So there will be more Peter/Susan feelings this chapter. I'm sure if you've made it this far you won't be offended, but just in case….beware, incest ahead… (And again, disclaimer, I'm not condoning this in real life, but in case you hadn't already realised, this is fanfiction. I'm looking at you 'Anonymous').
Once again, thanks for reading and here we go!
XoX
He was home. Susan could barely contain the pure unbridled relief she felt in seeing him. He looked well-travelled and exhausted. But he was in one piece. Slipping from the bed she crossed the room in an instant and flung her arms around his neck pulling him close.
He hesitated making a strangled sound in his throat, before his body suddenly relaxed and he wrapped his strong arms around her. His hands gripped the soft cotton of her nightgown and he buried his face in her neck.
'I missed you' Susan whispered, after they had held each other for a moment. Pulling back so she could see his face she frowned at the dried blood on his temple and in his hair.
Running her thumb gently over the damage she questioned what had happened.
'I'll explain everything in the morning' he pacified, 'right now, I'm so damn tired that I just want to sleep'.
The blue smudges under his eyes echoed his words, and his body sagged in her arms.
'Then, come' she murmured shyly, tugging him in the direction of her rumpled bed.
'We shouldn't' he whispered back, conscious of what this might lead too, although he allowed her to lead him over to the side of her bed.
'We'll just sleep' was her response as she deftly unbuckled the straps to his thick leather armour, 'I've been so worried about you. I don't want you out of my sight for a little while yet'.
He allowed her to work; his forearm braces, and leather jerkin falling swiftly to the floor. She made him sit on the edge of the bed as she pulled off his tall boots and then retrieving a towel from her wash stand she wiped the blood from the side of his head. She couldn't help but smile when he closed his eyes sleepily at her touch. After his brow was cleaned she allowed her hand to linger on his face, running her nails through the three day scruff that had formed on his jaw.
Peter let out an almost growl at the sensation and his hands shot to her hips pulling her closer. His eyes opened slowly, lazily, and he was struck again by how beautiful the woman in his arms was.
'Sue' he murmured in warning. Once again they were going down a path from which there was no return. She smiled in response, and then continued disrobing him until he was left in his undershirt and trousers.
'Come' she repeated her earlier beckon. Silently he slid under the sheets into her bed. He was afraid if he spoke it would make this moment real and he really wanted to believe it was just a dream and he had collapsed in his own bed in exhaustion.
They stilled for a moment, lying side by side, before he realised just how warm an evening it was. Cursing he sat back up and without giving it too much thought tore off his shirt so his skin benefitted from the cool air blowing in from the balcony.
There was a moment when neither of them moved, until, without an audible decision, they gravitated towards each other. Peter's arm wrapped around Susan's shoulders and she rested her head down on his chest, her hand tracing the planes of his stomach.
'I missed you too' he whispered in reply, kissing the top of her head gently.
She relaxed against him as their breathing slowed and soon exhaustion took over and they drifted off into a peaceful slumber.
XoX
'General' the fawn greeted as he stepped from the shadows. Mort had left his brother in the Royal Wing soon after the High King had returned and made his way to General Orieus to provide a report. 'High King Peter has returned'.
His General had been patrolling the grounds like he usually did before he retired for the night.
The High King's return had been a huge relief for Mort. He and his guard had been charged with the protection of their Royal's for the last 7 years and Mort had been with them for the whole of that time. He had stood at the side of the King's and Queen's on both the battlefield and the throne room. To see the High King ride off alone had been testing for all of them.
The last couple of weeks had been a lesson in stealth. While his brother was loud, he had always been quiet. Usually found tucked in a corner observing. It was a trait that had served him well and he knew he was one of the General's favoured men.
'Good' the deep voice of General Orieus rumbled in reply, 'how did he fair?'
'He appeared to have a slight wound to his temple, but other than looking travel worn and tired, he was fine, Sir'.
He did not mention to his General that both he and his brother had seen the High King slip into Queen Susan's chambers. That was a private moment he was certain did not need to be shared yet.
