Sorry I've been gone for a little while (life's been quite busy here :p), not that it matters too much, I don't think anybody is reading this anymore anyway ^_^".
Aaaah, well, I did finally squeeze this chapter out somehow, because it really wasn't cooperating for some reason, but, well, here it is. BTW, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Frerin (Thorin's brother) died at the battle of Azanulbizar?
The new tunic Peter had been offered felt surprisingly comfortable, despite being very different to what he'd been used to wearing. It wasn't easing the ache he felt in his chest however, as, looking upon the endless tents, Mister Beaver's words came ringing back into his ears, that someday he would be king and he would have to lead these people into battle. He just didn't feel ready for it, no matter what the rodent said or how much Kili looked up to him, he simply couldn't do it.
Looking up a little, he could make out some white formation, overlooking the sea, shining in the sunlight. It appeared to be some castle, probably the one Mister Beaver had been talking about, Cair Paravel, but the boy didn't feel ready to put his feet in there. He wouldn't as long as Edmund wasn't beside him, what King would he be if he wouldn't be willing to at least share power with his siblings, all of them? And to distribute their titles equally, he had to wait until they managed to rescue his brother, because as long as Edmund wasn't with them, Peter knew he'd refuse the crown, no matter what was said to him.
"Do you think there's anything we could do for them? Do you think they're alright?" He asked Thorin quietly, as the dwarf had followed him up here too.
The question brought the dwarf king back from memories of distant battles and broken trusts, and he took a moment to think about it. Sure, he wanted Emdund and Fili back with them as much as the others, and had he known where to look or how to approach rescuing them without facing defeat, he probably wouldn't have been here right now, but what Mister Beaver and Aslan had said was true, they couldn't do it alone, and the Uncle knew he couldn't endanger the other children for the want of getting two of them back.
Were they safe? Thorin wished he could say Yes, undoubtedly, but he knew he'd be lying If he did so, and being a dwarf from the honorable line of Durin, Thorin only lied if it was the only option left to him, and even then, he tried avoiding it (and while a brief image of him not keeping his word to Bard the Bowman flashed in his head, he tried not to linger on it). Even Peter would know it would be a lie. The King under the Mountain knew for a fact that Fili would do what he could to prevent any harm befalling Emdund, as much as he was able to anyway, because it was what Fili did. He'd done it countless times for Kili during their quest, from the stone giant episode to Ravenhill, and it had always worked. And yet, Thorin couldn't be certain his eldest nephew would be able to shield the dark haired human from harm this time. They weren't dealing with Orcs, Goblins or Elves, no, this time it was a Witch, and she undoubtedly worked differently than what they'd come across already, especially given the way she'd managed to lure the younger Pevensie brother to her, to the point where he'd thrown himself willingly into her hands, not knowing what would befall him. While he hadn't met her, Thorin reasoned that she wasn't out for blood, she wanted the children indisposed, yes, but probably not dead. But no, he couldn't be sure of anything anymore. Yet, Thorin wanted to hope that they were all right. Hoping wasn't something he'd allowed himself to do very much, ever since his wishes to see his dear grandfather Thrór overcome his gold sickness or seeing his brother Frerin coming back from the battle of Azanulbizar alive had been crushed, but since arriving in Narnia and meeting these four children (Lucy especially), the Uncle found himself more and more inclined to hope, to open up to the fact that not everything was as grim as he made it out to be. And since Aslan had said to them that he'd do what he could in regards to rescuing Edmund and Fili, Thorin was willing to believe him without any second thoughts.
"I can't give you the answer you wish to hear, I'm afraid." Thorin knew that Peter wanted him to give him comfort, to reassure him that his little brother would be all right, because the eldest Pevensie was weary of having to give hope to others, he needed to be given some too if he were to stand up for his siblings. And while the dwarf would have liked to do so, his honor told him it would be wrong to lie to the boy. "But I know that Fili would do what was in his powers to help your brother if he was able to. They may still be in harm's way, but at least, they're together."
Actually, Peter had never seen it that way, but now that Thorin mentioned it, a part of him was still relieved that Fili had gone after Edmund and not left him alone, to fend for himself against the Witch and her lies. He hadn't talked much with the blonde dwarf, but the elder Pevensie allowed himself to think that, like Kili and his Uncle, he was trust wordy and cared for others.
