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

3.14: Celebration

Most of Volume 3 of Just and Magnificent takes place in the 3-6 years 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: In the aftermath of war, hope reigns.
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! Well actually, he's dead now so now I own no one! sniff Actually, a bunch of characters are OCs, but hey, what can ya do?All the rest belong to that master of awesomeness, C.S. Lewis.

JUST AND MAGNIFICENT 3.14 – CELEBRATION

LOVE BEYOND WORDS

"There is so much work to do, Doubt-bucket." Peter said as he cradled Edmund in his arms.

The two kings lay in their chambers, a week having passed by since their return to Cair Paravel. A warm night had fallen, after yet another day tallying the dead from the final battle and counting the cost overall throughout the course of the war. Try as he might, Peter could not bring himself to put the war to rest fully. He knew it would take some time, not just for him, but for Narnia.

"Hearts are still so heavy, Edmund. What can we do?" sighed Peter, inhaling the lavender scent of Edmund's hair as he held him, "We must celebrate, but … it seems so … it is still too soon. People are still grieving."

"Give them time for their grief. Perhaps two seasons, a year at most, but I suggest half that at most. Their grief will not have dissipated, but we must have the most spectacular celebration Narnia has ever seen. Two seasons is long enough. Perhaps even one. We will need that much time to begin rebuilding."

"As always, your counsel is priceless. What would I ever do without you?"

"Be miserable, I hope." Edmund said with a small smile.

Peter responded by tracing warm kisses along Edmund's shoulder while squeezing him closer. It was a statement that Peter knew to be true, for he had lived without Edmund before and he truly felt it a fate worse than death. He shuddered at the thought of ever living again without the man who his best friend, his brother, his lover, his husband, his soul mate. Now that the war was finally over, he began to think they might finally have some peace. They might finally be able to simply breathe and live, love and cherish.

"Do you think Narnia will recover from this, Peter?" Edmund asked, "Do you think … we will? I don't just mean you and I, I mean our family."

"Susan will return before the celebrations. We will not celebrate without her. We will celebrate as a family."

"Good. I will not know peace until I see her again. The way she left without a word, I fear perhaps …"

"There has been hurt in her for some time. That is why she needs us."

"I still can't believe it is over, Peter. The war. It has not truly sunk in that we have won."

"Well we have, my love. We have."

And indeed they had. The battle was over, the war had been won. Now came the time when Peter would have to lead the rebuilding of Narnia and guide into the golden age that was now upon them.

Peter's thoughts were interrupted by a knock at his chamber doors. He kissed Edmund's shoulder and cheek affectionately before he slipped out of their bed and pulled a robe over his naked form. He opened the door to find a herald with a message from his absent sister, Susan. He studied the message at the doorway after thanking the herald. His brow furrowed from disturbed to concerned to resigned.

"What is it, Peter?" Edmund asked as he turned over on the bed to face his husband.

Peter closed the chamber doors and made his way back to the bed. He sat down at the end and handed the message to Edmund. The dim light of their bedside lamps were just enough for Edmund to read the message.

As Edmund read the message, Peter pulled his husband's left foot out from under the sheet and began massaging it in his callused hands. Callused hands on a foot that was dainty, though he would never say such things out loud. Delicate may be a word he might dare to speak out loud. Perfect was perhaps another.

Peter knew his husband always had sensitive feet and it had become habit for this almost nightly ritual now to take place. The High King took great pleasure in feeling the feather soft skin and arch of his husband's feet, but the true reason he did this so often is because he knew his husband found it relaxing and sometimes, oftentimes, and if Peter willed it, every time … stimulating.

"Edmund?" Peter asked, his voice low, hopeful, and rather obvious as to its intent.

"Be quiet and carry on." Edmund smirked, not taking his eyes off the parchment in front of him, his face quickly sobering as he read on, "This isn't good news, Peter."

"I know. But it had to come."

"What are you going to do?"

"Ask you for counsel, of course." Peter smiled sincerely, kissing the tip of Edmund's toes, "It is important, Love, but not as important as you right now."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means … perhaps we should celebrate, Doubt-bucket." Peter asked with a gentle whisper in his voice, almost a plea.

"Celebrate? What did you have in mind?"

"Exactly what you thought I had in mind, Doubt-bucket." Peter said as he trailed kisses from Edmund's and slowly up his leg.

Edmund, feeling particularly mischievous for some reason, continued studying the message as though he did not notice Peter's advances. When Peter's lips trailed up his stomach to his chest, Edmund let out a yawn that drew a grunt of annoyance from Peter. Yet still Peter continued up, kissing along Edmund's arm before pulling away the parchment message and tossing it aside.

"Hey!" Edmund said in mock annoyance, "I was reading that!"

"Business can wait." Peter said firmly, "This is our time. This is married time, not duty time. We didn't win that war just to forget why we were fighting. I fought for many things, Ed. I fought for Narnia. I fought for love. I fought for you. I fought so we could have these moments. These moments when I am simply allowed to be with you … to gave upon you with awe …"

"Right …" Edmund blushed, "We are already married, Peter. You need not sweet talk me."

"I love you." Peter whispered, crawling up to place a sweet, chaste kiss upon his husband's lips.

"And I you, Peter."

Peter kissed the side of Edmund's neck, before leaning their foreheads lightly against one another, "Edmund … may I have you tonight?"

Edmund could not help but smile. Even married, Peter insisted on taking nothing for granted. Though there were times when he was rather insistent, Edmund always knew that Peter appreciated him. If anything, Peter worshipped him, adored him, far more than he felt he should be. Peter always made him feel like the center of his universe, the glint in his open blue eyes.

"We should celebrate our freedom. Our lives. Our hope. Our future … together." Edmund said with a warm smile, stroking Peter's cheek, "How is it that after so long you still look at me as though … I'm all you see."

"Ed, must you even ask?"

"I love you, Peter." replied Edmund with a tearful smile.

"Is that a yes?"

Edmund responded by shuffling beneath Peter, his expressive brown eyes speaking his approval, his desire for this moment to continue. As if this were the first time they would ever make love, Peter's eyes lit up and a grateful smile of love crossed his lips. He leaned and pressed his lips against his husband's. Their lips gave way to tongues as their arms wrapped fiercely around one another.

