Peter looked at his knee and groaned. It was swollen to twice the size of normal and so painful he could hardly stand. He accepted the willow bark tea that helped to ease the pain, but refused anything stronger. He had sent representatives back to the castle to retrieve more supplies, a set of crutches, and to find out when the boat had sailed from Cair Paravel. Oreius had urged him to return to Cair for medical treatment, but he had refused saying that if he could not go on the voyage, he would at least stay to be sure the ships sailed in the right direction. He wanted to talk with the Archenland captain personally. He estimated they would remain at camp for at least another four or five days.
The envoy arrived from Cair Paravel late that afternoon. They brought a cot for him and some other unnecessary, but yet welcome items. Tumnus had come with them and assured Peter that April was well. She was keeping very busy running the castle and getting everything caught up from their long absence. She was still in pain, but able to move about more freely as her ankle had healed some. Peter unrealistically hoped that she would come to see him since he was injured, but he himself had entreated her not to leave the castle. He had left two guards with her and they had orders, not to let her come to him. He sighed, feeling disgruntled and out of sorts as he did every time he was injured.
Tumnus noticed and said gently, "She misses you Sire. She sent this to you."
Tumnus handed him a sealed parchment. He looked at the wax seal, they had made her a stamp with a crown of birch leaves. He smiled at the thought of her sitting at his desk sending out correspondence on his behalf and some of her own. He opened the letter.
My Dearest Peter,
I was so glad to hear of your success and safety. The thought of your being injured, however, brings me pain. I do wish I could be there to tend you, but I know my place is here, waiting and longing for your safe return. I have been talking with Valura, she feels there is more to my own injury than just a sprain. She is fairly certain there is broken bone in my foot. She is urging me to take a drop of Lucy's cordial, which I know is most precious and I would not do so without your permission and blessing. I have been hearing how difficult it was for you in the past to be injured, and how staunchly you would refuse to take the cordial to heal your injuries. To this end, I must risk your anger, for you now are the only ruling authority in the land, where before there were four of you and you had the luxury of choosing to refuse. So I must ask for your forgiveness, for while I would refuse the cordial for myself, I have taken the liberty of giving it to you...
Astonished, Peter looked up and seeing Tumnus' face, he narrowed his eyes. "You know what is in this letter, don't you?"
Tumnus nodded and showed Peter a small wine skin. With the sternest look he had ever seen on the faun's face Tumnus said, "We knew you would refuse, Sire, and we knew you would be angry, but it is for the good of Narnia that you drink this!"
"There is cordial in this wine?"
"Only one drop, My King."
If Peter could have stood, he would be pacing. How dare they! How could she? Oddly enough, he felt betrayed. He knew he was not thinking clearly. He should feel loved and cared for. Glancing at the letter again, he realized what April was saying. That if there were one drop of cordial left she would give it to him, for him to be well and whole again even if it meant she would never dance again. The thought almost overwhelmed him, but another one quickly took its place.
He glared accusingly at Tumnus, "It seems you left me no choice...if I throw the wine skin away, as I am tempted to do out of spite, the cordial will be wasted!"
Tumnus, to his credit, gave a deep nod of assent, handed the skin to Peter and turned to leave. "Please remember, Your Majesty, the motivation was love, not manipulation or to flaunt your weaknesses, nor was it to injure your pride of overcoming obstacles on your own."
Oh, Tumnus knew him too well. Peter's angry glare was wasted on the faun's back. He huffed in frustration looking at the small wine skin and letter in his hands. He decided to finish reading.
...Please do not be angry with Tumnus or Valura. This was my decision, and if I have wronged you, well, we can discuss that soon. There is another, more selfish reason for my actions. I would like my husband to be healthy and whole upon his return so that I may give him a proper homecoming.
With all of my heart,
Your Queen,
April
He groaned, she knew how to pull his strings, and he did so long to be rid of this terrible pain. He glanced down at his injury. The medic, a Satyr with not so gentle hands, had pronounced his injury to be more than a sprain. He was fairly sure something was torn. Peter had agreed based on the difference as compared to his past injuries. A worry had been nagging him as well, he wondered how he would meet with the Archenland Captain? It would be best for him to go out to the ship and meet him there, rather than waste precious time for the Captain to come to land. He ran the risk of injuring himself again on those blasted boats, but there was no other choice to be made.
