Disclaimer: Everything except Sairah and her story is property of C.S. Lewis

He rolled over even as he awoke, the Sun hitting his eyelids.

Sighing softly, Peter untangled his arms from the sheets and brought them to his face, rubbing his eyes twice before opening them and blinking a few times, adjusting his sight to the bright light of the Sun that seeped through the gap between the curtains on the window opposite his bed.

"Finally! You're awake."

Startled at the sound of the amused voice, Peter realized that Sairah was sitting at his side, her legs folded beneath her on the bed and an amused expression on her face.

"You are here," he said, grinning at her and drawing a hand through his tousled hair.

"I grew tired of waiting for you," she said, though she looked the complete opposite of annoyed. "You have things to do, you know."

Peter sat up, leaning his back against the pillows and bringing his legs from under the sheets to cross them in front of him. He liked his bedroom in Caspian's castle; though it was not nearly as beautiful as the one he had had in Cair Paravel. It had a fireplace beside the large and richly covered bed, a wardrobe with strange carvings of unknown people and a bookstand that was filled with books that though rather boring, were different enough from the books he was used to reading to be fun to look through.

"What things to do?" he argued, absentmindedly rubbing Sairah's cold fingers with his as they rested on the coverlet. "We have already done everything that was necessary. Caspian is King and everyone loves him, and all the diplomatic details either have already been settled or are scheduled to be settled in a few months. I have a right to sleep late after helping Narnia," he added cheekily, teasing her.

She pretended to be bothered by the carefree remark, but they both knew she was not. In a few seconds her pursed lips had become a smile, and rolled her eyes shortly. "Very well, have it as you will, but it is nearly midday and Edmund should be returning from hunting soon. There will be a delicious feast."

Peter wanted to roll his eyes also, knowing that Edmund had slept late for the past two days and chose to go hunting the only day Peter chose to sleep late, almost making him look bad.

Four days had passed since the victory in the clearing by Beruna. The Narnians had spent them celebrating and becoming more comfortable, enjoying food and supplies that they had been deprived of in the past. The Telmarines were becoming accustomed to the Talking Beasts, dwarves, fauns and other creatures, though it was still normal to occasionally hear a scream or a startled exclamation from the people that lived in the city. Caspian, the Pevensies, Sairah and many others that had been with them had left Beruna the day following the battle and had gone to the capital to get settled in the castle. Already Caspian was beginning to make preparations for the restoration of Cair Paravel, knowing its importance. Aslan had disappeared for the time being, but they did not worry, because as Lucy said, "Aslan comes and goes as he will...we just have to trust Him."

"All right," said Peter. "I will get up." Sairah watched him in silence as he got out of bed and went to the wardrobe, looking through his clothes for something to wear.

"I will leave you to dress," said Sairah as he turned, and she got on her feet. There was something heartwarming about watching Peter get up; perhaps it was the fact that it was so very ordinary, and did not make her feel that there would be an ending to having him with her. "I will meet you in the hall."

"Wait," said Peter even as she crossed the room and had her hand on the door. He walked towards her swiftly and brought her to him, kissing her softly. She smiled, savoring the moment, and his expression mirrored hers. "What do we have planned for today?" Their faces were still together, their noses touching.

"Susan and Lucy have planned to visit one of the towns nearby," she murmured against his jaw as his arms wrapped around her body. "and it is built over the place the fauns used to dance on in the old days, before the trees were felled. They wanted you to go with them."

"Oh," he said, smiling, as they parted. "That will be nice."

As soon as she left the room, he changed. The Telmarine clothes were not as comfortable as his clothes had been in the Golden Age, but they were good enough, and better than the ones he was used to wearing in England. He found a tray of some unknown kind of bread on a low table by the window, and ate a piece for breakfast even as he left his bedroom and made his way down the staircase that led to the main hallway.

He nearly crashed into Lucy.

"Oh! There you are...I was looking for you," she said, after her initial surprise. His sister was wearing a bright smile that lit up her face beautifully. Peter was still surprised at how Narnia managed to make them look older in no time. "Aslan's back."

"Really?" said Peter, and instantly felt delight in his heart.

"Yes," she replied. "And He sent me to tell you and Susan that He wants to speak with you tomorrow morning before we leave for Beruna again."

"What about?"

"I don't know," said Lucy, shrugging. "He didn't tell me. And now I remember...Edmund's back from hunting, and he wants to show off his catch. It is rather big, though. You should come see, Peter."

"I will," he said, though surprised at the fact that Aslan wanted to speak to only him and Susan, and not to the other two. He thought he could see Sairah by the door, going towards where the hunters were. Lucy took his arm and hurried him in the same direction as he chewed on the last of the piece of bread he had had for breakfast.

"Quite a catch, isn't it, brother?" said Edmund, coming towards him with a grin. "Of course, not nearly as big as the one we got with Corin that time, but close enough to be magnificent."

Peter turned to look at the huge boar that was being half-dragged, half-carried by three men and three dwarves towards the kitchens.

"It is rather impressive," he said appraisingly. "Good job, Ed."

Edmund flushed almost unnoticeably, not used to being praised by his brother. "I have to go wash," he said. "I'll see you at lunch." Grinning, he departed.

