10. Trust In Aslan

"Edmund? Ed wake up."

Edmund groaned, quite clearly annoyed as he rolled onto his back, his eyes opening the slightest bit to see Peter stood to the side of his bed, something of a grin on his face. "What?" He grumbled.

"I thought we could go for a ride?" Peter suggested. "Its a beautiful morning."

Edmund rolled his eyes. "How can you be this cheery so early?" He muttered, but he eventually did pull back the blanket covering him.

Peter chuckled. "How come you're so grumpy?" He teased.

Edmund glared at him as he sat up. "Because I've just been woken up at - what time is it?" He asked.

Peter laughed. "Half past seven, Ed." He replied with a small shake of his head.

"Right." Edmund said. "I'm grumpy because I've been woken up at half past seven, which may I add is way too early for a Saturday."

"Oh come on." Peter laughed. "You had to be up at half eight anyway to go over those documents."

Edmund raised an eyebrow. "That's still another hour Peter." He muttered as he stood from the bed. "And to be honest, I probably would've gone back to bed afterwards, it's only gonna take me half an hour."

"You're so lazy." Peter teased, throwing Edmund a tunic seeming as his brother was just stood there.

Edmund caught it quickly and just glared at him. "Am not." He said firmly.

Peter grinned. "If you say so." He laughed.

Half an hour later though, Edmund did seem to be alot more happy and... awake, sat ontop of Philip, a small smile on his face as they headed through the woods on their usual route. "You up to much today?" He asked Peter, glancing over to where he was sat on his own horse.

Peter shook his head. "I've actually got a day off." He said, sounding shocked. "For once."

Edmund laughed a little. "After I've gone over those documents, I've got the rest of the day free." He said with a nod. "Fancy another ride this evening?"

"Sure." Peter replied with a nod. "The girls aren't gonna be home from visiting the beavers until tomorrow, we might as well make the most of it before Susan can tell us off for going out alone."

Edmund rolled his eyes. "I don't see why she does that." He muttered. "We're perfectly safe, there are guards everywhere, I can even see one now!"

Peter glanced ahead at the guard Edmund had nodded at, and chuckled slightly. "You know what Susan's like." He said kindly enough. "She's always worrying over something."

Edmund snorted. "Says you." He said, earning a glare from his brother. "I don't worry that much." Peter said firmly.

Edmund just laughed. "Oh really?" He asked. "What about that time when Susan went swimming in the sea, and went under for more than twenty seconds, you lost it! nearly had a bloody heart attack!"

"That's over exaggerating Ed." Peter said, eyebrow raised as he nodded to a guard they passed.

"And what about that time when Lucy had said she was going to explore the castle, but after half an hour you practically had a search party out looking for her, when it was obvious she was in the library."

"Again, you're over exaggerating." Peter told him, a slight frown on his face, but he could hear the amusement in his brothers voice, causing him to smile just the slightest bit.

"Oh and that time when I went out riding and came back with the smallest, shallowest cut on my cheek from a branch." Edmund finished. "You almost fainted in worry!"

"That cut was deeper than it looked!" Peter defended, and resisted the urge to fold his arms across his chest.

Edmund stared at Peter for a moment before chuckling, causing Peter to shake his head a little and turn to face the other direction. "You do worry Peter." He heard Edmund say. "But nobody takes that as a bad thing, we all think it's kinda-"

Peter frowned when Edmund stopped talking... just stopped dead and didn't say anything else. "Ed?" He asked, almost scared to turn around, but in the end he forced himself to.

Once he could see his brother, his heart skipped a beat and his eyes went wide, fear consuming him.

Edmund was still sat on top of Philip, but his eyes were wide and filled with immense pain. But Peter wasn't exactly paying attention to his eyes, but more to the arrow that was sticking out from his chest, Edmund's hands wrapped weakly around it.

Peter was frozen in shock for a moment, his stare moving upwards to look Edmund straight in eye.

Edmund looked directly back, his eyes flickering as he tried his best to keep them open... but that didn't last long. "Pete-" He choked, before his eyes slipped shut and he fell from Philip, landing with a loud thud on the floor.

"Edmund!" Peter cried, pulling himself together and slipping down from his horse. Running over to Edmund, he fell to his knees beside him and slowly rolled him onto his back, earning a groan from the younger boy. "By Aslan." Peter choked out, watching as blood started to soak through Edmund's tunic, despite the arrow still being inside him. "Ed? Ed can you hear me?"

Edmund's eyes flickered half way open before closing again, but he still nodded his head, whimpering slightly in pain.

"Alright." Peter choked. "Well listen when I tell you you're gonna be fine."

