Chapter Three

Brielle pursed her lips as she watched Peter's reaction from beneath her half-lidded eyes. Worked to do her best to keep her face neutral. To make sure there was nothing to prove she was, in fact, watching his every move. Brielle watched Peter jerked awake, eyes flying wide open, before he shifted to face the window, bringing a hand up to run through his hair. Then he rested his hands in his lap. Sat up straight.

She could practically see the 'regal air' that shifted over him, the same way he and the rest of his siblings changed when they were suddenly in the presence of anyone but their family and Caspian. When they were able to let their guards down, they were truly their age, truly siblings. Bickered and poked fun, did everything they could to get on each other's nerves and tease about the little things going on in their lives that could be used for blackmail later. But when there was someone else around; a messenger, a knight, a lady-in-training, a peasant, servant, anyone who wasn't close enough to know even their closest secrets, they'd immediately put on an almost haughty air that would make the interrupter shy away.

But after a dream like that, she expected him to be falling apart. Balling his eyes out. Begging for forgiveness for his transgressions. Not acting as if everything was fine.

This king was stronger than she gave him credit for.

Brielle's eyes narrowed slightly, almost slamming shut. Didn't close completely, she couldn't let her guard down like that. Brielle did her best not to bare her teeth, not wanting any question of what sort of dream she was having if anyone looked at her too closely. Worry about her if they paid too much attention to the tension in her jaw. They were already too invested in her past with Silas and Vincent, no matter how hard over the years she tried to keep the two parts of her life separate.

Brielle glanced at the others, who were still fast asleep. Even more soundly than she thought she'd put Peter under. An off-shoot of her powers that she hadn't quite anticipated. (And proved she had more work to do to get it right). Brielle could only imagine—if they were to take up in that moment—what sorts of dreams they thought she had from the look on her face.

Even though Brielle's dreams, the sweetest ones, were the ones where she watched Peter's life slip from his eyes.

And she was on her way to making that dream a reality. The dream she projected to him was supposed to have psychologically tortured him. Left him a quivering mess. So how was he now so calm? A dream like that would've made even the strongest of the strong wet their pants and run off, screaming like a banshee.

Brielle sighed quietly and turned her head the other way, to mask the frustration that was seconds away from bubbling up. If her reflection in the window was any indication, one slip of her pent-up emotions and she'd probably blow the whole carriage sky high.

At least, she thought ironically, it'd make my plan work faster than the way its already going.

Especially if things continued to work out the way they did when she used her powers. It wasn't every day that she got to use her familiar to work out on her powers. It was just as well that the only way for her to get stronger was if she had her familiar by her side.

And she would have.

If Peter hadn't killed Maugrim so long ago.

-A/N: I didn't intend this chapter to be so short, but it's the way things worked out. What's happening next would've just slowed things down a little bit. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed it and if you're still confused, let me know and I'll try to make things clearer for you.

Cheers,

-Riles