HI EVERYONE! Sry about the wait, but I've had a lot of homework to do. A huge thanx to all of my awesome reviewers! This story is all for you! I hope you like this chapter!
Note: If you haven't read my profile, then I just want to say this. All the angst I have in this story or any other is only used so that I can have all the sappy scenes now and later. It is NOT BECAUSE I ENJOY IT! I want to help people in pain, not cause them pain. Plz excuse any grammar or spelling mistakes. This chapter is probably going to be short, but it's more of a lead through chapter to chapter eight, with A LOT of family love, especially some brother time.
Disclaimer: Chapter 2
ENJOY!
Chapter7: You'll be Alright
Orieus and Philip made their way over to the two tents nearest the cliff. They froze for a moment, wondering what they were going to say. The children were most likely going to ask questions, but how where they to answer them?
"I suppose were should go awaken them?" Philip turned his head to look at the General.
"Yes. I shall get the Prince, you may get the Princesses." Orieus took a deep breath, silently thanking that he wasn't the one to wake up two girls, and walked forward as the Talking Horse slowly moved towards the girls' tent.
Philip made his way into the tent and stopped. He saw both of the future queens curled up on the bed with peaceful expressions on their faces. They both looked so serene that it broke his heart to wake them up for some of the worst news they could ever receive. Knowing that it was now or never, Philip walked over to Susan and nudged her with his head.
Susan stirred and blinked her eyes. At first everything was blurry, but then they came into place. For a moment, the Horse and princess just stared at each other, before, in a delayed reaction, Susan screamed and jumped out of her bed. Lucy jolted from her sleep and reached for her dagger. Philip blanched backwards and fell, silently cursing himself for startling his future rulers.
A minute or so passed until everyone calmed down. Susan and Lucy stared at the Horse in question and watched as he regained his balance. Lucy, who had been behind her sister, stepped out and touched the horse's forehead.
"Who…who are you?" Her voice quivered slightly, silently hoping that this was a Talking Animal.
"My name is Philip, Your Highnesses." Lucy breathed a sigh of relief that this was an intelligent animal. "I come with a message that you are to meet Aslan at the cliff. He has news of your other brother." The two girls gasped and looked at one another.
"Our brother? You mean Edmund?" Philip nodded his head. "Have you seen him? Is he alright?" Susan stared at the Horse, worry and love in her eyes.
Philip nodded his head sadly and replied, "My dear princesses, I was with the rescue party last night. I was one of the very few there that really saw your brother. Although it pains me to say this, I have never seen another creature in so much pain as your brother was, is, in." The girls' eyes widened and tears formed in their eyes. "I am truly sorry Your Highnesses."
It looked as if the two girls wanted to say something, but thought better. So within the next minute they were following the Horse out and towards Aslan. About halfway there they met up with Peter and Orieus. The centaur looked quite sad and Peter looked as if someone had just punched him in the gut with metal gauntlets.
The three children walked forward at their future subjects' nudges and started making their way up the cliff. There at the top stood Aslan, looking even more majestic in the light of the rising sun. The children knelt and Aslan looked at them with sad eyes.
He slowly made his way towards them and nudged for them to rise. They did and moved to stand next to The Lion. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, before the Lion spoke.
"My dear children, how much would you say you love your brother?" The three future monarchs looked taken back. Out of all the things they had ever expected to be asked, this was not one of them.
"What do you mean Aslan?" Susan looked stunned and scared at the same time.
"I mean, dear heart, would you be able to survive without your brother?"
"Why would you need to ask us that Aslan? Edmund is going to live isn't he?" Lucy looked very scared at the prospect of losing the older brother she still did not know much about. She wanted to get know him again, not have to say good-bye.
"Dear child, your brother has been through much pain in the past week. No one should ever have to live through that. I will bring you to him, but you must promise me, that you must have faith in your brother. You must love your brother, your family, with all you are." And with that said, without even waiting for a reply, the Great Lion started down the cliff and towards the large tent closest to the camp's entrance.
As they drew nearer, a female centaur stepped out of the tent and stopped in front of them. She bowed and looked at them with a look of utter grief and heartache.
"Before you enter I must warn you that his wounds have not been dressed yet. There is still much work to be done with them, so I would not advise entry if you are faint hearted." If the children had been scared before, they were terrified now. Building up what was left of his courage, Peter put on a brave face and looked at the centaur in determination.
