Flatline ⤞ Peter Pevensie [2]

iii

"You last saw Caspian at the Shuddering Woods, and the quickest way there is to cross at the river Rush."

"But unless I'm mistaken, there's no crossing in these parts."

"That explains it then. You're mistaken."

Edmund shook his head, trying to block out his brother's voice along with the dwarf's.

They had been walking for hours now, Peter constantly telling them which turn to take, which path to follow, yet all they ever reached was a dead end of some sort. The raven boy wanted to speak up, to tell his brother that following the dwarf might have been a better plan considering the fact he and his siblings hadn't been in Narnia for three hundred years, but he knew better. He knew it wasn't just Caspian Peter was looking for.

The blond had been obviously biting his tongue, holding back from asking any questions about her for no other reason than he was afraid of the answer he would receive. He needed to see her himself, talk to her. Did she ever think about him? Did she loath him for leaving? Aslan knew he hadn't had a choice, but how could she know that?
The boy was so filled with thoughts and frustrations, he took it upon himself to lead the others to Caspian, to find a way to help the Narnians. And, in the process, get to her.

The group kept walking, Edmund at the back of the group while Lucy, Susan, and Trumpkin all following a very stressed Peter until they reached a stopping point once again. They all looked down, taking in the river that rushed at the bottom of the cliff, roaring as it sped down its path.

"Is there a way down?" Edmund asked the dwarf, interrupting an argument about to start between Susan and Peter as the girl started explaining erosion to their brother.

"Yeah," Trumpkin replied, looking at him. "Falling."

"Well, we weren't lost," Peter said, disappointed yet slightly relieved that he'd been right all along.

"There's a ford near Beruna," Trumpkin said after a second. "How do you feel about swimming?"

"I'd rather that than walking," Susan said, speaking up for the first time in a while.

The group soon followed, but their steps ceased when Lucy started calling out to Aslan.

"Do you see him now?" Trumpkin asked, knowing well the little girl had simply imagined the lion. No matter what he heard or what stories Fallon would tell him, he hardly believed in the existence of the king. His heart squeezed a little, though, when he thought of the girl, and prayed she was all right.

"I'm sure there are any number of lions in this wood," Peter said softly, "just like that bear."

"I think I know Aslan when I see him," Lucy snapped back. She didn't think before speaking her next words. "Fallon would believe me."

All heads snapped to Lucy –since they'd all been looking at the ground– the second the sentence left her lips.

Before anything could happen, though, Trumpkin said in a low, soft voice, "Look, I'm not about to jump off a cliff after someone who doesn't exist."

Edmund spoke next. "The last time I didn't believe Lucy, I ended up looking pretty stupid."

The little girl gave a small, tight smile at this, knowing her brother was simply trying to make her feel better.

A few words passed between the siblings again before they turned away from the cliff, walking back towards the forest in silence.

Edmund sent Lucy a sad look, but the girl simply ignored it and walked along with her family and the dwarf, a veil of tension falling upon them.