Double Trouble

This will be the only disclaimer that appears through the story. I do not own any intellectual property within Labyrinth or Narnia, I am but a babe, playing in the sandbox created by two wondrous minds I greatly admire. On that note, this story is dedicated to the Goblin King himself, thank you for the adventure you brought me on.

There is a very short list of things a person should never do. In the simplest terms, these are things a person shouldn't do for their own continued welfare. One of these may come as a surprise to most, though.

Never cross The Gentle Queen or The Champion of the Labyrinth, especially at the same time.

One might ask, "But she is a 'gentle' Queen, it's in her title to be kind," this is a foolish thought. Susan Pevensie, the above mentioned Gentle Queen, is not a woman to be trifled with. A master of archery, politics, and self-reliant, Susan is very sure of her own place in the world. Even after losing her siblings and forgetting her place in Narnia, she never wavered in herself worth and confidence. If anything, her losses had made her all the stronger, and one would think her husband would know this.

The Champion of the Labyrinth, one Sarah Williams, is a woman of confidence, power, and just a touch of magic that would make anyone feel at ease. As a certain Goblin King knew all to personally, no one has power over this strong-willed woman. Having seemingly grown up overnight, Sarah Williams became an unstoppable force when she fully entered the world. Making strides for woman in many fields, and garnering the begrudging respect of many men. One would think her lover would know better than to go behind her back and incur her wrath.

John Soren, husband of Susan Pevensie and lover of Sarah Williams, would soon realize the grave error he made in crossing these two women. Sadly, by then it would be too late to do more than grovel.

Susan Pevensie sighed in annoyance, tapping her nails lightly against the dining room table. She would never understand how John could never manage to get home on time. It wasn't a new habit either. Their marriage had been suffering these past three years, and Susan began to wonder if he was cheating on her. The news would in no way destroy her, but it would hurt. After all, when she brought up the possibility of divorcing he had shut her down vehemently. Still, she wanted to be able to trust John, and it was somewhat believable that he was running late.

Sarah Williams smiled as she shut the door behind her lover. They had a lovely evening, and she was already looking forward to their weekend away the following Friday. She had met him around a year and a half ago, and wondered if his insistence on a weekend away was masking another motive. The idea of a proposal was in no way unwelcome, and Sarah secretly hoped that this was the case. She had fallen in love with John and would be happy to spend the rest of her life with him. A crash in her kitchen had her turning around, and laughing when she saw several of her goblin friends had gotten their heads stuck in some cookware. Putting the idea of proposals and love out of her head, Sarah went to rescue her poor goblins.

John walked through the door to his house only after giving himself a generous spray of cologne to mask Sarah's perfume. He knew he would have to face his wife tonight, surprisingly she hadn't confronted him since bringing up the idea of a divorce. He still couldn't believe she had the gall to suggest such a thing to begin with! When he had married Susan, there had been a slight attraction, nothing more nothing less. It was a marriage of convenience to him, and one of perceived love to her. As the years wore on, Susan began to see that she was not as loved as she thought. Three years ago, she called for the divorce, head held high. That hurt his pride more than anything, that she would rather bare the scorn of being divorced than stay with him. So, he lied and said they would work at their marriage, that he loved her. Speaking of which:

"Welcome home, dear."

He had to bite his tongue to stop the spitting remark at her barely concealed annoyance. "Sorry, I'm late. I had a very long day at the office."

He saw her visibly sigh before standing up, her hand still on the table. He took the moment to look at his wife. She was exhausted, he could tell by the look in her eyes, but she was also fed up.

"John, I'm going to be blunt. Three years our marriage has continued to crumble, and you have done nothing to try and better it. I have made multiple suggestions on how we could improve things, yet you shot every single one of them down. This past year has been especially bad. On that note, I'm going to give you one chance to be honest with me John, are you seeing someone else?"

He started at her, doing his best to get his chaotic thoughts in order. It wasn't a stretch for Susan to come to this conclusion, he just never expected her to call him out on it.

"What would put that foolish idea in your head? Come now Susan, it's late and I wish to retire."

He jumped as her fist came down on the table, the defining sound not freighting him half as much as the look in her eyes.

John had been there when Susan received the news of her siblings' untimely death. He had watched as the fire left her eyes, and she became a shadow of her former self. If he were honest with himself, he could admit that the only reason he asked her to marry him was that incident. He wanted a malleable wife, one who understood her place and wouldn't try to exert much will over the household. He was getting a glimpse back to their courtship days now, and couldn't help the shiver that ran down his spine at her icy glare.

"John, do not brush me off. I have neither the patience or desire to deal with this any longer. I deserve better than a husband who only looks to fulfill carnal desires with me! You haven't even looked to me for that in these past months. So, tell me, are you seeing another?"

"How dare you accuse me of infidelity without any evidence? Are you that desperate to pursue that shameful divorce that you would go to such lengths?"

Susan didn't respond for a moment, but he couldn't understand the small smile playing on her lips in this moment.

"Your eyes say enough, John."

With that she turned away, picking up her book and leaving the kitchen and heading for the door.

"Where are you going Susan?"

She paused at the door frame, her fingers brushing the doorknob thoughtfully,

"I am going to spend the night with a friend, John. I spoke with the lawyer my family kept on retainer and he advised me to distance myself as I pursued the divorce."

With that she left, the door slamming behind her and John staring at the place she was standing just moments ago.

A world away, two mismatched eyes peered down at a crystal cradled in pianist like fingers. The scene playing out caused a rage to build inside of him that he hadn't known for the last fifteen years. He was content to keep his distance until she figured out the mortal's true motives, but if this played out as he predicted that would never happen.

And that outcome was simply unacceptable.

A quick Author's Note:

I hope you enjoyed the start of this tale, and I'm happy to announce that chapter two is already in the works. I don't see this story being more than ten chapters long, as I'm using it to keep up my writing skills while taking a small college course load. My writing has changed drastically since the days when I first jumped into the ocean that is FanFiction, and looking back on my other stories I don't feel they are my best work.

If you follow any of my other stories and wish to see them rewritten or the ideas revisited, please leave a review on the story in question or PM me. I will decide by popularity which to tackle first, if any at all.

Andromada