Author's Note: Life's been crazy lately and the end of the schoolyear is probably the worst time for me to be working on this, yet I managed to crank out this chapter. School gets out in four and a half weeks, then it's off to Israel for two weeks on a missions trip! I can't wait!

Disclaimer: Only Davina, Isaiah, and Yessinia are mine! :)

Chapter 10- Resolution

Davina's "first day of freedom" had hardly been a success, in her opinion. Isaiah still gave her the silent/glaring treatment, her wound had still been obnoxiously painful, and nearly everyone had been busy.

Today was a better, though, in a certain way. Yes, Susan and Lucy were still chasing their own tails in their attempts to put together the ball- a one year anniversary of the defeat of the White Witch and the return of spring. Edmund was busy entertaining Isaiah by teaching him how to use snowballs as a means of practicing his dodging (useful, for when one is close with the monarchy, they're likely to have all manner of objects thrown at them- the most dangerous of these being arrows or daggers). It was the first step in her twin's training in learning how to fight. However, Peter had found himself in one of those rare occassions where the High King has time to relax a bit, at least for the time being.

So today, Peter had been kind enough to carry Davina to the study she'd occupied the two days previous to this one. From the large window, they could see the two boys doing their "snow training" and as Peter moved to take his seat, Edmund (nose cherry red from the cold) gave them a cheery wave.

Isaiah didn't bother to look up and Davina felt a pang of hurt shoot through her heart.

"It's good to see Ed enjoy the snow again, at least a little bit." Peter told her, watching his young sibling's face wrinkle in disgust at the powdery substance in his hand before he lobbed the snowball at Isaiah. It hit him in the leg as he tried to dodge. Edmund shook his head with a smile.

"I wouldn't call that 'enjoying' it."

"Point taken," the left side of Peter's mouth lifted in a near smile. "This is as close as you get nowadays when it comes to Edmund and snow. He used to love it. Now it turns his stomach."

Davina nodded sympathetically as he continued.

"To be honest, winter itself turns all of our stomachs now."

"I don't blame y'all. Jadis was terrible. I can't imagine having to face her. She makes my blood curdle just reading about her. You should be proud- the way you four eradicated her. No wonder the Narnians love y'all so deeply." Davina laid a hand on his shoulder and he gave a bitter smile in response.

Pulling her hand away gently, she wrapped her blanket back around herself a bit tighter. She couldn't help a little as one of Edmund's well-placed snowballs slammed into her brother's face.

"I just worry about Edmund," Peter sighed.

"You love your siblings alot." she smiled.

"And you love your brother alot." he turned, peering into her eyes. "The two of you need to fix things."

Davina closed her eyes for a few seconds, retreating into her mind. The separation between she and her brother hurt more than she could explain. They'd never gone more than a day of not speaking to each other. Neither of them were very skilled at holding grudges, but Isaiah seemed to have aquired some bitterness in the past few weeks. Of course, it's not like she could blame him. They were both hurting. Perhaps it helped him deal with his pain to blame it on Peter and now she was pulling the rug out from under him.

Whatever the reason their relationship had gone through this cold spell, it was ending today, whether Isaiah liked it or not.

"I know," she finally responded. "I can't stand it any longer. This ends today."

"Good."

Her time with Peter lasted another hour before it was time for their dance practice. Though she thought it very kind of Peter and Edmund, she was beginning to get tired of being carried around. Plus, she felt bad for Peter and his having to carry her down two flights of stairs while she silently pleaded that he wouldn't miss a step and send them sprawling.

The moment they entered the room, Davina could palpably feel her twin's irritation at their arrival and Peter gave her an understanding look as she bristled at her brother's reaction.

"How was training?" Lucy asked, looking down as she entered from the opposite side of the room. She wiped her hands on the apron tied around her waist before taking it off. When no one answered her (Edmund was busy stuffing his face with a muffin one of the kitchen staff had brought him), she puffed an irritated sigh. "Isaiah, stop glaring at your sister and the High King. Answer my question. How was training?"

Edmund choked on his food and Peter hid a grin as he set Davina on the ground and walked with her to the window sill. "There's my sister for ya." he murmured.

Isaiah, looking a bit off-balance answered with a raised eyebrow at first, but then proceeded to fill her in. Davina listened with rapt attention, wanting to hear about his day, but knowing he would only shut her down if she asked. When Susan finally came bustling into the room, she was only a few minutes later than their dance instructor- a dryad by the name of Yessinia.

