Hey, sorry I didn't update yesterday. I usually try to post a new chapter every other day, but I was really busy and so I was unable to get onto the computer. Hopefully you like this chapter enough that you'll forget my small delay. As always, thanks for the reviews, and please keep on reviewing! Enjoy!

Chapter 6

"He was what?" Susan asked in disbelief. She felt her heart skip a beat; could it be true?

"Peter was adopted," Lucy repeated. "When Mum and Dad were first married, they tried to have a baby. After about a year with no results, they assumed that they weren't able to have children. However, even though they believed that they could have none of their own, they still wanted a family, and so they went to the orphanage and adopted Peter as a baby."

"How come they never told us this?"

"Honestly, I don't know," said Lucy, shrugging. "I imagine that they did it because they didn't want us treating him differently…not that we would, of course."

Susan let out a deep sigh, absentmindedly playing with the edge of her dress. This was all so confusing! Now that she knew that she and Peter shared no direct relation, it changed everything. It no longer felt wrong to think about him as something more than a brother; in fact, she felt excited, perhaps even…giddy. "What do I do Lucy?" she asked. "Please tell me what to do."

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that," answered her sister. "It's not my decision if you choose or choose not to act upon your feelings. Don't ask me; instead, ask yourself. Listen to your heart, Susan. What does it say to do?"

Placing a hand over her heat, Susan closed her eyes and listened. A minute later, her eyes opened once more, a small smile forming at her lips. "Love him; that's what it says. Just love him."

"Then love him," said Lucy, smiling alongside her sister.

The smile disappeared from Susan's face, a frown now taking its place. "How am I supposed to do that, Lucy? I'm not even sure if he feels the same way!"

"Well, I suppose you could just tell him straight out how you feel about him," suggested Lucy, although a bit hesitantly. "If he feels the same, then wonderful! If not…well, he's still your brother and will love you regardless of your feelings for him. It might be awkward at first, but I know that he'll never hate you, or be disgusted by you."

"I can't do that, Lucy! That's too straight-forward! I-I need to know if he feels the same way, without him knowing how I feel about him."

"Okay…umm…has he ever done anything that would indicate that his feelings for you were more than that of a brother?"

Susan's face flushed as she remembered their 'almost kiss' and she looked away shyly. "About two weeks ago, the morning of the first war meeting; remember we were walking around the castle?"

"Yes, you left me to go see Peter," said Lucy.

"Yes, well…we were alone in the room, Peter and I, and I was helping him with his shirt. He…he took my hand and held it over his heart and he gave me this…this look. I can't explain it, but he just kept looking at me!" She let out a tender sigh before continuing. "And then…and then he leant down…our face were so close, centimeters apart! He almost kissed me, Lucy! And I think he would've gone through with it, but Edmund burst into the room just as we were about to."

"I'm sorry we interrupted you," Lucy apologized. "I tried to stop him, really I did. I didn't think it was very polite to just barge in Peter's room; I told Edmund to wait until breakfast to see him, but he insisted that we visit him beforehand."

"No, don't be sorry," said Susan, patting her hand. "As much as I wanted that kiss to happen, I'm glad that you two stopped it, intentionally or not. If he had kissed me, I'm almost positive I would've run away and have been even more confused than I am now."

"I suppose you're right," said Lucy. "But I guess that does prove he might feel something more than brotherly love for you."

"I don't know…I still need more proof, something more solid…"

"Perhaps…perhaps you could show him how you feel, but without actually letting him know…like, hold his hand, or be extra nice to him, and see how he reacts. I dunno; I'm not very good at this…"

"Its okay, Lucy. That last idea was rather good; I think I might try it."

Lucy opened her mouth to reply, but it was cut off as a maid entered the room. Bowing, she said, "Excuse me, I'm sorry for interrupting you're Majesties, but dinner will be served in ten minutes."

"Thank you, Narissa," said Lucy, smiling at the maid. The faun bowed again and left, leaving the two sisters alone once more. The young queen turned back to her older sister, only to find Susan with a panicked expression on her face. "What's wrong, Su?" she asked, clearly confused.

"Oh no, I completely forgot!" gasped Susan, smacking her forehead.

"Forgot what?"

"Peter's going to eat dinner with us tonight!"

"He is?" exclaimed Lucy happily. "Oh, how did you manage to get him to do that? He wouldn't even leave his troops to read to me last night!"

"I didn't do it, Edmund did," she replied. "I think he sort of guilt-tripped him about how much time he spent with the soldiers, and so Peter agreed to eat dinner with us."

"I don't understand why you're so upset," said Lucy. "It's wonderful that he'll be dining with us! The only time he ever comes into the castle anymore is to change clothes and to attend meetings."

"It is wonderful that he's eating with us, but I wanted to wear something nice to dinner! I-I wanted to look nice for him…" she said that last part with a blush, ducking her head in embarrassment. "But now I only have ten minutes to get ready, and that's not nearly enough time!" she said, frowning.

"You should've said something sooner!" said Lucy, jumping off the bed. Grabbing her sister's arm, she pulled her off the mattress and headed out the door.

