Sleep? What's that? - open

[Susan Pevensie]

Midnight had come and gone, and yet another day had begun. The castle was silent, as it ought to be at this time of night - or morning, depending on how one looked at it - considering that most of the castle was asleep. Only a few guards, such as those outside the rooms of the four Kings and Queens, were still up and about, yet none questioned the young woman who wandered about the castle, still in her daywear.

That was, of course, because the young lady was in fact Queen Susan, and she typically spent at least one night a week walking about the castle well past the time when most went to sleep. Tonight was no different from any of the other nights that she spent wandering about. But tonight, she had a destination in mind, instead of just a wander.

Now, Susan wasn't one to usually focus on such things, but she was really quite hungry, and for no apparent reason. Usually it was Peter or Edmund who were the ones stuffing their faces, but it wasn't like Susan didn't eat. She just didn't overeat. But now she was hungry, and so off to the kitchens she went, to go see if the cook had left any food out for some hungry soul.

Susan pushed open the wooden door to the kitchens and stepped inside, making sure to move quietly as to not disturb anyone. The room was bright; someone had left the fire going when they left. Now, to search for food. That is, as long as someone else hadn't already shown up and eaten it all...

[Edmund Pevensie]

It was well past midnight and Edmund had gotten not a wink of sleep. It wasn't for a lack of trying. He had been tossing and turning all night but nothing worked. Part of the reason was because everytime he came close to falling asleep, he would be transported back into the white Witch's dungeons. Instead of continuing chasing the elusive and much needed sleep, Edmund got up to read.

It was several minutes later that Edmund realized that his stomach was growling loudly. The young king sighed in frustration. The book was extremely interesting and helped distract him from his dreams so he was hesitant to leave the comfy confines of his room.

His stomach won over his mind in seconds and Edmund silently padded out of his room. He noded to his guards who nodded back, acknowledging his presence.

Sometime later, Edmund finally reached the kitchens. It was a quick walk since it was not the first time he made his way down for a snack in the middle of the night. He had taken several short cuts to reach the lower levels.

Before entering the kitchens, Edmund shivered slightly. He now regretted not having worn another layer before venturing out of his rooms. Too late now, he thought as he pushed the doors open.

Inside, Edmund was surprised to find his older sister seemingly searching for something -- food, of course.

[Susan Pevensie]

The cook had decided to be difficult. She'd have to talk to him about leaving food out at night for growing children. It really was necessary. Well, she could always cook something; she had done that at home all the time when she wanted to let their mother relax. As she reached down inside a cupboard for a plate, she paused, feeling a pang of homesickness. She really did miss mother and father. Who knew when she'd be able to see them both again? Eventually.

As she drew herself upright, it took all of her willpower to not drop the plate. "Edmund!" she gasped. "You shouldn't go sneaking up on people like that!" Now that Ed was there, she'd have to make him something, too. Oh well. It would be nice to get her cooking skills back up to par. Not that she was about to try anything particularly difficult; she didn't want to wake the castle.

Then she scrutinised Ed's appearance more closely. From the state of his hair, he'd probably been trying to sleep, but as usual his stomach called the shots. Boys, she sighed to herself. Nonetheless, she pulled out a second plate and returned to her search, but this time it was for ingredients.

[Edmund Pevensie]

Edmund grinned at Susan's reaction. He wasn't even being particularly quiet when he entred the kitchen. She must've been putting all of her attention on finding food.

Edmund raised an eyebrow when his sister took out another plate and continued searching. Did she not know where the food was stored? Well, that wasn't surprising. Susan didn't come down to the kitchens in the middle of the night all that often. She wouldn't know that one of the chefs (who proabably didn't know how much a growing boy needed to eat) made an extra effort of hiding the food so no sneaky little child would steal something while the whole castle was asleep.

At first, the chef had hid everything at a different location each night, but then decided to keep it all in the same place. It was in a cupboard that was well out of Edmund's reach. It was also locked.

The poor chef had thought that it would stop Edmund (and on occassion Peter) from taking the food. Obviously, the chef did not know how resourceful a young human desperate for food could be nor the extensive uses of opposable thumbs.

All Edmund had to do was climb on top of something and then pick the lock. He would take something out (never much though, he didn't want the chef to get suspicious) and lock the cupboard again. The next morning, the chef was non the wiser.

"Are you going to make something Su?" asked Edmund as he grabbed a stool and sat on it. It would be nice to eat something freshly cooked for a change instead of preprepared food. Or fruit. Or bread. Or cold meat.

[peterpevensie]

Naturally, Peter was up late at night, working on reading a report that had came from archenland. He had almost fallen asleep on his desk when a maid woke him out of an up-coming slumber. The high king rose and stuffed the report in a dawer where he would be able to find it again tomorrow. He glanced at the window, thinking, Su is going to kill me if she finds me staying up late at night again.

