A/N: I know, I know, I know. You guys thought I died. Perfectly acceptable thought, but no I did not! I was just busy with stuff, ya know? I'm going to the army and I've been busy with training and school and all that stuff, but I'm alive and i'm updating! It's been awhile since I've written anything so bear with me!

But I set fire to the rain
Watched it pour as I touched your face
Let it burn while I cried
Because I heard it screaming out your name
- Adele

War was a devastating thing in itself. Before now, I had never seen its effect on people and how it destroys the strongest of relationships. This war, this civil war, would bring an end to everyone I know and what was I supposed to do? I couldn't just continue to sit here and watch anymore. Susan had accused Edmund of abusing his powers when he consented to war, which of course hadn't set well with Edmund. Now, a meeting was set to take place this afternoon, where he would give an elaborate speech.

I seated myself behind Mr. Tumnus, who sat facing the throne, his eyes dark and frightened. I patted him on the shoulder, leaning over to whisper in his ear, "You okay?"

"No. I have a terrible feeling about this." He trembled, motioning towards the throne as Orieus stood in front of everyone.

His voice rang loud and clear, causing everyone to immediately quiet down. "All rise."

We stood, as is routine, and watched as Edmund approached his throne and stood in front of the table that had been placed there, setting a few papers on the desk. He looked up at all of us, then back to his sister. Clearing his throat, he gazed out at all of his, his eyes catching mine and holding them. "I, Edmund, High King of Narnia, Emperor of the Lone Islands, Lord of Cair Paravel, Duke of Lantern Waste, Count of the Western March, Knight of the Noble Order of the Table, Ruler of the Great Western Wood and Guardian of the Northern Sky, have hereby called forth a meeting to discuss the matters at hand. Many worry that I am betraying my country once again and that I should forfeit my crown to the Order of the Table. Citizens, the state of monarchy is the supremest thing upon earth; for kings are not only Aslan's lieutenants upon earth, and sit upon Aslan's throne in His country, but even by Aslan himself they are called gods. Kings are justly called gods, for that they exercise a manner or resemblance of divine power upon earth. For if you will consider the attributes to Aslan, you shall see how they agree in the person of a king."

He paused momentarily, before continuing, "Aslan hath power to create, or destroy, make or unmake at his pleasure, to give life or send death, to judge all, and to judged nor accountable to none; to raise low things, and to make high things low, and to Aslan are both soul and body due. Now, to draw the parallel. Kings can make and unmake their subjects: they have power of raising, and casting down: of life and of death: judges over all their subjects, and in all causes, and yet accountable to none but Aslan only. They have the power to exalt low things, and abase high things, and make of their subjects like men at the chest. And to the king is both due the affection of the soul, and the service of the body of his subjects.

"A king governing in a settled kingdom, leaves to be a king, and degenerates into a tyrant as soon as he leaves off to rule according to his laws. This is not the case with me. Aslan never leaves kings unpunished when they transgress the limits; the higher of a rank we are placed, the greater shall our fall be. Therefore, all kings that are not tyrants, or perjured, will be glad to bound themselves within the limits of their laws; just as I have. I say this to reassure you, but I also say this to tell you that removing my crown would be blasphemy. Removing the power anointed to me by Aslan, without sufficient reason, would be disputing his power and committing a sin. That is why I am here today. Citizens, there has been treason amongst us."

People shifted uncomfortably in their seats and whispered to one another, wondering exactly what Edmund was dong. He lowered his head, running a hand through his hair and taking a deep breath. He turned to stare at his sister, who looked at him from her throne with a mix of confusion.

"My own dear sister, Queen Susan, has committed treason against me," gasps filled the room and Susan stood to her feet, immediately denying it, "hush, sister. She has come up with a plot to remove my crown from me and, in the process of doing so, attain all legal powers. I will not pretend that I do not hear the whispers in the hall or the plots to overthrow me. Queen Susan has become a threat and until an explanation is offered and the plot to overthrow is diminished, all power must be removed from her political figure, as the Law of the Lion requires."

