In Element

Susan and her siblings are struggling to re-adjust to their lives but when the call to save Narnia arises will they risk everything again?

AN: Thank you for the amazing reviews, they truly make my day. I'm glad that everybody's loving this story as much as I am writing it. Enjoy!

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"What do we do?" Lucy whispered frantically.

"Lu, go delay Mum," Peter ordered. "Make up some story but keep her in the hallway. Ed and I will get Su upstairs and we'll say she was feeling ill from school. Go, quickly!"

Lucy scrambled out to the hall and greeted their mother loudly with false cheer in her voice. Immediately she started babbling about Susan's triumph that day at archery, not letting her mother get a word in edgeways, allowing the boys to carry their semi-conscious other sister up the stairs.

Reaching Susan's room they laid her on the bed, Edmund's hands still pressed tightly on the wound.

"What happened?" Peter asked in a low voice. "How did she get hurt?"

"Narnia's in a lot of trouble," Edmund answered tersely. "And so is Caspian. He's trying to fight it best he can but he's outnumbered and outgunned – so to speak. Rebels are inside the castle and he can't control them. They move in small groups with surprise attacks. I started to see one such attack and when I saw Su was going to get hurt I reacted, somehow ending up in Narnia. It was a couple of soldiers, lead with a crossbow, entering Caspian's room; Su got hit in the initial fire but it could have been a lot worse. I think Caspian got her out of the way. Then we took care of the rest. We were just seeing to her needs when we were brought back."

"The bolt's still in but it doesn't look deep," peter commented, having examined their sister whilst Ed was talking. "Good thing she's unconscious or she'd probably scream when it's pulled out." He sighed and looked up at Edmund. "Hold her down whilst I pull it and then get downstairs to help Lu. She'll only be able to hold Mum off for so long."

"Why can't I stay?" Edmund shot back.

"Because out of the two of us, I'm the most likely to go overprotective and check up on Su when she says she just has a headache," Peter replied, voice tight. "Go Ed, as soon as I can I'll be down and then you can come up alright?"

Edmund paused and looked indecisively between his two siblings, Peter's face hard and unyielding whilst Susan's was deathly pale and unmoving. Realising the wisdom in his brothers words Edmund nodded and braced his hands on his sister, holding her down. Peter dug his hands into Susan's flesh, trying to get as good a grip on the bolt as he could. Mimicking what he'd seen countless Narnian healers do he twisted the bolt gently, applying more pressure as he tugged it upward until it left Susan's side with a loud squelch. Peter pulled a face as he threw it onto the floor carelessly and then rearranged his hands around his brothers, stemming the flow of blood from the wound.

"Go." Peter repeated and Edmund nodded then left quickly, determined to do what he could for his sister even if all that meant at that moment was helping cover up to their mother.

Peter watched him go and knew how hard it was for him, as he was there when Susan had gotten hurt. And knowing his brother as he did, Peter knew that Edmund would hold himself responsible for this. They were too much alike in that respect.

Sighing he thought back on Susan's words as he grabbed a washcloth with one hand quickly, thanking their mother for insisting Susan's vanity be next to her bed; he could easily reach her wash basin and cloths. Dipping it into the water he gently began to clean the wound, knowing that infection was the biggest risk to Su now. She hadn't lost too much blood and the wound hadn't been deep, she was most likely in shock though. But shock hadn't caused her to mention Caspian, nor for Edmund to as well and this was where Peter's thoughts led.

Caspian had been a good friend to them and had been growing particularly close to Susan. Seeing her get hurt and then disappear probably wasn't going to do any good to his mental state, which must already be under a lot of strain. And if these attacks Edmund had mentioned continued, how long would Caspian survive it? As much trouble as Narnia seemed to be in now, Peter knew it would be ten times worse if Caspian wasn't there.

"Pe-Peter?" Susan whispered and he looked up to meet his sister's pained gaze, her eyelids barely open as she tried to watch him.

