High King Peter (Peter Pevensie x reader)

Return from Battle

It didn't take long for Peter, Y/n and Edmund to catch up with the rest of the Narnians.

They were silent as they walked, a little slower than on the way there. No one wanted to say anything. They had failed. They didn't need a reminder of the lives lost.

Peter avoided the glare of Susan. She thought that Peter had gone there for himself, not the Narnians. He didn't want an argument. He had been sure that he was fighting for Narnia, but her words kept echoing in his head. "Who are you really doing this for, Peter?" He wasn't so sure. He had wanted to prove he was still capable of protecting them. Maybe he should have listened to Caspian.

He felt Y/n shift behind him, her arms still wrapped around him despite moving at a much slower pace, but she had lifted her head to watch the world around them.

He recalled the way she had looked at him in her father's room. She had been worried, beyond worried at the whereabouts of her father, but her eyes were full of gratitude. She needed to get him. She needed to know where he was. If Peter hadn't lead them to attack the castle, they would still be in Aslan's How and Y/n wouldn't know if her father was alive, jailed, or dead. He did the right thing.

Although, if they had stayed at the How, Y/n wouldn't have been injured.

"Peter," Y/n whispered so only they could hear. He turned slightly to look at her, silently asking her to continue. "I never said thank you, so, thank you."

"You don't need to thank me, anyone would have done the same. I may not have gotten out of there if you hadn't got the horses, I should be thanking you."

She smiled, resting her head against his back again. "I don't mean for saving my life, although I am grateful for that. Thank you for allowing me to come and get my father. I would have been worried sick, not knowing what had happened to him."

Peter didn't know what to say. He hadn't truly done anything special. He did what he thought was right. "I'm sorry you got hurt."

"I'll be fine. We all will be." Y/n had no doubts that their choice had been the right one at the time. Even knowing the ending wouldn't change her decision. They had to do something, they couldn't wait for the battle to come to them. Taking the fight to Miraz had been the right choice.

The group eventually exited the woods. Peter had dismounted to stretch his legs, yet still walked alongside Y/n, keeping a hand on the horse. They had found themselves at the front of the group with Caspian and Susan, no communication being exchanged besides a few glances.

When they were close to the How some of the Narnians inside came out, including Lucy. She, as well as the others, were visibly distressed at seeing so few warriors return.

"What happened?" Lucy asked, her voice breaking slightly.

Peter didn't bother pausing his march. "Ask him," he replied bluntly, nodding his head at Caspian.

Y/n, who had yet to hear the story of what went wrong, was curious but not terribly surprised that Caspian had done something not according to plan. When he had left the dungeons, she assumed he would do something impulsive, she would too if she had just found out her father died at the hands of her uncle.

"Peter." Susan's scold made Peter stop and turn back to face her and Caspian. Y/n and he had gotten closer to the How than the rest of their group, wanting to get inside and rest.

"Me?" Caspian asked. "You could have called it off. There was still time."

"No," Peter walked back to Caspian, "there wasn't thanks to you. If you'd kept to the plan, those soldiers might still be alive."