Sighing in resignation, he opened the skin and downed the sweet wine that had a hint of a burning feeling as it hit his throat. As the healing warmth of this cordial entered his system, he had the thought to be grateful for April. She had given him a skin of his best and most favorite wine. His pride felt wounded and he found this experience to be very humbling. He remembered something that King Lune had told him long ago, "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less." With that thought in mind, he asked a nearby aide to fetch his writing materials.
~~0~~
Peter spurred his horse into a faster trot. He could see the outline of Cair Paravel in the distance and was anxious to be home. Once the cordial had done its work, the waiting became excruciating rather than the pain. Eventually the two ships had come and gone on their way. Amazingly, he was able to meet both ships without incident and the members of his army traveling with the Archenland ship promised to send regular updates. It was with just the slightest regret that he watched the ship leave. Oreius was right, his place was at the Cair with April.
His pulse quickened at the thought of her. He had sent her a note immediately after the cordial, expressing his displeasure at not truly having the opportunity to choose for himself. But then had sent her another note later, after the pain had subsided, that he hoped better portrayed his feelings of gratitude for her loving concern and for knowing him well enough not to give him a choice. He, of course, had told her to take the cordial, as he wanted his wife healthy and whole as well. It had been a long 10-day and he was ready to see her.
They were at the gates and there was a contingency of Narnians cheering the return of the remnants of the company. The others were still on the mission and he made a mental note to speak to their families personally and give them updates. His eyes found her quickly. She was standing in the stable yard her long hair loose and blowing in the wind, her eyes full of expectation and joy. He could not stop the wide smile that appeared on his face, any more than he could have stopped the sun from shining. Her smile soon matched his. He dismounted and a groom led away his horse. Then he was swinging her around and holding her close and reveling in the sweet scent of her that made him never want to leave again.
Stepping back he inspected her with his eyes, "You are whole?" he said with a gleam in his eye and a tease in his voice.
"Very," she replied laughingly, "and you, My King?"
"Never felt better," he said pulling her close and mindless of who was watching, kissed her passionately.
They broke apart to whistles, hoots, howls, and cheers, her blushing and he with a grin. He then turned his attention to his subjects and talked with the inquiring Narnians about the fate of their loved ones who had not yet returned to them.
Soon they all went up to dinner. He could not keep his eyes off of her and she could not release contact with him. When they weren't holding hands, her knee was touching his. He could feel her desire as a tangible thing and it made his insides quake. On the outside she looked perfectly normal as she talked and laughed with everyone and listened as he shared the parts of the story he was allowing his company to share. He met her eyes more than once and they communicated without words just how much they had missed each other.
The Narnians, of course, wanted to celebrate their King and his warriors' return and did so with dance and song. The candles were replenished at least once and everyone made merry. Peter danced with April many times but each time he touched her it was harder to let go. At last they were free to go to their rooms accompanied by the ever present guard. They said good night to Kamara and Peter thanked the great cat for her care and protection over the Queen during his absence.
He shut the door and at last they were alone. She stood in the center of the sitting room her eyes locked on him and more intense than he had ever seen them. He moved to her quickly unable to look away or even speak, so great was his desire for her. When his lips met hers the passion was overwhelming. He had never felt this strongly toward her, and with everything they had been through that was an amazing feat. They could not get enough of each other fast enough. His last coherent thought was homecoming, indeed!
The night they shared was memorable. As tired as he was, he could not deny her and she was insatiable. He was amazed and deeply content. When they finally slept his sleep was deep and restful. He woke once to find her pressed up against him. Folding his arms around her, he blissfully drifted back to sleep very happy to be home.
The next morning they bathed and he was preparing to get dressed for the day, when she took his hand and wordlessly pulled him over to their bed her eyes pleading.
"April, what is it? Are you all right?"
She put her arms around him and nodded into his shoulder. Lifting her head she spoke into his ear her fingers entwined in his still damp hair. Her voice was soft and desperate. "I don't know, Peter, I just know that I need you...I want you, please stay, just for a while?"
He smiled at her and kissed her, saying, "How could I refuse you?"
A bit later as she rested in his arms, he said, "April, we really need to eat, and I have so much work to do. I could use your help, will you come with me?"
She smiled and teasingly said, "I'm not sure why you want to work, you will find your office quite the different place."
At his raised eyebrows and concerned frown, she laughed. "I only meant that all of the paperwork has been caught up and the correspondence answered. There are a few questions that only you can answer. Come on, I'll show you."
