Disclaimer: I own nothing in this marvelous universe; it all belongs to C. S. Lewis and Walden Media.

Soundtrack Recommendations: "Under the Stars" and "Time to Go Home"—from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader original movie soundtrack.

Author's Note: Well, at long last it's here ::grins::! I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much as you've enjoyed the other chapters—I know I've certainly enjoyed writing it. I also hope you find that this is a satisfying conclusion to this little story of mine—so dig in!

Reviewers: All 42 of you, thank you!

Rating: T

Summary: Peter finds Aslan in England…but not without a little misadventure along the way…(Book and Moviebased) (Brotherfic) (NO Slash)

"Speech"

/Personal Thoughts/

Memories/Quotes (Italics)

Peter's Age: 16

Edmund's Age: 13

Lucy's Age: 11

Eustace's Age: 10

Timeframe: During (and after) Voyage of the Dawn Treader

(2) The Voyage of the Dawn Treader p. 511 in The Complete Chronicles of Narnia (Paperback)

Dreaming of Water

By Sentimental Star

Chapter Three: Dawn

(In England)

After breakfast and a shower, the Professor sent Peter out to fetch several pails of water from the well in the cottage's front yard.

When Peter inquired why so much and why now (the sixteen-year-old had been expecting a science experiment and hoping for more insight into their mysterious "company"), the Professor had responded cryptically, "Just in case."

…Which left Peter voraciously curious. Knowing only by the delighted twinkle in his mentor's eyes that he would like their apparent "company," Peter had all but run out the door.

Thirty minutes and four pails later, Peter found himself staring into the depths of the well as his mind circled back through the memories of his dream. Shutting his eyes tightly, he tried to block out the memory of his little sister's and Caspian's screams, of the voice he had really only heard once, face to face, slithering and entwining around his mind—of the image of his little brother falling eight feet off a broken mast and then climbing back up…only to come face to face with the specter that had haunted his nightmares for seventeen years.

How painful must it have been for Edmund to hear Her again, to see Her again? After so many years (and one near miss) of believing Her dead?

Peter grimaced—he could only imagine. At least he'd been there for the aftermath.

His eyes snapped open and he stared down at his reflection until they burned. /Oh, Ed…/

The sixteen-year-old finally shook his head and rubbed his eyes with his fingers, trying to drive away their ache. Dropping the wooden bucket into the well and listening for its quiet splash, he began to haul it back up hand over hand with the rope.

Not even minding the water as it sloshed and spilled over the bucket's rim, Peter grasped the bucket and carefully poured the liquid it contained into the metal pail sitting on the wall of the well. Releasing the rope to let it drop back into the water, he set it down at his feet and sighed, resting his arms on the stones and his chin on top of his arms.

Lightly skimming his fingers across the aquifer's surface, the teenager contemplated his reflection with a furrowed brow as his thoughts—which had been buzzing through his mind since dawn—veered down another course.

/What made us so different?/ he wondered. /Surely there must have been hundreds—maybe even thousands—of other children who could have stumbled into Narnia. So why were we chosen?/

His twin in the water, of course, offered no explanation.

Smiling faintly, Peter lightly splashed down with his hand. /There's nothing for it. Aslan would probably say it is someone else's story and not His to tell./

Still, Peter wondered. Realizing, however, that it did little good to think on it too long (that was Edmund's department), he sighed again and gripped the handle of the now full pail at his feet one-handed and prepared to head back inside.

As he turned in the direction of the front gate, he paused.

There, sitting at the end of the lane leading up to the Professor's cottage, was a black Rolls Royce.

/You know…/ he thought idly, /that looks an awful lot like-/

At that moment, one of the side doors swung open. Two figures emerged: one auburn-haired and petite, the other ebony and clearly in the midst of a growth spurt.

Blue eyes widened as dark eyes flashed around to settle on him.

"Pete!"

The pail Peter had been carrying dropped to the ground with a loud clatter. Water spilled across the grass and over his foot. Biting back a surprised yelp, Peter danced out of the way of the oncoming flood.

But even that was soon forgotten: his heart thudding in his chest, the sixteen-year-old squinted, trying to make out the features of the two figures now dashing towards him down the lane.

"Peter!"

The shorter of the two figures waved ecstatically as her sun-lit auburn hair whipped around her shoulders.

Peter blinked, and his eyes widened even further. "Lucy!" he exclaimed, darting for the fence.

Within moments he had vaulted the gate and bolted up the lane, arrowing for his two youngest siblings.

IOIOIOIOIOI

Edmund reached him first. Which perhaps was a blessing: Peter had not felt the absence of his brother this keenly since his campaign against the Northern Giants during the fourteenth year of their reign.

"Pete-!" Edmund cried ecstatically.

