Loyalty - Part II
"EDMUND!"
Peter wasted no time in charging at the ogre and running it through with his sword, before swinging around and falling to his knees beside his brother, who was laying on his back on the floor, eyes squeezed shut and groaning quietly. "Ed?" Peter choked, tears stinging at his eyes which he refused to let fall. He had to be strong... for Edmund's sake.
Edmund managed to open his eyes about half way, and looked up at Peter, two tears making their way down his cheeks. "It - It hurts." He choked, before falling silent again.
Peter took a deep breath, and being as gentle as he could, he slowly rolled Edmund onto his stomach to get a good look at his back. He swallowed hard at what he saw, the wound was just below Edmund's right shoulder blade, it was rather deep and actually bleeding at an alarming speed. It hadn't seemed to damage anything important though, and Peter was relieved to see that Edmund wasn't having trouble breathing, except maybe his breathing was a little quick, but Peter put that down to the worry and pain Edmund was feeling at that moment.
"How - How bad is it?" Edmund choked out a few seconds later, biting down on his lip so as not to just scream.
Peter sighed. "It's deep." He said slowly. "And bleeding... a lot."
Edmund sighed and winced harshly, but didn't say anything in reply to his brother.
Peter was paying no attention to the attacking army, and didn't even realise that a few of the Narnians had circled him and his brother, keeping away any creature that dare come anywhere near them both, he only had eyes for his brother. His little brother. Who was currently bleeding out.
Swallowing hard before taking a deep breath, Peter removed his tunic, leaving him in just a shirt, and pressed it against the wound below Edmund's shoulder blade, pressing down as hard as he dared to try and stop the bleeding.
Edmund gasped before letting out a pain filled moan, two more tears trickling down his cheeks and landing on the floor as he shifted slightly, trying to almost move away from the pain.
"Ed you have to stay still." Peter almost pleased. "You're bleeding out and I need to try and stop it, I need to keep my tunic there, alright?"
Edmund hesitantly nodded, laying his head back on the cold floor, and taking deep breaths in an attempt to try and ignore the pain.
"Your majesty."
Peter tore his eyes away from his brother to find Orious stood a couple steps away, a look of worry on his own face. "Yes?" Peter choked, pressing down as hard as he dared on his tunic to stop the blood flow.
"I suggest you leave." Orious told them. "Neither of you stand a chance now that King Edmund is injured like that."
Peter swallowed hard and glanced down at his brother, wincing at the sound he was making... it was clear he was in a lot of pain.
"Back to Cair?" Peter asked after a couple seconds hesitation, looking back up at the centaur.
Orious nodded. "Back to Cair and to your sisters cordial." He sighed. "If you go by horse, you should get there within an hour, maybe a little more."
Peter nodded. "Alright." He murmered, before scanning the battlefield for his horse.
He could've cried when he spotted it, but it was clear he was injured, and probably had no way of carrying two people on it's back.
"Got a plan B?" Peter sighed, taking a deep breath when Edmund let out something between a gasp and a sob. "We only brought one horse, and he's injured."
Orious stared acrose at the injured horse for a moment, glad that it was being dragged gently away from the battle and treated by a healer who'd come along. "Well." He said slowly. "You can either stay here, have him seen by a healer and wait for Queen Lucy to come with her cordial. Or you can take him back to Cair Paravel yourself."
Peter thought for a moment, before staring back down at Edmund. Hesitantly, he removed the tunic to get a look at the wound, but the very sight of it made him feel sick. There was so much blood... there's no way his brother would survive the time it took to send a letter back to Cair and for Lucy to get here. So that only left one more option, he was gonna have to carry him back.
Pressing the tunic back to the wound and pushing down slightly, he looked back up at Orious, who was patiently waiting for an answer despite the ongoing battle. "I'm gonna take him home." He choked out. "He wouldn't survive for that long if we sent a letter back."
Orious nodded, before turning to the small group that had set up guard around the two kings. "Protect the Kings until they are far away from this battle." He announced, before turning back to Peter. "Good luck." He murmered, before he was gone.
Peter took a deep breath. "Ed?" He sighed, leaning down to whisper in his brothers ear. "I'm gonna have to carry you back to Cair."
Edmund frowned a little at this, swallowing hard before speaking. "How - how an earth are you gonna do - do that." He choked, coughing slightly which only caused him more pain.
