THE LAST TEMPTATION OF SUSAN

Prince Rabadash paid a terrible price for his foul desires. Now Queen Susan wonders if his punishment was the worst.

(A sexy, slightly naughty sequel to THE HORSE AND HIS BOY. These characters are not mine.)

CHAPTER ONE – POOR SWEET SUE

"But . . . did he really curse Aslan?" Susan's lovely face went pale with horror, as she imagined dashing, handsome Prince Rabadash in the grip of frenzied, self-destructive passion. Was she to blame for the madness that had driven him over the edge?

"I've never seen such a stupid brute," Lucy confirmed. "Even when it was obvious that Aslan was beginning to get very angry, the young fool kept right on challenging him, daring him to do his worst. I know Calormenes are foolish, but this was something else. I mean, we'd captured Rabadash. He had no army left, no hope of escape. He was all alone. But there he was, daring Aslan to strike him dead or worse. It's almost like he didn't care any more what happened to him."

"Yes." A dull pain began to throb in Queen Susan's head, a mix of regret and self-disgust and pity for that foolish boy. She remembered standing beside him on this very spot, the battlements of Cair Paravel, feeling his warm breath on her cheek as she gazed up at the stars.

"Next to the stars, fair queen, your eyes shine brighter. Next to the night, your hair is darker and more lustrous. And next to the rose your lips are far more crimson. Kiss me . . ."

"Susan? Aren't you feeling well, dear?" Though seated beside her on a bench strewn with silk cushions, Lucy's cheerful voice seemed more distant than the moon. Far more distant than the stars they had looked upon that night.

"My mind and spirit have been engulfed in flames of desire. Come to Tashbaan, Susan. Let the fire consume us both."

"I'm all right," Susan said faintly, painfully aware of both a thudding heart and a throbbing head "But Rabadash . . . he really must have been mad. Mad!"

"Well, it's lucky he didn't succeed in his mad plan to drag you back to Tashbaan," Lucy said practically. "Without our help, who knows what terrible things he might have done to you!"

"Who knows?" Susan forced a smile to hide her distress. She could imagine how ghastly she looked. Her face felt all drained of color. "I'm really grateful to you and Edmund, Lu. You've just been trumps."

"We've always stuck together, haven't we?" Lucy asked. "It's what Aslan wanted us to do. And anyway, I rather enjoyed getting to ride with the men folk into battle. Right at the end there was this tall Tarkhaan I really nailed from five paces. You should have heard him gurgle when he went down!"

"Yes, yes, I'm sure you were splendid, Lu. I'm sure it's what Aslan would have wanted!" Susan gave a shudder of relief as the men folk arrived on the battlements. High King Peter and King Edmund were both arrayed in their best finery, and Tumnus the faun walked jauntily between them, seeming to dance with every other step.

"Behold, the two fairest queens in Narnia!" Bright-eyed Tumnus wore a warm smile, but when he came closer his expression changed. "The two of you are like twin suns, lighting up all Narnia with your beauty. But one of our suns is dimmed. Are you feeling well, Your Majesty?"

"I'm very well, thank you, Mr. Tumnus." Susan tried to make a feeble joke. "Lucy's been telling me war stories. That's all."

"She's sad about Rabadash getting such a terrible punishment," Lucy chirped. "Poor sweet Sue's still got a mad crush on that foolish, foolish boy."

"That's rot," Edmund said angrily. "Rabadash is a brutal savage. If he ever got his hands on poor sweet Sue . . ."

"Everyone stop talking about Susan like she's not here," Peter commanded. The High King regarded his wan, beautiful sister with serious blue eyes. "It's like this, Sue. This afternoon more than a hundred veterans of the Archenland raid are coming to Cair Paravel to be honored for their valor by the kings and queens of Narnia. Tonight the new ambassador from Calormene arrives . . . with a peace offering from the Tisroc. Those are both state occasions, and I need Queen Susan of Narnia by my side. Are you up to it?"

"Of course I'm up to it," Susan insisted gently. "I'm so sorry to make everyone worry. I just need time to think about all that's happened."

"If Your Majesties will permit me, I think Queen Susan has made an excellent suggestion. Her Majesty merely needs a bit of rest to be her usual dancing self." Tumnus the Faun gave a little skip, making the others laugh. "May I escort you to your rooms, Your Majesty?"

"I know it's foolish, but I can't help feeling that somehow all this is my fault." Susan hugged her pillow and stared moodily at the marble floor of her bedchamber.

"Would you be happier if Rabadash had killed your brother and your sister, laid waste to Archenland, and kidnapped you by force?" Tumnus the Faun was ordinarily the gentlest of creatures, quite well suited to give the Queen of Narnia her afternoon massage. On this particular afternoon, however, his gentle touch was a little more brisk than usual.

"I don't understand how Rabadash could have done those things," Susan protested, as the faun's slender, yet firm fingers dug into the weary muscles of her back. "The raid was a terrible tragedy for both sides. There must have been some way I could have prevented all that pain and suffering."

"You could have given in to his foul desires," Tumnus told her. "But then you would have been a slave, not a queen."

"Yes, I know." Susan sighed deeply, and allowed her weary brown eyes to close. Sensing her dejected mood, the kindly faun gentled his touch, making it easier for her to fall asleep. But even as she slipped away to slumber, Susan found that a tart, unpleasant question lingered on the tip of her tongue.

Everyone talks about evil Prince Rabadash's foul desires. What about my desires?