Peter stared at the crossbow. It was unlike any weapon he had ever seen. 

Delicate carvings decorated the wooden bow. The front where the arrow would fly, came in the form of a lion's head, it's mouth open wide, teeth bared and fire seemed to burn in its eyes. Underneath the body of the weapon was a collection of feathered arrows held safely in a compartment.

"No doubt this was made in Narnia." Breathed Peter as he gently took hold of the masterpiece.

"It was King Gale's gift from Aslan." Spoke Governor Longrain softly.

Peter looked up from the weapon and asked,

"If I may ask, why have you not used it yourselves?"

"None but a true Narnian king may wield it, or so says the tales of old." Answered Reginus.

"Myths and nonsense!" Grumbled Samuel from where he sat on the floor.

Peter turned to the old man and frowned.

"You do not believe in Aslan." His statement was more fact than question.

"I've never seen no talking lion and I ain't ever gonna, cuz there ain't no such thing."

"Clearly never heard of good grammar either." Muttered the Governor.

Peter ignored the remark and focused on the old man.

"Why are you like this? What misfortune has befallen you?"

Samuel now glared at the king.

"Misfortune? Look around! My town is burnt to the ground and my family is dead! I'm all alone in this terrible world and now some pretend king is going to save us all with nothing but a crossbow."

Peter forced himself to remain calm. The man was only looking to argue.

"I deeply regret your loss but-"

"But what?! You gonna wave around the name of Aslan and bring them all back?! This was supposed to be the best Christmas my family ever had. Now it's all gone."

Peter turned away from Samuel. It pained him to see one in so much pain that anger was the only emotion to give.

The Governor, who had taken in the conversation, laid a hand on Peter's shoulder.

"Let's leave him. We need to discuss a plan of action."

☆☆☆☆

That night, King Peter was found in a corner of the cellar. Crossbow in his hand, he was waiting. It had been decided earlier that the plan would be to wait for the dragon to show his face.

"The creature will show tonight, as
that seems to be when he likes to eat."

Reginus had said this during their small meeting. It had sent chills up the Narnian king's back but he had not shown it.

Peter now looked about the cellar and for the first time really saw the families. Mothers rocked their children and sang to them. Fathers kept a protective eye on their families and talked in small groups as to what  they should do.

Not far from Peter, sat a family of three. A mother, and her two children. They were talking to each other and every so often the children would laugh. Peter thought this peculiar, due to their current conditions.

He must had been watching them longer than he intended for the little boy looked over and smiled.

"Come play with us!"

The mother turned to face Peter. She tousled her son's blonde hair and smiled.

"My son, Luke. Would you care to join us your majesty?"

Peter was taken back by the kind offer but stood and took a seat beside Luke.

"My name is Martha and my daughter is Lily." Said the mother.

Lily looked up and beamed at the king. Though her face was clean, her clothes were thick with dirt and ash. Peter returned the smile.

"We are playing a Christmas game!" Lily exclaimed.

Martha nodded and explained further.

"We are telling what sort of Christmas gifts we should like to give to each other."

Looking to Luke she laughed.

"Some of the gifts are sillier than others." She finished.

Peter was amused at the game but thought it would certainly pass the time.

"You give a gift!" The little girl exclaimed as she tugged on Peter's arm.

"Alright." Smiled the king. "To you, I should like to give a dress made of emeralds."

Lily gasped and the look of pure joy on her face warmed the chill of the cellar.

"My turn!" Shouted Luke. "I want to give the king a pair of shoes that sing every time he puts them on!"

Peter laughed. Singing shoes indeed.

The game continued on. Each gift was a treasure, no matter how unrealistic. Peter finally asked a question that had been on his heart.

"Tell me, my friends, how is it you keep Christmas so close in such an unfortunate time?"

Martha returned with a quick answer. "My children need a Christmas.

"During dragon fire and ruin?" Asked Peter genuinely curious.

"I can think of no better time than this, to keep the joy of Christmas alive."

Peter thought on these words. How this family, who had been through such desolation and could still keep the Christmas spirit alive, was something to awe. It was then that his own words came back and it stung.

"Because things happen and Christmas can not undo them."

Peter now understood that he had no reason to have this attitude. This family had lost their homes, he and his family had a castle. They had been terrorized by a dragon, he had only endured the cold on board the Splendor Hyaline. These "gifts" they gave were all they had. Yet the High King had declined the offer to decorate Cair Parevel with his siblings. He felt such a sudden burst of shame and guilt that it pained him. Why, he was almost as bad as Samuel.

"What have I done?" He said with such lamentation.

"Your majesty? Are you alright?" Asked Martha with concern.

Peter was not able to answer, even if he could have. For you see at that very moment-

Reginus, who had taken to watching and listening by the cellar doors, rushed to the king,

"The dragon is coming!" He urgently exclaimed.

Indeed, overhead the wind howled and a sound, much like thunder clapped. A loud and piercing roar filled the air. Yes, the dragon had come.

Peter wasted no time. Grabbing the prized weapon of old, he bid farewell  to the family he had come to cherish, and raced outside into the smoky air.

A/N

This is moving right along! Hope you all liked the more sentimental stuff. There are usually only 6 chapters per part and I'm going to try to squeeze everything into the next and last chapter for Peter's part. Comments are deeply appreciated!  :)