You'll Come Back
Chapter 3
Peter stood from the highest point of Aslan's how looking out over the vast green land. It was spring, his favourite season, but he could not find a reason to be happy on this day. War was coming soon, the eagles he'd sent out came in to report that the Telmarine's war party was still a distance off, and it would take a day or two to get there.
Peter nodded in understanding and sent them off to do more recon. He walked back down the slanted steps and inside the how where many weapons were being made for the fight. They were coming along well but Peter was worried if they would have enough in time.
Suddenly Arius burst into the door in a panic. "Your majesty! There's rustling in the bushes, and voices too! Someone is watching the camp!"
Peter's eyes widened. "The Telmarines are spying on us?"
"No, we were not able to find any Telmarines. But I did snag this cloth."
A piece of black fabric with silver stitching that once resembled a tree fluttered to the ground.
"It's them." Peter whispered "They've finally come out in the open."
"Well not quite." Arius interrupted "We haven't found actual people yet, just that scrap."
"Find them." Peter commanded "I want to know once and for all if they are friend, or foe. And their leader, I must know who leads this group of…"
"Skilled warriors?" Lucy suggested as she entered the room.
Peter grimaced "Yes, that."
Susan followed behind her sister, rolling her eyes as she did. "You're just upset because they fight so well and you'd like them to choose your side and they never do."
Peter crossed his arms, looking like a small child for once in a long time, "Am not."
Susan smiled at his foolishness, but then suggested "Perhaps we ought to arrange a hunting party for these warriors, to round them up and ask them what their purpose is here."
Peter agreed with this idea but still insisted "You and Lucy should not go, it will be-"
"Dangerous?" Susan finished "I know. Prevent Lucy if you must, but I am old enough to make my own decisions and I am also High Queen." She glared at her brother.
Peter grudgingly agreed and attached some weapons to his person as Lucy protested vigorously.
Finally Peter had enough. "FINE! Just come with us then!"
Lucy squealed in delight and ran to get her dagger and healing cordial.
Peter selected some of his best warriors to come along, leaving Arius in charge of everyone at the how.
They headed off, Peter insisting that Susan and Lucy rode his horse in case they needed to make a quick getaway. The humoured him as they knew he wouldn't stop pestering them about it until they did. Swinging their legs over the horse about a halfway through the journey, they galloped a little ahead; snickering at Peter's alarmed face.
"WAIT! NOT TOO FAR!"
"Susan, look! Over there!" Lucy pointed her small finger to a tent set up in a small clearing near the edge of the whispering woods.
Susan turned her body halfway around on the horse. "Peter! Over here!" she gestured for him to hurry up. Hurry he did, he practically sprinted up to them as he drew his sword.
"What is it!?" he asked his face panicked, eyebrows drawn up, mouth set with worry, and nose scrunched up.
Susan sighed, "The camp site, Peter. There." She pointed "It must be theirs."
"Maybe…" Peter replied skeptically, he stepped around the brush and into the clearing. The camp was completely silent. There was no movement, no sign of life.
"Have they moved on?" Lucy asked as she and the rest of their group proceeded into the camp site.
"And leave on their things behind?" Peter pointed out using his sword to lift the flap of one of their tents, which was unoccupied.
"Maybe they were in a hurry?" Lucy suggested.
Peter angrily sheathed his sword. "Where could they have gone!?" he grumbled, kicking the base of a nearby tree, effectively stubbing his toes.
"Ow!" he yelped rubbing his sore foot. "Dammit."
Susan frowned, "Language Peter." she chided him.
Peter gave her a pointed look "You're acting like mother again, Susan."
She grimaced "I am not." she stomped over to the middle of the camp, looking all around for some trace of a person.
Just then a fluttering in the bushes next to the camp snapped them all out of searching the site.
"What was that?" Peter asked, his eyes searching the brush frantically.
A centaur nearest to the bushes pulled out his sword, "I think it was something running sir, their footsteps are heading north!" he reported.
