Disclaimer: I don't own The Chronicles of Narnia; thank C.S. Lewis for creating it and God for giving him the talent to think of it! :)

Hello! First of all, I would like to say thank you to my reviewers Kangaroo Jack :D and ilovetoread38. I really appreciate what you guys have to say! I'm glad you are enjoying it! :) For future reference, this story is written all in Peter's point of view. Peter is 17, Susan is 16, Edmund is 14, and Lucy is 12. I hope this answers any questions anyone might have. Well, here is the next chapter of When Hope Seems Hidden!

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Chapter 2: Obstacle

I became aware of a strange taste in my mouth. It wasn't blood; it didn't taste coppery or any of the sort. I was slowly returning to my bearings when the pain attacked me in an all-out battle. My side was throbbing with a passion. It felt as if someone had dropped a hundred pound weight right on top of it and then some. Every time I took in the slightest breath, it felt as if flaming hot arrows had pierced my skin. Both my head and back ached fervently, and my shoulder had a fading sting. I then felt a hand brush against my cheek.

"Peter, open your eyes," came a soft voice. Lucy, I thought. I didn't want to open them; it felt as if it would take too much effort.

"Aslan, please let him be okay," Edmund said, sending up a small prayer. Edmund… Lucy… they were all right? Where was Susan?

"Oh, Peter, do wake up," came a different voice. Susan. Well there was my answer. Today's previous events were slowly creeping back to my foggy memory. Was I the only one injured? Curiosity overcame me, almost as much as the pain. I let myself crack open one eye, and then the other. I couldn't make anything out. I opened them a slight bit more, but then closed them as the sun proved to be too bright for my liking. I decided at this rate I wouldn't get anything done. Eventually I allowed them to open partially and then blinked a few times. The brightness still hurt my eyes as they tried to adjust, but it wasn't quite as bothersome. I groaned. The first person I could make out was Lucy. Her eyes looked worried as they fixed themselves upon me.

"Peter!" she exclaimed. "How are you?"

I took in a small breath. "I'm fine," I answered. I was surprised at how weak I sounded. My side stabbed with pain after speaking, a sure sign of broken ribs. She stroked my hair away from my face, her fingers feeling rather cold against my warm skin.

"How's your shoulder?" she wondered.

I turned my head to look at my injury, a bout of dizziness meeting me. I took in a shallow breath, waiting for it to pass. I noticed that my shoulder had stopped bleeding and it wasn't troublesome anymore.

"Fine," I replied.

"Thank goodness Lucy brought her cordial," Susan pointed out. So that was the taste in my mouth when I woke up, I thought. I turned my head back to my siblings, once again feeling a slight dizziness.

"Thanks, Lu," I said. She nodded. I took in a deep breath, but regretted it after my ribs disapproved. I hissed, tightly closing my eyes.

"Peter, I find it quite hard to believe that you are 'fine.' What's wrong?" Edmund asked, uneasiness in his tone.

"My ribs," I answered. Edmund kneeled down beside me and pulled up my shirt. He stared at my side for a long time, making me wonder if there was more to my injury than I thought.

"Well, some are definitely broken. I'm not sure how many, though," Edmund pointed out. He let go of my shirt, which fell back to its normal position.

"Is anything else wrong?" Susan inquired. I was sore everywhere, but I wasn't going to tell them that; they would worry too much. I had to be strong, anyway, for their sake.

"Just… my back and… my head. They… ache," I replied. I was surprised at how hard it was to actually say a sentence. It aggravated my ribs every time I said a word. I clutched them loosely, though it didn't do much good.

"You really hurt, don't you?" Susan wondered.

I shrugged, not wanting to waste my energy on speaking. My breathing felt very uneven; it was shallow and shaky due to my ribs.

"Peter, do you want more of the cordial?" Lucy questioned.

"No, thanks," I said. I couldn't use it; it was a sign of weakness, and I never knew when someone might need it more than I did.

"You really should take some. Besides, it's only one drop," Susan pointed out. Lucy nodded in agreement, her eyes pleading. I sighed, but then grasped my ribs due to the pain that erupted. I guess that was all the assurance I needed.