"I'm sorry." Still, Peter felt guilty: had he not been so hard on Edmund, his brother wouldn't have run off, and he wouldn't have torn another family apart in doing so. If Peter really looked into what had caused all of this, the answer he found was himself, he was the reason Edmund was never happy because he'd tried too hard to replace their father, and Edmund didn't want to and shouldn't have to accept Peter as a surrogate father. The war had made the blonde forget his place, urging him to become a man when he was still a boy, and those who hadn't been required to grow up as fast as him hadn't accepted the changes he'd been through. Had the elder paid as much attention to Edmund as he had to his little sister, surely all of this wouldn't have happened, and yet, Peter couldn't go back in time, for all he wished to, he could only try and mend things with Edmund when (no, he wasn't even considering an if) he got to see his younger brother again.
"Whatever for?" Peter's question was confusing, and Thorin couldn't possibly see what the boy would be wanting to apologize for. If anything, he ought to be the one apologizing, for not helping him better when they'd encountered the Witches' wolves for starters. Actually, Thorin felt he'd learnt a lot from Peter already, and the boy hadn't pulled any stunt as unexplainable as Gandalf's ones.
"I-It's me really, if I hadn't been so demanding of Emdund, he never would have run away, and your other nephew would never have been separated from you again, you would have still been a family, a whole family, and you wouldn't have to deal with all the problems we have." Peter bit his lip, not wanting to hear the curses that would be thrown at him next, but standing tall all the same, he would take them, it was the least he could do after having caused such trouble.
Thorin was taken aback, realizing that Peter was actually blaming himself for all of this. Yes, he'd seen the tension between the two brothers, and he'd heard a few harsh words that Edmund had said, but Peter hadn't made Edmund run away, Peter hadn't flat out ordered his little brother to head to the Witches' house, had he? No, that was a choice Edmund had made, just like Fili had decided to go after him, nobody had told his nephew to do it. Still, Thorin felt a similar guilt to Peter's, while he'd wanted to argue that Peter hadn't ordered Edmund to go away, he felt exactly the same for his missing nephew, and it would be a hypocritical behavior to try and cover Peter's fears with an excuse even Thorin himself wasn't willing to believe.
"I'm sure Fili knew what he was doing, if he felt the urge to not tell anybody, so you shouldn't feel guilty about that. As for Edmund, well, I haven't really talked to him, so I wouldn't be able to tell you his real motivation behind going to the Witches' lair, but I'd be willing to bet it wasn't exclusively to get away from you." While Thorin hadn't seen Edmund being a very nice child, the boy couldn't be exclusively bad, especially considering how worried Peter was for him. Somewhere, Edmund was very much like Kili, probably a younger brother who'd never felt like he'd gotten the chance to prove himself as a capable boy, that he was as worthy of praises and his sister's looking up to as Peter. If what the blonde had said was true, and that none of the children had been getting on very well prior to finding Narnia, Edmund had probably run away to the awaiting arms of the Witch, because she'd offered him the concern he felt lacking from his family. Even though it was fake (and maybe a part of Edmund had known all along that it was fake, but had decided to ignore it), the younger boy had probably felt a longing being filled up, whatever the Witch had said to lure him in must have come off to Edmund as a sign of affection. The boy had more than likely left them because of sugar coated lies, and less because of the animosity he and Peter shared (even if it might have played a small part too), Peter shouldn't be blaming himself so harshly, even if Thorin knew that, were he in the boy's shoes, he would probably be doing the same thing.
Peter was about to argue back, arguing that somehow, this was still his fault, when both heard a quiet ruffling sound behind them, and before either could react, Aslan was there, having come between the two of them. Instead, he heaved a defeated sigh and returned to gazing ahead, back at the little white formation glinting in the distance.
"That is Cair Paravel, the castle of the Four Thrones." Aslan supplied for them both, reminding Peter once again the part he was to play here. "In one of which you will sit, Peter, as High King." He added, and the knots in Peter's stomach tightened, as the boy was still overwhelmed with this whole prophecy the beavers had been talking about. He wasn't ready for this, he didn't feel he'd ever be ready for such a task, and yet, it was requested of him, he had no choice or say in the matter at all.
