Title: Where Hope Resides (In The Measure of Sleeping Kings)

Author: PhirePhox666

Fandom: The Chronicles of Narnia

Pairing/Characters: No pairings. Pevensie Siblings. A few OCs.

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: Angst on the part of Edmund. Fluff. Edmund getting beat up a bit.

Summary: Edmund is captured on his way home from Telmar by a greedy lord who plans on ransoming him so that he, the lord, can live a life of luxury. Three-shot

Disclaimer: Alas, in the time it has taken me to post this chapter, I have not gained the rights to the wonderful world of Narnia. To own Narnia I rather think I'd have to have visited Narnia. I haven't as I have not found the wardrobe. In fact I've never even found a wardrobe so maybe that's my problem. Eh.

Word Count:

Dedication: For Aslan.

Prompt: Still none. Amazing.

Excerpt: "When it was most horrible, I would ask Aslan to send you to me, and also that he would keep you far away, where it was safe. He must have been dreadfully confused."

A/N: Mwahahahahah! Part three! My favorite line in the whole fic is in this chapter. See if you can guess what it is. *Hint Hint- I put it as the excerpt* Anywhos, hope you've enjoyed the adventure. This is the last chapter. It's been great. Review if you wish. Flame if you wish. Still never been flamed. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter Three: Home

When they both had calmed down, Edmund drew back from his brother to introduce Caspa to Peter. Caspa greeted him well, far better than he might have, considering Peter had been ready, and willing, to kill him. Edmund privately thought the young soldier was a little bit in awe of the fact that Peter was High King, despite the fact Peter nearly killed him. Peter seemed wary of Caspa but altogether it went well enough.

Peter then led them up to the main part of the manor where the rest of the Narnians awaited. Neither brother strayed far from the other, too afraid of being separated again, even for a short amount of time. Two thirds of those Peter had brought with him moved to greet Edmund as soon as they spotted him. Lucy was among them.

"Edmund!" She cried out, relief evident in her voice. She was over quick as a flash and he soon found himself with an armful of the youngest of the monarchs. "Are you alright?" She asked him while seemingly trying to burrow her way into his side.

"I'm fine, Lucy. Nothing a good night's rest can't cure." She looked over him critically eyeing the many bruise, scrapes and cuts he had. She drew back and fumbled at her belt for the cordial she carried.

"Drink." She told him firmly holding the precious cordial up to him.

"Now, really, Lu-"

"Drink." He looked about to protest again when Peter's arm snaked around his waist and drew him against Peter's side.

"Drink, please, Eddie. I don't want you injured anymore."

Edmund, who could not deny his brother at the best of times let alone after a long absence from his presence, promptly gave in. Albeit with no grace. "Fine." He took the cordial drinking one drop of the healing nectar. Immediately the many wounds that had been inflicted began to heal.

Lucy finally backed off a little and Oreius, seeing the moment between his monarchs was over, stepped up. "If I may," He began, "We have few prisoners. The lord of the manor has locked himself in the tallest tower."

Peter's arm tightened around Edmund's waist. "Let the prisoners go. They may flee to wherever they wish. We will deal with this Lord ourselves."

The anger in Peter's tone was unmistakable but Edmund didn't bother to reprimand his brother for it. Edmund felt it was dully justified.

At the top of the tallest tower of Estanel (and really did they have to make that tower so bloody tall?) awaited Lord Behn. Being, at heart, a coward Lord Behn did not await well. He in fact was half mad with anger and began yelling the moment the two monarchs passed through the tower door. Peter let go of Edmund to push him so Peter could stand in front, clearly protecting him.

Lord Behn looked practically livid. He was a rather unhealthy looking shad of purple, and rapidly turning red. The yelling was practically gibberish and nearly deafening. Edmund almost felt concerned the man was going to give himself a heart attack. Lord Behn was yelling nonsensical words and pacing and waving his sword madly when it happened. Pure bad luck, wrapped up in a lifetime of selfish deeds and unkind words combined and Lord Behn tripped (or maybe slipped, no one is quite sure) and promptly tumbled backward out of a window.

The entire startling experience took less than ten seconds. Then Lord Behn was dead. Peter and Edmund went to look out the window. Edmund leaned against Peter gazing down at the gruesome sight. Peter slipped his arm back around Edmund's waist.

"I'd feel sorry for him, going the way he did, if it wasn't for the fact he held me hostage and was all around an evil individual." Edmund told his brother. The High King just 'hmmed' in agreement.

"Let's go home, Eddie." Edmund agreed that that was exactly what they should do.

