"Ettinsmoor? Is that what we're calling it now?" Imira asked.
"Better than 'the northern lands the Ettins inhabit' don't you think?" Peter asked in return.
"I suppose it's catchy," she agreed. "So what do we do now?"
Peter looked around the room...
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"There was no need to be insensitive," Peter scolds Edmund as we walk away from the dining room.
"I was merely pointing out how the news is a week old and the month is near its end. She promised me she'd help me on the hunt. I've got to beat Darren,"
"Oh, for the river gods, you can't possibly expect her to care about your silly little competition when she's just received such tragic news," I say, resisting the urge to punch Edmund for being so insensitive to Susan during breakfast. There were better ways to convey the message.
"Silly little competition? For the past year, I've been trying to beat your stupid cousin,"
"Oi," I consider Edmund family now, but Darren is my blood. Only I get to call him stupid.
Ed just ignores me. "And now that I'm this close to winning, this close," he says making a hand gesture, "Susan decides she can't be bothered to help? Come on, that letter was weeks old. Staying here to cry won't help anyone," he finishes.
So he wants to be selfish for a change, well alright, nothing wrong with being selfish every once in a while, but can't he be selfish a few days from now? I am sure Susan will live up to her word, it's just the timing that's not right. She doesn't feel ready to have fun just yet, she said so last night to Lucy and me.
"Empathy, Ed," Peter says slapping his brother lightly on the head.
"Oi, no need to get physical," Edmund complains dramatically, and I can already see this will become an issue.
I sigh tiredly.
"Well, if you don't want to get it, then don't be indifferent to Susan's feelings," Peter says. "You should go and apologize," he orders, his tone making it clear it is not a suggestion.
"Alright," Edmund agrees disgruntled. He hates it when Peter tells him what to do, especially when he's right. "Don't get your panties in a twist," he mutters under his breath.
This, of course, only makes Peter angrier.
"Alright, come on, let's calm down," I intervene before Peter can make things worse and place a hand on his shoulder. "There is no need to act like children,"
"Well, I won't behave like one when he stops acting like he's my father," Edmund complains loudly.
"Oh, grow up," Peter replies with an eye roll and starts to walk away. He has heard this many times before. Whenever Edmund gets moody about Peter or Susan giving him orders he says they're behaving as if they were his parents. It bothers Susan a lot, but Peter just tends to ignore it. I can see he's ready to ignore him this one as well, but Edmund's next snarky comment changes things for the worse.
"Boss your own children," Edmund mutters.
"Alright, that's it,"
Peter grabs hold of Edmund's shirt and Edmund readies his fist. There is an awful lot of yelling and wrestling as I allow them to fight a bit and let it out before stepping in to try and separate the two brothers who, at this moment, are behaving like anything but the Kings they are.
