Forgetting

by Natalia173

Susan wakes up in Narnia once again, and five years have passed there. Rebel uprisings have been happening all over Narnia and Susan thinks that this is the reason she has been called back, but what if it's not? Mix of Movie and Book World.

I know about a hundred "Susan comes back to Narnia" stories have been done but this one popped into my head and I just had to put it down on paper. The story falls, chronologically, between The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and The Silver Chair. It's a bit of a mix of the Bookverse and the Movieverse and also explains why Susan denies Narnia on her return to London.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Chronicles of Narnia or any of its characters. I simply use them to further the enjoyment of all.

ooOOoo

Susan woke but kept her eyes closed tightly. It was too soon to be morning. Her body still felt lethargic and she didn't want to face the cold December morning when it was so warm in her bed. She pulled the heavy quilt over her head and rolled over, snuggling deeper into the sheets. They were warm and inviting. In fact, the whole room was warm. She let herself sink into the mattress. Suddenly, her eyes opened.

This wasn't right. Her bed at school wasn't this warm, this clean. It also wasn't this big or comfortable. The quilt, heavier than the one that she had at school, didn't belong to her. She peeked out from under the blanket and saw a room that wasn't hers. It was darker than her own, though she suspected that was partially because it was so dark outside. Wherever she was it was still night. The room was huge and there was a fire burning in the hearth at the foot of the huge four post bed. The bed she was in could have easily fit three people besides herself.

The room was very inviting. There were tapestries on the walls to keep in the heat and thick rugs on the floor to help with the same thing. The blankets were all white and some of the finest material she had seen, or at least she had seen in London. She sat up, taking in the rest of the room. It looked familiar somehow. She didn't know how she had gotten there, however. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep in her dorm room in London. When she woke up she had woken up in this too familiar place. Where had she seen it before?

She didn't have time to place the memory. She heard footsteps nearing the room and she was sitting there in nothing but her night gown and without a weapon. She didn't know who the owner of the room was but Susan could guess that they wouldn't be happy when they found her. She climbed out of the bed, planted her feet firmly on the ground and crouched low, ready for an attack. She would fight, if she had to.

The knob of the door turned and pushed opened. A tall, dark-haired male walked through and spotted her almost immediately. He seemed just as shocked to see her there as she was to be there. Panic spread across his face and he began to take defensive maneuvers. However, before the action of attacking her was completed, recognition spread across his face.

"Queen Susan?" he asked, tentatively. Susan's confusion seemed to increase by the second. How did this man know her? And why was he referring to her as Queen Susan? She was only a queen in Narnia.

Suddenly, all the pieces fell into place. She stood up straight and walked over to the man, scrutinizing him. He was taller than she remembered, his face was more serious and there was a small scar over his right eye. His hair was longer, though not too much longer, just enough that she noticed. He looked older but that was to be expected. It had been almost six months since she had left Narnia. Who knew how much time had passed in her absence? She realized why the room had looked so familiar: she had been in it before, many months ago when Caspian was threatening his uncle. Susan was back in Narnia.

ooOOoo

"Caspian, what is going on here?" she asked him. She was never supposed to come back here so she was baffled as to why she was. It wasn't like Aslan to be wrong. In fact, she was fairly certain that he never was.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," he answered her. "I did not think that I would see you again. You have not changed since you were here last."

"When was I here last? How long ago did my siblings and I leave?"

"It is becoming close to five years now." Five years. She forgot sometimes how quickly time passed in Narnia. Caspian was so much older now, probably his twenties. It made her seventeen feel so young. Though, she supposed in his world she was thousands of years old. She had to smile at the complexity of it all.

"It has only been six months in my world," she explained to him. "A person doesn't change as much in six months as they do in five years." He looked at her and smiled, acquiescing that he'd forgotten about the differences in time progression. He walked over to a near-by closet, pulled out a robe and handed it to her. Susan looked at it in confusion until she finally realized that she had been standing there the whole time in her nearly see through night gown. She took the robe from him gratefully and wrapped it around her body. Caspian gestured to the table and chairs that were near the hearth, inviting her to sit down. Susan complied and Caspian followed suit after he had removed his sword and boots. Peter's sword, she noted.

"Queen Susan, I am still confused as to your presence here. I did not think you were meant to return."

