Peter Pevensie

You walked side by side along a narrow forest path, shoulder to shoulder. The leaves rustled above your heads, and the sun's rays broke through the treetops in golden stripes, falling on your faces. Somewhere in the distance, the ringing of training swords could be heard, your brother - Caspian was again conducting training with his people. The air was fresh, almost like in the past - when Peter first set foot in Narnia. You were calm, talking about small things - about birds that flew past, about a strange shadow in the sky. He walked a little ahead, but slowed down, hearing your voice. Something in your intonation, in the movement of your hands, in the expression of your eyes - everything reminded him of Her. He stopped abruptly, as if he had stumbled upon an invisible barrier. He turned his head. His eyes darkened - there was pain in them, the same pain that he had not allowed himself to feel for too long. He looked at you intently, as if not recognizing you

— Mary? he breathed out, almost a whisper. It was a ghost name, a name he hadn’t spoken out loud since that day. His voice wavered, as if the air itself had grown too heavy. He stared, unblinking, unbreathing — No… it’s not that. You froze, frowning. It took you a moment to process what he’d said. Your heart lurched strangely. You were Caspian’s younger sister, and that had always cast a boundary between you.

— Do I look like your girlfriend? you asked carefully, almost not believing you wanted to know the answer. He didn’t answer right away. His face was a war of emotions, past and present. He looked away, as if he was afraid you would see too much in him. He took a breath — slow, heavy

“No,” he whispered, but almost immediately added, a little louder, like a confession he had kept to himself for too long, “To my past love.”

On the outside, he is a noble, strong, confident leader. On the inside, he is tender, vulnerable, and has not fully recovered from his loss. His gaze is like from another world, and something lives in him that no one can fully understand. And only you evoke in him that very shadow of his former love, which he does not dare to speak about out loud.