That day, Peter and Edmund channeled their protective-brother sides. It was also the day that boys would learn to stay away from Susan and Lucy Pevensie. The annual Valentine's Dance was coming up, and both Pevensie girls were hot topics in the Hendon House Dining Hall during lunch time. Needless to say, the Pevensie boys were not pleased.
They had first overheard the conversation while walking into the Dining Hall. A group of boys, ranging from Peter to Edmund's ages were all eating and discussing the girls that they wished to take. Susan's name had popped up first, when a boy that Peter was in Maths with mentioned her. Lucy came up a few minutes later, when one of Edmund's acquaintances said he wished to go with her. Hearing this, the two young kings grabbed the arms of the other two boys, and took them out the door.
"What on earth are you doing mate?" Peter's classmate inquired.
"We are going to discuss some things. Now shut up." Peter reprimanded.
They made their way to an empty classroom, the offenders muttering the entire way. Leaning against the Professor's desk, the brothers motioned for the other boys to take a seat. Peter eyed the other ones with a critical look. In his opinion, they didn't match up. No one was good enough for his sisters. Well, that Prince of Archenland might have been decent for Lucy, and that Duke of Telmar was okay since Susan liked him well enough, but they never totally matched his standards.
"Alright boys. We all know why we are sitting here. You want to take my sister to the dance. We are here to have a chat about this little matter." Peter used his most menacing voice.
Edmund nodded vigorously in agreement. He was scratching things down in a legal pad of his, looking up once or twice every so often. The detained were looking increasingly nervous as the seconds ticked by. Finally, the scratching of pen against paper ceased, and Edmund set his instruments down.
"Proceed Peter." He gave his brother a regal nod that made the younger boy quake in fear.
"Each of you wish to take a sister of mine to the upcoming Valentine's Dance, correct?" The boys nodded in affirmation. "Why do you want to do this?"
"What do you mean?" The younger boy asked, clearly intimidated by the cold looks and aloof natures shown by his normally odd schoolmates.
"What are your intentions towards my sister. Lucy, I presume?" Edmund cut in now.
Peter smirked inwardly. His work was practically done. In this setting, he was merely the fuel, the catalyst, to get the boys to talk. Edmund would interrogate them, and he would be the one to draw out the words. He would have them talking in minutes. A flicker of his former boyhood flitted across his memory, but he pushed it aside.
Honestly, a fifteen-year old and a thirteen-year old are not kings anymore. It has been almost six months after all. You should have been back by now. Peter thought. Great. Now his subconscious was channeling Susan. That is exactly what he needed; his fourteen-year old sister in his head. Mentally running away from his subconscious, Peter turned back to the conversation, where really no time had passed at all.
"Y-yes. I would like to take Lucy to the dance."
"But what are your intentions?" Edmund pressed harder. "What made you notice her? Did someone put you up to this? Is this a joke? My sister will be eleven one month after the dance. Do you intend to break her heart? To steal her away until she is uncaring about life? Will you do that to my ten-year old sister?" Edmund was standing up, right in the boy's face. His voice was raised, which indicated to Peter that he really wasn't all that irritated. He had however, made the other boy cry.
"I-I'm just t-twelve." He blubbered. "I-I thought she was pretty. O-Oh well now. Margaret Edwards will g-go with me. S-She doesn't have mean b-brothers." With that, the younger boy, who went by the name of Theodore Walsh ran out the door.
"I think he messed himself." The other boy, Peter's age, commented lightly. A cruel smirk was present on his face. His name was Gerald Farquhar, and to say he was an arse would be an understatement. Unfortunately his father was also on the board of directors, and probably owned half of the school.
"You are not off the hook either, though I didn't mean to make Theo cry." By now, Edmund's tone was dark and deadly, but Gerald seemed to not pick up on it as Edmund approached him. Peter merely leaned against the teacher's desk; this was going to be a good show. A tactic, used on many suspected spies was getting ready to be used, and it consisted of a ploy; friendship.
"What on earth do you mean by that? Of course you were just messing with ol' Theo. Pulling his leg was all you were doing. I mean, I can understand protecting the little one, she's a bit young for my taste, but that older bird you live with… She's a piece of it herself."
"That she is. I have never known my sister to be bloody-Gentle if I do say so myself. She is a firecracker" Naturally, Peter was the only other one to get the joke in its proper tone. Gerald took it an entirely different way, and in one that Peter and Edmund did not like him thinking about their sister.