Susan pulled her knees to her chest and rested her head between them, staring at the fire in front of her. She hadn't been able to figure it out either. The only solution that she had was that she was dreaming. She didn't think that her subconscious was that vivid, though, nor that imaginative. She assumed she would dream of the Caspian that she remembered, not the Caspian that had clearly aged five years.

"I don't know why I am back. When I went to sleep last night I was in my dorm room in London. When I woke up, I was laying in your bed." She shrugged her shoulders. "I can't explain it. I never thought that I would see Narnia again. I assumed that this door was closed to me, that everything in this world was closed to me." She held his gaze for a moment before dropping her eyes to the floor. "Any explanation you think of will probably be more accurate than the blatant confusion that I seem to be coming up with."

"Well, you are here for the evening, if nothing else. You are welcome to my bed and I will take a different room."

"Caspian, I can't kick you out of your own chambers," Susan protested.

"There are no rooms that are ready for guests. I shall have one prepared for you tomorrow and clothes brought to you but it is late. It is well past one in the morning and you must be tired. Please, allow me to offer my bed for the evening." He gestured to the bed behind him, already rumpled from her earlier slumber.

"If you're sure…"

"Please, I insist. I will leave you to your sleep. Will you join me for breakfast in the morning?"

Susan smiled genuinely. "I would love that." She rose from her chair, kissing his cheek. "Goodnight, Caspian."

"Goodnight, Queen Susan."

ooOOoo

When Susan woke in the morning, there was already a dress laid out for her and a basin of water and washcloth to clean herself up. She rose, washed her face and pulled on her dress. She was grateful at the ease of clothes in Narnia. When she had first arrived, all those years ago, she had been worried that she would need three hand maidens to get her into her clothes. To this day she was happy that that was not the case. Though the particular dress that was laid out was more ornate than she would usually wear, and had a lot more fabric, it was still easily put on. She pulled her hair up, piling her dark curls loosely on the top of her head and then took one last glance at herself in the looking glass before heading to Caspian's private dining hall.

She thought she knew where it was, after all they had used it frequently on their last visit, but either he had changed the location of the dining hall, unlikely, or she had simply forgotten which way it was. The reasoning didn't matter. In the end, she was still hopelessly lost. She sat down on a bench and put her head in her hands. She supposed she would just have to wait for a servant to pass by and point her in the right direction. She hated that. She knew every nook and cranny of Cair Paravel and she couldn't even find her way to the dining hall in Caspian's home. She missed her home, the placed that she had ruled for so long. She had accepted that she would never see Narnia again yet here she was, the memories once again coming back, making her wish that she could go back to the days that she ruled with her brothers and sister.

However, those days were gone and she had learned what she could from Narnia. At least, that's what she had been told. Why was she back? Why would Aslan bring her here, a place she knew she wouldn't be able to stay? She always took her visits to Narnia with a grain of salt: she was happy to be home but she never let herself become attached. She didn't belong here and so she didn't expect to stay. She rubbed her eyes, not knowing what to make of the whole situation.

"Queen Susan?" Susan looked up to see the concerned face of Caspian. He stood, much cleaner than the previous night, his clothes a light blue color. His hair was brushed back out of his face and his dark eyes showed concern for her. "Is everything alright?"

Susan rubbed her eyes once more before standing to face Caspian. Even with her hair piled on top of her head, he still towered over her. Her eyes only came to his shoulder. She was sure that he hadn't been this tall when she had last seen him. "Please, Caspian, call me Susan. I think that we have been through enough together that we can hang the formalities."

"It is hard to forget all we have been through, Susan. To be honest, it is one of the things in my life I most remember." The look on his face indicated to Susan he meant more than the battles that they had fought together. He offered his arm to her. "Shall we head to breakfast? I was running late and thought that you would have been waiting for me."

Susan took his arm without hesitation. "I would have, had I been able to find the room." She felt more than heard Caspian's throaty laughter.

"That is my fault. I should have thought to send someone to escort you. I forget that you are more used to Cair Paravel."

"I do remember its layout more clearly but I also spent many years there. I was only sixteen when Aslan crowned us as kings and Queens and was there much into my thirties."

