Disclaimer: Don't own them, never did, unfortunately never will. Oh yes, and thank you to all my lovely reviewers! Your words mean the world to me.
Chapter 5- Peter and Susan
Sometimes worry can drive even the sanest person mad. Worry creeps into your mind, dwelling into the deepest, darkest hiding spots in your mind, creating scenarios and causing a person to lose control. Being an older sibling requires being able to handle that worry, especially if your younger siblings are mischievous and devious, and could get into trouble any minute. For both Peter and Susan, this was the case.
The two monarchs were heading back from a successful campaign in Archenland. It was the fourth year of the Golden Age, and High King Peter the Magnificent and Queen Susan the Gentle were 18 and 17 respectively. As they rode back to Cair Paravel along with their accompanying guards, both were quiet, each thinking the same worrying thoughts. Where their siblings okay?
King Edmund the Just and Queen Lucy the Valiant were older now, and quite mature. Despite this, neither was entirely responsible, and the two together could get up to a lot of trouble. Both Peter and Susan knew this, and both dreaded what mess they would find when they reached Cair Paravel, or whether their siblings would be there at all. Susan could recall a time back in London when their mother, Peter, and Susan had gone outside for only a few minutes to comfort a neighbour who had lost her husband to the war. When they went back inside the house, they had been shocked to find a 10-year-old Edmund attempting to shove an 8-year-old Lucy into the bin. Although Susan doubted that the same event would occur again, she still worried about her two younger siblings.
Peter glanced at his sister's face, observing the slight frown of her forehead.
"Su, what's up?" Susan glanced distractedly at Peter.
"It's nothing."
"Susan, I've known you since you were born. I think I can tell when something's wrong." he replied in a slightly admonishing tone. Susan flushed slightly, before sighing.
"It's just… I'm worried about Edmund and Lucy." Peter let out a small sigh as well.
"So am I." The two exchanged a glance before Susan continued on from her previous statement.
"I trust them and all, it's just they're still so young, and even though they can take care of themselves, I just… it scares me what can happen."
Peter gave Susan a sideways look.
"Su, do you remember mum?" Susan looked surprised at the question.
"Well yes, I suppose. She's a bit hazy, but I do remember bits and pieces about her, and about London."
Peter gave a small smile.
"Do you remember how she used to take care of us? And you used to get annoyed at how she wouldn't let you go down to the shops?" Susan giggled.
"Oh yes, it used to frustrate me to no end that I wasn't allowed to go to the shops just because those boys made comments whenever I passed…" Susan's voice trailed off as she remembered their previous home.
"Well, don't you think that Ed and Lu feel exactly the same way about us having control over them? Maybe we need to give them their own freedom to grow and learn." Peter sounded slightly wistful, but nevertheless his voice was strong and confident. Susan regarded her brother surprisedly.
"You mean you think we should let them do whatever they want? For heavens sake Peter, Ed's only 15!" Peter shook his head.
"No, I'm not saying that they can do whatever they want, but I think we should learn to trust them, to let them make their own decisions about certain matters. Like you said, Ed is 15. That's a whole year older than I was when we first came to Narnia. And Lucy is only a year younger than you were when you came. Despite our ages, we both managed fine without any parental figures."
Susan scoffed.
"Speak for yourself Peter. I had you to guide me. I would never have made it this far if you weren't there." Peter flushed red, and raised a hand to rub the back of his neck awkwardly.
"I didn't do that much-" he began, but Susan cut him off.
"Oh yes you did. You made sure all of us felt safe and at home. You helped Ed, and made him feel like he belonged after all that happened. You tucked Lucy in at nights, and still played games with her even with all your kingly duties. And you supported me and gave me confidence that we would succeed." Susan's voice was strong, and her eyes shone at Peter.
"You've held us together Peter. You may think we didn't have a figure to look after us and keep us safe, but we did. It was you."
Peter flushed even more, not sure what to say. He settled for a rather shy smile. The two rode along in silence for a while before Peter spoke again.
"You think that you had support from me, but I also had support from you." Susan turned to face Peter.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean you would look after me, make sure I was eating when I was stressed, take on some of my duties when I couldn't handle them. You were just as important to me, and Ed and Lu."
It was Susan's turn to flush again, feeling proud at her older brothers words.
Soon after, Cair Paravel loomed into sight; it's tall towers and magnificent presence a source of familiarity to the 2 siblings. After a quick glance at each other, they galloped to the entrance, their laughter echoing behind them. As they approached the main entrance, a small figure came running out, followed by a taller figure.
"Peter! Susan!" the first figure cried happily, eager to welcome her siblings. Peter and Susan brought their horses to a halt and hopped off, just as eager to greet their younger siblings. Susan ran to hug Edmund, wrapping her arms tightly around him, glad to see him safe. Over Edmund's shoulder she could see Peter picking up Lucy and cuddling her close, the two laughing. They both swapped siblings, Susan hugging Lucy and Peter hugging Edmund (from which Edmund emerged quite flustered, not sure whether hugging your brother was viewed as 'manly' or not). The four eventually found themselves linked together as they headed inside, eager for tales of what had happened. Susan glanced at Edmund, who was walking between both her and Peter, one arm around Susan's waist, and Lucy, who was currently receiving a piggyback from Peter. She was smiling broadly from her brothers back.
"So, did you two do anything interesting?" she asked curiously. Lucy and Edmund glanced at each other before replying in a single voice;
"No."
For some reason, neither Peter nor Susan believed them.
A/N- Hmm, this chapter was quite hard to write. I tried to make it more about Peter and Susan, but I had to add Edmund and Lucy in at the end… any feedback would be appreciated!