Thorin wanted to argue, much like he'd done in the Beaver's home, but back then, he'd thought that Aslan was nothing more than a manipulating person (well lion, when he'd learnt that he wasn't exactly human), who cared not for others and no matter what it took, if he wanted a fifteen year-old boy to be king, he would do it. Now though, as he watched the Lion's features as he described to Peter what he would be someday, the dwarf realized that he actually believed in Peter and the prophecy, that he genuinely wanted the boy to succeed. Still, the uncle felt that the Lion was urging the boy to accept the crown, and if indeed Peter did agree to become the King that was asked of him, it didn't mean that he felt ready to endorse the title, more time would have been welcomed, so as to let the blonde fully prepare himself for what he might become.
"Sir, he's only a boy, can you really ask him to agree to such a future?" He didn't want to sound as if he was outright criticizing Aslan's way of thinking, but Thorin wouldn't stay quiet. Despite having spent the most time around Lucy, he'd grown attached to the three children he'd been traveling with, and the Uncle in him was already urging him to try and ease Peter's worries, that the boy was clearly expressing on his face despite trying to not say so outspokenly.
"Your father, Thraìn, did he not teach you how to rule from a very young age? And did you not raise your nephew, Fili, that way too?"
Thorin didn't know what to say, because, technically, Aslan was right, he'd grown up with the expectations that went with accepting the crown of Erebor, and he'd raised Fili the same way when Dis' husband died at war. His question sounded a little hypocritical now, thinking about it more seriously, as he was basically asking Aslan to spare the boy a future he'd been given and had given Fili without any second thoughts.
"Please, don't see the crown as a punishment, Peter, I wouldn't see it fit to name you King if I didn't believe you could manage such a task. Do you doubt the prophecy?"
"No." the answer was a little quick though, betraying the fact that Peter still felt unsure about all of this. It was just that –well it was hard to put into words. Peter would gladly accept to help the Narnians, in any way he could, firstly as a repayment to the beavers, who had been especially nice to them, and secondly, because he found himself genuinely caring for the huge crowd that had seen him to the Lion, but the responsibility it brought felt huge, weighing down on his shoulders already, and Peter couldn't be sure of anything anymore, not since the letters leading him to believe his father was still alive had turned out to be false hopes. He didn't want to give the Narnians that, knowing all too well what it was like once the ugly truth would reveal itself, how crushing it felt. "Aslan, I'm not what you think I am-"
"Peter Pevensie, formerly of Finchley. Beaver also mentioned that you'd planned on turning him into a hat." At that, Peter and Thorin shared a guilty look, smiling slightly as they could remember it well.
"There is a deep magic more powerful than any of us, that rules over all of Narnia." Both noticed how the conversation had taken a serious turn again, Aslan no doubt wanting to get them to understand an important message, and both the boy and the dwarf listened intently, knowing this was why Kili, Susan and Lucy hadn't been asked to come along.
"It defines right from wrong, and governs all our destinies, yours Peter, even Thorin's, and mine." The blonde still didn't understand very well, and the way Aslan was formulating his words wasn't the easiest way to understand, but the elder brother listened all the same, trying to piece it with what Mister and Misses Beaver had already told him about how Narnia worked. If he was to be king, knowing a little about the country he'd have to rule wouldn't be a bad idea, as it could prove to be useful if ever he encountered troubled times, not that he hoped it would ever happen.
It was an odd way to see things, Thorin thought, but with Aslan's rule, there also seemed to be magic involved. As his grandfather, Thròr, had never really used anything supernatural to rule Erebor, save for whatever the Arkenstone really was, Thorin found the concept a little hard to grasp. Aslan was talking as if destiny was all ready written for each and every one of us, whereas he'd always been taught that one made his own choices, and those choices eventually directed the road one's life would follow. Now being shown the two ways of thinking, Thorin couldn't really tell which was the right one, or even if either of them were right or not. Surely Peter wouldn't have to be forced into a title he never wished for, this had never been planned all along for the blonde, right?
