Wolfsbane - Prologue
WOLFSBANE
- Prologue -
Summary: History is filled with examples of destiny, sacrifice, despair, sorrow, joy, and hope. This is one of them.
Warnings: Slash, Incest, Love, Romance, Adventure, Mystery, Action.
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I own nozing! It ees all belonging to C.S. Lewis, yo!
Author's Notes: If you don't like slash or incest or Peter/Edmund, then please do not read or review this. Flames hurt.
Wolfsbane
- Prologue -
History is filled with examples of destiny, sacrifice, despair, sorrow, and joy. It is filled with times of peace and times of war. There have always been tyrants, who have subjugated others to their will. There have always been heroes, who rise to defy them.
There is no greater power in the universe than the need for freedom. Against that power, governments, tyrants, armies, they cannot stand. Because of that power, even in the darkest of hours, there remains … hope.
* * * * * * *
“It’s beautiful, Peter.” Edmund whispered, smiling as a content sigh passed his lips.
“Yes.” Peter smiled, staring up at the starlit sky above as his hands wound around Edmund’s waist and he held him from behind, “But not so beautiful as you, my love.” He whispered, kissing Edmund’s bare shoulder.
The two kings stood upon their balcony, reveling in the comfort of each other’s presence. Peter closed his eyes, smiling softly to himself as he breathed in Edmund’s scent of sandalwood and rose. Two newly ringed fingers met as hands intertwined, causing Peter’s smile to only deepen.
“If my life were to end this night, I would die fulfilled.” Peter whispered, running calloused fingers across Edmund’s quivering stomach, “Because we are one at last. We are bound as one. In this life, and beyond.”
“Is that your way of saying you’re happy we’re married?” Edmund smiled, blushing a little as he continued staring up at the stars.
“Yes, Ed.” Peter chuckled softly, resting his chin on Edmund’s shoulder as he too looked up, “I do not think today could have been any better. Though we have faced so much, we are here, now, bound eternally as one.”
“Normally I would find such thoughts constricting, but in this instance, to be unbound from you is to be imprisoned. Being bound as one to you is what truly sets me free, Peter.” Edmund said as he looked down at his wedding ring and smiled, “I love you.”
“And I you, Angel.” Peter whispered softly, “And I you.”
“Forever?”
“How long does forever last?” Peter asked curiously.
“Forever?” Edmund responded with a smile.
“Then forever it is.” Peter smiled back before he turned Edmund to face him and met his lips with a deep and all encompassing kiss, “Forever it is …”
* * * * * * *
-- Seven years later
“All hail, High King ... Rehkan the Benevolent …”
Lucy watched on from her prison cell as the ‘High King’ of Narnia paraded through Cair Paravel for the seventh anniversary of his reign. Her eyes welled up, and even though she knew she did not have to watch, she could not help but do so. She knew Rehkan taunted her by transferring her to this cell so she could see him being lauded as a hero. Salt in a long festering wound.
Still, her valiant spirit had still not succumbed to utter despair yet. She remained ever hopeful that somehow, Narnia could still be saved. Today, as always she wrote in her diary, for it was the one concession Rehkan had given her.
‘Today, as with any other, I sit alone in my prison, awaiting a sign that Aslan has not forsaken me or the Narnia I once watched over. It is the seventh year since Rehkan took Peter’s throne after killing him and Edmund. Six years since Susan was killed in a failed uprising of ‘old’ Narnia. I miss her so. I miss them all.
They died to protect that which we held most dear; our precious Narnia. Rehkan has turned our home into a place where despotism runs rife and the right to live, to exist is a daily struggle. I have seen my people suffer and die on a whim for his cruelty, yet none have power to oppose him.
Why it was I who was left to live, I do not know. I only know that my beautiful Narnia has suffered for too long. I feel so helpless. I see no one each day, except for the one day a year when I am moved from my basement prison to this room to view Rehkan’s celebrations.
I am certain that when he tires of forcing me to watch such things that he will have me killed. I am no longer relevant to his rule. I am no longer needed to intimidate those who linger in shadow, waiting for the time to rise in rebellion. Perhaps this will be the last time I see sunlight.
I am not afraid. I will not weep. The path is laid before me and I have no choice but to tread it, no matter where it takes me. I crave the slightest hope, for with it, the possibilities are endless. Yet as long as I have dwelled here, that faintest hope has evaded me.
If this is the last time I shall see this radiant sun shining upon my weary face, I hope Peter, Edmund, and Susan are waiting for me in a better place. I miss them so. And I am only sorry that in my time without them, I could not leave this world as heroically as they …’
* * * * * * *
-- Seven years earlier
“Majesty, they’ve breached the outer wall!” Oreius yelled.
The invaders had come in the night under a mysterious shroud that prevented their approach until it was too late. Caught unawares, Cair Paravel was under heavy assault. After a day that was filled with love and rejoicing for Peter, the night had turned to horror.
