One of the tall, dark men caught her around the middle from behind and brought a blade to her throat. When Lucy hissed in pain, the man tightened his grip around her middle.

Peter heard Lucy's muffled cry even when she'd tried to hold it in. She could only watch as her brother's brown eyes became wrought with fury.

He took a step at Lucy and the man that held her and then his eyes widened.

Lucy's did the same when she heard him gasp in pain as he fell to his knees. After that she was both aware and unaware of her movements when she brought her elbow back with such vengeance and slammed it into the man's abdomen. She could hear him cursing her as he shoved her down forcefully.

When he made as if to stab her she rolled out of the way, bringing one of Susan's arrows up, it caught the man in the stomach. Lucy grimaced, releasing the arrow as the man's blood poured out over her hand.

Glancing up she found that the others were retreating, Narnian's chasing after them. Her eyes jerked away from them and to her brother immediately and she crawled her way to him.

"Peter!" Lucy touched her brothers pale face. His helmet must have been knocked off during the fight. His chest, from what she could see was soaked in blood though his armor covered him almost fully.

Lucy fought to ease the chest plate from her brother without causing him more pain but Peter's face was creased in agony.

As soon as she had the armor free she pulled his shirt away from his body, trying to find the wound amidst his blood. There's too much. His blood was running too thickly from the wound to distinguish where it was exactly and Lucy felt bile rising in the back of her throat.

She reached beneath her armor and grabbed at her own shirt, tearing a piece of it free. Her armor could cover her flesh well enough.

Using Peter's shirt and her own she tried to stop the flow of his blood.

"It- it's bleeding too fast." It was Peter that spoke and tears rose in Lucy's eyes.

"It's okay Peter. You'll be fine. I'll just get my cordial." Lucy tried to say consolingly as she fought for control of her common sense.

"Lucy," Peter took Lucy's hand in his own large one. "Little Lucy, Edmunds not back yet, is he?"

It was an odd question to ask, Lucy thought to herself at the time but then it dawned on her what Peter really meant. Ed was supposed to be bringing back the crimson fire flowers from his trip to Archenland. There weren't many places you could find the flower because it was so rare. She'd used all of her cordial, even when she'd been so careful with it.

"No." She sucked in harshly, tears escaping her beautiful blue eyes.

Peter squeezed her hand in comfort. "It's alright little Lu. Aslan waits." Peter's attempt at comforting her made her fight her tears.

Her brother was dying but he was the one comforting her.

Lucy moved over and pulled Peter's head onto her lap, pushing his light hair off of his face.

"You're going to be alright Peter." She whispered, she knew it was a lie but she promised it anyway.

Peter turned his head a little so he could look up at his sister, a smile coming to his lips.

"I am going to be alright Lu."

Lucy's heart broke a little as he spoke those words.

His body jerked all of a sudden as she held his head still and he pulled away from her, fighting to sit up.

She tried to help him but he waved her back. "I can manage."

When he'd made it into a sitting position he glanced back to his sister's tearful eyes. "Promise me two things Lucy."

She simply nodded, she couldn't manage words right then.

"Someday you might meet a dark man, a Calormene. Promise me that you will give him a-" Peter coughed, blood staining his lips. "A chance. He's- he's not what he seems.

Lucy's lips trembled. How can I ever give a Calormene a chance? They did this to you. "I- I will." She promised anyway.

Peter leaned towards her and his arms wrapped around his littlest sister. She could feel his warm blood staining her and the desperate thud of his heart and she carefully hugged him back.

"You will be alright." It didn't sound convincing when she was trying to convince herself of it.

"And promise me that you'll never turn from Aslan." He hissed in pain but his grip didn't loosen on her.

Lucy closed her eyes on unshed tears and sucked in a breath, taking in her brother's familiar scent. Aslan help him. "I- I swear."

His arms held her tight for a long moment. "I love you sister. Please- tell Ed and Su the same, you were always better with words than I, Lucy."

"No, Peter." She begged quietly. She clung to her brother and couldn't hold back her sobs any longer.

Peter kissed her on top of the head softly. "Shhh." he whispered. "It's okay."

"I love you Peter." She managed to murmur hoarsely and his grip loosened.

Aslan, why?

Lucy's blue eyes were clouded with tears. They rained down upon her brother's face. Each one dampening his peaceful face with a memory.

When they were little and there was a storm or something had frightened her, he had protected her as a brother should his sister. Days of playing ball out in the great yard of the Professor's mansion when they'd first discovered Narnia. The day he'd become Knight of Narnia. When he was crowned King.

Peter the Magnificent of the clear northern skies.

The Narnian's around her stood back, giving her space.

Her tearful eyes spotted his sword, Rhince, nearby and she grasped its hilt, drawing it to her brother's side. She placed it in his open palm before closing his fingers over it carefully.

As she looked upon her brother's face she said these words.

"When Aslan bares His teeth, winter meets its end.

When He shakes his mane we shall have spring again."

Then she leaned forward and kissed his forehead, adding something of her own.

"When one ruler passes, another lives on to hold the throne,

And a sibling lost is another that's made it home."

How was that? Was it sad? That's kinda what I was going for... :/ Review please.