HIDDEN CURSE

Edmund: 16

Peter: 19

Susan: 18

Lucy: 14

I know that this is making the story move even slower, but I thought it was important to get to know some of the characters and what not. Plus, I'm sorting of hitting a block with this story so I figured I'd go with whatever idea I got. Sorry if this is crap, maybe I'll delete it later. Anyway, tell me what you think.

Chapter 7: Missing Each Other

Peter's eyes felt heavy as he struggled to pull them open. Seeing that Peter was fighting to get his eyes open, Orieus went over to him.

"This is why you should have listened to me…."

But Peter didn't hear him because he blacked out again.

Two hours later Peter finally peeled his eyes open for good. He looked around him dazed, taking in the forest trees above him, the wet leaves underneath his tunic, and Rarnus lying by a fire. Peter sat up, brushing leaves out of his hair.

"Where's Orieus?"

"He went to scope out the area. How are you feeling?" Rarnus asked.

"Um…fine."

"I'm no fool Peter Pevensie, don't take me as one," Rarnus smiled at him.

Peter stared at him open mouthed. He had used his common name, and Peter didn't know what to make of that. If Edmund had been there, Edmund would have demanded an explanation. But Peter quickly pushed any thought of Edmund out of his head, and snapped his mouth shut.

"I-I never did. I feel like I feel like I've just been wacked by a branch and like I have a cold? Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Rarnus nodded, "Something like that. Now lie down again, and stay that way. We'll continue in the morning."

Peter put his head back on the leaves without question. He couldn't explain why he was allowing himself to be treated like a child (even though, he was one) when he was High King but there was something about Rarnus that made him seem old, powerful, and fatherly. Like he had been around a lot longer than many other Narnians. Whatever it was, Peter felt compelled to obey him.

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A few days later Edmund was tiredly making his way down to dinner. While it was futile to try and eat anything, he went at Susan's insistence, and did it just to keep her off his back. Sitting down at the table, he looked up to find Susan glaring pointedly at his plate. He felt frustration boil up, she didn't get it. She thought that he had to keep trying, and if did that he might be able to eat properly. He wasn't in the mood to argue with her, so he speared his fork into his food, and prayed that the inevitable didn't happen.

About fifteen minutes into the meal, he had still managed to keep it down. Susan was giving Edmund a satisfied, "told you so" smirk. He rolled his eyes at her in response, and waited patiently until everyone else was done eating before excusing himself from the table. He had politely declined himself from desert. One look at the heavy chocolate pudding made his stomach do a somersault and it was best not to push it. He was surprised as he was that he hadn't puked his guts up already.

Entering his quarters he felt a wave of dizziness pass through him. His hand shot towards the wall, as he edged a long it making his way towards his bed, his stomach hitched. But he couldn't get himself to change directions quickly enough, and found himself emptying his stomach contents on the floor. He groaned, and slid his back down the wall.

Susan was on her way to check on him, when he retched again. She ran into the room expecting him to be at the basin, but turned to see him in a heap on the floor. She quickly made her way over to him, and smoothed his hair out of his eyes.

"I told you," Edmund told her through gritted teeth.

"Oh Ed…"

He heaved again, tears welling in his eyes. Susan reached out, and started rubbing circles into his back. He stiffened. That's what Peter used to do when Edmund was little and he was sick or upset. Edmund felt a pang go through him, realizing that he wanted Peter there, not Susan. A wave of anger passed through him. Peter had left him alone in this. He winced as he silently pleaded in his head that he needed Peter. Soon, he felt his logic kicking in and told himself to stop with this nonsense, but he couldn't shake a sense of abandonment.

"Should get a healer Ed?"

"No, but you should listen to me before forcing me to do eat. Because now we're both sitting in a puddle of sick," he gasped.

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Peter was growing increasingly more anxious as they got closer to the forest of Tyran. The last few days had passed without incident, as expected since they were in friendly territory. However, as Peter sat staring at the fire he was absent mindedly ripping up the grass and playing with it in his hands. He missed Edmund. He wasn't going to deny it. He also realized that Susan would probably force Edmund into doing things he didn't want to, and the results wouldn't be pretty. He felt a knot of guilt lodge itself in his throat. He had left Edmund alone in that. Maybe he shouldn't have left him alone there, and sent someone else to do the deed. No, it has to be you Peter. You need to help him. Staying there with him wouldn't save him. But he couldn't get the thought out of his head that he could have just sent someone else. He was stupid. So stupid, but now it was too late.

Peter felt a hand on his, and looked up.

"You are destroying the grass, Peter." Rarnus told him, gently prying his hands open, and taking the scraps of grass out of them.

Peter. There it was again. His common name. For the last few days he had been referred to as "your Majesty" by Rarnus, but now he was calling him Peter again.

Rarnus plopped himself down next to him. "You look troubled."

"Just thinking."

"About?" Rarnus pried.

"If this was the right choice," Peter said simply, staring straight ahead.

