Narnia (movieverse) fic: "Freely Offered"

[bedlamsbard]

Title: Freely Offered
Author: bedlamsbard
Fandom: Chronicles of Narnia movieverse
Rating: R
Summary: They haven't even kissed yet. Peter/Caspian.
Disclaimer: The Chronicles of Naria and its characters, settings, situations, etc., belong to C.S. Lewis. Some characters, settings, situations, etc., belong to Walden Media.



"You've never done this before, have you?" Peter whispers against his neck.

"I -- I've slept with women," Caspian stutters, arching against his bonds as the High King's hands drift across his body.

Peter laughs, low and amused. "I'm not a woman," he says.

This is fast becoming clear. There's no softness of hips and breasts between them; the High King is all hard muscle and bone and danger, chest flat against Caspian's. Earlier, when Peter had turned to him in the darkness of the gardens and put his hand lightly on Caspian's hip -- so quick, so fleeting that it might have been nothing except accident -- Caspian had thought that the High King really didn't care, that this was nothing at all to him. That he could take it or leave it -- that he was unaffected. He'd thought so even as he led the High King through the familiar halls of the castle, up to his old room -- still his room, in truth; the High King is quartered in the long-unused king's chambers -- and continued to think so even as he let Peter undress him. Now he knows that Peter isn't, because the High King's breath is coming a little faster than when he'd knelt down to undo the knot of Caspian's belt, smiling up at him through lowered golden lashes, and his hands, so certain on a sword, are losing some of their precision.

They haven't even kissed yet.

It's Caspian's swordbelt binding him to the bedstead -- the question little more than an arched eyebrow on Peter's part and Caspian's nod -- and Peter's hands on him, teeth scraping lightly down his chest and pausing at a nipple. Caspian shudders again, gasping a curse.

"Shh," Peter murmurs, the syllable buzzing against his skin.

He has no idea what makes him say, "What if I don't want to be?"

Peter laughs again and Caspian raises his head so that he can see the High King's face. It's the first good look he's had, and even now the High King is painted in shadows; there's only one candle burning, shuttered away inside the patterned metal of a dark-lantern. Caspian can see that Peter's face is flushed, his eyes dark with desire. I did that, he thinks wonderingly as Peter grins like the boy he appears to be.

"I could always make it an order," he suggests.

"You are no king of mine," Caspian says, but the words don't quite come out the way he wants them to.

"Oh," Peter says, teeth very white in his smile, "but you swore an oath."

He did. "I swear my life and my allegiance to Narnia, today and for all eternity. With the willful spilling of my blood, I so swear, and may Aslan strike me dead if I should act against this land," Caspian recites. "My oath is threefold: first to Narnia, then to Aslan, and last to the High King over all Kings of Narnia. On this oath I swear that I bind myself to Narnia and to the High King; should my allegiance ever once stray, may Narnia itself repudiate me and cast me out, never again to set foot within its borders." It's not all of the oath, but it's the relevant part.

Softly, Peter says, "By Earth, I bind myself to Narnia. By Sky, I bind myself to Narnia. By Flame, I bind myself to Narnia. By Water, I bind myself to Narnia. A life freely offered: a life freely given. For the blood and bone of the High King is the blood and bone of Narnia; the flesh of the High King and the flesh of Narnia are one and the same, never to be cleft in twain. To this end I offer up my sword, my life, and my heart: may Narnia herself strike me down if I should act against her. So I swear: by Earth, by Sky, by Flame, by Water, by my life willingly forfeit for Narnia's." He puts his head down on Caspian's chest, breathing quickly and shallowly. "My oath," he adds at last, unncessary.

Caspian is silent; this is unexpected.

Peter leans up and presses his lips lightly to the corner of his mouth. "So young," he says, "so certain. And if I ask, will you answer?"

"Yes," Caspian says, surprised to hear the word slip free of his lips. He has not thought of it at all.

