Disclaimer – Still own nothing.

To white collar black wolf – Thanks for your review! Glad you liked it! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

To VickyP – Thanks for your review! Here's the next chapter! Hope you like it!

AN – And I'm back with the next chapter. Hope you all like it!

Enjoy!

Peter was a little surprised when he woke up and found that it was already morning. He didn't think he'd sleep much, if at all, during the night. He had been so worried about Edmund that he didn't think he'd be able to even fall asleep. And he had wanted to be awake when the rescue party came back so he could see his brother as soon as possible. He had to know if he was alright. Wanting to know if they had come back sometime during the night, Peter got off his hammock and made his way out of the tent.

He only had walk about 10, 15 feet before he spotted Oreius heading towards the other end of the camp. His heart started racing in his chest. If Oreius was back, then that meant that the rest of rescue party should be back. And if they were back, then, Edmund should be at the camp too. But, where was he? And why wasn't he or his sisters told that they were back?

The centaur slowed to stop when he saw that Peter was there and staring at him. Instead of saying anything though, Oreius just turned his head to look up at something behind him. Peter took a another few steps closer before looking up to see what Oreius was looking at and felt relief flood through his body. There, half-way up the hill on a large rock, stood his baby brother in front of Aslan. He was alive, and was safe.

The sound of small footsteps and the tent flap opening pulled Peter's attention to Susan and Lucy's tent, just in time to see his sisters exiting. Susan smiled at him but she must've seen something on his face because she started to frown, then looked to see what he had been staring at. Lucy did the same, but unlike her oldest brother and sister, she darted forward and cried out, "Edmund!"

Peter immediately bent down and caught his youngest sister in his arm and said, "No Lucy. He's talking with Aslan right now, we shouldn't interrupt them."

Lucy looked a bit upset but nodded and stayed put. As Peter turned to look back up at his brother and the Lion, he saw that it was too late. They were both now looking down at them. They must've heard Lucy's shout. He then watched as Edmund moved his head to face Aslan again and when he nodded, the black-haired boy started to climb down the hill towards them. Aslan stared at Peter for another few seconds before he jumped off the rock and followed after Edmund.

Edmund slowed his stride as he got closer to his siblings. The closer he got, the more Peter began to feel angry. He had been so worried about Edmund getting hurt or even killed that he didn't even have time to realize how furious he was that Edmund was so stupid, and was apparently bitter and selfish enough to betray them like he had. But once Edmund was only a few yards away, Peter could see the yellowing bruise on Edmund's cheek, the split lip, and the cut by his eyebrow. That, along with the way he kept his head lowered as though scared and/or ashamed broke Peter's heart. What had the Witch done to him? He no longer knew what to think or feel.

Edmund stopped once he was standing in front of his brother and sisters and kept his head lowered, apparently not knowing what to do. Neither did the others. Once Aslan had caught up to youngest Son of Adam, he said to the other three, "What's done is done. There is no need to speak to Edmund about what had passed."

With that, Aslan walked away from the humans. Edmund finally raised his head more to clearly see them,but when his eyes ended up on Peter though, he lowered his head again and mumbled, "Hello."

Peter remained where he stood, as did Susan, but Lucy smiled brightly and rushed forward to hug her older brother. Edmund tensed for a second, clearly not expecting the embrace, but to everyone's surprised he returned it instead of just pushing her away like he always did. Susan then smiled herself and walked over to her younger brother. Lucy then pulled away so that their sister could also hug Edmund which again, he returned whole-heartedly.

"Are you alright?" Susan asked when she pulled away so she could look at his face.

"I'm a little tired." Edmund replied with a small smile. That didn't surprise Peter. The younger boy looked exhausted.

"Get some sleep." Peter told him, nodding to his tent. Edmund stared at him then lowered his head once again and started to walk towards the tent that his older brother gestured to. As he walked past him, another stab of guilt hit Peter in his stomach. Yes he was still upset with his brother, but did he have to sound that cold?

"And Edmund?" Peter called out, turning around to face him. Edmund turned back to him, a hopeful expression on his face. With a smile, the oldest Pevensie said, "Try not to wander off."

Edmund gave him a mischievous smirk, one that Peter hadn't seen in a long time, then continued on his way into the tent.

"Peter?" The blonde looked over at Lucy when he heard her quiet voice, "Shouldn't we stay with him?"

Peter stared at her, seeing the worry in her eyes. Glancing up at Susan, he saw the same worry in her eyes as well. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I'll go make sure that he's okay. You two should go get some breakfast."

Lucy seemed like she wanted to argue, but Susan put her hand on her shoulder and gently ushered towards the tent where food was being served. Peter watched them leave before going back to his tent.

He found Edmund not on the hammock, but on the pile of pillows beside it. From the looks of it, he was already asleep. The sight made him chuckle. Seeing that Edmund was still wearing his shoes though, he got down on his knees and started to take them off so his brother would be able to sleep more comfortably. It was then that he saw them. Red welts on his legs as though he had struck with a whip or something like it.

Edmund moaned and turned his head in Peter's direction, not fully asleep but not really awake either. Peter placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and said, "Shh Edmund, it's alright. It's just me, go back to sleep."

