Chapter Twenty: Never Rest

A/N: Okay. So my aim from here is to do around five more chapters, so that I develop the relationships that Rose has with both Edmund and Peter. From there on, it kind of leads off into 'Rose in Narnia', and what happen there. Hope you enjoy.

Rose was not pleased. Bryony had panicked and refused to give her an infertility potion, claiming that to do so was to go against the wishes of the High King. Now, Rose worried that the healer would tell Peter of her request.

She smoothed back her hair. Three months had passed since she and Peter had wed and things weren't going so well – but that had nothing to do with their marriage. Prince Rabadash had attempted to court Susan and when she had refused him, he had grown angry and declared war on Narnia.

Peter had immediately agreed that he was needed out on the battlefront. Despite Edmund's fervour, the High King had another task in mind for his younger brother. The night before he was to lead the Narnians into yet another battle, Peter summoned Edmund and Rose.

Despite the fact that he was not yet twenty-three, Peter looked burdened by the responsibilities thrust upon his shoulders. He gave them both a strained smile when they entered the conference room, wondering what to expect.

"Susan is needed in the palace and I am needed in battle," Peter confessed, folding his arms across his chest. Edmund opened his mouth to speak, but Peter shook his head. "Ed, I know you want to come with me, but there is something even more important I need you to do. You and Rose."

Edmund looked disappointed, but he nodded slowly.

"We need help. We cannot afford to make an enemy of Calormene. You two must head to Archenland and make an alliance with King Lune. He is a reasonable man and I am sure you will be able to convince him."

Rose nodded and Edmund glanced across at her, wondering what Peter would do if he knew the truth. Edmund relished the chance to spend some time alone with Rose. It was wrong, especially when the situation was so dire. Rose's expression only reinforced his self-scolding; she was clutching the hilt of her sword with a determined gleam in her eyes.

"I'm coming, too."

Lucy moved into the throne room and all three of the others turned. It was obvious that she had been eavesdropping. She glowered at Peter as if daring him to tell her that she couldn't, that she must remain in Cair Paravel. The High King simply bowed his head and sighed heavily.

"Lucy…"

"No, Peter." Her voice was hard. "I'm seventeen years old now. I'm the same age you were when you first came into Narnia, the same age Rose and Edmund were when they first fought Brody. I'm not a child anymore. When are you going to see that?"

Peter couldn't disagree with that. He remembered how deadly an archer she'd proven herself to be in the fight against Brody's forces. There was no denying that Lucy could defend herself – and she was right. She was definitely not a child. The young men of the palace had already seen this, with their approving glances and whispers behind Lucy's back.

"Fine," Peter said reluctantly, "I guess there isn't much for you to do in the palace with Susan anyway. You can assist in the negotiations in Archenland."

Lucy gave him a satisfied smile and despite the situation, Edmund felt the same way he'd done when they'd been years younger and it had been like Lucy was the kid sister tagging along when she wasn't wanted. Of course, he knew that Lucy and Rose were very good friends…it just spoiled the idea of having time with Rose himself. Not that anything would have happened there; she was married to Peter now and he would do well to remember it.

PARAGRAPH

"So what's it like? Being married to Peter, I mean?" Lucy asked quietly, leaning on her elbow and staring across the campfire at Rose. It had been two days since they'd left Cair Paravel and began venturing south for Archenland. Edmund was silent across the other side of the campfire and the girls guessed that he was asleep. A delighted look came over Rose's face, but Lucy thought she saw something like confusion sparking in her friend's hazel eyes. Rose sighed happily.

"He's the best husband a girl could ever ask for," she admitted honestly, "He's such a wonderful man and I'm lucky to have him."

Across the campfire, Edmund listened in silence. He hated hearing the almost devoted way Rose spoke about Peter. Oh, yes – she was definitely in love with him. He rolled over and condemned himself to a restless sleep as Lucy and Rose continued to gossip and giggle across the campfire. How typical of girls.

Edmund's eyelids grew heavy and he was just starting to drift off to sleep when a piercing scream jolted him awake. Lucy was being dragged away by two men. Their dark skin and beards indicated that they were Calormen. Rose was involved in a brawl with another man, punching and kicking. Edmund was alert immediately, grabbing his sword and running across towards the girls.

"Edmund!" shrieked Lucy.

Someone cannoned into him from the side, knocking him to the ground. His sword flew from his grasp and he found himself swallowing a mouthful of dirt. The Calormen were clearly soldiers by their attire, and Edmund could count seven of them so far. He spat the dirt out and made to clamber to his feet, before he was roughly shoved to the ground again.

"What do you think we should do with this lot?" demanded one of the soldiers, addressing a man who was clearly their leader. "They're clearly Narnian. Do we kill them?"

The leader paced around, observing all three of the Narnians. A smile curved his lips.

"No. Do you not recognise them? These are Princess Rose and Queen Lucy, and that is King Edmund. We have stumbled upon a fine bounty, my friends."

