"Daisy"
I picked you up, and lifted your wilted frame into the sun.
I was taken back, yeah I was taken back.
And by the time I'd caught my breath,
You had blossomed into something that I did not expect.
King Caspian had grown old in Narnia. He'd reigned for forty-three years, and he was becoming an old man, though his physical appearance hadn't aged hardly at all. He'd been a wise king, and a just king. He'd been brave and heroic and noble and all of the things that a good king is. His people adored him, and while he loved looking after them, he felt that a part of him was missing.
He could remember being a young adult in Narnia. He remembered the beginning of his reign, when the worlds were still chaotic and he wasn't sure of much. It was near that time that the Pevensie siblings- Peter, Edmund, Lucy, and Susan- had come to save Narnia. He'd bonded with High King Peter and, later, with King Edmund and Queen Lucy, but the High Queen Susan had stolen his heart. They were only kids back then but, even today, Caspian still thought of her often.
He was on the way back from an archery tournament when he suddenly thought of Susan. He paused, climbing off his horse and letting it rest. He surveyed the woods around him, noting the emerald moss and the sparkling streams. He took a deep breath and smiled, catching the scent of the daisies. He wandered over to the nearest stream and crouched down, scooping up a handful of the flowers. He brought them to his face and felt the silky smoothness against his rough beard. As he looked back at them, he realized where he'd seen them before. Susan used to wear them on her dress, long ago when she ruled with her brothers and sister.
Not capable of letting them go, Caspian stuffed the delicate flowers into his pocket and set off with his horse. He had a plan, and he needed to be back at the castle to make the preparations.
And if it takes all night,
I swear I'll wait.
For you,
Forever.
"I'm going to need some money, and perhaps a map," Caspian demanded of the servants that were helping him pack.
"A map of where, My Lord?" His dwarf servant asked. Caspian was currently changing into what he believed to be 'real world clothing,' but was really only a pair of khaki pants, a black blouse and a trench coat.
"I don't know, the world beyond Narnia, the world where my Susan is," he shrugged. He pulled on a pair of hiking boots and stood up, surveying himself in the vanity mirror beside his bed. He grinned and turned to the now three dwarves that were stumbling over multiple maps. He reached down into the thick of them and withdrew one. It was titled 'New York City.' Caspian tucked it away in the deep pocket of his coat, choosing this New York City as the place to start.
"How will you get to Susan?" The littlest dwarf asked. He was one of Caspian's most loyal servants, and Caspian loved him almost like a child. He bent down and patted him on the back.
"Don't you worry about me," he smiled. "I'll be fine."
Sunlight, sunshine,
All for you, my daisy.
We're getting this before you leave,
All for you, my daisy.
Caspian made his way to the Wood between the Worlds, leaving his kingdom behind. He knew that he couldn't stay in the 'real world' and that he'd have to return to Narnia soon, but it still felt strange to be leaving his home. As he entered the Wood, he turned back to his world. He briefly touched his hand to his heart and then continued, moving on.
He'd been in the Wood often. He liked to visit and dip his hands into each pool, exploring each world. Long ago, it hadn't been so easy to access the World. One of Caspian's ancestors had brought the Wood closer to home, however, and all of the royal families had frequented the place.
Caspian walked past the small pools that he knew led to distant worlds. He'd seen many of them, but none of them could be the one that held Susan. He paused at the foot of one pool that stood out in his memory.
"This one can be dangerous," he remembered one of his teachers telling him of it when he was a child. "You may have reason to enter it one day, but be warned. It will be hard to return to Narnia from it."
Realizing that this pool had to be the one, he knelt down before it. He dipped his firm hands into the clear water and splashed it over his face. He inched into the water and, as his whole body became submerged, he closed his eyes and drifted beneath the surface.
You're a wreck and you know,
You've got me wrapped around your finger,
Like a boy tangled in vines.
But I've figured you out.
