Ephemeral (Peter pevensie x oc)

8. Friends

"Ok, so you'll want to hold the sword firmly, preferably with both hands at first."

"Chloe, I'm not that daft, I think I know how to hold a sword."

Chloe was standing with Olivia in a part of the forest, close to the fort. Seeing as Olivia wouldn't stop nagging about fighting lessons, the girls had taken a trip out to the forest to train.

"I don't understand why you need lessons." Chloe said after a few rounds of practicing.

"Honestly, your sword combat is fine. Brilliant, really." She stated.

"Thank you, but I still think I need some advice." Olivia replied.

"No, you don't." Chloe continued.

"If anything, I should be taking advice from you. What's this really about?" She asked.

Via looked as if she was considering to speak or not for a couple of seconds before confessing.

"All right." She started.

"I've just been thinking. What if you don't make it back?" Olivia said with tears in her eyes.

"Oh." Chloe rushed over to her, giving her a hug.

"It's just.. You're one of my closest frineds, and I'm not coming with you to the castle so I just..." The girl broke down crying in her firend's arms.

"Hey, I'll be fine." Chloe tried reassuring and comforting the crying girl but it was barely to any help.

"Olivia, look at me."

Via looked up at the brown-haired girl.

"I promise to come back, all right?"

The blonde girl nodded and the two friends gave each other one last hug, before walking back to the fort.

*

Nearly the entire population of the camp was eating together in the biggest room, right by the entrance.

Chloe, Peter, Caspian, Susan, Edmund, Trumpkin, Lucy and Olivia all sat together at a round table, laughing, telling stories and joking.

"She actually walked up to him and punched him right in the face!" Trumpkin said laughing so much he nearly fell of his chair.

"No way!" Via said, laughing with the others.

"Someone forgot to tell me about that when they went on their little Peter-rant." She said, throwing a playful look towards Chloe, making the brunette girl choke on her drink.

"Oh, you've been talking about me, have you?" Peter asked smugly.

"No, actually I haven't." Chloe answered, while jokingly kicking Olivia under the table.

"Don't act so smug, you talk about her all the time." Edmund suddenly said.

Immediately the table burst into laughter again, as Peter tried defending himself.

"Woah, woah, hang on!" He shouted to get everyone's attention while the howling died down.

"That's not true." Was apparently the only thing he managed to say.

"Mhm, very convincing, Pete." Chloe laughed, making the boy across from her blush at the nickname as his heartbeat sped up slightly.

She called me Pete, he thought with a heart-warming smile creeping it's way onto his face. 

"It's getting a little late," Susan suddenly said.

"Lucy, Edmund, time for bed."

The two youngest groaned and protested, but eventually set off to their chambers while the rest of the party stayed put.