Title: Somnolence

Author: FaithfulPureLight

Disclaimer: I wish. I really do! But alas I do not and I am only borrowing them. (Looks over to her lawyer. "Was that good?" lawyer nods. "Yay! Ok on with the introductions and then the story!")

Dedication: Elecktrum, and Petraverd for betaing and testing this chapter and story. And to all of the lionscall chat for getting me through the first few paragraphs which were hard.

Chapter two: Ideas Hatched.

Edmund glared at the back of Peter's head; which at the moment rested in the nook of his arms on a stack of books. Their staggering amount of classes and duties had no end. Etiquette lessons, dancing lessons, statecraft, astronomy, science, lessons in army strategics, and every morning the two boys learned martial arts and swordsmanship. Usually it would not surprise Edmund that his brother had fallen asleep even if he was Peter, who always paid attention in classes. After all if he thought Susan, Lucy, and he were tired and over worked his older brother was sure to have it worse.As High King, Peter continued to take as much of the administrative weight on his shoulders as possible.He had a hard time sharing responsibilities with his siblings.

However, it was clear Peter was suffering from more then the usual work overload. He had been falling asleep in class far too often. Even Oreius's classes, which both boys enjoyed earnestly, had a hard time keeping his older brother's attention. And Edmund had noticed. He had known something was wrong with Peter when he had asked him what one of the candlesticks that were only used for the room of the High King was doing in his own room. The older boy had blushed and stammered out a rather poor excuse before turning away and becoming a little too interested in the sewing project Lucy was showing them.

So, Edmund had asked the guards to keep an eye on the High King. And sure enough, only a few days ago he had found something. The guards may have been keeping things from Oreius, but not from their younger King. A King who was not at all pleased with one of his siblings. Obviously something was bothering Peter to the extent that he wasn't sleeping enough. It had taken little rationality to figure what that 'something' was.

Nightmares.

The dark demons that haunted Edmund's own mind far too frequently for comfort were now plaguing Peter's sleep. His brother's nightmares had been growing steadily worse over the past month. Edmund understood what Peter was suffering, for among the four siblings he had always been the most susceptible to nightmares. Even little Lucy was not plagued by them more then normal. He once - before falling through a wardrobe, getting caught in the clutches of a evil witch, almost dying on a battle field for his brother, and being crowned by The Lion himself - would have considered himself weak. He was wiser now though. He knew things affected him deeper and he dealt in different ways then his brother and sisters. There were things in his past now to cause said nightmares as well.

Apparently, Peter was having a worse time with nighttime monsters right now then he himself was. And who better then he, King Edmund the Just, brother to The High King, Peter Pevensie, to handle such a problem? Now he only needed to figure out how. Peter was not going to sit and talk about his dreams and then just simply trot off to bed. It would be a miracle if he stayed awake long enough to move an inch.

"Note how the leaves of this plant have a yellow underside which are smooth, while the tops of the leaves are green and slightly fuzzy. Its main property my Kings, is to put people into a deep sleep that can last for days if the dose is given correctly."

Edmund perked up. He and Peter were in the middle of their botany lesson, which came before the Etiquette lesson, but after the lessons in strategics. The teacher, a young willow dryad who also doubled as the court's apothecary, was ignoring the sleeping King. She had tried several times to awaken him to no avail. Finally, she had given up, teaching as though both boys were paying attention. What was she talking about?

"When ground up, it is odorless and tasteless. It dissolves into any drink fairly efficiently, although wine is best, as it quickly disappears. As General Oreius would say my Majesties, it is some knowledge that could be used in an enemy's camp." The dryad set down the plant in question, looking around for her next example.

Had he not just been wondering how to get Peter to listen to him? It was fairly obvious that he would not be able to do anything until his troubled brother had gotten some sleep. Using this herb seemed to be the easiest and would make the least mess. Of course he would need Susan's and Lucy's help, but once they heard Peter hadn't been sleeping they would be game.

"Where would one find such a plant, Milady?" Edmund asked quickly. The dryad paused, pleased with his interest, and gladly answered her curious charge:

"It can be found throughout Narnia My Liege. It grows abundantly around Cair Paravel to be sure however if one wished to examine oblero in its natural habitat."

Edmund nodded, pressing on.

"And how long would it take to effect the person being drugged?" He was already calculating the body mass and weight, as well as dividing how many cups of wine he might need.

"That depends on the size of the person being drugged."

"Oh, say, someone my size?" Ed asked, exuding a casual and offhand demeanor. It was crucial he not seem too interested.

"For someone like yourself, I would think only half an hour at most."

Edmund smirked as she turned back to the other plants. Peter should have paid better attention in class. Otherwise he would have known not to drink his wine tomorrow night during dinner.

He felt better, knowing his promise to protect his brother was yet again to be fulfilled. Everyone thought Peter could handle himself. Including Peter. Edmund knew better, though. If he didn't take it upon himself to look after his brother, nobody would.

Long Live the Just and Magnificent.