Prince Caspian - Missing Scene from Movie
By Allyson
(A/N – I don't own Narnia – it all belongs to C. S. Lewis. I just borrowed for a random thought.)
The ice cracked, shattered and splintered around Peter, showering him with stinging ice chips. As the vision of the White Witch crumbled before his eyes, the cotton wool clogging his thoughts cleared and the horrible realization of what he had been about to do nauseated him. Standing in front of him, sword still raised and surrounded by a lingering ice mist, Edmund stared back at Peter with blazing dark eyes.
"I know," responded Edmund, bitterly. "You had it sorted."
Still in a numb shock, Peter watched as his younger brother stormed away. He was about to call out to him when he found Susan standing behind him. She glared at both Peter and Caspian in disappointment before turning on her heel and following after Edmund.
Turning back to stare at the picture of Aslan on the wall, Peter couldn't understand his actions. Why had he let himself be drawn to the White Witch like that? Had it been the same for Edmund when he first met her? The look of hurt betrayal in Edmund's eyes after saving Peter burned into Peter's subconscious and made him feel awful.
"I'm such an idiot," Peter muttered angrily to himself.
Ignoring the looks sent to him by Caspian and Lucy, Peter rushed out of the How in pursuit of his other sister and brother.
They hadn't gotten very far. In a deserted corridor, Susan had finally managed to catch up with Edmund's longer strides.
"Edmund!" she called out, grasping his arm to stop his pace.
"Leave me alone," growled Edmund, trying to pull out of her grip without turning to face her. "I'm fine."
"No, you're not," protested Susan. "I'm not stupid; I know when you're upset. Please, Ed, just . . . talk to me."
At first it looked like her brother was going to ignore her and try and storm off again, when suddenly his shoulders slumped in defeat.
"Why'd he almost do that, Su?" murmured Edmund, distraught. "After the hell I went through with . . . Her!" He shook his head to dispel the onslaught of nightmares trying to force themselves back into his memory. "I know it's selfish, but I don't think I could've managed being Her prisoner again."
Susan moved her arm so that she could wrap it around his shoulder in comfort. "I don't think I could bear it either," she confided to him. "And neither could Lucy or Peter."
Edmund turned a sad stare onto his sister which made her heart contract with grief.
"I don't know about Peter," confessed Edmund, though the words came out haltingly as if he had to force the thought out loud. "I saw his eyes before I broke that magic spell and it was as if all his hope had been lost. It was as if he wanted Her to seduce him into freeing Her." He shifted uncomfortably and agitatedly tapped his sword against the ground. "Su, when did Peter start putting his pride before Narnia?"
Susan frowned in contemplation at Edmund's question and found she didn't know the answer.
"I don't know," she replied with a sigh. "We've all been in a sort of limbo since leaving Narnia last year that I'm not sure Peter now knows how to act."
"He doesn't like Caspian," commented Edmund.
Susan's expression involuntarily twitched and Edmund smirked. "But you do."
Susan's eyes narrowed at her younger brother. "Shut up, Edmund," she warned, thumping a fist against his shoulder.
"Ow," hissed Edmund, wincing, and rubbing the soft spot she'd hit.
"What's the matter? I didn't hit you that hard."
"Nothing," Edmund tried to wave off. "I must've bruised it when I fell down that roof while we were attacking Miraz's castle."
"What?" exclaimed Susan, in surprise. She grabbed the collar of Edmund's shirt and yanked it back to reveal his shoulder, almost choking Edmund in the process. "Stop fidgeting. Oh, that looks nasty. It's defiantly badly bruised. There's even a faint pattern of your chain mail imprinted on it."
"Really?" Edmund tried to crane his head around, interest piqued.
Susan's frown deepened in concern. "You've got older bruises further down your back. Where did they come from?"
Irritated, the younger boy managed to squirm out of her grasp. "Those prats on the train station," he muttered, reluctantly.
Susan sighed in frustration. "Peter, again," she muttered to herself.
Both siblings glared at one another before Edmund dropped his gaze to the ground.
"It's not his fault," he whispered.
"Not his -?" Susan repeated, looking at her brother in shock. "Of course it is! He started that ridiculous fight. He's acting more and more like -"
She had to stop with anger as she couldn't decide what Peter was acting like anymore. Certainly not his age, but that was a thorny issue with the eldest Pevensie as well.
"Me?" supplied Edmund, with a sad twist of a smile. "A year ago?"
Susan stared at Edmund in surprise, hating how everything seemed to click into place at last. She didn't want to admit to Edmund how right his words were."