For the first time in months, Edmund did what he was told. Peter waited until his eyes were fully closed and his breathing seemed to even out before he started to exam his brother more closely. He saw that along with the welts, his knees were bruised and scraped but had been cleaned. Someone in the camp must have done that. He doubted that the Witch would've cared about his injuries. And he was now noticing bandages around Edmund's wrists peaking out from under his sleeves.

Not willing to risk Edmund waking up again when he clearly needed the rest, Peter grabbed a blanket and laid it over his brother. Then he settled down beside him and got comfortable, wanting to keep a close eye on him. He would not be letting Edmund out of his sight for a while, if ever again.

NARNIA

Peter wasn't exactly sure how long he had been sitting beside his brother's sleeping figure. It felt like hours yet minutes at the same time. Surprisingly, he wasn't that bored as one would assume. He felt quite content to be by Edmund's side, making sure that he was safe, reassuring himself that he was there, that this all wasn't a dream. It was nearing lunchtime when something changed. So far, Edmund had been sleeping peacefully, but now he was starting to mumble and toss and turn on the pillows.

"Ed?" Peter called out. When his brother didn't respond, instead, turning onto his side which let the older sibling see the terrified expression on his face, he grabbed Edmund's shoulder and started shaking it, "Edmund, wake up."

Edmund shot up with a strangled gasp and pulled away from Peter. The blonde let him, knowing that he just needed a few seconds to realize whatever he was dreaming of wasn't real, then said, "Easy Ed, it's alright. It was just a dream, you're safe now. You're in Aslan's camp."

Edmund looked around the tent, obviously trying to see if this was indeed real or not. He then looked over at Peter, took a few deep breaths and pushed the blanket off of him. As Peter watched Edmund try to get his bearing, he wondered what he should do. A part of him wanted to pull him into a hug and tell him again that he was safe, but Edmund hated being touched. He didn't want to make him feel more uncomfortable than he already was. So he waited for Edmund to make the first move.

"Wasn't just a dream." Edmund mumbled after a minute, wiping his eyes with his hands. Peter tensed when he heard that. He didn't actually expect him to admit that. If anything, he expected Edmund to either stay quiet or tell him to mind his own business.

"Are you alright?" Peter asked once the silence started to become unbearable.

"I'm fine." Edmund answered quietly, looking down at the ground. Peter wished his littler brother would've said more, would've said something, anything to fill this silent space between them, because he had no idea what to do or what to say.

"You're still really mad at me, aren't you?" Peter's head shot up at the sound of his brother's voice to find that Edmund still had his head lowered but his brown eyes were staring in his direction.

"A little, but I don't blame you." Peter admitted. That got Edmund to lift his head up, revealing a shocked expression.

"You don't?" Edmund questioned, not appearing to believe him which didn't really surprise Peter. Over the last several months, when Edmund's behaviour had started getting worse, the oldest had no qualms with giving the youngest son the blame when he deserved it.

"No." Peter confirmed. Seeing that Edmund still looked stunned and confused, he added, "I have been really hard on you lately. Far more than I should have. I just got mad instead of talking to you, instead of trying to be there for you."

"I didn't make it easy for you." Edmund admitted in a quiet tone, looking down at the ground, "And I made my own choices."

"I still should've been there for you. You're my brother." Peter insisted. He then reached over to place a comforting hand on Edmund's back, but pulled it back when the boy flinched.

"What's wrong?" The blonde asked worriedly. He had seen some of his brother's injuries, but he had no doubt that there were more that weren't visible.

"Nothing." Edmund replied, still keeping his head lowered and eyes on the ground.

"Edmund, what did she,"

"Nothing." The black-haired boy quickly cut him off with a harsh tone, finally looking up at him. When he saw the expression on Peter's face, he took a breath to calm himself and said, "I, I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay." Peter dropped it. He then stood up and gestured to the clothes that had been brought to the tent when they arrived the day before that were for Edmund, "There are some clothes here, if you want to get changed. And lunch should be served soon, if you're hungry."

"Food sounds amazing." Edmund responded, a wistful smile on his face as he stood up. As he made his way over to where the clothes were, he stopped and looked back at Peter.

"I'll just be outside." Peter quickly got the unspoken hint and walked outside the tent. He didn't go that far though, remaining within five feet of the opening, just in case Edmund needed him for something.

He had only been waiting a minute when he saw Susan and Lucy walking towards him. As they reached him, Susan asked, "Where's Ed?"

"He's just getting changed." Peter answered. Seconds later, Edmund emerged from the tent and walked straight to them.

"Come along Edmund, you are going to love lunch. They serve the best food here." Lucy told him with a big smile as she grabbed Edmund's hand and pulled him along. Susan and Peter both smiled at the sight and followed after them but at a distance so they could talk without the younger two hearing them.

"How is he?" Susan asked seriously.

"In denial, I think. He doesn't want to talk about it." Peter replied, watching his brother with a close eye for any sign that something was wrong.

"I don't blame him." Susan told him. Peter nodded in agreement. She then looked over at him and seeing the worried expression still on his face, she slid her arm through his and said, "Come on, let's eat. You'll both feel better when your stomachs aren't empty."

AN – Yeah, this chapter is a little short, but next one will hopefully be longer. Hope you all liked it! Next will be up as soon as I can finish it!