The soldiers laughed. Rose thrashed in the grip of the two men holding her arms and managed to break free, kicking and whirling. Edmund watched, astonished by her ability, as she raced across towards her sword. The leader stuck out his foot and tripped her up, leading to more mocking and laughing from the soldiers.

"This is the High King's wife?" another soldier asked, amused, "She's a real little spitfire."

Rose got to her feet, her teeth glinting in the firelight. She clenched her hands into fists and ran at the leader, who simply drew his arm back and then hit her across the face. Lucy gasped in shock as Rose fell to the ground once more.

The leader looked down at Rose, laughing along with the rest of the soldiers. Then there was a whizzing sound and an arrow protruded from the man's head before he keeled over. The soldiers released Edmund and Lucy, drawing their swords and exclaiming in horror.

Another arrow whizzed out from the darkness and struck a soldier in the throat. He shouted in pain and fell to the ground, dead like the leader. The remaining five were beginning to get worried, not even noticing as the three Narnians scrambled for their weapons.

A cloaked figure stepped out of the shadows, quickly drawing his hood back. The soldiers watched in surprise – he was a young man of around Edmund's age with dark hair and green eyes. Edmund realised immediately that there must be someone else in the darkness, because this man only had a sword on him…which he immediately put to good use on the Calormene soldiers. Recovering his senses, Edmund sprinted across and joined him. Together, the two young men managed to drive away the remaining five soldiers.

As the sound of yelling Calormen grew slowly more distant, another man stepped out from the shadows. He was older than the first, maybe Peter's age, with silver-blond hair and stormy grey-blue eyes. He had a bow in his hand, which he lowered when he moved into the firelight. He was clearly the archer who had killed the two soldiers.

"I don't like seeing men hit women," he said, by way of explanation.

Edmund observed the pair of them. The blond man, the archer, was either of a wealthy family…or he was a thief. His clothes were made of the finest material and his bow was carved of the best yew available. There was also something about the way he stood, with his head lifted proudly and his shoulders thrown back, that indicated he was of noble birth.

The green-eyed man was clearly a warrior. It had been evident in the way he'd fought the Calormene soldiers and it was obvious in the way he dressed. He wore black clothes and there was an enigmatic air about him. He seemed like the sort of young man who revelled in the whole 'mysterious' image.

"Thank you," Edmund stated, reaching over to shake the archer's hand, "You saved our lives."

The archer smiled. "Always a pleasure to assist the Narnian monarchs." He exchanged a look with the warrior, whose green eyes narrowed as he frowned. "I should introduce myself properly. Forgive me for my abrupt appearance. My name is Reagan and I am the Crown Prince of Archenland. The man with me is my most trusted friend and brilliant soldier, Sir Lionel."

Lionel cleared his throat, not pleased about the Prince revealing his identity. Edmund smiled and stepped back, executing a regal bow.

"Greetings, your Highness. As you most likely know, I am King Edmund. This is my sister, Queen Lucy, and my brother's wife, Princess Rose."

"May I ask why you travel without a guard?"

Edmund shrugged. "It was important that we remained…inconspicuous."

Rose did not miss the interested look in Lionel's eyes as he observed Lucy. When he caught her looking over at him, he quickly turned away. Reagan was glancing over them all with a tight smile on his face.

"So." He set down his bow and sat down beside the fire. "What brings the Narnian monarchs to Archenland?"

Edmund sighed and sat down. Rose and Lucy followed his move, but Lionel remained alert, pacing around the campfire as if he expected to be attacked again.

"War, unfortunately. Rabadash is being most unreasonable. He is currently in battle against the High King and we desperately need help trying to bring the man to his senses. We were actually hoping to meet with King Lune, your…?"

He left the sentence hanging. None of the Narnian party had any idea how old Lune was. He may be Reagan's father, or his brother.

"My older brother," Reagan nodded and flashed a charming smile. "Yes. He is a fair man and I do not see why a meeting between you could not be arranged. Perhaps you would care to venture back to the capital with Lionel and I? We have been scouting for any Calormene soldiers in our land and it seems we have found them. I would report this to Lune and at the same time, initiate a meeting on your behalf."

Edmund inclined his head. "That is most gracious of you, Prince Reagan. I appreciate your understanding about the urgency of our situation."

Rose smiled humourlessly. She loved it when Edmund got all formal.

"I'll stand guard," Lionel called across to them, "You should get some sleep. It's a fair trip from here to the capital and you'll want to be well-rested."

"That isn't fair," protested Lucy, "We should take it in shifts. You could wake me up after a few hours and I'll take a turn."

Lionel looked surprised, but did not object. A smile crossed his lips, strange for a young man who appeared so serious, and he inclined his head.

"Of course, your Majesty."

Rose wanted to nudge and point out the obvious connection between Lionel and Lucy, but he was already settling down by the campfire to sleep again. A little disappointed, she lay down and started counting the stars.

PARAGRAPH

When Rabadash had waved the white flag of peace, Peter had been surprised. A Calormene messenger had told the High King that Rabadash wanted to discuss terms with him. Peter felt the knot in stomach, knowing that he probably wouldn't agree to what the Prince wanted. Nevertheless, he thought it was only right that he gave Rabadash an audience.

