After heading for the fort and seeing that it was overrun by Telmarines, then heading back towards the river and finally crossing it, Rowyn found herself laying down observing the stars as everyone else slept peacefully.
A conversation between Susan and Lucy possibly ten minutes ago still ran in her mind.
"While it lasts." Susan had told her younger sister before falling asleep.
Rowyn hated to think about the fact that she would have to go home again at some point. That she would be torn away from Peter again. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, squeezed them tightly. When the thoughts still shot through her mind like arrows, she carefully stood up and took a walk to clear her head.
The cold night air caressed her skin as she created a fire dagger to light her way. She walked around for a good ten minutes before a stick snapped behind her and made her whip around in fear.
"Peter, what the hell!" She took a deep breath when she saw her husband standing there with his hands raised after she pressed the dagger to his throat. "I could've killed you."
Peter smiled slightly. "Uh, you still might so uh?" He motioned down to the dagger still pressing against his neck. Rowyn apologized and the blade vanished. "Are you alright, Wynne?" He caressed her cheek softly when her saddened expression overtook her face again.
"I'm fine." Peter gave her a look and silently told her he didn't believe her. Rowyn huffed slightly and took a seat leaning against a tree trunk. "We're going to have to go back again, you realize that right?"
Peter nodded and grabbed her hand which rested in her lap. "I know, but we'll make it work."
Rowyn leaned her head against the mossy trunk and closed her eyes. "But what if we never come back after that?" She turned her head towards him and opened her eyes. "W-What would we do?" Her eyes became lined with silver after she spoke.
Peter's face fell and he pulled her hand to his chest. "I know what I'd do . . . I would work on securing a career in medicine, spend my life with my family and focusing on achieving a successful life . . . and then when my time comes, I'll wait for you to join me in whatever awaits us afterwards."
Rowyn leaned her head off the tree and a tear escaped her eye. "That's over a hundred years that you would have to wait, Peter."
He nodded and pressed a kiss to her burnt palm. "I would wait an infinite amount of years if it meant that I could spend the rest of forever with you . . . I told you before, there's never gonna be anyone for me but you."
Rowyn opened her mouth to speak but no words formed as she blinked away her tears. Instead, she cupped his cheeks and pulled his mouth to hers. The pair instantly melted into each other and soon enough, Rowyn was sat on his lap while his hands squeezed her waist.
"I'll wait for you too." She told him when they eventually pulled their slightly swollen lips away. "I don't care how long . . . I'll wait until I'm with you again . . . To whatever end, right?"
Peter smiled as his nose brushed hers. "To whatever end." And then his lips met hers again.
Then soon enough Rowyn was pinned to the ground beneath them as Peter took her for the first time since their parting.
....
"Rowyn get up!" Susan shook Rowyn awake from her deep sleep. After their few hours alone, laying under the stars holding each other's bare bodies, they clothed and traveled back to the camp where Rowyn fell asleep as Peter held her tightly. Rowyn rubbed the sleep from her eyes and, due to Susan's panicked tone and the fact that Peter and Lucy were gone, she threw on her sword and followed Edmund and Susan as they searched for their siblings.
"Peter!" Susan called as the group came to stand beside Lucy with their weapons out. Peter gave Rowyn a look telling her that he was fine when her face bore pure panic as she gripped her sword.
"High King Peter . . ." The new dark-haired man said, his voice laced with a beautiful accent of Spanish decent. "High Queen Rowyn . . ." Prince Caspian looked over the two as Rowyn took a few steps closer to her husband.
Rowyn sheathed her sword and spoke, "I believe you called." Her voice was proud and confident as she straightened her posture.
Caspian's face was shocked and slightly confused as he took them in. When his eyes lingered a bit longer on Susan and Rowyn, Peter cleared his throat. "Well yes but I thought you'd be . . . older."
Peter glanced at Rowyn for a moment and began to turn away. "Well, if you'd like . . . we can come back in a couple of years-"
Rowyn grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. "I'm sorry about him, we're here to help." Rowyn crossed her arms, sending Peter a small, friendly glare.
Caspian nodded. "Yes, thank you . . . you're just not exactly what I was expecting." Rowyn cocked an eyebrow in Susan's direction when his gaze lingered on her again. Susan's cheeks flushed a bit when she met Rowyn's gaze and then looked away.
"Neither are you." Edmund said from his place beside Susan. Rowyn looked around at the Narnians and she understood Edmund's confused tone. There were Minotaur's and other creatures that had been on the Witch's side during the Battle of Beruna.
