For all those Peter/Isabel fans out there! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Honestly, does anyone really think that Narnia belongs to me?

.

FATE OR DESTINY?

DEAR ISABEL, DEAR PETER

.

He hissed as the healer stitched the wound on his arm. His eyes roamed around aimlessly, searching for a distraction. Concentrating on the needle that was going through his flesh only brought pain and discomfort.

"It is a long gash, my king, not deep though," the healer said, interrupting his intense examination of the red fabric of his tent. "You were lucky that Arvand noticed the man shooting that arrow."

"Indeed," Peter agreed.

This was the second attempt to kill him in one day. His food had been poisoned earlier in the morning. It had been sheer luck that he had not ate it because of some other matters that needed his attention. Only when another soldier decided to eat it instead of throwing it away did they realize that it had been poisoned.

He had received the news only hours ago (honestly, Lucy and her trees were amazing!), telling him that Vane was trying to kill him and that he should be careful. For some reason, this didn't shock him. From what he had seen of Vane Wolfe, the man would do anything to win. He had no honor, and yet he dreamed of being king of Narnia. Ha! As if Aslan would let this happen.

"Could you hurry up?" Peter asked the healer after a few impatient moments. "A war is raging outside and I have to go there."

Right after he had been attacked, another clash had broken out. Peter had wanted to go and fight himself but the arrow had left a cut on his arm and his companions had suggested that he had it bandaged properly first. Huard was leading this attack at the moment.

"You're moving too much, milord." The healer complained.

"Because it hurts!"

"Please, relax, my king," the healer advised with a sigh. "It would be easier for me and less painful for you. Try to think of something good."

Peter laid his head back on his cot and closed his eyes. Think of something good. Like what?

What could possible be good in the middle of a war? All that surrounded him was bloodshed, violence, the sounds of clashing weapons, the cries of the injured… Peter wanted nothing more than to go home, to his sister, to his brother, to his friend, Caspian, and to his wife. Isabel…

Peter remembered the last time he had seen her, standing on the balcony waving to him. Her auburn hair, her forest-brown eyes, her slightly freckled face. Slowly, the High King brought his other hand to his cheek, where she had kissed him goodbye. To say he was surprised at her action would be an understatement. To say that he didn't like it would be a lie.

He would never admit it to anyone, but the few spare moments he had had during this god-awful war, he had spent them thinking of Isabel. Their parting had made him realise how important she had become to him and how much he cared. But it was not just care. It was more than that. There was an odd feeling... An intense attraction. She was beautiful after all, and he wouldn't mind being closer, intimate - No! He mustn't think like that. It was wrong. Of course, she was his wife, but they had had no such arrangement since the beginning. She trusted him, she had been through so much because of that bastard Vane... and these odd feelings would pass. Yes, they would.

"There," the healer said, snapping him out of his thoughts once again. "All done."

And as if on cue, loud shouts of alarm erupted outside. Peter grabbed his sword and ran out of the tent. When he noticed the source of the commotion, his heart almost stopped.

Armed warriors, mounted on horses galloped towards them, crying out war cries and waving their weapons. Vane's supporters. A second army. The Narnian army was now trapped.

"Your Majesty," Huard ran up to him. "They're attacking us from both sides. What do we do?"

Peter took a deep breath, and prayed to Aslan for help. "We fight."

[][][][][][][]

About five days after Edmund's departure, Isabel woke up to a tapping noise on the window. A flying creature was knocking on the glass. Isabel blinked a few times, wondering if she was dreaming. After all, why would a bird demand an entrance to her chambers? That, too, by knocking! It took a few short moments for her grogginess to fade and for her to realise that it was not a bird. A griffin, she thought in wonder as she opened the window to let the creature in.

It was a baby griffin, to be exact. Light brown in color with intelligent eyes, it flew into the room and after circling it about twice, came to rest on the couch and dropped something on the seat.

Isabel raised an eyebrow and walked closer to see the object. It was an envelope with her name on it. She recognized the writing immediately - Peter! All other thoughts pushed back, she picked up the envelope without wasting another moment and pulled out the letter it contained.

Dear Isabel,

Let me introduce you to Griffy, the baby griffin. (Lucy called him that when she first saw him, and it has become his name since then. Edmund still teases Lucy about 'her talent for coming up with unique and unexpected names'!)

You see, Griffy wanted me to give him some job and since he is too young to be in the battle, I gave him the important 'mission' of delivering this letter to you. His happiness when I told him that is hard to explain in words. It took me half an hour to make him stop flying around in my tent!