"I know," reassured Edmund. "It scares me too."
"I'm sorry," a quiet voice startled them, causing both of them to go for their weapons.
When they saw Peter emerge from the back of a shadowed column they both relaxed their stances.
Peter had heard the majority of their conversation and was struggling to keep the conflicting chaos of emotions from showing on his expression. However it wasn't fooling his perceptive siblings.
"I'm sorry for how I've been treating both of you recently," apologized Peter. "But it's hard, you know? Narnia's changed, we've all changed, and it's all different."
You can't cling to the past, Peter," Susan told him, not unkindly. "You're going to have to accept that it's Prince Caspian's turn to look after Narnia."
Peter frowned at the other boy's name unhappily. Edmund tried not to smile knowingly at the look of jealousy that Peter struggled to hide.
Stepping closer to Peter, Edmund squeezed his shoulder reassuringly.
"You're such a bloody idiot, Peter," he told him, with only a hint of remonstration. "It doesn't matter if the High King isn't needed just this once, you'll still be magnificent to us. No matter how stupid you are."
Susan grinned in agreement, taking hold of Peter's hand. "Stop trying to prove that you're still needed. We know you are. Just be Peter, that's all we want."
Peter smiled at both Susan and Edmund gratefully. His shoulders didn't feel quite so heavy now. He chuckled, sadly, "Now I really feel like an idiot."
Edmund smirked but refrained from commenting.
"Peter, promise me you'll try to be civil to Caspian?" asked Susan.
Unwilling to upset his sister, Peter reluctantly promised, "I'll try."
Susan smiled in relief before turning a concerned eye back on Edmund.
"I'm going to find someone who will know how to treat those bruises," she informed him. "Don't move from here, I'll be back soon."
Before Edmund could protest, Susan had left, leaving the two brothers alone in an awkquard silence. Edmund found himself under the concerned gaze of his eldest sibling.
"How badly did you hurt yourself during the raid?" Peter asked him.
Edmund hated the guilty tone lacing Peter's question. "I'm fine," he dismissed. "Susan's just being a worry wart."
Peter didn't look convinced but to Edmund's relief he dropped the issue.
"I should go and help plan the next move with Caspian," Peter announced, though he seemed reluctant at the prospect.
Edmund nodded and couldn't resist remarking, "I'm sure you'll have it all sorted out by the time Su and I join you."
Peter frowned at him, frustration darkening his eyes. "I know you're not happy with me, Ed, but you don't understand –"
"Then tell me, Peter!" exclaimed Edmund, exasperated. "What could possibly be so bad that you were willing to risk everything to free Her!"
Peter flinched at the reminder of the White Witch. How could he answer his brother if he couldn't understand his own actions either.
"I didn't intend to do anything except stop Caspian from making an awful mistake," responded Peter, defensively. His hands clenched as he controlled his temper before he threw his hands up in exasperation. "I don't even remember why I listened to Her. I knew not to but I couldn't help it."
"Horrible feeling, isn't it?" remarked Edmund in understanding.
"Is that how you felt when you . . ." Peter's sentence trailed off with hesitant curiosity.
A dark shutter seemed to slam down over Edmund's expression and he looked away from Peter's intense gaze.
"I don't want to talk about it," he replied, flatly.
Peter eyed his brother for a moment. He opened his mouth to say something when he was interrupted by the arrival of a talking squirrel who looked at Peter in awe but kept Edmund at a wary distance. Obviously fairy tales of the Magnificent High King were a favourite for Narnian's growing up. Edmund had learned to live with such reactions in his previous life in Narnia but now it irked him. He had done nothing wrong this time. Peter obviously noticed the moment and guilt once again shone in his eyes.
"Sire," the squirrel announced. "Your presence is required."
Peter nodded in thanks and the squirrel left at a run.
In the silence that once again descended on them, Peter said, quietly, "Ed, you have every right to hate me and I probably deserve it all." Edmund snapped his head up but Peter wouldn't let him interrupt, "But I need you to be on my side during this. Without Aslan, I don't know what I'm doing."
"I don't hate you, Peter," Edmund replied, with a serious expression. "I you opened your eyes once and a while, you'll see I have been on your side. And always will be to keep you out of trouble."
With one last meaningful look, Edmund turned and left the corridor in the same direction Susan took.
Peter stood alone in the flickering torchlight, trying to process Edmund's words in his already tumultuous mind.
"Thank you, Ed," he murmured to where his brother's shadow flickered away, before straightening his shoulders with resolve and returning back to the Stone Table.
The End.