"Okay, but… just one drop," I caved in. I couldn't say no to my two sisters, especially when Lu looked at me that way. Lucy picked up the cordial and sat down beside me. I hated how I had to look up at all of them while they stared down at me; it didn't feel right. By now Lu had the top off of the bottle and was bringing it towards my mouth. A single drop fell out, hitting my tongue. I swallowed, the same exotic taste of the fire-flower juice filling my mouth. Instantly my headache subsided, as did my occasional dizziness. My back was better as well. Unfortunately, it did nothing for my aching ribs.

"Thank you, Lucy," I said. She smiled down at me. Susan lightly tousled my hair as a sign of her affection.

"Are your ribs any better?" Lucy wondered.

"No, sadly," I replied.

Lucy shook her head in disbelief. "In all the times I've used this cordial on someone, never has it denied any injury! This is so queer!" she declared. I thought it quite peculiar as well, but I decided not to think too much of it. This was just an obstacle that I would have to face.

"Well then, Peter, you can't keep your ribs like that for long. We'll need to wrap them up or at least do something," Edmund pointed out. I knew that was coming sooner or later.

"With what… Ed?" I wondered. I heard a ripping noise.

"Here, use this," Susan suggested, handing Edmund a small part of the bottom of her dress that she had just torn off.

"It would work, but Peter will need to sit up," Edmund explained. Of course, it would inevitably come to that. I was strong, but for the time being I wasn't quite sure of the extent of my abilities.

"I… I'll need help," I pointed out. I felt embarrassed to admit to it, but I didn't feel as if I could sit on my own, and I didn't want to hurt myself any worse by trying. Edmund scooted closer to me.

"I'll help, but tell me if you need to lie back down," he offered. He leaned down towards me and lifted up my arm. He placed it over his shoulder, bringing me closer to him. He slowly rose up, pulling me along. I cried out as my ribs didn't appreciate the sudden movement. It felt as if I couldn't breathe, the effort of trying to sit was too much strain on my side. I let out a quiet yell with what breath I could retrieve. Edmund stopped pulling me about halfway up.

"Can you handle it, or do you need to lie back down?" he asked.

"No, I'll… I'll be fine," I said between struggled breaths. Goodness I felt humiliated. I should be stronger than this.

"Susan, help," Edmund suggested. Susan rushed to my other side and put my arm over her shoulder, much like Edmund did. I yelled once more as I was finally upright.

"There we go, Peter, you're up," Susan coaxed. My breath came harshly, and black as deep as the night threatened to take over my vision. I wouldn't- couldn't -let myself succumb to the darkness. Susan stroked my hair while Edmund gave me a gentle pat on my arm. I knew they were just trying to keep me relaxed. My vision slowly returned to normal, and my breath came a little easier. I gave a weak smile to my siblings.

"Thanks," I said. They nodded.

"Susan, stay behind Peter and let him lean into you. Keep him upright while I wrap up his ribs," Edmund ordered. She edged herself behind me and I leaned backwards. I winced as my torso stretched out.

"Lucy, can you rip off a few pieces of fabric from the bottom of your dress for bandages?" Ed wondered. She nodded, already ripping some strips off. When she came up with five, Edmund said that was enough. I felt bad that both of my sisters had ruined their dresses for me.

"Thanks, Lucy. Now, can you keep him distracted while I wrap up his ribs? Hold his hand, talk to him, do something. Peter,"- he looked at me- "this is going to hurt; I won't lie. Let me know if you can't handle it," Edmund declared.

"I'll be okay, Ed. It's… going to hurt… regardless," I pointed out. Edmund sighed as Lucy took my hand, smiling. I returned the favor.

"You know, Peter, you're so brave, fighting through the pain like this. I wish…" I stopped listening to Lucy mid-sentence. Edmund pulled the bandage tight, throwing me off guard. I involuntarily squeezed Lucy's hand. All the air blew out of my lungs, along with a strange sounding groan. I clenched my teeth and closed my eyes. Lucy rubbed her thumb against my hand.

"I'm so sorry, Pete," Edmund apologized. I knew my brother was serious when he called me Pete; he was the only one to give me that nickname and he didn't say it very often.

"'S okay," I said. Edmund waited a moment to let me breathe before he started wrapping again. Lucy began speaking again, but then Ed pulled tight. This one was worse than the first. I yelled unintentionally, clearly in agony. Susan ran her fingers through my hair and Lucy squeezed my hand. I fell farther back into Susan.