He slipped out of his study, only to notice that his stomach was grumbling. Peter had skipped dinner last night to work on a three page report. I'll sneak off into the kitchen, he thought, grining as he made his way through the hallway. He slipped through the door and into the shadows, grinning as he saw Edmund and Susan there.

"You two shouldn't be down here late at night," he said in a deep voice, jumping out from behind them, hoping at a chance to scare them. He looked at Susan. "Before you say anything: yes, I was staying up late again, working on a lovely report," he took a plate of food and began to devor it.

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[ellie]

There was a small startled shriek as Lucy 'rolled' out of her hiding spot. "Peter!" she half-whined. It was all going so wonderfully. You see, at night time when the youngest Pevensie couldn't find rest, she would await until it was dark, and her bedroom guard began to doze off. She would escape and find herself exploring the rebuilt Cair Paravel. In most aspects, it was the same as the palace she remembered from those years of ruling in the days of old. Yet, somehow, it had still managed to intrigue the girl, even though she was now technically a young adult, and no longer a child.

She had come down to the kitchens to admire the craftsmanship of the dwarves, and maybe even have an apple while she was there. After all, they'd planted the orchard in their previous reign, and a wonderful, magical orchard had sprung to life. They were the best, juiciest apples she'd ever tasted, in any lifetime. And somehow, the fruit just seemed to be getting better. It was a simple, classic taste, but Lucy liked it. How did that old saying go? An apple a day keeps the doctor at bay...? No, that couldn't be right! Oh well, she would remember it another time. Maybe.

It was then she heard the disguised footsteps she somehow knew belonged to her siblings. She hid, knowing they would scold her for being out of her room so late. Hmph, like they had right to talk. Who was sneaking snacks in the middle of the night when they should be in their bed? Not very proper for a King or Queen, to be snacking when they had feasted not long ago. This royal nonsense was making the girl's head turn inside out. She had to take lessons for everything all over again...what a bother. And just then, Peter had startled her, and she had blown her cover. She should know by now that it was only him... Some things never changed, apparently.

[Susan Pevensie]

Sending a sort of glower at Edmund, she picked up a stool and moved it closer to the many cabinets so that she could reach the highest ones. Why anyone would put a cupboard so high, she didn't know. But she had a feeling that was where the food was hidden. "Well Ed, I'm sure not going to trust your cooking," she noted as she climbed up on the stool and tried to work her way into the locked cupboard. A couple hairpins later, and the lock was open. What useful skills the guards had, and they were always willing to share those skills.

A few minutes later she had prepared a few sandwiches of different varieties. There had been some honey (clearly the Bulgy bears had not come recently), cold meat, and some left over vegetables, and so they were all put into what she hoped were adequate sandwiches. It had been quite some time since she'd last done any food preparation, and so had no idea if her skills had waned over those many years.

"There you go, Ed," she said, waving a hand at the sandwiches. There were more than two there, but she knew that her brothers always ate more than what one ought to expect. Also, if Ed had shown up, what was to stop anyone else from coming down hungry?

Mere moments after thinking that, she heard a deep voice from the doorway. Why did her brothers have to scare her so? It wasn't very nice. Su didn't go around sneaking up on people and scaring them; that would be much too mean. Then again, these were her brothers. It was to be expected of boys of their age. None the less, she gave Peter a bit of a glare. "It's none of my business what you do with your time, Peter," she pointed out. "But there is nothing you can do to stop me from coming out at night, so I suggest you stop complaining." Her tone was a bit reproachful, but she softened it with a smile.

Just to complete the party, it seemed, Lucy came tumbling out of her hiding spot. It seemed that Peter had startled her as well. "Hello Lu," she greeted, as if her sister had not just come out from what Su assumed was a hiding place. "Hungry?"

[peterpevensie]

Peter looked up from the plate to grin at Susan. His eyes twinkled with mischief, feeling like getting into an argument with her. "Susan's getting soft," he commented, tilting his head to one side. "Or is it so late at night that you don't let your anger show up completely?" he grinned wolfishly at his older sister.

He blinked at Lucy. He figured she would be up at this hour. "And how would I have known you were hiding there Lu?" he joked, reaching out one hand and ruffling up his younger sister's hair. He turned and, with a huge grin, did the same thing to Susan, only it was even more messier than Lucy's. It was clear that he loved trying to annoy Susan.

"Oh I think there is," Peter commented, turning back to Susan. "I can have a few guards posted by your door," he grinned hugely at that. "But you know I absolituy love you dear sister," he did love all three of his siblings. He looked from Edmund to Susan to Lucy and back again, wandering what would happen if either one of them gotten hurt.

