A/N: Hello all! I know it was a while for the update, but I'm doing pretty well considering my track record :hangs head in shame:. This chapter has a lot of Edmund in it, and I really love Edmund. I hope you like my Edmund. Let me know!

This chapter is dedicated to Jillie, who inspired me to stop procrastinating with her great emails. Yay, Jillian!

Chapter Eleven: In Hiding

Edmund found Rhiannon the next morning, curled up on her tack box, her dirty face run through with streaks of tears. Her hair looked as if birds had been nesting in it, and the deep green dress she had changed into was ruined. He looked at her affectionately, sadly. She looked as if she had spent most of the night in distress, and was finally peaceful.

His gaze was pulled to Coinneach's stall, where he was lipping half-heartedly at his hay. Half of the bran mash he had been given the night before was still there, now cold. The poor beast was in shock, but he would recover, given a few days. At least he had eaten something. Edmund opened the stall door in order to say hello, but at the sight of him Coinneach began backing up, head raised, eyes rolling in his head. He whinnied. Rhiannon was startled into consciousness, and took in the scene before her.

"Your Highness, what are you doing?" she asked, slightly suspicious but mostly still groggy and confused.

"Edmund please, Rhiannon, and I came only to see how my horse was doing from the joust yesterday, but then I stumbled upon you. Why did you spend the night in here? You must be cold," he said, the concern evident in his voice.

"I came to care for my horse," she said defensively, "and then I must have fallen asleep. The heat from the horses kept me warm. I'm fine."

Edmund looked at her searchingly. "Just so you are aware, Rhiannon," he began tentatively, "Peter did not want to give Coinneach to Rabadash. He has responsibilities, though, and his duty is to the stability of the relationship between Calormen and Narnia-"

"I know," she broke in, her voice more gentle. "I wouldn't have given Coinneach to him, otherwise. But- never mind. I'm fine." She did not want to be discussing this, with Edmund of all people. Her lover's brother…

"Please continue, Rhiannon. We all need to speak our minds once in a while, and you have few that you can confide in, now that Ahearn is gone." Rhiannon looked up in surprise. Since when did he know how close she was with the Stallion of Lantern Waste? Sighing, the words began pouring out, and she couldn't stop them.

"I know that he had a responsibility, but I had thought that he would have made sure that Coinneach was alright after the joust, and when I came into the stable, he still had his tack on, and he was sweaty and wet and cold…" she was sniffing now, the tears were welling up again. Roughly brushing them away, leaving more streaks of dirt on her face, she continued. "And then after I had spent an hour or more taking care of him, I sat here, thinking that he would come to me, apologize, but he didn't. And then I fell asleep waiting for him." She omitted the fact that she had been crying. She hated getting emotional, especially in front of people that she respected. Rhiannon wanted Edmund's good opinion.

"You must give him a chance to explain, Rhiannon," he said. "He probably feels guilty and doesn't know how to approach you. Maybe if you approached him-" He was cut off once again.

"I will not approach him!" she exclaimed. "Coinneach faced something which he should never have had to, that everyone knew he couldn't handle. Peter put him into danger, knowing that I value him above all else. If he wishes to apologize to me, then I will forgive him, but I won't go to him begging an apology." She turned to the stall, where Coinneach had calmed down, and began to nuzzle her. She cooed to him, and removed his blanket. Ignoring Edmund now, she reached for the grooming box outside the stall and began to curry him, taking off the dried sweat and returning the sheen to his mussed coat. Sighing, and knowing that the conversation was done, Edmund went into his horse's stall and they both groomed in silence for a while. Rhiannon stole glances at Edmund as he carefully raised each of his horse's hooves, thoroughly running his hands over the legs to check for swelling or pain. He used a coarse brush to get all of the dirt out of the creature's feet, and smiled distractedly as the horse nosed Edmund's back. Rhiannon felt herself softening to the kind man who obviously cared for his horse. It was, for her, a measuring stick for the judgment of character.

"I'm sorry," she said, all her anger gone. "I shouldn't have yelled at you."

"It is forgiven, Rhiannon. But you should consider speaking with Peter. He knows that he did you wrong, and I believe that you must give him the courage to apologize. He cares very much for you, I believe. I think he-"

But once again, he was interrupted. The light coming from the open stable door was obscured by a large and graceful figure.

