Peter had become restless. He didn’t like just sitting around in Thuron while they still had a quest to finish. If they didn’t leave Thuron soon, Peter would probably drag all of them into The Bowen to get to Dueglestein.
Despite their last attempt, Peter still had hoped to get to Dueglestein without a problem his optimism becoming frowned upon by his other friends.
“How can you be so sure we can make it?” Richard asked, “Last time we tried to get to Dueglestein Helen got captured.”
“I know that,” Peter answered, “But I’m sure if we take a different route we can make it.”
“It is heavily guarded,” Adalene argued, “Ze Dueglesteiners do not vant you to come zere free.”
“Well, on the bright side The Bowen’s almost finished,” Peter said back, still trying to find the light within the dark clouds of their situation.
“It’ll be useless if we blow another hole in it,” Ruby shot back. Even though she was his sister, Ruby could be…tough at times. She was always condescending, constantly finding fights within the group that didn’t need to be there.
She reminded Peter of Richard when he first joined the group, except Richard was getting better and seemed humbled from his experience with the Dueglesteinish cannon.
“And who asked your opinion?” Alice asked, “Remember you wanted to come with us, you can leave anytime you want if it’s becoming too dangerous for you,”
Ruby jut out her chin, crossing her arms in disapproval. “I came here to protect my baby brother,” she argued, “Not to see him send himself on a suicide mission!”
“I don’t need a parent right now,” Peter muttered, “I need to stop sitting around! It’s driving me crazy just resting while we are on a deadline! It’s already the middle of July and we still haven’t made it to Dueglestein! And we still have to get over some mountains and through the entire country of Dueglestein without being captured by Dueglesteiners, which mind you, we’re headed into a country full of them! If I spend another day in Thuron, I will swim away from this country myself!”
Alice looked somewhat hurt from Peter talking bad about her country, but Peter had meant it. He didn’t like just sitting here when there still was work to be done. Everybody just seemed to want to avoid the problem as much as possible.
He understood that a little, but if there was one thing he got from his father, it was stubbornness. And Peter would be as stubborn as he wanted until they made it to Dueglestein.
…
That night, Peter thought he heard someone cry out. Since he had not been sleeping, and he figured he couldn’t fall asleep until he investigated the sound, Peter rose out of bed and carefully made his way out of his room.
Richard’s and Helen’s rooms were across the hall from him, and when he put an ear up to their doors he heard nothing. Moving to the room next to his, he put an ear up to Alice’s door. At first, he heard nothing, but when he was about to move away from the room, he heard a faint sound, like a hushed voice.
Knocking softly on the door, Peter called Alice’s name quietly.
Nobody answered, but the mumbling continued.
Concerned, Peter slowly opened the door, walking inside the room.
It was dark except for the soft light of a single lit candle on the far side of the room, but he saw Alice’s form tossing and turning in bed, mumbling incoherent words.
Peter made his way over to her bed, wondering what she was saying.
“I don’t know…” she whispered, “I don’t know…where they are…please…don’t…I don’t know…”
“Alice?” Peter called softly, but she seemed not to hear him.
Coming closer, Peter saw tears streaming down her face, and her breathing quickened in panic.
“No!” she softly cried out, “Please…I swear I don’t know…don’t hurt me…”
“Ally, it’s me,” Peter said, carefully touching Alice’s arm in an attempt to calm her. She ignored his touch, continuing to plead with somebody who wasn’t there.
“Please…I don’t know…” Alice whimpered softly, “And…even if I did…I wouldn’t…tell you…”
“Shh, shh,” Peter comforted, sitting on Alice’s bed and pulling her body close to his. “It’s okay, Ally, It’s me, Peter.”
This time, it seemed, Alice had heard Peter.
“Peter…” she whispered softly, the tears still making tracks along her cheeks, “Peter…made a deal with you…”
Peter stared at the wall, realizing who she was talking to in her nightmare.
Boromir.
Of course, he thought, Alice had told them only days ago of some of the horrors she’d endured while being interrogated by Boromir.
Peter knew he’d threatened Alice, but he didn’t know to what extent. It was obviously horrible if she was having nightmares about the experience weeks after it.
Alice began to panic again, saying “Please…please don’t do that…I told you I didn’t know…”
“Shh, it’s alright, Alice. I’m right here. You’re not with him. Everything will be fine,” Peter whispered once again, rocking Alice back and forth next to him, trying to calm her down like a mother would a baby.
Alice shivered, her body shaking with fear. Peter knew he had to help her, concerned by how bad the nightmare must be.
Even though it was painful to do, especially because of the memories it brought back, Peter knew he had to help Alice break out of her nightmare and to comfort her because of the fear she was in right now.
So, even though he hated to do it, Peter sang the same lullaby his mother sang him the night he lost everything:
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“My darling, do not fear,
The sun never sets on the lake,
For even if I am not here,
Your joy will brighten the darkest day,”
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Peter already felt Alice’s body begin to relax, her incoherent mutterings slowing to a stop. So Peter began to sing the second verse:
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“And though the battle seems lost,
The hero always emerges heroic,
Their prize isn’t always gold,
But I know in my heart that you will win,”
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Alice’s breathing began to slow down to normal, and Peter felt her body become heavier as sleep began to claim her.
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“So now, as you see the beauty of the world,
Don’t let its vastness frighten you,
For nothing in this world,
Is as vast as my love for you,”
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As Peter finished the final verse, he felt Alice sleeping, feeling her snuggle her small body into his shoulder, snoring softly. Peter stared at the candle across the room, not bothering to fight the tears filling his eyes. He had not even thought of that lullaby in years, and now that he had sung it he felt the pain of the night he lost everything to come back to him in full force.
His mother couldn’t even finish singing that lullaby before the house began to burn, and she rushed Peter out of the house, onto Ajax’s back, and urged Ajax to fly away.
Ajax had obeyed, but Peter, stubborn as he was, made Ajax fly back a moment later. Peter threw open the doors of the roof, shouting for his mother to come back. But the flames rose up from the house and ate at him, Ajax catching him as he fell from the roof.
Peter had left the house with scars he could never get rid of, but the burns weren’t what hurt him as much as the loss of his parents was.
Looking down at Alice’s sleeping form, Peter vowed he would not lose anything like that ever again...
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