Roses | Peter Pevensie

Chapter Sixteen

♕

Rosemary watched the four Pevensie children from afar, smiling at their happiness. For the first time since Rosemary first saw them, they looked genuinely and completely happy. There was no weight on their shoulders. No line between their brows.

"Well done today, Rosemary," Aslan praised, coming up to stand beside her. She was standing a few feet from the Witch's body. She had to see for herself that the Witch was well and truly dead. And now she couldn't stop staring at the long sticking out of her pale throat.

"I just did what you asked."

"You did more than keep my secret. You saved countless lives today."

Rosemary looked at Aslan but it was like looking through water. Her eyes were glassy, tears ready to spill onto her cheeks. "Not without taking some myself."

"That is the nature of war. Kill or be killed."

"It doesn't matter!" Rosemary fisted her hands and began to shake. "Even though I won't be losing any sleep over the death of the White Witch and her henchmen, a life is a life and that is what will make me lose sleep. I killed people, Aslan. The only person I ever wanted to kill was myself."

"You said 'wanted'. Does that mean you no longer have the same plan you once did?"

Rosemary stood silently for a moment, looking at the Witch's body. The blood on her face and neck was starting to get sticky. "Before you arrived, I got distracted for a moment and one of the Witch's supporters attacked me. We fought and all I could think was, 'I don't want to die'. And it wasn't because I had to protect Peter or because I had a job to do. I didn't want to die because I didn't want to die. I don't want to die, Aslan."

Aslan hummed. "I'm glad to hear that, Rosemary. You make excellent company."

Rosemary chuckled and bent over to hug the Lion. "Thank you, Aslan. For everything."

"You're welcome, my dear." Together, with Rosemary's fingers tangled in Aslan's mane, they walked over to the group of four.

"Rosemary!" Arms wrapped around Rosemary's neck and a body threatened to knock her to the ground. Rosemary was able to right herself and Susan, laughing through a mouthful of hair. "You're alive!"

"Did you doubt me?"

Susan shook her head vehemently. "Never. Thank you for having Peter's back. I'm certain he wouldn't have made it out alive if it weren't for you."

"Okay, now you're doubting me!" Peter gasped overdramatically. But he smiled.

"Obviously," Susan remarked, loosening her arms from Rosemary's neck so the others could hug her. Peter hugged her the longest, pushing back her hair, which had come loose during her fight with the hag.

"What happened to you?"

"It's not mine," Rosemary said simply. Shakily. Gently, she touched his wounded arm. "How's your arm?"

"Saw that, did you?"

"I was the one to put an arrow through the witch's jugular."

Peter scoffed incredulously, "And you couldn't have done that before she put a sword through my arm?"

"I had to let you get a bit of a beating. You know, lull her into a false sense of security and confidence and all that."

Peter's shoulders shook as he laughed and he pulled Rosemary in for another hug. One hand held her head against his shoulder and he whispered into her hair over and over again - "Thank God you're okay."