{ ... The journey home ... }

Title: Following The Light: A Tale Of Two Kings: Chapter 1

Category: SLASH! Thats M/M. You have been warned. PeterxCaspian AE (Alternate Ending), not really AU but I take liberties with what was not mentioned or shown directly.

Summary: In times of darkness, one must follow the light to find what they are looking for. The epic continues.

Disclaimer: I do not own the delicious OTP that is Peter/Caspian or is in any way remotely related to CS Lewis. This is all nothing more than a figment of my imagination fueled by the desire to see these pretty,pretty people together in a non angsty way.

Author's Note: Thanks to my wunnerful beta, collie_lover for working so fast and efficiently. *hugs*

Previous chapters here

Light from the torch made strange, elongated shadows on the wall. Caspian tried not to shudder from the cold. The Kings’ quarters were relatively deeper underground from the rest and the only tunnel leading to it was narrow and tall. It would make a suitable place to make a last stand as it was easy to defend, but as there was no other way in and out, it could also easily be a fitting tomb for the Kings who slept in it.

He reached for the hilt of his sword involuntarily. ‘It would not come to that! Please don’t let it come to that.’ The thought of pale faces buried under a pile of stones and rubble brought a chill to his heart and it had nothing to do with the seeping cold coming from the underground caverns.

Caspian kept his pace at an even stride. He was proud of how calm he must have looked to any pair of eyes that might be watching him from the dark. He was a Prince in his own realm and the rightful heir of the Telmarine throne. He was not about to give in to foolish flights of fancy. There was no time for that. There was a war going on. He could not let the Kings and Queens of Old down. He never loosened the grip on his sword.

The tunnel led to a sharp turn before continuing further. The space became slightly bigger; the tunnel was now wide enough for two men to walk side by side but it did not get any taller. He could feel a slight breeze now that must come from an opening somewhere from the roof. He stopped to take a deep breath before moving on. The air tasted stale and musty, with only a hint of grass from the ground above him. He can’t wait to get out of this place.

A short distance later and he could hear the swift murmurs of human voices. Even with the walls of the caves reverberating any sound made within them, it was hard to distinguish what was being said. Suddenly the voices stopped.

“Who is it?” Peter’s voice rang loud and clear.

‘Perhaps this was not such a good idea after all. They must have a great deal to talk about.’ Caspian began to doubt his initial decision to come down here but it was too late to turn back now.

“It is I, Caspian,” he stepped forward through the opening to reveal himself. His eyes briefly scanned his surroundings before settling on a pile of blankets in the corner. A single makeshift bed was there. He did not find it out of the ordinary. After all, the two men in the room were brothers.

“What are you doing here?” One of the ‘men’ asked.

Caspian turned to face him. Edmund looked older than his years at that moment. His face was grim and his body taut with tension. He must be worried over the fact that in less than an hour his brother would be fighting in a duel to the death with a hardened, not to mention older, Telmarine warrior. Those dark eyes stared right through him.

No matter how old these two facing him were in the world they come from, here they were men. Old souls with knowledge and experience far surpassing his own, and he was glad of their presence. With their help, he might have a chance to win.

“Prince Caspian? What are you doing here?” Peter repeated the question.

“Ah, yes,” Caspian stammered. “I wanted to see if you needed a hand. With the preparations, I mean.”

“We’re fine, thanks,” Edmund spoke tersely.

“It’s alright, Ed,” Peter smiled and placed a hand on Edmund’s shoulder. “Why don’t you go check on the girls and I’ll see you in a bit?”

There was a long silence as the two brothers simply stood there staring at each other, saying what could not be said through unspoken words. Edmund broke the contact first and turned to look at Caspian.

“I’m sure you two have some last minute details to discuss, I’ll just leave you to it then.”

If Edmund seemed a little bitter as he said it, Caspian hardly heard it over the pounding of his heart as Peter looked at him like that. If Edmund bumped into him a little harder than was necessary as he was leaving, Caspian hardly felt a thing. Peter stepped closer to him with a knowing look in his eyes and the beginning of a smile on his lips.