"We do not care. We just want to see our brother." The healer nodded and turned to Aslan.
"Do wish to enter as well, Sire?" The Lion looked at her with his sad and knowing eyes.
"No, Healer Mashka, I believe that their Highnesses would rather be alone." He turned and started walking away, and soon he was out of sight. Before he left, he turned around once more and said, "Lucy, your cordial will not work on these wounds, not now. You all must be his cure." And with that, he walked away.
Mashka sighed and faced the, stunned children. They looked so scared and terrified for their brother that it broke her heart even more.
"Your Highnesses, your brother is not well, but maybe if we had some extra help he may heal faster. I know it may be prudent to ask but-"
"We'll do anything." Peter cut her off. She nodded and opened the flaps of the tent.
Mashka led them to the bed nearest the end where two Dryads were tending to the occupant. It took a few moments for the Pevensies to realize that the torn and bloodied body was their brother, but when they did, cold hard fear enveloped them. They stood there, shocked, not knowing what to think. Only when they felt a hand on their shoulder did they notice anyone else.
"Your Highnesses, we need to go fetch some more herb water and bandages. We shall be back shortly." With that said, they centaur and her two assistants were gone and the Pevensies were left alone with their brother.
For a moment nobody moved, but Lucy, being the little bubble of energy that she was, couldn't take it too long and soon she was at her big brother's side. She was about to grab his mauled hand, but stopped when she saw his fingers.
They were twisted in the oddest directions. One finger would be far away from the others, another would be overlapping, and two or three had bones sticking out of them.
Lucy gasped and almost fell backwards. She started to feel sick and almost a bit intoxicated. Not until Susan came over and gave her a comforting hug, did Lucy feel better.
"What is it Lucy?" Lucy couldn't be shore whether Susan knew or the choking in her voice was because she was afraid to know.
"His…his fingers…they're…they're…broken." She managed to gasp out. She felt more than saw her older sister's head look up and the gasp that followed it.
"Oh Edmund, what happened to you?" Susan was perilously close to tears. Seeing her brother like this was probably the worst thing she had ever seen. She turned her teary eyes up to her older brother and looked at him pleadingly. "Peter, what are we going to do?"
Peter, who had come over and sat on the other side of the bed, couldn't bear to look at his sister. "I don't know Susan, I don't know." He went over to touch his brother's cheek, when he suddenly realized that there was no cheek. "Susan, his cheek, it's not there." He watched his sister's eyes widen at his statement and turn her head to look at the younger boy's face.
He saw her reach up and then draw back when she saw the cheekbone, but no cheek. That did it for her tears, and now they were silently streaming down her face.
"Lucy, who had been silently watching this, looked at her brother and found his neck, or what was left of his neck. "Peter, Susan, look." She pointed to the long slit in his neck and was soon pulled into an embrace by Susan.
"What kind of monster is this Witch?" Susan's voice trembled with a hate and malice that Lucy had never heard before.
Peter shook his head. I don't know Su, but when I find her I know I'm going to destroy her. How dare she cause my little brother suck pain. I'll kill her. I'll kill her!
"Peter, Edmund will be alright, right? I mean he's going to live?" Lucy's eyes looked so hopeful, that it broke Peter's heart to tell her the truth.
"I don't know Lu, I wish I did, but I don't." A moment of silence filled the room and only when one of the gashes on Edmund's face started to bleed was there any movement.
Susan, who had been closest to the bandages and cleaning rag, slowly lifted them up and began to dab the damp rag on his wound. It was one of the longer ones, going from one end of the face to the other, and somehow it was different from the other marks that marred his face. She went about her task silently and wet eyed. Never had she thought that she would one day have to do this.
"Excuse us, your Highnesses." The three children moved away as the healers reentered. They watched as they slowly opened up Edmund's shirt and exposed more wounds.
"Mashka, may we please help?" Lucy's voice was tiny yet determined and anyone could see that she wanted to help. Mashka smiled at the three children and handed them each a rag.
"Of course, your Highness." And not even a moment later, all three children and the healer were working to heal the boy.
Susan, the closest to Edmund's face, leaned down and whispered into his ear, "You'll be alright." And for a brief moment, Susan could have sworn she saw him smile.
That was probably my shortest chapter yet. I hope you liked it. Plz review, but don't flame. The next chapter should be longer and have a lot more sibling moments and crying. Bring tissues! BYE!
