Finally! This is officially my most successful story! Thanks to narniagirl15, Melalda and Anna3422 (and whoever else may have followed or favorited within the past couple days) for following my story and pushing me just over my (now) second most popular story, Desperate Times (a Hobbit fanfic for those who don't know). Alone Together is officially my most popular and loved story.
Still been missing some of my reviewers. Where are ya? In all that time gone, I only hear from two of you! Oh well, I suppose I'll have to move to the next question: What part brought you closest to tears? It's hard for me to get distressed about my own writing, since I know what's going to happen, so I would love to hear your thoughts!
"Your Majesty!" Cried a particularly exhausted sounding voice. "Your Majesty!"
Edmund followed Peter's lead as the High King turned to address this newcomer. The elaborately decorated walls of the Pevensies' private, royal hallway was darkened slightly by the arrival of one more shadow.
It had been two days since Ziddim had been banished from Narnia and and only three days until Edmund's coronation was to take place. Aslan, please don't let this be another problem, The younger king found himself silently wishing. Haven't we got enough already?
A dwarf stopped just short of the two kings and dropped to one knee before them. "My King." He said looking up to Peter.
Peter glanced to Edmund, then back down to the dwarf. "I think you mean to say, 'my kings'." He corrected.
The dwarf seemed momentarily befuddled. When he looked from Peter over to Edmund, his eyes widened with surprise, his grey, thick, hairy eyebrows rising, creating more lines in his already wrinkled forehead. "My greatest apologies," He said, lowering his head in a humbling bow, his grey, streaked black, hair falling over his shoulders in the process. "I did not realize. I.. I had heard that you had returned to us, my Just King, but I had not expected to see you for myself - at least not so soon."
Edmund smirked, lightly, at the irony. Just days ago he was a slave, serving under a cruel master, but now? Now he was standing in rich ornate halls next to his majestic brother, having to quiet a dwarf who is apologizing for not noticing him sooner. How many times had he been ignored and avoided while in captivity? Edmund did not know. It was the primary goal of a slave to fulfill his duties in an inconspicuous manner, so as to avoid any attention. Attention caught in a place like that usually meant a beating. It was a comfort to see that somebody would actually be honored by his presence and not desire to do him harm.
"It's alright, Good Cousin." Edmund assured the dwarf, who raised his head at being addressed. "I can assure you that your good manners delighted me so much that I hadn't even noticed the discrepancy."
The dwarf smiled at Edmund's words, his wrinkles now forming at either side of his mouth, rather than his forehead. A more appealing look, Edmund decided.
"You flatter me, Sire." The dwarf said. The smile then faded back to the look of business he had on his face when he first appeared, and he turned back to Peter. "But I'm afraid I must trouble His Majesty, the High King."
"Please," Peter nodded. "Tell me what you must. I do hope it is nothing of too great concern."
"That, I suppose, can only be decided by yourself, My King." The dwarf said, fiddling nervously with his whiskers. "You see, newcomers have just arrived. They claim to have been sent here by the Tisroc of Calormen."
Peter's brows knit in confusion. "They are soldiers?"
The old dwarf shook his head. "No, Sire, they are not. They don't look to be Calormene at all."
Edmund watched as Peter's face contorted into a look of what seemed to be recognition. He turned at once and began walking, suddenly. Edmund had to jog slightly to catch up with him, and the dwarf soon appeared at Peter's other side.
"My King? What shall I do?"
"Show them to the throne room." Peter stared straight ahead as he spoke. He didn't seem upset. He seemed set in his mission of great importance. "King Edmund and I will speak with them. I have a feeling I know exactly who they are."
PSELPSELPSELPSELPSELPSELPSELPSELPSELPSEL
"What's going on, Pete?" Edmund asked for what seemed like the hundredth time since the dwarf had come, bearing news of strangers at the door. Now that they were finally inside the thrown room, Peter seemed more intent on answering that nagging question.
"I never told you my conditions for the battle, did I?" Though it had been asked, Peter had said it more as a statement of fact.
Edmund contemplated a moment. It had been quite clear what Judas wanted from a battle victory; the foul Calormene man had always been a Coral Snake, lingering among the Milk Snakes, thinking that because he looked like them and mimicked their behavior, he could pass on and not be noticed. But the Milk Snakes had seen how his pattern was different from their own, and they knew that he could never be trusted; for, though a Coral Snake may disappear inside the hoard of Milk Snakes, he is still a Coral Snake, nonetheless. And his venom drips all the more deadly with every moment that they aren't sinking into the flesh of some poor, unsuspecting victim.
But while Judas's intentions were obvious, since he had been unable to keep his fangs clean, Peter never told of what he demanded.
"I don't believe you did." Edmund said at last.
"Well, you see, brother," Peter began, taking a first pacing step in front of his throne. "I was given my chance, so I took it."
Edmund was almost scared to ask. "Your chance to do what?"
"My chance to get you back." Peter said simply, continuing his pacing between his and Susan's thrones.
Of course. Why did I even have to ask? It was clear, already, that Peter would never have passed up an opportunityopportunity like that. Edmund couldn't blame him - he would have done the same - in fact, he was glad that Peter had taken action when he had seemingly abandoned Edmund to a life of slavery.
"What did you demand of him?" Edmund asked after a few prolonged moments of empty silence.
Peter shrugged. "It was the only way - and I, by no means, regret it - but it will mean that we shall have a bit of a job on our hands."
Edmund sighed. He wished that Peter would just finally get to the point. "What did you demand of him?"
"I did what anybody in their right mind would do." Peter said, halting his pacing to meet Edmund's eyes. "I demanded that Judas free all of his house slaves. I would have demanded he freeall of Calormen's slaves if I thought Judas would take the risk."
"What?" Edmund asked, astonished. It wasn't that he was upset with his brother's choice or disappointed that these slaves should be freed, but there was so much more to consider. "And you invited them here?"
"I did." Peter lowered his head, likely cursing his own stupidity.
"Where are we going to find the time to provide for them? Judas had hundreds if not thousands of slaves. What are we supposed to do with them all?"
An operation like this would not be cheap. Sure, they were the kings of Narnia, but they had to think of their country's wellbeing before inviting a ton of slaves to join in. Winter would be upon them in near two months, and they had already begun storing up food for the winter. They hadn't prepared for this, which meant that there wouldn't be enough resources to go around.
"We'll think of something." Peter assured, though Edmund couldn't say that it helped, any. "They, surely, must have family somewhere that we could send them to. I can't imagine many, if any of them, are really Narnians."
"Perhaps not, but have you considered how many of the slaves grew up as slaves? They might know nothing but being a slave, and that would mean no family and no knowledge of how the world works."
Peter seemed to think this over for a few moments before his eyes lit up. "Then we have them work - for pay, I mean. We find homes for them either here or in our allied countries and set up work for them to earn their keep, and teach them what they must know."
Edmund wasn't so sure how they would like he idea of work. They were slaves after all. All the work they had done each had a traumatic memory to go along with it.
Peter must have seen the uncertainty on Edmund's face, for he continued on. "They must learn to work wherever they go, Ed. At least here we can teach them before they go off on their own. They would be lost, otherwise."
Edmund pursed his lips and nodded, slowly, in understanding. "And do you really think we can pull it off before winter?"
The smirk that appeared on Peter's fair face told Edmund what his brother's answer would be. "Of course we can. We'll be able to compete that task, and even have your coronation, as planned." Peter ruffled Edmund's hair affectionately, the way that a brother does. "You'll see."