With an amused chuckle, Isabel looked at the creature. It was quite adorable, she admitted to herself. "Hi, Griffy," She gently patted its head. "I'm Isabel."

Griffy purred, and then looked at the letter and then back at her again.

His question was clear, as was his need to be praised. "You did a good job," she told him with a smile.

It hooted with glee. Then with a swift flap of his wings, flew out of the window. Isabel watched him fly away, wondering if she had angered Griffy. Unable to find an answer, and too curious and excited to read Peter's words, she turned her focus back on the letter.

Don't worry if he flies away after giving you this letter. He probably would have gone to meet his friends and eat something... If you ever want to write a letter to me, send it via Griffy. He would be way better than using a certain annoying Just King. What were you thinking, asking Ed to give me a letter from you? Edmund has been teasing me every since he got here and its getting on my nerves! I'm seriously considering throwing him off a cliff or something.

I'm fine and I don't want you to worry about me. I can take care of myself.

Vane's second army attacked us a couple of days ago, but luckily, Edmund arrived with the reinforcements at the same time. Watching these two raging cavalries join the battle was quite a haunting sight. Once again, we are evenly matched - something, I'm sure, the Wolfes are not happy with. And this brings me to the most important thing: Lenora Wolfe.

Firstly, what in the name of lord were you doing strolling in the gardens at midnight – alone? Foolish girl!

Secondly, fighting two assassins on your own without calling for help? Edmund told me he has been teaching you, which is a great idea, but you are not an expert fighter. Your overconfidence in taking them on could've gotten you killed. Don't ever do that again.

Lastly and most importantly: Lady Lenora. Edmund told me about the conversations you all have had with her. In a way, she did save me, but I will advise you to be wary. Not trusting anyone is not good, but trusting anyone blindly is sheer folly.

I miss everyone too. Its a shame I missed Lucy's birthday. I heard you all enjoyed a lot. Tell me more about it.

I hope you write back to me. Take care.

Peter.

[][][][][][][]

Peter looked up as Edmund walked into his tent and threw an apple towards him. "Eat," the Just King ordered. "You've been fighting all day."

"I'm fine," the words automatically left Peter's mouth, but he did take a bite of the fruit. He was hungry, he just didn't have the time for a proper meal.

"Whatever."

Peter raised an eyebrow. The lack of a witty comeback, a funny insult or a ridiculous (in Peter's opinion, at least) pun was rather alarming. "What's wrong?"

"This whole damn war is being waged for no reason," Edmund replied."Vane is a fucking moron."

"You can say that again."

Out of the blue, the flap of the tent flew aside and a light brown mass rushed in like a blur. Edmund jumped in surprise. Peter's hand was halfway to his sword when he realized that it was just an over-excited Griffy.

The recognition brought with it a realisation that almost made Peter groan in dismay. Just what he needed: Griffy to give him a letter from Isabel in front of Edmund. Perfect timing! The teasing was bad enough before, now it would be unbearable.

"Hello, Griffy!" Edmund smiled, then made a face. "Honestly, couldn't Lucy come up with a name that was less obvious?" He noticed the small envelope clutched in its beak. "What have you got there?"

Peter stood up and moved towards the griffin. "It's late. Maybe you should go and rest."

He was right. It was 'too late' . Edmund had already taken the envelope and pulled out the letter. And all his worry and anger towards the war had vanished in an instant, only to be replaced with a ridiculously wide smirk.

Peter snatched the paper from his brother's hands. "It's for me."

"Who's it from?" Edmund asked, trying to look innocent.

"You saw the writing."

"Who does it belong to?"

Peter rolled his eyes. "Isabel."

And then, to Peter's dismay, Edmund opened his mouth and began singing.

"This is love, what they are feeling
With these feelings, their hearts are sealing."

"Shut up, Ed. You're a horrible songwriter!"

"Love, oh, it's so full of bliss
And when Peter returns back, he will give his wife a kiss!"

Peter could feel the tips of his ears burning. This was beyond embarrassing. "Edmund Pevensie, shut up or else!"

"Admit it, dear boy, you feel for her
Admit it, that you dream of –"

Peter picked up a pillow from his cot and hurled it towards his brother. It made contact with his face with a soft thump, thankfully putting an end to that ridiculous song.

"You hit me with a pillow," Edmund accused even though he was grinning.