They worked together companionably that day, he was impressed at all she accomplished in his absence and they started on the tasks they had mapped out before he left. A few times he felt her eyes on him, and when his gaze caught she kissed him slowly and teasingly. He was finding it hard to concentrate and she seemed to be enjoying distracting him. He eventually locked the door and gave in to her distractions.
On their way to dinner they ran into Valura who wanted to check their injuries to be sure they were completely healed. They agreed to meet in their quarters after the meal. They didn't stay for the night's entertainment due to their medical appointment. Valura checked his knee and her ankle, proclaiming them well.
"Valura?" he questioned, making eye contact with April to include her in this conversation, "Tumnus approached me today, with all that happened directly after the wedding, we never had a chance to have a true Narnian feast to celebrate. He wondered if both April and I would be well enough to enjoy the dancing and festivities, if they were to have the feast tomorrow?"
April smiled and nodded, looking pleased. Valura simply stated, "King Peter, I think that would be fine and good for everyone."
April excused herself for a moment and Valura turned to him. "Thank you for taking the cordial, Your Majesty. I am sure it would not have been your choice, and I was uncomfortable with forcing it on you."
"Thank you Valura, it was the best option and it certainly made coming home more..." he caught himself and was unsure how to finish the sentence.
Valura gave him a knowing, but professional, look and supplied the missing word, "Enjoyable?"
He looked at her with an expression of amazement and she smiled. "I would expect so," she said.
"What do you mean? Are you talking about...?"
She was nodding and he sat down heavily on the chair, dumbfounded and feeling like a fool for not recognizing it earlier.
Valura smiled at him and said, "Have a nice evening King Peter, tell April I will see her soon."
At her cryptic words she left him alone with his thoughts. Valura was stoic and had few words, especially on certain subjects, unusual for a faun, but she was wise and correct. It made sense...April's intensity, her longings and desires for him. He couldn't help but smile to himself, he was so grateful he followed his instincts and stayed with her this morning and throughout the day. He could have easily shrugged her off and gone to work alone. His thoughts were interrupted by her return. She smiled at him and came to join him on the couch. She looked unsure of herself and uncomfortable.
"What is it love?" He took her hand.
"I don't know Peter. I feel so unsettled, so…full of desire. I have never felt this way before. Is there something wrong with me?"
He chuckled. "No, my love, your body is doing exactly what it is supposed to. Your desires are normal and natural and I am more than happy to fulfill them."
"Oh, good!" she said in relief.
He stood and pulled her to stand with him. He leaned over and swept her up into his arms loving her squeal of surprise.
He bent his head down and whispered in her ear, "Let's go make an heir."
She shivered in response and nodded. He carried her to their bed hoping that very likely another longtime dream of his was going to come true.
~~0~~
The next evening, twilight was settling and everyone had gathered on the castle grounds for the festivities. Dinner had been over and the crowd was milling about waiting for the music to begin. Any reason to celebrate was a good one. But it was also a full moon. He was having trouble finding his wife in the crowd. He finally found her laughing with a pair of red foxes, she had a drink in her hand and was getting ready to sip when he intercepted her cup with a rather pointed questioning look. He certainly did not want a repeat of their last full moon festival. She laughed and told him to take a drink. He almost spit it out, it was the most watered down wine he had ever tasted in Narnia, even when he had first arrived. It was hideous, but she was smirking.
"I know better than that now, My King." Politely inclining her head to the others, she said, "Mr. and Mrs. Fox were kindly enlightening me on their marriage or bonding ceremonies, seeing as we are celebrating ours, in a way."
"Oh, well, please tell me," he said coyly, glancing at the foxes, who were happily nodding, pleased to have the attention of both the King and Queen.
"The male fox will court his vixen and often fight with other males for her during breeding season. But the female chooses which one will receive her favor. The male will follow the female until she makes her decision. Most become a bonded pair for life."
"Fascinating," Peter enthused, although he already knew this information, it was fun for him to watch April. That she only blushed once, meant she was getting used to the Narnian's candid ways.
When they excused themselves from the beaming fox couple, Peter took April's elbow and steered her through the crowd.
Murmuring in her ear, he said in a low voice, "It's too bad there aren't any other human males around for me to fight, but know that I would follow you anywhere hoping you would choose me."