"How is it that you are younger now than when you left Narnia?" He held open the door to the dining room for her and then pulled out her chair before sitting across from her. Susan shrugged in response.

"Time works differently in both places," she told him. "When we first left, we were gone for one year and a thousand years passed in Narnia when we finally returned. It's hard to tell how much time passes in either place but it is never the same. When we stumbled back into our own world, we were the same age as when we had left thirty years before. No time had passed in my world."

Caspian shook his head. "It is hard to understand, even knowing everything that I do."

"It's no easier when you experience it." She finished her meal and leaned back in her chair, content to sit and talk with Caspian. "What do you have planned for today?"

"I must hold audiences today so the people can come and voice their complaints to me. There will be some strategy talks this afternoon."

"Strategy talks?" she interrupted. Caspian sighed.

"There have been uprisings as of late. Some Telmarines have been protesting the return of the Narnians for many years now and have gathered a resistance. Just recently they have begun attacks on the kingdom. It has gone far enough that I have to meet with my military advisors to discuss if strong military action will be required. I had hoped it would not come to this but the Telmarines have to understand that this land is no longer just theirs, was really never theirs to begin with."

Susan sighed. She had been wondering all this time why she had been brought back and now she realized this could very well be the reason. The Kings and Queens of Narnia always seemed to return when Narnia was most in need. The recent development with renegade Telmarines seemed to be what had called her back.

But why just her? Why didn't her siblings return with her? Perhaps Aslan didn't think that all four Kings and queens needed to return. It still didn't make a lot of sense. Why not bring back Edmund instead, someone Aslan had said would return? No, she remembered, Edmund and Lucy had already returned once since Susan had left for what she thought was a final time. They were not destined to return either. Susan rubbed her temples. It was all too complicated to try and understand. She just had to assume that the fighting was the reason she was here and the minute it was over she would have to return to her world.

Once again she had to train herself not to become comfortable here: she wasn't destined to stay.

"Would you mind if I joined you for this meeting?" she asked Caspian. "Perhaps this was the reason that I was brought back."

"Your advice would be most helpful," Caspian said, more to himself than to her. He looked up and smiled. "You would be most welcome. I should be meeting them around one, just after lunch. Until then you can use the time to familiarize yourself with the castle. I will have a servant show you around."

"Thank you, Caspian."

Caspian stood, bowing before he left. Just before he went through the door, he turned to look at her. "I am glad that you have returned, Susan."

ooOOoo

Caspian may have been glad that she returned, but Susan wasn't so sure. She didn't quite know what to do with her days. As queen, she did the things that Caspian was currently doing: talking with the people, solving disputes, visiting other countries and planning military strategies. This was no longer her kingdom, though, it was Caspian's. All she could do was wander around the castle and hope she would learn her way around on what she anticipated to be a short visit.

After she dismissed her escort, she didn't really think the servant following her was necessary, she wandered aimlessly, hoping to find something interesting. She wasn't disappointed. About an hour after breakfast with Caspian, Susan discovered his library.

It was huge, larger by at least double of the one at Cair Paravel and that one was the biggest she had ever seen. She craned her neck backwards to see the tops of the shelves. Ladders leaned against them as obvious ways to access the books that were out of reach. Susan ran her hands over the binding. There were books on everything here from fiction to books on warfare and even books on gardening and the culinary arts. She didn't even know where to begin. She decided that a history on Telmarines would probably be something she should know, especially if the reason she was here was to help subdue the rebellion. She grabbed one that was from a time period when she wasn't in Narnia, not hard considering how long she was gone, and curled up into an oversized chair next to the fireplace.

That's how Caspian found her. She was concentrating on her book, oblivious to the world around her. He could see the reactions on her face as she read the histories of his people: sometimes it was wonder, sometimes surprise, but more often then he wanted, there was horror. She had chosen a book on the time period that the Telmarines had invaded Narnia. He was ashamed of his own people; he could only imagine what she thought. He hid, so not to disturb her, for watching her was the most interesting thing. She looked the most relaxed he had seen her since she had arrived. They had both been anxious, not talking about what had transpired between the two of them the last time she was here because neither knew how long she would be staying.

