Title – The Search.
Author – Kimidragon
Pairing – Casue/Suspian
Words - 2640
Summary – The Coronation Ball…some sweetness.
Rating – M, to be safe.
Challenge / prompt: Response to the third Weekly Drabble Challenge. Prompt: White
Notes – AHH!! Be nice, I've never ever written one of these after years of reading fanfic! I fear I'm too old to get into this now!
The Search
The crown was uncomfortable and heavy on his head, like all Telmarine kings had before him, and for a moment he wished for a simple circlet of gold that would sit upon his head like that of the High King and Queen.
'High Queen Susan, my queen…'
His heart beat wildly throughout his coronation and, while the coronation ball was winding down, his heart had not slowed. The dinner was lovely, albeit the company was distracting. He supposed that it would be normal for the High King and Queen to sit by his side at the meal, yet had not thought of it before and now was cursing himself. On his left Peter sat grinning madly, constantly making jibing remarks about battles and talking animatedly about their home, 'England'. He had not heard the Kings and Queens speak of it before and would have remembered more of the conversation if it were not for the woman at his right…
'Is she biting her lip purposely to drive me insane?'
Dinner was long, very long. Every stolen glance that met her eyes made his chest ache. Falling for the High Queen of Narnia was not in his plans, and while Peter was smiling at him like he knew some dirty secret, he tried to pay attention to what he was saying.
"Pardon me Peter, I don't think I heard what you just said" Caspian leaned closer to the King, as to feign not hearing for all the noise around him. Peter ducked his head to eye level.
"I was mentioning how lovely my sister looked tonight and I was wondering if you noticed as well, your majesty?" Peter said casually, although his look said otherwise. Looking like he could barely keep himself from laughing, the High Kings eyes danced.
Caught out. Damn.
"I, ah. Was. Oh…Yes." Caspian let his breath rush out of him as he managed to keep himself from looking in Peter's eye. When he did he saw what he expected not to, Peter looked happy, too happy.
"Come here, Caspian." Peter leaned in closer still until the newly crowned King could feel Peter's breath coming across his face in waves, and idly thought of how much the High King had drunk. He must be blind drunk not to be in a fit over my feelings for his little sister.
"We're mates, you and I, and if it weren't obvious as to how much you really like her I would, quite seriously, give you the biggest black eye." Peter paused before continuing, his face turning upwards in a grin. "Besides, she's so besotted with you I daresay if I challenged you she'd get all high and mighty with me. 'High Queen Susan The gentle' my arse!" Peter jibed.
Caspian's brain slowed down, his arm about the High Kings shoulder held but felt numb. "You think she favours me?"
"Yes!" The drunken King of Old smiled widely into his wine as bits sloshed out as he drank. "You should find her though, she was so nervous about tonight. I think she did her hair three, four, times before she was satisfied. I don't know where she's gone to though."
Caspian turned around, and true enough, Susan had vanished. Peter simply shrugged and gave him push in the direction of the courtyard with his shoulder.
"She likes those roses, out there. Tell her not to worry about me here; I have wine, the wine likes me."
Caspian couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out of him, he only hoped in the morning Peter would still be approving of the relationship he hoped for with Susan. The wine wouldn't be good to him then.
"Thankyou Peter, I will report back to you with news soon." Caspian gritted through teeth clenched to try and stop his laughter as he stood, and searched for Susan.
The racing beat of Susan's heart was making her dizzy.
The dance that she was obliged to perform with Caspian did not help matters. While he was the perfect gentleman throughout the dance, whenever they locked eyes she felt like moulded hot ashes. While he held her at an appropriately friendly distance she was so very aware at the burning pressure of his hand, the soft warm rush of his breath against her neck and the scent of his freshly washed tunic. It was if every move he made was to seduce and entice her.
Susan sighed; she was not any better. Sitting at his side all night made her very aware of how the left side of her must look. Susan found herself eating slower and sitting straighter and laughing softer to try to catch his eye. Torn between looking into his gaze all night when their eyes caught and then trying to hide away the blush from it; dinner had taken its toll and the High Queen was exhausted. The fresh air of the courtyard helped. It was very Telmarine in it's construction, no plants or trees, although for the evening flowers and small potted plants had been brought in to frame the balconies view.
