JUST AND MAGNIFICENT
Volume 3: The Price We Pay For Love

3.8: Love Will Fall - Part 2 of 3

Most of Volume 3 of Just and Magnificent takes place in the 3-6years after the events of the movie. It is the last of three volumes. It is AU and if you haven't figured out, contains slash and incest. Hopefully you find it handled in a way that is as pure as possible.
Summary: Orrin leaves Narnia to join Peter in battle. Susan and Edmund continue to fight before. Peter fights Lejious.

Warnings: Slash, Incest, Love, Romance, Adventure, Mystery, Action.
Disclaimer: Only characters that are mine are the Pretty Eyes People from Shian! And since they're all dead except Orrin, well I only own him now! All the rest belong to that master of awesomeness, C.S. Lewis

JUST AND MAGNIFICENT 3.8 LOVE WILL FALL, PART 2

A DREAM OF LOVE, A FEARFUL THREAT FROM THE GENTLE TO THE JUST

Susan's dreams were filled with hope and love. Hope for a future that would be filled with the love she shared with her husband. Her mind flashed back to her wedding night that seemed a lifetime ago now. The northern pavilion had been spared no expense for her wedding. She could barely thank Peter for his efforts to make sure her day was nothing short of spectacular.

She stood in her wedding gown, a picture of beauty and elegance with the glow of love still etched on her rosy cheeks. She stood alone on the outdoor platform that was to be the main dancing area for the evening's celebrations. Her eyes cast across the floor to the dashing figure of her husband, Prince Orrin. He stood with a proud smile on his face, his chin up as he stared lovingly at Susan.

The couple crossed the floor to one another with Susan's smile unable to leave her face. Butterflies welled up in her stomach as she came ever closer to her husband to share the first dance of the night. Orrin held his hand out to Susan with a small bow.

"May I have this dance, Promised One?" asked Orrin with a smile.

Susan responded with a blush and a small smile of her own. Wordlessly the two slipped into a dance that all who watched would believe they had been dancing forever. Susan could not help but stare into the famously pretty eyes of her Shian husband, a family trait he shared with his sister. She found herself lost in love and the unbreakable hope of the future.

"I will always love you, Promised One." Orrin whispered with the intense surety that Susan loved him for, "Always."

The couple leaned in and shared a chaste kiss as the dance floor was filled with guests of all races, species and creeds. For Susan, there was no one else in that moment except herself and her husband. Yet as she closed her eyes and melted into their kiss, she felt his lips fade away from hers. She opened her eyes to find herself dancing alone.

The crowd of guests seemed to thicken as Susan turned desperately to search out her husband. She would catch glimpses of him in the crowd. She would see his figure stepping behind guests, but he was always out of reach. His eyes would meet hers and he would feign a sad smile before being obscured from view by more guests.

"Orrin?" Susan called out, forcing her way through the crowd.

Always he was out of reach or just out of sight. Susan felt suddenly claustrophobic as guests surrounded her and she could no longer catch any glimpse of her husband. With an anxious fear in her eyes, she called out for her husband, but realized she was alone.

Susan woke from her dream with an anxious gasp. She was surprised to find her chamber doors wide open and Edmund standing at the end of her bed. She was surprised to see him, but when she realized her bed was devoid of her husband, she soon realized his presence was somehow connected.

"Su … I've been informed by one of our gryphon that Orrin has left Cair Paravel."

"What?" asked a gobsmacked Susan, "Where is he?"

"I believe he has flown north … to Peter. I should have seen it when he spoke to me earlier."

"You should've seen it when you bloody well sentenced him as a criminal!"

Susan jumped out of bed, giving little care for her modesty before her brother. He turned away as she began changing without word into the armor Orrin had given her as a wedding gift. When she was finally changed and looking nothing like a gentle queen, but definitely a gentle queen, she walked straight past Edmund and out her chambers without a word.

"Su! Wait!" Edmund yelled as he ran out after Susan, "You're in no condition to go into battle."

"You suggest I wait here then?" Susan said with a raised eyebrow, her face devoid of any warmth for her brother, "For the Lone Islanders to invade Narnia? I played my part and defended the south from Calormen and my husband put an end to our war with them. As far as I can see, my task is complete. You on the other hand, have failed in all your attempts. Perhaps you should concentrate more on defending Narnia than speaking to someone who can barely stand the sight of you."

"Susan!" yelled a surprisingly fierce Edmund, "Orrin understands that I was bound by duty. He knows I abhorred having to sentence him or even charge him with a crime I never believed in. I am grateful he killed Rabadash and the Tisroc."

