"I apologize Mrs. Wright, but we must appoint someone else for the position. Thank you for your time, and you may show yourself out." Once the matron's footsteps had receded, the young King laid his head in his hands.

"How on earth am I to find a decent housekeeper at this rate. They all just want to be nursemaids!" Peter said to the room at large.

He was at the mostly-finished Rosewood Manor in his personal office. The manor had come along well; the first things to be renovated were the bedrooms and offices for each of the siblings. The kitchens and bathrooms had to be updated with modern conveniences as well; the Manor had last been in working condition in the twenties, and technology had made great advances since then. Edmund had made great progress with the grounds—a team of gardeners were working on restoring them as he went through housekeeper interviews. Susan and Lucy were taking care of the internal renovations, Edmund had the exterior, and Peter had the paperwork.

Hendon House and St. Finbar's were supplying the tutors for the four siblings—all four children were being taught by a six-person team—so that was one load off of the Magnificent's mind. Yet there were maids, cooks, and many more staff to hire. He also had to deal with the finances. The estate in itself was fairly self-sufficent. The revenue that it garnered from the vineyard and horses was enough to cover the upkeep and management of the estate. It would also cover the wages of the staff. The royal four had also won a fair amount from the lawsuit towards Susan and Lucy's attackers, and in the almost two weeks since the trial, Edmund had had clients asking for his representation every day.

So far, his thirteen year old brother had not accepted any clients.

Overall, the Pevensie Four—as the press had dubbed them—were secure financially, and would continue to be so it appeared. Everything was just very busy, and Peter could not seem to find a housekeeper that met his standards.

"Why do they all treat me like I am a child? I'm a King for goodness sake!" Peter exclaimed—yet again to the room.

"Talking to yourself again?" Lucy popped her head around the doorframe. "That is one of the first visible signs of madness, you know." Her lips were curled up into a smirk, and the eleven year old's eyes were dancing with mirth.

"Wonderful!" Peter exclaimed, his head resting on his hands, which were folded across his paperwork. Therefore his voice was somewhat muffled. "I think I am going mad, Lu."

"What a pity. I guess Susan will just be High Queen then. I suppose we should go commission a tiara for her." Lucy skipped into the room and sat in front of her brother's desk.

"Stop teasing, Lu."

"But I am awfully good at teasing. I was very good at teasing back in Narnia. Why should here be any different?"

"I worry for my mind whenever you get older." Peter reached across the desk and tugged her hair slightly, sitting up. "You are going to drive me mad! You were much more subdued in Narnia though."

"In Narnia, I was a Queen. Here, I am still a Queen, but no one knows it. Plus I managed to knick some sweets off of Edmund. Hence the teasing." Lucy grinned wickedly. "Sugar was never something that I was good with."

"Nor wine." Peter commented, raising his eyebrows

Lucy huffed and crossed her arms. "That was one time. Afterwards I stayed away from the elf wine."

"Lucy, you would not stop laughing. Continuously. And I believe you kissed the Prince of Archenland."

"I was eighteen, Peter! I was a child." She shot her older brother a glare. "And Geoffrey was a very nice man. We had already been courting then, and I kissed him in the garden. It is not like it was the Great Hall or anything."

"You had not told Edmund or I that you were courting."

"I told Susan, she approved, and I am a Queen. I can decide for myself. Besides, we wanted to keep it quiet." The young girl slipped on her royal air perfectly.

"Kissing boys in gardens is not quiet." Peter retorted laughingly.

"By the Mane, can't a girl live one thing down?" Lucy threw up her hands exasperatedly, but still smiling. She sighed contentedly. "We had some good times back home, did we not?"

"Yes, we did. They were the best years of my life."

"Me too, Peter. They were mine too." Lucy looked towards the door for a moment before turning back. "Do you think we'll ever go back, Peter? I mean, I know Aslan said that Edmund and I will, but I do not know when that will come and it seems so unfair that Ed and I could, but not you and Susan. It's just…not a very Aslan thing to do."

"I cannot comment on the fairness of the Lion, Lucy. He has his own agenda. But if you and Ed are needed back in Narnia, then you will go. No one other than Aslan can determine when or where that will happen."

Lucy nodded, and stood up. "Thank you, Peter. I needed that. I—well, it has been awfully hard, here. I just want to be back home, and that is not possible, and it hurts. I trust Aslan, but sometimes the doubts wriggle their way into my mind and it becomes hard. Do you understand?"

"I get it, Lucy. Everyone has their doubts, do not worry. Just trust in the Lion. He will show you the way." Peter smiled softly.

"I will do my best." A smile wiggled its way back onto Lucy's face. "But now I must go. Susan ordered the wrong color curtains, and I have to go remedy her error."

"Good luck with that, Lu!" Peter called as she skipped out the door.

He, like Lucy, had found it hard to trust in Aslan on occasion. He just wanted to be home again, and it was not possible. For his mortal brain, it was a hard topic. Whenever Peter found himself in that situation, he just remembered who he was. He remembered that he was The Magnificent, ordained by the Great Lion, one of the Chosen Four. He was the High King of Narnia, and Aslan had picked him for both his good and bad qualities. It was a hard lesson to learn, but Peter was learning it more and more every day. It would be something that all four siblings would learn as the weeks went on.

Yet, Peter had a more impending problem to deal with. He still did not have a housekeeper for Rosewood.

"Back to the résumé stack." He sighed. "Yet again…"


AN: So! Here is a bit of character development for Peter and Lucy, two characters that I had been neglecting a bit. I hope you enjoyed it! I've always imagined a different side of Lucy, hence why I developed her in this way here.

Now, I have a predicament. I originally had planned to end this story with the train accident, but I am now wondering if I should not take it in a different direction. I have had many people asking about whether or not I will include Dawn Treader in the story, hence where the predicament arises. If I were to do Dawn Treader, I would possibly have all four Pevensies go back, maybe even to stay. My guilty pleasure in this fandom is the Susan/Caspian ship-its the one movie-verse piece that I tend to write-so there might even be a bit of that in the story.

Now, please understand, whatever I decide, I will still write it that way. This is my story. But since my readers are so wonderful and you all have given me such fantastic feedback on this story, I figured I would just throw those ideas out for an opinion. If you feel like giving an opinion, send it to me in either a review or PM. =)

Thanks so much for reading!

Inky