My King // Peter Pevensie

THIRTEEN

The river shore was quickly covered in white and gray metal as the Telmaranians gave up their weapons and armor to us. I couldn't believe it was over. I was relieved of course, but we had lost maybe over half of our troops. Whatever the number, their lives were to be honored by our victory.

As I finished helping the wounded gather themselves, I looked over to see Peter and the others. He caught my eyes and I ran towards him. He beamed at me as he lifted me up in a warm embrace. We both laughed, soaking in the feeling of victory. I closed my eyes and leaned into him, simply relieved that he had made it out alive. We held each other until Edmund's voice interrupted.

"Peter." he nodded to the other side of the river. I followed his gaze to Aslan, who was clearly awaiting our arrival. We all five looked at each other, then began to cross the river.

Once we had made it to the other side, the hem of my dress was soaked. But I didn't notice much. My thoughts were preparing me for meeting the great Aslan. I had heard the stories from the Professor, but they did not live up to Him in person.

Instinctively, the five of us bowed before Him. I kneeled, my head low, my swords lying flat on the ground and held loosely in my hands.

"Rise, Kings and Queens of Narnia." Aslan's deep voice spoke clearly. I saw Edmuns, Susan, and Peter stand in the corner of my eye, but I and my brother remained humbled, kneeling before Aslan. "All of you..." he said. I thought about obeying, but I was not a queen. I was not even a princess any longer.

"I do not think I am ready." Caspian said.

"It is for that very reason, I know you are." At Aslan's sure words, my brother rose as well.

"Camila, daughter of Eve..." I practically shuddered at my name. "Why do you hesitate?"

"I am not queen, my Lord." I said, eyes down to the ground.

"You are mistaken, my dear. You shall rule alongside your brother, just as Queen Susan and Lucy did."

Just barely convinced, I slowly rose up alongside my brother and Peter. Just after, I heard a chorus of bagpipes approach from behind us. I turned to see a line of mice, holding a stretcher with Reepicheep. They passed us, then ended their chorus, setting their leader down on the ground. I could see that he was still breathing, but barely. Lucy ran up to him, kneeling and dropping a single drop into Reepicheep's mouth.

The mouse gasped. "Oh..." he turned to Lucy. "Thank you, your majesty."he stumbled up with the help of his fellow soldiers. Then he saw Aslan. "Oh! Hail, Aslan! It is a great honor to be in..." a clumsy stumble forward cut him off and I could clearly see that his tail was missing. "I'm completely out of countenance. I must crave your indulgence for appearing in this unseemly fashion." he looked up to Lucy again. "Uh... perhaps a drop more?"

She looked at him sadly. "I don't think it does that."

"You can have a go."

Aslan chuckled a bit. "It becomes you well, small one."

"All the same, great king. I regret that I must withdraw, for a tail is the honor and glory of a mouse." he held up his sword to Aslan.

"Perhaps you think too much of your honor, friend."

"Well, It's not just the honor." he became a bit flustered. "It's also great for balance. And climbing. And grabbing things."

The rest of the mice drew their swords. "May it please your high majesty," one said. "We will not bear the shame of wearing an honor denied to our chief."They all held up their blades, and put them to their own tails.

Aslan chuckled again. "Not for the sake of your dignity, but for the love of your people."

I smiled as a new tail grew out of Reepicheep's nub. He exclaimed happily and turned to his people. "Look! Thank you! Thank you, my Liege! I will treasure it always! From this day forward, it will serve as a great reminder of my huge humility."The five of us smiled wide to each other at his promise.

Another warm chuckle came from Aslan. "Now, where is this dear little friend you've told me so much about?"all of us glanced over at Trumpkin who was watching the Telmaranians. He turned to see us, then he saw Aslan. He slowly walked over and kneeled before him. Aslan suddenly roared greatly, scaring Trumpkin half to death. Peter looked at me with a smile and I smiled back.

"Do you see him now?" Lucy laughed. Trumpkin said nothing, but gave Aslan a shy smile. 

I turned to Peter. The smile on his face was brighter than I had ever seen on his face before. Now that I thought about it, I don't think I had even seen him truly smile much at all. He caught my eye and his smile softened. Not in a disappointed way or in a sad way, but more like he was taking in what he saw. That made me blush a bit.

He walked over to me and I briefly saw the rest of the group eye each other then leave. It was just us two now.

"Camila, I want to talk to you."

"Do you mean about..." I paused. "The kiss?"

He smiled shyly, looking at his boots. "Yeah, um. Listen, I realized I never really talked to you about it and I'm not sure if you wanted something like that or you felt the same way or–"

Before he could continue rambling, I reached up to him and kissed him. I could tell he was taken aback at first, but he quickly relaxed, holding me with one arm around my waist. My fingers gently ran through his golden hair as our lips intertwined. I didn't want to hear his apology or his doubts. I wanted him to know that I wanted him just as much as he wanted me. Both our eyes closed, we could just hold each other, not worrying about the world around us. Not about the others that were probably laughing at us right now. Not the great Aslan that had to watch. In that moment, the world around ceased to exist and our intentions were clear.

We unlocked lips, still holding our faces close. I could feel Peter smile against my lips and we both laughed. He now held my waist with both of his arms and he lifted me off the ground, twirling me in the air. We laughed and I wrapped my arms around his neck.

The world was perfect. No more Miraz. No more Telmarines. No more war. No more loss. It was just us.