Chapter Twenty-Six: Control

There were a lot of things Peter expected to come from the announcement that they were to be having an event at the Telmarine castle. He knew they were running the risk of having King Nain and Queen Aria's ire at having had come to create a treaty—to expand on the one that had existed previously—and then turn around and throw a celebration. He knew they were running the risk of having any enemies using the commotion of the celebration to attack them. He was aware of all those risks.

But he didn't expect, within the few days of the announcement, for Susan to come to him to talk about the agreement that she and Caspian had come up with. For her to say she wanted to become married to him to decrease the tensions between Narnia and Telmar.

It was good that she'd asked him to speak in private in the drawing room. Otherwise, the servants, knights, and others that were around would've heard his incredulous cry that was a mixture between laughter and incredulousness when she brought it up to him.

To her credit, Susan simply waited in Peter's silence as he worked to decipher the words just said to him. Finally, he lowered the book he had been reading and raised his eyebrows toward his sister. "Excuse me?" He said, blinking rapidly. "What did you say?"

Susan tipped her head to the side, slightly shaking her head. "I know you heard me, Peter."

"I did," Peter agreed. His eyebrows came together. "I just don't think you're being serious." It was Susan's turn to lift an eyebrow. "You're being serious."

"Do you truly think I would joke about something about this?"

"I don't know, Su, you're suggestion that we play games to guess the root words and definitions from a dictionary really made me wonder about your joking skills." Peter smiled as Susan glared at him, planting her hands on her hips. He was never going to let that die. After the brief moment passed, he shook his head. "But that's different then getting married."

"Who said anything about getting married?"

"Uh, you just did?"

Susan stepped closer to Peter's desk as he leaned back in his seat, folding his arms. "I merely suggested that Caspian and I form a sort of union to show Telmar that, under Caspian's rule, Narnia and Telmar can work together peacefully."

"From what I'm hearing, you're telling me you want to get married."

Susan bobbed her head. "It's a political union," she said after a taking in a long breath. She pursed her lips, starting to speak with her hands as she explained to her brother. "It'd be something that'd really help Narnia as it would Telmar. The people need to see that things work well under Caspian's rule. There are those that are still questioning his rule."

"There's always going to be people questioning his rule, even if it weren't for Miraz. Don't you remember our initial reign?" Peter shook his head. "No matter what good we did, there were people who were opposed to us. And I'm sure there still are, we've already experienced it because of the betrayal they felt when we left. We have to think of them, too. Telmar hurt the Narnians as much as it hurt its own people due to the invasions."

"So you understand how it's going to help if we come together in unison."

"Su—"

"It's not like I have to ask your permission."

"So you're telling me you're getting married to Caspian?"

"Are refuting this as my brother or as king?"

"High King." Peter corrected her. He responded to her annoyed glance with a quirked eyebrow. "Are you telling me this as my sister or as queen?"

"At this point I don't think there's a difference, honestly." Susan lifted her chin. "You seem to be pompous in both roles."

"Deciding against something for my sister—"

"—I'm a queen—"

"—Doesn't make me pompous," Peter continued as if Susan' hadn't spoken. Which made her lips purse and her eyes squint. Though he couldn't help but listen to her concern. It wasn't always difficult for him to separate his job of being the High King from being a brother…but how many people liked to hear that their little sister was suddenly speaking about getting married.

Even if for political reasons.

Not that he didn't notice Caspian's and Susan's chemistry. He had noticed it, couldn't ignore that kiss. It made his stomach turn in a way. (What sibling wanted to see their sibling kiss someone?) But it wasn't his business, Susan's life was her own. Just as it was when they were older once upon a time. He'd been happy, watching all his siblings grow up and fall in love and start their own lives, same for Brielle. They were all happy when she and Edmund's best friend, Lord Paladin had started their lives together.

They were all family, it was working out well for them…then they left…

Now they had to deal with the fallout. The thought wasn't lost on him, Susan was trying to do what she thought was right. What she thought would help. But…the load wasn't something she needed to bear on her own.

"And what do you think you're doing, boy?" Peter shook, hearing Maugrim's voice shuffle through his thoughts. His whipped around, his eyes scanning the room. "You're putting all of this on yourself…you always have to be the protector…how well did that turn out last time?"

"Peter?" Susan eyed her brother curiously, noticing his odd, quick movement.

Peter didn't respond.

His blue eyes continued to shift over the room, looking for the cause of the voice. Of the ghost haunting him from his past. "How well do you think it's going to turn out this time?"

"Peter!"

Peter snapped his attention back to Susan. He blinked at her for a moment then took a deep breath. "Look," he said, holding up his hands. They trembled slightly. "Why…don't we hold off on any big decisions like that and…focus on the task at hand. Get the celebration set up and we'll handle things after that."

"And if something happens?" Susan pressed. Peter thought for a moment. In the silence, Susan crossed the room and placed her hand on Peter's shoulder, pressing her fingers firmly into him. Grabbed his attention. "There's a very good chance that they're going to take advantage of our lack of attention with this party—"

"—And I've already got a plan in place for that," Peter broke in. He reached up his hand to grasp Susan's, squeezing it in his before gently brushing it off his shoulder. "Edmund and I already have knights and guards with their orders to protect the castle, patrols being sent…"

"Isn't that something you think all of us should've known about?" Susan interrupted. "Not just you and Edmund?"