"Where are we going, Lucy?" asked Susan, as she allowed her younger sibling to lead her through the hallways.

"We're going to your room to clean you up and find you a nice dress to wear!"

-

-

-

"Ugh, you need a bath, Peter," said Edmund, pinching his nose as his brother came in from the field. "You smell absolutely awful!"

Peter grinned, wiping the sweat from his brow. Reaching over, he locked the younger king's head between his arms and said, "Breathe it in, Edmund. That's the smell of a man after a hard day at work!"

"Oh, dear Aslan!" his brother cried, coughing as he shoved the older boy aside. "I'm serious about that bath, Peter! Clean up, dinner is in twenty minutes!"

"Fine, fine!" replied Peter, grinning as he left his brother.

"Use plenty of soap!" Edmund called after him.

Peter waved and continued on, climbing up several flights of stairs until he was at the castle's top level, where his room was located. Orion was there to greet him, ushering him into his chambers to help him get ready for dinner.

"I saw you coming in from the camp, and ordered the maids to prepare your bath," he said, as Peter sat down on a chair and removed his boots. "I also have a fresh set of clothes laid out for you, for when you finish cleaning up."

"Thank you, Orion," said Peter, heading into the wash room. "You are dismissed." Closing the door behind him, the young king stripped his clothes and entered the large tub, sighing contentedly as the warm water relaxed his sore muscles. For a minute, he allowed himself to just relax, leaning against the edge of the bathtub as he allowed the hot water to soothe his aching body. Today had been a long day, and all he wanted to do was sit in that tub and unwind, but alas, he had a dinner to attend to. Sitting up, he reached for the soap and began to wash himself.

A few minutes later, he emerged from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist as he used another one to dry his hair. Tossing both towels aside, he changed into the clothes Orion had left out for him: brown leather tunic, pants, and vest, with matching arm bracers. He smiled at the faun's thoughtfulness; he had chosen something suitable for him to wear after dinner, when he would return to his troops for their night training. When he was changed, he checked himself in the mirror before leaving the room. As he walked down the stairs, he jumped to the side as Lucy and Susan raced past, excited looks on their faces. "Where are you two off to in such a hurry?" he asked. But they only ignored him and continued on.

Shrugging his shoulders, he carried on, making his way into the dining room. Taking his seat at the head of the table, he was soon joined by Edmund, who laughed and gave him a thumb up. "You smell much better," he said. "Like a baby's bum after it's been freshly powdered."

"And you know what that smells like how?" joked Peter, causing the younger of the two to blush in embarrassment.

"It's an expression!" Edmund retorted.

"Uh-huh, right," Peter replied, grinning. "I think someone spent too much time sniffing Lucy's bum when she was a baby."

"Who spent too much time sniffing my bum as a baby?" asked Lucy, as she entered the room. Peter opened his mouth to answer, but he soon found himself unable to speak, Edmund's hand clamped tightly over his lips.

"Where's Susan?" asked the youngest king, changing the subject as he released his hold over Peter's mouth.

"Yeah, where is she?" inquired Peter. "I saw you two running up the stairs; you two were in an awful hurry. Nearly ran me over!"

"Sorry," Lucy apologized. "She needed to change, and we only had a small amount of time until dinner would be served."

"Why'd she need to change? It's not like she smelled or looked like the living dead, unlike someone," said Edmund, giving his brother a nasty look.

"Well, sorry I can't exactly choose how I smell after a full day of training," replied the eldest Pevensie, returning Edmund's look.

"Well, sorry I don't choose to do a full day of training, plus night training," said Edmund. "And don't you say I'm not worried about the war, because I am just as worried as you are. But I, however, strongly believe in our army's capabilities as it is, and don't think we should be pushing the men so hard."

"I didn't push for all-out training sessions," answered Peter. "The men asked for it, and I'm just going along with it!"

Lucy sighed as her two brothers argued; how did it come to this in the first place?

"Quit your arguing, you two!" said Susan, as she entered through the doorway. She wore a stunning red gown with golden trimmings, her hair half tied back, the rest of it allowed to hang freely around her shoulders and down her back. "I could hear you from the other side of the castle!" Edmund immediately retorted, stating how it was Peter's entire fault, but the oldest boy did nothing to refuse his brother's accusations.

He was too busy staring at Susan.

"Edmund, shut up!" he said, after a minute, never taking his eyes off of his sister. He stood up, and pulled out her chair, which she gladly took, and scooted her in. Returning to his seat, he said, "We're here to eat dinner, not argue about politics."

"Whatever," Edmund replied, rolling his eyes. He didn't really mean to argue, and both of them knew it. It was just the way he and Peter interacted.

"You look beautiful, Susan," complimented Peter. "Is there a reason why you're so dressed up?"

Susan shot Lucy a look, who smiled and let out a soft giggle, catching the curious attention of her two brothers. "Oh, no reason," she said, as she too smiled. "I just wanted to look nice."

"Girls," Edmund muttered, rolling his eyes. Peter whacked him on the head, and he coughed. "Ahem…I mean, you do look nice," he said.