Gasps filled the air as lips sought the napes of necks, the tips of nipples, the hardened muscle of arms. Sheets were tossed aside as they rolled atop their marital bed with Edmund tracing his feet up Peter's calves as they kissed. Two kings sought each other out with their lips, their hands, their eyes, their feet, and every part of themselves that could possibly do so.

Peter tossed aside his robe, exposing his chiseled form to the dim light of their bedside lamps. Edmund gazed up at him with something clearly akin to desire, want, and need. It made Peter somewhat proud and even emotional to know that Edmund reciprocated not only his fierce and unwavering love, but his desire as well.

As Edmund's lithe fingers explored his torso, Peter made short work of his husband's undergarments. When finally they were both naked, Peter let out a sigh of contentment. He wanted to tell Edmund that he had never seen anything so stunning as the sight that befell his eyes now. He had never seen anything as beautiful or as breathtaking as the sight of his love, his doubt-bucket before him. Yet all he could do was hover over him with his jaw slack and his glazed over with love and adoration.

It had been some time since they last made love. There was always something to distract them or they were both too tired from the day's events and the tasks required to set Narnia on the part to rebuilding. Tonight nothing would distract them. Nothing would distract Peter.

The Just and Magnificent Kings made love as one, gasping love, feeling love, being love. And truly, after the hardships they had faced in their journey to know the peace that now befell them, they deserved to be nothing but love in this moment. They were love given flesh and form from spirits that were already one. From souls that would not even let death divide them.

Agape and Eros love were one with these two Kings. Body and soul were one. Peter and Edmund were truly one. They were one long into the night, when cries were not muffled or disguised and the passion of their love. When love was made, they collapsed together with Peter clinging fiercely to Edmund, as if declaring that he would never let him go.

"Love you …" Peter gasped into his neck, "Love …"

Edmund kissed his husband's temple and held him close, still keeping their bodies locked tight together. For a time they simply laid like that. Two sweat drenched kings, still trapped in the afterglow of their love making.

"Oh, Ed …" whispered Peter, his fingers tracing Edmund's lips, "I adore you."

"That was a pretty good celebration."

"Pretty good?"

"The best, Peter."

"Oh, Ed … I can't believe we finally have our life together. I can't believe we are finally free to live as one without fearing what would break us. It is truly worth celebrating." said a sincere Peter, "Truly."

"Then let's celebrate." Edmund said with a loving, but still mischievous smirk.

"Doubt-bucket …" Peter said with a blissful smile.

"Yes?"

"I love it that you desire me as much as I desire you."

"You desire me?"

"Oh … thou should not have said that." Peter laughed, assaulting Edmund with a flurry of kisses, "I shall show you that my desire for you never ends!"

"Is this going to be a whole night of celebrating then?"

"Not a whole night, Doubt-bucket. A whole life. A lifetime …"

HAIL THE VALIANT

"Any word from Susan today?" Lucy asked with a slight pout as she wondered through the refugee camps, "Is she coming home soon?"

The Galma and Terebinthian who were taking refuge in Narnia during the war were now preparing to return to their homes. Susan and her Southern Alliance had devastated the Lone Islanders to the point where they could no longer hold the captured nations, and even now as Lucy spoke, some of Susan's Southern Alliance now set out to invade the Lone Islands themselves. Archenland had withdrawn in order to tend to matters at home, but Tisroc Lash had committed a sizable army to the task force.

As all three monarchs understood, though the war was over, there was still so much work to do. There was still so much to rebuild, and still so many more of Lejious's loyal to hunt down and drive out of Narnia. Lucy felt that she had proven herself somewhat in her quest to save Aslan and bring him back to Narnia for the final battle, yet she still felt that her siblings were trying to shield her from duty or harm.

Susan seemed to plunge herself into foreign missions that required her constant absence from Narnia, while Peter and Edmund took almost the entire burden of rebuilding Narnia upon their own shoulders. Lucy still felt as though she had a great deal to prove to her siblings, but she was grateful she would not have to prove such things in battle. As valiant as her title claimed her to be, she was no gentle Queen, nor Rogue Warrior, nor magnificent King.

What Lucy lacked in battle prowess, she made up for in pure heart and courage. Right now that heart led her to helping the refugees prepare for their journeys home to Terebinthia and Galma. It was a small task in her opinion, and just one of a great many she required of herself in the coming days.

Food and rations would need to be supplied to those whose homes were destroyed in the war. Temporary housing provided to those who needed it. All of this fell within the scope of Lucy's mandate, and come hell or high water she would see to the welfare of those who now required her compassion.

"Still no word from your sister, Majesty." Tumnus replied as he walked ever dutifully beside her, "I imagine with her change of plans, she will not be back for some time, perhaps even a year or two."

Lucy sighed in disappointment. It seemed a golden age had begun, but how golden was it unless they were all able to celebrate it together? She could not remain so glum for long however, for Tumnus was smiling at her with that knowing arched eyebrow of his. She smiled back at him and nodded, as if sensing what he would say.

"You're right. One must be grateful for what we have." She smiled, taking his hand, "And we still have much to be grateful for."

"We do, Queen Lucy. We do."

"Come on then, let's remind everyone else to be grateful too."

With those words said, she bounded off to help one of the Galma healers carry an infirmed child to one of the transport wagons. Tumnus stood smiling after her for a few moments, contemplating how much she had changed since she stepped into Narnia all those years ago from Spare Oom. He pulled out a handkerchief she had given him after the coronation of herself, High King Peter and Queen Susan.

Tumnus had kept the handkerchief all these years, reminding him of those distant times when a young girl found her way into his heart. A young girl who became a valiant Queen. A valiant Queen who was now a young woman. A young woman who made his eyes tear up with pride as he watched her.

He used the handkerchief to wipe his eyes as he smiled at her. Aslan certainly chose wisely, for Lucy's character was indeed worthy of being the queen she was. Even more than that for him personally, she was his greatest and truest friend. A friend he intended to keep for the rest of his life.

PEACE AT LAST

Edmund stood on the greater inlet of Galma's eastern harbor. He stood high on a clifftop that let him see almost to Terebinthia. If he turned west, he could almost spy Cair Paravel on a clear day. At one point during the war, he stood here preparing to defend Galma against the Lone Islander invasion. This after having lost Terebinthia and would eventually lose Galma as well as Narnia.

