Disclaimer: everything in Narnia belongs to C.S. Lewis, some things possibly to Walt Disney Pictures, Walden Media, and 20th Century Fox. I'm just borrowing. Not making any money. Don't sue.

Chapter XI

Reality

By chimère

"Where are we?" Edmund looked around in wonder and awe, but no little confusion. "Is this Narnia?"

"I think we're in Aslan's Country," Lucy whispered.

Susan had suddenly turned pale. "We died." Her lip trembled. "Oh, I should have looked after you better..."

"It's all right, Su. We're together again," a voice said behind them.

They turned, not daring to believe, and there he was, golden hair and blue eyes and wide smile, like he had never left them. Their big brother.

"Together again," Susan echoed, wonderingly. How was it possible that the world suddenly weighed a thousand times less?

Lucy burst into sobs and blindly made her way into her brother's arms. She clutched at his tunic, mumbling, "Peter, Peter, Peter..."

Susan joined them, feeling so light that she thought she might float to the sky.

After a while Peter freed himself from his sisters' arms and looked at his brother, who hadn't moved from his spot. Edmund's face was white, but there were no tears in his eyes. One emotion stood out in them – fear. Fear that this wasn't real.

Peter understood. "Remember when we talked about Narnia being a reflection?" he said. "Well, this place is real. You're real, and so am I."

Without warning, Edmund fell to his knees. His brother rushed to catch him and returned the embrace with equal fierceness when Edmund held him as though he would never let go.

"You died," the younger brother gasped. It wasn't an accusation, it was the release of years of pent-up emotion, such that it couldn't be described.

"And you lived on," Peter replied, his voice full of sad pride. "I can't imagine how brave you must have been, all of you." He looked at his sisters over his brother's shoulder, but didn't release him. "I don't know if I could have done what you did."

"Dying is fine," Edmund said, muffled, into his brother's shoulder. "As long as we still stick together."

Lucy suddenly laughed, with all her old joy. "Remember, Peter, when you said that maybe Aslan's Country was more beautiful in some way? Well, you were right."

"The prerogative of the eldest," Susan smiled.

Peter laughed, wondering how he had deserved such siblings.