Caspian wanted nothing more than to pick up where they had left off, to make her a queen of this nation once again. However, the same problems still stood. This wasn't her world and her siblings and she seemed only to appear when Narnia was in need. The idea was still tempting, though. He never thought that he would see her again, yet here she was, sitting in his library, reading about his people and looking stunning as she had since that first day that he had seen her in the forest. Why not take advantage of the fact that she was here even if she couldn't stay?

He cleared his throat and Susan looked up in surprise. She had been so engrossed in her book she hadn't noticed that anyone had entered. She smiled when she realized that it was Caspian.

"I didn't hear you come in," she said softly, not wanting to disturb the quiet of the room. She closed the book and placed it on the small table next to her. "How long have I been in here?"

Caspian shrugged. "I am not sure. I do not know when you sat down to read but it is just past noon and much past the time for us to have a mid-day meal."

Susan's eyes widened. She had been sitting there for about four hours. It hadn't seemed so long to her. It would explain the loud growling noise that was now emitting from her stomach. She blushed and Caspian chuckled.

"Let us go and eat. The meeting with my military heads will be directly after. You will be able to think more clearly on a full stomach." Caspian extended his hand and she took it, allowing herself to be pulled easily off the chair and escorted out of the room.

ooOOoo

"We must take a military action and show these rebels that we will not stand for any type of disturbance such as this." Caspian's Telmarine general slammed his fist onto the table. "We have to show a firm hand."

Another advisor, a dwarf, quickly spoke up. "Perhaps a severe military action as you are suggesting is not needed. Why not just take them out quietly? No one need know a war even happened. Just slowly weed out the offenders until there is no one left."

Susan pinched the bridge of her nose. It was like they had never ruled a country in their lives. Hadn't they had rebellions in all the time that the Telmarines ruled? She realized they probably handled those rebellions the same way, thus why they thought that the Narnians were extinct. Finally, after listening to a few more bouts of them arguing how they would destroy the rebellion, Susan spoke up.

"Is war the only thing that has occurred to any of you?" she asked angrily. Six heads look towards her. Only Caspian was smiling as if he knew all along that their banter would exhaust her. "Why are you so anxious to destroy human lives?"

"With all due respect," one of the advisors interjected, "but what other options do we have? It has been some time since you have ruled and perhaps are not equipped to pass judgment."

Caspian was suddenly a little afraid of Susan and the glare that she had on her face was not even directed at him. She stood up and looked his advisor straight in the face, her fury evident. It was Queen Susan that was confronting the obtuse military head and Caspian realized why Narnia was at peace for so long. If all of her siblings were as fierce as she looked now, he could see why no one would want to cross the Kings and Queens of Old. He was glad that he was not crossing her now.

"Have you tried creating a liaison? Was there any attempt to make contact and bring them to the castle? Ask them what their demands are? You have uprooted their entire way of life. They have known nothing but a Telmarine rule and now, in their minds, their country is being invaded by Narnians. You can not fault them for acting this way; the Narnians acted no differently yet you look to punish them all the same. If it did not work the first time, it certainly will not work this time around."

"You can not know how it will fare."

"You're right, I can't. However, I do know that there is the possibility of that no lives will be lost if we speak to them first. I sincerely doubt that you can promise the same thing." They both held each other's gaze before Susan finally won. It was hard to stand up to one so great.

"In the end, it does not matter what you think. Caspian makes the final decision, not you or I."

"That is true. No decision is final until I make it," Caspian answered, speaking up for the first time. "However, I believe that Queen Susan makes a valid point. We can not know what will come of talking to them if we do not try it first. Jasper, I leave it up to you to create a parley." Caspian rose, an obvious indicator that this meeting was adjourned, and held his hand out to Susan. "Care to join me for a turn around the gardens? I have not been outdoors all day and am in need of some fresh air."

Susan smiled, happy to be out of this room, out of the tension that had risen. It was obvious that Caspian's military advisors were not happy that he had taken such a strong liking to her suggestion. Telmarines were always quick to fight while the Narnians had been forced to fight and so the resolution that both came to was that fighting was required. There had been war for so long they had forgotten how to handle things peacefully.

"I would love to," she answered. He pulled her up and laced her arm with his. The sun felt warm on her face but a slight breeze chilled her. Despite the cold of early spring, it was still nice out. She was used to the dreary winter weather of London. She sat under the shade of an apple tree that looked suspiciously like the ones that were planted in Cair Paravel. She raised her eyebrow slightly looking at the trees as she arranged her dress. Caspian blushed and ducked his head.

