A/N: This is just a sweet little oneshot that I was inspired to write after reading a story by SentimentalStar. She is a superb author and I recommend her stories to anyone who likes a bit of angst on top of their fluff. This is my first attempt at a brotherfic and my first ever Narnian fic. For a first, I thought it turned out pretty darn well. Enjoy the fruit of a sleepless night, and don't forget to tell me what you think about it!

Edmund's Older Brother

It was around midnight during an unusually cold Narnian fall, when the soft tapping of bare feet on stone disturbed the usual serene silence of Cair Paravel. The normally warm castle by the sea was not quite as warm as the young king was used to as he made his way down the twisting flight of stairs and across the large hall, only to pause at the doors to his brother's room. He pushed one side of the ornate golden doors open and peered into Peter's room, releasing a breath he did not know he had been holding, a small smile creeping onto his face.

High king Peter was curled up under what looked like at least a dozen blankets, each bringing a different vivid color to the normally somber chamber. He nudged the door closed behind him as he entered his older brother's room silently, leaning against the wall to consider his options. With the festivals and the census getting ready to begin in a few days time, Peter had little time to spare, let alone time to sleep. As High King, his older brother probably had bigger worries than a younger brother that was cold.

He weighed the outcomes for a moment before rolling his eyes and making his way over to the blanket and Peter covered bed. He climbed up onto the bed and slid in between the covers, relishing the warmth of the heaps of blankets that surrounded him as he settled in. He squirmed closer to his brother, tucking his head under Peter's outstretched arm and smiling contentedly up at the ceiling, tracing the familiar design with his eyes.

"Eddy? Edmund? Are you alright?" Edmund jumped, shifting to meet his brother's blue eyes with a sheepish smile. He couldn't help but notice that his brother's deep voice was hoarse and sleep clogged, though his tone spoke words of worry and amusement in Edmund's ears. Edmund was not surprised with his brother's tone, he hadn't clambered into his older brother's bed since his childhood fear of lightning and thunder had waned many years before.

Edmund nodded, relaxing and pulling the blankets tighter around him, letting his eyes shut slowly. "I was cold." Was the simple reply he gave his older brother, a small half smile crossing his features as he felt Peter shift to wrap an arm around him, yawning. "My fire went out." The older boy chuckled at this information and shook his head with a smile.

"Oh." Peter replied. Edmund could almost hear the wheels turning in Peter's head as his older brother thought about this turn in events. "Ed, I thought you were getting to old to climb into my bed and, Aslan forbid, snuggle!" the laughter in Peter's voice made Edmund's smile grow. "You're what, Eddy? Twenty-two? Nearly twenty-three?" The gentle teasing tone from Peter had always made Edmund feel better because if Peter could be laughing, things were going to be okay in the end.

Edmund nodded. "I'll never be too old to climb into your bed when my feet are cold, Pete." The younger king stated softly, covering a yawn. To prove his point, he pressed his still cold toes against his brother's leg, laughing softly when Peter jumped and gasped, shrinking away. Smiling blue eyes met laughing brown as Edmund nuzzled apologetically into his brother's side, wrapping his arms around the high king's waist before shutting his eyes once again.

Peter's smile grew as well and he dropped a kiss on Edmund's forehead, shifting into a slightly more comfortable sleeping position and letting his eyes drift shut as well. "Good." He murmured into his little brother's ear, "Because you'll always be my little brother and you'll always be welcome whenever those toes of yours are cold." The corners of Edmund's mouth twitched up into another small smile and he settled his head against his brother's chest, the faint beatings of Peter's heart lulling him into sleep. Moments like these with his older brother were the ones that he cherished, because after all, Peter may have been the High King of Narnia, but he would always be Peter Pevensie and he would always be Edmund's older brother first.