A Heart of Ice

Disclaimer: I own nothing. CS Lewis and his estate own Narnia, and all her people. I'm just borrowing, and will give them back as and when.

~{I}{I}{I}~

It seems impossible. Even now, as I watch him slowly mount the executioner's block, I cannot believe it of him. Sorrow-filled eyes rise to meet mine, but I cannot meet them. Never again, never again will I trust him. How can I, after all this? Now she is gone; gone to the wind and the rain and… - no. Still. Stoic. Uncaring. You must not show your weakness. Not to him, not to anyone. Aslan help me, please forgive the sin I am about to commit….

The drums begin to roll, thumping out a threatening beat. I feel ill; everything within me is screaming; wrong, wrong, wrong. I look to the side – there she is, my only sibling now, her eyes straight forward. She has not cried since that first day, and I have followed her example. We lean on each other in this family – but no longer. She and I are alone; the cold King, and the frozen Queen. How ironic; all things considered. A wary sigh escapes my lips, and I turn, nodding sharply to my left. One of Oreius's' trusted men, a centaur of great stature, his tail flickering in the breeze, holds a magnificent sword, as he steps forward, onto the platform. My brother remains quiet, apparently steeling himself.

"Brother, you have been sentenced to die for treason, for murdering our own beloved Queen Lucy," Susan's voice does not shake as it has these past months, and I feel pride sweep through me. She takes another breath, and speaks again. "Do you have anything to say?" Our brother raises his head, meeting her eyes. Susan's breath draws in sharply, and she glares at him.

"I have accepted the punishment your majesties grant me, and wish you only to know-"

"That is quite enough," Susan interrupts. She turns to me, stepping behind a little. "It is up to you, brother. You must give the word." She frowns as I do not answer. "Peter? Peter!" I stare blankly ahead, my mind tumbling back, back into the past, back into where this all began…

[i][i][i]

I had never thought the day would come when I would fear my own flesh and blood, but as I looked into the eyes of my only brother, then down at the destruction that he had caused, I could not help but give a shiver of fear. We had done so much for each other; been so much to each other… that he could even do something like this was unthinkable. So unthinkable, in fact, that I had utterly ignored all the warning signs.

Dark magic was not unknown in Narnia – indeed, we had suffered a hundred year winter at its hands, but to think of it here, in the very heart of Cair Paravel… the idea was unnerving, terrifying. My only brother raised his eyes to meet mine, and swallowed hastily, quickly darting his gaze away once more. He could not look at me, it seemed. And apparently, he could not look at his own destruction. The very ground seemed to have hushed as the silence stretched between us, with him waiting for… something, and me just standing there, watching. Footsteps sullied the air, and our sister burst through the door, calling for me. She glanced at our brother, about to say something when her eyes fell upon the very cause for my fear, and his guilt. Swiftly, without thinking, I pulled her into my arms before she could get any closer – I was already beginning to see him as an enemy, and he would not take another from me.

My gaze turned to the horror before us, my soul shuddering at the sight of our once laughing sister; frozen forever, it seemed. A slight hint of hope stammered in my chest, whispering that Aslan could help, that Aslan had helped in the past. I ignored it; that was not the issue. Yes, we would find help, and she would be restored again… but the issue now was my brother. Steeling my heart, I turned, seeing one of the leopards, Alrex, nearby. "Send for the General," I ordered, and he nodded, bowing before scampering off, his tail quivering just a little.

"What happened?" Susan began, trying bravely to understand. I shook my head, tightening my grip on her just a little as she attempted once more to flee to our frozen sister, afraid the magic might find her, too.

"Unfreeze her," I stated instead, glaring at our brother. He shook his head, looking miserable and wretched, his eyes lowered.

"I don't know how."

"Do it, brother. Or face the punishment for treason," He flinched at that, and swallowed, raising his head and finally meeting my eyes once more, his expression pleading.

"I don't know how. I don't know how I… I don't understand how I…" He trailed off, giving a sob as his face contorted and he looked once again at Lucy. "Aslan, - He began, but I raised a hand.

"Do not speak His name, you have no right." I snarled. He flinched once more as though I'd struck him, and I lowered my hand, keeping my grip on Susan. Silence resumed, and I watched our brother as he tried to speak, but failed. Instead, he slid into a kneel, murmuring a prayer to Aslan, whispering it over and over again. I could not listen – would not listen. Aslan, surely, would not heed.

What seemed like hours later, and he was enchained, as our General marched him from the room. I watched, numb, as Susan moved over to the ice sculpture that was our youngest sister, barely able to murmur a mutter of protest as she reached forward, touching the statue's cheek. The statue exploded, a thousand shreds covering the floor as all that was left of Lucy Pevensie, Valiant Queen of Narnia disappeared and fled into the air, eventually falling messily onto the ground. Susan gave a choked sob, and turned, fleeing from me and the room, the door crashing after her.

I slid to my knees, trying to gather courage, to gather strength. Trying desperately to understand how this could have happened, how our brother could have become thus. After a long, heavy breath of moments, I stood, squaring my shoulders, and leaving the room, ordering the door to be closed and locked behind me.

Hearing a door slam somewhere upstairs, I closed my eyes briefly. Susan would have to be talked to – I didn't know whether she would blame me for this, or Edmund or… well, who knew? But we needed to be a united front, we needed to stand strong. Forcing back personal emotions, I began to move towards the stairs that led up to our personal rooms, when Oreius came in, looking wary and irked. I turned, frowning. "General?"

