"Ed." Peter choked, his eyes wide as his hand continued to get soaked in blood.
"Pete." Was all Edmund replied with, squeezing his eyes shut and flinching.
After a moment or two Peter seemed to pull himself together and stood from the bed, grabbing his brother and pulling him into his arms.
Edmund let out a groan followed by a quiet whimper as he buried his face against Peter's neck, taking deep breaths and trying his hardest to ignore the agonising pain from his stomach.
"It's alright Ed." Peter murmured in his brothers ear as he left the room. "I'm gonna get you to the healers alright?"
Edmund managed to nod slowly, wincing when Peter walked down a flight of stairs, biting down hard on his lip to keep back a scream.
"Oh Ed," Peter choked. "I know, I know it hurts, just bare with me, you're gonna be alright.. I promise."
Edmund let out a quiet sob, trying his hardest to stay awake, knowing Peter would probably have a panick attack if he passed out... he was already panicking enough as it was.
It took almost two minutes to get to the healers, and by this point Peter could feel the heat of Edmund's skin against his neck, could feel the sweat on his brothers forehead, and worst of all, could feel the blood dripping down and landing on his trousers. "It's alright Ed." He murmered when Edmund let out something between a gasp and a sob. "We're here, you're gonna be okay... Somebody help!" He screamed.
Two fauns looked up from where they'd been sat at a table talking, and when they saw the sight in front of them, they stood up and rushed over.
"What happened?" The first one asked even as Peter lay his brother on the nearest bed.
"There was a hag." Peter choked, gripping Edmund's hand. "She - She had a knife-" He stopped, unable to go on, but the fauns understood.
"Don't worry sir." The second one said. "You're brothers gonna be alright, we'll sort this out."
Peter took a deep breath. "Thank you." He choked.
"But you are gonna have to leave the room."
Peter froze, shaking his head. "No." He whispered.
"Sir, the less people crowding your brother, the quicker we can get this done." The faun said as a centaur walked out a neaby door and made straight for the bed. "This is serious and if we aren't careful King Edmund will bleed out."
Peter swallowed hard and glanced at his brother, seeing his shirt absolutely drenched in blood, his own blood. His chest rose and fell quickly, and it was clear he was having trouble breathing properly. The very thought of leaving him made Peter panick... but he knew it was the best thing to do. "Alright." He choked. "I'll leave."
"Thank you, sir." The faun said, bowing his head, and Peter was all of a sudden glad that this faun still trusted Edmund, instead of hating him and believing he tried to murder their High King.
"What about Lucy's cordial?" Peter said suddenly, eyes going wide.
"Save it for more serious injuries your majesty." The faun replied gently.
"But - But you said this is serious." Peter choked.
The faun shook his head. "It is, but it can easily be fixed without magic." He said. "Save the cordial for when it's truly needed."
Peter hesitantly nodded before kneeling down beside his brother. "You're gonna be okay Ed." He whispered in his brothers ear. "I'm just gonna step outside for a while, but I promise you're gonna be fine."
Edmund's head fell to the side until he was facing his brother, worry in his eyes. "P - Pe-" But he couldn't say anymore.
Swallowing hard, Peter placed a kiss to Edmund's burning forehead before standing and letting go of his hand.
Hesitating just slightly, he left the room, trying his hardest not to look back.
Once he was out and the door shut properly, he collapsed into one of the nearby window seats, leaning heavily against the cushions and taking deep breaths to calm himself.
The whole time he sat there, he just kept telling himself that Edmund was going to be fine, that he was safe, but that still didn't completely rid the worry.
Around half an hour later Susan and Lucy arrived, Susan looking frantic and Lucy looking so worried it broke Peter's heart.
"We heard what happened." Susan choked. "Is he alright?"
Peter took a deep breath. "The healers said he's gonna be fine." He choked, sighing a little when Lucy sat beside him and buried her face against his shoulder. "That's good." She murmered. "But, what about my cordial?"
"They said that he'd be alright without it Lu." Peter replied quietly. "And to save it for more serious injuries."
Lucy nodded but didn't say anything else.
"Peter." Susan mumbled sadly after a moment. "You're covered in blood."
Peter took a deep breath and glanced down at his hands, which were indeed stained red, one more than the other though. His trousers were also stained in patches, and the front of his tunic was smeared in it.
The very sight caused him to let out a quiet sob, squeezing his eyes shut and only opening them again when Susan placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Why don't you go and clean up?" She suggested.
Peter quickly shook his head. "I can't leave." He said quickly.
"Me and Lucy will stay right here Peter." Susan sighed. "Ed's gonna be fine."
But Peter just shook his head again. "I can't leave Susan." He choked. "I wanna be here when they've finished."
Susan sighed. "At least wash your hands." She said. "I'll get you a bowl of water?"
Peter nodded. "Thanks." He breathed, giving Susan a grateful half smile.
Susan smiled back before heading off down the corridor, wiping at her eyes as she did.
Peter sat there with Lucy for another minute or two before the door opened and a faun stepped out.
Peter stood quickly, Lucy standing beside him. "So?" Peter asked, hope in his voice.
The faun took a deep breath. "We managed to stop the bleeding sir." He said. "The wound has quite a bit of healing to do, but your brother's gonna be fine."
Hope you liked this chapter xx And thank you for all the reviews!