He motioned for guards to step onto the platform, quickly gesturing to his sister. The crowd watched in devastation as the crown was removed from Susan's head, "I, hereby, remove the crown, as well as all legal powers from Queen Susan of the Radiant Southern Sun. This shall go into effect immediately," he paused as Susan approached his side.

"You can not remove my crown, Edmund. Aslan anointed me himself." She whispered harshly as she pulled him aside.

"You chose to plot against me." He pointed to the paper in his hand, "the Law calls for your powers to be removed."

"I never plotted against you!"

"You questioned my power, my relationships, my choices, and my reign. You were in my way. "

"I must stand trial. You alone can not remove my crown."

He smiled his infamous half-smile, "That is where you are wrong. When John died, I became High King. I have direct authority over you and every other King or Queen in this nation. I'm sorry, but you are simply an advisor. Now, I need to finish my speech."

She scoffed at him, though he ignored her and continued his speech, "On another note, due to associating with Queen Susan in her plot to overthrow, as well as going against my judgment, the powers of the Noble Order of the Table are hereby nullified and made void. All powers of ambassadors, committees, orders, and advisors have been made void. The Noble Order of the Table is, hereby, abolished. All powers shall be transferred, as according to the law, to the highest person in power. I will be resuming all power until a resolution is reached. I assure you, I will do everything in my power to keep you and your children safe. Thank you."

He whirled around on his heel, passing Susan's tearful face on the way, and exiting through the side door way. I sat in complete astonishment. Edmund had just become a dictator. There was nothing we could do, not one of us. He had complete power over everything.

"Well," Tumnus breathed, "that went worse than expected, if you know what I mean."

I nodded, "what do we do now?"

"Wait. Aslan will intervene soon enough." He stood to his feet, offering his hand out to me. "Join me for supper?"

I forced a smile, taking his hand and standing to my feet. "Sure."

We walked to dinner in silence, too much on both of our minds to orally articulate. Upon arriving in the dinner hall, I took a seat in Susan's usual seat, Tumnus beside me. As we waited for our food, we both continued to mull in our thoughts.

"Tumnus." I whispered, as a thought suddenly come to me.

"Yes?"

"Is...is this war my fault?"

"What? No. No, of course not, my sire." He assured me gently.

"If Edmund had never come to the camp, he never would have met me, this entire war never would have happened. You know it's true, Mr. Tumnus."

"This war is not your fault. I have told you that before. The choices are king is making are immature and selfish. Those are flaws on his part, not yours." He patted my shoulder, smiling in a somewhat reassuring way, "You are not a fault, my friend. You never were."

"Thanks," I sucked my lip between my teeth and sucked on it, "I just keep thinking, what if I had never come? Would Narnia be better off? I can't help it. I'm stuck on the 'what if's."

"I know, but try not to bother yourself too much with them, alright?"

I nodded - our meal continued in silence.

After our meal, I slowly walked to my chambers, turning a corner to find Princess Alera yelling out a rather bored looking Edmund. He stood with his feet planted apart, his arm resting against the door frame and his face angled towards hers. He was handsome, even in his anger, I mused. The beautiful princess, perfection and all, stood with her hands planted on her hips, gesturing widely at the much taller king before her.

"Removing Susan's crown! Abolishing the Table! You are a dictator, Edmund! I will not have that as my husband!" I could hear her saying, "I will not marry a...a...a tyrant! The very word sickens me!"

He sighed, pinching his nose with his fingers. "It was a necessary thing to do."

"It was not necessary! You were just being stupid! A fool!"

He stood fully to his feet, narrowing his eyes and bending so their faces nearly touched, "Listen, Princess Alera. Do not forget who you are talking to, or your place. You are a princess, hardly in a position of power to be calling a king a fool. Do you understand me? You are not my wife and you do not control me. Do not talk to me as someone less than you. I am not less than you."

She hissed through her teeth, glaring up at him through darkened eyelashes. "Well then, King Edmund," her voice was full of venom, "consider the wedding off. I will not marry a tyrant."

