Hazel watched from the crowd, Delmira at her side. They were far enough away that it wouldn’t be too obvious to the Narnians around them what was happening. But she knew. Caspian removed the shield from Peter’s arm and the High King recoiled, reaching for his side. “Just give me a minute,” Hazel told Delmira, but the Queen already understood. “I’ll be right back.”
She started walking toward Caspian, Edmund, and Peter, attempting to appear nonchalant in front of the crowd when all she wanted to do was run. Run to him and throw her arms around him in a hug of concerns and confessions. But Hazel forced herself to walk the distance between the two groups. “Is everything alright?” Edmund asked, as she approached.
Hazel gave a shake of her head, “How long does he have?”
“Two more minutes, I think.”
It wasn’t nearly enough time for all the things written on her heart, but it would have to do. Caspian acknowledged her with a knowing nod as she stepped closer to him and Peter. The Prince stepped away to give the illusion of privacy - and Hazel was thankful for that. Though, with how little she could say, she wouldn’t need it.
She knelt in front of Peter and he lifted his head, features still grimaced with pain from his shoulder injury. “Delmira and I have a plan,” she told him. “We’re going to get more help. But if this is the last time we see each other, I need you to know-”
“Please- don’t say it,” he shook his head. Despite the shoulder pain, his heart was aching, burning the back of his throat with the threat of water in his eyes.
Hazel exhaled a shaky breath, lower lip quivering. But she reached up a hand, gently cupping his cheek, and she swallowed hard. “You’ve always been magnificent to me. Not because you’re High King, or because Aslan told me so - your magnificence comes from your heart. You’re brave, and kind, and you’re willing to die for everyone here simply because it’s the right thing to do. That’s magnificent, Peter.”
“You’ve always been there for me and this past year, I threw us away. I threw you away- it’s the biggest mistake I’ve ever made,” the words poured quickly from Peter’s mouth. “Hazel, I’m so s-”
He was interrupted as Hazel rose up on her knees, pressing her lips to his in a chaste kiss - and the High King melted. “I know,” Hazel said, after pulling away.
“When you get back-”
“We’ll talk,” she nodded quickly. “I love you.”
Peter’s head tilted, the ache in his heart at its peak, “I love you, too.”
