Again
"The one who stands firm to the end will be saved" ~ Matt. 10:22b
"Again."
Peter hated the sound of that word. The sweat on his forehead trickled down the sides of his face, but his hands, full of his sword and shield, strained to block blows and deal damage, and he could not stop. He could scarcely breathe, till the moment Sir Peridan knocked him down, the ground blowing his breath out of his lungs, and he lay there gasping. Sir Oreius' face appeared in the middle of the blue sky above him.
"Again."
Peter heard the rustling sound of feathers and the woosh of air as wings spread wide, and looked up to see Cleargaze the Eagle landing in his open window. Peter had been expecting him, as he always did each spring when the Giants on the north border grew restless, but there was always the hope that this year…
"They're at it again?" Peter asked, tone quiet.
Cleargaze nodded. "They've been pulling up trees and making clubs, and those with helmets have been polishing them."
Peter looked at the map of Narnia on the top right corner of his desk. "Once more we go to war."
"I am sorry to bring such news, my King," Cleargaze said, bowing his feathery head. "Again."
"'Tis not your doing, but theirs."
The Eagle lifted his head and met the gaze of his king, the two tired soldiers firming their resolve, their determination, to fight through rock, mud, pain, and blood.
Again.
"Peter, I do not want to have this conversation with you again."
"Then perhaps you should have listened to all the other times we had it. Mum and Dad set the rules. You have to obey them."
"I'm an adult."
"You're pretending to be one. A real adult has a sense of responsibility."
"That's rubbish when it comes from someone still playing children's games."
Peter kept a hold on his temper, though it was a near thing. "One argument at a time is enough to deal with; I will not discuss Narnia with you now. You will be home by eleven, and you will remember that your parents are still your parents, no matter how old you get."
"I'll remember that if I make my own decisions I'll have to sit through another lecture of yours." Susan picked up her hat and set it on her head. "Don't wait up for me again."
Peter knew he would. He knew he would wait, asking Aslan for help, for her safety, for wisdom, each long hour till she returned.
Again.
He'd known frustration, anger, hurt, and an overwhelming desire to yell when he'd fought with Edmund, before Narnia. He'd never wanted to wage war on a sibling again.
Now he didn't have a choice.
"Susan isn't coming."
"Again," Peter said with a tired sigh.
Lucy slipped her arms through both of her brothers'. "Let's go pray with Aunt Polly and the Professor."
"Ed, look out!" Peter hissed, grabbing for the ladder and pulling it back against the wall. Edmund, instead of flailing, held tight to the ladder's edges, trusting his brother.
Peter, sitting on top of the wall, held it steady while Edmund climbed, and then the two of them wordlessly pulled it up and over, setting it down on the other side. Edmund grinned at Peter. "Saved me again." Peter let out the breath he'd been holding.
"I'll hold it while you go down."
"I'll hold it at the bottom," Ed said, disappearing. Peter watched. He had not missed that—that moment of panic when he saw his brother in harm's way. He had thought he had done with most of those moments, now that the Great Wars were over. He did not enjoy reliving it once more.
Finally, finally, Peter saw Aslan again. The Great Lion had Peter shut the door, run with the Narnians, and find the Narnia that was true, and live eternally with all the people Peter had ever loved. And, in addition to all that, Aslan had given Peter another precious promise. "All evil is finished," the Lion had said, resting His great, warm forehead against Peter's. "You will never need to fight evil in enemy, sibling, or yourself ever again."
A/N: This one might have gotten away from me a bit. But perseverence isn't a trait that is applauded much in American culture—at least, not compared to what I heard in Japan—but it's a very Biblical virtue, and I wanted to write something about it. Not 100% happy with how it came out; but there will be a day when truth is so evident that doing what is right won't be a struggle. We will have persevered to the end, and the end will be good.