Peter clenched his hands into fists as the Calormene Prince rode up, a smug smile across his face. That was one of the things Peter hated about Rabadash – he was so self-confident, always so sure of himself. He had probably expected Susan to swoon at his feet and grown annoyed when she had proved to have more gumption than that. Peter couldn't really blame him for that – he had grown up in a society where women were inferior to men.

"High King Peter," Rabadash bowed deeply, "How kind of you to agree to speak to me. Your title, 'the Magnificent', was clearly not given for no reason. You look resplendent in that armour, if I might say so."

Although it sounded as though the Calormene Prince spoke nothing but pleasantries, Peter was practised enough at diplomacy to understand that formality was only the smooth surface. Underneath, it was all vicious sniping and mockery. Rabadash's eyes gleamed with the amusement he'd hid so well in his words.

Peter smiled coldly. "It's only common courtesy to show respect to one's rivals, Prince Rabadash. I'm sure that negotiation will be more preferable to doing battle and spilling blood."

Of course, he knew that wasn't the case. Rabadash was from a bloodthirsty race that enjoyed war and loved the heat of battle. However, the Prince inclined his head with a mirthless smile crossing his lips.

"I only have one thing that I desire, High King." Rabadash spread his hands wide. "I ask for your sister Susan's hand in marriage. I wish her to be my wife. I hear you are a recently married man yourself? Congratulations! Perhaps you see why I seek a bride of my own."

Peter clenched his teeth together. "You misunderstand, Prince Rabadash. My wife Rose married me of her own accord, not because it was arranged. Susan has had the chance to accept the offer of her own free will and she has declined your hand. I will not force her to marry someone she clearly despises."

The smile dropped from Rabadash's face as much because of Peter's words as because of what they insinuated. Peter did not stop there – too much time had been wasted with false niceties and diplomacy. He wanted to Rabadash to know what he really thought of him.

"My sister is a noble woman," Peter snapped, "She is not a prize to be won at your leisure. She could kill you without a second thought if that was what she wanted."

Rabadash blinked and his eyes hardened. "Fine. If that is your answer, High King Peter, then rest assured that this battle will only continue."

PARAGRAPH

Despite the fact that she was in Cair Paravel, Susan still did not feel safe. She felt that she was being watched. She had posted extra guards around her room, but it didn't make a difference. This was war and she knew that if Calormene spies had not already infiltrated the palace, they would soon. On her way to her chambers in the hours of the night, Susan felt that she was being followed. She whirled around, but saw no one. She chastised herself for being so paranoid and continued towards her room.

Susan had only walked another few steps before a rough hand clamped over her mouth, preventing her from crying out. She struggled in her captor's grasp and heard a man's laughter. The man spun her around and she found herself facing three Calormen.

"This is her alright," growled one of them, "Rabadash will be well pleased with us."

"What do you think you're doing?" Susan cried in ringing tones, "Let me go!"

The man holding her only laughed and seized her by the arm, pulling her along with him as he marched back down the corridor. Susan struggled in his grasp and opened her mouth to scream piercingly, hopefully alerting someone to her predicament. She knew that Rabadash was a rash man, but she had not expected abduction!

"We're going to have to gag her," another man complained, "She's too loud. She'll scream the whole palace down before we get her out."

He turned back around, shaking his head slowly – and Susan saw a flash of red as something collided heavily with the man. Her blue eyes widened with shock as she realised it was Alelia, gripping two daggers in her hands. The man was on the ground and he wasn't moving.

Susan's captor hissed angrily and tossed her aside. The Gentle Queen hit the wall with some force as the remaining two men converged on Alelia. Susan knew the dryad was a formidable archer, but she had never seen Alelia in close combat before.

"You will not touch her Majesty!" exclaimed Alelia, "How dare you…you barbarians raid the castle!"

She whirled around and slashed the second man so that he fell to the ground with a strangled cry. However, the last man bared his teeth and took action. By the time Alelia turned back around, he had already cut her throat. The dryad's eyes widened with horror, yet somehow she still managed to stab the last Calormene in the heart.

As he collapsed, Alelia fell to her knees. Susan rushed to her, tears welling in her blue eyes. Alelia had been a brilliant second-in-command, talented and fiercely loyal. Now she lay her head on Susan's lap, horrible gurgling sounds emitting from her mouth as she struggled to speak.

Susan found herself sobbing openly as Alelia held up one of her daggers with a shaking hand. She knew exactly what the dryad wanted to her to do. Susan had killed before, but never like this. She tried to think logically about it, tell herself that it was an act of mercy…except for some reason, logic failed her.

Seeing Alelia's suffering was the factor that made Susan drive the dagger through the dryad's heart. As Alelia stiffened in the Gentle Queen's grasp and her eyes glassed over, Susan wailed for all she was worth. She was not on a battlefield like her brother, yet here she sat, amongst blood and death and violence.