"Ahearn!" Rhiannon cried, running towards him. She hugged him at the base of his shoulders around his arching neck and he pushed his head down to nuzzle her back and lip at her hair. "Why did you come back? Is everything alright? Ahearn, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for it to happen, but Rabadash used Coinneach in the joust and now he's not eating properly and I'm afraid. Is he ruined, Ahearn? Will he never be the same?" All of it came out in one rushing breath.

"Hush, little one," his deep voice said. "Where is he?" She led him over to the stall where he still lipped at his hay, and Ahearn looked at him, nosing him and blowing air into his nostrils. He turned back to Rhiannon. "He will be fine, but you will have to teach him to trust again." Edmund came over to look at Coinneach and at once he recoiled to the back of his stall.

"He does not trust knights anymore," Edmund said.

"I fear he may not trust any man for some time," he said. "You must work with him, Rhiannon, for he loves you and trusts you, and in time he will be the same as he once was. Horses are forgiving creatures." She nodded. "Get Peter to help you accustom him to men once more. I am sure in one or two months he will be fine." She nodded, but her mouth became tight, and she looked to the ground.

"What brings you to the Cair?" Edmund asked.

"The High King called for the war captains to come to the Cair to discuss the giant problem. The envoy came back unharmed, but they refused to meet with him, and only told him that they were paying their tribute and were not disturbing any creatures, therefore they had a right to travel freely around Narnia as they wished. We need to discuss if any action must be taken to correct their misconceptions."

"By law they do have that right. Narnia is a free place for all creatures who live here, and so they must be given free reign to go where they please," Edmund countered.

"Well, we should all head up to the main building, then," Rhiannon said. "Aslan knows I need to clean myself up."

They all walked up together, Rhiannon chattering away to Ahearn about Lantern Waste, asking about the mares and the foals and scenery. Finally, Ahearn offered to take her back to the herd for a few days to see how they lived their lives. Rhiannon agreed immediately, on the condition that she could bring Coinneach for some relaxation and rest.

By the time Rhiannon got into her steaming bath with a groan, she was feeling much better. Ahearn had come at the perfect time, and a few days away from the Cair could only do both her and Peter some good. She still didn't know how she felt about him. Everything was swirling inside her, indiscernible and confused. She felt a tightness in her chest every time she thought of the incident of the day before, but she couldn't place whether she felt betrayed, angry, or sad at the realization that she would never be his priority. It was all too mixed up.

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Peter was pacing in his chambers, waiting for his captains and generals to assemble when there was a knock at the door. Edmund walked in without waiting, looking slightly disturbed and not a little uncomfortable.

"What is it, Ed?" Peter asked.

"The captains are here," he said. "We should go." They started walking down the passageways of the apparently deserted palace, taking twists and turns through the marble-covered halls. Peter was waiting for Edmund to speak; he clearly had something to say. After a while, Edmund began hesitantly.

"I happened upon Rhiannon this morning," he said, gauging Peter's reaction. He didn't say anything. "She slept in the barn last night." Aha. At that, Peter's head snapped up in alarm. "She was waiting for you to go to her, and then fell asleep."

Damn. Peter ran a hand through his hair and scrunched his eyes closed in frustration. He didn't need all of this pressure. He had giants to deal with and an angry, careless girl to fret over. It was too much.

"Peter?" He looked over at Edmund.

"What would you have me do about it, Ed?" We have a counsel to preside over. We have responsibilities, a duty to our captains. I cannot simply run off to-"

"You spent three hours in the Great Hall feasting last night before the centaurs came back. You could not have gone to her then?" Edmund looked at him levelly, voice still calm, still rational. Peter sighed. "Do not use your kingdom as an excuse for your fear of her anger, Peter. The longer you wait the worse it will become for both of you. Besides, she is leaving today with Ahearn to visit the herd. After the council you must find her." Peter's body noticeably tightened, but he nodded tersely and walked on in silence. Edmund followed, and together they went into the large room, the captains standing to greet them.

Peter was visibly tense and slightly distracted throughout the proceedings of the meeting, and it was making him more and more frustrated. He needed to focus on the tasks at hand, but he couldn't push the picture of Rhiannon, looking distraught and terrified, from his mind. With effort, he thrust his concentration back into the discussion at hand.

In the end, they decided to put off any attack of the giants. They seemed peaceful enough, and had not violated any laws or customs of Narnia. Edmund in particular did not want to create a reputation of being war-mongering, especially when it came to war on their own subjects. Peter relented, and the subject of giants was postponed for the time being. All of the captains began to disperse, and Peter walked out with Ahearn so that he would be guaranteed a meeting with Rhiannon before she left. They found her waiting outside with Coinneach, bareback once again with only a lead rope tied to his halter and no bit. She seemed to shrink with every step that Peter took towards her.