“Would you like to help me dress?”

“Wha… I mean, yes, of course.” Caspian cursed himself for being ten different kinds of fool. He was simply going to help another man put on his armour. There was nothing sensual about that at all.

Except that being this close to anyone has never caused him to break out into a cold sweat. As Peter pulled his chain mail on, Caspian grabbed the nearest piece of armor and walked closer.

Peter held out his hands so Caspian could have full access to his body. He looked at Caspian expectantly.

Caspian took a deep breath and thought to himself that perhaps casual was the best way to go.

“Everything is going according to plan, “Caspian began.

“That’s good to know.”

“We came up with a good plan. Miraz will not be expecting this.” Caspian bent closer to tighten the fastenings on the armour. He breathed in deeply the scent of leather, sweat and Peter. This was as close as he would get to the blond and he was ready to accept that. There was no reason for him not to enjoy this moment while it lasted.

They both remained silent as Caspian proceeded to place each piece with care. It was almost like a sacred ritual of worship and he secretly relished the thought.

Once he was done, Caspian took a few steps back to view the High King in full battle armour.

Crimson, silver and gold. He looked exactly as Caspian had first imagined he would. The man standing in front of him was made of legends. How could he ever hope to be more than a loyal subject in his rule?

“Is it that bad?”

“Huh?” Caspian managed to reply.

“You looked so serious just now. Do I really look that bad?”

Caspian wondered if he had accidentally knocked Peter on the head with a piece of metal. Was the High King making a… joke?

“Do I look fat? Does my bum look big in this?” Peter persisted.

Caspian missed the mischievous glint in the blond’s eyes and tried to find a way to reassure the High King that his derriere, or any other body part, did not look out of place at all. As a matter of fact, he looked a little too good in them. Even with the bulk of the armour on him, he still managed to appear lean, and at the same time muscular. If the few stolen glances he had of Peter in his bath are all he had to go by, he would say that the blond had no cause to worry whatsoever.

“Your silence is very reassuring, Prince.”

“No, of course not, Your Majesty, “Caspian blurted in a moment of panic. “I assure you that you do not look, erm, unseemly at all!”

The High King burst out laughing. Caspian was stunned at first, but began to laugh as well. Their laughter echoed throughout the cave and could probably be heard all the way to the main caves. Caspian didn’t care. It was good to laugh. Has it only been a week since his life got so complicated?

“It’s going to be alright, you know,” Peter was still smiling but his voice was more sombre now. His eyes remained warm, though.

Caspian had never seen Peter like this. He seemed nearly care free. He felt like he was being pulled in by the magnetic force, like he'd read in his Professor’s books. It was almost a physical pain not to pull the other man into his arms and breathe him in.

“I won’t kill him if I don’t have to,” Peter reassured him.

“My uncle deserves to die for what he did to my father. I only wish it was I that could deliver his death to him.” The pain of his uncle’s betrayal should be causing him to pull out his sword and swear the many ways the traitor should pay for his crimes, but strangely, under the hypnotic blue eyes of King Peter, it did not seem that significant anymore. Miraz would pay for what he did, one way or another. It did not lessen the pain but he knew that everything would be alright. His King told him so, therefore it must be true.

“I didn’t mean to deny you your rights to have justice served on your uncle. It was just that the council thought that Miraz would be more likely to accept a challenge from a king, especially since he considers himself one.”

“I know,” Caspian said simply.

He had not been so accepting when the idea was brought forward during the meeting. He felt that the right to end Miraz’s life should be his alone. It was not that he could not understand the logic behind it; he just could not bear to relinquish the task to anyone else. Strange that he should feel so differently now.

“It will all be over soon.”

Peter looked so sad as he said it. Those clear blue eyes looked at him invitingly… expectantly.

He should’ve said something. He wanted to ask if he had the High King’s permission to pursue this. He just couldn’t find the words to say it.

The moment passed. Peter picked up his helmet and walked towards the opening of the cave.

“It’s time to go. Everyone is waiting for us.”

“Yes, they are.”

* * *