"Just be glad it is not rock," Peter muttered.

"Oh forgive me, I forgot you had to read your precious letter," Edmund crossed his arms across his chest. "Go on."

Ideally, Peter would have liked to read the letter in peace. But he knew his brother - the idiot would not be leaving anytime soon. Cursing inwardly, he unfolded the paper and read silently:

Dear Peter,

It is good to hear that both you and Edmund are well. It is not the same here without Edmund. The palace seems so dull without his jokes. Tell him I miss him a lot. Then again, don't. He will probably tease you even more.

Peter growled. Thanks to the timing of this letter, he was already doing that. Speaking of Edmund, it had grown quiet – too quiet... The seat where Edmund had been sitting was vacant. This was odd. He hadn't expected to be left alone. He had expected dozens of obnoxious jokes that would only stop with a punch to the face.

"Can you hold the letter a bit higher?"

Peter jumped in surprise to find Edmund standing behind him. Reading the letter. That little piece of - "Go away, Ed!" He said out loud.

"Isabel misses me!" Edmund said. "How sweet! Though, why didn't she mention that she misses you too? Perhaps because you're not funny. A sense of humor works wonders on women, dear brother... In any case, come, let us read ahead and see what else she likes about me."

"Us?" Peter raised an eyebrow. "Me. I will read ahead and you will get out."

Edmund nudged his brother teasingly. "I get it, I get it. There must be some private love talk up ahead, Enjoy!" With a wink, the Just King pranced out of the tent.

Peter shook his head and turned back to the letter in his hand.

Unbelievable! Even in your letters you continue to scold me. I'm not a child, Peter. What was so wrong in taking a walk in the gardens? And I had to fight those men. What you say it silly. If I had said 'Hi. Please wait here until I get someone to protect me and then you can try to kill me, alright?', I doubt the assassins would have obliged.

I have been talking to Lenora over the past few days. She has recovered well from her wounds – thanks to Lucy's cordial. She seems sweet. She fears that her brother will kill her, even though I have tried to tell her that she's safe at the palace. The idea that a brother would want to kill his sister for some petty ambition is hard to believe.

Lucy's birthday ball was amazing. Lucy looked absolutely beautiful. As did Susan. Caspian was charming and Edmund was funny. He introduced me to a certain Lady Cassandra, who I must say misses you a lot. She's a quite interesting woman. She was kind enough to mention that I was a burden on you and that I was nothing but a reminder of shattered dreams. We had a very healthy conversation. Pity it didn't last longer.

Take care.
Isabel.

The High King cringed. Isabel meeting Cassandra - that was a nightmare. Not entirely impossible, he had just hoped that he would be there to control the meeting whenever it did take place.

Tossing the letter on the table, he marched out of the tent and walked around until he found his idiot of a brother. "You introduced her to Cassandra?" he asked incredulously instead of a greeting.

"Yes, I did." Edmund replied casually.

"You idiot!" Peter growled. "Why would you do that?"

Edmund shot him a look. "And why am I an idiot? You were the one who courted Cassandra, remember?"

[][][][][][][]

"You're really good!" Caspian said, "I now know why you were able to defeat those men."

"Thank you," Isabel said, her breath coming in short gasps. "You're better, though. Much better."

The training session had ended – finally. If she had thought that Edmund was a strict teacher, then Caspian definitely came under the category of 'brutal'. He was extremely fast, which made it hard for her to react in time.

"I have something to tell you," Caspian said suddenly, his eyes lighting up with glee. "Susan loves me!"

"What?"

"Yes!" Caspian almost bounced. He looked like a kid who was getting his favorite candy. "You were right all along, Isabel. She was just confused and she needed time. But finally, she realized that she loves me too."

Isabel beamed at him. "I told you."

"You did. Thank you!" Caspian smiled. "I have never felt so happy in my entire life before!"

"I'm really happy for you two."

"Thank you," he said once again. "Actually, I have to go meet her. I'll see you later." After a quick farewell, he walked away.

[][][][][][][]

Susan placed the papers on the table and leaned back, sighing. Work – she loved it, but that didn't mean that it was not tiring. Caspian, who had been sitting next to her, wrapped an arm around her. With a smile, she rested her head on his chest. "I love you."

"I know," Caspian said. A pause, "So does Edmund."

"What?" Susan pulled away from him quickly, looking at him with wide eyes.

"Edmund knows that I love you."

