#cairspian 001.

[petervel]

he  shouldn’t  be  here .     the thought plays repeatedly in peter’s mind in a manner that is more  warning  than benevolent litany as he breaches the surface of the sea with a  lung - swelling  gasp ,     the clear blue sky greeting its king of old from above like a familiar ,     beloved  friend .     land ,     mercifully ,     is within reach ,     and peter makes his way to shore ;     sheds his heavy blazer as though in preparation to take on a new ,     second skin ;     rolls up his sleeves with a resigned sigh .     are the others here ,     he wonders :     lucy ,     edmund ,     susan ?     why  is  he  here ?    

even after the slow ,     terrible passing of a year ,     peter remembers what he had thought were his final days in narnia     —     until around five minutes ago ,     at least     —     with astonishing clarity ;     is still painfully intimate with the unadulterated grief that had sprouted in his chest like the viral  side - effects  of a poison when the great lion had bared his teeth to tear apart his heart .     you  will  not  be  returning  to  narnia .     was this a mistake ,     then ?     

if nothing else ,     peter pevensie is realising that he’s growing awfully tired of saying his last goodbyes over   &   over again .     

he cannot bear to spare a thought for the fate of the king whom he had once loved ;     but peter’s heart betrays him when his mind’s eye flashes with moving pictures of gentle ,     brown eyes and the swooping curve of his lips when graced with the  affections  of  a  smile .     how many years has it been ?     will peter be seeing caspian ,     or laying  forget - me - nots  upon his majesty’s dusty ,     hallowed tomb ?

he isn’t terribly surprised by his distinct inability to recognise the island for what he had once known it to be     —     but what  does  render peter into a stunned silence is the appearance of an old ally at his feet ,     who seizes the leg of his trousers and pulls him into the shadows as he babbles about an abduction     ( he does not let himself think about what reepicheep’s presence  really  means )  .     

their plan is one of rescue :     lucy     —     and  eustace ,     oddly enough     —     are to be sold into slavery if left to their fate ,     and not ten minutes pass by the time peter is lowering a hood from his head in the main square ,     meeting lucy’s  star - beam  smile with an affectionate quirk of his lips before going  right  for the ringleader with a silver sword from drinian’s collection .     he’s a little rusty ,     but this has never given the high king cause to falter .

❛ never again will you sell another  living  being  in these lands , ❜     commands the former emperor of the lone islands as he brings the slaver to his knees and presses the tip of his sword to their throat ,     but peter falters when a flash of movement across the square ensnares his attention .     

          ❛ caspian . ❜     

it isn’t a word ;     it’s a prayer ,     a song peter knows by heart and carries with him always ,     an ancient call that echoes from ear to ear in the darkest moments of the  wicked  night before it lays down its arms and surrenders to the dawn .     peter lets his sword fall to the ground with a dull clatter ,     leaving the slaver to face a minotaur that approaches in his stead ,     and already ,     he  knows  a  dreadful  truth .     if he isn’t careful ,     he will never again have the strength to say goodbye .

                                  plotted  starter  for  @cairspian​ !