"But I couldn't even protect my own family!" Peter blurted out, suddenly feeling very insecure and needing to at last be able to let go of everything that had been burdening him ever since they'd entered the wardrobe. As long as Edmund wasn't back with him, Peter couldn't accept being king, because being king meant looking out for others, and if he couldn't even manage to keep his little brother safe, then he didn't feel the title ought to be bestowed upon him: a king who could not take care of his own brother was not a king.
"You've brought them safely this far." Aslan countered, remembering the two girls that had been to Peter's left when he'd first laid eyes upon them, and they had looked relatively unharmed. If anything, they were only a little tired from the long journey the beavers had brought them on, but they were all right.
"Not all of them." Peter pointed out, as his little brother was still in the Witches' clutches, and the whole idea of getting him rescued seemed more and more hopeless as the days went on. Peter wanted Edmund back, more than anything, so that he could make up for being so bossy towards him and to offer the younger to start anew, but Edmund wasn't there, he and Fili were still to make it back to them safely, and Peter was starting to even doubt it was still a believable possibility.
Thorin's mood soured almost instantly, as Peter mentioned his missing nephew. While having Kili around was a real blessing, seeing the lad laugh and smile again after having sent him out to battle was enough to soothe some of Thorin's many regrets, the Uncle still found himself worrying over his quiet heir, and it seemed like ages ago now that they'd left the two of them to the ice prison they'd entered. While he'd comforted himself with the notion that at least they were together (and now, Thorin concluded that the Witch could actually have separated them if she'd wished to do so), the dwarf missed his blonde boy, Kili's shadow who'd follow him everywhere. Even Edmund, Thorin admitted after a while, would have been a welcomed sight to see, at least to be sure that the boy was all right.
But then, he remembered that they'd had to leave them behind, Mister Beaver had explained quite clearly why they couldn't venture into the ice castle to retrieve them without risking the children's lives, and of course, Thorin would have agreed that it was a much too reckless action to consider, even Kili, reckless Kili had understood why they couldn't enter the Witches' lair and rescue his brother. Still, knowing that they'd left behind two people they cared for dearly hadn't been easy, especially considering that there still was that tiny chance that they just might have managed to save them. While he knew Fili was a responsible boy, and he would see to it that Edmund suffer as little as possible, Thorin knew there was only so much the blonde could do, and could only hope that whatever had been done to them, nothing permanently damaging had occurred. Thorin had heard of the many scars imprisonment could inflict, and desperately clung to the hope that neither Peter's brother nor his nephew would be victims of such horrors.
"I will do what I can to help your missing family members." Both looked in astonishment at the lion then. It wasn't so much that they were stunned, it was the fact that a little hope bloomed deep inside their chests once again. Peter had almost resigned himself to never seeing Edmund again, that he could lie to himself as much as he wanted to, imagine all sorts of situations where Edmund would escape and come back to him, but eventually, it only made the pain of not having his little brother beside him worse and his absence harder to bear as time rolled on, it felt like ages now since he'd last seen him, let alone talked to him. The blonde had slowly accepted that it might be easier to continue on if he didn't allow himself to hope for Edmund's return, despite wanting to. And now, Aslan hinting towards the idea that Edmund and Fili had this small chance of being saved, Peter just grabbed hold of the idea, finding himself to actually need it, and for once, the blonde didn't pay attention to what could stand up as an opposition in Edmund's return. Aslan had said he'd try, and it was enough for Peter to welcome the idea of seeing his brother again.
"But." And the spirits Aslan had lifted dropped immediately, and both the boy and the dwarf realized there had to be a catch to it all, it couldn't have been as easy as it sounded, of course. "I need you both to consider what I ask of you, especially you, Peter. I too, want my family safe." Gazing back at the pavilions, Peter and Thorin comprehended what the Lion was hinting at, and while they trusted Aslan would keep to his word, they knew he wouldn't be able to assist Edmund and Fili if it were to endanger his people, two prisoners couldn't come before a whole population of creatures, even if they were close relatives. While a little part of them resented the fact that the hope they'd been offered suddenly died a little, they understood, and even though it hurt, they both agreed. If getting back their missing family members were to require too high a cost, they would have to accept the fact that they would not be seeing them ever again.