He left General Orieus just as quickly as he had appeared. Silently stepping back into the Palace he moved with practiced stealth. The strangers that had occupied the Palace over the last few weeks had caused him and his fellow guards to increase their active patrols and even if he hadn't already known the Palace well, he could now move around it like a ghost.
The protection of the Kings and Queens was paramount. Especially now.
He was still in the lower corridors when he heard voices whispering. The tone suggested there were people attempting to keep their voices down but failing somewhat.
With his back pressed flat to the wall, his body concealed in the shadows, he crept silently as close as he dared. In an archway about 10 metres from where he was hidden stood Prince Darrin and his father, their heads close together. Even with his fawn ears he strained to make out their conversation.
'You are a fool' King Marion berated his son, 'these Narnia beasts speak. That pony would have told the boy King it was you'.
'What does it matter?' the Prince returned just as furiously, 'I still won the challenge'.
As he spoke, Mort noted the phoenix feather that he brandished in his father's face.
'I have the damned Phoenix feather, and now I've only one more challenge to win. Then this ridiculous contest will be over and we can all go home'.
There was a pause and without having to look Mort could sense the anger between Father and Son. The tension in the corridor was practically physical.
'Do not forget my son that when we return you will be husband to Queen Susan. I will no longer tolerate your association with that harlot. The deal was, you complete this task and I forget that embarrassment'.
Silence followed and then Mort heard the grudging reply of Prince Darrin, acknowledging his Father's words.
Mort stole a clear look down the corridor, interested to see the faces of the two Royals.
They were standing some distance apart and he was intrigued to see a very similar expression of distrust, bordering on hate on the part of the Prince.
'We will continue this discussion in the morning' King Marion finally said, breaking the silence. There was a huff of anger as Darrin's eyes flared momentarily and then he seemed to accept his Father's words.
Stalking past he thrust the golden feather into his Father's hands. Mort watched as Marion held the feather up to the moonlight that spilled in from an open window and then he too, turned and followed his son up to the guest quarters.
Mort's eyes flashed in the shadows as he considered this new information. The General would need to know immediately was his first thought, and he quickly retreated back out of the castle to report what he had overheard.
XoX
When Peter woke the next morning the first thing he was aware of was the warmth of the sun on his bare shoulders, then the breeze that wafted gently into the room and then to the soft woman pressed up against him.
He took a moment to revel in the sensation. The way her hair, golden in the morning light, fluttered against his nose which he buried in her neck. His arm was already draped around her middle and he tightened his hold, drawing her even closer.
The soft femininity of her causing him believe for a moment that he may still be dreaming.
He hadn't kissed her since that evening they had argued and if he was honest with himself, the memory of it alone was enough to send him spiralling with desire. So having her here with him, just within reach was a temptation he had never experienced.
Just holding her this way, and knowing that she had invited him to do so, made his heart swell in a way that he didn't yet have the courage to express. She smelt like warmth and summer and he didn't know how he'd ever be able to wake up again without her next to him.
He felt the moment she stirred. She sighed softly, burying her head in the pillow slightly, and
then turned in his arms to face him. His breath caught at the sleepy expression on her face.
No one else in the entire kingdom had ever seen her thus and he thanked Aslan he had been granted the privilege.
She smiled softly at him and closed the short distance between them, touching her lips gently to his.
'Morning' she whispered smilingly as she pulled back, 'how is your head?'
As she spoke her hand came up and gently brushed away his messy hair revealing the bruise on his temple.
'I'll live' he teased, capturing her hand with his own and planting a kiss on the inside of her wrist. He felt her shiver in response and he had no choice but to lean over and claim her waiting mouth.
In the early hours of the morning he felt un-inhibited and free. As if they were their own world and the problems outside her chamber door were a million miles away.
He deepened the kiss without hesitation and moving over her he delighted in the delicious sensation of pressing her into the rumpled bed.
Susan moaned deeply into his mouth as his body pressed intimately against hers.
Reluctantly leaving her full lips, Peter kissed his way down her jaw line, pressing deep open mouthed kisses to her neck, finding a sensitive spot just below her ear that made her shiver.