Peter let out a low, exasperated cry and ran his hands through his hair. "I'm simply trying to keep everyone safe, Su. Is there something wrong with that?"

Susan eyed her brother closely. "Only when you push everyone away." With that, she turned toward the door. "I'll let Lucy know what you and Ed have come up with. We'll revisit the conversation about Caspian later. I have my own duties to attend to before the event."

Peter sucked in a deep breath through his nose, noticing his sister's snipe. Was she being a queen or a sister then? Not that it was difficult to figure out.

"A little sibling rivalry going on there?"

"Shut up!" Peter slapped his hands over his ears. Focused on his breathing before he was sure the voice was gone from his head. When he was sure it faded, he strode out of his room and turned toward the knight guarding the door. The knight looked surprised to see him, then turned his attention back to face the front.

"Is there anything I can do to help you, my liege?" The knight asked.

"Is there anyone who has the time to spar with me?" Peter asked after a moment of thought. "I need to get some training in…" his eyes shifted for a moment, ignoring the memory that came to mind of when he drove the sword into Maugrim's chest. "To ensure I'm ready for anything that may be coming toward us."

"Of course." The knight nodded once. "I'll be sure to get someone ready for you."

"Thank you."

He really needed to work out some of his excess energy and hate…and the darkness that seemed to be creeping in on him the moment he thought of Maugrim, the moment the wolf's voice came to his head. He had to be on his top game, no one else could be hurt. He'd already been caught off guard when he went to Cair Paravel, he wasn't going to be caught off guard again.

Cair Paravel had been his safe space, not just for him, for all of him. It was shattered in an instant, when the Calormens had caught him off guard, then they'd stormed Anvard…and now…they had the potential to come after Telmar. It was what he expected, and he needed to be prepared.

He would never find himself caught off-guard again.

Brielle met the servants at the front gate to Telmar, looking over the groceries and goods that were being brought into the castle walls, studying the faces that were helping. It was starting to worry her a bit, how they hadn't been able to see the Calormens that had attacked Peter. And that she hadn't been able to see when they'd attacked Anvard. She hadn't been able to see the Calormen that tried to kill her…ironically when she was trying to kill Peter. She hated being so out of control, especially when there was so much at stake.

She had Peter right in her hands at that point, he was putty and she couldn't do it. Why couldn't she do it? Why was she being stopped every time? It's not like it was even that hard; she'd rammed swords and other weapons into the bodies of Telmarines just fine when it came to taking down Miraz. Why was it that she was hesitating so much now? Vincent and Silas were questioning her enough, the last thing she needed was to question herself just as much.

She was a witch, she had magic at her disposal, it should be easy.

Brielle smiled as Rosie and Roman, quickly becoming bored with having to help move things back and forth from the horses to the kitchen, grabbed onto Brielle's hands and dragged her into the kitchen, where the bakers were moving as quickly as they could, throwing doughs back and forth, puffs of flour flying through the air.

Brielle grasped a few cookies off a tray that had been finished and snuck them to the two, who grabbed them with wide eyes, chewing quickly, as if afraid it'd be taken away. The sadness panged through Brielle's chest as she watched them…they had no one else. Their mother and father had worked themselves to the bone, their tiredness making them susceptible to the sickness that had swept through the lands, eventually making them orphans. Their livelihoods were always watched by all the other servants and Brielle had a special place in her heart for them.

It was hard to watch, knowing they weren't going to have very much to live for once they became of age. They'd continue to be servants unless they married rich or found another kingdom to prove their talents to, moving up in the ranks. Until then, they were one of the bright spots of her day, and she'd do anything to keep them from harm.

Which is why Brielle decided against poisoning any of the food—once again. There were too many things that could go wrong, too many things at stake. Besides, the servants and cooks took their jobs seriously, knowing any little thing going wrong would cast suspicion on them and potentially make them lose their livelihoods wasn't something Brielle would be able to stomach.

She needed to take matters into her own hands.

And the only way that'd work is if she could get Peter alone. There were already whispers going around the castle that the Calormens may attack when they had their celebration, so what better way to have an attack happen when they were already expecting it? The blame would be put on the Calormens and she'd be in the clear.

The thought alone, knowing she'd finally be able to succeed, made her smile. She patted Rosie and Roman on the head before leaving the kitchen, taking a path directly back into the castle. There were other things she had to watch over; the servants getting the room ready, getting the list of invites from Lucy, ensuring there was space for everyone in the village who wanted to come, balancing the budget after the purchase of food.

A lot that needed to be done.

Nevertheless, she stopped upon passing a window and seeing Peter in the garden, sparring with a knight. Even from how high up they were over the garden, she could hear the clanging of the swords coming together, could hear the screams of effort from the King and the Knight. Could see the knight starting to tire under Peter's onslaught against him.