He laughed, a sort of wicked, twisted laugh, "Good, pack your stuff and leave."

"I cared for you, Edmund. You were supposed to be the one." She wiped away bitter tears from her eyes, sniffing shortly, "but I can't just sit here and watch this country die, watch...watch you die."

His gaze was smoldering, but he said nothing.

"They will come for you, Edmund. Whether it is Chec, or the rebels, or your own people. No one likes a tyrant. They will kill you, and I can't watch that. I'm sorry," she backed up, into the doorway, slowly closing the door in Edmund's face, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

The door clicked shut.

Edmund sighed heavily, leaning his head against the wooden door. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted me. He lifted his head to look at me and the sneered, "Are you happy?"

I stayed silent.

"You ruined everything for me!"

Still, I stayed silent.

"Are you bloody deaf?" He stormed towards me, grabbing my shoulders, "I am talking to you! Damn it, Peter! I rescued you; I saved your bloody life! How have you repaid me!"

"I never asked for you to save me." I whispered, ducking my head to avoid his eyes, "I never asked for any of this. I am just a slave, caught up in this whole mess of things."

"Goddamn, Peter. Ungrateful much?"

"I'm just a slave." I repeated stupidly.

He looked at me with a mix of confusion and hatred, a look I never wanted to see in anyone's eyes, especially his. "I wanted you. I would have given anything for you to be mine."

"I know."

"Why won't you?"

"You are a tyrant, Edmund." I mimicked Alera's early saying. "I will not be with a tyrant."

HIs jaw set, the vein in his neck pulsating, "I tore this country apart," his voice rose to a shout, "for you!"

I ripped his hands away from my shoulders, glaring at him with a mix of sudden anger. "No! You tore apart this country for yourself! Why can't you see that you're destroying Narnia? You have pushed away your sister, you have lost your fiancée, and you're in a war that you will not win! You, just you, have destroyed everything. This isn't my fault, Edmund. This is on you."

"Don't forge-"

"Don't forget my place, I know. You can behead me all you want, Edmund. If you didn't want to hear what I had to say, you never should have dragged me into this mess. You should have left me alone." I walked past him, towards my chambers, but turned at the end of the hallway to face him, "I wish you had never come to save me. I wish you had just left me alone."

When I finally reached my chambers, I collapsed into the mattress, feeling drained and powerless. I felt terrible for what I had said to Edmund. I didn't mean to hurt him. I especially didn't wish that he had left me alone. While this mess was bothersome, Edmund was worth the trouble. Well, so far. Lately, he had become this fearsome figure in my life. Something, I wanted little to do with.

I closed my eyes, praying to this Lion everyone believed in. Aslan, I think. I prayed that he would save us, but I doubted he would.

When I first woke up, I thought I was dreaming. There was screaming and a smell unlike any other smell. Sitting up in bed, I realized my bedroom door was open. People were rushing throughout the hallways, crying and yelling. It was a nightmare, I told myself, expecting to wake back up. It wasn't until Susan rushed into the room, her hair falling away from its loose bun, that I realized it wasn't.

"Narnia is being attacked!"

I grabbed my sword beside my bed and sprinted after her. We ran to her chambers, into the balcony at the other side of the room.

"Oh my god." I gasped.

Flames lit up the sky, angry and vicious, consuming everything in its way. I stood, beside Susan, as we stared in horror at the city below us. People, dryads, fawns, all the citizens below, who had just been in the throne room less than twenty-four hours ago, ran throughout the town. Desperate lovers kissed passionately one last time before a sword ran them through. Susan cursed repeatedly under her breath, screaming out as a young child was set to fire. Her fingers clutched the railing of the stone balcony, her mouth agape, eyes welling with tears. She turned to me; her dark ebony hair flowing through the wind and curling around her shoulder, hot tears broke from the surface of her eyes and rolled down her cheek.

"Why is no one doing anything?" She cried brokenly, "Our men should be down there. Why are none of our men down there? Why hasn't Edm-"

She stopped mid-sentence, looked at me, and then twisted towards the door, "Come, Peter, we must find Edmund."

