Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter! I honestly didn't expect to get any, so I was really happy when I did. And again, I apologize if my writing is, as whispers of the night pointed out, "rather short of spectacular." Sorry, I'm only 14...not a great excuse, but its all that I have. I'll try harder to work and bring it up to the standards set by all the wonderful authors in this category. Anyways, for now, I hope you can excuse my lack of intricate detail and whatnot, and just enjoy the story! Oh, and I guess this is a...movieverse fic? Yeah, okay...anyway. Please review!

Chapter Two

It was still dark when Peter awoke, the sun still asleep, as was the rest of his family. For a few moments he just lay there, mentally going over the day's schedule. 'Why is it so dark?' he wondered. 'Hmm…anyway, let's see…I'll have breakfast, look over a few documents, sign some papers, talk with Susan, practice…wait a minute…'So that's why he was up so early! There was no way he'd continue last night's conversation with Susan; if he could somehow avoid her this morning, there was a possibility that she'd forget.

"Tch, yeah, like Susan would really forget," he mumbled. Susan had an amazing memory, and he had a snowball's chance in hell that she'd actually forget last night. 'Ah well, I can't avoid her forever, but I sure can try,' he thought. 'I guess that means a change in today's agenda then. Well…let's try this once more. Breakfast, paperwork, hide from Susan.' Yes, that definitely sounded like a much better plan.

Tossing the covers aside, the young king scooted off the bed and headed over to the washroom. Grabbing a washrag, Peter wet it with water and lathered it up with soap. Bringing it to his face, he scrubbed his cheeks and forehead, washing away the sleep from his eyes. Setting the washrag aside, he splashed his face with water, rinsing away the soapy remains. Reaching for a towel, he dried his face and walked back into his bedroom.

Opening his wardrobe, he picked his clothes for the day. Throwing on a white tunic, a brown leather jerkin, and riding pants, he finished off his attire with boots and a thick buckle belt. Looking himself over, he nodded his head in approval before heading out the door. Very quietly, he walked through the castle's hallways, tip-toeing past Susan's room so as not to wake her and alert her to his presence.

"You're Majesty!" cried the head chef, spotting Peter as he walked into the kitchen. Bowing low, the elderly faun, named Freesia, greeted her king and quickly began bustling around the kitchen. "My apologies, sir," she said, grabbing supplies and ingredients. "If I had known that you would be up early, I would have woken up earlier and started your breakfast sooner."

"It's quite alright, Freesia," said Peter, taking a seat at the counter. "I didn't expect to be up so early in the morning, and when I did, I could not fall back asleep. So I decided to get an early start."

"That is a very wise decision, my lord," replied the faun. "If you'll excuse me for a moment, I must wake the other chefs." Bowing once more, she quickly left the room, heading to the servants' living quarters. Peter listened amusedly as he heard Freesia scream and shout, urging the other chefs to wake up. A few minutes later she returned, followed by several flustered looking younger faun, their clothes disheveled, as if having thrown them on haphazardly (which Peter was sure they did).

A chorus of "Good morning, you're Majesty!" was heard seconds before Freesia began shouting out orders, as they all scrambled to their proper places. When everyone had a job to do, Freesia approached Peter once more.

"My lord, if you'd like to take your seat in the dining room, I can bring you some fruit to hold you over until breakfast is ready," she said.

"Actually, I'd like to eat here in the kitchen," replied Peter. "That is…if you don't mind."

"Oh, no! Of course I don't mind, you're Majesty!" she answered. Peter smiled warmly at the old faun, who bowed once more and returned to her cooking.

"King Peter!" cried a surprised voice from behind. Turning in his chair, the eldest Pevensie was greeted with the sight of a stunned Orion, a middle-aged faun who was his chief assistant. "I came here to order the royal family's breakfast, only to find you, the High King, already awake! I am ashamed of myself for making you wait for your meal! My sincerest apologies sire!"

"Think nothing of it, Orion. I—" began Peter, but he was cut off as the disconcerted faun continued his rant.

"Forgive me, my lord," said Orion. Flipping through the ledger in his hands, he diligently looked through the day's timetable. "I must've forgotten to write down that you'd be up early. How foolish of me! It's strange though; I don't see anything that you'd have to wake up early for…" he mumbled.

"That's because I don't," said Peter, an amused look on his face as he stared down at the frustrated faun. "I woke up early on my own accord. Calm down, there is nothing to worry about."