Peter gestured for their group of fighters to follow him "Hurry!" he began to run but stopped short and turned to his sisters "Stay. Put…there." he ordered awkwardly before taking off with his soldiers.
"But Pet-!" Susan raised a finger and began to protest but Peter was long gone, having sprinted right out of there.
Lucy kicked a rock "He always leaves us behind! I'm tired of being treated like a china doll!" she crossed her arms over her chest in a huff.
Susan sighed "He's just doing what he thinks is best to protect us."
Lucy hung her head "I know, but we're capable of taking care of-" she froze, mid-sentence.
Susan turned toward her sister, confusion evident on her features "What is it Lu?"
Lucy reached out a shaky hand, it rose until it was parallel to the ground, her finger slipped out from her clenched fist and she pointed to the woods that were to Susan's back, alarm written all over her face.
Susan spun around to come face to face with a group of heavily armed gentlemen, clad in dark garments, all of them having a silver tree emblem stitched somewhere on their clothing.
The man in front walked forward "Well, well, well. What do we have here? Seems not all of them took the bait." he chuckled with an unsettling smile, his eyes were focused on the two girls, then they widened in recognition.
"Y-you're the-" Susan cut off his stuttering.
"The Queens of Narnia, yes." she confirmed, her face hardened. "I command that you back away."
The man shrugged and drew his sword, pointing it at the two young women, who backed away in confusion. No one had ever defied a direct order before.
"Sorry, we don't take orders from you. Ah, no offence of course," he said somewhat sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "It's just, the only person we listen to is our commander and he's-"
"Thornton." a cool voice called. The mass of men separated as a young man, face covered, hood up, a trace of dark brown curls hanging in his face was his only humanizing trait immediately noticeable. He wore all dark clothing, the emblem was not stitched onto his clothes. He was clearly the leader, strolling gracefully through the path they'd made, one hand on his dangerous looking sword, the other swinging by his side. "I assume they've all departed, so we have t-" he froze as he saw the two girls, a brief look of panic flashed in his eyes, as quickly as it came it was covered up and he walked up to them.
He flicked his hand at Thorton's sword on his way by, silently telling him to lower it. Thorton withdrew immediately.
"Well, your majesties." he bowed his head slightly; a hint of a smirk gracing his lips. "And what can we do for you?"
Susan looked a little taken aback, but Lucy just looked up at him curiously, a strange look on her face. "Uh… we um… we're just…"
"Lost?" he finished for her.
"Um that's not exactly what happened but…"
The younger leader sheathed his sword quickly, with a slap it returned to his side. He turned to the one called Thornton as said "Prepare an extra tent."
Then he turned to the girls "You will rest here for tonight." he decided, stating his words a little roughly, making the girls realize they had no choice.
"But, Peter…" Susan was in conflict as she looked to the woods, wondering where Peter could be.
"He will come back for you I'm sure, but as you can see you should not be travelling at this time, it will be dark soon." he gestured to the setting sun.
Susan had no choice but to agree, he was right. Lucy nodded eagerly, having found this whole experience nothing but exciting.
The young man gestured for them to occupy the tent that had been put up for them rather quickly. They nodded to him gratefully and climbed in, finding two comfortable looking sleeping bags waiting for them.
They climbed in right away and fell asleep almost immediately.
At around three or four in the morning she estimated, Susan awoke, rubbing her eyes wearily, wondering where she was. Then it all came back to her. The secret society that they could never find, found them. Or rather found them intruding on their camp. They had offered them a place to stay. She almost couldn't believe this was real, they had made contact with the Secretum Socetatis Fraternitatis and were staying in their camp.
Unable to find rest any longer Susan rose from her sleeping bag, pulled on her boots and made her way outside the tent. There were members of the brotherhood stationed around the camp as guards but it looked to be that most were sleeping. No one spoke a word to each other, the guards barely even shifted their weight, it was clear they were disciplined warriors.
