Disclaimer: I don't own The Chronicles of Narnia.
Hello, all! First off I have to say Merry Christmas! This is my favorite time of the year and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do! :) Secondly, I must apologize for taking so long to get this chapter out. Finals were earlier this week and I spent a lot of time studying for them. But they're over now, so that means I will have more time to write! :) kutlessgurl90, thank you for your review! I'm glad that the last chapter touched you; that is something I strive to do as an author so thank you for your feedback! Okay, well here is chapter 14!!!
Chapter 14: Back to the Real World
Something was brightly shining in my eyes, making my eyelids feel heavy and overworked. I groaned unexpectedly.
"Peter!" I heard Lucy scream. I opened my eyes just in time to see her hop out of her chair, jump on my bed, and wrap her arms around my shoulders.
"G'morning, Lu," I said slightly chuckling, a smile forming on my lips. I patted her back, careful not to move too much. She pulled away from me, her face content and grinning.
"It is a good morning, isn't? Actually, it's just wonderful! We're home, you're home… oh everything is just grand! And how're you doing?" she wondered.
"Well enough, Lu. Just sore, that's all. And possibly a bit tired," I answered. I looked around the room and saw that the bright thing that had woke me up was sunlight streaming in through my window. I focused on Lucy again, who looked slightly troubled.
"Did I wake you too suddenly?" she questioned. I shook my head.
"No, I'm just still a little weak, that's all," I assured. I took a better observation of my surroundings and noticed that Susan was sitting in the chair and Edmund was standing behind her.
"Welcome back, Pete," he declared, a smile faintly tugging at his lips. I stared intently at him for a quick moment.
"Thank you for everything you did for me yesterday. Susan told me when I got up in the middle of the night. You didn't have to do any of that, Ed," I pointed out. He shrugged.
"I know, but I wanted to. You deserved some sort of help and comfort. I didn't want everyone at the castle to bother you, either. Oreius about went off his rocker when I told him he couldn't come in your room. I was half surprised he didn't break down the door. Actually, I am surprised there isn't any damage done, what with as many people who nearly trampled us to catch a glimpse of you," Ed put in. A sudden thought ran across my mind.
"I'm hoping you told them that I was all right. You did tell everyone, right? I guess I did cause quite a scene yesterday," I said. Susan chuckled.
"Yes, Peter, you did. Everyone was a bit shocked, but Edmund told everybody you'd be just fine after you rested for a while. He handled the situation very calmly and quite well, I might add," Su explained. I smiled.
"Thank you, Edmund. My deepest thanks are to all of you. I love the three of you so much," I declared. Lucy grinned and threw her arms around me once again.
"We love you too, Peter!" she exclaimed, tightening her grip. Susan got up and placed a hand on my shoulder while Edmund patted my back. Everything felt right again; normal, even. If I hadn't experienced everything I had in the past few days I would've never known anything went wrong. I enjoyed the solitary time I could spend with my siblings without having to worry about official business quite yet. Then Lucy pulled away and made herself comfortable beside me.
"So, how did you sleep last night?" Ed questioned. I shrugged.
"Well enough, I guess. I couldn't get too comfortable, but then again I was mostly out of it the whole time. I only awoke once, and Susan told you about that. I'm not going to complain about my sleeping, though, because at least we're home and you're all safe. That's all that matters now," I answered. Lucy patted my leg affectionately.
"Hey, you're safe too! That should matter! Stop thinking about us for once," Lucy said, poking my chest playfully.
"Yes, I've already been warned by Susan not to fret, believe me," I stated. I threw a glance towards my sister, whose cheeks were flushed with slight embarrassment. Edmund deliberately clapped his hands to change the subject.
"So, is anyone up for breakfast? I hear Tierrina is taking special requests," he put in.
"Actually, that sounds rather delightful as a matter of fact. A blueberry pastry sounds near heavenly at the moment," I declared. Lucy looked rather excited.
"Oh yes, and with a side of delicious toast smothered in her first class special jam!" she exclaimed. I chuckled lightly.
"Well, I believe you know what we would like, how about the two of you?" I asked. Susan decided on a crepe filled with the finest fruit harvested from the Western Wood and Edmund settled on sweet muffins. No one was quite sure what exactly Tierrina put in those muffins, but everyone knew they were absolutely delectable. Edmund had especially favored them; he always has had the sweet tooth in our family.
