Discalimer: I dis any claim.
I
Hero
"Workaholic," they called him. "Overachiever," they said.
Peter never corrected them. After all, how else was he supposed to explain away his seeming compulsion to join (and obtain a leadership position in) every available society and organization that even remotely interested him?
"So, there was this time, in this magical country, and I was a king for, oh twenty-five years, and now I'm back, but I'm still pretty used to being in charge."
Yeah. That would go over well.
It had been a few of these organizations (four, actually. In a row.) that had kept Peter out this late, leaving him to daydream happily about his bed as he made his way towards it.
Peter usually imposed upon himself a relatively early bedtime, because his brain never quite worked this late at night.
That might be why, when he saw a girl standing on the bridge in a relatively unconventional manner, he couldn't seem to do much but stare at her and wonder why…?
He got the feeling that he was missing something very obvious, but he just couldn't seem to grasp it. It was there, though, fluttering around in his mind, just out of reach.
Finally, he caught it. His eyes widened.
The girl let go.
Without another thought, Peter (now fully awoken and feeling sharper than he had in days) was racing towards the place where she had just been.
(He was so concentrated, he didn't even hear her scream.)
Somehow (he would never quite know how, his body just seemed to take over) he managed to get rid of his sweater and his shoes and get over the railing, diving…
…cold! Was his first thought as he hit the water, but a moment later he was back on task, looking for the young lady he had seen before while pushing against the current and trying to keep the water from getting in his eyes and his head from going under.
He had not been far behind her at all, though, so she was not exceptionally hard to find, and, luckily, she was conscious.
"Hold on!" Peter cried over the sound of the water, gripping her against him. She, whimpering, obeyed, and did so again when he told her to "Kick your feet!"
Had Peter not been a strong swimmer, he would most certainly not have been able to fight the current. Luckily, he was, and he could.
Finally, they managed to get to the bank, and, after painfully pulling themselves up upon the ground, they flopped down next to each other, gasping for breath.
Slowly, he heard the panicked but choked words repeating over and over again from the girl beside him:
"I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I—"
Peter gasped out, "Shh. You're not going to die."
The girl opened her eyes, and, breathlessly, realized that she was, indeed, going to live.
Gaping at the sky and having not yet caught her breath, Celia asked (rather rudely, she would later think. But it could be excused, considering the circumstances), "Who are you?"
"Peter." (Oh, Lord! What a time for introductions!) "Peter Pevensie."
A/N: Review? maybe?
~FB~