HIRAETH - P. PEVENSIE (2)

III. Querencia

Querencia - a place from which one's strength is drawn, where one feels at home; the place where you are your most authentic self.

❦

The treasure room was just as they had left it. Her dresses were all piled atop each other, her favorites on the very top. There were some daggers on the pile, and a sword too. It was one Peter had given her for a birthday. That would have been her first after they were married. At the time she hadn't thought it odd at all that her husband would give her a sword, but now it would seem like the weirdest gift possible. Maybe she had gotten used to normal life again.

They dressed quickly, with Lilith choosing a blue dress Lucy had helped her pick out. She had worn it after her wedding, and again when she was crowned. Peter had really liked the color on her, as had she, so she wore it often. It was very upsetting when it no longer fit her.

She had a small belt with sheaths for her sword and daggers, which Peter insisted on helping her with. She knew he just wanted the opportunity to be close to her. Nonetheless, she let him buckle it around her waist, giving him a small kiss once he was done. He had his own armor all sorted out by that time, so she had nothing to help him with. Her 'help' was just fluffing up his hair. That had earned her a grin and another kiss.

They had been walking along the shore for maybe half an hour when they landed upon a most unusual scene. There were two soldiers holding a dwarf between them; the dwarf was gagged and bound, and they seemed to be tossing him off a boat.

"Drop him!" Susan yelled beside her, having gotten her bow ready. That was a great choice of words. They did indeed drop him, though it was into the ocean and not in the way Susan meant. Peter rushed forward to grab him while Susan shot at the soldiers, killing them easily.

The dwarf sputtered as Peter pulled him from the water, and looked extremely wary as Lucy cut his restraints off. The first thing he did was spit out a ton of water, then looked at Susan angrily.

"Drop him? That was the best you could come up with?" Lilith had to physically hold back a smile. She had the exact same thought process, but that didn't mean he should be so rude. She had just saved his life, after all.

"A simple thank you would suffice." Susan seemed taken aback. She probably hadn't thought about it like that, and she hated being publicly embarrassed.

"They were doing just fine drowning me on their own!"

"Maybe we should have let them." Lilith smacked Peter's arm.

"Why were they trying to kill you anyway?" Lucy's small voice was inquisitive. It was a fair question, as he hadn't seemed to have done anything.

"They're Telmarines. That's what they do," he replied testily, wringing out his sleeves.

"Telmarines? In Narnia?"

"Where've you been for the past few hundred years?" He snorted, shaking his head at their apparent stupidity. Lilith grinned at Peter.

"It's a bit of a long story, actually." That caught his attention. He looked over the lot of them before groaning.

"You can't be serious. You're it?"

"High King Peter, the Magnificent," Peter stretched his hand forward to shake. The dwarf just stared up at him in bewilderment.

"You probably could've left off that last bit." Susan said behind him.

The dwarf snorted again, smiling a little now. "Probably." Peter looked mildly annoyed, pulling his sword from his sheath. The smile dropped from the dwarf's face slightly. He had good reason to be nervous, Lilith thought. Her husband was crazy with a sword.