This is my first Narnia fic, so I do apologise if the characters seem a little OOC. I want to make it absolutely clear that even though this may be a Peter/Susan oneshot, the story is set in AU. Peter and Susan are not related in any way, neither are Edmund and Lucy. Peter and Lucy are Pevensies while Susan and Edmund are Kirkes. Yes they are the offspring of Professor Kirke and Polly Plummer, I just like it that way. Since they technically aren't related here, do not flame me for incest. If you don't like the pairing, just go away and don't bother.
Disclaimer: I do not own The Chronicles of Narnia.
"Hiccup."
"Hiccup."
Peter wakened to the sound of a constant 'hiccup'. At first he had simply ignored it, assuming that it would simply go away when the time was right. But when time passed, nothing had changed. The sound simply grew louder and became more frequent, to the point it actually woke up the exhausted king. Just a few hours earlier, he had just finished entertaining guests from a neighbouring country whom he thought would never leave. As soon as they were done for the day, he was on his bed in an instant, falling asleep as soon as he head touched the pillow. He was absolutely sure he would have been sleeping for at least a day, he had never been exhausted this much before. But of course that annoying sound just had to wake him up.
When Peter sat up, he lazily opened an eye trying to scan the room for the source of the sound. He found nothing and was about to fall back asleep when the sound erupted once more. He was soon wide awake and his eyes were alert as he tried searching for the source once again. Peter was about to give up when he felt a sudden jolt in his torso, with him emitting a sound that sounded like a bubbling spring.
His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he stared blankly at the wall. It was him? It was him all along. He had been making the sound but how did he not know? Peter blinked when the rays of the sun came pouring into his grand bedroom, almost blinding him with the brightness of the light. So it was morning, but he had hoped he would wake up a day after today.
A knock on the door broke him out of his blank state, bringing him back into present day. "Come in," he called, keeping his voice steady. He would rather not have his subjects aware of his current dilemma. For some reason, he found it quite embarrassing. It was not everyday a king got the hiccups, much less himself. The last time he had the hiccups was... actually he could not really remember. He guessed it was during the time he was still in England.
A faun entered the room, holding his clothes for the day. The faun bowed in his king's presence before making his way to the side of Peter's bed. He placed down the clothes on the table nearby whilst Peter let out a loud yawn.
He stretched out his arms as he pulled the cover off, slipping off the bed. "Morning Isur," Peter greeted, making his way over to the faun.
Isur bowed his head in acknowledgement as he helped the king to dress. "Morning to you too Sire."
Moments later, Peter was dressed and was ready for breakfast. He had managed to keep the hiccups under control but only for a while. Luckily Isur had not noticed anything strange about his king, otherwise he would face further embarrassment. Peter made his way to the feasting room, suddenly feeling pumped for the day. He would have thought earlier that he wouldn't have the energy to go on for the day but look at him now. He passed by a few more centaurs and fauns, all of which greeted him a good morning. He too greeted them as well, wishing them a good day ahead.
When Peter entered the feasting room, his little sister and the two Kirkes were already there. They had been waiting for him, the table already filled with delicious foods that made his mouth watered every time his eyes came upon them. The chefs cooked the best foods he's ever had, one of the perks of being king. Once Peter finally sat down to eat, the other three began eating. It had been a tradition to only eat once all four majesty's were seated. That way there would be some bonding before their different duties called.
Edmund and Peter began talking about some battle strategies, with Peter trying to say the least as possible in order to disguise his hiccups. It proved quite difficult as Edmund made it impossible not to talk, especially about something both were greatly enthusiastic about. Susan had left the three just moments earlier, having been called for some affairs needing to be attended to, leaving the three alone.
"Peter, you seem a bit different today," Lucy suddenly pointed out with Peter becoming quieter. He blinked in response, already afraid his cover had been blown. He had tried talking as much as his hiccups would allow him to, trying not to get caught but it seems like he had been caught. Lucy could be very perceptive when she wanted to be. Edmund on the other hand raised an eyebrow in confusion. He had not noticed any difference in the high king.
"Whatever do you mean?" He asked before letting out a cough, just narrowly avoiding another hiccup. Lucy kept a trained eye on him, observing her brother a little too intensely.
"You seem quieter, and it's like you're trying to hide something," she answered.
Peter shook his head innocently. "No, I would never hide anything from you."
"Are you sure Peter?"
"Positive," he said with a nod.
"Absolutely one hundred percent sure?" She persisted. She still thought something was different about him. Edmund only watched the whole exchange in silence, amused by the whole thing.
Peter rolled his eyes. "Yes Lucy. I'm absolutely one hundred percent–"
And then he hiccuped.
"...sure," he finished lamely. Lucy's eyes narrowed before brightening when she figured out what had happened. "You've got the hiccups!" She exclaimed loudly.
