Title: Broken
Author: PhirePhox666
Fandom: The Chronicles of Narnia
Pairing/Characters: No pairings. Lucy and Susan. Mentions of Edmund and Peter.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Sadness and crying. Lots of Angst. No happy ending.
Summary: Susan has changed and not for the better. Lucy and Susan's friendship can take no more strain. One-shot. Complete.
Disclaimer: Not mine. I just enjoy playing in this wonderful world.
Word Count: 726
Dedication: To Narnia and to Aslan.
Prompt: Broken (#4)
Excerpt: The Susan of the morning is reminded of a scene that had happened so long ago she can not remember when or where or why it was important
A/N: This is of my self-challenge oneshots. The 4th word on my list. Obviously I am dong them out of order. Inspired by the word 'broken.' No Incest or slash. A lot of angst, it is not a nice ending. Companion piece to Comfort. You should probably read that one to make sense of the Edmund and Peter scene. I actually wrote Comfort first and this came into my head while I was finishing it up. It is set the morning after Comfort. Meant to be a oneshot and can stand alone. Review if you wish. Flame if you wish. I hope you enjoy.
Broken
Susan never liked morning times. At least that is what she believed. A long time ago, out in a world she no longer believed in, mornings had been one of her favorite times of the day. Perhaps that is why she did not like them anymore.
This morning had dawned gray and cold and from her window Susan could see that there was possibly a storm coming towards them. Susan was rather displeased with this since she had a wonderful party to get to tonight and plans with several of her friends that day. Susan padded near-silently down the cold hallway towards the bathroom. She stops at the door to Peter's room in surprise. The door was half-closed as only Peter kept it.
She peaks in to find both her brothers wrapped tightly around each other. English-Susan would have frowned and made a comment about how two grown boys should not be sleeping in the same bed, but the Susan of the morning is reminded of a scene that had happened so long ago she can not remember when or where or why it was important. She spends a moment chasing the thought before disregarding it, she can not quite bring herself to scorn her brothers though.
After a moment Susan moves on, only to stop once again at the door to Edmund's room as there was someone in it who definitely wasn't Edmund, seeing as he was sleeping not twenty feet away. It was Lucy, who had not stirred from Edmund's bed since she had fallen asleep there the night before. Susan finds herself drawn into the room, melancholy stabbing through her sharply. How long had it been since she and Lucy had truly talked? She sits on the edge of the bed gingerly, resting her hand on Lucy's head ever so gently.
She's startled when Lucy jerks awake.
"Susan?" the tone of pure wonderment makes Susan flinch slightly.
"Why are you sleeping here, Lucy?" She asks, half out of curiosity, half to draw any conversation away from her sitting there. Lucy's face shutters closed.
"I was watching Edmund and..."Lucy trails off her face shifting expressions to one of confusion, then panic. "Where's Edmund?" She sits up throwing off blankets."I need to find Edmund!"
"Lucy! Edmund is in Peter's bedroom with Peter. They are sleeping." Lucy freezes for only a second before promptly bursting into relieved tears. Susan is at a loss for a moment of what to do. Then acting off almost forgotten instinct, she gathers Lucy into her arms and holds her close, soothing the tears.
"It's alright, Lu. That's right. You're safe. Whatever happened to put you in this shape?"
Lucy chokes out garbled sentences.
"Ed, was having...nightmares. Didn't know...how to...help. Wrote to...Peter. In Narnia...it was always...Peter that helped..." She doesn't get to finish the rest because Susan draws away, milk-white.
"Narnia does not exist, Lucy. It is a child's game, that I would thank you to stop playing." Susan says rather more sharply than she intends. Lucy stares at her for a moment, more tears sliding down her cheeks.
"Oh, Susan," she says quietly, "You really have forgotten." Susan stiffens.
"It never happened, Lucy. Grow up."
But Lucy just shakes her head tearfully.
"Aslan has my loyalty, Susan. No matter what."
It is then that Susan says the most unforgivable thing, in anger and in fear. It is then that Susan breaks the already fragile and strained bonds between her and Lucy.
"Aslan doesn't exist Lucy. You're such a silly little girl. Believing in a talking lion. Do grow up." Susan says it coldly and what is left of Gentle Susan, Queen of Narnia shatters along with her bond with Lucy. Then Susan stalks out of the room. Lucy will spend the rest of the day crying, off and on, mourning the loss of her sister.
It is only years later, when Susan is standing in front of the graves of her family, that she realizes that her very soul has broken.
Finis.