All Susan Pevensie had ever wanted was a normal life. How does she cope when it turns out to be anything but? Response to weekly challenge #2 (normal) at Livejournal community justkingedmund.

Disclaimer: I don't own it. Wish I did. Belongs entirely to C.S.Lewis

All Susan Pevensie had ever wanted was a normal life. And life had certainly started out that way. She had a mother and father, and two brothers and a sister. The average family. The fact they often fought comforted her in reminding her of how regular they all were.

The war and being evacuated were the first things that threatened Susan's desire. However, she looked upon both events and saw that every other family was experiencing the same events. Surely, then, this fit into her 'normal' life. 'Normal' is, after all, what the majority of people experience. She began to realise that if she hadn't been evacuated with everyone else, she would no longer be fulfilling her only want.

During her time at Professor Kirke's home, Susan's world was threatened. Her younger sister had discovered a world inside a wardrobe. She tried to pass it off as the stress of being away from home for a long time without mother. Other children would be the same. Everything was fine. Until she and her siblings all fell into the other world. She took everything in her stride, but she could not help but wonder what this meant for her perfectly ordinary existence.

When Susan was crowned as one of the monarchs of Narnia, she decided that although her normal, English life was unlikely to ever occur, she could have an ordinary existence in this new world. She went about her daily duties and found with her siblings by her side to remind her this was their life, she was content. She even sought to marry and have an heir, so that her land could continue in the same way.

Stumbling back through the wardrobe was the worst thing that ever happened to Susan. She could no longer have the ordinary life she wanted. She was 15 years older than her body, and the circumstances that led to it were hardly rationally explained. Yet, there was still a chance she could return to the land were her want of a normal life had taken on a new meaning.

When she did return, Susan could not believe how much had changed. This was not the Narnia she had left. Since when had Telmarine's ruled? Her desire for normality was the greatest force in her fight. She wanted the Narnian's life's to return to how it had been during the now called 'Golden Age'. That is how things were meant to be, and she was damned if she was going to just let things continue down the path they were heading.

After returning from Narnia for the last time, Susan was faced with a difficult choice. She knew she would never return, and so had to strive for a normal life in London. There was only one way she could see this occurring. Narnia had been a game. That's all it had ever been. She threw herself into being like all the other girls, wearing make-up, going to parties, and becoming interested in boys.

One evening as she was preparing to go out, Susan pondered her siblings' insistence that Narnia was real. As she did, she realised she wasn't happy. She had her normal life, but something wasn't right. Tears began to fall, and she did not understand why. Edmund, her younger brother, heard her cry as he was passing her room, and went in to see if his big sister was all right.

Edmund entered Susan's room very concerned. She never cried. Something must be wrong. He found her sobbing onto her vanity; he came behind her and put his arm around her shoulders. "Su, what's wrong?"

"All I wanted was a normal life. I have one. I do not know why I'm so upset."

"But we don't have normal lives. We are special; Once a King or Queen in Narnia, Always a King or Queen in Narnia. You know its true. So many people long for a life like yours. Why do you want to be boring?"

"Because life should be. Nothing interesting is ever meant to happen to people like us, and nothing has. It was all a game."

"You know it wasn't, deep down. That is why you are upset. When you accept the life you have, instead of longing for the one you don't, you will be happy. You are different, Susan, accept it."

As Susan dried her eyes, Edmund gave her shoulders a squeeze and left her to her own devices. She looked into the mirror at her reflection. She was a mess, her make-up had completely run and she got a tissue to wipe her face and begin again. In that moment, she knew her brother's words were true. But as she reapplied her layers of normality, those words became forgotten, like everything else true in her life.

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Author's note: Please review. I haven't published anything on here before so I apologise for any mistakes I've made.