Someone was murmuring in her ear. "Freya. Wake up Freya." With great difficulty, she opened her eyes. The fire was roaring and she was still in her wet clothes. Susan and Lucy were crouching before her, Edmund was at the foot of the sofa. She figured Peter was the one she was lying on. Susan whispered, "We need to get you out of those wet clothes." She held out her hand. Freya took it and they helped her into Peter's bathroom, where there was a hot bath and next to it, a change of fresh, clean clothes.

Peter folded up the blanket and laid it at the end of the sofa. He ran his fingers threw his hair. Edmund flopped onto the sofa. "Thank Aslan, we found her."

"Yes."

Edmund stared at his brother. "You like her."

"Of course I do. She's my friend."

"No, you like her more than a friend."

"Don't be stupid Ed." Edmund just smiled. Lucy stuck her head around the door.

"Go and get some bandages Edmund." He nodded and left.

"Hey Lu." Peter called. Lucy came in.

"What?"

"Why does she need bandages?"

"She's got loads of cuts and scratches from something. A couple won't stop bleeding. It's nothing to worry about. Have no fear." She said smiling at him.

Freya soon came in, cleaner and a little brighter, but still weak. She collapsed on the sofa. Susan put a bowl of broth in front of her and ordered her to drink it. She obeyed thankfully. Peter soon came back with one of Freya's jumpers. Freya climbed gratefully into it.

"I'm sorry." She mumbled. "I should have stayed put. I shouldn't have gone out riding in the first place. I didn't want to put you to any trouble. I'm truly sorry."

"Nonsense." Said Susan. "If you'd have stayed put, you'd have been in even more trouble. The storm is still raging on. We're glad you came back."

"Leos! Is he well?" Freya said suddenly.

"We'll go and check on him now." Lucy soothed. Susan and Lucy left.

"I'd better go and check on Lune, Peter. You stay here and look after her." Edmund said. Freya coughed suddenly, her chest rattling and wheezing. Edmund shot a worried look at Peter whose face was crumpled with concern. Edmund left.

"I'll go back to my room now Peter, thanks." Freya whispered, attempting to get up.

"Oh no, you're not going anywhere." Peter replied grabbing her by the waist. He laid her on his chest and they lay in silence for a while. Peter listened gravely to the rattling of Freya's chest. "Freya." He murmured in her ear. "Would you like some water?" There was no reply. She had fallen asleep. At that point, Susan walked in.

"Oh good, she's asleep."

"What shall we do with her? She can't sleep on the sofa." Peter asked her.

"She'll have to sleep in your bed. Her room hasn't got a fire. Yours is much warmer." She looked at him. "That's not a problem is it?"

"Of course not! I was going to make her sleep here anyway." He gently lifted her up and carried her across the room. When he laid her down, she murmured dreamily, "Leos." Peter stiffened. He turned back to Susan.

"Su, listen to her chest." She turned to face him.

"I know."

"She'll be alright won't she?"

"I think so. I'll stay here tonight. You get some rest Peter."

"Don't be silly. You need some rest. I'll look after Freya. I'll sleep on the sofa."

"Alright. I'll come back in a couple of hours to check on her. We'll have to take shifts to deal with Lune tomorrow. You and Lucy do the morning, Edmund and I will do the afternoon. Sounds fair?"

Peter nodded. "I'll see you in the morning." Susan gave him a hug.

"Try and get some sleep." She muttered. When she left, Peter flopped on the sofa, drew a blanket over him and welcomed sleep.

Freya woke up. The sheets were tangled about her. She had no idea where she was. She felt hot and then cold. Her throat was burning. She needed a glass of water. She got out of bed. She was shivering. She made her way to the centre of the room, but her legs gave way. She fell to the floor with a thump. She felt so ill. Her vision was blurry. Someone ran over to her and wrapped them up in their arms. Freya felt herself being carried back to bed. "Are you Leos?" she whispered. The person stiffened. "No."

Freya coughed and croaked "Water." She felt a glass pressed against her lips. The water cooled her throat for a brief moment. She felt so ill. She gave a whimper and fell back to the covers.

