"Ed, Ed can I...would it be okay if I hug you?" Peter asked hesitantly, completely unsure of how to proceed.

Edmund just nodded and even though he tensed up when Peter first hugged him, he eventually relaxed into his brother's arms. "Pete, I'm scared," Edmund whispered nervously.

"What are you scared of?" Peter asked.

"I'm not scared of anything in particular. I just feel scared all the time. It feels like she's watching me all the time. It feels like people are judging me all the time and I'm worried someone will try to hurt me. I find myself forgetting she's gone and thinking I see her lurking somewhere. I'm scared you guys will realize I'm not worth it, and I'll be alone again. I'm scared that I'm going to be alone forever, but at the same time, I know that's what I deserve," Edmund whispered, no emotion in his voice.

"Oh, Edmund, I'm so sorry you've been going through this alone. I should've noticed sooner. You're not alone. Susan, Lucy, and I love you. We will always love you, Edmund, you're our brother. I've got you, Edmund. I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure you're never hurt again. You need sleep, and I need time to better collect my thoughts. I promise we'll talk more about this tomorrow, but for now, why don't you come back to the campsite with me and I'll stay up with you until you fall asleep. You have to promise me though, that you'll wake me up if you have a nightmare. You shouldn't have to be alone with your thoughts or nightmares, so wake me up and let me be there, let me help you. Do you think you can do that, Ed?" Peter asked gently.

"Peter, I don't want to bother you. You've already been through so much because of, do so much for me. I can't ask you to lose sleep because of me too," Edmund argued with a shake of his head.

"Edmund, you're not bothering me. I love you and I want to be there for you. I don't want you to feel alone, not ever. I want to protect you. I want to make sure you fall asleep, and I want to hear about your nightmares so that you don't have to bear that pain alone. Please, Edmund, promise me you'll wake me up if you have a nightmare?" Peter pleaded.

"Are you sure you'd be okay with that?"

"Yes."

"Okay, I'll wake you up if I have a nightmare," Edmund conceded.

"Thank you, now shall we head back to the campsite?" Peter asked as he rose to his feet and extended a helping hand to his brother. Edmund accepted the help and they started back to the camp.

Peter couldn't help but notice his brother was still noticeably shaking and although he was worried, he decided to let it be and instead of bringing it up, Peter slung his arm protectively over the smaller boy and they walked back in silence. Once they were back, Edmund lied down on his bedroll, and Peter sat next to him after throwing a few more logs on the fire so warm flames provided both warmth and a bit of light. After a few moments, when Edmunds's eyes were still open, Peter decided he had to intervene.

"Do you remember what dad would do if one of us had a nightmare and couldn't fall asleep afterward?" Peter whispered to his little brother.

"He would make me tell him about it and then he would sit with me, comfort me, and tell me a story until I fell asleep. Sometimes, I would even wake up to find him asleep on the floor next to my bed," Edmund answered in a soft whisper.

Peter smiled at the comforting memory. "Ya know, one time, when I was travelling to the moon," Peter started in a whisper imitating a crotchety old man, "I took a wrong turn and ended up in a strange land. This was a land where everything was different from what it is here. The flowers were black as night, the ground was as pink as cotton candy. The sky was orange like a permanent sunset. The people there walked on their hands everywhere they went. Purple rivers ran from the ground up into the sky. And while I was exploring this fantastical land, I met a friend. He had green hair long and sleek that ran from his scalp up to his ankles. When he asked why I wasn't bound by the laws of their lands, I told him about the land I came from. His eyes started glowing as yellow as the sun, and he told me of another visitor they'd had who come from the land like I was describing. He told me of her emerald eyes that were mysterious and enticing to him. He described her yellow hair that was cut shorter than his, falling just past her chin. He explained how she'd come to their land in search of somewhere exciting. She was exhausted by the mundane of her world and was looking for excitement. So they had adventures together. He explained how they'd climbed trees down into canyons. How they'd swapped stories with butterflies the size of the deer from her world. They swam rivers up to unprecedented heights only to jump out and enjoy the bounciness of the springy black earth.." Peter paused for a moment when he realized his younger brother had closed his eyes. His breathing hadn't deepened at all, however, so Peter continued the story. "When the two would watch sunsets, she was fascinated how the brilliant orange sky turned the most brilliant teal blue she'd ever seen. They'd once traveled through tunnels of the black earth surrounding a volcano and ended up looking up at the blood-red liquid splashing around above them. When they'd climbed an iceberg they learned much about life from the mama polar bear which the girl described as small as a puppy dog from her world, and then they met the mama bear's cubs which were even tinier and the girl spent hours playing with them and enjoying their company." Peter realized after a few more moments that his brother had drifted to sleep and so he also retired to his bedroll after he pulled it a little closer to the smaller boy.