Beyond The Lamppost

For Narnia and For Aslan

Prompt for March: War
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Peter had read about wars before, he learned about them at school. After all, his own country was in the middle of a war. A war that his father was fighting in at right now. But none of that, had prepared him, for this moment.

Not only was he fighting in his first ever battle, but he was leading his first battle. At a mere 17 years old.  And the Narnians...were losing.

Peter never even wanted to lead a battle in the first place, he just wasn't ready. After all, he knew nothing about battles. He was sent away from home so he wouldn't get caught up in a war. And now, here he was, starting a brand new one.

He'd wanted to turn back, all those days ago. He wanted to get his family back to the professor's house, where they would be safe. But, he'd lost his brother. And he wasn't about to leave Narnia without Edmund.

So, Peter stayed. And he found Aslan, who brought his brother back to him. And he brought him back alive, much to Peter's relief. That's when he wanted to leave. He had Edmund back, it was time to go home.

Peter's first instinct was to get his family and go home immediately. But, then he remembered the people he'd met since he'd arrived. The Narnians. They were kind, and faithful people. They needed help, the Pevensies help.

It was so dangerous though. Peter had already lost his brother, and very nearly to death. Lucy had almost drowned. Both his sisters had nearly been killed by wolves. He couldn't leave these people high and dry, not after everything they'd done for him and his family. So, Peter decided to send his siblings home, and he would stay and help.

"But they need us...all four of us."

Lucy was right, they needed the four of them. But Peter couldn't lose any of his siblings. He'd promised his mum he would keep them safe. And he'd nearly lost them already, he wouldn't let that happen again.

Edmund wanted to stay. Peter didn't expect that. His brother had made mistakes, but he wanted to stay, so he could fix them. He couldn't abandon these people after what he'd done. And Peter couldn't make him. His brother had truly changed for the better, and Peter was so proud of him.

So, they stayed. Peter would be leading an army to battle, but he would have Aslan, which made him feel better. Edmund would be there too. Maybe he could actually do this?

Peter's heart sank to the floor when he saw Aalan's empty tent. He was gone. But there was still a battle to fight. Without Aslan, Peter would be the leader, and that made him feel sick.

How was he supposed to lead a battle? He knew nothing about battles, or fighting, or leading an army. He couldn't do this, he just couldn't. He felt more like throwing up than leading an army to battle right now.

But, Edmund believed he could. He believed that Peter could do this. And somehow, that was enough.

It didn't get rid of the sick feeling in his stomach, or his nerves about leading an entire army into battle at the age of 17. But, it gave him the encouragement he needed. His brother had faith in him, and he couldn't let him down. Or Aslan.

So, he would fight. He would fight for Edmund. He would fight for Susan, and he would fight for Lucy. He would fight for Narnia, and he would fight for Aslan.

And that's exactly what he did. He lead the army into battle. And he fought. He fought with every ounce of strength he had. He would fight to his death if he needed to.

Amidst the fighting, Peter took a moment to look around. With a sinking heart, he realized they were losing. The Narnians were incredibly outnumbered, and didn't stand a chance at this point. But he wouldn't abandon them. He would fight until his last breath for these people, even if he lost his life while doing it.