Edmund, her obnoxiously annoying – and yet loving – brother knew that she and Caspian were in love with each other? Now he would tease her a lot. Wait. What if he didn't approve of Caspian? "Did he threaten you?"

"No. He's happy as long as you are happy."

"Well I am very happy." Susan placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

Caspian chuckled and stood up, pulling her with him. "Time for bed." He said, wrapping and arm around her waist as the two walked out of the library.

"Why, King Caspian!" Susan said with a mock gasp. "How naughty of you!"

He looked away embarrassed. "It wasn't an invitation, my queen."

"Wasn't it?"

"I am a man of honor, and I will escort you to your bedchamber doors, no further."

"I know, Caspian. Can I not tease you?"

"Teasing is Edmund's job."

Susan's smile faltered and she looked away. "And he's at war."

"You worry too much," Caspian murmured. "Your brothers are brave. They will be fine."

Susan sighed.

"What do you plan to do tomorrow?" Caspian asked, changing the subject.

"I don't know," Susan replied. "Maybe do something with Lucy, Isabel and Lenora."

"Hmm."

"You still don't trust her, do you?"

"It's not that," Caspian shook his head. "What she reported to us about the attack was true. And in a way she has helped us. But... I don't know. Something just doesn't feel right to me."

"She's not that bad," Susan said. "And in any case, if she does turn out to be evil as you suspect, we can confront her anytime. She is staying at the palace."

"I never said she was evil." Caspian said, and after a short pause, added, "And you're right."

"Aren't I always?" Susan grinned, turning to face him as they stopped outside her room.

"Always," Caspian agreed, leaning forward to press his lips with hers.

[][][][][][][]

Isabel was sitting on one of the chairs in the balcony, enjoying the cool breeze, when a hoot demanded her attention. Griffy was on the table, standing proudly atop the tray of biscuits. He cocked his head at her in greeting, dropped an envelope onto the table and then flew away.

Nerves tingling, Isabel quickly pulled out the letter and started reading.

Dear Isabel,

You miss Edmund and not me? Ouch, that hurts!

As for me scolding you - I have every right to and I will do it again. It is too dangerous for you to wander in the gardens, especially these days. Take someone with you, and I'll have no objection to it.

I wish I was there at Lucy's birthday party. Or perhaps not, now that you've mentioned that Cassandra was there. You must know by now that I courted her in the past. For me, that is exactly that: past. Cassandra has had a hard time accepting that, I suppose. But please, don't let her jealous words disturb you. It is not true and you should know that.

You must think me insane for courting someone like her. But in my defense, it felt right at the time. She used to be nice, or at least I had thought so. I have some nice memories with her, but it didn't work out. None of my previous romantic relationships did... I won't tell you about them (unless you want to know, of course) and I will not speak ill of my previous partners.

Speaking of past relationships, I'm curious. Have you ever had someone? You don't have to answer unless you want to. I do not wish to poke my nose in your life.

Peter.

[][][][][][][]

Dear Peter,

I hope this letter finds you in good health.

Everyone here is well. I spent the day with Lucy, Susan and Lenora. It all started with a normal conversation but ended up with a huge pillow fight. I can't remember the last time I laughed so freely. This war has had a hard toll on all of us. I hope things will get better once it is over.

Saying that Cassandra's words did not affect me would be a lie, but I understand why she said those things and I am not angry. I do not think you crazy, either. Love is blind after all. And you were in love with Cassandra at the time. I respect you for not speaking ill of your partners in the past, and I do not wish to know about them. Like you said, it is in the past. And should that past ever come to effect our future, I trust you will tell me yourself.

To answer your question – You are the first and the last man to come into my life. I never thought of anyone before you, and I will never be able to think of anyone after you. But I want you to know that I completely understand if you and I are pulled apart after what Vane did to me. I will forever be ashamed of it, and I will not, cannot, blame you ever for not accepting me after what you saw.

Take care, and of course I miss you.

Isabel.

Folding the parchment, Isabel carried it to Griffy, who was sitting on the window ledge staring at the sky. "Could you please take it to the High King?" she asked, holding out the note in her hand.

The griffin hooted and clutched it in its beak. With a last glance at the Queen, the creature flew away. Isabel watched it fly with a smile. Griffy was on an 'important mission' again.

[][][][][][][]

Call me crazy, but I love Griffy! He's my little baby! Anyways, I had not planned on writing Peter's POV but I did it because so many of you asked me for it. I hope it was good. Please review and let me know!