Author's note: HELLLOOOOO!! Gaaaah! It's been ages! Thanks thanks thanks thanks a gazillion umpteen times for the reviews I've gotten while I've taken this absolutely long break from the adventures of Mallory, the Rum siblings and the Pevensies. I haven't had an inspiration to write for a loooooong time. I just came across this and decided to finish it. It'll be done (hopefully) in a few more chapters and then we can get to what I've been envisioning as a deeper, more complex part of Mallory's story which was hinted at the first story's last chapter… hehehe so hang in there! And thanks muchas for reading. Love y'all!!

Disclaimer: I proudly proclaim that the Pevensies and Cair Paravel and the poisonous Giants belong to C.S. Lewis and I can only hope that I have done him justice with my work.

Chapter 10: Sacrifices

But just as soon as she said that, the trunk gave way.

With an ear-splitting crack and ear-shattering screams from both girls, they plunged together into the fierce torrent of raging water. The icy coldness of the water jolted Mallory's senses to acute heights, numbing them at the same time. She was aware only of the wood splinters rushing and scraping about her cheeks, the greenish-bluish-blackish blur of the river and the feel of Rumilia's hand slipping away from her fingers.

"Rumilia!" Mallory shouted, but it was useless underwater – her voice dissolved into meaningless bubbles. She tightened her grip around her hand and pulled her closer to her. At the same time, she tried to kick her away to the surface, putting to use the swimming lessons she had taken up while she was at her school in London. But the current was too strong. Pulling a strangely immobile Rumilia with her, she tried to fight it; she flailed her hands and used her legs to propel her up, up, away from the cold and to blessed air but she couldn't. Numbness took over and Mallory could feel the speck of light dancing before her eyes grow dimmer and dimmer…

Until her shoulder slammed into a solid wall of earth. She cried in pain, but had the sense to realize that it was the river bank. She felt her way up the wall and snagged her hand among the roots of old trees that were doomed to hang and mope their old age away over rivers. She tugged at them, found them strong, and pulled at them, which was extremely difficult given that Rumilia was stuck to her other hand. Hope failed and panic flooded in, but as Mallory flailed her hand wildly in a desperate attempt to catch attention, it burst through the surface and was immediately caught by something. Or someone.

In no time at all, she felt herself pulled up, and you couldn't imagine the relief and gratitude and joy that filled her entire soul and being as she hit a soft and warm object and instantly arms were around her, comforting and strong arms. Mallory couldn't help herself; she located the nearest shoulder and sobbed into it. Sobbed the water and grief and despair out of her lungs.

"There, there, it's all right," said the voice that accompanied the hug. "You're safe now, Mallory."

"I thought – I thought – " she spluttered as she pulled away. She was astonished to see that it was Edmund. "Ed!"

He grinned weakly. "I know I'm not exactly Peter but – "

She threw her arms around him anyway. "Oh, thank Aslan you're here! And thank you thank you thank you! But how did you…?"

"We left Cair Paravel as soon as we found out you'd left. And what cheek too, leaving without telling your hosts. Hasn't King Lune taught you any manners?"

"Oh bother, Ed, bother! Rumilia - where's Rumilia? She was with me a moment ago! Is she all right? Have you got her? Has anyone seen her?"

"No need to panic, Mallory: we've not been kings for no reason. Rum and Rumil and Peter are tending to her over there."

She sighted three hunched figures not too far away and immediately picked up her wet, heavy skirts and plodded as fast as she could towards them. The three figures were Rum, Rumil and Peter and they were bent over Rumilia's unconscious body. Peter pumped her chest, keeping time as he did and pressing his lips to hers, trying to revive her.