"Thank you Ed."

"And what about me?" asked Lucy, grinning. "Don't I look pretty too?"

"Yes, absolutely ravishing, m'dear!" smiled Peter, earning him a kiss on the cheek from his youngest sister.

"Oh, it's so good to have you back in the castle," she said. "I'm afraid to say that these two aren't much company, and its rather boring around here with you always out training."

"Yes, well I suppose I could come in more often," he replied. As he said that, several servants walked in, placing a plate of food in front of each of them. Thanking the servants, the four prayed and praised Aslan for their food before starting their meal.

"How are preparations for the ball coming along?" asked Peter, after swallowing a bite. Despite the looming war with the Witch's army, they had decided to still go on with the summer solstice ball. They did not want to worry the people, and so they carried on as if everything were under control.

"It's coming along quite nicely," replied Susan, sipping from her glass of water. "We've got the decorations all picked out, and the entertainment and food has been taken care of. All we really need to do is wait for the time to come and set everything up."

"That's good to hear; one less thing for us to worry about. How are yours and Lucy's art lessons going?"

"It's going well, right Lucy?"

"I painted a picture of Mr. Tumnus the other day," answered Lucy, smiling proudly. "Our instructor said that it was very well done, and it looked exactly like him. I'll have to show it to you someday soon!"

"I'd be very glad to see it." Their dinner continued in that manner as Peter asked about their days in the castle, and in return the other three would answer. When dessert had been cleared, and dinner was finished, Susan got up from the table and said, "It's such a nice night out, and it's not too cold, nor too hot. I think I'll go for a walk around the castle before I head into my room."

"Have fun," said Edmund, as he too got up. "I'll be in my room, sharpening my sword, if any of you need me."

"I think I'll head into the library and look for something to read," Lucy said, as she too excused herself. "Goodnight."

"What about you Peter?" asked Susan, turning to the remaining Pevensie. "Care to join me, or must you return to your troops immediately?"

Peter bit his lip, contemplating her offer. He had been fine being around her at dinner, though it was because they had their two siblings around, but he was hesitant to be alone with her. "If you plan on walking through the courtyard, I can escort you that far, but past that, I must return to my men."

"Can we take the long way?" she asked with a smile.

"Yes, I suppose we can," he said, getting up to stand beside her. "Well, let us go then." He looked down in surprise as Susan took his hand in hers, leading him out into the hallways. He gave her a questioning look, but she only smiled in return.

The two royals quietly strolled through the castle, greeting all who passed as they made their way around. As they exited through the rear of the castle, they found themselves in the garden, surrounded by trees and plants, the moon basking the area in a soft, glowing white light.

"It's beautiful," gasped Susan, as she led Peter through the garden, still holding him by the hand. "Oh, how I wish I could just…I wish I could just hug it, grab it all in my arms and keep it with me forever."

"You want to hug the garden?" asked Peter, smiling. "Y'know, there's a whole plot of rose bushes right over there. Hugging it might be painful."

Susan laughed and gently smacked him on the arm. "I didn't mean it that way. It's just so beautiful…I want to paint a picture of it, exactly as it is right now, so I can remember just how beautiful it is."

"Well, why don't you go back upstairs and grab your paint and canvas?" he suggested. "I'll leave you now, if you wish, and you can paint the garden."

"If I leave now, it won't be the same when I come back," she said, with a slight pout.

"What do you mean? It is still early; if you move quickly enough, you can still have the moonlight to paint by."

"That's not what I meant." 'You won't be here, anymore,' she silently added. "Forget it; let's continue on."

"All right, if that is what you want." He once again allowed her to lead him around the castle grounds, casting secret glances at her when he thought she wasn't looking. The dress suited her very nicely, and he silently appreciated how it hugged her body at all the right curves. Her face seemed to radiate with beauty, intensified underneath the moonlight.

A small smile played at Susan's lips as they walked, having spotted Peter peek at her every once in awhile. She pretended not to notice, though her heart seemed to beat more rapidly at the thought of him looking at her.

As they passed into the courtyard, the two came to a halt, both secretly upset that their walk was over. Susan smiled and squeezed Peter's hand. "Well, I guess this is where you leave me."

"I guess so," he replied. "Umm…I'll see you tomorrow…that is, if I can get away from the troops for a while."

"Let's hope you do," she answered. Peter turned to walk away, but was stopped as Susan did not let go of his hand.

"Su?" he asked, puzzled.

"What kind of gentleman are you, leaving without properly saying goodbye?" she teased.

"Oh, umm…" Peter blushed and gave her a gentle smile. "Goodnight Susan, sleep well." He leant down to kiss her cheek, but just as his lips were about to touch her cheek, Susan tilted her head, and instead, he found himself lightly brushing his lips against hers. His eyes widened in alarm and he immediately pulled back from the kiss. He gave her a scared look, afraid at what he had done.

"Goodnight, Peter," she said. This time, she was the one to turn away, and she slowly walked back into the castle, leaving an astonished Peter behind, his heart beating loudly in his chest, and the feel of her lips against his forever etched into his memory.