Peter swept his little brother clear off his feet and crushed him to his chest, nuzzling Edmund's nose, kissing his hair, doing everything physically possible to get as close as possible, relishing the feel of a warm, solid body that wouldn't disappear as soon as it hit dawn.

Edmund chuckled self-consciously. "What, exactly, has gotten into you, Peter? Shouldn't I be the one blubbering like an idiot right about now?"

Peter snorted thickly, knowing very well his brother was simply teasing him, and nuzzled his cheek again for good measure, before burying his face against the thirteen-year-old's neck. "You're staying tonight," Peter murmured into his skin, "and tomorrow, and the day after that, and for as many nights as I can convince the Professor to have you."

It was Edmund's turn now, and he snorted softly, twining his arms tightly around his brother. "Sentimental git," he muttered.

Of course, Lucy noticed that he really did not object all that vehemently, if the way he was now allowing Peter to cradle him close was any indication. Grinning tearily, the young queen felt her heart ease as she watched her two brothers' interaction.

During their last few hours on the Dawn Treader, Edmund had seemed…very far away. Even Eustace had noticed, and asked her about it. Somewhere halfway through the two cousins' discussion, it had clicked:

"He misses Peter…doesn't he?"

Lucy smiled sadly. "It's been more obvious these past few days, but yes, he does. You have to understand, Eustace, they haven't ever been separated like this before—a whole world away from each other, and it's really starting to show. Edmund won't tell me much, but I suspect Aslan may have somehow brought Peter to him while we were in that ghastly place" (meaning, of course, Dark Island).

Eustace frowned pensively. "I knew something had changed when I saw you during winter hols two years ago, but I didn't ever realize…"

Lucy shrugged, her eyes darkening slightly. "Our reign wasn't always happy—there were battles we had to fight, assassinations we had to face, and Peter and Edmund are ridiculously overprotective of each other. Of Susan and I, too, but our enemies soon learned that it was never wise to attack Edmund or Peter when the other was in the same vicinity."

"Yes," Eustace grumbled, unconsciously rubbing his nose, "I sort of learned that first hand."

The older girl finally grinned. "That's usually how these things happen."

(End Flashback)

Now she let herself smile again, blinking back tears and trying to infuse all the amusement she felt at the moment into her voice, "You know, Peter, I'm starting to get jealous."

Blinking, Peter raised his head from Edmund's shoulder. Finding Lucy watching him expectantly from behind the thirteen-year-old, Peter straightened and gave a sheepish laugh. In all honesty he had momentarily forgotten their little sister and moved to remedy that now.

Grinning tremulously, he released Edmund and reached out for her, hugging her tightly once she was in his arms.

Lucy laughed, burying her nose against Peter's shoulder and inhaling the scent that both she and Edmund had desperately missed on the Dawn Treader.

He held her as long as he had held Edmund, and almost as tightly.

Eventually, Lucy took a deep breath and stepped back as their older brother released her, pressing her hands to his chest, before glancing over at Edmund. "We have a lot to tell you," she murmured.

IOIOIOIOIOI

The three siblings stayed outside until mid-morning, moving only to find a more comfortable position for Lucy and Edmund to share their story. They took turns, Lucy speaking of Reepicheep, and Aslan's Country, and her adventure at the Magician's mansion. Edmund spoke of Caspian, of the seven lords and their swords, and of Deathwater and Eustace's un-dragoning. Prudently, neither younger sibling mentioned their misadventure with the slavers in the Lone Islands, merely glazing over it. Peter, luckily, was far too caught up in the story to even ask about it.

When Edmund finally completed their tale by speaking of Aslan and His words to them at the very end of the world, both younger brother and sister fell silent. Lucy had since perched herself on the fence next to Edmund; now, she quietly watched their flabbergasted older brother as he glanced uncomprehendingly between the two of them.

"…So let me get this straight," Peter managed breathlessly, still struggling to process their entire incredible story. "You were called to Narnia—by Aslan, no less—to help Caspian save it, and in the meantime, Eustace got dragged along, too, and eventually turned into a dragon? Which then proceeded to change him so much that he fought Aunt Alberta to let you come here? Not to mention, you sailed to the very end of the world?"

Edmund smirked slightly. "That's the very much unembellished version of it, yes."

Even though his younger brother seemed to find his astonishment amusing, Peter noticed a certain tightness surrounding his eyes and frowned. "There's more. You aren't telling me something."

Edmund sighed and glanced down at his hands, frowning darkly at their palms. "Our voyage wasn't all adventure and heroism, Peter. Deathwater should be a prime example of that."

Their older brother's brow furrowed in confusion, "Well, one could hardly expect it to be. If you recall, our reign wasn't all sunshine and daisies, either."

Edmund shook his head irritably. "Don't you understand, Peter?"