Peter’s face was bloody and dirty, for he had fought in the frontlines, refusing to let his Narnian fight without him. Yet so swift and sudden had the invader’s attack been that Cair Paravel was ill able to resist them. Defenses had failed and now the castle was on the verge of being sacked.
Peter ran to the balcony and stared with anguished tears as his mighty castle was surrounded by thousands intent to force their way in.
“Why have they come like this?” Susan asked, overwhelmed with emotion.
She had been doing her part, taking down enemy upon enemy with her deadly arrows. Now she could not help but show her utter confusion and fear for what they faced. Peter ran to her, kissing her temple before he hugged her.
“I’ll not let harm come to any of you, Su. I promise. Lucy is with Tumnus and I know he’ll keep her safe. Just as I shall keep you safe.” Peter said as Edmund kicked his way through the door, looking worse for wear with a dozen of his best soldiers.
“Fall back!” Edmund yelled, grabbing Susan by the arm, “To the throne room!”
“Come, Majesty!” Oreius said as he grabbed Peter and forced him to join the rush toward the throne room.
“Edmund!” Peter yelled as he caught up to Edmund, “What the hell is happening out there?!”
“He’s come for me, Peter!” Edmund said, gasping for breath as he leaned against the wall, “He means to have me!”
Edmund slammed his hand against the wall in frustration, guilt fueling his emotions. That such death and destruction had come to Narnia because of him, even without his knowledge, still brought insurmountable guilt. Now, hours after the invasion had begun, Edmund had his first chance to show his grief and tears streamed down his eyes as he suddenly clasped himself to Peter.
“There’s too many of them, Peter. There’s so many.” Edmund gasped brokenly, “We can’t fight them off. I have to give myself up. If I don’t, you’ll all die.”
“No, Sire. He has come for King Peter’s crown as well as you. There is no surrender.” Oreius said ominously, “There is no surrender.”
“All that matters now is that we save as many as we can, Ed.” Peter said, summoning every ounce of courage he had to keep control of himself and the situation as much as he could, “We have to get the girls out of here. We have to get the civilians out of here. Oreius, give the order to retreat!”
“Peter, let me go!” Edmund yelled to Peter, tears in his eyes and a bloody sword in his hand, “We must surrender!”
“He doesn’t want us to surrender! He wants you for himself! He will destroy our home and our lands and I will not stand by and let him do it!” Peter yelled back, “I’ll not let him have you. I’ll not let him have any of you. And he’ll take my crown and Narnia when I am no longer capable of protecting it.”
“Peter …”
Peter kissed Edmund then, pausing the world around them for that one instant. An instant where fearful eyes closed. An instant where fingers interlaced. An instant where hearts beat as one, for fear that would not beat for much longer. An instant that was over all too soon.
The sound of battle and cries of the dying filled the air. The two kings stood in their throne room, surrounded by loyal Narnian who would not run as Peter had asked. Peter would not run. He would not hide. Unfortunately for all of them, they did not have a choice in that matter anyway.
The throne room doors were smashed open before the enemy flooded the room. Enemy soldiers, Sons of Adam, from a land Peter did not know of. Oreius was first to charge in defense of his king, followed by all nearby. The courage of true Narnians was put on display. Courage echoed by all three of the monarchs.
“Peter!” Lucy yelled as she rushed into the rear of the throne room with a small group of satyr and faun who were already rushing into battle.
Peter winced in anguish at seeing Lucy, for he truly felt as though his entire family were now about to die at the hands of these invaders. Oreius fought valiantly but he was overwhelmed by numbers that even a mighty centaur could not face. Fighting off one soldier, he turned to Edmund.
“Angel, get them out of here!” Peter yelled as he swung his sword and cut an enemy down.
He grabbed Susan, even though she was fiercely firing her arrows. He pulled her back by Lucy and looked at Edmund pleadingly. He knew this battle was one he would not win.
“Please, Angel, get them out of here. I’ll buy you as much time as I can.” Peter pleaded.
Edmund shook his head vigorously, “I cannot leave your side. You are my brother, you are my king, you are my heart, Peter. I will not leave you.” He said adamantly, face laden with emotion, “I cannot leave you.”
“Angel …” Peter whispered, “You disobeyed me once long before with the excuse that I was not your king. I am your king now. Please do as I ask. Go!”
Edmund grit his teeth, tears welling up as he shook his head in frustration. He nodded finally, sobbing as he grabbed Lucy and Susan by the arm. Edmund didn’t look back, for he knew his resolve would break if he did.
“I love you.” Peter whispered to them all before he turned to face his enemy.
Peter turned just as the last of his soldiers fell. Tears in his eyes he turned to the invaders, scowling in disgust. Holding out his sword, he glared at them.
“I am Peter the Magnificent, High King of Narnia, Lord of Cair Paravel and Emperor of the Lone Islands. In the name of Aslan, I stand before thee. In the name of love, I fight against thee.” Peter cried out as the invaders swarmed him.
