I can safely say that Bonds is my most popular story on fanfiction.net, as well as one of my favorites(I think my personal favorite would be To Build a Heaven). It's probably my longest short story, and one that I had so much fun writing one particularly wet, cold day over Christmas break last year.
The inspiration hit me as I was reading through my list of lyrics, and the line "Deliver us from these prisons" from the song "Your Love is Strong" by Jon Foreman. The song has absolutely nothing to do with the story plot, but I loved the line and my mind jumped to Pevensie brothers + prisons= potential for great fan fiction.
The first part of the story is my least favorite part. One, it basically just sets the scene and gives the entire plot a reason. It's entirely a plot device and was actually the last part I wrote. I tried to give the characters( the bartender) a few nice entertaining quirks, but on the whole, rather unlike Edmund, I just wanted to leave the pub.
The true story, to me, starts when Edmund and Peter begin talking. I really do enjoy the banter I put in at the beginning, it seems a very "them" thing to do, but I believe my favorite part of the story is when the atmosphere changes with a simple line of Edmund's, followed by a response from Peter.
Peter smiled sadly, understanding the deeper meaning behind the words.
“I know, I know, Peter,” Edmund said softly, “You could always fight your own battles.”
Peter stopped walking suddenly, looking down at the bleak and cold concrete street. “I was worried.” He said.
With that, the entire story shifts from "bonds" to "Bond" for me- the brother's amazing, close bond. Because after a lifetime of living and almost dying together, the bonds they have are parallel to none other.
And Peter is right- Edmund has seen too many prisons in his short lifetime, and they do haunt him. Some of them have been physical, like being a captive of the White Witch, while others are much harder to find.
This story is also the story where I first introduced the lines I have the brothers repeat often:
"Protecting you from nightmares, of course."
"Protecting me, or protecting yourself?"
I had to have the story end on a happy, lighthearted note after the brother's heavy discussion, so I thought them waking up late and racing to the breakfast table was a nice light, fluffy way to end the story.
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