"I have to." Peter sighed. "You're bleeding out and need Lucy's cordial. There's no time to send a message back, Lucy wouldn't get here in time."
Edmund glanced up at him. "Okay." He choked. "Just don't drop me." He added with a playful smirk, and Peter was glad that he was trying to lighten the mood despite the amount of pain he was in.
"I won't." He chuckled, before he managed to tie his tunic around Edmund's back and chest, and slip his arms under his shoulders and knees, lifting him off the floor and standing with only a little struggle.
Edmund gasped and hissed in pain before he could stop himself, burying his face against his brother's neck to keep back a scream.
"Okay." Peter mumered. "It's okay. You're gonna be fine."
Edmund nodded hesitantly, taking a deep breath as he reached up to wrap his arms around Peter's neck.
"Ready?" Peter asked, a worried frown spread across his face.
"Yeah." Edmund choked in reply, trying his hardest not to move a muscle, although this became rather hard when Peter started walking.
They walked until they were away from the battle, where the small group then left them and they continued alone, Peter struggling not to drop his brother.
They walked for around half an hour, before Peter realised that Edmund hadn't opened his eyes in almost ten minutes, and Peter found himself suddenly sick with worry. "Ed?" He choked quickly, giving his brother a gentle shake. "Edmund?"
Edmund groaned in response, still not opening his eyes and just burying his face against Peter's neck.
"Ed please say something." Peter murmered, picking up his pace. "Let me know you're alright."
There was silence for a very long time, before: " 'm fine." Edmund's voice was quiet and raspy, and almost like he'd just woken up, and Peter was getting really worried. "Ed please open your eyes." He begged.
Edmund frowned and shook his head weakly. "No." He whispered, squeezing his eyes tighter shut as if to prove a point.
"You - you can't fall asleep." Peter said quickly. "Promise me you won't pass out?"
Edmund didn't reply, but let out a quiet sob instead, burying his face further against Peter's neck.
Peter swallowed hard. Edmund was losing way too much blood. So hesitantly he picked up his pace again, determined to reach Cair Paravel even if his arms dropped off when they got there, he didn't care... he needed Edmund to be alright. "Okay." Peter choked as he walked. "Talk to me, about anything I don't care, just stay awake."
"What do I talk 'bout?" Edmund murmered, voice almost dreamy.
"Anything." Peter said quickly. "Like that time we went down the beach for the day and ended up throwing Susan in the sea when she wouldn't go in herself."
Edmund managed a small smile at this, and Peter was sure he would've laughed if he could, but it was obvious that caused him more pain than he was already in. "I 'member that." Edmund whispered, nodding his head slightly.
Peter took a deep breath, and managed to keep up conversation with his brother for the next almost forty minutes, and by this point Peter's arms were starting to to dead. "Ed." He choked out. "I think we're gonna have to stop, I can't feel my arms."
But Edmund didn't respond.
Peter's eyes went wide and he looked down at his brother, who's eyes were still closed, but this time he was unconscious. "No." He choked. "Ed wake up."
When Edmund didn't wake, Peter slowly and carefully lay him on his stomach on the floor, stretching his arms a little before kneeling down and pushing away the tunic to get a look at the wound.
It was still bleeding way too much for Peter's liking, so after a thirty second break, he took a deep breath and lifted Edmund off the floor again, despite the fact that his arms had practically been shaking before.
Peter walked (or more stumbled) for atleast another half an hour, before Cair finaly came into view, and he couldn't help but sigh in relief.
Unfortunately though, Edmund was still uncertain so Peter wasted no time in reaching the castle and instantly calling for Lucy.
He'd probably been calling and walking for about twenty seconds, before Susan came rushing out from the library, a frown on her face.
"Su!" Peter choked. "Where's Lucy? I need Lucy, Edmund needs her cordial."
Susan looked shocked, but pushed the feeling away and nodded, turning back and walking back into the library, calling for her little sister.
Peter followed her in, being careful not to bash Edmund's head against the door frame as he did.
Once inside, he caught sight of Lucy jumping up from where she'd been curled up on a beanbag with a book, and her eyes went wide when she spotted Edmund. "What happened?!" She exclaimed, even as she rushed over and reached down for her cordial.
