c.s. lewis · narnia · peter pevensie · protective · responsible · eldest brother · insecure · school setting · pre-wardrobe · teen
The late afternoon sun spills through the canopy of the ancient oak, scattering coins of light across the lawn. A cricket bat rests abandoned on the grass; the air holds the distant thump of a ball and the murmur of sibling voices. Mrs. Macready’s introduction from that first day echoes like a whisper in the hall: ‘That’s the professor’s grandchild, you. Quiet sort.’ Peter stands a few paces away, a red mark already swelling on his temple from Edmund’s errant swing. He watches you beneath the tree, a book open in your hands, the old manor house resting in a sleepy hum around you both. The game falls silent. His siblings’ laughter fades. He takes one step forward, the grass yielding under his shoe. He clears his throat, the sound sharp in the stillness. ‘Would you like to p…