"Ah," Rarnus nodded but didn't offer further comment. They sat in silence for a few minutes, when Peter couldn't keep the question from slipping off his tongue any longer.

"Why do you sometimes call me Peter and other times your Majesty?" He looked at Rarnus.

"Because at times you are High King, but at times you are just a boy."

"Oh."

"Does it bother you to be called Peter?"

"No. Just don't let Edmund hear you call…" Peter stopped. Edmund might not be hearing anybody call him Peter.

Rarnus shook his shoulder gently. "I'll be sure that King Edmund does not hear me call you Peter."

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It was just after midnight and Lucy was sitting in the armchair beside Edmund's bed. She couldn't explain why she was there, it just felt like she should be. She couldn't explain it to herself, but there were a lot of things she couldn't explain to herself, so she let it drop. She watched Edmund's chest rise and fall, as he twisted himself in the blankets. Lucy had half the mind to untangle him, but didn't want to wake him.

She watched as his tossing and turning, became flailing, and he had begun muttering in his sleep. Lucy was sliding out of the arm chair when he screamed, and his eyes snapped open.

Lucy froze. She wasn't sure if she should let Edmund know she was in the room. Edmund didn't like to be coddled, and watching him sleep was definitely under the definition of coddled for Edmund.

Not knowing that Lucy was in the room, Edmund slumped over onto his side, and curled into a fetal position. His shoulders began shaking. Lucy realized with a pang that he was crying. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen Edmund cry. That wasn't to say that he never did, she knew he did, but he never did it in front of anyone. The only person he'd ever cry in front of was Peter, otherwise he was busy making himself appear stoic and strong which always found a way of "biting him in the ass". At least that was how Peter always put it.

Edmund felt the mattress shift, and immediately forced himself to stop crying. A small hand brushed across his cheek, moving the hair, and tucking it behind his ear.

"You need a haircut," Lucy murmured.

After trying to subtly wipe away the evidence of his crying, Edmund rolled over.

"What are you doing here, Lu?" His puffy, red eyes were looking anywhere but at Lucy.

"I don't know," she replied truthfully.

"You don't know?" Edmund was confused.

"Yes. I just felt like I needed to be here, and so I've been here for about an hour, watching you, urm, sleep." She explained.

Edmund didn't know what to say that. His cheeks flushed, "Oh."

"Why were you crying?" Lucy gently wiped away a tear Edmund had missed.

"I wasn't."

"Ed, you're an awful liar."

Edmund didn't say anything to that, but rolled over so his back was to Lucy. For the second time he felt someone rubbing circles into his back. Tears welled up, and spilled over. "Please don't do that," he whispered.

Lucy withdrew her hand. "Sorry."

She knew he was crying again, by the occasional sniffle. Perceptive as always, she stated simply, "You miss him."

Edmund stiffened, but rolled over to face her. There was no point in lying to Lucy. Somehow she just always knew. He nodded.

"Why did you scream?"

This caused fresh tears to grace his freckled cheeks. "He…he was dead…and then I was…dead, and you and Susan were alone…" He turned his face into the pillow.

He heard Lucy slide down underneath the blankets, and scoot over closer to him. She gently tugged his shoulder, so he was facing her. His puffy, dark eyes stared into hers. Pressing on the back of his head, she forced in unto her shoulders. She rubbed his shoulder with her thumb; making sure if didn't make circles. After a few minutes she opened her mouth to say something, but she felt his breathe blowing evenly on her ear. He'd fallen asleep.

The silent filtered through the curtains, and landed on Edmund's eyes. They flew open, Lucy's closed eyes directly in front of his. He blinked, disoriented, but relaxed as the night before came flooding back to him. His stomach twisted in embarrassment. He wanted to remove himself from Lucy, but he didn't want to wake her. So he lay there, and slowly began to become aware of himself. He hadn't felt well in a long time, but this was an exceptional.

"Lucy…" He croaked. He gently shook her shoulder.

"Edmund," she said back, looking at him through sleepy eyes.

"Lu..I…" he tried, but couldn't make the rest of the words come out.

She took in his bleary eyes, shivering frame, and flushed cheeks. Realization dawned on her. She moved the back of her hand to his forehead.

"Oh Ed, you're burning up," she sighed.

He nodded meekly. Lucy climbed out of bed, and went to the wardrobe. She pulled out the extra blankets, and draped them over her shivering brother. He burrowed himself under them, coughing.

"I'll be right back. I'm going to get Susan."

Edmund didn't reply though, he had already fallen back into a fitful sleep.

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The early morning sunlit was reflecting off of Peter's armor. Today they were going to enter the forest of Tyran, they were only four miles off. That would be easily covered in a manner of an hour.

Last night they had been discussing the entrance to the forest, and Rarnus had shared stories of what was waiting for them inside as a manner of preparation.

Peter shuddered at the thought of the stories, and mounted his unicorn.