Edmund left the room –for what I was sure was the first time- to tell Tierrina what we wanted. When he returned he said she'd have it ready as soon as possible. I was starving, but I wasn't sure how much of my appetite I had gained back. I needed to sit up, too. I slowly pushed myself up. Edmund put a firm hand on my back while Susan placed a pillow behind me. I leaned slightly backwards and the cushion felt very nice on my aching muscles. I hadn't realized how tender everything was until I tried to move. I let out a short sigh and rubbed my pained side. Lucy gave me a soft smile.
"You still hurt significantly, don't you?" she wondered. I nodded slowly.
"He's going to be in pain for a while, Lu," Ed explained.
"I know, I just feel so bad because there's nothing we can do. Too bad Telula isn't some kind of magical healer or something," Lucy said. Telula… where had she gotten to?
"Where did Telula stay last night?" I asked.
"She was shown to one of our guest rooms by Mr. Tumnus," Susan replied. I nodded. We had many guest rooms at the Cair; mostly Archenlanders who came to visit us and royal delegates on official business stayed in them, though. But, on occasion, the rooms were used for people like Telula who hadn't anywhere else to go for the time being.
"Is she getting along all right? I'm sure Tumnus is taking very good care of her," I observed.
"As far as I know, yes, all is well," Su answered. My siblings and I spoke for a bit longer, and then there was a knock on the door. Lucy hopped up and opened it, revealing Tierrina carrying in four plates absolutely filled with an assortment of food.
"Oh, King Peter! What a delight to see you up and coherent this morning! It's a pleasure to see that you are recovering well," she stated.
"Thank you, Tierrina. It's nice to see you, as always. This food looks exceptionally delicious," I pointed out. Her face lit up in a smile.
"Oh, thank you," she declared, beginning to distribute our plates. Susan put a pillow on my lap and then Tierrina sat down my food. The smell alone was enough to make my mouth water. I was so hungry; my stomach was almost to the point of growling. I waited to begin eating until my family had all received their food, though. When that happened, I was sure I was the first one to consume anything. I was more than satisfied with my breakfast. Nothing could have ever tasted any better at that moment. The blueberry pastries most definitely surpassed the blueberries we had eaten on our journey home. The toast and jam was exceptional, too. And the cup of piping hot tea… Ed was the tea lover in the family, but I couldn't complain about this.
"Tierrina, this food is wonderful!" I exclaimed. The dwarf blushed.
"I serve only the best for my kings and queens," she said. She smiled and walked out of the room, letting us have some privacy. I glanced at Edmund. He had already consumed – well, more like inhaled- three sweet muffins and was refilling his tea. I grinned to myself. The four of us were done eating within ten minutes; we were so hungry! Edmund leaned back in his chair lazily.
"Well, I'm nearly stuffed! If I eat anymore, I don't believe I'll be able to get up!" he put in. Susan chuckled.
"There's a simple explanation for that, Edmund. You stuffed those muffins in practically two at a time!" she explained lightheartedly. Ed nodded and didn't deny it. I heard Lucy sigh.
"I can't believe we just ate an actual breakfast at Cair Paravel," she said.
"I know, Lu. It's wonderful, isn't it?" Susan declared. Everyone agreed.
"So when does the real world begin again? I'm surprised we haven't been called out for a trial or anything yet," I pointed out. Edmund gave me an uneasy look, almost as if he didn't want to tell me what was on his mind.
"Well, Pete, I don't know how to tell you this, but everyone has decided to take it easy on you for a while. No one wants you to do anything too quickly. All of Narnia wants you to recover as soon as possible," he explained. I leaned farther back into the pillow.
"I'm not quite following you, Ed. What aren't I allowed to do?" I questioned. I hoped I wasn't restricted from doing anything; I would go absolutely mad if I had to stay in my room all day… or longer.
"No, it's not that you can't do things, it's just that the royal council has decided to place all official business on the three of us. You can do whatever you please; they just don't want you stressed out while you are injured. It's for the best, really, Pete. If I didn't think so I would have objected," he declared. I sighed. Well, it made sense, but it was hardly fair to place all my responsibilities on my younger siblings. I could most certainly handle my royal duties while injured if I could handle everything else we went through in that state. If they didn't think our journey was stressful, then the people of Narnia were sadly mistaken.