Hiding his face, the thirteen-year-old turned away, deeply ashamed: "Caspian called me High King. And for one infinitely long moment I wanted it. I craved it…more than anything else—even your love!" He grimaced angrily, disgusted with himself, and swallowed back bile. "Then, of course, I felt completely sick afterwards and could hardly swallow down the spiced wine Caspian brought out because I knew I would throw it up-"

At this point, Lucy's indignant voice cut into his self-deprecating tirade: "I knew something wasn't right!" her cheeks were flushed and her eyes flashed furiously. "You told me you were fine—I just thought you were seasick!"

Edmund turned to her, smiling humorlessly. "Since when have I ever been seasick, Lu?"

His little sister's face was extraordinary to watch: she had opened her mouth, on the verge of giving him a piece of her mind, when it abruptly clicked shut and her face paled.

He was right. Edmund never got seasick, a source of much jealousy for their older brother, who had always needed a couple of days to adjust to being at sea.

She groaned sadly. "Oh, Ed…! You know what this means, don't you? Neither of us were quite ourselves on that ship—I'm your healer, I should have remembered that! It shouldn't have even been an issue!"

Edmund smirked faintly. "Not your fault, Lu. The only person who has that knowledge embedded in his wiring is Peter."

He did not quite dare look at Peter, even as he said this. Lucy rather suspected he feared their older brother's reaction to everything he had just revealed more than anything else.

Of course, Peter would have heard what Edmund hadn't in his explanation: "Ed, you silly thing," and her younger brother jerked his head up at the pure fondness coloring their older brother's tone, "there is no one I would trust that title to more."

Edmund gave him a look of pure disbelief and complete incomprehension. "Did you not hear what I just said? I wanted your title. I was jealous of you and Caspian. I craved unlimited power…! I treated Eustace abominably-!"

With every confession, Edmund's voice grew higher and higher, until he was nearly hysterical.

Peter resolved that particular dilemma by reaching out…and yanking his little brother flush against his chest.

"Ed, Ed, Ed!" it was a quiet, steady chant, murmured into the younger boy's neck, and it easily broke through Edmund's rapidly building hysterics. His little brother fell silent, and Peter nearly crushed his ribs with the strength of his embrace.

As a bewildered Edmund finally grew cognizant of the kisses showering his cheeks and forehead several long minutes later, and further found himself held so closely to Peter, his face grew steadily redder under the older boy's tender onslaught until at last he muttered, beet red, but much calmer, "Leave off, you great ninny. I'm perfectly fine now."

As he gently pushed himself away from Peter's chest, his older brother harrumphed, clearly making his opinion on that subject known, but reluctantly released the younger king. Before Edmund could completely back away, however, the sixteen-year-old gently grabbed his chin, eliciting a startled flinch from the thirteen-year-old. "You were tempted, Ed," Peter stated clearly. His voice rang with absolute conviction, "You were tempted and you turned away…" He met his brother's eyes solidly, "You did something that I could not. Do you have any idea how strong that makes you? You turned away when I couldn't."

Peter was very determined to repeat this mantra endlessly, until it had been blazoned into his brother's memory or Edmund truly believed it. It had been with a painful hope that he had seen the shadows cleared from his brother's eyes—shadows that had haunted those beloved depths for seventeen years; he refused to allow them entry now.

Edmund, who had been squirming uncomfortably under his older brother's rather intense gaze, now froze, barely believing his ears. "What?" he breathed.

"The Witch, Ed," Peter patiently reminded him. "At Aslan's How."

Edmund snorted derisively. "Don't be ridiculous, Pete. That was hardly your-"

Peter merely raised an eyebrow, quietly smug at the realization that suddenly blazed in Edmund's eyes.

"—fault," the thirteen-year-old finished softly.

Peter kissed his forehead. "I was tempted, too, Ed," he continued to explain quietly, "and unlike you, I didn't have only a 'moment' and then get violently sick afterwards." He shook his head and chuckled ruefully, "You always did put me on something of a pedestal, but I am just as flawed as you are. And, as you so often remind me, Brother…I am just as human as you."

IOIOIOIOIOI

Lucy had remained perched quietly off to the side, very willing to let their older brother bang it into Edmund's rather thick skull that he had been wholly and completely forgiven. Now she spoke, smiling softly as she observed Edmund blush brightly and bury his face in Peter's shirt, "He was absolutely brilliant, Peter," her voice was warm and proud; Edmund blushed even brighter upon hearing it, "you should have seen him."

Her breath caught in her throat at the utter tenderness filling their older brother's face as he gazed down at the dark head nestled against his heart. "I did," he murmured softly.


...In a few moments the darkness had turned into a grayness ahead, and then, almost before they had dared to begin hoping, they had shot out into the sunlight and were in the warm, blue world again. And all at once everybody realized that there was nothing to be afraid of and never had been. (2)


The End