Most likely go on a killing spree. Of all the things Peter loathed, it was his enemies attempt to use either one of the Pevensies against each other. It wasn't as if they had done it before. Peter didn't noticed the dangerous look that went past his eyes, which was turning icy.

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[Edmund Pevensie]

Edmund grinned at Susan as she teased him on his cooking skills. She really had no faith in his cooking, not that she had ever actually eaten anything he'd made. Edmund let the comment slide, much too intent on the sandwiches.

Just as he was about to reach for one, Peter revealed himself, interrupting Edmund's though on food. It wasn't a complete surprise to see Peter there. He came down to the kitchnes often enough.

Seeing nothing important happening, Edmund reached for the sandwich again, only to be interrupted by the arrival of Lucy. Now all four siblings were here. If that silly chef knew, he would have a heart attack and be afraid for his food.

Not seeing anything worth his full attention, Edmund reached for the sandwiches for a third time and successfully nabbed one. He immediately bit into it and felt that he should compliment Susan. The sandwich, though it was only a sandwich, was better than what the cooks made. He would have to tell her out of ear shot of the chefs though. And not now of course, he was eating. Much too busy for compliments.

Only paying have his attention to Peter's action and words, Edmund only knew enough that the older boy was teasing the girls. Edmund wasn't completely sure what his brother was talking about but felt that it was his duty as brother to agree. So, with his mouth full of food, he nodded in agreement with Peter when there was a pause in his speech and made a sound of agreement,"Mm-Hmm."

[ellie]

Lucy had grown, so it was a bit more difficult for her to do the things she used to, which preturbed her a bit, but not enough to really bother her. For long, anyway. These such activities encluded hiding and sneaking around. Before, she had been good at it, and was hands down the best out of all of her siblings when it came to playing hide-and-seek. But now, her spaces where she could conceal herself, were limited. "It's not my fault...I think i've grown a little bit more...see? Her siblings, even though of course being older, were much, much taller than her. She hated feeling this small and helpless. Maybe Peter's stubborness had rubbed off on her...

True, even though Lucy Pevensie was now an adolenscent, she hadn't even managed to reach over five feet tall. It was simple to say, she didn't feel much out of place among dwarves, and the other creatures who were a bit more...vetically challenged so to speak. She pulled herself to her feet, having no need to brush the dust from the dress she wore, as one might assume. That chef was sure obsessive about that kitchen of his. In any matter, she didn't have to worry about the food being unsanitary, or anything.

"Oh, only a little bit." she said softly, venturing for an apple instead. "But thank you, Susan." Her sister was decent enough at making food, actually she was quite good, but the youngest among them wasn't much in the mood for sandwhiches."Besides, I wouldn't want to deprive the carnivores." she added in a teasing voice, before taking a bite of juicy red apple.

Lucy couldn't help but roll her eyes. Peter had already once added gaurds to watch the outside of her door, and not the best, she might add. It was just another way to show his authority , she thought. High King, eldest brother...ecetera, ecetera. Frankly, she thought he was letting it get to his head a bit, but it wasn't too bad."Don't talk with your mouth full, Edmund!" she said with a laugh, and one of those cute little smiles of hers. Lucy couldn't help but think of her lessons with Ariadne on manners.

[Susan Pevensie]

Susan was pretty sure that Peter's head hadn't been this swollen when they had last ruled over Narnia, during the golden ages. He seemed to be acting very much the older brother (even though he was only a year older than Susan) and the title of High King was going to his head. Something would have to be fixed about that, and Susan was pretty sure that she would have to be the one doing the fixing. Oh well, she was the second eldest.

"Guards, Peter?" she asked, a smile on her lips. "How terrible." What Peter didn't know was that Susan was friends with many of the guards, particularly her bodyguards. They'd do anything she told them to, even above the High King's orders. And what would a guard do to stop any of them? Knock them out? The guards had sworn oaths not to cause pain, injury, or death to the four Kings and Queens, and to prevent such things from happening. There was nothing they could do to stop any of the four of them.

She did send her older brother a glare for messing up her hair. It wasn't so much that she was annoyed that her hair was now a mess, which she immediately set to fixing, but that the motion was extremely patronising. Not that she'd tell anyone that. She knew how her siblings thought her to be patronising, so she oughtn't say anything about it.

When Ed agreed, mouth full, and Lucy admonished him for it, Susan found herself grinning. What silly things they had all been forced to learn, table manners and court behaviour and all that annoying stuff. Dancing was about the only thing Susan enjoyed about the stuffy, great meetings they had with other nations. It was much more fun to just sneak about the castle, remember those easier times when they were children. No one could admonish them for immature behaviour, after all. They were royalty.