𝐖𝐀𝐋𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐃 | ❝Hope is good, Hope will never disgrace, but make no mistake, Hope will hit you in the face!❞
In which the Just King becomes betrothed to a princess from a neighboring kingdom, only to fall in love with the prin...
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PETER SHOWED NO SURPRISE when he found Hope sitting in the makeshift armory alone, leather breastplate still untied. His righteous sword, Rhindon, and shield rested in her lap as she shined and sharpened them for his upcoming duel with Miraz.
Everyone assumed Hope liked the armory so much because it kept her busy. Truthfully, it was one of the few places left that put her at ease, that reminded her of her father. But she never articulated that. Instead, she lifted Rhindon in the cavern's dim light, marveling at it one last time before sliding it into its sheath.
Without meeting his eyes, she greeted, "Shouldn't you be in your armor?"
"I could say the same to you." Peter gestured for her to stand. She obeyed, and he began to tighten the ties of her breastplate. "I just spoke with Lucy. I think she's the only one of us who's ever ready for anything."
"That sounds like her. What about you?"
"I suppose nothing can ever truly prepare one for a duel to the death, no matter how many you've survived." Despite the firm line of his lips, Peter was gentle as he tugged on her laces. "It certainly makes you think more about what the future holds. Or... what you want the future to hold."
Once he was finished, Hope tried not to watch him as he stepped aside. Everyone else did enough of that for her. Still, it was difficult. The boy was becoming that Magnificent King of the Northern Skies anew. "When you think of your future, do you see Narnia or London?"
She pivoted to help fasten his armor in return. At his back, she stood on her toes. She was reminded of all those times she sent her father off to battle—and she remembered the last time she saw him off, never to see him again. Today, she fussed with every buckle and hook for Peter at least thrice. For comfort.
"Hm... I don't think I've ever been asked that before," Peter admitted. "I love Narnia more than any place I've ever known... more than any place I'll ever know. But I've lived a life here once before, and I've come to realize I have plans I'd like to see actualized. Plans I can only achieve in London as a boy, not a king. I hope to study medicine."
Hope smiled. "A king in one land, a doctor in another. You certainly live up to your namesake."
"What about you? London or Narnia?"
"Mm... Wherever the stars take me, I suppose. I always thought I'd grow old in a castle with Odette. Now I think... I don't know," she said. "I'm too worried that everything will change the second I set my heart on something, or... once I finally get settled somewhere."