"Then you should have said so and stood up for him with more than just words, Edmund. You slight him, you slight me. That's how it works when you love someone and you're married to them. Now just get away from me, Edmund. Nobody is going to stop me from going after my husband."

"I think I know what he's doing, Su. Please just hear me out. If you're going to go regardless, then you should at least have an idea of what he's planning."

"Fine …" Susan sighed, her eyes still fixed away from Edmund.

"I have been having nightmares. Visions from him. He taunts me with visions of Peter dying in battle against him. He tells me love will fall. I told Orrin of these dreams and …"

"You told him? Why on earth would you do that?"

"Because he's my friend, maybe? Because he's my family now too, perhaps?" Edmund said with a surprising bite in his words, "Did you think maybe that's why?"

"Do you treat all your friends as well as you treat him? I see we will get nowhere with this conversation. What you're telling me is he intends to save Peter to restore his honor and my own, and perhaps because he cares enough about you to not want to see you suffer a life without Peter? Or perhaps he cares enough about Narnia, a country that shunned him, to risk his life to save their king? Is that what you're telling me?"

"Yes …" Edmund sighed, "It is."

Without any real indication it was about to come, Susan slapped Edmund so hard his head almost whip lashed to the right. He held his red cheek in surprise as Susan stared back at him. He could see she was ready to unleash another slap against him and prepared to deflect her blow, for he knew she packed quite a bit of strength when she was fiery.

"Feel free to slap me back, Edmund. I am not so fragile as you might think."

Surprisingly, Edmund did just that. He slapped Susan with as much force, if not much more as she had done to him. Yet as soon as he had, he stepped forward and tried to comfort her while cursing himself. Though she was dressed in armor that did much to hide her feminine side, she was still weaker than he. He had simply struck back on instinct, but Susan did not cry or whimper, for she had been through far more painful situations than a mere slap. She simply shoved Edmund away and raised her eyes to meet his. Her lip was split and her cheek a bright red, and Edmund's face contorted in regret.

"I suppose I deserved that." Susan said with a shiver, "You're much stronger than anyone else I've ever fought before."

"Susan, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I will never hit you again, I promise. I wasn't thinking."

"Relax." said Susan as she turned and began walking away, "We are even."

"Su, we must amend our differences. You're my sister. I love you. I do not wish for us to fight like this."

"I am leaving now to try and reach my husband before he does something stupid in my name. Unlike him, I care nothing for what other people think of our marriage or my name. It pales in comparison to having him by my side. If my husband has gone to ensure Peter survives your vision of his death, he will do so. I wish you the best in your battle to protect Narnia. It was stupid of me to consider abdicating my crown, for I love this country as much as you. Let us remember first and foremost that we are at war and we are still bound to protect our Narnia. I am taking Lucy with me. There will be many who will no doubt need her aid. We will take three gryphon wings and a detachment of royal guard."

"Very well." Edmund said with a small smile, hoping that this was a sign he and Susan were making amends, "Take whatever you need, Su."

"Edmund, one last thing."

"Yes, Su?"

"If I come back without my husband, I will hold you responsible for this, and I will wage war on your Order of Justice the likes of which you will never believe. And even if I do come back with him, I cannot see a time where I will truly forgive you for what you did to him. But perhaps that is just because I expected more from you. Goodbye, Edmund."

SERFIQ AND THE SHIAN

The battle against Lejious's army had raged on for days. Each day Peter had been forced to retreat. Each day Peter would mourn for the losses his army had suffered and form a strategy to fight the next day. Their victories had been few and far between, but enough to allow them to fight on.

Lejious himself had continued to evade Peter, but had inflicted massive damage on Peter's frontlines. Today however, the one who is many did not commit the entirety of his army to the battle. An insult of arrogance that made Peter's blood boil. Today Peter's army was not fighting the living portion of Lejious's army, but instead fought his fallen army. An army led by the fallen knight, Serfiq.

Many of Narnia's army was tired and battle weary after days of fighting. Morale was low and Peter knew he needed some kind of victory to raise the spirits of his loyal Narnian. The fallen army sent fear through Peter's ranks, for they were incredibly resilient due to their neither living, nor truly dead state.

Serfiq stalked Peter's frontlines, marching forward with a cocky arrogance. He cut down the leopard who were first to advance. Though Peter charged toward Serfiq, he was overwhelmed by fallen centaur, who proved fearsome adversaries. Lejious lurked in the background, using his power to strike down any Narnian who appeared to threaten the fallen army.