A crackling fire was still lit in the middle of the camp, most likely for the captain who seemed to be pouring over documents and maps of some kind. Susan hesitantly made her way over.
"You should be resting." He said suddenly and Susan stopped short her steps hesitating, she was quite sure she hadn't made a sound to alert him to her presence. "Or is it that you don't trust us?"
"No, I don't."
He chuckled "I thought you were meant to be 'The Gentle'."
"I am, usually. But seeing as we're in the camp of a group of clearly skilled fighters who have no clear motivation for doing what they do I see it as just to be on guard for now."
"Just?" He hummed, if it was in agreement then she wasn't sure. "I suppose so."
"What are you doing?"
He sighed and rubbed his eyes though she could tell it was difficult as the mask he wore covered most of his face. "Just battle strategy."
Susan could tell he had no more to say on the matter. He wasn't about to give up their plans it seemed.
"So, my brother, King Peter, will return. What will you do then?"
"I don't know, punch him in the nose?"
Susan's eyebrows shot up "What?"
He chuckled halfheartedly "I'm just kidding."
"Well perhaps you should focus less on your little jokes and more on the fact that Peter has proof you exist now. He wants to hunt you down, probably convince you to help us if he can."
The Commander sighed "He is exactly where I predicted him to be. I gave him a bone with that uniform, and low and behold he went to go fetch. Only problem was I didn't foresee him leaving his sisters behind." He raised an eyebrow pointedly at Susan. "Not very magnificent or brotherly of him was it? Have to say I'm a little disappointed, chivalry isn't dead after all."
She flushed in embarrassment on behalf of Peter. "And when he realizes there is nothing to find and returns here for us?"
"We'll gone by then and you can continue on as though this never happened."
"And why should I do that? What's stopping me from telling him everything I know and having his army chase you down and lock you up?"
He scoffed and flipped to a map of the Lonely Islands, "Because that's working out so well for you. What exactly do you think you know?" He turned briefly to Susan, the anger on his face evident even with half his mouth covered "You don't know anything!" His fist hit the table making all its contents jump into the air before landing in their places again. Susan flinched.
The Commander turned away from her completely, lifted his mask briefly to rub a hand to his eyes properly before replacing it. He took a breath before trying again, "I don't think that what our uniform looks like or the fact that we're hospitable to our guests is exactly a criminal offence."
"Your men made it clear that you do not live under the crown's regiment. Seeing as we are the current government that is an illegal offence."
"Ah yes… Well you see, we never exactly saw eye to eye with authority you know."
"Your men seem to have no problem listening to your authority."
"That's because they know who I really am, they trust me with their lives. Every single one of them would put their life on the line because they have that much faith in me."
"And who exactly are you then?"
He turned his head to look her right in the eye for the first time since their conversation began. A small smile pulled at the corner of his mouth, "Why, you got a guess?"
"No."
"Hmm shame. Thought you were the smart one."
Susan's eyebrow furrowed "Excuse me?"
"You're excused."
"You do understand you're talking to the Queen of Narnia don't you?"
"And you understand you're not in the palace anymore. In this place, I'm in charge and I don't need to listen to you Susan."
"That's Queen Susan."
"Semantics."
"Fine."
"Fine."
"What is going on?" A new voice cut in and they turned to see a sleepy looking Lucy rubbing her eyes and approaching them in a daze.
"Nothing Lucy we were just-"
"Oh your sister was just harassing me with questions is all."
Susan's eyes snapped to the young Captain and shot him a foul look.
"Susan," Lucy chided "They gave us a place to camp in safety. We should be thanking them, not bothering them."
"I wasn't! And we don't know this is safe, they could all be traitors to their country for all we know!
Lucy gave Susan 'those' eyes, eyes that made her and Peter agree to anything. "Innocent until proven guilty isn't it?" She reminded her softly.
Susan grimaced at her sisters reasoning. She turned to the young Commander and mumbled a barely audible "Sorry."