"Sire, your brother has escaped. I don't know how, I swear, he was enchained tighter than a-"

"Alright, alright." I barked out, raising a hand to stop him in his words. The General looked a little sheepish, and pawed the ground in an unusually nervous streak. I frowned, feeling guilt twinge in me. "I'm sorry, that was harshly said, General. My apologies, if you will take them."

"Gladly, sir. But your Highness, your brother has escaped; we await your orders as to how to proceed." I frowned, thinking for a moment, then sighing.

"There is no other option, we must follow him, and bringing him back here to be tried. We can't allow this to happen again, Oreius." I flinched at the surprised look I got, and sighed. "Yes, it's not the first time." I swallowed, hard. "But I have to protect Susan, and Narnia. I won't lose anyone else, General." The Centaur bowed his head, respectfully.

"I understand sire. I will have scouts sent out, and, will your Highnesses be joining us?" I nodded – Susan wouldn't be happy, but she didn't have a choice.

"Yes, please have someone ready our horses for us?"

"Of course, sire." Oreius bowed to me, before hurrying away. I swallowed hard, and moved upstairs to deal with Susan.

~[I}{I}{I}~

"I don't see why both of us must go," I forced back a sigh as I turned, raising an eyebrow at Susan, who, quite stubbornly, seemed to have refused to put on her travelling cloak and gloves. Instead, she still stood in a dress of dark red, her hair flowing down her back, eyes refusing to meet mine. Her hands trembled a little on the stair rail of the staircase she descended, and the tension between us was palatable. I took a slow breath, forcing back thoughts of a sarcastic retort, and raised my eyes up to her face.

"It's not safe for you to be here, Su," I tried to explain. It was a lie, truly, and I knew that Susan was well aware of it. The truth was, I wanted her with me. After all, she was all I had left now. She would have been safe enough in the Castle, especially with all the many Creatures that inhabited the Cair, but even so… I wanted her with me. Our world had been turned upside-down in what seemed like a Lion's Breath, and yet, Susan was standing there quite calmly, as though I were talking about taking tea with the Beavers.

"If that is the best you can do, Peter, then you really are rather hopeless." Susan tossed a hair defiantly over her shoulder, and I squared my shoulders. "Someone needs to guard the Cair; someone should stay here, in case…. Well, in case he returns. Who better than I? If you must insist on chasing after him, then I should stay here."

I opened my mouth, about to argue again when Oreius appeared, looking apologetic for interrupting us, but his features speaking of urgency. "Sire, Gentle Majesty, please forgive the interruption. But your Highness, we really must be going if your Majesty wishes to attempt to track the Traitor,"

"Don't call him that!" Susan's eyes were filled with tears, and she looked on the verge of crying. There was nothing worse than one of the girls crying, and I prayed she'd be able to keep them back, however selfish the thought was. I rested a hand against the hilt of my sword.

"Su, we have to face it. What he's done proves it. What other word would you have me use? Believe me, this is the kinder of them." I turned to Oreius. "General, Queen Susan will be staying here;" There was no reason to argue with her more, it was all rather clear that Susan wasn't going to back down. "Please, ask the Eagles to scout ahead, and call if they see him. We shall follow, shortly." The General nodded, and bowed, before speeding off to do as I commanded. Susan descended down the stairs a little, her eyes still full of tears as she placed a hand upon my arm.

"Peter, please! Won't you show mercy? We – we don't know what happened, we have no idea if he even meant to-"

"Stop it, Su." My voice was sharp, though shaking. "Do you really think I want this? We don't have a choice. First that family of birds; and now-". No. No, I couldn't say it. My voice cracked, and I turned my head away from my sister's pleading gaze. "The die is cast." I murmured. "We must let it fall as it will."

Susan shook her head, swallowing a sob. "I will not be a part of this, I refuse." She pulled her hand from mine, and began to move back up the stairs again, pausing near a curve in the staircase. "If you do this, Peter, it will follow you to your Grave and beyond. Aslan will not forgive you, do you hear me? And neither will I." With that, my sister fled up the final stairs, disappearing from sight.

[i][i][i]

Now, at the edge of the knife, I am hopeless. The coin is tossed; there is nothing more that can be done. A long time ago, we had promised to protect each other no matter what; to be each other's shield and sword… but what enemy can I fight? He is our enemy, he has created this fear. After everything, he of all people cannot expect us to simply ignore what has happened.

Still, though… This is my brother, and it hurts – oh, Aslan, it hurts – to do this.

Raising my head, I speak, my voice ringing out loud and clear. "On this day, the thirteenth of summer, we hereby sentence our once brother and King, Edmund Pevensie, to death, as the law stands. Edmund Pevensie, do you have anything you wish to say?" From where he stood, shackled, our brother simply shook his head. The breath caught in my throat, and I swallowed hard, nodding. "Very well. May Aslan grant you mercy in His eyes, and may you truly do penance for the wrongs you have done us."

With that, I turned, towards Merikh, a Centaur of Oreius's' clan. He nodded at my look, wielding the great sword he held, beginning to bring it down on my brother's head. I felt ill as I watched the sword descend, my body shaking a little, though I knew I had to watch until it was done. If nothing else, I owed it to Lucy. Still though, at the last minute, just as the blade reached Edmund's skin, I could not help but glance away, and in that second, a deafening roar filled the air, causing a shudder to pulse through the very ground we stood on.

I gasped, eyes flying open, half expecting to see the Great Lion there before me, but instead, I was left with the sight of Merikh, his sword broken beneath him, and our brother, the traitor, gone. Silence fell about the room, for a single moment, and then, chaos erupted.

Author's N: Thoughts and comments appreciated. Not sure whether to keep this as a one shot piece, or make it into a longer piece…