There was a quick goodbye and thank-you to Caspa before they left (in which Edmund administered a King's Blessing in the form of a light kiss on Caspa's forehead which had the young soldier blushing madly), but soon they were on the way home. Edmund joyfully reunited with Phillip who finally was able to speak again. Edmund was incredibly, almost unbelievably grateful to be back with Narnians. It was two days, two long days, before they reached Cair Paravel. Two days in which Edmund refused to talk about any of it but never strayed more than five feet from Peter's side, even when they both were on horseback (or in Peter's case, Unicorn-back.)

Susan met them at Cair's gates nearly dragging Edmund off of Phillip so as to make sure he was well. Edmund submitted to her mothering with good grace. In truth he had missed it. He didn't even mind when she sat watching him like a hawk insisting that he eat more, or when she bundled him off to bed at an obscenely early time. He just smiled and indulged her understanding that this was her way of reassuring herself that he had come back unharmed. He was just glad that he had been healed before he came home. He could just imagine how bad the mothering would have been then.

When she finally left his and Peter's shared room Edmund smiled fondly after her. He turned to find Peter staring at him looking slightly worried.

"What is wrong?" He asks quickly crossing to his dressers and finding his night clothes. He can't help taking a moment to relish in his own clean clothes. He had been wearing Peter's since no one had remembered to pack new ones for him, and before that he'd been wearing the same ones for a week. He turns to Peter, watching his brother.

Peter, who's sitting on one of the beds (and sometimes Edmund wonders why they have two since they so often end up sleeping in the same one anyway), is picking at a loose thread on the bedspread, a clear sign that he was worrying about something he thinks is extremely important.

"It's just, you've been so quiet...and you won't tell me what happened in that dreadful place. I was so worried." Edmund, who has changed clothes quickly goes to his brother, offering comfort in the way he hopes will convey the most. He hugs Peter. Peter returns the action with much enthusiasm.

Peter draws Edmund into his lap, holding the younger boy, weeping lightly into his shoulder, whilst Edmund murmurs comforting nonsense into his older brother's ear. When Edmund yawns, still exhausted from his stay at Estanel, Peter draws back and bundles Edmund to bed. Once he is nicely tucked in (something that has Edmund rolling his eyes at Peter) Edmund scoots to the side and points to the empty space beside him. Peter, who clearly wanted such but was afraid to ask for it, hurries to change into his own nightclothes and oblige his younger brother.

Once Peter is settled beside him Edmund tells him, finally, of all that has happened in the time they had been separated. From the time he and Phillip left to the time of the rescue. At the end of his tale Peter has nearly wrapped himself around Edmund in an effort to get as close to the younger king as possible.

"Oh, Eddie. I was so scared that you were not coming back. I missed you horribly and it was awful trying to sleep without you."

Edmund's response is sleepy as he is half exhausted and now perfectly content in the arms of his brother. "I missed you. I thought of you. Whenever I got scared. I wanted you with me, but also didn't because of where I was. When it was most horrible, I would ask Aslan to send you to me, and also that he would keep you far away, where it was safe. He must have been dreadfully confused."

Peter chuckled lightly. "I'm sure he understood, Eddie."

Edmund made a soft noise of agreement before humming in contentment.

Peter smiled, kissing Edmund's forehead gently as the younger of the two floated off into dream land.

Peter was so glad that Edmund was safe. Not knowing had drained him. The runner from Lord Behn had infuriated him beyond belief. The fact that someone had dared take Edmund, had dared to try to ransom his brother had made his blood boil. Words could not describe how angry he had been. Where Edmund had an icy temper Peter had a hot one. One that raged furious and loud, where explosions were common. It was only Edmund who could calm him fully, as he'd done in the dungeons of Estanel, although Lucy could cool him off enough to function properly. It was, in fact, Lucy who'd kept him calm enough to lead the rescue party.

Only Edmund's safety could cause him to go into such a rage and only Edmund could bring him out of it again. It had been purely Edmund who had kept him from killing the young Telmarine who had been in there with him.

Now, though, with Edmund safely tucked in his arms, Peter was once again calm. Not completely, he would stick to Edmund like glue for a long while, but Edmund seemed to need that almost as much as Peter himself needed it, so maybe it was okay.

Peter smiled at the slender bundle in his arms and pulled his brother closer dropping another kiss on his head.

"I love you, Eddie." He told the sleeping king.

Just before he too slipped into dreams a sleepy, "I love you, too, Pete," came from Edmund.

Peter fell asleep with a smile on his lips.

Finis.