A/N: This is my second songfic, the first being my Suspian "Bruised" (and yes, that is a shameless plug). I was listening to the song "Viva la Vida" and it was just screaming to me to write something about the Narnian royalty. I don't remember all of the books but I guess this is post Voyage of the Dawn Treader, as Ed and Lucy have now "outgrown" Narnia. It's also Prince Caspian movieverse, as there are mentions of Suspian in this chapter(the actual Suspian happens in the next chapter).

Disclaimer: I do not own The Chronicles of Narnia or Coldplay's "Viva la Vida."

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I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word

Edmund Pevensie had yet to accept that he was no longer King Edmund the Just. He had spent more years in Narnia as a benevolent, fair leader than he had in England just living, though the latter was supposedly his home. The young man could not pretend he did not miss his magical world; the people, the Narnians, Trumpkin, Caspian... even if he wasn't as close to them as his siblings were, they were all great friends.

Just like he had been a great leader. He recalled the battle against the Telmarines, especially Aslan commanding the water to rise against the enemies of Narnia. Edmund had always wondered if he and his siblings could become that powerful and majestic, if only they were given the chance to live in Narnia forever.


Now in the morning I sweep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own

Not that it mattered anymore; he was done with Narnia. And that hurt more than anything. He now understood(almost understood, at least) why Susan was becoming so distant. The loss of something so special hurt so much.

Edmund Pevensie had once been a brilliant ruler surrounded by people who loved him. Now he was relatively alone and common, no matter how royal he still felt. He had long decided to go on with his life, doing whatever he chose, because it did not truly matter; he would never be as happy as he was in Narnia anyway.

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I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes

Peter Pevensie grimaced as he held an ice pack to his face. He had gotten into another fight; some boy had made a comment about Susan, so he hit him. Again and again and again. The boy's friends joined in, but Peter still emerged the least hurt. All that fighting in Narnia had made him strong. He walked through the door, relieved to find his house empty. He could not bear hearing Lucy and Susan lecture him on violence again. When they asked why he did it this time, his reply would be, "The High King, Peter the Magnificent, will not stand for such impropriety."

But he supposed that was the problem. He was not the High King here. Here he was simply that troublesome Pevensie boy, so smart, athletic, and handsome, but inexplicably belligerent. It's not that he enjoyed fistfights anyway; they held none of the mysterious beauty or honor inherent in swordplay. That look in your opponent's face when you both acknowledge the risk of death... that made it thrilling.

Listen as the crowd would sing:
"Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!"

The fighting also reminded him that he was powerful. As much as he hated to admit it, Peter was still bothered by the fact that even if he did return now, he would not be the king. On the off chance time in Narnia was similar to Earth time at this point, Caspian X would rule. Peter eventually decided that he liked and respected the other young man, but it still hurt to know that he was no longer paramount. So Peter Pevensie decided that he would let the memories rest; he conjured them up in his dark times and when he and his youngest two siblings would reminisce, but other than that, he did his best to respectfully move on.

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One minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me

Lucy Pevensie, Queen Lucy the Valiant, the "faithful one," could not breathe. The shock had worn off and realization was setting in; Narnia was now over. She had been terribly sorry for Peter and Susan when they were called too old for the magical land, but having it actually said to herself... The depression was indescribable. No matter what she had faced in England, she had always been able to hold onto the hope that one day, just maybe, she could go back to Narnia.

That hope was gone. The doorway was gone. She was in England forever it seemed.

And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of sand, pillars of sand

Lucy had always been certain that Narnia would be a permanent part of her life; sometimes she thought that was the one thing she could ever be certain of. Now that was gone. So the Queen decided to live her life as normally as possible, saving her dreams for reliving old visits to a kingdom she could never visit again.

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It was the wicked and wild wind
Blew down the doors to let me in.

Susan Pevensie stumbled into her house at 2:17 am, clearly intoxicated. This was typical behavior for the girl since she had finished school. Then she had had lessons and good, upstanding friends to keep her mind on her studies and off of Narnia and the man she'd left behind.

Her brothers and sister judged her now. She knew it. She was so hurt, but could not bring herself to change back. Instead she continued making new friends, letting them lead her into a superficial world that she honestly despised. But it helped her forget, and she needed to forget.

Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People could not believe what I'd become

But even the Shallow Susan Pevensie could not repress Queen Susan the Gentle. The lady shone through in the kindness shown to all outside of her family, for that was Susan's true nature. But she had to act cold and "grown up" with her siblings; they needed to realize they were only hurting themselves by dreaming of Narnia after the Lion told them they could not return. She knew firsthand; after dreaming of Caspian for heaven only knows how long, she came to her senses. The man was a king, and would marry, have children, and forget that he had ever actually cared for a Queen of Old.

That was the day her heart broke, and that night she went to her first real party. Somewhere between the bar and a dance with a handsome, slightly older man, Susan felt the pain dull. And she decided if this method would work, she would stick to it. Slowly she lost the respect of the only people who should have mattered, but Susan did not care; she couldn't have Caspian, she couldn't have her throne, she couldn't handle the memories, and she wouldn't apologize for being an adult. The others would just have to deal with it.

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Revolutionaries Wait
For my head on a silver plate

King Caspian the Tenth was having a tough time dealing with his new title. As if it were not bad enough that he'd had to fight off assassins before the war, he still faced opposition. Quite frankly, it was tiring. And even those who didn't want him dead still wanted him for something, anything, everything... The last time Narnia was truly secure, there had been four monarchs. He had to do the whole thing alone!

Well, not alone, per se. He was, after all, married now, to the daughter of Ramandu, a star. Married. The young king shuddered at the thought. He needed a Queen, and his bride was beautiful, yes, but she lacked bright blue eyes, a quick tongue, and unbelievable archery skills. Caspian groaned. He was married for Aslan's sake! Why was he still dreaming of a girl he barely knew?

Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh who would ever want to be king?

He shook himself. It did not matter that just the thought of Queen Susan the Gentle made him feel more alive than the kiss of a star's daughter. He had responsibilities, and daydreaming about a far away former monarch was not one of them. In a way Caspian X had eagerly anticipated taking the throne since his childhood; but he would give it all just to see them again.

Peter, so arrogant, but so kind! They had had the potential to be the best of friends. The same went for Edmund; the perfect little brother. The boy was mischievous, but fiercely loyal and undeniably wise. Lucy- the King almost laughed at the thought of her. There could not be a little girl as pleasant as her anywhere. And Susan... he'd done enough thinking of Susan. Not that that would stop him from dreaming of her as soon as he drifted off to sleep. One day he would be able to tell his children stories about the Kings and Queens of Old, because one day it would not hurt quite so much to think of them. He smiled grimly in the dim light of his bedchamber. But when would that day come?

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In two different worlds, five young people contemplated their lives. Four of them resolved to cherish the memories, determined that they could have their dreams back. One, however, doubted. Four went to bed smiling, thinking of the things and people they missed, while One simply smiled at a man she did not know and accepted another drink. Four rested serenely every night, but One still cried herself to sleep, wondering how it all got so bad...

OK, so the next chapter covers the events of The Last Battle. The second part also uses the song.

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