Peter looked at her. He put a hand to her forehead. It was burning. He fetched a cold flannel and placed it on her forehead in an attempt to cool her down. She was tossing and turning, getting tangled in the sheets. Outside the rolls of thunder and cracks of lightning never ceased. Peter held her until she fell back asleep and he then laid her back on the covers. Her face was troubled. Just then a thought hit him.

'She loves Leos.' He didn't realise that this thought would pain him as much as it did. But he had to stay here. To pull her through. Freya woke several times as the night drew on, until she ended up sleeping in Peter's arms. He fell asleep on her head, and that was how Susan found them the next morning.

"Peter. Wake up." She gently shook him awake. He stirred and put Freya back on the pillows. She sighed in her sleep, a great rattle coming from her chest.

"How is she?" whispered Susan.

"She's burning up. Feel her forehead."

Susan laid her hand on her forehead, quickly withdrawing it away. "How's Leos?" Peter asked.

"A little cough. Nothing more. A day of bed rest should do it."

"Why did Freya suffer more?"

Susan thought for a second. "She already had a slight cold remember? When we first met her. She'd got drenched then." Peter nodded, yawning. "Go and get a couple of hours sleep Peter. Take Freya's bed. I'm sure she won't mind." Peter nodded and headed off.

Susan watched him go. She turned to Freya. She gently shook the girl awake and forced some broth down her throat. She would need as much strength as possible.

Lucy was in the study with Lune and his subjects when Peter joined them. Lucy shot him a worried look, but Peter had turned to Lune.

"So sorry I'm late." He said sitting down.

"Quite alright King Peter." Lune said jovially. "Queen Lucy and I were just discussing policies of the Lone Islands. You may find it interesting. Are you quite well? You look exhausted."

Peter gave him a tired smile. "Didn't sleep that's all."

Edmund sat on the sofa in Peter's room. "Do you reckon she'll pull through?" he asked, worried.

"I don't know."

"Who knows what Peter would do if she didn't."

"We would all be like that."

"But I think Peter would be devastated."

"Edmund, what are you getting at?"

"Well…he likes her."

"Oh, don't be so silly."

Freya coughed suddenly, and Susan turned to her.

"Why is that such a silly notion?" Edmund asked her when she had turned back.

Susan thought for a moment. "But Freya likes Leos"

"How do you know? Has she told you?"

"No but…"

"Leos likes Freya, but Freya doesn't like him in the same way."

"What makes you the expert?"

"I'm a man. I know how it works."

Susan chortled. "I'm a woman. I know how a woman's mind works."

Edmund sighed. "It's going to be so much fun saying 'I told you so' when we watch them exchanging their marriage vows." Susan rolled her eyes.

Freya started coughing in her sleep, Susan made her sip water, just as Peter walked in. "How is she?" he asked worriedly.

"Peter. You only saw her about 2 hours ago. She's not going to have changed." Edmund replied, looking pointedly at Susan. After Peter had left, Susan sighed and said "Fine! You're right! But only to stop you saying I told you so."

Around noon, Freya woke up. Lucy was by her bed. At that point Leos bounded in

"Hurrah! You're up! Corin's ever so worried you know. How are you?" Freya smiled weakly. Leos bent down and gave her a hug. Freya nestled inside his shoulder. Peter watched from just outside the door. The scene pained him. His thoughts were confirmed. She loved him. He had to give up Freya now, to stop it hurting him when she left either to go home, or back to Archenland with Leos.

He walked in. "How are you Leos?" he asked half-heartedly. Leos tenderly placed Freya back on the bed. "You should get more bed rest." Peter said. Leos nodded and left the room. "I'll come and see you later Freya!" he called as he left the room.

"Oh Peter. Could you look after Freya while I go and check their horses are well. I'd promised Freya I would." Lucy smiled thankfully at him and left. Peter knelt on the bed, and gave her a small smile. She smiled back. She whispered something. He went closer.

"I'm sorry Peter." Her voice sent shivers down his spine. "I feel so guilty as I made you lose all that sleep. I'm really sorry." He smiled down at her.