"Ssh, it's alright Su. You're home." Peter comforted.

Susan tried to shake her head but could barely manage to move it. "No, I was home. I was in Narnia."

"I know."

"Narnia's in trouble... So much trouble. And they're trying to kill Caspian..."

"Who are?" Peter asked, switching his attention between his sister and focusing on her wound.

"Rebel Telmarines. They're using the Deep Magic... using it against us somehow but I think it's fighting back..."

"Su you need to rest," Peter soothed as he covered her wound with a spare wash cloth, angling it down with her sweater and bed cover. It wasn't bleeding anymore but that didn't mean it couldn't start up again. "You need to lie still and get your energy back. We'll talk as soon as Mum is in bed but until then you are going to sleep, alright?"

Susan acquiesced and closed her eyes, sleep taking her practically immediately and Peter watched her for a few minutes, relieved that she was alright, before he sighed and went to join his other siblings in lying to their mother. He knew it was necessary but he still didn't like it.

Between the three of them they managed to keep their mother bombarded with attention the rest of the night without it seeming out of the ordinary. There were a few close calls, such as when Peter came downstairs and Edmund practically ran out of the room to check on Susan but otherwise they succeeded. And true to his word, as soon as their mother was in bed and safely asleep, Peter led his siblings to gather in Susan's room.

"Eat something first," Peter ordered in a whisper as they settled. "I'll tell them what you told me and then we can discuss."

Susan rolled her eyes but knew not to argue with her brother when he was like this so took the food, Edmund helping her to sit.

"From what Su and Ed have said it seems like Rebel Telmarines have taken over parts of Narnia, along with invading Caspian's castle. Attempts on his life have been made and Narnians are being treated as they were before Caspian took the throne. It also seems like these rebels have somehow managed to play with the Deep Magic," Peter spoke quietly. "Is that about right?" He looked between two of his siblings.

Edmund and Susan both nodded.

"They've affected the Deep Magic?" Lucy whispered.

"Yes, but they underestimated it," Susan said weakly. "I don't think they thought it could work without Aslan, that it could still call us with whatever they did to it."

"Well that would explain the visions and you two getting pulled there and back unceremoniously." Peter mused.

"But it doesn't explain how it's possible!" Edmund hissed. "It's not a corporeal, stable thing kept locked in a trunk or written in a book somewhere! How have they done this?"

"And why..." Lucy said miserably, her eyes downcast.

"They want Narnia back in Telmarine rule," Susan answered stretching out a shaking hand to clasp her sister's. "And Caspian's not the type they want."

"We have to stop them." Peter said determinedly.

"It's all very well and good to say that," Edmund replied his voice tight. "And I know we mean it and I know we'll do whatever we can. But how are actually going to do it?"

"I think we need to stick to what we decided before," Susan said slowly. "We still don't know enough. Gathering more information may be our only way of helping Caspian and the Narnians in a way that actually makes a difference."

"Then that's what we do. We memorise any visions we have, picking out as much detail as we can. And if any of us gets taken to Narnia again then they stick to the shadows, just observing. Unless Caspian or a Narnian we know is nearby. Agreed?"

The three younger Pevensies all nodded their heads solemnly at their brother and Peter sighed wearily before nodding his own. "Agreed."

"We really do need to talk more," Susan began but we also need to sleep, so everyone off to bed and we'll talk on the way to the train station."

"Are you sure you'll be alright to go to school?" Lucy asked worriedly.

"I'll be fine Lu," Susan whispered and with that shooed her siblings from her room. Peter was the last to leave and as he turned from the door he heard his sister's soft voice sigh. "If only I could let Caspian know that..."

That night all four Pevensies slept uneasily, fitting between memories of their time in Narnia and nightmares of their visions. They were restless and disturbed, fear and pain and regret churning them up inside causing their hearts to break.

Just like Narnia was.

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