Traces of Narnia...featuring Peter Pevensie

Section 2 -The Knowledge of April: CHAPTER 2 - The Trip Home

As they boarded the train, Peter found seats for them in one of the less crowded cars. There were empty seats all around them and she was relieved and happy to have him somewhat to herself. Once settled in their seats, April sighed. It had been a long week of intense end-term exams. Their meals had been staggered and she hadn't seen Peter for more than a moment in passing since the night of the dance. He looked at her and smiled. She took his hand and leaned her head against his shoulder. She was so tired. He looked down at her and with a finger traced her delicate brow, the shape of her jaw.

"We are going to have to be careful, you know," Peter murmured. At her confused look he asked, "Do you feel different after that night, after...what we shared?"

She nodded slowly realizing that she did feel different with and towards him.

He said, "Me too. I feel like that kiss awakened something inside of both of us. When I see you I want to kiss you as I did then. We might be spending quite a bit of time alone together this week and, well, I just want to make sure we don't go too fast."

"I agree, Peter. We need to be smart."

He kissed her fingers gently then gave them a squeeze. Changing the subject, he said "I am really looking forward to getting to know your family and I can't wait to look at the books about Narnia."

"Peter, there is something we should talk about before we get there." She paused as a look of concern crossed his face. "Oh, everything will be okay. I just wanted to warn you that the subject of Narnia is forbidden in my home."

"How can that be? I mean with the book, the journal, your grandmother..." Peter trailed off.

"It is my father's rule and he is very strict about it. He thought my grandmother was half looney and merely tolerated her since she was his mother-in-law. He thinks they are all fanciful stories meant to distract from real life and honest work. If he were to realize, that you not only believed they were real, but claimed to be a king there, well, let's just say I don't think you would be welcome back. And that, would break my heart."

He squeezed her hand. "I am so good at keeping that secret. You don't have to worry about me talking about it."

"It is not your talking about it that I am worried about. I know how good you all are at staying quiet. It is what you may see or feel or notice that may take you by surprise and you may inadvertently reveal your true feelings. My dilemma is that I cannot warn you about all of those things. You must experience them for yourself. You must also remember that my mother knows about the stories and your connection to them."

"I'm sure I will be able to handle anything that comes my way," he said with a note of pride.

She wondered at that. Pride really could be one of his weaknesses. Well, not much could be helped by worrying about what may come.

She changed the subject to school to get them back onto neutral ground. After speaking of exams and classes and such she was ready to get an answer to an important question on a subject they had not yet talked about.

"Peter, do you believe in Aslan?"

He looked shocked and then thoughtful. He seemed to choose his words carefully and then answered quickly. "Of course, I believe in Aslan. How could I not? He helped us, he saved our lives many times. He sacrificed himself for Edmund, and came back from the dead."

"Yes, but is he real to you?"

Peter thought about that for a moment and said, "Yes, he has helped me in a real way the last few months. It just took a long time for me to ask for help. I do that a lot, feel like I can handle life on my own, not needing help. It usually just makes me miserable, or gets me into trouble."