Today however, liberation reigned. He had served as an escort with Lucy here to Galma to help celebrate the official reclamation of Galma. He would then venture on alone to Terebinthia to take part in official ceremonies.

It was a whirlwind tour designed to show support and boost morale for Galma and Terebinthia. From here to Terebinthia and back to Narnia, he would be travelling via Roan, the fastest gryphon in the world. Truth be known, as much as he dedicated himself to his duty, he missed his husband terribly. Peter had remained in Narnia to continue leading the rebuilding process. Travelling via Roan would allow him to be back in Narnia within the week.

For Edmund himself, this had been an extremely gratifying day of hope and celebration. Seeing the Galman retake their lands with an official declaration of liberation, was nothing less than heartwarming. It brought tears to Edmund's eyes to know that yet one more step in the process of healing and rebuilding was taking place. Not just for Narnia, but for the world.

Behind him a carnival was now in full swing with children dancing fauns from Narnia playing flutes. There was all manner of music and a banquet with food shipped from Narnia as a small gift in honor of this day. Galma would need time to recover and rebuild, so Peter had insisted that supplies be sent over to help the Galman.

"King Edmund!" yelled Mr. Tumnus as he approached Edmund with a tray in his hand carrying an assortment of foods.

First Tumnus handed Edmund a goblet of spiced wine, which he took though he was not particularly fond of such things. It was however, Galma's finest so he did not wish to refuse. As Peter would say 'You are far too controlling to give in to such things as spiced wine and Calormene scents.', and indeed Edmund was.

"Something to eat, Majesty?" Tumnus asked with a bow, "Lucy said you would like to try these in particular."

Edmund studied the plate curiously, noting the cured meats, slithers of fruit and glazed vegetables. Yet when his eyes traced where Tumnus's finger pointed, his brow furrowed in surprise. Small rose colored cubes, dusted lightly with powdered sugar, stacked neatly in the center of the tray.

"Turkish delight she says it is called." Tumnus said as he offered the tray up to Edmund.

Edmund felt a shiver trace up his spine as he recalled a betrayal from years before. A betrayal that changed fate and broke prophecies. He felt his breath running quick, before he nodded slightly and smiled. He took a piece in his hand and studied it for a few moments before offering it to Tumnus.

"Have I ever apologized to you, Mr. Tumnus?" Edmund asked as he held out the piece, "For betraying you to Jadis."

"Sire … that was so long ago. That was years ago." Tumnus said in surprise, "You have no apology to make. You were but a child."

"Try it." Edmund insisted, "Try this … sweetie."

Tumnus did as asked, taking the small treat and tentatively took a bite. He seemed to process the taste for a few moments, uncertain of whether he liked it or not. Edmund raised a half smile, feeling an uncomfortable mix of release and anxiety at having old feelings resurface.

"This is what I betrayed my family for. This is why you were imprisoned." Edmund said, as though a confession.

"I've had better, Sire." Tumnus said with a smile, before he held the half eaten piece up in his fingers, "But one must remember that in the eyes of a child, this represents far more than just a sweetie. It is desire, and child or man, we all desire, Majesty. We all have our weaknesses."

"Well …" Edmund said as he took another piece and took a bite, "This is no longer mine."

Tumnus smiled and bowed, taking his leave of Edmund. Edmund nodded in respect, before turning his gaze back to the sea as he studied the last piece of his sweetie. He felt a sense of peace, a sense of acceptance for a mistake he'd made in the past. This one small thing symbolized more than anyone might realize, well perhaps anyone except an observant younger sister.

Before he could eat the final piece, it was snatched from his hand by a grinning Lucy. She popped it into her mouth before placing a wet kiss on Edmund's cheek. He smiled lightly at her, raising one eyebrow without breaking his gaze from the sea.

"I'm so proud of you, Ed." She said as she threw her arms around his neck and leaned her head on his shoulder, "So proud."

"Love you too, Lu." Edmund said as he patted her hand, "Love you too."

He gazed out over the ocean as his sister clung to his neck. Indeed, he felt peace. He felt redemption for the first time since he had entered this world. And in that peace, he breathed … and exhaled, without sin and without recrimination. He could simply … breathe.

"So proud, Ed." Lucy whispered, "So very proud."

REFLECTIONS ON A JOURNEY

The Narnia sun seemed more golden than ever before. Peter could not help but smile gratefully as the yellow sphere began its daily rise into prominence. Indeed there was a different feeling in the air each time he breathed since the war ended. A feeling of hope, of peace, of joy. Surely there would be trials ahead, just as there would always be in life, but none would compare to the darkness that almost claimed the world.

As he stood on the balcony of the throne room, Peter smiled brightly as he witnessed his Narnian bustling in the grounds of Cair Paravel. Yes there was much work to do, but oh how he reveled in being able to partake in such work. Narnia was free. The Golden Age had begun. It was enough to bring tears of joy and gratitude to Peter's eyes to know his beautiful kingdom and those he had sworn to watch over and protect, could now live free and rebuild after the devastating losses that all had endured.

His thoughts meandered from the day he first lost Edmund all those years ago at Beruna. Even now he shuddered at the thought. He could remember Edmund begging for forgiveness before he died in his arms.

"Oh, Ed." He gasped, closing his eyes at the memory of that horrifying day.

It was a moment that would change fates. A moment that would turn a prophecy on its head and change the destiny of the world. A moment that changed his life in ways he could not possibly imagine.

He could still feel the despair of living without his Edmund. Without the man who would become his doubt-bucket, his husband, his very soul. Such a cold and hollow existence. An existence laced with reminders of his failings and his guilt, with visits from a love he had never known and yet was always with him. A love he now believed was always meant to be his.

He remembered Princess Pretty Eyes and how she almost won his affection, even though she herself had love for another man whom she could not love in life, but he hoped could love in the hereafter.

"Eris …" He said with a warm smile.

He remembered a mighty battle against the Kjell Army, at which he first cast eyes upon the Fallen Army of Beruna, though he did not know this at the time. A fallen army who one year after their deaths, returned to aid Narnia and defeat the Kjell Army. An army led by a young man, not a boy. A young man who had somehow defied death and come back as a fallen King.

