this is a disclaimer.

AN: book!verse post Voyage of the Dawn Treader, during the events of which Peter was being tutored for his exams by Professor Kirke, not in America with Susan and Mr and Mrs Pevensie.

light that lingers

Professor Kirke rarely got less than ten letters a week. "The great academics must stay in touch, Pevensie," he'd say cheerfully, and Peter would know that one was from Aunt Polly and the other nine were probably boring. His own mail averaged out at a letter from Susan one week, and one each from Edmund and Lucy the next. Sometimes a postcard would show up from an old schoolfriend who was currently undergoing the same torture he was, but that was seldom.

This morning, however, there was a postcard from Cambridge. Strange, he thought: Aunt Alberta disapproved of postcards, and Edmund and Lucy always had more to say - mostly about Eustace - than would fit on one. He put the Professor's letters down on top of a stack of books on the kitchen table and flipped it over, curious.

The Professor put his knife and fork down gently a few moments later and said, "Peter, you've gone quite pale."

He'd stopped calling Peter by his first name when he'd first arrived here for tutoring, plainly thinking him too old for it.

Peter looked up. "It's," he said, and had to stop and clear his throat. "It's from Eustace."

"Your odious cousin?"

"Yes, sir."

"Is something wrong?" rather sharply. Has something happened to Edmund and Lucy, he meant.

"Oh, no," said Peter, and found himself smiling broadly. "No, sir. Quite the opposite." He glanced down at the postcard again, and read, "To the H.K., love from all at home, but especially Caspian and Reep. And it's signed Scrubb."

There was a pause. "Ah," said the Professor gently. "I see. Well, Highness - I think that calls for a drink."

They toasted each other with their teacups solemnly.