She knew they weren't stupid, but could they be a little bit less dense? Don't they get it – this was for them. She did this for them.
Of course, if one truly thought about it the task was really only suited to her. The others just didn't have the talent…well maybe they did, but she wasn't going to admit that and besides none of them every showed it. This was her victory even if it felt like a defeat.
They call her silly? Susan Pevensie may be vain, but she isn't silly. She liked to think she possessed great intellect that her younger brother didn't have, but that was mere fantasy. They were equal in brain capacity. Mostly.
That reason was precisely the reason Susan eagerly jumped back into life in England. She was confident she had found her calling in England faster than any of the others was because she was not only beautiful (men tried to invade countries for her, her ego permitted it) and willing, but also because her intelligence was higher than her siblings. Or so it was at the time.
Adopting the new phrase "Keep Calm and Carry On" was no hard task for Susan. She excelled in being level head, and not hysterical. Something that her little sister hadn't mastered and her brothers were not as skilled in that department as she was.
Thinking about her siblings made Susan mad; none of them really understood what she was doing. It was for them, they just didn't want to believe it.
She remembered being told that she couldn't go back. That had hurt badly. So when she landed back in England, she moved on. Of course she hoped to go back, but that door was closed. England was to be her life now. She dreaded it as much as Peter, but she certainly wasn't going to mope around like her older brother. The weeks after that gave no indication of his royalty – he did not do High Kingly things.
So coming back gave Susan one option, and she had been determined to make the most of it. England was different than Narnia, but she and Peter (and later she found out Edmund and Lucy too) were to make their lives here. Then she was inspired.
Susan was so sure she had found her calling here; it was a bit different than it was in Narnia, but it was generally the same idea: protect your siblings. Most specifically, it was to make them comfortable in the harsh world of England.
Susan had been the best at adapting. Peter always wanted to assert himself, Edmund liked reconnaissance first, and Lucy dived in and learned on the way. Susan was more methodical, and frankly her title did not lie in those circumstances.
With careful planning Susan figured out what to do. Peter, after finishing school, decided on the military. Granted he knew that it would be hard following orders, but figured he would fare all right. Edmund wanted to go into politics mostly for the debating. Lucy decided teaching was her passion, and she especially loved small children. Not Horrid Eustace was thinking about a degree of some sort. He changed it quite often. The New One Jill couldn't even decide on what she wanted. That was fine with Susan, because she already had enough on her plate.
In order for her family and Jill to be successful one had to know the right people. Susan was terribly clever (if she may say so herself), but not book smart. Susan's decision was that she needed to know the right people for her siblings. She was the perfect candidate, she handled Narnia's social affairs, boys were attracted to her, girls wished to be her, and she could charm her way through anything…except maybe Rabadash, but he was more of an intellectual challenge anyway.
She started with Peter of course. His age made him the first victim. She befriended many of the wives of the aged and experienced soldiers. They loved her as all of them were experienced with being the ones left behind. Despite Susan's trying, Peter would never come to lunch with her. He didn't understand that being friends with the wives would mean they would talk to their husbands. Peter had been too busy with studying. He simply gave her a look whenever she would talk about her social calendar.
While she lobbied Peter, her next try was Edmund. She became friends with other young men looking into politics. Susan had no problem with the arrangement as she was the only female to could discuss current policies and was still attractive. She boasted of her extremely smart younger brother. All the young men had wished to meet Edmund. Edmund said that he hated meeting and parties and didn't care a lick about those "stuffy boys." He sneered at her when she mentioned society.
Susan did not give up though. While still working on Peter and Edmund, she managed her way through some of the upper levels of the education system. This proved beneficial to both Lucy and Eustace, but neither wished to join her for a party. Lucy helped Mother most of the time, and Eustace said schoolwork was time-consuming (this had been confirmed by Jill). Lucy gave a sad smile and Eustace actually looked panicked and in pain when Susan suggested joining cultured people.
Only Jill seemed open to Susan's invitations, but as she hadn't a career path there was nothing for Susan to do.
It killed Susan on the inside. She was working so hard for them and they didn't even appreciate it. They had thought her just a silly, vain, flighty, and many other rude words type of girl. They even thought she had forgotten Narnia.
That hurt the most perhaps. She didn't forget it was so vivid; Narnia was what propelled her to help them in this world. She saw what they could achieve in Narnia and wished to bring it here in England. The absurd idea had started when Susan would hush and scold them for talking about Narnia when her "friends" were around. She didn't want the right people to think that her siblings were mad or not exactly what she said they were. It became a habit, because so many right people can about the house. They began to think that she thought Narnia a game. She had wanted to scream that they were wrong, but there was never time.
Susan knew they were going to the train station today for official Narnian business, and she had told them that she wanted to come. It almost angered her that they were so shocked. She was doing Aslan's Will here, and they thought she was no longer a Friend of Narnia. True, the stupid parties took up much of her time, but they were important even if no one else thought it. Unfortunately, she took ill the day before and couldn't go with them.
Susan huffed, furious that a cold would keep her away from Narnia, furious that she caught it at one of the stupid parties, and furious that they didn't realize she was ill because it was for them.
Her only consolation was that at least she could probably get a story when they came back from the train station. She deserved it after all the work she'd done for them.
A/N: Eccedentesiast – someone who fakes a smile.
Tried to put a different spin on the typical Susan's into lipstick arch. I hope this hasn't been done before, and if it has I hope it isn't clichéd.
March of the Sound Soldier by Skye Sweetnam kept me writing, I didn't draw inspiration from it, but the beat seemed consistant enough. I think I typed in line with it.
Disclaimer: Narnia does not belong to me.