He remembered confronting that young man after the battle. He remembers a helmet being removed to reveal a cold, somewhat older face of a brother he lost a year earlier. A brother that he failed to save.

He remembered days of being reunited with the man he knew he loved beyond his own life. Yet they could not touch for the cold that man did not wish him to feel. It was a week that passed by far too quickly for Peter's liking. All too soon he was fighting a nameless evil in a battle for Cair Paravel.

He did not believe anything could feel worse than losing Edmund at Beruna, but he was wrong. Losing him a second time and having to let him go, that was far worse than anything he could possibly imagine. Holding onto Edmund at the top of the north tower, finally being able to kiss him, only to have to let him go, it broke Peter in ways he thought could never be mended. And yet a year after the collapse of the north tower, he found his heart was not so lost after all.

Miracles came true for Peter the night that Edmund returned to him with Aslan. He had his heart once more. He had life. He had hope

He remembered celebrating after a golden ball. He remembered days of desperate kisses and declarations. He remembered a prince and a promise. A promise fulfilled as he looked now upon his ring.

It had been such a long journey. A journey he hoped was now to be filled with peace, but as he knew now, it was just a calm before the storm. Everything that had taken place had somehow been orchestrated by him, the one who is many. The one who had followed his Edmund, the Rogue Warrior, back from the abyss.

He learned how powerful his own bond with his beloved was when he inadvertently almost killed him. He learned that it was his love that brought Edmund back to him, and it was his love that kept him alive. When the hag, Dalzell, tried to break their bond by enchanting him in the form of Eris, his Edmund had suffered greatly for it. It still made him shudder to remember how close he had come to sharing himself with another.

Yet in the end, his love for Edmund proved too strong. That incident however, caused much strife between them. Strife that was amplified when Princess 'Pretty Eyes' Eris gave her life to protect Edmund. Protect him in a way that Peter felt he should have. Her death seemed a turning point. At her funeral in the dead city of SharShian, Peter had an ominous feeling that this would just be one more death in a war that would come to claim the world.

The Shian themselves were perhaps the greatest casualty in the war. Their entire civilization was wiped from the face of the world, leaving only a handful to survive. A handful that lessened with Eris's death. A handful reduced to just one after the battle against the Hag's army.

Perhaps one of the brightest moments to come out of that tragedy was Prince Orrin. Even thinking of him now, Peter felt his eyes welling up with reflective tears. Prince Orrin, Last of the Shian. Indeed he was.

Orrin also became one of Edmund's most trusted and a loyal son to Narnia. He became a friend and a brother, to himself, to Edmund, and particularly to Lucy whom he seemed to be awfully protective of. More than any of that however, he became Susan's promised one. He became the unyielding glint in Susan's eyes, in a marriage that Peter was overjoyed to witness. Yet Orrin also became the source of Susan's despair when he became another casualty in the war that consumed the world. Indeed it was a dark moment, which led to more dark moments for Peter and his family. Dark moments that they still had not recovered from.

Perhaps one of the greatest days for him personally was his own marriage to his love, his doubt-bucket. The union of himself and Edmund the Just still brought a glowing smile to his face and a surge of warmth into his heart. He laughed to himself when he thought back on their honeymoon. Two months of 'bliss'. As he learned in those two months, marriage did not guarantee endless pleasures and feather light kisses. Marriage required work, compromise and dedication.

It was all so long ago now, but he was more than pleased to know that he and Edmund seemed to have reached a point in their marriage where they knew whatever they faced, they would face together. They could endure, persist, and achieve their greatest dreams together. They could overcome any obstacle, and they had. In doing so they could look back and feel the love and bond between them grow with each passing moment.

When fate dared to tear them apart in a war that consumed the world, Peter held onto his love. When distance separated them and tragedy rocked them, he held fast to their love. When war overwhelmed the world, he held fast to their love. When Lejious threatened to take his Edmund away into oblivion, Peter held fast to their love. And unlike at the Battle for Cair Paravel, Peter refused to let go.

"I will never let go." Peter said to himself, turning with a smile to the throne room.

He walked in with the gait of a king, chin held high without any false pride. He smiled as he looked upon the four thrones, but his smile quickly faded when he remembered that the throne sitting to the immediate left of his was still empty. It had been empty for far too long. Indeed many Narnian had almost come to think that even though Queen Susan survived her 'death', she was still lost. Her fiery departure and public confrontation with himself and Edmund gave many reason to believe she was no longer welcome. That was simply not true.

"You will always be welcome, Su." Peter said as he patted her throne affectionately, his eyes growing with emotion, "Always."

TOGETHER, ALWAYS

Edmund stood in his study, observing the latest security reports from his new first liege, Captain Halcyon. The Order of Justice had taken a severe hit in recent times, losing former acting Master of the Order and his first liege, Prince Orrin, as well as replacement, General Lero, and the ever loyal Mr. Beaver. All of these brave souls who lost their lives in the war were senior members of the Order of Justice.

The trial and open humiliation of Prince Orrin had led the Order of Justice into public disrepute that still lingered after the end of the war. Likatrik's manipulation of the Order to his advantage was still baffling to both Edmund and many of the Order's members and general public. Now with many of the senior members lost, Edmund wondered if the Order's time had come. Its existence only served to remind him of his own failings and that of the Order's.

"I'm thinking of disbanding the Order of Justice." Edmund said bluntly, to himself more than anyone else.

"You will do no such thing."

Edmund turned to face Captain Halcyon, only to find him no longer in the room. The person who greeted him was the last he ever expected to see. Nor was it a person he ever expected to oppose the Order's disbanding. After all, she herself had sought to disband it.

"Susan!"

Indeed, Susan the Gentle stood at his doorway looking plain faced and almost unreadable. She greeted him with a small nod of recognition and an equally small smile, but a smile nonetheless. She stood wearing her formal armor that she had been gifted by her husband, a cross between Narnian and Shian traditional styles. Most of her armor was covered in a red cloak with a hood hanging off the back, making her look anything but the monarch she was.

