my king (peter pevensie)

t w o

The day has arrived. The Pevensie children are coming today. I do have a little excitement, but mostly it's dread. For 17 years it's just been me, the Professor, and Mrs. Macready. But that all changes today.

I had only poked at my cereal this morning, too nervous to eat. I didn't have any more success with my lunch, and now it was almost dinner time. The Professor had sent Mrs. Macready to get the children a few hours ago, which means they should be getting here any moment.

As if on cue, the sound of a whip and wheels approached the house. I quickly jumped off my bench, and opened my window. There it was. The carriage had pulled to the front door, and come to a stop. One of the doors flung open, and four children began to climb out. First, was a small girl with short brown hair who I assumed was Lucy. Next was a slightly taller girl with dark brown hair that had to be Susan. Third was a boy with pale skin and hair about the color of Susan's. I sure hope that's Edmund. I thought to myself. Finally, a much taller boy with sandy blonde hair climbed out. His shook his hair out of his face, and my heart skipped a beat. That has to be Peter.

Before I could swoon too hard, Peter looked up, and made eye contact with me. My cheeks flushed red, and I quickly ducked inside. The last thing I needed was for him to see me staring at him.

I soon heard them open the door and make their way inside. They dragged their luggage up the stairs, and I could hear Mrs. Macready complaining about scratches on the floor. Doors opened below me, as each of the children claimed a room. While the last thing I wanted to do was go down there and meet them, my stomach betrayed me by growling loudly. Not eating all day had caught up to me.

I sighed, trying to gather some courage. "Here goes nothing." I whispered, pulling open the door, and running face first into someone.

"Oh!" I exclaimed, bouncing back. "Wha-" But my words died in my mouth as I was met with a pair of beautiful blue eyes. My heart leaped into my throat as I recognized the same shaggy hair from earlier.

"Who are you?" Peter asked accusatively. "Were you the one looking at us earlier?"

"Uh- yeah." I mumbled. "I'm Reya."

"Watch out next time." Peter glared at me before sauntering back downstairs.

Well that was a great first impression. I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the embarrassment. He certainly wasn't the nicest fellow. If he's going to be like that the whole time he's here, it's going to be a long few months. I sighed, and headed down the stairs towards the dining room.

*****

THE NEXT DAY
Dinner passed without any more embarrassing encounters. Lucy was a bubbly young girl who had much to say; talking to anyone who would listen. Susan was quite intelligent, and seemed to be always thinking about something. Edmund didn't say much besides a few snide comments. He seemed to have a real disliking for Peter. Speaking of Peter, he was quite rude; sending many glares my way during the meal.

The children had already received another scolding from Mrs. Macready about running in the house, and I'm sure many more were to come. It had been easy for me to avoid most of Mrs. Macready's wrath because I had been alone. But four rambunctious children were the perfect storm for angering the old woman. She seemed even less pleased with them than she was with me.

So the Pevensies had made their way outside, trying to get as far away from Mrs. Macready as they could. Lucy had invited me to come out with them, but a glare from Peter hinted that it was not an invitation sent by all. So I instead traveled the lands of Middle Earth with Bilbo. Even during some of the darkest nights, reading had been my escape. No matter how awful my day was, I could ride on the backs of dragons or swim through the seas with mermaids. The hundreds of books that the Professor let me borrow were my freedom from reality. They were the place I felt most at home.

However, I was broken from my visions of dwarves and goblins when I heard a soft knock on my door. "Come in." I called.

The door opened, and Susan walked in to my bedroom. "Woah. This is so cool." The girl exclaimed.

"Thanks." I said shyly, blushing. "It's pretty far up here but it's definitely my favorite room in the house."

"I see why." She said, mesmerizingly tracing her fingers along my rows of books. "Have you read all of these?"

"Most of them. I don't have much else to do around here."

"I love reading, but I could never imagine reading this many." I hopped up, walking over to her.

"It's nice to get away from reality sometimes. Away from the dreary English countryside."

"I think it's lovely here." Susan said, facing me. "The quiet is so nice compared to the bustle of the city." She looked longingly out the window, and I could tell the countryside had a special place in her heart. While there was no denying the rolling hills were pretty, I wanted nothing more than to live in a big city like London.

"I guess it depends on what you're used to."

"Guess so."

"Girls! Lunch!" Mrs. Macready called rather angrily from downstairs.

"Is she always so angry?" Susan asked me.

"Afraid so." I chuckled. "But it's nice to have others to share the torture." Susan smiled at me.

"I'm glad to have a friend that's not my sibling." My heart leaped at the word friend. I had never had a friend. I had never even talked to anyone beside the Professor or Mrs. Macready. I had never been to school, as the Professor taught me everything I knew, and the only visitors that had ever come by were old colleges of Professor Kirke. Had I really just made my first friend?

"It is really nice to have a friend." I smiled at the girl, and we made our way downstairs to the others.