"So High King Peter the Magnificent had gotten the hiccups?" Edmund mocked teasingly. Peter glared at him before giving a resigned nod, shrinking back into his chair. "I don't see what's wrong with a couple of hiccups. I haven't had them in ages," Lucy commented, easing the tension.
"It's just – hiccup – they've been bugging – hiccup – me all morning. I don't – hiccup – know how to – hiccup – get rid of them," he finished before letting out another hiccup. The two younger monarchs watched in amusement before letting out a little laughter. It was hard to take the high king seriously when he was hiccuping every few seconds.
Peter glared at the two. "It's not – hiccup – funny," he said as sternly as he could but the two kept laughing. Irritated with the two, he made a move to get up, walking out of the feasting room. He needed to get rid of these hiccups if it were the last thing he would do. They were driving him insane.
Peter walked into the courtyard, looking for a certain faun. Mr Tumnus would know what to do. After all, he was a trusted advisor so he would know what to do. He found the said faun in the garden watering a few rose bushes, humming a little Narnian tune to himself. Peter walked up to him and tapped him in the shoulder, almost scaring the faun. "Oh sire, it's just you. What may I be of service to you with?" He asked, placing the watering can down.
"Tumnus I need help," he began with the faun raising an eyebrow in curiosity. "You see I've got – hiccup – a little problem. As you can – hiccup – see, I'm down – hiccup – with the hiccups. Do you – hiccup – know how to – hiccup – get rid of them?" Peter asked hopefully. The faun just blinked before he started chuckling to himself. "The hiccups you say? I've got just the thing," Tumnus replied before motioning the king to follow.
Peter followed obediently, wondering what the faun could possibly have in store. They made their way to the middle of the courtyard where a large tree bearing silver apples grew. Peter merely raised an eyebrow, curious as to what they were doing there. "You must dance around the tree five times," he merely announced, leaving Peter in bewilderment.
"You want me to – hiccup – dance around the – hiccup – tree? How will that – hiccup – help?" He asked, standing still at the trunk of the tree. "My father said this tree carries healing properties and that by dancing around it a certain amount of times it would cure the disease you are infected with," Tumnus explained. Peter raised an eyebrow in interest. A healing tree? How come he's never heard of it before.
Without a choice, Peter sighed as he took his position. He started moving around the tree, his arms and legs going in different directions as he took on an awkward and strange dance piece. Tumnus watched in bewilderment, amused to see the king acting like this. Peter mentally counted down for the torture to end. He would have to do this quick. He wouldn't want any other subjects seeing him act like this. He felt ridiculous.
Finally after the fifth lap, Peter stopped in front of Tumnus breathing heavily. Who knew dancing around a tree would take up so much of his energy. Once he regained his breathe, he stood up to face Tumnus, ready to see if it worked. "Testing, testing. I hope it – hiccup – worked," he frowned when he experienced the familiar jolt. The faun looked at him apologetically, "I'm so sorry sire. I thought it would work."
Peter brushed him off, "It's alright Tumnus. I'll just go ask someone else."
Peter walked around the castle, bumping into Oreius along the way. He was surprised yet grateful to see his general, hoping that the centaur would be able to assist him with his problem. "Oreius! I'm so glad – hiccup – to see you," he exclaimed.
The centaur looked at Peter weirdly, as if he were an alien from outer space. "Is there something wrong your majesty?"
"I've got the – hiccup – hiccups," he explained sheepishly. Oreius nodded in understanding. "Your majesty needs help in curing them, am I correct?"
Peter nodded. "Can you?" He asked hopefully.
"I'll try your majesty," and with that he brought the king to the armoury room. Peter looked around in confusion. What in Aslan's mane were they doing here of all places?
"Are you sure – hiccup – we're in the right place?" He asked sceptically. Oreius nodded as he took a small blade from its stand. Peter watched as he brought the blade closer to him before he felt a sudden feeling of alarm. What was he going to do with that blade? He eyed it warily.
"Your majesty, I am going to poke your stomach with the hilt of this blade," he explained before drawing it closer to the king. Peter held a hand to stop him as he looked at Oreius nervously. "Why are you – hiccup – going to poke me?"
"They say that by applying pressure on the diaphragm, the hiccups will stop," he justified before suddenly poking the Magnificent in the stomach. Peter gasped at the sudden impact as he started coughing, trying to gain a breath. That was some poke, it was more like a deadly blow to the stomach. Oreius looked at the king in worry. "Are you alright sire?"
Peter nodded as he let out one last cough. "I'm fine Oreius," he said before realising he hadn't hiccuped. He brightened cheering, "It worked! It actually – hiccup – worked," he finished sadly.
"My apologies sire for I have not been of any assistance to you," Oreius bowed in apology. "It's alright."