"Edmund, you look well." She spoke with a small, sincere smile, "I wanted to …"

Susan raised her eyebrow as her face seemed to struggle to hide the emotion beneath the surface. In the end, she feigned yet another small smile at Edmund, though he still stood somewhat in surprise to see her. Once it had fully sunk in that she was standing before him, he jumped over the desk between the two of them practically leaped at her.

"Su!" He cried out with tear stained joy, smothering her face in kisses, "You're home!"

She did not return his fervor, but her one hand on the small of his back let him know that she did not oppose his affection either. Given all that had taken place between them, it was perhaps more than he could have expected, or even hoped.

"I wanted to say goodbye, Edmund. It may be some time till we see each other again."

"Goodbye, but you just got here."

"I am leading the campaign to the Lone Islands. The regime that joined Lejious will be removed. The oppressed will be liberated and slavery abolished. The Lone Islands will rejoin us under Narnia's banner. I will spend the next year, perhaps two or even more, helping to rebuild and leading on behalf of Peter. Most of my task force is already en route. I don't imagine we will have too much opposition, for the Lone Islands themselves are in a state of civil war with many of the ruling class being overthrown by those who were forced to take part in a war they did not believe in."

"I should be the one to complete that task, Su." Edmund said clasping her hand, not particularly caring if she didn't want the gesture, "The Eastern Seas were my charge."

"Edmund, I'm not here to debate this with you. I'm only here to say goodbye. I wasn't even going to venture back before heading to the Lone Islands, but … well … here I am. And you will not disband the Order of Justice. My husband served the Order. He believed in it. So did Lero and so did Mr. Beaver. So did many who also died in the war. Do not destroy what they believed in." Susan said with a small smile, "Goodbye, Edmund."

"Susan, you can't go yet. You just got back."

"My ship is docking for supplies. It leaves within the hour. We must make speed to join the fleet. We are taking some of the refugees back to Terebinthia on the way. I cannot delay any longer. As I said, I only came to say goodbye and …" Susan said with a deep breath, before she placed her hand on Edmund's shoulder, "… and …"

"What, Su?"

"I'm sorry." She said sincerely, "For letting that dwarf twist me with his magic and try to turn me against you. And for me almost letting him."

"You were not to know, and you had rights to be angry."

"My grief and anger were real, but I let it consume me, because I did not wish to let my husband go. But as I learned at the end of the battle … I had to let him go. Now I only wish for you to have peace, Ed."

"Su, I don't want your apology, I want your love." Edmund said tearfully, "I want you here with us. We are four monarchs, not three. This golden age cannot truly begin until you are here with us."

"Do not disband the Order of Justice, Edmund." Susan said with a nod, before breaking away from him, "Now I must find Peter. Be well, Brother."

Susan turned and left without another word, leaving Edmund agape in her awake. He stood in disbelief for some time, before Captain Halcyon returned to his side. He handed his security report to the captain, before he set off after Susan. When he found her in the throne room, she was kneeling before Peter for the briefest instant before a both annoyed and overjoyed Peter pulled her off her feet and into his arms.

"Su!" Peter yelled, gripping her in a fierce hug and disregarding all protocol of the throne room.

Peter could not believe Susan had been able to surprise him with an unannounced return. Why did the trumpets not herald the gentle queen's return? He could contemplate that fact later. At this particular moment, he wanted nothing less than to spin his sister around in his arms.

He kissed her fiercely, rather anxious and laden with overjoyed tears. Peter and Susan, Edmund and Lucy. Best friends and confidants, that is what they were supposed to be. Yet he could not help but feel that perhaps he had not been as attentive to Susan's needs as he should have been. Particularly in the wake of her husband's death. He could excuse himself with the business of having to fight a war, but he truly felt he had failed his sister. Now he would make up for it. His family was together once more and so too were the four monarchs who had been entrusted to lead Narnia into a golden age.

"Su, thank goodness you're home." Peter gasped in relief, still refusing to break the hug, "I have missed you so much. We have all missed you."

"I couldn't leave for the Lone Islands without coming to say goodbye. I do not know when I shall see you again. I have already spoken to Lucy and Edmund. I also … wanted to apologize for my … words and my actions toward both you and Edmund before my de…"

"Su …" Peter said shaking his head, relieved tears in his eyes as he held her face, "Speak nothing more of it. I do not wish to hear of it, nor will I tolerate your heart giving it any more cause to give you grief. Now I know you continue to serve Narnia in your foreign missions, but I must ask you to stay. You will be here for the celebrations and that is all there is to it. The Lone Islands can wait. Your ship can leave without you and if speed is required, you can take Roan after the celebrations. Before you leave we will discuss in great length the nature of your departure and a definitive timeline for your return."

"Or my return." Edmund interrupted as he made his presence known, "I should like to put my hand in to serve this task."

"No." Susan said bluntly, "King you might be, but I am still your older sister. You're not going. Besides, your husband would be useless without you and I would be forced to endure his melancholy."

"She's quite right there, Ed." Peter smirked, "He does have a point though, Su. It does not have to be you."

"It has to be me, Peter." Susan said solemnly, "It has to be me. Give me time. Give me this."

"When this is over, you will come back to us and when you do, you will not leave again." Peter said firmly, his eyes pained with emotion, "Am I understood?"

"Yes, Peter." Susan nodded, before turning to Edmund, "As for you, you will stay here and rebuild the Order of Justice, am I understood?"

"Are you pulling rank on me?" Edmund gasped, clasping his chest in mock hurt.

"Now is not the time, Rogue Warrior. I have laid down my swords, but I will gladly pick them up to throttle you." Susan responded with an arched eyebrow and a smirk, before she sobered her expression and turned her attention to Peter, "As you wish, Peter. I will remain here for the celebrations."

"And not out of duty, but because you wish to spend time with your family. Because they most certainly wish to spend time with you." Peter said, just as Lucy entered the throne room.

"We're here! We're all here!" Lucy yelled as she ran toward her siblings and practically tackled them all into a hug.

Though not one of them were children any longer, they hugged almost as if they still were. Peter cradled Susan with one arm, Edmund in the other, while Lucy managed to somehow wedge herself between all three. It was a sight that was soon witnessed by many of their loyal subjects, including Tumnus, Roan and Oreius.

