Peter

My eyes felt as if they'd been glued shut, refusing to open. I swallowed a lump, my hands brushing past the bedding, searching for—

For what?

I jogged my memory. I had—Oh, Aslan! I was weak, prone, flustered and frightened! But I only wanted the small mercy of rest. Had only wanted a glimpse of home. Home! It felt like ages since I'd seen the walls of my chambers, the faces of my people, my friends, my family. They were gone. And I only—I needed them.

'And death was the weak path.'

My breath caught in my lungs. And I shook with my sobs. Of shame. Of relief. Of a palpable gratitude. It was him!

'Courage. Courage even now.'

I nodded vigorously and the air around my ears whooshed. I took some calming breaths and tried to relax my muscles. I was sore and aching, every inch of my skin was as cold as Jadis's Castle. But I relaxed.

Until the door creaked.

A timid voice said, "The servants have queued. And the carriage for your Majesties is here. Your uncle, the great Duke Malar is here as well."

I felt her warm breath against my ear and stiffened again. "It's time. Ev! Lia!"

When I finally opened my eyes and sat up, propped up oy my elbows, harsh and extreme sunlight had invaded the otherwise dark room through the narrow opening in the window. Ev and Lia suddenly flooded in and Selene nodded at them. She left the room wordlessly and the two girls giggled at me. I pulled up the covers to my chin and grimaced. The younger one—I mentally called her Ev—was rummaging through the wardrobe and Lia was holding a tray in her hands. She put it in my lap. I looked at her once and looked at the tray. The temptation and hunger were together too hard to resist and I took a bite of the honeyed toast without thinking. Lia frowned at me and at the fork and knife lying unused on the tray. I shrugged and sipped some of the tea.

When I had eaten and was satisfied, Ev seemed to have finally made up her mind—she'd been standing in front of the wardrobe, rubbing her cheeks thoughtfully. She pulled out a royal tunic. And I gaped.

It was unlike anything I had ever worn, higher than even Susan's standards. It was mahogany, with hints of scarlet woven into the fabric. The buttons were laurel leaves and, I suspected, were of gold. The embroidery might as well have been from a different world, with its intricate designs and stupendous and augustly delicate woven threads, as thin as the hair on my head. I closed my mouth when I realised the girls were giggling at me again, and told them that I was fully capable of dressing myself. When they frowned, I shooed them out and they followed each other like sheep.

I briefly considered trying to escape again, but twice I had done that, and both resulted in my near death. And now, when the whole Nation was awaiting me at the mouth of the ship, I was hardly equipped or even had strength enough to fight, or balance enough to sneak away.

I sighed.

Getting up from the bed, I realised I wasn't wearing a shirt. Again. I trilled my lips and opened the wardrobe, fetched myself a shirt, and dressed. There was a mirror at my disposal and I scrutinised my reflection. Susan would have swooned to see such a scene. I smiled and stomped my feet on the ground. I needed boots. And a new pair of trousers.

"Like it?" Selene's voice said.

I froze. And then turned towards the door. "No," I lied.

"I like it," she said, and threw at me the trousers and boots. She left, giggling.

I scoffed and dressed again.

When I stepped out, I almost ran back in. At least a hundred people had gathered, on the ship. I wondered how many were waiting at the docks. Someone helped me in a silk coat as I walked forward, trying to ignore the judging eyes. My boots clacked rhythmically with the ground and I swallowed a thick lump. Then Kaios suddenly appeared through the crowd. I moved away from him but he grabbed my arm forcefully, beginning to drag me in the opposite direction of the path I was heading in.

"Going that way, people assumed you were planning on drowning yourself again," he said. I tried to shake free without attracting too much attention. "You didn't think once, did you? Not of your Kingdom."

"Shut up," I warned.

"So weak." I gritted my teeth, still trying to shake free. "I don't know what she sees in you."

"Neither do I," replied I.

He laughed.

Presently, we were descending the ramp that led to the wooden platform, extended above the shallow waters of the sea. The crowd here was, as I had expected, thicker and larger. But there were dispersed clusters, hushed and amused whispers ringing in my ear, the smell of freshly caught fish tincturing the air. I grimaced in disgust and Kaios practically pushed me down the rest of the way. The ramp ended abruptly, and my feet, expecting a raised ground, stumbled when they touched the lower platform instead. My leg twinged. I was steadied by sturdy hands and looked up to find Aviso's face.

I backed instantly and he withdrew his hands, scowling in abhorrence. Kaios grabbed my arm again, and I suddenly remembered I was not a guest but a prisoner, albeit valued. And he was ensuring I wouldn't escape. His grip was bruising and I urged him to loosen it but he only smirked crookedly. Then suddenly, the crowd thinned, the people collected in one corner, clearing a path.

And I heard Selene's voice shriek in a distance, "Uncle!"

When the wooden platform ended, and we set foot on the sandy ground, I caught a glimpse of Selene hugging an old man fiercely. But then I was shoved into a carriage. The horses whinnied and the door shut simultaneously.

The carriage was square, very large, furnished, and the wood polished and painted in dark brown on the inside. The seats were cushioned, and the fur decorating the headboards was sleek and glossy. There was a seat in front of me and two on either side. This might have been someone's room all the same. My brother's amused laughs echoed in my ear. Selene's voice shrieked Malar's name.

The carriage remained unmoving.

And I, exasperated, knocked on the door.

It opened instantaneously and Kaios's head poked in. "What?"

"Wha—What exactly are you going to do with me?" I asked awkwardly.

"You are dressed in most formal of clothing, sitting in the most pleasant of carriages, and are being treated as nothing less than the King you are. Do you think we are going to kill you?" Kaios said, looking amused. He smiled and the skin around his crooked nose twitched oddly.

"No. I think—I know you are going to do something much worse."

Kaios smiled again. "Ah, yes. We're going to marry you."

The door shut.

Poor, dear brother of mine. What are you going to do now?

"Shut up," I told my brother and kicked the seat in front of me. The dust on my boot's sole stuck to the seat's fur. And I smiled, satisfied with myself.

Petty.

"Shut up, Ed. And you'd better hurry."

OOOO

Author's note: Finally, we've reached Galman shores. And the next chapters will take you through the landscape and it might help to visit my bio for more details on that. But it's just the geek in me talking. :-)

Response to P: And the desperation made him weak. It was another heavy theme discussed but I'd rather not ramble about it right now. And I can't swim either, so that makes two of us! Thank you for the review!

With love,
~Pacifia