Disclaimer: I don't own The Chronicles of Narnia.

Okay, first of all I have to apologize for this chapter getting out a week late. I just got really busy with school and Thanksgiving and stuff. (Happy late Thanksgiving, by the way! :P) So yes, I'm sorry and I'll try not to be this late again. On a happier note, I'm back with more story! *laughs sheepishly* Thank you kutlessgurl90 for your review! I'm glad you liked the last chapter. :) All right, well, I won't make you wait any longer. Here is chapter 12!

Chapter 12: Journeys and Destinations

"Peter… Peter wake up!" I heard Lucy say. Her hand was resting on my shoulder, gently patting it every now and then. Was it morning already? By Jove, it seemed as if I had only fallen asleep a few minutes ago! I groaned, opening my eyes. Sure enough, the sun was shining and Lucy was smiling down at me.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Susan said, a hint of humor in her tone. Sleepyhead? How long had they been awake? I must've looked a bit confused for Edmund put in,

"We've been up for nearly an hour but we wanted you to rest a while longer. You were sound asleep, too. We made plenty of noise and it didn't seem to bother you at all." I wished they would have gotten me up; we could have started towards home by now. I looked to the sky. By the position of the sun it appeared to be around seven o'clock, give or take a few minutes.

"Well, thank you for letting me rest, but let's get moving," I declared. I slowly and carefully sat up; Edmund keeping a hand on my back to brace me. My ribs ached tremendously and my whole body was sore from lying on the ground all night.

"Susan, go fetch him a few berries from our stash," Edmund commanded. Su nodded and got up.

"Those two went out hunting for something to eat while Telula and I stayed back here with you," Lucy explained, looking at me. I sighed softly.

"You two shouldn't have gone out there alone. Something could have happened to you. You should have gotten me up," I declared. Susan returned and placed a few berries in my hands.

"Oh bother, Peter, stop worrying! Edmund and I are quite all right," she said. Her tone was lighthearted, though, not scolding as it would usually be.

"Sorry, Su, it's just hard not to fret after everything that has happened lately," I put in. She nodded in understanding and gave me a small smile. I picked up one of the tiny fruits and examined it thoroughly. It appeared to be a blueberry by the color and texture of it. I consumed the small fruit, thinking about how wonderful it tasted. My mind drifted off to thoughts of the blueberry pastries my siblings and I had eaten the morning we left for our official business in the Northern Marsh. It was the last real breakfast we had had at the Cair since our unintentional adventure. I so looked forward to having one for breakfast tomorrow at the castle. I hurried and finished the berries- there wasn't much to eat- and then looked at my siblings.

"Well, Peter, do you feel decent enough to travel?" Lucy questioned. I was sore and my ribs were searing but I could travel. My mind was set on getting home and that is what would keep me going throughout the day.

"Yes, I should be fine," I assured.

"All right, Lu and I will bring over the horses and then we should be set!" Susan exclaimed. She and Lucy got up and headed towards the horses while Telula was gathering up the rest of the berries.

"I can't believe we'll be home today; it just doesn't seem possible! We've only been gone for a few days but it feels like it's been years, or at least months," Edmund pointed out. I nodded in agreement. Ed then changed the atmosphere of our conversation.

"Peter, did Aslan say anything else to you last night?" he wondered.

"No, Edmund, he didn't," I replied. His face looked distraught.

"What is it, Ed?" I asked.

"Nothing, I was just hoping that maybe he would have given you some guidance on how to handle our predicament between Calormen and Telmar," he confessed. I pondered on that for a moment.

"Maybe he wants us to figure that out for ourselves," I concluded. Ed looked content with my answer but his eyes were still cast with a hint of uncertainty.

"Yes, maybe," was all he said. Then the girls showed up with the horses. Lucy had already mounted Midnight and her eyes had a distinct sparkle to them; she was thinking of home. I grinned. In that moment I felt as if everything would turn out all right. Lucy's spirit was inspiring; I could tell it was a gift from Aslan as it washed over me as well. I was ready to move. I put an arm over Edmund's shoulder. He understood what I was trying to do and cooperated. I leaned into him and he raised me. I hissed quietly and placed most of my weight into him. Susan led Bill over to where we were standing. As Ed tried to help me onto my horse I realized just how weak I really was.

I swung my leg over Bill's body and I felt the strain on my side. I bit my lip to hide my uneasiness and was surprised when it didn't draw blood. I rolled my shoulders back in an attempt to relieve the stiffness in them and felt an unpleasant pull on my side. I let out a quiet wince and rubbed the injury warily.

"You're sure you can travel?" Susan asked, a look of concern vivid in her eyes. I nodded and held onto Bill's reigns.

