Disclaimer: As much as I love Narnia, I don't own it. That honor belongs to CS Lewis. Disney, 20th Century Fox and Walden Media has more ownageship.

A.N: I suggest getting the nearest stuff animal and holding it.

Summary: Takes place during the Golden Age. The most unthinkable has happened. Could some good come from such an act? Perhaps it would be enough to light the way home.


Chapter 2: Day One- Suspicions

Queen Lucy had arrived seven minutes too late to the heartbreaking scene of Peter still holding Edmund but he had checked out. Phillip lifted his head when he saw the Queen approach. Tears still flowed down Peter's cheeks as he stared blankly down at his dead younger brother. Lucy immediately began crying as he realized that the cordial couldn't raise the dead. Even when she threw her arms around Peter he didn't blink nor register that she was there.

Ten minutes after that Susan came and she too tried to get Peter to say something or acknowledge her but she got nothing as well. Phillip joined in trying to get a response from the High King. He even tried moving his body that Peter was sitting against, but Peter didn't response to that either.

Oreius had returned before Susan having not found anything at that moment to see that Edmund was dead and Peter was off somewhere. Lucy begged Orieus to get Peter to say something and the general tried his best but Peter didn't even blink.

Word got around the kingdom of Narnia really quick about the death of the Just King. Most were outraged by what happened and grief-stricken by such a thing. And horrified that someone attempted an assassination and completed it. The fact that such a thing could happen in Narnia, and this being the first time that they knew about, was horrifying to all parties. Orieius was determined to bring whoever it was to justice. And if it was a conspiracy among a group he was determined to find that out as well.

The Queens were stricken with grief but Peter just seemed to have checked completely out. In fact in their somber return back to Cair Paravel Peter hadn't said anything. He barely blinked as it was. It took some doing to pick up Edmund out of Peter's arm as whenever anyone tried to, he held on fiercely, but his face never changed.

When they got back to Cair Paravel, Edmund's body was taken away to be cleaned up. Susan and Lucy tried their hardest to get Peter to snap out of it, to say or do something.

Anything.

Even with the help of his valet, a faun named Tirail, none of them could get Peter to do respond to anything. Tirail, with the help of a few other male servants, managed to clean up the High King who didn't even seem to realize what was happening.

It was only when he was cleaned and in some loose fitting clothes that weren't sullied with his brother's blood that Peter started coming to.

"Peter", Susan murmured gently as Peter started twisting his head this way and that.

"Peter?" Lucy questioned as she was holding Peter's hand.

"Where's Edmund?"

That question hurt the girls as they each felt a slice of pain run through them. They exchanged pained looks.

"What do you remember?" Susan asked cautiously.

Peter cocked his head, "Riding. Cold…" He blinked and then he began to look panicked. He shot up from his seat on his bed.

"Peter, please", Susan cried.

"Where is Edmund?" Peter repeated.

"Peter!" Lucy cried as she stood up.

"Where is Edmund?" Peter all but screamed.

"They are cleaning him up. And when they're done….."Lucy's soothing voice cracked as she clasped her hands together, holding them over her mouth to try and stifle the sobs.

"What?" Peter asked eerily calm.

Susan picked up where her younger sister left off, "They are gonna…gonna put him….in the….in the….coffin and lay him in the tomb reserved for us when we…."

"NO!" Peter cried.

"Peter?" Lucy questioned, wiping away the tears, as Susan started crying.

"No! I want Edmund here! He will stay here!" Peter cried walking to the door.

"But, Peter…Edmund is….oh Aslan, Edmund is dead!" Susan broke into a fresh wave of crying.

Peter whirled around and pointed at her, "Do not say that! NEVER say that! Edmund isn't dead! He isn't! He isn't! I'm not gonna let him be buried, it's too soon! He will stay here! And I will stay with him until his stubborn little behind decides to wake up!"

"Peter…..Peter…..that isn't…."

But said male cut off his older sister, "I won't hear of it anymore! Edmund will be brought here to my room and that's final! You better start praying to Aslan or something because I will not bury my brother because he isn't dead! There are four thrones, do you get that? You want to make it two?"

"PETER!" both sisters cried simultaneously, realizing the implication of what their older brother was saying. Susan jolted from her place on the bed.