"I had someone go to Cair Paravel and retrieve some seeds. I knew that your siblings would be coming back one day and thought they would enjoy a piece of home. I did not realize that they would be joining my on my ship instead of at my castle."

Susan laughed. "I remember them telling me of their adventures. Peter indulged them every second of their story. I… well what I did was something else." Susan looked at her hands in her lap. Caspian sat down next to her, placing his own hands on hers.

"What happened in the time that you have not been in Narnia?"

"Too much," Susan sighed. She looked up, meeting Caspian's eyes. "I scoffed at their talk of Narnia. I told them it was a silly fantasy and they had to grow up. I abandoned everything I had known for most of my life. I dug myself so deeply, worked so hard to make my life in London that I forgot everything that I had in Narnia. Or, rather, I tried to forget."

"You… wanted to forget Narnia? I thought that you loved Narnia."

"Isn't it funny how you want to forget the things that you love? Narnia was my home, Caspian. It was always more of my home than my own world. What if someone tore you away from Narnia and you knew that there was no chance that you could return, not one. I was always happy in Narnia and that never happened in London. I didn't want to remember when I was happy. It was easier to accept being in London if I didn't remember the wonderful things to compare to it."

"I can understand that," Caspian answered, his voice low. "There are things that made me incredibly happy that I thought I would never see again, so I attempted to put them from my mind." He smiled at her, never looking away from her face. "Now I am beginning to think that was not the best way to handle it."

"Perhaps that is why I have returned. Maybe Narnia is not done teaching me or you." A bell started ringing from the castle. Caspian groaned.

"I did not realize how long we had been sitting here. I am running late to a meeting with surrounding countries." He got to his feet gracefully, something Susan couldn't accomplish in the dress she wore. She would be happy when she had a wardrobe to her liking. Caspian helped her to her feet. "I must go. I am sorry that I am not able to escort you back to your room."

"Don't worry. I'll find my way back to the library."

Caspian chuckled. "Then I will come and pull you away at dinner." He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Until this evening."

ooOOoo

Susan didn't head back to the library right away. Dinner wasn't that far away and she knew that she must look like a mess. She asked the servant that Caspian had assigned to her care if her room had been made ready. The servant guided her there and then left Susan to her own devices. The room had been the same that she had stayed in when she had been in Caspian's castle months before. Well, for him it was years before. She was flattered that he had remembered after all that time. The bed, like every other room in the castle, was huge. It could easily fit her siblings and she with a little breathing room to spare but instead of the white comforter that was like Caspian's, a light blue comforter graced the bed with twice the amount of pillows; just the way she liked it. She made her way to the armoire that held her clothes and opened it to reveal dresses more in her taste. They were less cumbersome and less ornate. It was easier to move in them and certainly easier to fight.

She sifted through the bottom of her closet and found more pairs of shoes than she had ever owned in her life. Closing the doors on her clothes, she circled the room, taking in how big it was. She looked around and noticed her vanity and objects that she had not seen when she first entered. Susan ran her hands over her bow and quiver and her horn. She had forgotten that they had stayed in Narnia, though it was ridiculous to forget because they certainly couldn't have come with her to her world. She ran her fingers over the red feathers on the ends of her arrows and picked up her bow, testing it. It was still strung securely. Caspian had been taking care of it in her absence. Lying on top of her horn was a note, written in Caspian's careful handwriting.

Susan-

I thought that I should return these to you. I know that I would not feel comfortable without the things most dear to me. I hope they have been kept in proper care. They were left in the hands of the best archers in Narnia while you were away. Targets are set up on the southern lawn for your use. I look forward to seeing you at dinner.

-X

Susan smiled at the note and ran her hands over her things. She was glad that Caspian had thought to put them in her room. Looking outside she guessed that she had about three hours before dinner. She should have just enough time to change her clothes, get some practice in and still come back to clean herself up. She quickly changed into something more comfortable to practice and all but ran outside. Just as Caspian had promised, a variety of targets had been set up for her.