A most unseemly sight it became when the four collapsed on the ground in a fit of laughter. Peter found himself on the bottom with Lucy on top, and Susan and Edmund on either side of him. It was a light hearted and tender moment that was thoroughly enjoyed by those who watched, almost as if it were a true sign that now the golden was in full swing.

Peter sat up, his blue eyes bright with joy. He smiled tearfully, his laugh fading as he looked upon the three faces of the people he loved most in this and any other world. With a knowing glance between all four, they leaned their foreheads in against one another.

"Always together. The four of us." Peter whispered, as all four gripped hands in the middle of their huddle, "Always."

CELEBRATION

"Today, Narnia celebrates!" Peter cried as he held his goblet high, "Today the world celebrates!"

The Northern Pavilion, a sight that once held the magnificent Northern Tower before it collapsed in the Battle for Cair Paravel, was today the setting for Narnia's spring celebrations. A celebration designed to recognize the end of the great war and the freedom that now reigned because of it.

Months after the end of the war, Narnia, and indeed the world were now in a position to accept the grief of the past and celebrate the hope for the future together. The fact that the great lion had appeared seemed to be a good omen for the day's festivities. From light music and joyful speeches, to tearful remembrances and sober recollections. Guests from Narnian and beyond had come together under a banner of peace that Peter hoped would last to the end of his days.

Peter sat at a large round table in the center of the pavilion, with tables all around filled with servant, beast and nobleman alike. At his table were Aslan, Edmund the Just, Susan the Gentle, Lucy the Valiant, King Lune of Archenland, Tisroc Lash of Calormen, Mrs. Beaver, Tumnus, and Oreius. All their eyes were focused on Peter as he stood to his feet, preparing to make his speech to the masses in attendance.

"My thanks and utmost respect to the great lion, Aslan, for gracing us with his presence on this wonderful day. My thanks to Queen Lucy for pulling off this small miracle to host all of our wonderful guests today. My thanks to King Edmund, for simply being King Edmund. Though I have many reasons for thanking him, that I believe is the most appropriate. My thanks to Queen Susan … for being gentle when Narnia needed her to be and for returning home for these celebrations. My thanks also to our allies, our brothers and sisters from Narnia and beyond who have come to share this day. Today we celebrate a victory in a war that will haunt many of us till the end of our days. We cannot celebrate this victory without recognizing the sacrifices of those who are not here today." Peter said with a heavy heart, sharing a glance to just some of the many who had been left behind, "Though time has passed since many of our loved ones were lost, our hearts still feel their absence each day. We lost perhaps more than thought we could recover from. In many ways, we will not recover the losses incurred during this war. We cannot replace those who are gone, but we can honor their sacrifice by ensuring this moment is not the last we share together in this spirit of peace. There is great affection here today, between my beautiful Narnian, our friends who thanks to my gentle sister, came to our aid in the final battle. To King Lune and Tisroc Lash, it is a testament to hope that your two nations can put aside your differences for the common good. Indeed let that be a lesson to us all. When our petty squabbles seem too mountainous to overcome, remember what bound us together in this war. Do not squander this gift we have here. Do not squander our lives, our freedom, our hope for the future. ! I implore thee one and all, let your hearts be glad this day! As High King of Narnia, I pledge to those I serve and to my friends from beyond our borders, to uphold the spirit we have here today! Let freedom reign and hope prevail! Celebrate, for our fallen's past and our children's future, celebrate!"

The entire pavilion erupted into cheers that filled the open sky above. Gryphon circled the skies above, dropping streamers as fauns led a fire dance that traced through the pavilion. Peter had made the call to celebrate, and the guests wasted no time in doing so.

Music played, goblets were filled, and food was served. Peter watched with a proud smile as he and Aslan strolled through the masses. Peter truly felt the golden age was upon them. The light had beaten back the darkness.

"I am very proud of you, Peter." Aslan said with the sincerity that one would expect from the great lion, "I am proud of you all."

"So much was lost, Aslan. Do you think we'll ever truly recover?"

Aslan sighed and for a brief moment Peter dreaded the answer, "The effects of this war will be felt for many years beyond the lifetimes of most that stand here today. Narnia will recover Peter and you will lead the most glorious days that Narnia will ever know. I have faith in you and so do they."

Aslan motioned toward Peter's siblings and to many of the Narnian around them. The lion's somber expression soon gave way to spritely whiskers and a slight smile.

"Go and celebrate, Peter. It is your time now." Aslan said as Peter knelt before him so the lion could place his paw on Peter's shoulder, "Lead them well, Peter."

Peter could sense that this was goodbye for Aslan, yet he had the strangest feeling that he might see the lion again. Perhaps in another lifetime, many years from now.

"Go, Peter. Please summon Lucy and Susan to me."

Peter rose from the ground, giving Aslan a smile tinged with sadness. Aslan simply stared back at him, his eyes conveying a peace that allowed Peter to leave without another word. In his place, Susan and Lucy soon followed, each nodding in respect to Aslan.

"Lucy, thank you for helping me and for having the spirit to help those in need. Your valiance will live on for many, many years to come. This is farewell, but not goodbye. Remember me, and I shall always be with you."

Lucy responded by throwing her arms around Aslan's mane, sobbing for she, like Peter, knew somehow that Aslan was leaving. Aslan let out a small chuckle, almost purring into Lucy's embrace.

"Go, Lucy. Celebrate." Aslan urged, before Lucy regrettably took her leave.

Now only Susan stood before the great lion. She looked at him with pained eyes, not wanting to meet his gaze, but not daring to break it either. His stare alone rendered her with silent tears. His eyes spoke so much for grief, for understanding, for peace.

"Thank you, Susan. You have suffered greatly, but your loyalty to me, to Narnia, and to your own heart have shown your resilience. You, more than anyone else, could have turned to him. Your heart is filled with a grief that will haunt you for as long as you live. Such is the price we pay for love. Especially one as true as yours."

"Is he lost, Aslan?" Susan asked as pained tears escaped her eyes, "Will I not even see him in the hereafter?"

"Do you believe, Susan?"

"I … no …" Susan said as she lowered her head, "He has truly been cast into oblivion."

"A sacrifice as willing and noble as Orrin's does not go without notice, Susan. You must believe if you are to ever have hope. Ask Peter, and he will tell you. True love … knows no bounds. Is your love true?"