Mallory sank to her feet and took Rumilia's cold, clammy hand against hers. She could do nothing but watch as Rum and Rumil and Edmund removed their cloaks and kept her warm while Peter continued his effort. She pressed her lips to Rumilia's hand and squeezed her eyes shut. Please let her live! Please! she begged and wished bitterly to herself. Oh Aslan, if anything happened to her, she would never be able to forgive herself. She had caused all this – the misunderstanding, how Peter had ever liked her in the first place, thus depriving Rumilia of the attention she would have gotten from him…

Just as she thought it, Rumilia coughed and spluttered to life. "Rumilia!" they said simultaneously. Peter instantly snatched up his cloak from his back and wrapped it around Rumilia's back, then he kissed her forehead and held her against his chest, rubbing her arms to keep her warm and comfort her. Mallory covered her face with her hands and wept as mixed feelings rushed through her: sheer, concentrated happiness, and a tinge of wistfulness that she couldn't explain.

Mallory had done nothing at all but slept her way through the next day, exhausted from the most frightening incident. Sifted among her dreams, she could hear servants whisked in and out, whispering among themselves as they replaced the basin of hot water in case she should wake and wish to clean her face. Sometimes she could hear Susan and Lucy murmuring and touching her forehead, more often it was Lucy. And sometimes she was aware of Edmund telling jokes about poisonous Giants and lumpheaded mushrooms but she couldn't laugh at them because she was too tired to do so and they weren't very funny anyway.

Suddenly, her eyes opened of its own accord. Technically, she was still asleep, but sometimes the body just wakes up by itself without you having to rouse yourself. Mallory rubbed her eyes and stretched and yawned. The curtains had been drawn and she could see the orange-streaked purple sky. She pushed herself off the bed and went to the window. A gust of cool evening breeze caressed her cheeks as she gazed at the setting sun across the horizon, sending its glorious, dying embers across the length of the sea before it. Sea gulls cried as they flew home for the day, and the sea for once was so calm that it wasn't even lapping against the shores of Cair Paravel.

The door opened abruptly and Mallory whipped around. Her eyes met Peter's startled ones and for a moment they were both frozen, at a loss for words. Then he tore his gaze away and closed the door behind him.

"Sorry, I thought you were still sleeping," he said with an attempt at a smile. "Lucy said you'd been sleeping like a log. You didn't even respond when she tried to tickle you."

"I was tired," offered Mallory lamely.

"I know," he said. He approached her and she instinctively drew back. But he wasn't as afraid, or as hesitant as the last time they had talked. "I'm tired too. Well not physically because we'd hardly done any sports today; everyone was so worried about you and Rumilia, except for the Calormenes of course but then again we don't expect him to because – oh, crud. What I'm trying to say is this: I'm tired of being stuck between you and Rumilia."

"Which is understandable," said Mallory, nodding, "You have ties to preserve with Archenland, the time has come for you to do something about your bachelorism and – "

"But," he interjected firmly. "I'm in love with you."

Mallory shook her head. "You can't be."

"But I am. And I know that I shouldn't be, that it'll only hurt me if I live on with this stemmed in my heart, impeding everything I do. So I'm facing you now and I'm telling you that I love you so that I can get it out of my system and I can forget you."

Her heart caught in her throat. She couldn't bring herself to look away because he was looking at her so earnestly and yearningly, and that scared her, but she realized she might be feeling the same way, and that thread of emotion that they shared was what kept her gaze locked to his and his to hers.

"Despise me if you will," he said again, this time in a hoarse whisper, "but I'm going to be with Rumilia. For the sake of Narnia and for the sake of my conscience. And nothing, nothing will make me change my mind. But know that while I'm congratulating myself for managing to get ahead of my emotions and stick to my senses, I'll forever hate myself for forsaking the love I have for you, even if you don't share what I feel."

Mallory shook her head; she didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. "Oh, who am I joking, Peter? I do, I mean, I don't think I'm deeply in love with you or anything but – it's here. In my heart. What you're feeling – goodness, this is so hard – I'm feeling it too. But I don't dare to, and I won't, call it love or anything – but it's so overwhelming and – so there."

To her surprise, he took her hand in his and kissed it. She managed a short laugh, a confused laugh. "Thank you," she said.

"And thank you, Lady Mallory," he replied, and with a bow, he left her in a jumble-tumble of mixed emotions.

Author's note (again): Was that weird or what? Review and let me know what you think, as always! :D