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

Hey everyone! Happy New Year!!! I hope 2010 is a good one! :) 2009 went by way too quickly! Oh well, time flies, I guess! Wow, I can't believe there are fifteen chapters to this story already! I hope you guys are enjoying them all! kutlessgurl90, thanks for the review! Don't worry about it being a little late, I'm late updating all the time! lol. Edmund's character has also grown on me lately; I've learned to appreciate him more and more. Okay, well, here's chapter 15!!!

Chapter 15: Positives and Negatives

"The view is quite breathtaking, don't you think?" I wondered aloud. It truly was. To our right was the edge of the Eastern Sea, the sun's rays catching the tips of the water at just the right time to give the illusion that it was glistening. To our left was a clearing, spotted with a slight number of trees whose leaves were swaying in the light breeze. Directly in front of us was the hill we had traveled over merely twenty-four hours ago. And to top it all off, the sun was positioned a bit to the east, appearing to be a bright jewel residing in the clear blue depths of the sky.

"Yes, it is," Edmund agreed, his eyes scanning the area. Everything seemed so different since our "little" adventure now that we were home. I wanted to savor every moment because I knew how precious each one was after everything I had experienced. Edmund understood how I felt, too. Under normal circumstances if I would have said something about the view, he would have said I was going soft on him and nudged me in the side. But now… well I think he got it. I sighed. I had been waiting for the right time to tell him what was on my mind, and I figured that now would work the best.

"Ed, do you remember when I had that dream a couple days ago after I passed out, and I didn't tell you the contents of it?" I wondered.

"Yeah, Pete, how could I forget? Susan just about had a fit after you wouldn't tell her," He looked over at me, a slight smile tugging at his lips.

"Okay, I was just making sure. There's a reason I didn't tell her and Lu, and I think you'll see why after I tell you what occurred during it. I think it's time you knew. Don't mention it to the girls, though; I don't wish to frighten them. All right, to begin with, I was running and the three of you were behind me. An army of Calormenes and Telmarines were chasing us and… and… well to state it simply they killed all of you." It was still hard to speak of it, even if it was only some unwanted product of my subconsciousness. Ed put a comforting hand on my shoulder, much like I would do when he would tell me about one of his not-so-appealing dreams.

"Anyways, I tried to kill them, believe me, I tried. But none of them would die. Eventually one of them stabbed me, and I was done for. I sank down and closed my eyes, but when I opened them everything was gone; it was just me and the ground. Then that itself disappeared and was replaced with water and I began to drown. I kept my head above for nearly a minute, and then a voice came out of nowhere and spoke to me. The voice, of course, belonged to Aslan. He told me not to be afraid and that he would always be with me. He also told me to never lose my faith. I… I'm not quite sure what he meant, though. I don't know if it was a warning, a sign, or… or… what, really. I just know that he meant it, whatever "it" may be. I thought that possibly you could help me figure this out because to be frank, I'm lost. Anyways, after Aslan spoke to me, I drowned. And that was it. Do you have any idea what this could mean?" I questioned.

Edmund stared off into the distance for a while, appearing to be deep in thought. After a bit he finally said,

"That's a good question, Pete. The message seems reassuring enough, but as to why he told you I'm not sure. To tell you the truth, though, I've had a feeling that whatever it is we're going through isn't over. It's one of those overwhelming feelings that I can't seem to fight off no matter how hard I try. It may not be at the front of my mind, but it's definitely there, like a shadow that won't fade away. That's the best way I can explain it. But it's been looming over me ever since the night Aslan spoke to you and we couldn't find him. And I think my feeling could tie into your dream. We're just going to have to trust that Aslan knows what he's talking about," he replied.

I stared at my brother for a long moment before answering. I never realized just how deep his faith had become. I couldn't help but let a smile cross my face.

"Thanks, Edmund." He nodded.

"I'm glad to assist."

We sat there in silence for a while longer, and then something was running towards us. It was a tiger, our messenger, Abran, to be exact. After a moment he had reached our location.

"King Peter, King Edmund," –he bowed- "I'm afraid I come bearing unpleasant news," he started. The look on his face turned from worn out from his run into complete seriousness within a mere two seconds.

"What is it, good Tiger?" I asked, leaning in to hear what he had to say.

"I must begin by saying that I was out on my usual stroll when I was approached by a man. He appeared to be a Telmarine by his features and accent. Anyways, he told me he had a message to send to the Narnian monarchs. And I quote," He closed his eyes, trying to remember what the man had to say. Abran had been known for his excellent skills at remembering things; consequently, he was our messenger.

"'The newfound alliance between Calormen and Telmar would like to inform the people of Narnia of a proposition. It has come to our upmost attention that Narnia is a nice lot of land and we wish to gain control of it. You may cooperate with us and hand us the rights to your country, or we will take Narnia by force. We have an army fully equipped and ready that will not cower down to you and your almighty lion. If you accept our first offer, you will be given a small plot of land to continue sustaining life. If you do not accept, then we will overrun your country and all survivors will be either killed or made slaves. You have twenty-four hours to decide your fate.'"

Abran took a breath and looked up at us. I glanced over at him, my heart pounding rapidly in my chest. No, this can't be happening! I thought to myself, shaking my head. I stayed silent; I couldn't think well enough at the moment to form a coherent sentence. Edmund took care of that for me, though.

"Oh, hang it all! Can't we have one minute of peace in this country anymore?!?" He placed his head between his knees and let out a deep breath. Abran stared at me uneasily, waiting on an order. I sighed.

"Abran, go inform Oreius. It looks like we have a war to fight." I said, though every fiber of my being wished I hadn't. Abran nodded and left. Ed looked up.

"Aslan's mane, Peter! What are we to do? There's no way we'll just hand over Narnia, but honestly, do we have to go to war? Haven't we been through enough lately? And we can't just go killing off innocent Narnians! Their lives will be lost for nothing if we lose! They already have an army prepared, Peter. An army! And we only have twenty-four hours!" he exclaimed. He was nearly screaming by the end of his rant. He put his head between his knees again.

"Edmund, calm down," I demanded. But to be truthful, I was just as worked up as he was. I just didn't let it show. His head shot back up, the look on his face unfathomable.

"Calm down? Calm down? How am I supposed to be calm?! We'll be at war by this time tomorrow!" he declared, slamming his fist on the stone ground. He shook his head as if he didn't believe what he was saying. I put a hand on his shoulder.

"Edmund, we have Aslan on our side, remember? Surely he won't let us fail. We lead this country under his direction; he won't let us lose what we work so hard to keep going for him. We have Oreius as well; don't forget about him. And our army… even unprepared they will be ready to fight as soon as one of us snaps our fingers! We should be thankful we at least have twenty-four hours to get ourselves organized. And we need to use each hour wisely," I pointed out, beginning to stand. Ed helped me to my feet and we walked back into Cair Paravel.

"Well, there is one positive thing we found out in the past few minutes," Edmund began. I gave him an awkward glance. How could any of that have been considered pleasant?

"And what's that?"

"We figured out what Aslan meant in your dream."

A/N: Okay, so what do you think? Is it believable? Do you like the idea? Well, please review and let me know!!! :)