Ahearn looked at the pair with clear, dark eyes. "I am going to get a morsel of sweet feed before we leave," he said, to no one in particular, and walked off towards the stables, where a groom got him a little bucket and a sack of grain to take back to the herd.

Peter looked at Rhiannon. She looked lovely, if not a little tired. Her hair was clean and flowing again, and her dress billowed around her in the slight breeze. She was wearing his cloak. He didn't know if that meant anything, and he spoke haltingly. "Hello," he said. She didn't frown or smile, just nodded. "I heard you slept in the barn. Are you alright?" Again with the nodding. He needed more encouragement from her. "Is Coinneach alright? He looks better today."

Finally, some words. "Ahearn said that he will be back to normal in time," she said. He'll be nervous around men for a while, until he knows that they won't scare him again." They both looked around awkwardly.

"I'll help you with that," he said, after a while, searching for a reaction in her face. "I want to help."

"I know you're busy," she said slowly. "I wouldn't want to distract you from your responsibilities."

Before he could reply, Rhiannon vaulted onto Coinneach's back and joined Ahearn, who had come out of the stable with two sacks of grain strapped across his back.

"Are you ready, little one?" he asked. She nodded, and they began to ride off. "Farewell, Your Highness," Ahearn called, as they trotted away, but Rhiannon didn't look back.

Peter sighed, and walked back to his chambers. What he would give for one of Rhiannon's massages.

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Rhiannon spent four days with the herd at Lantern Waste, wandering the snow-covered forests and playing with the foals and the mares that were there. She loved them all, and after a day or so the mares began to trust her with the care of their children. She would trot Coinneach around the hills and valleys of the rolling Narnian South, and the foals would crowd around her, frolicking with Coinneach. It did the horse good to be able to play and be carefree, and soon it seemed as if the events of the Tournament had never happened as the memories faded compared to the warmth and good cheer of the Talking Horses. At night, Rhiannon would make a fire and the horses would gather around, eating morsels of grain from the bags that Ahearn had brought, and Ahearn or sometimes one of his more favoured mares would tell a story about the herd long ago. They never spoke of the long winter, or of the Witch. They were focused on the future, and on the distant, happy past. To Rhiannon, it seemed like the perfect kind of life.

Peter was occupied with the last days of Rabadash's visit. Now that he didn't have Rhiannon to distract him, he was always coming in between his sister and the Prince, and her good temperament was tested on an hourly basis. Rabadash was seeming to him to be more and more of a threat. There was something hidden in his eyes that Peter could only describe as blood-lust, and it was most present when Peter walked into a room to find only him and Susan, sitting close together and talking in low voices.

He missed Rhiannon terribly, thought of her constantly, and he wondered in the back of his mind what it all meant. But there were more immediate and pressing things to worry about, and it was with relief that he sent Rabadash on his way in his splendid ship down the Bight of Calormene back to his father.

But with Rabadash gone and the castle quiet, and Lucy feeling merry and playing with the Talking beasts that lived around the area, he felt only more and more forlorn. He missed Rhiannon's laugh, and Rhiannon's teasing. Lucy somehow reminded him of her, and her good cheer was a constant source of frustration for him.

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"It is time for you to go, Horsemistress," Ahearn said to her quietly on the third night of her visit. "You must make peace with the High King. You have punished him enough with your absence."

"Is it really a punishement?" she said, trying to be nonchalant. But she couldn't fool Ahearn. "I seem to be nothing but a distraction to him and his duties."

"Distractions are not always unwelcome, or unneeded," Ahearn replied. "He has been foolish, yes. But you must allow him to apologize to you. You are too important to the High King, and you are both too important to me for me to see the two of you miserable."

Rhiannon looked down at the crackling fire and nodded. She couldn't run forever, and she certainly wasn't a horse. She couldn't stay here. And she would never go back to Terebinthia.

"I'll leave in the morning," she said. Ahearn nodded and left her to her thoughts. When she fell asleep that night it was with a mixture of emotions. She wished she could hide here, in the south, forever.

A/N: Nothing resolved yet, but it will be, don't worry. Peter's hiding emotionally, and Rhiannon is hiding physically, but no one can stay hidden forever. I hope you liked it, and if you did or didn't, let me know! Just click that little "go" button down there and let your thoughts flow free!