"Don't worry. All I want you to do is get some sleep and return to full strength." He felt her forehead "You're cooling down a bit. Still hot though." She gave him a weak smile. He bent to kiss her on the head, but stopped. Freya gave him a puzzled look and was about to say something before sleep overwhelmed her.

Freya slept all through the evening. Corin, Leos, even King Lune visited her to check she was well.

"The fact that she's slept a lot is a reassuring sign." Lucy soothed Peter, who had guessed by now that Peter saw Freya as more than a friend. It was about ten o clock, and they were sitting by the fire in Peter's room. Freya was asleep in the bed. Lucy was about to go to bed when-

"You love her don't you Peter?"

Peter sighed. "I did."

"Why the change?"

"Well, she loves Leos, doesn't she?"

Lucy smiled at him. "The fact you questioned that fact just gives you the answer. Goodnight Peter." With that Queen Lucy the Gentle left.

The sky was dark, the grass was blood red. There were screams all around her. She could hear the clashes of swords; hear men and horses falling all around her. She wheeled around. Smoke penetrated her nostrils. Her town was on fire. Her home, her school, the stables, red and orange with flames. The sky was dark with smoke. She could taste ash in her throat. It choked her, stopping her breathing. The sound of swords and dying screams came closer. Papa! She cried Papa! Papa! Pata! Pater! Peter! Peter!' Freya woke up sobbing "Peter!" Someone was rocking her, shushing her, "Peter!" she sobbed.

"I'm here. I'm here Freya. Shush. I'm here." He murmured. "It was a bad dream. You're safe now. I'm here." Freya clung to him. He wrapped her in a hug. He felt her forehead, it was burning again. "Freya I'm going to get you a cold flannel."

"No! Don't leave me please!"

"I'll be back in a second."

Peter went into the bathroom. When he came back she was curled in a foetal position, and shivering. When he came back, she curled up to him. "Don't leave me please. Don't make me go back home. Promise me Peter." She whispered.

"I promise." He felt her chest rattle, her dry sobs dying down. He wrapped her in a hug and rocked her from side to side. "You're safe now. I promise. It was just a bad dream."

Freya felt so safe nestled in his arms, as if nothing could ever hurt her. "I love you." She murmured. But he didn't hear.

She woke several times during the night, always the same dream. Her forehead would be burning, she would be shivering, she would be sobbing, but Peter would still be holding her in his arms, gently rocking her from side to side. When Susan came to relieve Peter that morning she found them, lying sidewards on the bed, Freya curled up to Peter, his arms wrapped around her a look of content on his face.

Freya's temperature had cooled down considerably.

"Her fever must have broken last night." Susan said to Peter. "Get some sleep Peter. You look dead tired. She should start to improve over the next few days."

Peter nodded, and left. Susan carefully washed Freya's face, and decided not to wake her for breakfast, to give the girl some rest. Thankfully, Edmund had taken Lune, Corin and all their Archenland subjects, to see the Narnian fleet.

Freya until eleven at night. She very slowly opened her eyes. The only light was coming from the fire. She could just make out a figure, staring into the fire. She heard them give a troubled sigh. There was a knock on the door. The figure got up and opened it.

"Can I come in?"

"She's sleeping."

"I just want to see her."

"It's not a good time. She's very weak. She doesn't need to be stressed."

"I need to ask her something. It's very important. I can't wait anymore."

"Leos. This is not a good time." Peter snapped. "I suggest you go and get some rest."

There was a silence. "She doesn't love you, Your Majesty. I suggest you pay some attention to King Lune's niece." She heard the door close sharply. Her head hurt too much to figure out what was going on. She pushed herself up. Peter came over to her.

"What are you doing? Lay back down." He gently laid her back on the pillows.

"Who was that at the door?"

Peter looked away saying. "Leos."

Freya tried to turn his head to meet hers. To make him understand. "Peter…" he got up and walked towards the fire. "Get some sleep." Was all he said.

Freya turned away to the cold and the dark.

Thanks for reading! Plot really starts to move on in next chapter. Don't forget to review. I do take on board all comments and do appreciate them.

Thank you!

S x