"How is your Majesty fairing tonight?" Susan startled at the sound of King Caspian's voice, turning around quickly.
"Better than my brother seems at the moment I dare say." The Queen felt the blood rise to her face and chest as she recovered her shock and with mirth continued. "One would think you two were drinking each other under the table?"
He felt himself avert his eyes, laughing easily, before dragging them back to her standing at the rim of the balcony. Her hair was lit up from the lanterns across the castle and courtyard but her smile was nervous and he hoped that she shared his trepidation. He felt his eyes slip from her face to the exposed span of skin across her shoulders and neck. Her skin, like the dress she was wearing, was the whitest of all whites in the blazing light of the moon. She looked ethereal and pure, unlike any Telmarine woman he had ever seen. The air between them was heavy with unspoken words.
"King Caspian-" Susan began before he cut her off abruptly, gently settling his hand against her hip to pause her.
"You never need such formalities with me my Queen; I will forever be just Caspian to you, please." Shocked at his forwardness, Caspian's world narrowed down to the feeling of warmth beneath his hand at her hip…his mind swam with images.
"I – of course. We are friends aren't we, it would be silly though if you persisted in keeping those same formalities with myself, wouldn't it." She challenged him.
"It is only that I think so highly of you my Queen, and beg for your forgiveness." Susan startled at his implication.
"Whatever for!? I couldn't think of anything that - Oh!"
Susan saw him move quickly, yet agonisingly slow, as she felt the hand at her hip move higher to her waist and his other come round her back to meet the juncture between her head and neck, as he kissed her, his fingers tangling in her hair.
He was only aware of the heat between their bodies, against each other so tightly so no light shone through their shadow; as he felt Susan relax, Caspian surrendered to her as her gasp of pleasure filled his mind.
Lost in his kiss Susan barely noticed the young king wrap his full arm around her, encircling her waist and crushing her to his body as he tilted her head back deepening the kiss. Barely able to contain herself, Susan blushed madly as she felt every outline of her prince – king now – against her. Every muscle of his arms, the fabric of the fur at his collar, the way his hair slipped through her fingers like the thickest of most beautiful silks.
Unknowing, she surged upwards to relish the tight grip he had; the hand buried in her hair, the hard chest against her soft one and felt him intimately pressing against her abdomen. It only took her a moment to realise what was pressing against her. Oh my god.
Unable to stop the blush and what it meant to him to feel her pressed against his body and that so forcefully, Caspian gasped, dragging his mouth from hers until he found solace in the waves of her silky dark brown hair in, his mouth marking her shoulder until he stopped with a kiss.
What on earth was I thinking!? He'll take me as a wanton woman, a childish girl with no knowledge of these happenings. Hiding her face in his chest, Susan felt him slowly, reverently, press a delicate kiss her temple as he lifted his head and held his face into her hair. Still wrapped around her, it was difficult to tell where Caspian began and where she started. Overwhelmed, and completely delirious with it, she shuddered as the warmth of his breath fell on the skinned moistened from kisses just past.
"My beloved Queen, please forgive my -"
"SUSAN! Where are you!"
Trying to jump back from his embrace as Lucy approach, Susan felt her ankle fold and Caspian's arms reach back under her arms as they both tripped, only just avoiding her as they both stumbled onto the ground in a pile of royal coloured robes. The sound of the Kings heavy crown echoed against the stone walls and Lucy's grin spoke volumes.
"Oh! There you are! Both of you! Peter was telling me he sent Caspian off to find you Susan, but I'll see you're…busy." Lucy's face, spilt in face from her smile in amusement, was glowing and the the young queen seemed well and truly beyond her years as she intoned the word 'busy'. "I'll see you later Su, I'll be in bed! Bye Caspian!"
Both King and Queen, sprawled across the empty courtyard, couldn't trust themselves to speak or move as they watched Lucy run away from them.
Biting her lip, Susan couldn't help but chance a look to her King and was comforted when he too looked out of sorts, his hair mussed, lips red and chest heaving, she felt her heart race faster. He was beautiful, terribly beautiful, and it could be the undoing of her. Meeting his eyes her breath caught at what she saw swimming in there hidden depths. They looked like pools of the thickest, darkest chocolate in the soft glow of the lighting.