"Truer than the air I breathe, Aslan."

"Daughter of Eve, believe." Aslan said with a smile in his voice, "As long as you live, part of him will always live with you. Now go, celebrate this day … and believe. Believe in your heart and you will see what love can truly do. What it has already done. Look around at those who live because of your husband's sacrifice. Let that warm your heart, Susan."

Susan shuddered with her tears, before she leaned down and kissed Aslan's paw. He placed it on her shoulder and breathed on her. She felt some of her grief giving way to the joy that others around her were feeling. She smiled gratefully, before taking her leave and summoning Edmund. She had not been told to do so, she merely assumed that since the other three had spoken to Aslan, it would be his turn next. She assumed correctly.

The stare shared between Aslan and Edmund was not one of consolation or reassuring, but sobering resignation. Edmund let out a sigh, lowering his head as he waited for the lion to speak.

"I am very proud of you, Son of Adam. Redemption is yours. You have your lifetime. Use it well." Aslan said with a firm nod, "When the white stag comes, you will know that your time and indeed Peter's, has come. That is a lifetime away, Edmund. Live well these years before then and remember that the price you pay for love has yet to be paid. Unlike your family, you will see me again in this lifetime. Live well, Edmund. Live well."

Edmund did not respond, his face a mixture of despair and gratitude. Despair for what he already knew was coming, but gratitude for what would come before it. His eyes gazed upon the great lion as he walked away, and Edmund knew he would not see him until his time was over here.

He turned back to face Peter, his eyes still a mixture of loss and joy. When Peter's eyes met his, blue eyes twinkling with a large smile on his face, Edmund soon felt only joy. He marched back to the table as fast as his legs could carry him. He sat down next to Peter, clasping his hand and interlacing their fingers. He leaned over to Peter, locking their lips in a chaste, but telling kiss.

"I love you, Peter." whispered Edmund, brushing his free hand along Peter's neck, "I love you."

"And I you, Doubt-bucket. And I you."

Though this was still a somewhat formal engagement, Peter pulled their chairs together so he could almost hold Edmund as they sat with their guests. Lucy giggled, but no one else made any mention of the gesture. The day was truly one of delight and now it seemed that finally the darkness of the war was finally being left behind.

Susan watched her brothers with a proud smile, one still tinged with her own sadness. Yet none of it was based on jealousy or resentment for what her brothers had. On the contrary, it was one of the few things that gave her pause to smile. She could clearly see the love in their eyes.

As the day turned into evening, and many were far too merry for their own good, Susan sat silently on her own. Celebrate she did, but in her own fashion and on her own. While Lucy mingled and tended to guests, she sat in quiet observation of the merriment around her. While Peter and Edmund left to speak of politics with Dukes and royalty from lands afar, Susan sat alone, smiling to all who passed her. Edmund however, did not truly feel comfortable with this and soon returned to their table, sitting down next to Susan.

"Su?" Edmund asked, taking her hand and kissing it affectionately, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." She reassured with a small smile, "Go on. I'm fine."

"Come with me."

It was more of a statement than a request. Edmund stood up, leading Susan by the hand toward a large section of the pavilion that was now allotted for one of Narnia's favorite activities; dancing. The fauns led a large circle, and it did not matter whether you were a bear or a man, whether you could dance or merely stumble. All were welcome.

Susan could not help letting out a laugh as she clapped at Oreius's attempt to 'dance'. For such a fearsome warrior, such activities were not usually becoming of him. He was just one of the many who now joined the circle. Susan felt herself being pulled in with Edmund who latched on to Peter and Lucy who had beaten them both into joining.

Susan had not felt so light in … far too long a time. She laughed with genuine joy, as she joined the merry dance that was led by the fauns and their flutes. She thanked Edmund with a small kiss on his cheek between turns, before their circle was broken and she sought to catch her breath on the edge of the dance area.

She breathed happily, feeling lightness that made her heart know relief. She stood with her siblings as they gathered on the edge of the dance area. Soon the faun music changed and the circles were broken, giving way to traditional waltzes and slow dances for two.

The dance floor cleared of guests before Peter entered the center of the floor. He turned to Edmund, holding his hand out with a proud smile. Susan watched as Edmund walked toward Peter with a graceful step, before the two began a dance meant only for two. Their eyes were locked on one another as they danced slowly as one.

They completed the traditional first dance before the floor was inundated with more couples, more pairs, more loves. Susan watched with an increasing ache in her heart, but smiled and nodded at all who passed her. When Lucy left her side, having been invited by Mr. Tumnus to take the floor, she felt that familiar sensation of isolation and separation.

She watched her siblings dance before her with their many guests. Her mind flashed back to her wedding day when she too had shared the first dance with the last Shian. Her Shian. Her eyes began to well up with tears as she rubbed her arms for warmth she would never know in this lifetime.

She broke away from the festivities, turning on her heels and running away as fast as she could. She ran back toward the castle, barely noticed by any she passed. Her chambers could not be reached fast enough for her liking. She held her dress up as she sprinted toward them, far from the merry activities, but not from the sound that led the dancing.

When finally she reached her chambers, she burst in and locked the door shut behind her. She staggered to her balcony, falling to her knees in a mess of sobs. She cried out, her scream carrying across the night sky. She cried out with a grief she had only begun to deal with since the war had ended. She cried out for the soft touches, the sure hands, the piercing eyes and the warmth of love that had long fled her life.

She stood up, struggling amongst her tears. Once more, tonight, as she had done so many times before, she held her arms up and led herself in a silent dance. A silent dance with a love she had been forced to let go of.

She traced across the balcony, each step in perfect sync, each step a perfect recollection of a nightly dance she once shared with her husband. She let the music that carried up from the pavilion be her guide. She imagined warm arms around her, a steady breath against her ear. Even now she could almost feel it. A cool breeze against her ear that almost felt the warm, soothing breath of her love.

"Promised One …"

Susan's eyes opened with both fright and disbelief. The words whispered along the wind and she was certain they were real. She was certain she heard the voice of her husband. Yet when she looked around, eyes wide with anxious despair, he was not there.

"Orrin?" Susan cried, her eyes pained as they studied the darkness around her.

"Orrin?" She cried out again, turning around on the balcony to find a miracle with her eyes.