"I don't believe that is necessary, Ed. I'm capable of doing my work; all of you experienced what I did over the past few days and you're not receiving a break. Why should I deserve special treatment while none of you do?" I reasoned. The three looked at each other with a look on their faces that I couldn't comprehend.
"Peter, it will only be for a few days. Do you not understand that we have been excessively worried about you? So many things could have happened to you that didn't, thank Aslan. We're just being precautionary. We're all still concerned, and you know you would be too if it was one of us rather than you. We almost lost you, Peter. We just want to see you recover and get back to your normal self," Lucy declared. I was silent for a moment, and then nodded.
"Okay, I understand. But I will help the three of you to the best of my abilities," I stated. They all agreed, probably to avoid confrontation. Suddenly there was a knock on my door. Susan got up to answer it.
"Oh, do come in, Mr. Tumnus!" she exclaimed. The faun walked into my room with a warm smile on his face.
"Good morning, King Peter. It's quite nice to see you fairing well," he said.
"Thank you, Mr. Tumnus. It's rather a delight to see you, too." I put in.
"You're quite welcome, dear friend. Now, Edmund, you are needed downstairs. Some sort of trial, I presume. Oreius wants you right away. As for you, Susan, Miss Telula is seeking your help in her room whenever is convenient to you, my Queen. Most likely finding clothes, I suppose. And my dear Lucy, you are wanted by the healers. I believe someone is in need of your cordial," Mr. Tumnus explained. Lucy kissed my forehead and quickly strode out of the room. Su patted my hand and followed. Ed gave me an uneasy look.
"Pete, if you need anything, anything at all, you know where to find me. Or if you want to watch the trial, I suppose that would be fine. All right, see you soon, brother," he declared. He waved at me with a quick flick of his wrist.
"Bye," I said. Now it was just Mr. Tumnus and I left in the room.
"I think I'm needed back outside, unless of course you want me to stay here. I will fully oblige to your needs, Peter," he put in. I shook my head.
"I'll be quite all right, Tumnus. But thank you, anyways," I pointed out. He nodded.
"Well farewell then, for now," he stated, heading out of the room. I leaned back and sighed. Mr. Tumnus had always been a faithful friend, ever since we first stepped foot in Narnia. I felt bad turning his hospitality away, but honestly I didn't feel like being looked after. I felt like doing something –anything- to get out of this room. I turned myself around so that my feet were touching the ground. I pushed myself up off the bed and into a standing position. I winced –it had been a while since I had stood fully upright on my own. Now I just had to figure out where to go. I began walking towards the door but then I realized I was barefooted. I turned back and slipped on my shoes, then walked through the doorway.
The halls weren't as busy as I had anticipated; just a few Narnians were strewn about here and there. Most of them made some form of communication with me, and for that I was grateful. The people of Narnia really did care about my well-being. I turned the corner and heard Susan's voice coming from a closed door. I would've knocked and asked if she or Telula needed any assistance, but to be honest I was practically clueless when it came to women's fashions. Instead I decided to go downstairs and see what all the fuss was about with this trial. As I reached the staircase I noticed that I had forgotten one minor detail; there were stairs. I knew there was a significant number of them at the Cair, but I had never realized just how many there were until now. I guess when you're injured it really changes one's perspective on certain things.
Brushing off the thought I began my descent down the stairwell. I held onto the railing for dear life. Every step down pulled at my aching side, causing a surge of pain that I had nearly forgotten about until now. I had to stop every five to ten steps to catch my breath. Going down the stairs probably wasn't the smartest idea I had lately, but I had to do it eventually. There was no way to avoid stairs in this castle; there were just too many of them. A couple moments later I reached the bottom and leaned into the wall to rest. Level ground I could handle, but stairs… that would take some getting used to. If I thought that was bad, I couldn't even imaging going back up them.
Shaking off the thought, I started walking towards the council room. I knew this room very well, seeing as though Ed and I were usually the ones in charge of sentencing delinquents. I walked into the place quietly –I didn't want to cause a scene- and sat in back. Edmund was standing in the front, facing me, but I don't believe he registered my presence. Oreius was standing beside the prisoner, who appeared to be a wolf.
"And what, exactly, were you doing eavesdropping on our military plan, Sir Farnin?" Edmund broke in. The wolf shifted his neck upward as if to stare at my brother.