Today's dances were on learning two or three of the slower dances, though they only ended up having time to go through half of the third. Because of this, Davina was able to learn, taking breaks when necessary, and dancing with either Edmund or Peter. She was pleased with herself when she managed to get through the entire lesson with only three five minute rests.

When it ended, they were tired but happy with their progress. Yessinia told the twins that they would learn fast and they shouldn't worry about not being good enough. Davina silently thanked her parents for how they'd taught them ballroom dancing when they were kids. This wasn't exactly the same, but it had enough similarities that it was easier than learning from scratch.

Davina stormed into her twin's bedroom only an hour after dinner that night. "Storm" may not be the best way to describe her entrance, though. It was more a "thunderous shower" than a full-blown "thunderstorm", due to her injury of course.

"Isaiah Kane! I am sick and tired of you acting like a child! This is ridiculous! You've gone four days without speaking to me!"

"Get out of my room, Davina," was his surly response. He sat at his desk, scrawling furiously away at a sheet of paper.

"Why are you so angry?"

"Why do you think? You defended that- that man, and freaking slapped me!" He yelled, pushing back from his desk to face her, anger flashing in his eyes.

"And for good reason! You were being unreasonable!" she screamed back. "You blamed an innocent person for my pain- one who was already blaming himself!"

"Because it was his fault!" Isaiah hissed.

"No, it was that archer's fault and you know it." she started quiet down. "No one else gets the blame."

She stopped and examined her brother's stony face. Was he really ready to sacrifice their relationship over this? How long would he let this chasm divide them?

"Fine. Wallow in your anger and unforgiveness, but as long as you treat Peter (or anyone else, for that matter) this way, you forfeit your relationship with your only sister." Tears filled her eyes as she looked at her brother, her twin, as he turned back toward his desk. "There are still people out there trying to kill me, Isaiah. Are you really willing to take the chance that they could succeed before we resolve this?"

Isaiah didn't move. She couldn't keep a choked sob from escaping her lips as she turned away and hurried out the door. She didn't see the tears forming in his eyes or the regret in his heart. Deep down, he knew she was right. He knew Peter had done nothing wrong, that he had deserved the stern rebuke and slap his twin had given him. It just felt better, easier to blame someone he could direct that anger toward.

He started to stand and go after her when he heard a thud and a tear-filled cry from outside. His chair hit the ground in his frantic effort to get out the door and to his sister. When he saw her, laying on the ground where she'd fallen, holding her side, and cringing as she cried; he practically sprinted over.

"Davina, are you alright? Are you hurt? Did you open the wound back up?" he asked rapid-fire. She tried to push him away, but didn't succeed. "Davina, answer me!"

"M'fine." she grumbled, awkwardly trying to stop her tears. "Leave me alone."

Isaiah sighed in irritation. "Look, I'm sorry. I know I was wrong. Peter didn't try to get you hurt and you were only defending someone who needed defending from me. I'm sorry."

Davina's face broke out in a wide smile, though awkwardly mixed with the tears and traces of pain as Isaiah pulled her onto her feet. She stood on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on his cheek, then leaned into his warm embrace, still holding her side tenderly as the pain began to subside.

"I missed you, brother."

"I missed you too, sis." he laughed.

"Hurray!" Lucy squealed, barrelling out from behind a corner and nearly causing the two to topple over in surprise. "Everyone's friends again!"

"Lucy! How long have you been back there?" Davina asked, faking anger at her young friend.

"The entire time," she responded, not phased at all by the violet-eyed girl. "Though Ed and I had to hold Pete and Su back when you fell. We knew Isaiah would come, but they were too worried. You wouldn't imagine how hard that was."

"Lu!" Susan scolded as the other three came out from behind the same corner she'd been in. "You ratted us out!"

"She's right, though." Ed commented. "You two would've ruined the entire resolution of their argument if either of you had barged over and taken charge like usual. Since you didn't, everything has been resolved and we can go back to everyone getting along."

"It's not quite resolved yet," Davina corrected. "Isaiah still has an apology to make."

Knowing his sister was right, Isaiah walked over to Peter, awkwardly shuffling his feet as if trying to prolong the wait before he would have to humble himself. Davina only beamed in her encouragement of her brother. "Look, Peter, I'm sorry. I was wrong. The accident... wasn't your fault. I shouldn't have blamed you." He reached out a hand and the two clasped forearms agreeably.

"Apology accepted." Peter smiled.

"Now that that's been accomplished," Edmund declared loudly. "Isn't it time for dinner?"