Lifeline ⤞ Peter Pevensie [Chronicles of Narnia]

xi

Fallon walked out of the tent an hour later, her face seemingly the same, but her eyes were filled with concern.

What if Aslan's plan didn't go as it was supposed to? What if she did something wrong? What is Jadis decided it was time to end her, as well? What if–

"Fallon?"

Lucy's voice snapped the girl out of her trance, and she smiled weakly as the youngest Pevensie walked towards her.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Fallon replied immediately. "I'm fine."

Lucy looked at her warily, as if she knew she was lying, but chose to ignore it, instead simply saying she was going to head into the tent with Susan.

Fallon nodded, then started walking around again, her armour still on as she headed to one of the hills that looked over the camp. Sitting on the edge, the girl gazed upon the sunset, the darkest parts of her orbs taking in its rays, the locket lying on her chest lighting up with the red of the sky. She just wished she could stay there forever, staring into the edge of the world.

She suddenly heard shifting behind her, or, rather, footsteps, and the tiniest smile made its way onto her face.

"I though you knew I could hear better, by now," she spoke up, and Peter's cheeks turned pink, though she'd never know, because he was still standing behind her.

"Sorry, Gray," he said, walking over to her. He asked if he could sit, and Fallon simply nodded, her eyes not leaving the sun that was still dipping under the hills.

"Peter," she spoke softly after a few moments. She felt his gaze on her, but didn't meet his gaze as she kept talking.

"Do I seem... protective of you and your siblings?"

Peter was quiet for a moment, but when he spoke, Fallon could hear the smile in his voice.

"Yeah," he said. "You're always trying to be in near Lucy whenever something's wrong, as if you were her shield or something, same with Edmund, and you have the tendency to take Susan's hand a lot when we're in some sort of trouble. Oh, and sometimes you put your hand on the handle of one of your daggers, like you're always ready to fight and get them out of there. You stand in front of us a lot, too. It looks like you would take a sword to the chest for us."

"I would."

Peter looked at her, his light smile faltering as he asked, "What?"

That was the moment in which Fallon turned her head, blue meeting amber like the sky meets the sun at dawn, and the sea meets the painted clouds at sunset.

"It's my duty," the girl spoke. "My mother made an oath that she passed onto me, to protect the royal family. No matter the cost. At first, I thought I was just having a protective instinct, to help the people I consider my family by now, but then..." she looked back the ground, not being able to cope with the emotions being held in Peter's eyes. She took a breath before speaking the truth to herself for the first time, the words tasting bittersweet on her lips.
"I'm an immortal to time because my life reason is to keep the Kings and Queens safe, but I'm mortal to wounds so that when they die, my life can be taken with theirs." She felt Peter's eyes burning in the side of her head, but she kept going.

"One Huntress per royal family. That's how the oath works. I need you to live, Peter. I need you to stay with me. You're my lifeline." She gave out an unamused chuckle. "Literally."

Peter said nothing for a while, and seconds felt like minutes until he finally spoke up, saying the dreaded words.

"Are you ok?"