"Oh…"

"Here you go, you're Majesty," said Freesia, interrupting their conversation as she placed a hot plate in front of Peter. "Anything else I can do for you, sir?" she asked.

"Actually, yes there is. If you'd be so kind as to pack me a lunch, I'd greatly appreciate it," he said, grabbing his fork and knife.

"Of course, my lord. Anything for you," she answered. "How does a roast beef sandwich sound?"

"It sounds absolutely wonderful, Freesia. Thank you very much. Can you have it fixed by the time I finish breakfast?"

"Yes sir," she said. Turning to Orion, she smiled and said, "Would you like your breakfast now, or will you be eating with King Edmund and Queens Susan and Lucy?"

"I will wait and dine with the rest of the royal family. Thank you for asking."

Freesia nodded her head and retreated back to her work station, no doubt to start on Peter's lunch. For some time, the king ate his meal of bacon, eggs and toast, while his assistant patiently waited by his side.

"Are you going somewhere, my lord?" Orion finally asked.

Peter, who had just finished his food, nodded as he swallowed the last bite, washing it down with a glass of orange juice that had been set out for him. "Yes," he answered. "I'm taking the day off and I won't be back until dark."

"What about your duties? The summer solstice is almost upon us, and you are needed for preparations for the annual ball," stated the faun.

"The summer ball is a month away, Orion," reminded the king. "We've only just begun making preparations; besides, why am I needed? Let the girls make the decisions. You and I both know how much they love throwing parties."

"That is true, sire, but you still have other duties to attend to. You're supposed to meet with General Oreius and discuss the country's defenses at noon today, and you agreed to check the progress of the harvest at the local farm."

"Let Edmund meet with Oreius, and he can later discuss with me what they talked about. As for checking the harvest, I suppose I could stop by while I'm out."

"Well, all right then," said Orion. "Where shall I tell your family that you went?"

"Tell them I was called away on unexpected business," he said. "Don't let them know that I left the castle on my own accord."

Orion raised a questioning eyebrow, before his face lit up in amusement. "Queen Susan is mad at you again, isn't she?" he asked, a small grin on his face. He was never one to tease others, especially when the person held enough authority to chop off his head with a snap of his fingers, but it was always good fun to tease the young king whenever his sister was angry at him. Besides, Peter didn't mind.

The young man gave a nervous laugh, shyly rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, okay…you got me. She's not exactly mad at me though…it's more like she wants to talk to me about something I'd rather not talk to her about."

"I see. Well, I shall tell them that you had business to take care of outside of the castle, and not to expect you back until dark."

Peter let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Orion. I owe you one!"

Orion smiled and nodded his head. "And do not worry about Queen Susan. I will find something to distract her and keep her preoccupied, so by the time that you return she will have hopefully forgotten about whatever it is that she wants to speak to you about."

Peter clapped him on the back and said, "You're a good man, Orion. A very good man."

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Susan was a mess, a jumble of emotions racing through her all at once. Anger and worry were what she felt the most; angry at Peter for leaving without a word, and worried as to why he hadn't come home yet. It was almost midnight in Narnia, and Peter had not been seen, nor heard from all day. Even the farmers he had promised to meet with while he was out had not seen him, and had sent word to the castle, wondering where their king had gone off to.

She sighed tiredly, getting up from her bed as she walked out onto her balcony. Sitting down on a chair, she kept a vigilant watch out on the castle. Ten minutes had passed, and Susan soon found herself drifting in and out of consciousness. Just as she was about to fall asleep, there was a loud neigh of a horse, and from the woods surrounding the castle emerged Peter and his horse, the loud clapping of its hooves growing louder as it raced across the grassy field. Although it was dark and she could barely see, Susan knew that the rider was her brother, and the worry that she had felt all day was lifted.

From her balcony, Susan continued to watch as Peter rode to the stables, and she looked on, confused, as her brother remained on the horse even after it had stopped. What was he doing? Didn't he know that the stable boy was asleep? Below, one of the guards, having noticed that he was still on the horse, slowly approached to help him off.

She gasped in surprise as Peter hunched over, then leaned back, half his body dangling off the backside of the horse. A second later, gravity took its toll as Peter slowly slid off the horse, crumpling to the ground in a motionless heap. Seeing this, the guard increased his pace and was at his king's side in seconds, holding him in his arms as he checked for any injuries.

Only a moment later, the guard cried out, "MEDIC!"