After a second or two Peter took a closer look at where the arrow had hit, and he was beyond relieved to see that it was too far down to have pierced his heart, but he was worried to see that sweat was currently already appearing on Edmund's forehead, and his whimpering and groaning brought tears to Peter's eyes.

"Somebody help!" He screamed, placing his hand flat against Edmund's chest, the arrow between two fingers, and pressing down as hard as he dared. "Guards!"

No slower than ten seconds later did a centaur run over to them, and after seeing the scenes before him, his eyes went wide. "You're majesties!" He exclaimed.

Peter forced back his tears and glanced up at the centaur, blocking out his brothers groans as best he could. "He needs help!" He choked.

The centaur didn't hesitate as he nodded. "I will carry him." He said.

Peter obviously clearly hesitated, but in the end nodded his head and allowed the centaur to lift his brother off the ground, wincing at the loud gasp that escaped Edmund when he did. "It's alright." Peter murmered quickly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You'll be alright." He added, before another centaur came running up to them. "I want you to find whoever shot that arrow!" Peter ordered, panic beginning to settle in. "I want them brought to Cair and they can answer to me!" With that said he climbed back onto his horse, and all of them headed back to Cair.

"He really needs Queen Lucy's cordial your majesty, that's the only things that's gonna help him."

Peter swallowed hard from where he was sat on the edge of Edmund's bed beside his brother, who was currently laying on top of the covers, whimpering and letting out the odd sob when the pain became too much. "it's okay." Peter murmered gently, before turning back to the healer. "How long will it take for word to get to her? And for her to get back?"

The healer hesitated before sighing. "Too long." Was all he said, looking really rather sorry.

Peter squeezed his eyes shut. "I still want you to send word." He said.

The healer nodded. "I'll leave you with these." He said, handing Peter a bowl of water and a cloth. "The water has something that should stop an infection."

"Thank you." Peter murmered, wincing when Edmund let out another groan... and he found himself actually wishing that his brother was unconscious, atleast that way he wouldn't be feeling any pain.

The healer gave him a small nod before exiting the room, leaving Peter and Edmund alone.

With a sigh Peter turned to his brother and glanced down at his bare chest, flinching at how red the cloth covering the wound was.

Taking a deep breath he slowly removed the blood soaked cloth, and immediately had to replace it with the other one to stop it from bleeding.

Edmund cried out when the cloth was pressed against the wound, and whimpered when the medicine seeped into it, causing Peter's heart to break. "Shh." He murmered. "This is gonna help, I promise. You just need to stay still, you reckon you can do that for me?"

Edmund took a deep breath and gripped the bed sheets as tightly as he could in his hands, managing to just about nod in reply to his brother.

Peter breathed a sigh of relief when Edmund stilled, and pushed harder down on the wound, willing it to just stop bleeding.

After perhaps ten minutes, Peter saw that the once white cloth was now red, and was no longer wet with water, but instead with blood. How deep even was the wound? He hadn't managed to see when they took the arrow out, they'd had to place the cloth against it the second they had. And he found himself now needing to know just how deep it was.

"There's only one way to find out." He muttered to himself. "Ed?" He asked gently, placing his other hand against his brother's sweat soaked forehead.

Edmund's eyes flickered slightly but stayed closed, but Peter knew he'd heard him. "I - I need to find out how deep the wound is alright?" He said slowly, his heart pounding.

Edmund hesitantly nodded and braced himself for the pain he knew was coming, and Peter sighed sadly as he removed the cloth. Unfortunately the wound was still bleeding, but Peter could just about see how deep it was... and he couldn't help but panick slightly.

Although it seemed that it hadn't damaged anything important, it was clear that Edmund was losing way too much blood, and if they weren't careful then that would kill him.

Tears in his eyes, Peter grabbed a different cloth, wet it in the water and pressed it against the wound, ignoring Edmund's choked gasp as best he could. "You're gonna be alright." He murmered, moving his other hand from his brothers forehead and running it gently through his now slightly damp hair. "I promise."

"No."

Peter swallowed hard at the sound of Edmund's voice, practically forced out and so quiet he wasn't even sure if he'd actually said anything. "Ed?"

"Don't p - promise tha', I, I'm losin' 'lot of blood." Edmund forced the words from his lips, trying his hardest to ignore the agonising pain he was in.

"Ed no." Peter choked out. "I promise you're going to be okay. I - I won't let you die."

Edmund's eyes flickered but once again stayed closed. "You 'ight not 'ave a - a choice." He murmered.