Edmund ran along the corridor behind the throne room before he turned back, “Su … I can’t.” He said mournfully to her, “Please … go …”
After a series of wordless glances and pained eyes, Susan nodded tearfully before Edmund whispered he loved them and turned back. He ran back toward the throne room and immediately let out a piercing scream. A sword impaled Peter through the back as he let out a low gasp of agony.
“Peter!” Edmund yelled with anguish and then utter anger.
He ran to Peter’s side, slicing an enemy’s head off before he threw himself into battle. He would not retreat from where Peter lay dying. And even as Peter looked up at him with eyes fading and anguished, he fought on. In an instant however, he too was run through by an enemy sword.
“Peter …” Edmund gasped as he fell to his knees beside Peter, eyes wide, “Forgive me …”
“There is noth…ing … nothing … to …” Peter replied weakly, reaching out his hand to Edmund.
Edmund collapsed beside him as the soldiers swarmed around them. Yet as though obvious that they were defeated, the soldiers gave them this last moment of peace. The world around did not exist anymore for Peter and Edmund. Defeated and dying, their heads tilted upon the ground and their eyes met.
Peter forced a weak smile, to which Edmund replied in kind. Their ringed hands clasped shakily to one another.
“I shall die fulfilled, because you loved me.” Peter whispered, “I love you …”
“For … ever?” Edmund whispered back, barely strong enough to speak, his breaths fading quickly.
And as eyes grew dim and the clasp between their hands finally faltered, Peter managed to utter one last word, “Forever …”
* * * * * * *
-- Present
‘I hear them coming for me. I leave this in the hope that one day someone will read my thoughts and understand the legacy I represent. A Narnia now faded into bittersweet memory.
Queen …’ Lucy began to write before she shook her head and scribbled out the word and simply added ‘Lucy Pevensie’.
Lucy stood up, prepared to be moved back to her cell. This was far earlier than usual. Rehkan’s celebrations were not even over.
She soon realized as the guards entered and led her in a different direction that today would most definitely not be usual. She turned to one of the guards, feeling a well of trepidation as she was led out of the prison and out into the open atop a large platform.
It did not take her long to figure out what was about to happen. She was about to be hanged. She was right after all. Rehkan had tired of her and now his last example would be to hang her as an example to any who might rise up in opposition.
King Rehkan himself emerged onto the platform as Lucy was noosed up. A tall, lean, muscled man with long blonde locks and deep grey eyes. If she did not know his heart so well, Lucy would have considered him stunning. Yet his cruelty and malice caused her to greet the sight of him with nothing but contempt.
Rehkan turned to the large audience as he pointed to Lucy. She was most definitely being made an example of.
“Here stands the last resistance of an old Narnia. As long as such relics are allowed to exist, our future is blighted. I have given you greatness and true civilization and with the death of Lucy the Valiant, the greatness shall never be threatened again! Let it be known to all who would seek to overthrow our glorious existence that they shall meet a fate such as this unfortunate woman.” Rehkan said, scowling at Lucy.
Lucy did not dignify Rehkan’s words with a response. She accepted her fate. She made peace with her past, with her failings and her experiences. In some way, she found the notion of death oddly appealing, for in her heart she hoped she would be reunited finally with her precious loved ones.
As the hangman prepared to kick out the stand from beneath Lucy’s feet, Rehkan stepped up to her. He kissed both her cheeks before he leaned closer to her ear and whispered something that none could hear but Lucy.
Lucy’s eyes suddenly went wide with disbelief and near horror before she began struggling frantically. She shook her head, sobbing in disbelief as Rehkan sneered wickedly. Satisfied with himself he stepped back and watched as the hangman stepped up behind her.
Yet much to Rehkan’s displeasure, Lucy suddenly stopped struggling. She stared at him confusedly before she finally smiled softly. She looked up at the sun and closed her eyes.
“Hope prevails …” Lucy whispered.
Angered by her change in demeanor and her fearless words, Rehkan yelled at the top of his lungs for the hangman to finish her. Lucy’s eyes remained closed and she held a face of unbreakable calm and peace. Gritting his teeth indignantly, Rehkan raised his thumb and turned it down. The hangman stepped up behind Lucy and kicked out the stand from beneath her feet, consigning her fate to history.
* * * * * * *
History is filled with examples of destiny, sacrifice, despair, sorrow, and joy. It is filled with times of peace and times of war. There have always been tyrants, who have subjugated others to their will. There have always been heroes, who rise to defy them.
There is no greater power in the universe than the need for freedom. Against that power, governments, tyrants, armies, they cannot stand. Because of that power, even in the darkest of hours, there remains … hope.
And it is with this, the faintest of hopes, that this story truly begins …
* * * * * * *
The real story begins in Chapter 1 of ‘Wolfsbane’
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