"A common enemy unites even the oldest of foes." A badger told them as he smiled at the dwarf beside him.
Suddenly, a mouse came down adorned with a sword and a small feather over his ear. "We've been long awaiting your return, my liege." The mouse bowed in front of Peter and Rowyn and she smiled gratefully at him "Our hearts and swords are at your service."
Lucy turned to her sister. "Oh my gosh, he is so cute!" She whispered to her.
The mouse drew his sword and searched around. "Who said that!" Lucy sheepishly stepped forward and apologized. "Oh! Your Majesty . . . with the greatest respect, I do believe that courageous, courteous, or chivalrous would better suit a knight of Narnia." Lucy nodded at the mouse and smiled as he sheathed his sword.
"At least we know some of you can handle a blade." Peter said with a warm smile. The mouse began to talk about the weapons he had secured for their army with pride.
Rowyn nodded. "Good work . . . we'll need every sword we can get—you mind giving Peter his sword back, Prince Caspian?" Caspian straightened up and nodded, handing Peter his blade back.
Peter took the blade and sheathed it before placing a hand on the small of Rowyn's back and leading her to begin following the Narnian's back to the How. Rowyn smiled warmly at the Narnian's that bow their heads in their direction as they passed. She wondering what stories they were all told of them—for a moment after finding out what had happened when they left, she worried that the stories of them would be plagued by that event. But her worried diminished at the respect and awe their eyes held as they passed.
As they walked through the deep green woods, fallen leaves crunching underneath their feet, Rowyn turned her head to Peter who had remained quiet for a lot of the journey. "You okay?" She questioned, lacing her fingers with his.
Peter looked ahead at where Edmund was discussing strategies with Caspian—Rowyn had encouraged Edmund to speak with him about it because of how well he led armies during the Golden Age. "I'm fine."
Rowyn didn't believe him for a second. "You shouldn't bottle things up, Pete . . . it will only result in an explosion further down the line." She squeezed his hand once and then released it. "My arms and ears are always open for you." Peter didn't get a chance to reply before Rowyn was walking ahead to link her arm with Susan's.
"Don't even think about it-"
"Caspian was totally checking you out, Su." Rowyn smirked proudly with her eyes watching Caspian's back as she spoke.
Susan scoffed slightly beside her. "He was not—he was merely . . . observing me." Rowyn turned her head slightly at she gave Susan a look.
"Observing you?" She huffed in amusement. "Yeah, okay."
Susan then changed the subject. "I noticed you and Peter snuck off last night . . ." Rowyn's eyes widened slightly.
"We're married, Susan . . . or at least we were." Rowyn told her.
Susan smiled and squeezed her arm reassuringly. "He was a mess when we got back . . . he pretended he was okay, but honestly, I've never seen him more devastated than when he lost you—he locked himself in his room for days just painting after we got back home."
"I did the same . . . Casper kept me company while I painted, but I was a mess after coming back . . . my poor parents were worried about me all the time—only recently did I start trying to be normal again." Rowyn told her as a saddened expression took over her features.
"Did you tell them about what happened? About Narnia . . . Peter?"
Rowyn nodded. "Oh yeah. It took a few months but I finally opened up about it and they, somehow, believed me."
"Peter refused to talk about it." Susan told her, keeping her voice low so that no one else could hear them as they walked. "I think it was too painful for him to think about the fact that he was living in a world without you. I mean, it was painful even for me to process that fact that I couldn't see my best friend everyday anymore, so I can't imagine what it was like for him."
Rowyn carefully glanced back at Peter who, once he noticed her gaze, switched his lonely expression to a warm smile in her direction. She returned it and then turned back to him. "When we go back home again . . . will you be there for him? Even if he refuses . . . don't let him keep it in. It eats you up when you do that—I kept it in but Casper encouraged me to speak to my dad's about everything . . . honestly, I think that saved my life."
"I will. I promise, Ro." Susan told her and Rowyn thanked her.
Lucy's gasp from behind them as her footsteps rushed forward made Rowyn finally realize that the How had come into view. Rowyn and Susan loosened their holds on each other as they smiled at the How. Lucy looked up at Rowyn with a wide smile and grabbed her hand, pulling her along with her as she ran across the grassy plane before them.
"Lucy, slow down." Edmund laughed from behind them as the siblings ran after them while the rest of the Narnians walked with Caspian.
When they finally reached the How, Centaurs lined the entrance and welcomed the Kings and Queens of Old back home.