"I was doing none of the sort, King Edmund. I was listening to the plan as a good soldier would do, my liege," the wolf explained. I saw Edmund's gaze harden.
"If that story proves to be true, Farnin, then tell me why General Oreius has never seen you in his presence before," Edmund put in, raising an eyebrow. The wolf hesitated.
"Because, my king, I have just recently decided to join our beloved Narnian army. I felt it was my duty to defend and protect our country, Sir," Farnin stated. My brother didn't look convinced.
"All right, Sir Farnin, but I do have one more question for you. You seem awful keen on joining the army this instant. Is there a reason for that? Do you know something of a war brewing on the horizon?" Ed questioned. The wolf shook his head.
"No, King Edmund. I just felt obligated to join the army," Farnin declared. Edmund's eyes stared off blankly into the distance, something he did when he was thinking hard. After a few moments he glanced back at the prisoner.
"Very well, Sir Farnin. Thank you for your account on the situation. The jury and I will now make our final decision," he said, turning to our royal officials. Nearly five minutes later, my brother turned back to face Farnin and the small audience that was assembled. Edmund cleared his throat.
"Sir Farnin, you have been charged guilty for the crime of high treason. General Oreius will make sure you carry out your punishment. Oreius," Edmund nodded to our war general, which took Farnin by the neck and led him out of the room. Farnin was muttering words in his defense as a last minute chance to prove his innocence, but Edmund stood firmly by his ruling. My brother leaned back in his chair and sighed. I most definitely admired Edmund in times like these. He had always handled political situations better than I. He was also good at following his instincts, and his instincts were usually right about these things. In this trial, from what I heard of it, anyways, there seemed to be a significant lack of evidence, though. I slowly rose to my feet and walked to my brother, who just now realized I was there.
"Hello, Pete. I figured you would come and watch," he pointed out. I shrugged.
"The only other thing I could do is rest, and I spent the day doing that yesterday," I declared. He chuckled.
"Well, that is the truth," he said.
"So, Edmund, how did you sentence Sir Farnin so quickly? Wasn't there a bit of evidence missing?" I wondered. Ed shook his head.
"No, Peter, the evidence is all there. You see, I've seen that wolf near the castle grounds just like every other normal Narnian. But, in the woods when we were fighting in the building, I saw him, too. He was standing in the far corner behind some extra weapons and talking to one of the Telmarines. He fled when I met his gaze. I was going to run after him but then you got injured, and you were a lot more important than some renegade wolf," he explained. Good thing Ed was more observant than I.
"Well, I'm quite glad you found the traitor," I declared. He just sighed and muttered,
"Yeah, I guess."
I cocked an eyebrow at him.
"Something wrong, Ed?" I wondered.
"No, I'm just a bit stressed. You know how I get after these trials," he said, an awkward grin painted on his face. I smiled. It was true; Edmund did seem to get worked up quite often after these types of things.
"C'mon, Ed. Let's go do something," I suggested. He got up from his chair and the two of us walked from the room. Anyone who walked by had nice comments for the both of us. I deeply appreciated all they had to say, but I felt a bit awkward at all the attention drawn to me. I had always felt slightly insecure when attention was directed towards me, which wasn't the best quality to possess when one was a high king.
"So, what do you say? Want to go out to the courtyard? I could imagine some fresh air would do you some good," Edmund pointed out. I nodded.
"That does sound quite wonderful at the moment," I agreed. So my brother and I headed towards the large doors that were the main entrance and exit to our home. A pair of guards –two leopards- stood at the doorway and held them open for us.
"Thank you," I said. They nodded; the guards didn't talk too often. Ed and I stepped into the outside world and I realized that there were more stairs. I sighed as I looked down and saw them extend for what seemed like a mile. I felt Edmund place a hand on my shoulder.
"How did you manage to make it down to the council room, Pete? It couldn't have been an easy task to accomplish," he stated. I shrugged.
"I just had to go slow… very slow," I said. I watched as his gaze stared down the stairs just as mine previously had.
"Why don't we just sit down right here? I don't suppose it would be the brightest idea to have you walk down all those steps," Ed suggested. I nodded and carefully lowered myself. Edmund joined me, and we talked.
A/N: Okay, so not a lot of action, but they did just get back home; I can't have things happen for them too quickly! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and by the way, reviews make lovely Christmas gifts! :P Well thanks for reading, and have a wonderful Christmas! :D