He smiled slightly and turned to Lucy who looked at him with keen interest. She curtsied to him quickly and said "Thank you very much for letting us stay the night. What can we call you sir? 'The Commander' is a bit of a mouthful."
He looked almost taken aback for a moment, and Lucy briefly wished she had not asked. He took a moment but answered softly with "Eindride."
"So, your majesty." He gestured that they should take a seat on the stumps by the fire that served as makeshift chairs. It was clear his intention was to change the subject. "There's a rumour you're the most acquainted with Aslan. Is that true?"
"Well I'm not sure that I'm the most acquainted with him but I certainly consider him a special friend."
"Tell me, is he happy with the current King and Queen's reign?"
Lucy was a little surprised by the question but answered nonetheless "Well he certainly hasn't given any indication we are doing a poor job. Though I'm sure he'd agree we could do an even better job if we had all the Kings and Queens."
"Ah yes, I heard he was doing a mediocre job, what with running away and abandoning his throne and all."
Susan grit her teeth. "Don't you dare say another word."
"I must agree, that was quite out of line sir."
"I'm just saying, you must hate him something awful for doing that to you."
"Of course not." Lucy answered for both of them. "He was having a very hard time, he needed to leave, to get his bearings."
"He'll come back." Susan's voice was firm in her statement.
"Susan…"
"He will Lu. I know he will." With that she turned on her heel and marched back to their tent.
"She seems awfully certain." Eindride commented as he watched the gently Queen disappear into the tent.
Lucy sighed "She never really gave up on him. I suppose none of us did, at least not really. We accepted that he was gone but I suppose we never really gave up in our hearts that he would come back to us. He's our brother. We're not at our full strength without him. I know Peter has had a hard time ever since now that he's the only King."
"Really…" Lucy couldn't be certain from his tone of voice if he was really interested or just being polite.
"Yes, Edmund was very good when it came to battle strategy and knowing what the enemy would do. He could predict the outcome of any battle, and it would be spot on every time. We never lost a fight with Ed on our side. I know Peter misses his input. But… it's not just that. I think he thinks he was too hard on him. He pushed him too much and that's why he left. I know it isn't true but Peter can't help but blame himself. He's always done that when things go wrong."
Lucy sighed "I miss our talks. We were both the younger siblings see? We used to really not get a long when we were younger, he made me so mad at him all the time. But when we grew up a little we became close. He'd always have complete faith in me, even when no one else wanted to listen to me."
She giggled behind her hand "I have to say I've lost a lot more fights with Peter without Ed there to take my side." She gave a sad little smile as she gazed into the fire. "He's a good man."
Eindride stayed silent, continuing to stare at his maps with unmoving eyes.
Lucy started "Oh! I'm sorry, you're planning things aren't you? I must be disturbing you with all this chatter. Don't mind me, I should check on Susan. Goodnight!" She waved before skipping her way back to their tent.
Slowly letting out the breath he didn't realize he was holding Eindride started when he heard, "Sir?"
He turned, ashamed to admit he didn't hear his second in command approach at all. "Thorton." He breathed.
"Your m-" he cut himself off and cleared his throat hastily "Commander, our scouts have picked up King Peter's location. He's heading back, we have to be moving on. Unless…"
"Unless what?" Eindride asked sharply.
"Unless there is a reason we should stay."
The young Commander did not answer. He stared into the fire letting Thorton's statement hang in the air.
"Sir? Is there a reason we should stay?" He asked as though he was looking for a certain answer.
"…No. Prepare to leave."
Thorton's eyes flashed with disappointment for a moment, betraying his usual stony exterior. "Yes sir."
A/N So hiii... *throws hands up in defence* Don't shoot! Sorry i've been so absent from Fanfiction but you know how writing slumps go, it's hard sometimes. Anyhow I have been inspired to write lately. I've also updated my Gallagher Girls fic recently too, with 2 new chapters. Hope you enjoyed this one though. I started this chapter a long time ago and figured I really should finish it. Hope it's okay!