Knowing this, Ed rejoined Peter, and they faced Gerald. Peter had thankfully been taking notes the entire time; Edmund would have to spend hours deciphering his script though. Some things just cannot be helped, even after fifteen years. He supposed it had been all that time writing with quills and parchment that must have affected them when they came back.
"You clearly perceive yourself as above Theo. He is a bit young if I do say so myself, as is my sister. He will get over his schoolboy crush. You however… Why do you want to court my sister?" Edmund's eyes held a spark of mischief, and his tone was lighthearted.
"She's pretty. She's fiery. Some may say aggressive at times. I wouldn't mind getting to know her." The tone of Gerald's voice was not one that made Peter or Edmund happy.
"So your attraction to my sister is based solely on physical appearances? What if she wasn't so pretty?" Peter had to interject here. In Narnia, when he had used this tone of voice, the suitors would run. The only one who hadn't was Rabadash, and that had turned out badly. Needless to say, none of the Pevensies were hoping for a repeat of that.
"Well of course not. I must have a beautiful girl hanging on my arm if I am to ever advance my career in anything. Appearance is key boys." Gerald's tone was cheery. He could practically taste the victory in the air.
Edmund could tell by the boy's reaction to his questions that his plan was going to have to change. He honestly felt sorry for Gerald now. He was going to let him off easily, but after those comments… Gerald would be in bad shape this afternoon.
"You know what Gerald? I think Peter and I are the wrong people to be having this discussion with." Edmund stated the previous…statement firmly, a somewhat evil smirk on his face. Peter's head snapped up from his notes, that you could have heard his neck crack. He started to speak, but Edmund silenced him with a glare. "You should go talk to my dear sister Susan herself. Just tell her everything that you have told me, use a transcript of this meeting if you want to. I am sure that Susan would be delighted to go to the dance with you after talking with you."
Peter relaxed visibly, and his blue eyes danced with mirth. "Yes, why don't you do just that mate? Susie should be down at the Archery Range by now. Just don't tell her that we sent you. We'll tell her after you have your date confirmed." Two identically innocent looks were plastered onto the kings' faces as the three boys got up and walked towards the doors.
"Sure mates. I'll be off now. How about telling you what happens at supper?" Gerald waved behind him as he walked down the hall.
"Sounds fine. Be sure to call her Susie! It makes her go weak at the knees!" Edmund waved Gerald Farquhar off.
"I feel like we just sent him to his death." Peter commented not at all with a bit of remorse. "Oh well." He shrugged.
"He deserves it after those comments." Edmund replied cheekily, his evil smirk present again. "Susan's face when he calls her Susie…it will be priceless."
"Where did you learn all this anyways? I always wondered, but I never asked." Peter queried out of the blue.
"The White B-ahem-Witch." Ed coughed. "I was in the presence of an evil psychopathic woman for days. I had to learn something. I call it manipulatory coercion." Peter just laughed in response.
"I knew it!"
That evening, Gerald Farquhar came into the Dining Hall looking considerably roughened up. His hair was askew, his nose was bleeding, the boy was sporting a black eye, and a nasty red handprint was visible on his cheek. As he walked over to where Peter and Edmund sat, his limp was obvious as well.
"What happened to you mate?" Peter asked. He had to say, this was a bit over the top for Susan.
"Apparently your sister didn't take kindly to some comments that I gave her." Gerald grimaced, looking distractedly around the hall.
"Oh. Sorry 'bout that mate. I was heading to go talk with said sister now; I'll try and bring her under control. C'mon Peter." Edmund hurriedly grabbed Peter and walked out of supper.
"What was that about?" Peter asked when they were outside.
"He had us surrounded. We were seated with his friends, and he was making eye contact with them, as well as a few of my former friends that were around the hall. If I had waited any longer, we probably would look just like him by now. Thank me." Edmund gestured with his hands widely as he spoke and walked. "Susan was awfully brilliant though!"
AN: So, a considerably longer ficlet than normal is presented in hope to make up for the ridiculous time to write it. In my defense I was sick, and I had been writing another one before chucking it to the side. I would like to thank my reviewer Hannah Skipper for all of her brilliant ideas. That is where this one came from, and I hope to use more of them! This ficlet has much more innuendos/language in it than I am normally comfortable writing, but it was necessary for the character of Gerald, who is a dirty-minded sexist pig. The boys might come off a bit OOC, but they are intended that way, as they have not been back to Narnia for a second time, so they aren't as depressed as in LTLST. Life is being good to Peter and Ed, and Edmund's manipulatory coercion is let out to play. In short, they are acting more like their ages. Thanks to all of my reviewers!