For the next few hours, Peter went from civilian to civilian, asking for help in solving his hiccup problem. He has tried all sorts of things like holding his breath, playing a Narnian tune on the flute, drinking some strange Narnian medicines and chewing on mint leaves but nothing has worked. And during the day, he has had to attend several meetings, all of which turned into a complete disaster due to his incapability to speak properly. All he managed to do was make the entire population burst into laughter due to their inability to take him seriously with his hiccups. They were going to be the end of him, and to think an important ball was taking place the next day. He had to greet some important people and he couldn't do so if some stupid hiccups impaired his speech.
As he walked through the corridor on his way back to his room, he suddenly felt something jump upon his back. With quick reflexes, he bent over, grabbing the person by the shoulders as they now lay on the ground struggling against his weight. He looked at the person shocked, when he realised who it was. Peter was about to say something when he was pushed away by someone with black hair.
"What was that for Peter?" Edmund asked, helping Lucy up. "I-I didn't know. I'm – hiccup – sorry Lu. It was my – hiccup – reflexes," he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"It's okay Peter," Lucy consoled with a smile. Peter smiled back before it turned into a frown. "What was that for – hiccup – anyways? Why'd you jump – hiccup – on my back?"
"We were trying to help you. By scaring you, we thought the hiccups would go away," Edmund explained. Clearly this was his idea.
"Instead of managing to – hiccup – scare me, I almost – hiccup – Lucy," he said with a sigh. Edmund rubbed the back of his neck apologetically. "Yeah, sorry about that."
"Where's Susan? She's – hiccup – the most logical person – hiccup – in Narnia. She should – hiccup – be able to help. If – hiccup – she can't, then no one – hiccup – can," Peter stated, looking around for the gentle queen. It was true though, Susan always was the most practical and logical of all the monarchs. She always managed to solve problems and if she couldn't cure the hiccups then no one possibly could.
Lucy spoke up. "She's on the balcony near the Great Hall," she said before Peter took off into the direction of the Great Hall. She was his only hope now if he ever wanted to get rid of these darned hiccups.
Within seconds, he had arrived in the Great Hall. Peter walked across the hall into the direction of the balcony where he saw her. The sun was already setting and from his perspective, she looked absolutely breathtaking. With the sunset behind her, she looked like a goddess. Peter approached her quietly, careful not to ruin the beautiful image he had taken with his eyes. "Susan," he called softly.
The Gentle queen turned around at the noise a little startled before relaxing at the sight of the High King. "What is it Peter?" She asked quietly as he joined her on the balcony to watch over the sunset. The sunsets in London had nothing on the sunsets in Narnia. They always managed to take your breath away, no matter how many times you saw it.
"I need help," he said as he leaned against the balcony railings. Susan raised an eyebrow in curiosity. What could he, the High King of Narnia possibly need her help with? "Go on," she motioned for him to continue.
"I need your help – hiccup – in curing these darned – hiccup – hiccups. I've tired everything – hiccup – but nothing works!" He answered in frustration. Instead of laughing like everyone else did when they heard his hiccups, she only looked at him thoughtfully. "I figured that – hiccup – since you're the most – hiccup – logical of all of us, you would – hiccup – be able to help."
"I see," she began, "I don't know if this will work but I think it would." Peter was really interested now. Whatever she had in mind, it was bound to work. He had no doubts about that but why was she looking so hesitant?
"What's the matter Su?" He asked. Susan looked at him with her doe like eyes. "Just promise me that you won't think of me differently after this," she said to him. Now that made him even more curious. What could possibly make him think different of her?
He was about to question it but with one look, he knew that he needed to answer her. With a resigned sigh, "I promise."
And with that, a pair of soft lips crashed itself upon his, leaving him too shocked to speak. Before he could even register how soft the lips were and how nice they felt on his, they were removed, leaving him feeling the coolness of the breeze against his lips. He stared at the younger queen blankly as she refused to look at him, her cheeks stained a bright red.
Peter grinned when he finally realised what happened. "So that's what you were talking about," he said before coming to a halt. Wait a second, how come he didn't feel that annoying gurgling in the back of his throat? Were they finally gone?
"It worked!" He exclaimed in surprise. "It actually worked! Thank you Su!" He immediately picked her up and twirled her around in happiness. It actually worked! He could now speak properly.
He finally let go of Susan who now sported a healthy flush on her cheeks. Peter's grin immediately widened as he lifted her chin with his fingers, making her look at him. Susan's breath caught in her throat as she looked at the man she loved. He was beautiful, magnificent. His eyes were so warm and peaceful, and his smile just lit up her whole world.
"You did it Su," he whispered before catching her in another breathtaking kiss, one much longer than the first that it left her gasping with air. Susan smiled at him as they pulled away before he embraced her in a tight hug.
"It was my – hiccup – pleasure?" She pulled away when she realised that she had caught the hiccups. Peter watched in amusement before his grin turned into a knowing smirk.
"I have the perfect cure for that," he uttered as his lips descended onto hers once more.