"All right, well let's do get a move on," Edmund declared. My siblings were all on their means of transportation, along with Telula holding onto Susan. I wondered briefly if there was something on her mind; she had been exceptionally quiet this morning. Edmund placed himself in front of us and began heading in a Northern direction. The rest of us followed, of course, and we were on our way home.

***

It had been nearly four hours since any of us had had anything to eat, or let alone taken a break. We were getting so close to home, but I needed some sort of energy in order to make it the rest of the way. I felt myself beginning to grow more tired as the minutes dragged on. My head was ever so slowly drooping towards my chest, making my eyes feel too susceptible to closing.

"Urm, Ed, could we possibly take a short break? I could imagine we all need something to eat," I pointed out. Edmund nodded and brought Phillip to a halt. Lucy slid off of Midnight and reached into her pouch; she had stored the extra berries in it. She evenly distributed the remains, leaving each of us with four. She and Susan shared their canteens with all of us, except Telula, who had her own. The others all dismounted their horses to stretch out, but I decided to stay on Bill. It would just cause a problem for me to get back up, anyways.

I finished eating the berries and then Lucy passed me her canteen. I took a long, refreshing drink and then poured a little water in my hand. I splashed it up on my face, trying to wake myself up. I let the cool liquid spread across my skin. Lucy patted my leg.

"Doing okay?" she wondered. I nodded. I hoped I could stay up for the next four hours, though. It would be absolutely terrible if my body allowed itself to embrace the exhaustion so close to home. We were at a standstill for another ten to fifteen minutes, I'd say, and then they all climbed back on their horses. Edmund took back his position in the front and we started off once again. I was feeling more energized for the time being, but I knew that it wouldn't last long. Aslan had given me the strength to make it through the past few days, but I had a feeling in the back of my mind that my body wouldn't be able to hold on too much longer.

The time was moving by exceptionally slowly. How long had it been since we had rested? One hour? Three hours? I felt my head beginning to drop towards my chest again. Then Bill began to slow down as he trotted up a steep incline, causing me to jerk my head up to see where we were going. We were making our way up a hill, and from the position I was in, I couldn't see what lay on the other side. I held on tightly to my horse so I wouldn't fall off as we neared the top of the slope. Then my breath hitched in my throat.

There it was. Standing beautiful and immaculate was Cair Paravel, our home, our sanctuary. Lucy let out a squeal of excitement while Susan sighed in relief. Edmund smiled in contentment and looked at me. I grinned wearily, the drowsiness beginning to take charge of my body's weakness. We were home and my siblings were unharmed -for the most part- and that was all that mattered. As we trudged down the hill, I noticed around one hundred Narnians standing in front of the Cair's entrance.

They must have just sent out a search party, I thought. Oh well, they'll be back soon enough. We were now about two hundred yards away from the doors. I would hold on as long as I possibly could, but I wasn't quite sure how long that would be. Lucy already had Midnight galloping in a full sprint towards our castle, and it didn't take but a moment for the other horses to follow suit. My ribs didn't take kindly to being jostled around at this point, nor did the rest of my body. But there was nothing I could do to stop it; when Bill was in a sprint, he wouldn't halt until he had reached his destination.

The spectators roaming about the castle grounds began to notice our arrival. They were talking amongst themselves and some were rushing towards us with relief spread across their features. The horses stopped nearly ten feet away from our fellow Narnians and they were running wildly to meet us. Screams of, "Queen Susan!" "King Edmund!" "Queen Lucy!" and "King Peter!" was all I could hear. The sounds amplified in my ears, making my head throb fiercely. I wanted to tell everyone to stop but I couldn't seem to find my voice. I clumsily slid off of Bill, not expecting the sudden surge of pain as my feet hit the ground. My teeth clenched involuntarily. I held onto Bill for what seemed to be dear life. It was then that everyone began to notice how bad I really was.

"High King Peter, are you all right? King Peter? Peter?" was all I heard. At first their voices appeared to be louder than before, but then they faded into muffled whispers and I could barely understand what they were saying. The faces in front of me started to dissolve into tiny spurts of color that I knew would eventually blend together to form the color that I dreaded the most - black. There was no way to avoid what was coming as I felt myself beginning to sink backwards. I was surprised when I didn't instantly hit the ground. Instead a pair of arms caught me under my shoulders to break my fall. Though his face was blurry I could see Edmund staring down at me, a look I couldn't comprehend set in his eyes.

"Rest, Peter," he said quietly. And with that, I allowed myself to pass out from the exhaustion, with everyone in front of Cair Paravel watching.

A/N: They're finally home! Whoo hoo! :P But this story is far from being over....... :D Please review!