Peter stared at him, tears rolling slowly down his cheeks... he just couldn't hold them back anymore, and he let out a quiet sob when Edmund suddenly let out a harsh cough and he saw blood stain his teeth and lips. "Please Ed." He choked. "Please just hold on, I'm begging you. You can't die."

Edmund only coughed in reply, blood spilling over his lips and rolling down his chin before he swallowed hard, taking a deep breath.

Peter swallowed hard too, finding another cloth and wiping away the blood from Edmund's chin. "I'm going to find a healer." He choked suddenly, but Edmund stopped him with a simple shake of his head. "You 'nd I both know - know they can't do an'thing." He whispered.

"They have to!" Peter choked. "You can't die! They have to do something!"

"Pete." Edmund coughed harshly again, blood once again spilling over his lips, causing Peter to let out a sob and gently brush it away. "I - I love you, I - I hope you - you know 'hat."

Peter let out a sob but slowly nodded his head. "Yeah, I know that." He choked out. "And I love you too."

"I - I'm gonna pass ou' in a minute." Edmund murmered. "But 'lease, 'member I love you, 'nd - and the girls. And when I 'ventaully die, 'lease find it - it in 'ourself to carry on."

Peter was sobbing now, and shook his head quickly. "You're not going to die." He whispered.

"I obviously am." Edmund murmered, his voice getting weaker by the second. "But I guess I'm 'ot really s-scared. I - I trust Asl'n... don't you?"

Peter swallowed hard. "Of course I do." He whispered, hardly being able to speak around his sobs. "But - But surely he won't just let you die, not like this, not now."

"Well, we'll 'ind out soo'er or la'er won' we?" Edmund slurred, coughing a few more times and groaning loudly.

"I won't let you die, and neither will Aslan." Peter said as firmly as he could. "I will-"

He was cut off by a sudden tapping at the balcony door/window, and he tried to ignore it at first, but eventually he turned, sighing in an annoyed way.

But what he saw, caused his eyes to go wide and for his heart to skip a beat.

Perched outside on the balcony railing was a dove, and it held Lucy's cordial in its claws.

Peter let out a sob. "Thank you Aslan." He choked.

"Wha'?" Edmund whispered, his eyes squeezed shut, and it was clear he was gonna pass out at any minute, just like he'd said he would.

"Give me two seconds Ed." Peter said quickly. "I'll be two seconds."

With that said he jumped from the bed and ran over to the doors, flinging them open and running outside.

The dove immediately dropped the cordial into his hands before flying off and just completely disappearing, leaving Peter just standing there, a small frown on his face.

But he quickly shook away his confusion and rushed back into the room and over to the bed, gripping Lucy's cordial in his hands. "Ed." He murmered, sitting beside his brother. "Ed open your mouth."

Edmund looked rather confused at this, but did as he was told anyway, coughing a little which only caused Peter to panick more.

His hands shaking, Peter undid the cordial and quickly poured one drop into his brothers mouth, watching in relief as Edmund slowly relaxed and the look of pain on his face disappeared.

He frowned slightly before finaly allowing his eyes to flicker open. He blinked a few times before glancing over at Peter, or more the cordial in his hands. "What an earth?" He choked. "How did you get that."

Peter let out a half sob half laugh. "My guess is it was Aslan." He choked, before sitting against the headboard and pulling Edmund up and into his arms.

Edmund took a deep breath and reached up to remove the cloth from his chest, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw that there was no wound... and not even a scar. "I think it must've been." He murmered, before burying his face against Peter's shoulder.

"Oh Ed." Peter sobbed, gripping his brother as tightly as he dared. "I really thought I'd lost you this time."

Edmund nodded hesitantly. "If I'm honest... I thought I'd lost me too." He whispered.

"But - But you're alright now." Peter mumbled. "You put your trust in Aslan, and I'll wager that, and only that saved you."

Edmund nodded a little, but didn't know what else to say, so instead he just buried his face against Peter's chest and let out a quiet sigh.

"And I promise you Ed." Peter spoke up suddenly. "Whoever shot that arrow will be found and punished."

"How an earth did they get close enough to even try and kill one of us." Edmund muttered.

"I have no idea Ed." Peter sighed. "But they shot you when you were unarmed, unaware. You were just having some fun, and they will pay for what they did."

Edmund nodded slowly, knowing that Peter would go through with what he'd said... no matter what.

"I'm just so glad you're alright." Peter whispered after a couple of seconds of silence.

Edmund smiled, and after hugging Peter as hard as he could he opened his mouth: "So am I."

The End

Sorry it's been a while, but I have another one shot I'm going to start writing asap.

Hope you liked this one xx