"Then I promise likewise," the High King says. He takes Caspian's chin in his strong grip and meets his eyes. "Should you or yours call upon me in the name of Narnia, then I will always answer. I swear it by my oath. Freely offered: freely given."

"Yes," Caspian repeats. The High King doesn't look at all like a boy now; he looks ageless, neither young nor old. He looks like a fairytale made flesh.

And then something shifts, and it's not the High King at all, but Peter of Narnia, fingers light and certain on Caspian's skin. He tilts Caspian's face up and kisses him, and Caspian strains against his bonds and hooks his feet around the backs of Peter's legs, pulling him down.

"Oh?" Peter says archly, pulling away, and then he grins and kisses his way down Caspian's chest, and then he says nothing at all for some time.

Comments

[ineptshieldmaid.livejournal.com]

*shakes head* I'm starting to run out of praise, you know. You'll have to stop being so awesome, or I won't have anything left to say at all.

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

Aw, high praise. Thank you very much!

[realpestilence.livejournal.com]

That reads like the Threefold Oath I've read in some Celtic-style fantasy. May the sea rise against me, may the earth swallow me...can't remember it all, exactly. But it sounds very true to Narnia.

I like the playfulness turning serious, then back again.

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

Oh huh. I haven't read any Celtic-style fantasy in a long time; my influence here was, uh, Celtic-stytle-fantasy-influenced. I shall have to look it up!

[realpestilence.livejournal.com]

The one I'm thinking of specifically is an Arthurian trilogy by Gillian Bradshaw. Hawk of May, Kingdom of Summer, and In Winter's Shadow...the first is from Gwalchmai's pov (Gawain); the second from a young man who becomes his squire; and the third is from Guenevere's pov. I think the Threefold Oath is in the first one. I can't find my copy right now, OF COURSE, or I'd look it up.

If you can find them, they're worth reading for their own sake. :)

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

They sound vaguely familiar, but I don't think I've read them. I will try looking them up.

[questofdreams.livejournal.com]

Oh my... that was rather breathtaking <3333 The playfulness and then the oaths and the knowledge that maybe it isn't all just passing fancy or whatever... it was so lovely and your writing is always a joy to read ^_^

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much!

[swift-tales.livejournal.com]

This is wonderful. They fit so very much in this story, and they are more together then when they are apart and everything is so gorgeous. And their oaths, all the different layers between their loyalty and their love and their devoation, not only for each other but for something greater then all of them, Narnia, but still so much a part of them and formed by them and simply... *sigh* There are no words ^^

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much! When it comes down to it, I think everything is about Narnia herself; something they all revolve around and live and die for.

[lishalisha18.livejournal.com]

that was great. love reading it. the speeching was wonderful.

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much!

[xxlucyferxx.livejournal.com]

I can't think of any words to express how beautiful this piece was. Exquisitely evocative, perfect pacing, and the idea of their being connected to Narnia in such a tangible way really made sense to me. The vows were...wow. I know, I'm not very eloquent. But I loved this.

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much!

[cupiscent.livejournal.com]

WHEEEEE PORN. And what I like best about this is that in the middle of the hot boy porn, you slip in Peter/Narnia porn. YES I SAW WHAT YOU DID THERE. Shameless, you are. ;)

I also love that I bind myself to Narnia and to the High King just sounds so inappropriate in this context. WIN.

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

I DID NOT DO IT ON PURPOSE. Narnia's a red-blooded woman, she needs a little loving, and if she gets Peter and Caspian and Edmund and wants to be the filler in a Peter/Caspian sandwich, I'm not going to say no.

...I did not just type that, did I?

I also love that I bind myself to Narnia and to the High King just sounds so inappropriate in this context. WIN.

OH MY GOD. *facepalm*

[cupiscent.livejournal.com]

...I did not just type that, did I?
YOU DID! I HAVE WITNESSES!

(And capslock, apparently.)

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

I, um, OTP? Clearly at this point I've broken my own brain.

(Hi, at least you did not see the story where I wrote actual Peter/Narnia. They have a mental connection! It was very sweet! I am clearly mental at this point.)