Caspian found himself sitting on a moving train. It was a fast train, a very fast train. He didn't know how he'd gotten onto the train, or even how he knew what a train was, but there he sat. He looked around him and noticed that people were staring. They weren't dressed like him; the ladies were wearing sharp skirts and jackets, and the men were wearing suits. He tried smiling at a child to fit in, but the child ran back down the aisle and into the arms of an adult who was, hopefully, his parent.
The train stopped abruptly, and all of the passengers stood up. The filed out the door of the train and walked onto a concrete sidewalk. Caspian realized that they must be underground, because the only lighting was artificial and the air was thicker. His eyes darted all around him, looking for a familiar face but not expecting to find one. His heart nearly stopped when he saw the High King heading for the train that he'd just exited.
"Peter!" He called. "High King Peter! Over here- it's me, Caspian!" He got lots of crazy stares, not one of them from Peter. He shoved past gawking adults and finally reached the blonde boy.
"Peter, whatever are you doing?" He asked as Peter spun around to face him. He looked confused, but as his eyes moved over Caspian's face, his face lit up with surprise.
"Caspian! What are you doing here?" He grinned, hugging his old friend.
"I'm here to find your sister, Susan," Caspian began. Peter's face fell slightly.
"I'm sorry, my friend," he sighed. "I haven't seen Su in years." Caspian looked at him questioningly, and he continued. "We've sort of, erm, grown apart."
The metallic train was filling with people, and Peter turned around, worried. He returned his eyes to Caspian once more.
"I apologize, I'm in a bit of a hurry," he said. He pulled out a pencil and a slip of paper from his pants pocket and scribbled something on it. "This was the last place I saw my sister. You can start there."
Peter gave a small smile and clapped his friend on the back. Caspian waved to him as he entered the strange train, forgetting to look back.
And now, we're here.
We're so confused.
And I wish that there was some way that I could tell you.
"Excuse me, Miss," Caspian tapped a petite old lady on the shoulder. "Do you know where I can find the-" he paused, referring to the paper from Peter, "central park of this land?" The lady brushed him off and continued on her way, huffing and grumbling. Caspian shook his head as he walked away, more confused about this new place than he'd ever been.
He'd left the dark train station behind and was walking along the sidewalk when a little girl pulled on his coat. Startled, he looked down and saw her, watching him.
"Can I help you?" He asked, bending down to her level. She had tiny plaits in her hair, and she was wearing a plaid jumper.
"I'm lost," she said softly.
"That makes two of us," he whispered, grinning at her. She reached for his hand and he took it, walking beside her.
"Where are your parents?" He asked, glancing down at her. She watched the ground carefully.
"I was with my mom in the park when-" Caspian cut her off, bending down so that he was right in front of her.
"You were just at the central park?" He asked hurriedly. She nodded and shrugged at the same time.
"Do you think that you can get us back there?" He questioned. She nodded again, more fiercely this time.
"We'll find your mother," he promised. "Just help me find this park, first."
Sunlight, sunshine,
All for you, my daisy.
We're getting this before you leave,
All for you, my daisy.
"Go that way," the little girl, Emma, directed Caspian. She was now sitting atop his shoulders, something she'd requested to get a better view. She knew that they were nearing the park, so she decided to ask him something.
"Why are you trying to find the park?" She asked openly. Caspian blinked in the sunlight, not sure how to answer.
"I'm looking for a friend, someone I knew a long time ago," he told her. But, as often happens with children, Emma was not satisfied.
"Is it a girl?" She giggled as they rounded a corner. They could see the park up ahead, and she felt him walk a little faster beneath her. He laughed when she asked this, though, and slowed down.
"Yes, as a matter of fact," he smiled. "She is a very beautiful girl."
"Well, I hope you find her," Emma said, patting his soft hair. She started wiggling, and Caspian plucked her off of his shoulders as they entered the park. She paused, then set off at a run, heading straight for a woman who was sitting, distressed, on a bench.