Susan drew an arrow out of her quiver and strung it loosely. She ran her thumb over the familiar feathers before drawing it back, anchoring it at her mouth. She sat for a minute, letting her muscles remember how to fire the perfect arrow, her eyes remember how to spot a target and her legs to remember the balance and force that came with releasing a bow. She let the arrow fly, the bow producing the satisfying twanging sound and seconds later a dull thud pronounced that she had hit her intended target. She grabbed another arrow, this time aiming for a harder target. About sixty feet away, she aimed for the next target that was set up and hit it straight on.

For hours Susan did this, her arrows being recovered by the servants in the area. She eventually moved on to different targets, the shooting range not being able to test her skills to the fullest. She forgot about the time, about dinner, about everything but the feel of the bow and arrow in her hands.

Susan let another arrow fly and it hit an apple cleanly out of a tree. Seconds later another arrow, not one of her own, performed the same action but to a different apple. Susan turned quickly, stringing her bow at the same time, ready for an attack. She quickly relaxed when she saw Caspian standing there with his own bow and quiver. She smiled warmly at him.

"You shouldn't sneak up on me when I'm practicing; I could have killed you."

"I do not think so. You have too much control to kill someone accidentally, especially someone you care for." A second after he said the words he realized their connotation. "I mean, I just assumed… I did not mean to be presumptuous-"

Susan cut him off. "Of course not. You have helped my family and me in more ways than I can repay. How could I not care for you?" Caspian's anxiety at his slip up instantly vanished, her easy smile and loving nature drawing him in once again. It seemed to happen more times than he could count in a day.

"What brings you out here?" Susan asked turning back to her targets and preparing to shoot again.

"Well, I sat at my dinner table for a half hour by myself before deciding to come look for you. I have eaten dinner alone more times than I wish to count and did not want to repeat the experience could I avoid it." He was about to join her in her recreation but Susan quickly lowered her bow, her face aghast.

"I forgot! Oh, Caspian, I am so sorry that I forgot! I have been so caught up in what I was doing that I did not even notice the time!"

"I assumed that is what you would be doing. I did not think that you could resist the call of your arrows."

"That is no excuse! You have a schedule to keep and I'm sure that a late dinner was not a part of it. I won't forget tomorrow, Caspian. I will keep someone around to remind me."

"Why wait until tomorrow when there is still this evening. I am sure you have not eaten and neither have I-"

"You haven't eaten? Why not?"

Caspian gave her a confused look. "Because you were not there. It would have been rude to invite you and then eat without you."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course, because it was not rude at all to not even appear."

Caspian chuckled at how concerned she was for her lapse in propriety. He knew that part of it was his own fault. Had someone given him back one of his prized treasures, he would lose track of the time just as easily as she had.

"Susan, think nothing of it. I had a light afternoon of events scheduled and it is nothing to push them until later. Dinner has been kept warm. You can have a little while to clean up and then meet me in the dining hall for dinner." He held out his arm, offering it to her. She took it and they chatted the entire walk back to the castle. He left her at her door with a soft kiss on her cheek that seemed to linger a little longer than usual. Perhaps she was just imagining that part.

She all but ran to her closet, wanting to clean up as quickly as possible. Her weapons and horn were deposited on her bed to be dealt with later. She washed her face, neck and chest from the basin of water; it had been replenished while she had been out. She dressed and sat down to do her hair. It was such a mess and needed to be washed. She would ask the servants to draw her a bath tomorrow. She settled for the usual style, piling her hair on her head. A few curls escaped around her face and she took two pins with pearls on the end and inserted them strategically into the curling brown mess on her head.

When she entered the dining hall, Caspian couldn't keep himself from staring. Susan never ceased to amaze him and now was no exception. She had not been away from him for more than a half hour and she stood before him as if she had spent hours on her appearance. Her dress was simple, a pale green with off the shoulder sleeves and no decoration to it other than the sheen of the material, but its bodice fit her perfectly. She managed to show just enough but still leave almost everything to his very vivid imagination. Her hair was arranged carefully on her head, curls framing her beautiful face and pearls adding just the right amount of elegance. She was free of jewelry but it did nothing to diminish her beauty.

He stood when she entered and pulled out her chair when she went to sit before sitting in his own chair. His eyes never left her and she blushed softly under his gaze.