Serfiq cut through all who challenged him, and it was obvious to Peter why Lejious had chosen him to lead his fallen army. In all reports even before this battle it was Serfiq who had inflicted a great deal of personal kills to those unfortunate who were crushed beneath Lejious's advance. Peter hoped that he could meet the knight in combat and defeat him, thus giving the Narnian a victory for morale.

With Peter distracted with his own battle however, it was Oreius who reached Serfiq where others failed. The bodies of his dead brothers in arms was enough inspiration for the great centaur to match Serfiq blow for blow. Fallen Serfiq may have been, but Oreius was a fearless warrior. Oreius used two swords to challenge the might of Serfiq's heavy sword. The strength of the centaur was sorely tested, but he managed to force Serfiq backwards. It was at this moment that Oreius caught the attention of Lejious, who lurked far behind the battle lines, casting down fatal bolts from the sky as his power saw fit to allow. Though Lejious was incredibly powerful, he could not summon lightning with reckless abandon, so he chose his prey carefully. Oreius quickly became one such prey.

As the lightning cast down from the sky, both Lejious and Serfiq seemed to be surprised when Oreius deftly galloped out of range. However, the distraction had allowed Serfiq to land a critical blow and strike through the centaur's huge torso. Oreius cried out, but fought on, this time at a major disadvantage. The centaur could barely move with his injuries and when he found himself impaled again, the mighty hero fell to the ground.

Serfiq readied to finish Oreius with a blow that would cut through his neck. He was distracted by the piercing cry of a gryphon above. He looked up in time to see a flash of someone leaping off the gryphon, Roan, and landing behind him. Before Serfiq could turn and react, Roan dove with his claws out and sent the knight flying backwards.

Being a fallen, Serfiq felt little pain as he quickly rose back to his feet. He was just in time to parry a devastatingly fast onslaught of two long swords. Long swords that belonged to the last living Shian in the world, Prince Orrin.

"Prince Orrin, formerly of the Shian Kingdom." Orrin said between blows, "Currently a criminal in Narnia and also a free agent. Would you be interested in offering me a position within your ranks?"

"What is your price?" Serfiq bellowed as the two still parried ferociously.

Orrin used his speed to sidestep the dark knight's lumbering power. Though Orrin was as strong in power as he was fast in speed, he knew his speed held the greater advantage over Serfiq. The Shian stepped out and behind one of the knight's critical high strikes and countered with both his long swords through the knight's back.

"The price is honor, and you have none to give."

With a fierce cry, Orrin split his swords aside and sliced Serfiq in two. The death of Serfiq was met with a booming roar from Lejious that sounded more like a lion than a man. Orrin turned his attention to see him begin marching forward, a fearful and ominous sight. He marched toward the frontlines and began cutting down any and all who stood in his way, with his eyes glaring at Orrin in anger.

"Prince Orrin! General Oreius has been critically injured, you are the highest ranking officer, our battle lines are failing! What shall we do, Sire?"

Orrin did not anticipate the sight of the faun standing before him. Now did he anticipate being put in such an odd situation. Obviously news of his sentencing had not reached the north yet, but he could not in good conscience give orders when he held no official ranking.

"I have no ranking. Seek the next in the chain of command and request orders from him." Orrin said turning his head back toward the frontlines.

"Prince Orrin, you must lead us! There is no one else to lead our first battalion!"

Though Orrin did not wish to act in a position he no longer had a right to, necessity seemed to overrule protocol. He could see Peter and his infantry cutting toward the one who is many. He could sense that perhaps a moment of victory was within grasp.

"Draw their archers away from King Peter. Come to the east of him and isolate the dark lord from the rest of his fallen infantry. Have your chargers advance on him, both centaur and leopard alike. We have drawn him into combat, and we must keep him there until we can cut the foul demon down."

"I will give the order immediately, Sire!"

Orrin felt a strange surge of pride rise up in him and he almost felt as though he was once again a part of Narnia. Yet it was only an illusion and one he could not linger in. He had come not to serve Narnia, for he had no right. He did however, come to aid it by either destroying him or ensuring Peter did not fall by his sword. He had come to restore his honor and that of his wife's.

Though he wished to fight at the head of the first battalion and lead them, he could not. He focused his eyes on the one who is many, who was now less than five hundred meters from him. The area around him raged with battle and yet Orrin fell to one knee, oblivious to his surroundings. He clutched at his wedding ring and lowered his head.