He took great delight when a shiver ran through her at his words, he had been waiting for this night for a long time. And he was very glad to hear her response as she stopped them and rose up on her toes so only he would hear her words.
"I will happily bestow my favor upon you...Your Majesty"
Her lips grazed his earlobe and it was his turn to shiver. He was going to say something else to her, but the fauns and dwarves started the music. The flutes and drums were marking out merry rhythms to begin the dancing. They joined the circle of Narnians dancing around the bonfires, the light and fast paced steps now familiar to April. Peter was always at her side, taking her hand, her waist, happy to be her constant partner, devouring her beauty and graceful movements. They took frequent breaks where she would lead him over to a corner of the lawn where she had hidden carafes of water, so that her cup would be full, but not of wine. He had chosen a very smart woman. Here, in the shadows, he would steal kisses and caresses and whisper his ideas for the festivities to come. Then they would join the dancing again until most started of the crowd started to fade away to their homes and dens.
As was typical, the dryads, satyrs and fauns moved deeper into the woods to continue the evening. Here the drum beats would get stronger matching the rhythm of the Narnian magic pulsating in the ground under their bare feet. The rhythm was always there, but on these nights, Peter always felt it grow stronger or the dwarves knew just how to match the beat with their drums. The dancing would get wilder and the drinking heavier for most. He had long learned when his limit had been reached and he did not want to miss a moment of this evening.
He hoped upon hope that Bacchus would come. It would be delightful to see the wine god again and to introduce him to his April. At one point when the party was almost at its height, he spun April out of the dancing crowd, his throat parched. Someone filled up his cup and when he took a drink he was stunned to taste the most exquisite, most delightful wine that could only come from Bacchus himself. He spun around to see the youth already charming his wife. He smiled a lazy indulgent smile and went over to them.
"So, I see you have met My Queen..." he bowed to the wine god.
Bacchus grinned and kissed the hand of hers that he had been holding. "She is quite lovely, High King. Care to share?"
Peter laughed. "You, my lord, may have anything in my kingdom, except...my Queen. She is most precious to me."
As he spoke, Peter pulled April into his arms, she lovingly put her hands on his cheeks and stared into his eyes. He kissed her slowly and passionately to illustrate his point to the wild youth with the even wilder dancing maenads in his midst. It was dangerous to taunt the wine god, but he knew Bacchus was only jesting. For the god understood the depth of Peter's past desire for a wife. They had spoken before of his longing for love. And Peter did not give his love away easily, but when he did it was with all of his heart.
He heard Bacchus' deep laugh. "Very well, High King of Narnia, you may have your Queen, just enjoy her like you do my wine, and even I will be satisfied."
Peter felt vines with full green leaves grow around them starting at their feet and winding gently around the two of them bringing them closer seeming to bond them together. It reminded him of their first real kiss when he had felt something similar but not tangible, binding them to each other. April laughed with abandon when she pushed back her hair and found that she pushed leaves back as well. He wondered at her joy and wondered if she felt like the dryad within her was blooming. They pushed down the vines so they could step free, although Peter longed to stay in her embrace. Grapes were starting to appear around them and abundant and lavish foods came from wherever the god and his maenad's feet pounded the earth. Narnians started to appear from the edges of the forest hearing that Bacchus had arrived and the feast began anew. Silenus appeared on his donkey and he knew the real festivities had just begun.
However, Peter was not hungry for food. Looking at April, he saw that while she was amazed at the bounty around her, she had not moved toward it. Her eyes were on him and he knew she was not hungry either. He grabbed a cluster of large luscious grapes with one hand and April's hand with the other and led her slowly in time with the still beating drums toward the thickening forest. As they were about to leave the clearing, he glanced back. Bacchus was watching them and lifted the ever present glass in his hand in farewell and encouragement. Peter grinned and they disappeared into the cool forest.
(A/N: I cannot take credit for Peter's history of refusing the cordial that would be the creative idea of Rthstewart. The humility quote from Lune was actually made by C.S. Lewis.
It took me awhile to get comfortable with the idea of another god in Narnia besides Aslan, but it is there, in the books. Rthstewart's Maenad of the Marquis is a great look at that part of the Narnian story even as it is set in the real world. But Bacchus is a part of the Narnian world, one that April needed to experience, but her being new to all of this Narnian "stuff", I put her within Peter's protection. Not only to maintain the theme of them staying monogamous in a culture that could be open to them not, but because I feel it is true to Peter's character.)
