*WARNING*- This story contains the spanking of a teenage male. Don't like, don't read. You have been warned and I will not apologize for my work or its content.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Pevensie children, Narnia, or anything else affiliated with them, just the plot!
Peter burst out of the tent, glancing this way and that, looking for his sisters. "Peter!" The shrill cry cut through the afternoon din of creatures hustling about. He turned towards the sound and saw Lucy running towards him with outstretched arms. When she reached him, he swung her up and she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I missed you! Guess what? I rode a griffin! Well, Susan did, too. She's over there!" Lucy sat up and pointed to where Susan stood, quietly conversing with a few Narnians. Peter started toward her. Lucy continued to chatter. "I rode Dorr all the way here! It was so much fun! I never fell off! It wasn't quite like riding Aslan, though, I don't think anything will quite beat that," she giggled. "How is everything? Where's Edmund? You've found him by now, right?"
"Lucy," Peter hissed, and she fell silent. He took a deep and steady breath, trying to maintain control of his emotions. He reached Susan in no time at all; she saw him coming and met him halfway.
"Peter," she gave him a one-armed hug as he set Lucy down. "How is he?"
"What are you doing here?" Peter demanded, his jaw set. Susan blinked and stepped back defensively.
"Erm...only checking in on my brothers, of course. Not every day that we lose a barely- 13-year-old in the forest at nightfall."
"Do not go there with me." Peter's eyes bore into Susan's, dangerously. "You of all people know that I am not to blame for what happened to Edmund or his current state."
"His current state?" Lucy piped up, looking from Peter to Susan quizzically. Her sunny expression faded as she took in the looks on their faces. "What's happened to Edmund?"
"I only just learned, myself," and here Susan shot an accusing glance at Peter. "Peter and his company lost Edmund in the wood last night as they were feasting. He was attacked by a bear...well...thrown into a tree by one. He hit his head. He's in the medical tent. I was just about to go look after him."
"A bear?" Lucy's mouth hung open in disbelief. "But...but bears are such sweethearts...such quiet and gentle folk."
"Not when they're woken from their slumber by a little boy screaming outside their window in the dead of night," quipped one of Peter's men in passing, then quickened his pace at his king's glare. Susan's hand flew to her mouth.
"Oh, Ed...he was screaming?" She began to tear up.
"No, Susan, no," Peter reassured her quickly, putting an arm around an equally horrified Lucy, "it was nothing like that. We were calling for him and he shouted to respond and must have woken the bear."
"Where is he?" Lucy squeaked, wiping her eyes. "I brought..." and she tugged at the cordial in its little leather case at her hip. Peter let out all his breath in relief.
"Yes, good, Lucy. Good. Come on, I'll take you to him."
Edmund was having a ruddy time of it. His head felt as though it were splitting open. He slowly turned one way, then the other, trying to gain even a bit of relief. It was a vain effort. Just as he was about to burst into tears of frustration, the tent was flooded with light.
"Edmund." A girl's voice.
"Susan?"
"And Lucy!" Came a smaller voice from his left. Edmund struggled to sit up, groaning. Three pairs of hands made the effort tremendously easier, and he was instantly rewarded when he looked into his sisters' faces. Peter was there, too.
"Help me get this thing off of him, Lu," Susan directed. Peter supported Edmund's back as his sisters carefully unwrapped the bandage from around Edmund's head, gasping as his red and swollen left eye, harsh lines of scratches above and below, came into view. The nastiest scratch, almost more accurate to be called a cut, ran straight up and down across his eyelid and down to his cheek. "Oh, that looks terribly painful," Susan whispered. Edmund gave a wry snort.
"Understatement."
"Open, Ed." Peter tipped Edmund's head back the slightest bit, causing him to hiss in pain, but his discomfort was short-lived. Lucy uncapped her cordial, dripped the juice into Edmund's mouth, and seconds later, the siblings watched in amazement and acute relief as the scratches vanished, along with the swelling and bruises scattered along Edmund's face. His expression completely relaxed, his face no longer screwed up in pain.
Cautiously, Peter removed his hand from behind Edmund's neck. Edmund sat up completely now, all on his own. He shook his head and blinked, then gave them all a guilty little half-smile. Susan and Lucy exclaimed with joy and embraced him, both at once.
"You gave us such a fright!" Susan was kissing his cheek. Then she sat back and regarded him sternly, grasping him by the collar of his shirt. "You are in a fair bit of trouble, Edmund Michael. Sneaking off to join a hunt that Peter explicitly did not invite you to. What on earth were you thinking?! Imagine if you had been even more hurt, perhaps terribly burned or paralyzed! That bear could have broken your neck!"
"That's enough," Peter held up his hand. "Edmund will have plenty of time to think about the consequences of his choices and behaviour on the way home. You're all to leave here at once."
"At once?" Lucy looked up at him in dismay as Susan released her grip on Edmund's shirt.