Her eyes found nothing but darkness and false hope. She shuddered with anguished tears, vocalized in a pained gasp as he gripped the balcony railings. She looked up at the stars, silent tears staining her pale cheeks.

Whether real or imagined, Susan clung to the words that had whispered along the wind. She clenched her eyes shut, willing them to be real. Willing her husband to somehow let her know he had not been condemned to oblivion, where even in death she would not be reunited with him. If the words were real, then somehow he had been spared the fate of eternal damnation. Surely a sacrifice to save a world would grant reprieve from such a cruel fate.

She remembered Aslan's words at that moment. She had to believe if she was to have hope. A sacrifice as willing and noble as her husband's did not go unnoticed. That is what the great lion himself had said. All she had to do was believe, as the great lion had said. Believe and hope.

"I know you're here, Orrin." whispered Susan as her eyes slowly opened, "I believe it."

If her ears had deceived her earlier, than her eyes were surely doing the same now. As her jaw fell slack, the sure and steady form of her husband emerged from the shadows. Like an angel casting light amongst the darkness he smiled at her.

"Promised One." Orrin said with a warm smile that radiated love.

Susan's eyes shuddered with tears of joy, but she could not help noticing the broken image of her husband. He was no longer radiating death as he had as a fallen, yet his ghostly figure was almost as painful for her to see. He held his hand to her cheek, but only her love felt his touch, her skin felt nothing.

"One more dance, Promised One?" He whispered.

"I don't understand. How?"

"True love knows no bounds. Shh now …" He soothed, "Dance with me once more beneath the moonlight, my gentle wife."

For brief moments she hoped would last forever, Susan shared a dance with her husband, Prince Orrin. Though their bodies could not touch, such was the rhythm and synchronicity of their love that their dance seemed as real as ever. Indeed for Susan, it was. It was the most alive she had felt since the day she said goodbye to her husband on that cold battlefield in the north.

Susan could almost smell him, could almost touch him. The memories of her love gave her sensations life, curling her lips into a smile, a stark contrast to her tears that feared this dance would end too soon. Unfortunately for Susan, it did.

She felt a warm breath, a breeze on her cheek like a kiss and her eyes pained immediately. She turned her eyes up to the faint image of her husband, pleading with him to stay, if even like this. Stay tonight, stay forever she pleaded with her despairing blue eyes.

"Whether it take a thousand years or until the stars rain down from the heavens, believe, Promised One … believe …" Orrin said, his voice carrying like a faint echo, "Believe."

Susan could not speak for her tears, she merely nodded her head as her husband stepped away from her. She reached out to grab him, unable to let him go again, but he dissipated into what Susan could only describe as white rose petals before they were carried away by the northern winds.

Susan felt to the ground, mouth agape with disbelief. Her eyes stared up at the sky, both grateful and despairing. She had received a dance with her husband, but it had done little to assuage the ache in her heart.

"Orrin …" She cried softly, rubbing the ground where his image had last appeared to her, "Oh my Orrin … I believe. Come back, please come back. Give me my miracle, please. Please."

Unlike Peter and Edmund, Susan did not receive her miracle. Her husband did not return to her the way Edmund returned to Peter. She would spend each evening gazing up at the stars, hoping for one more whisper upon the wind to confirm that her husband had escaped the cruel fate of oblivion and she had not simply imagined that one night, that one dance.

She received no whisper, no confirmation, no hope. Still she would stand under the stars each evening for the rest of her reign in Narnia, staring up at them in the hope that somehow her husband was watching over her. Unfortunately for Susan the Gentle, that is all she had. Hope.

THE ADVENTURE HAS JUST BEGUN

Peter was surrounded by joy and revelry as he turned on the dance floor with his husband's hands upon his shoulders. Today had been a success beyond his wildest hopes. Narnia had cast off much of the grief and despair and thrown itself into celebration. For Peter, his celebration was in this dance. It was in the gift of being able to look into the eyes of the man who owned his heart and soul.

"I love you, Doubt-bucket."

Peter smiled proudly, easing their dance so they stood still. He cupped his hands to Edmund's face, gasping at the beauty that befell his eyes. He leaned in, oblivious to all who danced around him and place a kiss so sweet and sincere upon his husband's lips.

"Thank you." Peter whispered, pulling Edmund into a warm embrace.

"For what, Peter?"

Peter said nothing; he simply pulled back so he could look Edmund in the eyes. Peter's eyes said everything he could possibly say, perhaps even more. His smile spoke volumes for his love, for his gratitude, for the joy he felt at being with the one he loved. His thanks were for more than Edmund could possibly imagine. When he finally mustered words, they were laden with gratitude and love.

"For our life. For this." Peter sighed contently as he stole a warm kiss from his husband, "For breathing."

"I only breathe because you loved me enough to make it so." smiled a tearful Edmund, "It is I who should thank you, Peter. Our life is a miracle and I plan to make it one you will never forget."

"I plan to make it one that will never end." Peter grinned slightly, his lips hovering over Edmund's before his expression changed to one of intent seriousness, "I am, because you are."

Their fingers interlaced as Peter leaned in and kissed his doubt-bucket. It was a kiss both passionate and tempered. Their fingers broke free so their hands could trace up one another's backs as their kiss deepened. Peter did not care who watched or stared at them. He only cared that at this very moment, he was with his love. His love, his soul, his heart, his Edmund.

He had fought against the darkness for this moment. He had endured the pain of being without his love. As he recalled the trials that led to their reunion and eventual marriage, Peter's eyes welled with tears and the kiss became ever deeper. What he realized in this one moment, was that for all the trials and suffering, he had his miracle. He had his Edmund.

As Peter kissed and held his doubt-bucket in the center of the northern pavilion, he knew one thing. He knew as their lips met and their tears collided. He knew as their hands groped against one another desperately, clinging to this moment, to their future. He knew one thing above all others. Their life, their love, their adventure, was just beginning.

- To Be Concluded -
3.15 – Goodbye
After years of living in peace and prosperity with his husband, Edmund is reminded of the price he must pay for love. A white stag is sighted and the Golden Age of Narnia is about to end. Taking place over ten years after 'Celebration', Just and Magnificent concludes with 'Goodbye'.