'Peter' the keen in which Susan said his name shot straight to his groin and he eagerly returned to her mouth, kissing her with all the passion that had been building up these last few weeks.
It didn't take long before Susan fought for control. Peter grinned roguishly when he suddenly found himself on his back. His hands quickly found her bare thighs that straddled his own, her nightgown having rode all the way up.
His breath caught at the image of her above him and her hair fell around them softly as she bent to kiss him. Her breasts pressed against his bare chest and he swallowed the lump in his throat as he became impossibly hard against her.
He let out a desperate moan as her hips slid into place on top of his own. She broke the kiss at the feeling and met his heavy lidded eyes with her own lusty gaze.
'Sue' he murmured, questioning her. He knew she understood what he was asking. He had been her first kiss so he knew she had never been with another man. He didn't want to push her too far.
Without words she leant back and pulled her cotton night shift off the rest of the way revealing her body to the warm morning breeze.
Peter forgot to breath at the sight. She was everything he had dreamed of and more.
As his eyes raked across her body eagerly he noted the slight shake of her hands which were clenched at her sides.
Reaching for them, taking her hands in his own he pulled her down to him. Tucking her into his side and kissing her brow he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her flush against him.
'There is no need to be frightened Sue' he whispered against her. Afraid that if he spoke too loudly he would shatter the moment into a thousand pieces.
'You can choose whatever happens here. I am at your mercy. I am your King. Yours, only.'
Propping herself up on her elbow, looking down at him she smiled.
'You worry about me too much' she smiled teasingly and it took all of Peter's self control to keep looking into her eyes and not down the curves that were displayed to him.
'I want this. I want you'.
'Are you certain?' Peter asked, he had to be sure. He had made his mind up in that brief moment when he had woken. He would deny his feelings no longer, he would deny himself no longer. Susan was what he wanted, what his heart and body desired. And if she would have him then he would give himself whole-heartedly.
He waited, needing to hear her say the words.
'I'm sure' she smiled, her hand cupping his face and gifting him with the sweetest kiss he had ever received.
'Good' he grinned, pouncing on her so fast that she couldn't help the joyous laughter that rung out in her chamber.
XoX
'Pete returned during the night' Edmund announced as soon as he entered the Sun Room, a name which Lucy had come up with not long after they had first arrived at Cair Paravel.
It was aptly named too. The room in the Royal wing was a large chamber that on one side was open entirely to a balcony. The balcony itself overlooked the bay below the castle and the sun flooded in, gracing the room with warm orange light.
It was Lucy's favourite room in the entire castle and she could be found there most mornings.
Leaping to her feet from where she had been curled up in an armchair sipping her morning tea she quickly questioned how and where he was.
'He's fine, so Orieus tells me, and as to where he is, I assume he's still asleep. I imagine he is exhausted after three nights of sleeping on the ground'.
Grabbing a slice of toast from the dining table Edmund made his way over to where Lucy was standing, urging her to return to her seat.
'Let him sleep Lucy' he said, sitting down at the foot of the armchair, resting his back on it, and looking out the window at the blue sky.
Lucy relaxed back into the chair and absentmindedly allowed her fingers to graze the edge of Ed's hair, tiding it up from the bed-head mess it still was.
'Do you think he won the challenge?' she asked as Ed chewed his toast thoughtfully.
She had spent the last couple of days alternating between praying to Aslan that Peter would come home safely, and avoiding Prince Darrin's younger brothers. They were as boisterous as young wolf cubs and had taken a particular interest in baiting her guard.
Mort and Castor had done a good job of keeping the peace though, she'd been meaning to mention to Ed that they deserved some time off when this was all over.
'I hope so' Ed murmured in response as he relaxed at her touch.
They lapsed into a peaceful silence as they took in the quiet of the early morning. They had not been alone together in many days and Lucy was unsure if Ed would bring up their argument.
They had both agreed that there had been more important things to worry about and their quarrel had been put to the side as they worked together as a family. It hadn't been far from either of their thoughts though.
Now they were alone together once more she could feel all of her thoughts itching to be spoken. They were on the tip of her tongue, and she bit down on it, if only to enjoy the peaceful silence between them a little longer.
