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[bedlamsbard]

...dude, I'm not even going to ask how Edmund knows how to read tarot cards. (Narnian tarot cards at that, and he's not even reading from a tarot deck, just a regular deck of cards. Anyone on my flist read tarot cards?)

Comments

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

Remember that time he was out with a gypsy troop juggling knives to sneak into Telmar? This is apparently when he learned how to read tarot cards, and Peter? Peter doesn't want his cards read at all.

[realpestilence.livejournal.com]

Ah, I can see that. And no, I'm sure Peter *doesn't* want them read-if he believes in the power of the cards, he might be afraid to find out things about himself/his past that he still hasn't remembered, as well as his future; and if he doesn't believe in the power of the cards, he might just be afraid of whatever withering or too-sharp insights into him that Edmund will unleash. Or both.

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

There's a bit of it up above, where I threw the actual tarot scene at reni_m.

This is me trying to figure out what's going on during "Old Timber" that Caspian's not seeing; apparently, it's Edmund trying to figure out just how much Peter remembers or doesn't remember post-losing his memory. It's kind of an interesting parallel to Edmund demanding to know (way earlier, back to the faked betrayal) why Peter can't just trust him; this time, it's Peter demanding to know why Edmund can't just believe him.

And Edmund grinds his teeth and thinks to himself, Peter never used to be this good a liar.

[realpestilence.livejournal.com]

Because Edmund *knows* Peter that well...? Because he hates being shut out of a part of his brother's life, even if Peter couldn't help it? The trust issue, which in Peter's case might be more "why can't you just *leave it alone*-we can't fix it?", rather than "believe me".

Because I think Edmund's right-if the Natarene's made enough of an impression on Peter, whatever/however/whyever, that after 15 years of belonging to Narnia and only one year of belonging to *them*, he's still showing quirks of habits picked up...then something's off.

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

*nods* Little bit of everything. And, well, they're going to war, but this is the first time Peter's been fighting for Narnia since they got him back from Natare. Is he really all there? Can they trust him not to freak, or to make the right decisions? (At least that's the excuse Edmund's saying to Peter's face; while it might be part of it, I highly doubt it's the real reason.)

For a long moment Edmund doesn't answer, studying his brother's face. It's the same it's always been -- except for the new scars, the ones he didn't see Peter get. The ones Peter didn't get, but Breakneck did. "You don't remember, do you?" he asks at last.

Peter's jaw works silently, then he says, "You'll have to be more specific."

Edmund doesn't have to be; that's all the answer he needs. They'd all thought so -- but they hadn't known, not for sure. This is the closest thing to a confession they're likely to get from Peter, because he's good at pretending, better than they'd ever thought he was or could be. Before -- and now there's just "before" and "after" -- Edmund would never have guessed that Peter could lie the way he's been lying to them the past seven months. He's not sure even he could keep up a disguise for that long.

The words hang in the air between them. Edmund watches the heat rise to Peter's cheeks, but his brother doesn't look away. It's Edmund who does that at last, the faint blush of shame coloring his conviction that knowing the truth is absolutely, positively necessary. Forcing Peter to admit his weaknesses isn't something he's comfortable doing, but it's something he has to do. They need to know if the High King they're entertaining is Peter of Narnia -- or Breakneck the Natarene merc wearing a mask.

And some days, a quirk is just a quirk. But if not...

[realpestilence.livejournal.com]

How long has Peter been bound to Narnia & Edmund, at this point? I'm wondering...it might have been a relief to be ALONE in his head and hard to get used to the earth-tie again.

It's a very valid question, all other issues aside-can they trust him in battle, much less signing documents,etc?

I like the way Edmund's "not sure even he could keep up a disguise for that long" & the way your Peter blushes when flirted with or embarrassed. Edmund's composure and quiet nature is such that he *would* be good at disguise, while Peter's so very much more in-your-face with his emotions, you'd never have to guess at them...doubly disturbing, then, when Edmund loses it or when Peter manages to be so discreet. *ponders*

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

This is the Belgarine War, so per "The White City" this is nine years in. Peter's had a low-level awareness of Narnia since he was originally bound, but she's only really been consciously interacting with him since the ritual, which is four years in (or three, or two. goddamnit). Peter went missing in year six or seven; he was missing for somewhere around a year, year and a half, and at this point, he's been back in Narnia for seven months. Make of that tangled mess what you will. *waves hands* Although one must remember that Narnia probably messed with Peter's head to make him more amenable to the earth-bond; I'm almost certain he wasn't as comfortable with it before he went missing as he was after he came back, which has got to freak the others out, because if anything was expected to make a still amnesia-ed up High King -- hell, a high strung mercenary; never mind the High King part -- freak, it would have been the part where he had a talking country in his head. And yet -- nothing.

Peter slams his fist down on the table, making the cards jump and scatter. "Gods damn it, Ed!" he snarls. "I know who the hell I am. It's been seven months, seven months of you and the girls treating me like glass, seven months of all Cair Paravel tiptoeing around me and trying to abuse the privilege of having the High King back on his throne. What the hell does it take, little brother, interpretive dance? Or would that have the opposite effect, because I might use a Natarene step, and where would Narnia be then? I was there for more than a a year; I'm not going to go back to being who I used to be just because I remember who that is. Things change. Would it help if I sent out heralds proclaiming that fact?"

(Okay, that was the last quote. But.)

...now I want Edmund to lose his temper. Huh. Must do that sometime.

[realpestilence.livejournal.com]

Well, has Peter given any thought to the fact that Edmund and the girls have lost their brother and friend, not just the High King? They miss him...and as Peter says, he's not changing back to who he was, and they're trying to get to know a stranger. A stranger who doesn't talk to them or trust them like their brother did. :(


Plus, Edmund's got to be bothered by it on a deeper level, because he's used to getting some kind of feedback from the Peter/Narnia link and who he's getting in his head now is very different from what he's used to. It's like having a stranger in *his* head, almost, and one he's lucky enough to *always know where he is*, so he can keep an eye on him-which is the kind of thing *his* Peter would have understood and *wanted* him to do! All the reasons that made Peter and Edmund the closest are reasons why it's so hard on Edmund to let it go, now. *glares, misses his big brother*

Maybe. *raises brow*


You know that bit you did about Narnia possessing Edmund for sex with the newly recovered Peter? I meant to comment on that and didn't get to it. Do you know where it is, by any chance?

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

Here (http://bedlamsbard.livejournal.com/278047.html?thread=1712671#t1712671).

I'm sure he hasn't, because this is Peter we're talking about here. (Hey, just for kicks: when Edmund brought Peter back to the Narnian camp, he didn't recognize either Susan or Lucy (both of whom were there). They? Were not happy, and Lucy was in tears afterwards.)

Everyone wants to go back to the way things were, but they can't. And it's not just getting to know each other all over again -- Susan's been ruling the country, Edmund's been running the army, they've all been running around doing the things that Peter usually does. And Peter comes back and expects to take over again. (And do we think he even bothers with a "thanks"? No, I think we know better.)

Mmm, yes, and I bet Edmund's not even realizing half of that, why he's so restless all the time, why he's been having trouble sleeping. And he's probably not comfortable leaving Peter alone in Cair Paravel -- or at all. Which is going to piss Peter off.

This is all such a recipe for disaster.

(Yeah, nobody's going to be happy when Peter goes missing from Lasci in a few years.)