* * * * * * * *

Sairah slept at the castle that night, and when morning came she was not the last to appear. The Sun had been up for only two hours, and yet while she knew for a fact that Edmund was asleep, she did not know where Peter or Susan were. Walking through the silent corridors, she searched for them, but did not find them. It was nearly half an hour later that she encountered Lucy deep in conversation with a pair of fauns as they sat on a terrace with mugs of some hot liquid in their hands.

"Hello," said Sairah, coming to stand beside Lucy's chair. The fauns looked up, still laughing at something one of them had said, and Lucy grinned at Sairah.

"Good morning," she said cheerfully. "If you are looking for Peter, then I don't know where he is...I can't find him or Susan. But I suppose they will appear soon; I think they are speaking to Aslan."

A strange feeling shot through Sairah's heart at her words, though she did not know exactly what it was or why it had come. She ignored it, however, and came to sit beside the fauns, listening to Lucy recounting many tales from long ago, when the Pevensies had ruled Narnia. Though Sairah had lived through these times, and heard many different variations of the same legend, it was a wonderful thing to listen to Lucy, who had always had a talent for story telling.

By the time the young queen had finished her recount of the Third Crowning of the King of Archenland, an hour had passed, and the Sun had become warmer. That afternoon, everyone in Caspian's court, including the Pevensies, would follow Aslan to the Fords of Beruna, where He would send the Telmarines who did not wish to remain in Narnia somewhere else. They were all rather excited, and soon the sounds of hurried footsteps filled the castle. Lucy, Sairah and the fauns left the terrace, entering the castle once more with different purposes.

Edmund was up, Sairah observed, as she looked around the main hall, searching for Peter. There was no sign of Aslan, but no one expected Him to meet them within the castle itself. They would be leaving in an hour, for it was a journey of considerable length to Beruna. There was also talk of a feast that night, in the same city, so many creatures ran from here to there making preparations, while others hurried to change their clothes or find their steeds.

Sairah spotted Caspian towards one side, speaking to Trufflehunter as they slowly walked towards the door. Deciding that Peter was not within the caste walls, Sairah walked out into the courtyard, where there were less people than inside. Involuntarily, a smile appeared on her face as she enjoyed the soft breeze of the morning.

Even as she came to stand behind a stone pillar, she spotted him. He was walking in from outside, following Susan, who has already half way through the courtyard and was hurrying towards the castle itself. Sairah knew that he had seen her, because he checked his pace and changed direction. She could see his somber expression as he walked towards her, and it made her shiver, though the breeze was warm. Her smile left her lips and she stood silently, watching him come closer.

He said nothing when he reached her; he merely reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her to his body and burying his face in her neck. Sairah instantly felt the profound sadness in him, and it filled her with pain, a foreboding feeling rising in her heart. She clung to him as he did to her, and they stood in that manner for a few seconds before he pulled away, swallowing and looking into her eyes with sadness.

"I spoke to Aslan," said Peter.

Sairah said nothing, watching him with her heart beating violently in her heart.

His eyes left hers and he stared at the floor, as if he could not bring himself to look at her. "We're leaving."

The words hit her like a cascade of cold water, falling one after another and chilling her to the bone, though she realized later that she had known what he was going to say the minute she had seen him return. And when she spoke, her voice sounded hollow in her ears, as if spoken by somebody else.

"When?"

"Today, along the Telmarines that Aslan is taking. And..." he hesitated, as if bracing himself. "Sairah, we're not coming back."

She was cold. Ice cold. So cold that she was numb, and could only hear the erratic beat of her heart, and her shallow breath as she met his eyes and read the truth in them.

"I mean, Susan and I aren't returning. That much is for sure." Peter's expression was contorted with pain, his hands clutching at hers with a force that might have hurt her if she had been able to feel anything aside from sadness and desperation. "I'm so sorry, Sairah. I wish it didn't have to be like this, but it's what He said."

And she found herself nodding, suddenly overcome by a strange wave of resignation, knowing that this was what Aslan had meant. Peter did not belong in Narnia; not forever, and not with her. He was bound to his own world as much as she was to her own, and even love could not keep them together forever. She felt his clutch on her hands and she said nothing, only closed her eyes tightly and buried her face in his chest. He let go of her hands, holding her against him tightly, like he was afraid someone would tear her away from him. She was not sure if she was crying, but she could feel her heart breaking, and she immersed herself in the pain and the sadness of the situation because she knew that she would have to be strong when they said goodbye.

After what seemed an eternity, she pulled away and looked at him. There were tears in his eyes, but his expression was as strong as it had always been. He reached up to caress her face, and they stared at each other in silence.

"Peter!"

He looked over his shoulder swiftly, tearing his eyes away from hers, and in the distance they could see Edmund, beckoning them.

"It is time to leave," said Sairah, breaking the silence between them, and he turned to look at her. There was a slight, sad smile on her face, but it unnerved him. Behind the smile was the same expression that had haunted him: the face he had seen many days ago, when she had looked through the door of the chamber of the Stone Table and called Caspian, not knowing that he and Edmund were there: an expression of utter loneliness.

Review, please! I'll have the next chapter up very soon…I've already written it :D