"Whoa, Peter, stay up here," she said, pushing me slightly forward. I took in a shaky breath, trying to calm myself. Edmund gave me an uneasy look.

"I can stop any time, you know," he pointed out.

"I know… keep going. I'll be fine. Do only… what you can," I commented.

"I am, Peter, believe me. I'm so sorry I keep hurting you," Edmund explained.

"Don't worry about me, Ed. I'm… all right. Just… four more, right?" I wondered.

"Yes, that's the spirit. Now brace yourself," he warned. I exhaled lightly in a small, less painful sigh.

"You're doing great, Peter, really. Plus you saved our lives. If it wasn't for you yelling to us, we all could have been hurt or worse in that ambush today. Granted I wish it was me injured instead of you, but I can't reverse time. Anyways, thank you, for everything," Lucy declared. She smiled at me.

"Don't… thank me. I was just- ah!" I yelled, lurching forward. The pain was too intense, sending me forward as its dreadful punishment. I let go of Lucy's hand so I could clutch my burning side, which hurt even worse because it was bent. Edmund put his hands on my shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze before slowly pushing me back to Susan.

"Breathe, Peter, relax," he stated. I felt Susan run her hands up and down my arms as I tried to do what Edmund suggested. Lucy's thumb stroked my cheek, wiping off some of my sweat in the process. I laid my head against Susan's shoulder and closed my eyes. Slowly I removed my hand from my side and Lucy took it again.

"Are you ready, Peter?" Edmund inquired. I nodded. The sooner he did this, the sooner it would be done and over with. A few moments later, I felt the same tugging sensation I did every other time. I tightened my grip on Lucy's hand and hissed into Susan's neck, closing my eyes. This one wasn't as bad as the others, but it still hurt significantly.

"Two more, Peter," Edmund informed me. Just two more times, I told myself. I opened my eyes and saw Susan staring intently at me. She must have been worried sick. I think they all were. I opened my mouth to tell her I was okay, but the only thing that escaped was a yell. Edmund had pulled tight once more. I cut it off short, trying to hide the sounds of my discomfort.

"Last one," Edmund pointed out. Thank Aslan, it was finally about to end. I despised how they saw me when I was weak.

"I'm glad you're all right, you know. You had us scared out of our minds for a bit, when we first saw you, anyways. But the only thing that matters now is that you're okay," Susan declared. She patted my shoulder while Lucy rubbed my hand. And then came the pain. I unsuccessfully tried to stop myself from crying out. My body almost rushed forward again, but this time Susan restrained my arms, keeping me from going anywhere. My breathing came heavily, stabbing my ribs along the way.

"It's over now, Peter. I'm sorry," Edmund apologized.

"It's… not… your fault, Ed," I put in. Susan massaged my shoulders until I calmed down. "Thank you… everyone," I added. At least now the humiliation was over. They nodded.

"You should lie back down, Peter. You look beat," Edmund pointed out.

"Yes," I agreed. I must have looked as bad as I felt. Susan gently placed her hands on my back to keep me upright as she scooted out from me. I carefully lowered myself down until my head hit the ground. My ribs didn't like all the movement, but it was impossible not to feel the pain. Someone's hands were under my shoulders, gently raising me up. It was Susan. She then lowered me back down and I noticed that my head was a little higher up and was on a softer surface. I turned to see what it was. Su had ripped off a small chunk of cloth from the bottom of her dress, making a small pillow for me. I looked up at her.

"Thank you," I declared.

"You're welcome," she replied, a smile tugging at her lips. I drew in a shaky breath.

"You know, Peter, we'll need to get moving soon so we can get you closer to home. You need to rest and heal up," Lucy stated.

"Yes, I know. I'll move… as soon as you all want me to," I said. And I would. I wasn't going to make them wait out here any longer. I had no idea what lurked in these parts at night, and I wasn't going to have them risk their safety for me. I had Rhindon, but I wasn't sure how well I could fight with the condition my ribs were in. Plus, the sun was already beginning to set; we had to get a move on.

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A/N: Well, as you can see, this chapter is lengthier than the previous. There wasn't any action, but I promise there will be soon! I hope you all enjoyed it! Please review :)