Inside the hallway, hundreds of maids scurried about, gathering their skirts in their slender hands while they shouted to one another in panic. Ambassadors, advisors, all of them gathered in the throne room, standing in a circle and discussing the event that took place just below us. Susan broke through the crowd, her hair straying wildly in front of her face. "Where is Edmund?"

They gestured to their left, where a lone figure stood against the far glass wall, peering out over the burning city. His hands were folded behind his back, his head bowed, his feet shoulder width apart. Susan approached him, grabbing his arm and yanking him back to face her. "Edmund! What is wrong with you? Our city turns to ash beneath us, yet you turn a blind eye!"

He turned his head slowly to look at her, "Let it burn."

She huffed, slapping him across the face so incredibly hard that I could almost feel the sting. He barely even flinched, causing Susan's anger to grow. Her face turned red, "Send our men down there, Edmund! Send them now!"

"No."

"Have you lost your mind?" She growled. "You are insane, Edmund! Narnia is being destroyed!"

He turned on her, grabbing her wrist and glaring into her brown eyes, "You would be best off to call me by my title-High King Edmund. Otherwise, I will have you thrown in jail and beheaded. Remember your place, sister."

She cried, glancing at my fear-stricken face, "Who are you? You are not the Edmund I remember. Please come back. Save Narnia. Save the country you live for! Please Edmund! You are king! This is your responsibility!"

He ignored her desperate pleas, releasing her hand and turning back to the glass window. "Sister, you have forgotten that we are in war. Attacking now would be pointless."

"How!" She screamed, causing the ambassadors' heads to turn, "You would be saving lives!"

He remained silent.

"Goddamn, Edmund, you selfish pig! You think only have your own pain, not the pain of others. You do not deserve to be king over Narnia. God, you are as rotten as you were when we first arrived here! Back when they were still alive," his eyes flickered to her, "Yes, your brother and sister. Remember them? You betrayed them! Just like you are betraying Narnia now! You haven't changed at all!"

He turned to face her, his eyes unreadable. Susan continued to scream, broken sobs emerging from her throat as she gestured wildly with her hands, "You're still the same boy that murdered his own brother and sister!"

A slap sent her stumbling backwards, tripping over the hem of her dress and falling on her back. She gasped, her hand flying to her cheek where a cut inflicted by Edmund's ring bled weakly. He charged towards her, but I intercepted, grabbing his shoulders and holding him back. He fought against me, tears welling up in his eyes. "You have no idea what I've been through! You don't think I think about their goddamn death every second of the day! You don't have to live with the memories, Susan, I do! I saw John when he died! I saw him fall! It kills me every damn day, Susan! Don't ever tell me I am the same person! I died that day! I died with them!"

The ambassadors now made their way to where we stood. Cautiously, one helped Susan to her feet, pushing her behind him. She sobbed at the sight of her brother, watching as he struggled against my hold. "No, no, no, Edmund. You are not my brother. Only a heartless man could sit and hear the screams of millions of dying souls and watch hundreds of bodies burn alive and not do anything!"

"Take her away from me." His voice was dangerous, his eyes smoldering. I kept my grip tight, watching as the ambassadors attempted to lead Susan away.

She shoved them off, glaring at her brother one last time and with venom dripping from her lips she said, "I wish you had died instead of John."

Edmund's body went tense and the ambassadors led her away, closing the door to the throne room behind them. I released Edmund, praying he wouldn't attack anything nearby. He ignored me, stepped up to his throne and fell into it, burying his face in his hands. His shoulders shook as he cried, yet I found I could not help him. I turned on my heel and walked towards the exit, leaving a broken man in my wake.

I thought I heard him call to me, but it was a merely a whisper of a memory.

While walking through the hallway, I angled my head to look out the window and watched as the smoke curled into the sky, no sign of life below. In the distance, horses paced uneasily as their riders gazed toward the city. Five men, five horses. Chec.

I could end this. I could end whatever war I had just started. I just had to kill Chec.

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