"Now would be a good time to make a move…no one else is around…"

The words had barely left her head by the time Brielle's feet were moving, propelling her down toward the garden. She arrived just as Peter instructed for the knight to get some rest. "Good morning," Brielle greeted him as sweetly, as charmingly as she could. Peter turned her way, his face a perfect expression of concentration before he, seemingly, recognized her and smiled.

"Good morning," he replied, wiping at his brow. "How are you?"

"I'm doing well." She gestured toward the castle. "I have the servants getting everything set up for the celebration." She clasped her hands together. "Lucy has really outdone herself this time, I'm sure everyone's going to have a lovely time."

A smile came to Peter's lips. "I saw the servants coming in from the village, did they gather enough food?"

"Yes, we should have enough provisions."

"Not missing any of the desserts or anything?"

Brielle blinked. "I'm…sorry I'm not sure I understand…?"

Peter gestured toward his face. "You have some sugar or…" he reached out and brushed off her cheek, studying the offending object. "Flour on you."

"Oh!" Brielle reached up and brushed off her cheeks, finding them warm. "I may have snuck one or two to Rosie and Roman."

"Are you sure you didn't indulge in anything yourself?"

Not yet. Brielle merely smiled in response then turned her attention to the sword in his hand. "Are you getting some training done?" She lifted an eyebrow. "Don't you think you're being a little…paranoid? We don't know for sure that anything's going to happen at the party."

"And we don't know that anything won't," Peter reminded her, voice turning harsh with stubborn. "It's better to be overprepared than underprepared."

"Paranoid."

Peter rolled his eyes, Brielle smiled.

She walked over to the sword the knight left, running her fingers over the hilt. "Do you mind a little company?" Peter's eyebrows shot upwards. "I'm getting a little rusty and it's like you said, you can't be overprepared."

After a moment's thought, Peter nodded and swung his sword back up into his palm. "It has been a while since you've had any practice," he drawled. "But don't worry, I'll go easy on you."

Brielle hummed, smacking her sword into her palm. The weight was different than the weapon she typically used when following the Pevensies into battle, a chain sickle, but it'd work out for sparring. She turned back to him, shifting the sword into her hands in the proper form. "I could say the same to you," she replied.

She was almost knocked over, caught off guard with how quickly Peter had advanced on her. The only downside to consistently love wearing dresses, she supposed. She almost completely lost her footing but managed to keep herself upright and respond with a slash back towards his sword, knocking him back.

She saw Peter's eyes narrow slightly when he stepped back. He tightened his grasp on his sword and started toward Brielle again. She found herself nearly knocked to the ground, balance thrown off when he'd come from her weaker side and with a strength she'd hadn't felt since fighting the Telmarines in Miraz's castle. She knew he was holding back, but his strength still surprised her. He was still recovering from his injuries of his ambush and yet he still had that much strength within him?

This is going to be harder than I thought.

Brielle adjusted her fighting a little, relying on her speed to enhance her defense, in turn working on her offense, so that Peter had to work harder. He slowed down a little, having had exerted a lot of energy against the knight. Brielle understood; the knight was a man, they were able to exert and take a bit more power, but she was more powerful than he thought. The weight of her brooch striking against her throat reminded her, the image of watching Susan taken down multiple of Miraz's followers simply from throwing an arrow into them reminded her.

She was stronger than he knew, but…she had to play the part…to ensure things would play out nicely.

Finally, Peter slashed toward her once more, but Brielle ducked the other way and she swung up her sword, blocking him. Their faces were close to each other, breaths puffing in each other's faces as they worked to catch their breath.

"I guess we're even then?" Brielle asked, looking directly into his blue eyes, chest heaving.

Peter pressed his lips together in a smile. "I guess we are." He lowered his sword and thrust his hand out toward her. Brielle glanced at his hand and, instead of grabbing it, took a step back and did a deep curtsey toward him, head bent. She looked up at him through his fringe, noticing his gaze dart toward the front of her dress before up to her face then toward the sky as he rolled his eyes.

He rolled his eyes harder, smiled even further when Brielle popped up and added nonchalantly, "But next time I'm sure I'll kick your ass."

A surprised laugh escaped Peter in almost a bellow. "You sound a little too excited for that."

"How'd you know?"

"Peter?"

Peter and Brielle both turned to see Lucy standing nearby them, hands clasped together. She looked like she was trying—and failing—to keep her face from splitting open into a wide smile. "You're wanted in the castle. There's been some correspondence for you. It's very important."

"Thank you, Lu." Peter took both swords, bowed to the two and left the garden. Lucy watched her brother go, hair bouncing around her face with the speed that she turned her head back and forth, and moved up to Brielle's side.

"My brother has quite obvious feelings for you," she confided.

Brielle glanced at Lucy and shrugged, keeping the giddiness that was working slowly through her body from showing.

A/N: Whew, took me a while to get back to this (again) but here we are! Oh, I can't wait for you all to see what I have planned! There are a good amount of fighting scenes that are coming soon that I'm really excited for you guys to get to as well as pushing more towards what Dulcea's predictions meant for the Pevensies and Brielle and, of course, the rest of the Pevensies' reactions to Susan's and Caspian's potential politically driven marriage.

Cheers,

-Riles