Peter fought with everything he had; he fought with his very being. The Calormene forces never seemed to have an end. But then again, neither did Peter's spirit. He had a reason to keep going. Nothing would keep him from earning back his brother's freedom. Nothing would keep him from saving Edmund's life.

His little brother had always been so fond of freedom. Edmund had always been more appreciative of it since he was in the White Witch's captivity. It seemed ironic that the one who loved freedom the most should be the one to suffer the confines of slavery's grasp.

But Edmund had been tormented long enough. Peter would allow him to suffer no more. He'd already failed in keeping Edmund safe, and it nearly cost Peter his little brother.

Peter had made a promise to his mother back at the train station, and now he had a chance to mend it.

PSELPSELPSELPSELPSELPSELPSELPSELPSELPSEL

Edmund hurriedly made his way through the ranks, cutting down any Calormene in his way. More than once, a Narnian soldier would mistake him for their enemy and he would have to maneuver his way away from them to avoid conflict. He would not cut down one of his own people.

After escaping one such predicament, Edmund looked up and realized that he could see Peter not so far off. He was surrounded by Calormenes, never once letting a soldier get more than a cut on his blood spattered, fair skinned face. With each passing moment Peter was deeper into the Calormene ranks, forcing himself through the soldiers and pushing closer to their leader.

Edmund was just about to set off again when he was knocked forcefully into the dirt, a heavy weight positioning itself on top of him. He coughed as the air was knocked from his lungs. The back of his head had collided with solid ground, aggravating the bruise he had already gotten when he was bucked off of his horse before he joined the battle.

A groan passed Edmund's lips as he opened his eyes to see what was on top of him. He gasped when he saw it. "Ziddim!" He exclaimed.

The wolf - teeth bared and growling deeply - faltered when he finally got a good look at Edmund.

"Ziddim! It's me! It's Edmund!"

Ziddim didn't soften like he had expected, nor did he release his hold on Edmund; the wolf merely continued to growl, only more deeply this time.

"Ziddim? I'm alive! I'm here!" Edmund continued, hoping his friend would come to his senses.

"You're supposed to be dead. We found your body." Ziddim's voice held no remorse, only ferocity.

"Ziddim, it's really me! I didn't die. I right here! Let me up." Edmund tried to sit up, but Ziddim didn't budge; his paws pinned Edmund's shoulders to the ground. "Ziddim?"

The large wolf shook his head and growled once more. "Maybe you should have stayed dead."

Edmund recoiled at the horrid words said in that bitter voice. "What are you saying?"

"You're nothing but trouble!" Ziddim barked. "I should have ended you myself. Can't trust anybody to do your job for you." The wolf said mainly to himself.

Everything seemed to slow down all at once for Edmund. "You... you are the one responsible? You did- did this to me?"

Edmund felt so betrayed. This wolf before him was not the one he once knew. Ziddim was his friend! Surely this couldn't be true.

Ziddim snarled. "I guess now I have to finish the job."

The wolf barked and lunged forward, baring his teeth to snap down on Edmund's throat. Edmund just barely rose his scimitar in time to save his life. Instead of Edmund's neck, Ziddim bit down on the blunt side of the king's weapon. In the midst of the wolf's surprise, Edmund threw Ziddim off of him.

Once Edmund had risen to his feet and Ziddim had regained himself, the two faced each other. As Ziddim snarled Edmund hardened his stare. The wolf lunged forward and snapped at him; Edmund just barely dodged the strike and it took him a moment to find his footing. A moment, however, was all Ziddim needed to catch Edmund off guard and snap onto his leg.

Edmund cried out in pain and brought his scimitar down, cutting Ziddim on the hind leg. The wolf immediately let go and whimpered, backing away from Edmund.

"What changed, Ziddim? You used to call me your king? Were you planning this from the beginning?"

"I used to respect you. You used to be my king. But that was before I realized."

"Realized what?" Edmund asked.

"Before I realized what a mistake it was for Aslan to put you on the throne. You're just kids that are ruining Narnia. If your rule continues this country will come to an end, just like all the countries that existed, once upon a time." Ziddim snapped. "You, personally, betrayed Narnia to the white witch; surely you couldn't care if she were to die. You just wanted the thrown. You don't care about us."

Edmund shook his head. "It's not true. I care about Narnia more than anything. I would never want to hurt my people."

"But you already have, haven't you?" The words cut deeper than a knife, but Edmund knew he had to push them from his mind. They were lies.

The wolf continued on with his rant. "As king, I would be sure that Narnia got what she really deserves."

"And do you think Judas would allow such treachery? You called upon him for help."

"Judas would be a simple fly that needs swatting. My followers would heed my call and Narnia would be mine."

Edmund rose to his full height. "You could never rule Narnia. Only Aslan can choose her king. You just couldn't be content as a captain."

"No more than you could be content as king."

Edmund shook his head. "We both know it's not true."

Ziddim shook his head as if trying to rid himself of hearing anything that Edmund was saying. He ignored the comment and changed the subject. "You want something done, you gotta do it yourself." He said, baring his teeth once more.

"You know you could never defeat me." Edmund countered.

"Perhaps not on my own."

Ziddim snarled and lunged once again; Edmund easily blocked it this time and quickly turned to face the wolf, but when he did, Ziddim was gone.