"May this day remember that I, Prince Orrin, son of King Firson, and son of Shian, fought without hesitation for the side of virtue and courage. May this day remember that I stand ready to lay my life down if necessary to protect the life of my promised one and the kingdom for which she serves. May this day remember … that …" Orrin said with an emotional gasp, tears falling from his eyes, "I am flawed, but my heart is true and let that be enough to forgive my weaknesses and my failures. For my promised Susan, for her heart, for her love, for her family, for her kingdom; guide my swords and never let them falter."

As if in mighty parallel to Orrin's moment of reflection and preparation, a similar act took place across the battlefield. For it was King Peter who also fell to one knee with his sword thrust into the ground. He could sense that a key moment in the war was upon him, and he dared to pause to reflect and prepare for his impending duel with Lejious.

Peter however spoke no words. He simply closed his eyes and let himself be filled with warm images of his past. As Orrin had done, he clutched his wedding ring and kissed it to give him strength. He thought of his Edmund and how much time had passed since they'd actually felt the warmth of each other's touch. He feared that today would be the day that would decide whether or not he saw his Edmund again. Yet he fought not only for Edmund, but for his family, for his Narnian, for Aslan, for right.

"Give me strength to do what must be done this day." Peter said as he opened his eyes and focused them on Lejious.

Though a great distance separated them and they could not see one another, Peter and Orrin both stood in unison, with their eyes locked on the same target; Lejious.

THE MAGNIFICENT VERSES THE MANY

Peter's long sought target was finally coming within reach. Lejious fought using all the power he could muster to strike down Peter's soldiers. He had cast down lightning and shifted himself into five in order to deal with the onslaught of the first battalion.

Today's battlefield had ended up in an abandoned town in Ettinsmoor. The terrain swung wildly from a flat plain to fearsome precipices and jagged rock faces, all nested before a menacing cliff face. There were battles in and around huts and houses, across rope bridges and atop precipices. Peter had drawn the battle here in order to use the terrain to stagger the numbers his enemy had over his Narnian army.

However, it now served as a major obstacle for Peter who found Lejious standing high upon a precipice with a rope bridge as Peter's only route to reach him. There were however, a huge number of both Narnian and fallen soldiers who stood between him and Lejious. Peter's eyes met Lejious's and the two shared an angry glance.

'You have met your end, Son of Adam.' Lejious spoke into Peter's mind, 'I come for you.'

Peter spat angrily, his lips crusted with dried blood from the many duels he'd already fought in the days past. He ran onto the huge rope bridge just as Lejious reunified his five shifted forms into one. Lejious stepped onto the rope bridge and brought down bolts of lightning to strike dead any Narnian who stood between him and Peter. Peter used his own sword to strike down the fallen soldiers who stood between him and Lejious.

By the time Lejious met him in the middle of the bridge, Peter realized he had a small advantage. In his anger to reach Peter, Lejious had expended more energy than he expected and now when he cast lightning down for Peter, he had no energy left to do so.

Peter did not stop to appreciate this fact, rather he ran at him with his sword high. Like night and day clashing together in an eclipse, Peter and Lejious's swords met with a deafening crash that shook the very air around them. Using rage Peter did not know he had in him, he lashed out at Lejious with a series of powerful strikes. The might of Lejious soon had Peter on the backfoot however, as they fought toward the lower end of the rope suspension bridge.

The bridge shook wildly under their duel, with Peter conceding the higher ground to Lejious. Though Peter was no rogue warrior, he used his courage and strength to fight Lejious back toward the center of the bridge. As Lejious swung at his head, Peter ducked and used the opening to thrust his sword through his enemy's middle. Lejious screamed out and used all his might to summon a bolt of lightning from the sky. The suspension bridge offered little room for Peter to dodge, but he managed to pull Lejious on top of him. The bolt of lightning struck Lejious instead of Peter and the dark master screamed out even more.

Peter rolled on top and jumped to his feet with his sword up. Yet just as he readied to thrust it into Lejious's heart, he felt an arrow shoot through his back and out of his chest. It proved to be a defining moment in his battle against Lejious.

HIS NOBLE HEART IS STAYED BY GENTLENESS

Orrin had found it much more difficult to reach the one who is many than he hoped. He fought with the anger that many had come to expect from the Shian. In battle he was fury unleashed, a stark contrast to his otherwise composed nature. Fallen after fallen fell beneath his swords in a dazzling array of lightning fast strikes and feats of agility.

Orrin had managed to keep stock of Peter who now fought the one who is many less than a few hundred meters from him. Indeed, Peter's duel seemed to catch the attention of most Narnian who willed their king to victory. Yet when Orrin witnessed the cowardly act of a fallen shooting Peter from behind, he could sense that perhaps Edmund's visions were about to see fruition.