Peter threw open the door and called for a guard explaining his wishes.

"Peter, please think about this. We miss Edmund too!" cried Susan stepping forward, trying to beg some reason into Peter.

"There is nothing to think about!"

"No, Peter has a point", Lucy murmured making her older sister spin around to face her.

"What?"

"No, I mean. We need Aslan. We need to talk to him! Something! Beg him to fix this! Something, anything!" Lucy explained.

"You think he could?" Susan wanted to believe that but she didn't want to get her hopes up looking for such a miracle.

Lucy glared through her tears at her older sister, "He's Aslan! He can do anything!"

"But will he?"

Lucy was silent.

"He will", Peter spoke up his voice way too calm.

"He will?" Susan questioned.

Peter nodded jerkily as he leaned back against the wall. "He has too." He slide down the wall and brought his knees to his just, "He just has too. It can't end this way. It can't."

Tentatively, Lucy was the first to move and sit next to Peter, leaning her chin on him. Susan moved next sitting on the other side. They were all silent, each one sending prayers winging to Aslan.


"Come on, Edmund, please wake up", Peter begged for the umpteenth time that day. He didn't know how long it had been since they brought Edmund's body back to Peter's room and positioned him comfortably under the covers. They had cleaned him up and put him in better garb. For all the world he looked asleep.

Peter hadn't moved from his spot next to Edmund, hugging his younger brother's body to him. He alternated between begging Edmund and begging Aslan.

"Aslan, please, don't do this to me. To us. To Edmund. Hasn't he been through enough? And now to get killed in such a manner! What justice is this? You died for him and he dies almost a year into our reign. Please, please, you cannot be this heartless. How can we survive without our brother? You cannot ask this of us. You cannot ask it of me." Peter murmured under his breath, his eyes staring at Edmund almost unblinkingly.

Silence was the only greeting he got. He shut his eyes and wiped away the stray tears. Some part of him was amazed that he still had tears.

He sniffed, "Come on, Edmund. Don't you think, you've proven your point? Time to wake up!" His voice broke as he buried his face in Edmund's neck, "Please….." His other hand, that was thrown over Edmund's chest, found its way to Edmund's hair to clutch at it tightly.


Lucy sniffed as she was sitting on the other side of the door. Most of the time, she couldn't hear exactly what Peter was saying but she felt the raw emotion in it. Susan was standing her back to the wall, looking up at the ceiling rather absently.

The two guards were a respectful distance away, neither one disturbed by a queen sitting on the floor.

"Please Aslan", Lucy murmured under her breath, "You cannot want this for us. Want this for them. Please, answer us. Come here or send someone or something. Just send a sign, any sign. Please Aslan, let your will be done, but I pray this isn't it."

Susan looked down as she heard some hoof-steps. Oreius walked towards them inclining his head. "I hate to bother any of you in this trying time…."

"Of course, what is it?" Susan asked as Lucy only glanced up once.

Oreius was silent a moment before asking, "Have you seen Geramius?"

Susan blinked, "Edmund's valet?"

"Yes, we've been looking for him, and he is nowhere to be found."

A cold chill ran through each Queen. It was Lucy who looked up at Oreius. "What are you saying?" she asked softly.

Oreius went silent.

"You think he may have something to do with this?" Susan choked out.

"I'm leaving nothing out in terms of suspicion", Oreius finally spoke, "I wish to place trusted guards with both of you and your brothers, just to be on the safe side."

Susan nodded, "Do what you have to do, Oreius."

Oreius bowed before turning and leaving.

"Do you really think that Geramius was…..was part of a…..conspiracy?" Lucy asked her voice breaking.

"Like Oreius says, we leave nothing not looked at. Plus it is suspicious, that he disappears at this time. Though I can't believe that he…" Susan stopped shaking her head trying not to cry anymore.

Lucy looked up at her older sister. "Do you…..think we should tell Peter?" she asked uncertainly.

The Gentle Queen shook her head, "Leave him alone. We don't know anything of substance right now. No sense in getting him worked up. The slightest thing might set him off. We need to be careful."

Lucy nodded slowly.


Peter looked out noticing that the sun was setting. Normally such an event moved him especially in Narnia, but that day, it didn't move him.

He only watched with sadden eyes.

"Please…." Was all he murmured.

TBC…