Disclaimer: I do not own The Chronicles of Narnia; C.S. Lewis deserves all the credit. :)

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When Hope Seems Hidden

~Peter's Point of View~

Chapter 1: Trouble

The wind whipped across my face and my surroundings turned into a blur as I raced my siblings on horseback towards Cair Paravel, though we were miles and miles away. We were returning back from some official business in the Northern Marsh, near Ettinsmoor –problems with those giants again- and the four of us decided to have a little fun on our way home. We didn't get quite as much free time as we used to, so we were taking advantage of the small chunk of it that we had now.

"Lucy, be careful; I don't want you falling off of your horse or anything," I called out. Lucy was the youngest of my siblings and I had always felt compelled to keep her safe.

"Oh Peter, do stop worrying so much. I'm fine!" she assured, throwing a smile in my direction.

Susan, a year younger than I, was in the lead for the time being. Edmund, two years older than Lucy, was in a close second. I was in last, just because I enjoyed watching all of them in front of me. They all seemed to be having a most delightful time, seeing as though I could hear a bit of laughter escaping from each of their lips. The four of us were all kings and queens of a land called Narnia, a land in which I was proud to call my home. I couldn't believe it had been only a few years since Aslan had defeated the White Witch and made Narnia a free county again, leaving us four children in charge, and I as the high king.

I was only just now seventeen, my birthday being last month. I smiled as Edmund said something funny, making Susan and Lucy giggle. Ed had always been the witty one of the bunch; he constantly said something that could make you laugh, or on the other hand, something that could quite possibly get on your nerves. He knew how to be serious when he needed to be, though. Overall he was a good and faithful brother, and I could depend on Edmund for nearly anything.

Susan was normally the most practical one out of us. She would worry sick about you for one moment, and then the next she would scold you for doing something she claimed to be utterly foolish. Edmund was usually the one she ranted at the most, but I had my times with her. Truly she was very good and gentle at heart, and she only yelled because she was honestly concerned.

My youngest sibling, Lucy, was as free-spirited as one could get. She had faith that could move the mountains that stood between Narnia and Archenland, and she had a heart as pure as gold. She saw the good in everything and everyone. She would never harm a human being, or even an animal, for that matter, unless she absolutely had to. Lucy and I were very close; she looked up to me and I tried to be the best brother I could to her, as well as to all of my siblings.

I was beginning to notice that the sun was growing exceptionally warm today; I was breaking out into a sweat. Oreius would have made sure that we had rested by now; he had always been rather peculiar about things like that. He was our war general, and he could be quite overbearing when it came to my siblings and I's health and safety. In all honestly, I felt a bit relieved that he didn't join us on our journey this time. Every once in a while the four of us had the chance to go away and work out our country's problems without the royal guard. This was one of those fortunate times, as we liked to call them. My siblings and I enjoyed having the freedom to do things the way we wanted to instead of having the guards watch out for us every waking moment of the day. Oreius, of course, was a bit hesitant when we told him we wanted to go alone, but eventually he let us be.

"Let's do slow down a bit; it's becoming rather hot out," Susan put in. I agreed and began to pull on the reigns of my horse, Bill, when suddenly a sharp pain struck my left shoulder. I gasped, the sting nearly taking my breath away. I turned and saw an arrow cleanly lodged in my skin. I gingerly pulled it out and yelled,

"Run! We're being attacked!" The three turned and looked at me, noticing my blood-stained tunic.

"Peter!" Lucy screamed. Within a second Susan had out her bow and arrows and Edmund had unsheathed his sword. I placed my hand on the hilt of Rhindon, but then another pain entered my shoulder. I pulled out an arrow that was almost in the exact same spot as the first projectile. I clenched my teeth. The injury felt like it was on fire and my head started swimming, making me feel quite disoriented. Suddenly Bill made a loud noise as his knees buckled and he toppled forward. I caught a glimpse of an arrow sticking in his side just before I tumbled off of my trusted steed. I landed harshly on the solid ground, feeling yet another sharp pain. This time, though, no arrow had penetrated my skin.

My world spun as I began to roll sideways, killing my shoulder and whatever other injuries my body had already acquired. I heard someone yell my name, but I couldn't tell who it was; the voice sounded too in the distance. Something rock hard smashed against my right side, throwing me off guard. The pain became more evident where I was newly hit as I kept rolling; for some reason unknown to me I could not stop myself. My vision became too blurred to tell where I was going, and at this point in time I had absolutely no sense of direction. Then my back hit an object, followed by my head. My last thought was that I hoped my siblings would be okay, and then darkness overcame my senses.

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A/N: So, what do you think? Please review :)