"I'll explain in a minute." Peter choked, laying Edmund down on the floor and pressing his fingers to the side of his neck, breathing a sigh of relief when he found his brothers pulse... slow, but there. "You need to heal him first, he's lost way too much blood."
Lucy nodded, and after Peter had grabbed Edmund's head and tilted it back so that he opened his mouth, Lucy let one drop of her cordial fall, and Peter found himself staring anxiously down at his brother, memories of the last time this happened two weeks ago crossing his mind.
But he blocked them out, and breathed a sigh of relief when Edmund let out a few weak coughs and finaly opened his eyes.
He glanced around at his siblings, Susan's shocked, worried face. Lucy's panicked eyes. And finaly Peter's anxious look, mixed with so much worry Edmund actually felt guilty.
"Oh Ed." Peter murmered, pulling Edmund off the floor and into his arms, hugging him tightly and burying his face against his shoulder.
Edmund swallowed hard and leant against his older brother, feeling how much he was shaking. "You're shaking Pete." He murmered after a while, slowly pulling away.
Peter took a deep breath. "I've just been carrying you for nearly two hours." He said. "Of course I'm shaking, I can't feel my arms."
Edmund looked so guilty it broke Peter's heart.
"You know I didn't mean it like that." He said hastily but still gently.
Edmund nodded slowly. "I'm so sorry." He choked a few seconds later.
Peter sighed. "I know." He said, nodding slowly.
"What - What happened?"
Peter stared at Susan for a long while before answering. "Edmund followed me, saved my life, got stabbed in the back and almost bled out." He sighed. "It's as simple as that."
"Stabbed?" Lucy whimpered, tears filling her eyes.
Peter nodded slowly. "Can - Can I have a word with Ed please?" He said slowly. "Alone."
It was clear that both Susan and Lucy hesitated and really didn't want to leave, but eventually Susan stood, pulling Lucy to her feet and leading them both from the library, closing the door and leaving Peter and Edmund alone.
"I - I know what you're gonna say." Edmund whispered. "And I really am sorry about sneaking after you. But I'm not sorry about pushing you out of the way."
Peter stared at him. "You almost died." He choked.
"But you didn't." Edmund said.
Peter swallowed hard. "I - I told you to stay at home!" He choked, shaking his head slightly. "I knew something like this would happen."
"I'm really sorry I disobeyed you Peter." Edmund said quietly. "But I made a promise to myself two weeks ago that I'd always protect you and the girls, with my life if necessary. And I'm not about to break that promise."
Peter blinked. "I - I can't lose you Eddy." He choked.
"And I can't lose you." Edmund replied. "So I won't." When Peter didn't say anything, Edmund sighed. "Look." He breathed. "If you had gotten stabbed by the ogre, there's no way I would've been able to carry you back. But you could carry me back, so it all worked out."
"All worked out?" Peter choked, sounding shocked. "Ed you were stabbed saving me! Again!"
"But I'm fine now." Edmund whispered. "And it wasn't like it was a bad stab. Not like last time when I couldn't breathe."
Peter stared at him. "But you were still hurt." He murmered. "You passed out from blood loss, and you say it wasn't a bad stab."
"Compared to what I've had, no it wasn't bad." Edmund snapped, immediately regretting the tone of his voice. "The knife went in under my shoulder blade, sure I was losing a lot of blood, but I could still breathe normally. Two weeks ago, I was stabbed through the stomach, the wand going straight through my lung. It went all the way through, I couldn't breathe and I couldn't move, so compared to that, earlier was nothing."
Tears stung Peter's eyes as Edmund said this, and before he knew it he had his little brother wrapped tightly in his arms, practically sobbing into his shoulder. "You idiot." He choked.
Edmund sighed. "I pushed you out of the way because I love you Peter." He murmered as he brought his arms up to wrap around his brother. "I love you more than anything, and it really wasn't too bad. Also, I'm alive. Isn't that all that matters?"
Peter nodded. "You're alive." He choked, as if reassuring himself.
Edmund smiled gently. "I love you Peter." He whispered.
Peter let out something between a laugh and a sob, shaking his head slightly and tightening his grip around his brother. "I love you too Eddy."
The End
Finaly got part two up!! So sorry for the long wait, I'm watching Reign At the moment and that's taking up alot of my 'would be writing time' But I have a few more ideas for this book which I hope to get published soon xx
Thank you to everyone's who's reading and reviewing, it means a lot. x