"Yes, at once. I cannot believe you three. All of you." Peter studied his siblings fiercely. "You," he held up a finger towards Edmund, "I refuse to even start with you. I'll be addressing you upon my return home." Edmund's eyes fell to study his knees. "As for you two," he turned to the girls, "I've still no idea what on Aslan's green earth possessed you to think that I would be alright with you mounting griffins and flying here without so much as an escort. Neither of you have had a whiff of experience on a winged animal. None. Susan, Lucy is ten."
"We just-"
"I don't care what you were just," Peter spoke over Lucy. "The only reason why I'm not currently escorting you to a deserted area and thrashing you both," he paused for emphasis before continuing, "for such reckless decision making, is because had it not been for this," he held up Lucy's cordial, "we would still be in a very precarious situation, and he would still be suffering. So. Thank you for this," he nodded to the little bottle, "but absolutely no thanks for your complete foolishness and lack of judgement."
"Peter, could...could I say something?" Lucy spoke quickly. He looked at her and she continued precariously. "We...we weren't going to come. But...Susan woke me up late last night and told me that Dorr told her that Edmund was lost. And it's my fault," Lucy's lip began to tremble. "I..." she stopped, eyes wide with fright and unshed tears.
"Edmund manipulated Lucy," Susan spoke, reaching across for her little sister and guiding her into her lap. "I'll tell you the whole story later, but she walked in on him packing to leave and he threatened her if she told one of us where he was going." Peter's eyes fell on Edmund.
"Is this true?" Edmund licked his lips and swallowed hard. "You're kidding me. Is this true, Edmund?" He nodded the smallest nod he could manage. "WORDS," came the command.
"Yessir," he whispered, bracing himself for the blow that he was sure was coming. But Peter didn't hit him. When he glanced up, he saw his brother still studying him rigidly.
"We're not past this? Well?" He pushed when Edmund made no reply. "We're not past your torment of her?"
"I wasn't...I didn't..."
"It wasn't really torment," Lucy cut in. "I...I was there to sneak a biscuit before breakfast...and Edmund said that you and Susan would be angrier with me for stealing sweets when I'm not supposed to have them than with him for surprising you on the hunt."
"And you believed him?" Peter's brow was furrowed with contempt. "'Surprising' me," he scoffed.
"We didn't leave 'til morning when it was light enough to see," Susan reasoned with him. "We brought weapons, food, first aid, Edmund's sword, my horn, Lucy's cordial. I ensured that the griffins knew the way before we ever mounted. Peter, he's our brother. We weren't going to stay when we knew we could help."
"I had to come," Lucy mumbled. "I'd have such never-ending terrible guilt if I hadn't tried to fix it."
Peter paused for a moment before shaking his head. "We'll have to discuss this all later; too much to unpack. For right now, none of you are permitted to leave the castle until I return home tomorrow."
"You're not coming with us?" Susan asked. Peter gave her an incredulous look.
"No, I'm not coming with you. Must I? Must I au pair my little siblings and coddle you like infants to ensure that you get home safely and actually go straight home instead of, oh, I dunno, wandering into the forest?"
"Peter." Susan's voice was low. He shook his head.
"No, I'm going to finish this hunt and try to salvage some semblance of a good time for my men. Heaven knows the chaos they have been through thus far. Now. All of you. Out. Go home. Have one of my men saddle and secure the griffins and make sure you are all properly settled. Send word when you arrive. And if any of you step a single toe out of the Cair-I don't care if it's the garden or the beach or the stables-" Susan and Edmund opened their mouth to protest but he spoke over them, "I shall know and you shall be dealt with accordingly. Susan, Lucy, go. I'll send Edmund straight behind you." The girls scrambled up and exited the tent, sticking close to each other, Lucy beginning to cry. Peter whipped around to face Edmund.
"I...don't even know what to say to you,' Edmund pulled his knees in tighter to his chest, intently studying his trousers, and Peter knew he was hearing every word, "except that you can expect to feel my belt when I return home." Edmund looked up at him in dismay, a pang of dread ringing in his chest. "Perhaps that will drill it into your head that other people exist in this world besides yourself. I do not know when you grew so abhorrently selfish, Edmund," his little brother's cheeks began to redden and tears formed on his eyelashes, "but it will not continue. It cannot. You were lucky this time. We all were. Next time, we might not be. Which is why I refuse to let there be one. Stand up," he rose and reached for Edmund's hand. The boy stood. Peter placed his hands on Edmund's shoulders. "One report of you causing any trouble for the girls before I'm home and you won't see beyond the walls of your bedchamber for a month. Do you understand?"
"Y-yes sir."
"Go." And he was firmly thrust toward the tent's opening. With a lump in his throat growing bigger by the second, Edmund stumbled off to join his sisters.
To be continued!
A/N: Chapter 6 already because my brain was running with it and I didn't want to lose what I had formulating :) Also. To whatever sweet guest reviewer keeps showering me with compliments and such wonderfully detailed reviews, I want you to know that I have found myself waiting to update until I hear from you because your feedback just makes my life xxx THANK YOU! -Cas xx