Ed had always been one of her fiercest supporters. Ever since he had left the Witch Jadis to return to his family their relationship had grown and grown in strength. While Peter had always protected her, it had been Ed who had stood by her side and rallied her.
He had believed in her since the day the crown had been placed on her head.
Her hand toyed with the hairs on the nape of his neck as she revelled in her affection for him. Even if he had become overbearingly protective of her in the last couple of weeks.
'Luce' Ed murmured, as he squirmed at her touch.
'Mmm' she responded, equally distracted.
He turned bodily to look up at her for a moment, before getting to his feet and striding out through the gauze drapes to the balcony beyond.
With his palms face down on the balcony edge he looked as troubled as she felt and she wasted no time in rising to join him. She silently moved to stand close to him, their arms just shy of touching.
'Are you still angry with me?' she questioned, 'is that it? I don't know what else to say. I'm not going to apologise. You know I've already said all I want to on the matter'.
When he turned to protest she held up her hand to silence him and continued.
'I know you're sorry for what you said to me on the training field. I've moved on from it, I wish you would too'.
Taking her hands in his Ed turned and looked into her eyes earnestly.
'I'll never stop apologising for that. What I said was unforgivable. I was angry, caught up in the moment. I suppose I was a little je-'.
He stopped abruptly in the middle of his sentence, looking away in pain. She was confused as she observed the furrow on his brow. His thumbs gently brushed back and forth over her hands that were clasped tightly in his.
'Tumnus..' he started, then trailed off.
She stiffened, not wanting to repeat their fight. She had been furious with him when he had relieved what he had thought he seen. He had lain accusations at her feet that at the time had inflamed her temper in a way that had hardly ever happened before.
She had calmed since, but was no more indignant about the way he had seen fit to interfere with her freedom to act as she chose.
'Are you in love with him?' Edmund bit out finally shocking her so completely that her mouth fell open.
'What?' After she recovered from her surprise she looked up into his troubled face.
When he repeated his question more confidently this time everything finally made sense to her.
'This is what this is all about? You think I'm going to give up my crown and run away with Mr Tumnus'. She practically laughed at the thought.
'I didn't kiss Mr Tumnus because I am in love with him, I'm not, he's one of my oldest friends. I kissed him because it was part of the Narnian ritual to mark the end of the Beltane Rights', she explained patiently, while blushing slightly, 'The kiss seals the contract between the Narnian's and us, the Kings and Queens, that we will protect and nourish the land for the coming season'.
'I'm surprised you haven't read about the ritual!'
Edmund appeared to be struggling with something, his eyes suddenly hopeful.
'So you are not in love with him?'
'No' she urged, wishing they had had this conversation days ago. There would have been a lot less pain and upset on her part if she had realised that this was what he was most distressed over.
'I would never leave you all'.
She didn't get a chance to see the relief on his face, before he had taken her into his arms, clutching her to him. He was so much taller than her that he had stooped and buried his face into her neck, while her own was pressed against his soft blue tunic.
'I thought I'd lost you' she heard him whisper against her neck, the sensation sending a strange thrill through her.
She was about to reply when they both heard the door to the Sun Room open and Edmund flew away from her so fast that she felt dizzy.
Looking over at him quizzically, she noted his flushed face and the fact he wouldn't meet her eyes.
Her attention was stolen though when she realised that it was Peter and Susan who had strode through the door.
'Peter!' she exclaimed in delight at seeing him in one piece.
Flying across the room she laughed joyfully as he spun her in his arms, before returning her to her feet and tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.
'I'm so glad you're home safely' she gushed as she moved to allow Ed and Pete to embrace, slapping each other on the back warmly.
'So?' Edmund prompted, as he moved to stand alongside Lucy, his naturally position.
Peter's happiness at being reunited with his family wilted at Ed's words and slumping down in his favourite armchair he avoiding looking at any of his siblings as he spoke.
'I failed'.
XoX
So, things are moving along...!
Once again, thanks for reading and if you'd be so kind I'd love to know your thoughts!