"Emma!" He called after her, not wanting her to get lost again. He ran behind her, struggling to keep up. He reached her just as she flew into the woman's arms, and he watched the woman hug her tightly.
"You can't run away from Mommy like that," the mother said, stroking the young girl's head. "You mustn't ever do that again."
Emma leaned back from her mother and turned to Caspian, remembering that he was standing there.
"This is my mommy," she smiled at him and motioned to her mother. Caspian reached out to shake the woman's hand when she looked up at him and met his eyes. His eyes grew wide as the breath seemed to rush from his body.
"Susan?"
All for, all for, all for you, my daisy.
All for, all for, all for you, my daisy.
"Caspian?" She breathed, recognizing him faster than Peter did. She stood, placing Emma on the bench beside her. He took in the faint traces of lines on her face, around her eyes and soft lips. She had aged, but she still looked as heartbreakingly beautiful as ever.
"Susan," he sighed, grabbing her and hugging her. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his broad shoulder. He felt her breath on his neck and held her close to him. Finally, she pulled away to look at him. She ran her finger delicately along the side of his face and smiled. She returned to the bench and motioned for him to sit, as well. Emma sat on the bench in Caspian's lap, growing fonder for him by the minute.
"Why are you here?" Susan asked curiously. She was truly happy to see him, but she worried that something could be wrong.
"Don't you know?" He beamed, reaching for her hand. "I've come to ask you to live with me in Narnia."
Susan's heart stopped as she watched him. Her face grew sad as she squeezed his hand. She had to look away to keep the tears from falling, so she watched the pigeons eating bread on the ground nearby.
"I'm sorry," she finally murmured, turning back to Caspian, "but I can't do that."
Sunlight, sunshine,
All for you, my daisy.
We're getting this before you leave,
All for you, my daisy.
Caspian's heart broke as he took in the words that Susan had just spoken.
"Why not?" He asked, confused and hurt. She clasped their fingers and brought them to her face. She kissed his hand, and then let him go.
"I've got a live here, Caspian," she said slowly. "I'm married now, and I've got a family to look after." Caspian glanced down at Emma, still in his lap and oblivious to everything around her.
"But, don't you…" he hesitated, feeling his breath catch. "Don't you love me?"
Susan sighed as the first tear dropped out of her big, blue eyes.
"You were my first love," she said softly. "But, I've moved on with my life."
Caspian shut his eyes tightly, and then opened them, seeing Susan's world for the first time. She was watching him sadly.
"Maybe it's time for you to move on, too," she finished. He watched her and remembered their old life and the days in Narnia when they were together. They'd lasted the entire spring, but she'd left him to go home. He recalled the countless days that he'd spent thinking about her and, as she sat in front of him, he couldn't believe it. It was the moment he'd been waiting for, the moment when they could finally be together again, and things had changed so utterly and completely that nothing was as he'd expected.
He stood from the bench, sitting Emma beside her mother. He then turned to face the child and crouched down so that he was eye-level with her. He reached into his pocket and felt the daisies that he'd gathered only just this morning- daisies from a different world. He placed a few in Emma's wavy white hair and tied one to the shoulder strap of her jumper.
"I have a feeling that I'll be seeing you again, Miss Emma," he smiled. "Perhaps when you're a bit older and ready to take on an adventure." He winked at her and she giggled, throwing her tiny arms around him.
He stepped back and looked at the mother and daughter sitting on the bench. They seemed enough like family, but their biggest difference was in their biggest similarity. They had the same huge, clear blue eyes, but each girl contrasted the other so fiercely in the way that their eyes peered out at the world. While Susan's eyes were tired and sad, Emma's were bright and hopeful. Caspian noticed this as he waved at the two girls.
He found himself smiling as he walked away, realizing that Susan was no longer his favorite girl in the 'real world.'
Sunlight,
Sunshine,
We're getting this, we're getting this,
All for you, my daisy.