Now more than ever, Orrin believed that fate had led him here. Perhaps this had always been his fate. The loss of his people, the loss of his child, the public disgrace and dishonor he had recently suffered. Perhaps all was intended by fate to lead him here.

As he fought his way toward Peter with a desperate vigor, his heart was stayed by the distant sight of his promised one. Far behind the frontlines, Susan fought her way toward him. Their eyes met across the vast distance between them and Orrin felt his heart faltering. His resolve began to crumble. He accepted his fate because it would save Narnia, it would save Peter, and it would restore the disgrace and dishonor he had brought upon his wife. Yet as he saw the pleading tears in Susan's eyes, he faltered and wavered in his resolve. He flashed back on memories of a life worth living without end. Memories of a love that had infused his soul with gentle fire.

His eyes darted between Peter and Susan as if he were being forced to choose between honor and possible death, or love and life. His Shian instinct was always toward honor, but his heart desperately wanted to return to Susan. His face streamed with tears as he smiled at Susan. He knew there was never really any choice.

LOVE FALLS

Peter struggled to fight on. With the arrow lodged firmly through his chest, he could barely breathe. He fought with courage and tearful emotion, for he feared his impending death. His heart cried out to Edmund, as if begging forgiveness for leaving him. He cried out to Aslan and his fellow Narnian for failing them. For though Peter fought, he was beaten back by a resurgent Lejious.

He felt the strike of Lejious's hand smashing his jaw. Their swords had been fallen to the ground and now the pair fought hand to hand. In a desperate attempt to salvage victory, Peter snapped the arrow tip from his chest and thrust it into Lejious's eye piece. Lejious screamed out but grabbed Peter by the neck before throwing him down. With a mighty cry, Lejious found enough strength to shift himself into five again.

Peter was tossed between them like a rag doll as strikes smashed bone and wounded flesh. Peter struggled to remain conscious as punch after punch, kick after kick continued to crush his body. He was thrown to the ground before Lejious reunified himself into one and stood over the bloody mess that was Peter.

Somehow Peter pulled himself to his feet, only to be knocked down by a stiff kick to his gut. Barely breathing, Peter fumbled to his knees and looked up as Lejious stood over him. Peter willed himself to raise his arms, but they would not listen. He willed himself to stand up and fight on, but his broken body could not obey.

"Forgive me, my love." Peter gasped, "I have failed you. I have failed us all."

"You should have served me, Son of Adam. Now you will bear witness to what will come to all who follow the lion."

As Lejious picked up his sword and stood over him, Peter looked up with defeated tears the best he could muster. He could feel the light fading from his eyes and his final thoughts were of his Edmund. He closed his eyes with the image of his love filling his mind. As Lejious's sword ripped through his body, Peter gasped and accepted his fate.

CRIES FROM A DISTANT HEART

Edmund stood in the battle room, preparing the strategies for the defense of Narnia from the Lone Islanders. Surrounded by his loyal commanders, Edmund felt his hands begin to tremble. He clutched his desk as he felt a cold shiver run through his body. The cold shiver of emptiness that pervaded his heart.

"No …" Edmund said shaking his head, "No …"

Tears welled up in Edmund's eyes as all in the room began staring at him and asking if he was alright. He shook their attention off and stumbled from the room. He made his way to the outer balcony and stared at the northern sky.

"No, Peter. Don't leave me." Edmund cried, "Don't leave me."

He gripped the balustrade as his body was overcome with a biting cold. A cold he tried desperately to deny the source of. Yet as he felt his heart pull in his chest, he could deny it no longer. The cold beat of a lonely heart overwhelmed him.

Edmund screamed out with a cry that echoed all through Cair Paravel. He fell to his knees and screamed up at the sky. Such was the strength of their love's connection, that to feel it severed was equally as strong.

"Peter!" Edmund screamed out in a mess of sobs, "Peter!"

Yet as he cried out with enough force to alert all in the castle, Edmund found no respite from his grief. His heart was empty. His love denied. His visions had come true. Love had fallen, and so had his Peter.

- To Be Continued -

Love Will Fall - Part 3


A/N: No preview this time! I don't want to give any hints away for the final part of this chapter, except to say that indeed 'Love Will Fall'. Orrin left Cair Paravel after saying goodbye in his own way to everyone he cared about. Peter finally met Lejious in battle. Susan and Edmund continue to fall apart. Orrin killed Serfiq and kicked ass once again. Peter had the shit kicked out of him and we ended with a cliffhanger. If you like this story, please review! Thanks for reading.