"My Queen -"
"Caspian, I -"
Silence followed the exchange before Susan felt the awkwardness bubble forth with laughter.
Shocked from the sound of laughter, Caspian couldn't help but watch his love as she burst into hysterical laughter, gesturing to their bodies and clothes and hair. Laughing as he carefully got up, making sure not to step on their robes, he offered her his hand. His chest tightened as she looked up into his face, big tears rolling down her face from laughter, her blue eyes so big, so bright, and her lips red and swollen and her smile so wide. The most perfect picture of his Queen. His breath stilled for a moment – what if he never gets the chance to see her like this again?
Allowing him to pull her up to standing, she glanced at the man beside her. His face open, laughing, yet eyes were drawn and uncertain. She opened her mouth to apologise for pulling him down to the ground, yet he spoke first.
"Susan, my love, forgive me." It came out in a rush, one long breath of air, yet he continued just as desperately. "Forgive me for not regretting that, for if I never get to kiss you again I will forever remember exactly the way you look right now and how you taste. I did not mean to force you. I lost control of my affection for you." Caspian's voice tapered out at the end into a whisper.
Silence followed the purred confession and Susan cocked her head, her eyes narrowed and they danced.
"Your love?"
Not understanding her for a moment, Caspian frowned before looking nervous. Susan watched as he kneeled before her gingerly, as if to resolve himself of his fate, hiding his face from her gaze beneath the gentle wave of his dark soft hair. The hair that she just ran her fingers through… He tore her mind back to the present, his eyes catching hers.
"I call you 'my Queen' only in the hopes that one day I might so deserve that you hold that title by my side, as you already do in my heart." Caspian looked down as he continued "I hope you do not take too great offence to my kiss, I -"
At a loss for words, Caspian watched as his queen walked away from him, towards the party without so much a glance backwards to ease his mind. The young king looked back down fiercely trying to hold back the smarting sensation in his eyes before hastily getting to his feet to avoid being found in such humiliation. Breathing deeply to try to control himself he whirled around to find Susan in front of him, not with another suitor inside the ballroom, her eyes glassy and confused at the look on his own face. She was holding the crown – his crown- that had fallen to the ground when they did.
Caspian held her gaze, barely able see through unshed tears, and his breath hitched he saw the mark he had left on the smooth collum of her neck. It was small, yet the love bite matched the perfect red of her mouth. She motioned to the crown in her hands and he numbly bowed as she placed it on his head, his senses sparking as she secured it while balancing on her toes, his hands at her ribs to steady her and his face in her neck. Heart beating fast in his throat, he could barely control himself, as Susan lifted her head up to brush her lips across his ear to speak.
"I will always be your queen, my King."
Pulling back from her embrace he looked deeply into her eyes, as if to search for something. Glancing back down at him, she felt rather than saw, his hand move into a pocket to find something, and as quickly as his hand pulled back up she felt hard, warm metal, slide onto her finger. No words were exchanged as she brought it up to her face. A gold band with an unusual twist – the möbius band. Infinity. Resting gently on the third ring finger of her left hand.
Caspian held her gaze and he raised her jewelled hand to his lips.
"Will you? Always?" His brow drawn, his lips full and soft against her hand as Susan's voice stilled in her throat as his whispered across her knuckles. She could barely choke out the words.
Caspian watched as her eyes filled and her head hurriedly nodded her answer – yes- and was crushed back against her in a kiss. Unable to keep control of his already tenuous check of his emotion, he pulled back, gently swiping a lock of dark hair behind her ear that was dislodged in their kisses. The very thought made him pulse with want.
Offering his arm to the queen, he watched in awe as her tiny hand wrapped around his arm, the gold of their to-be wedding band shine brightly, and her dress swim around their feet as they proceeded back into the ballroom. She was looked so pure and delicate, as perfect as the white of her skin and dress, only marred by the mark he left on her neck - although from the spark in her eyes as she glanced at him, and the heat in his blood and heart – she was more perfect for it.
Oh my god – he proposed! Kinda! Honest, I wasn't expecting to write that, it just came out…I don't really see either of them having large talks about their love for each other. It just seemed normal to be that it just happened.
MY FIRST EVER FANFIC! Ahh! Was it okay timidly asked you to review if you want to read
I can continue it if anybody wants me to!? Love and cookies to all, Becks