"Caspian, it is a little disconcerting to have you constantly looking at me like that."

A look of surprise came over his face. He had been so enthralled he had forgotten that he was staring. He smiled easily. "I apologize." The food had come and he redirected his attention to it. "You just look very beautiful this evening. It is very hard not to admire."

Susan couldn't understand it. She had picked one of her simpler dresses and her hair looked atrocious. It was barely contained in its pulled back lump. She had forgotten to put on any jewelry, completing the plainness of her attire. She graciously accepted the compliment anyways, always one to be polite.

They discussed all sorts of things at dinner; how she spent her afternoon, the books she was interested in and if her room was to her liking. They avoided the obvious subject that neither wanted to think about: how long she would be able to stay. Eventually the talk turned to the rebellion.

"Have you heard anything?" Susan questioned. "Are they willing to speak with you?"

"I don't know," Caspian answered with a shrug. He picked up a newly filled glass of wine and took a sip before finishing. "I cannot seem to track down their leader and he is the only one that would be able to talk with me. The resisters that we have found are hard pressed to give up his location, as you might assume. If no contact is made, well…" he let the sentence drop off with a shrug of his shoulders. "I cannot continue to let them harass and jeopardize the citizens of Narnia."

"I hope that it doesn't come to that," Susan responded. "I know how much you hate war, how much we all hate it."

He smiled a bit ruefully. As much as he hated it, he realized that it seemed to be the only thing that brought them together. He excused himself and retired to his room, thinking the entire night about Susan and their conversation.

Since she had left, he had thought about nothing else. When her younger siblings came back for his sea voyage, he hoped more than anything that she had returned with them, despite what Aslan had told the company. They hadn't discussed their parting since her return. She had kissed him, blatantly shown him her affections yet had made no move to do the same since she had returned. He did not know the reasons behind it, but he could imagine. When she had left she had nothing to lose so why not kiss him before she left? Now, she could have everything to lose. If she let herself get close, let herself feel affection well… Caspian wasn't pushing the matter for the same reasons. He wasn't sure if he could take knowing her, falling for her, loving her. Not that he didn't want all those things but he wouldn't be able to survive it if she had to go back. They had spent such little time together before she left and it took all his effort not to think of her all day, every day despite their brief acquaintance. Things were already different since her return. He could read her smiles and the expressions on her face with ease. He had memorized the way she always pulled her hair back and the dresses that she preferred to wear and even the activities that she enjoyed.

He had tried to keep his distance but that had obviously helped him little. He still couldn't seem to stop feeling so strongly for her. He only hoped that he could survive when she left again. But what if he missed out because he was so intent on being okay when she returned to her world? He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. It was late and all these questions came with complicated answers. He changed and retired for the evening, Susan never far from his thoughts.

ooOOoo

When Susan woke, it was a beautiful day out. It was one of those days that the temperature was perfect and there was just enough of a breeze to keep you cool. The sun was shining and she couldn't see any clouds outside her second story window. She dressed quickly, anxious to get to breakfast and then be outside. Perhaps she would take a few books with her and sit under the apple trees like she had done so often at Cair Paravel. Maybe she would spend the afternoon with her bow and arrow. She was excited to have her things back, things that were so familiar to her and made her feel at home once again. She pulled her hair back into a pony tail. Whatever she decided to do today, it would require her hair to be out of her face.

She talked to the servant before she left the room, asking that a bath be ready an hour before dinner. She practically ran to the dining hall and pushed opened the door before it could be opened for her. Caspian could see the difference in her immediately.

Her face was slightly red from moving so quickly through the halls and her features were energetic. The past few days, though they had been sunny, had been slightly cold. Today was the first warm day since Susan had shown up here two weeks ago. She seemed excited to go out and enjoy it.

"Good morning, Susan."

She smiled at him. "Good morning, Caspian! It's beautiful out today."

"I did note that when I rose this morning. I assume that you plan to go out and enjoy it?"

"Of course," she said, nodding vigorously. "Maybe I will take some books out or practice my archery some more."

Caspian chuckled. "If there is one thing you do not need more practice in, I believe it would be archery. I have never seen someone shoot an arrow as accurately or with as much distance as you."

"That isn't true. I'm out of practice. I haven't picked up a bow for the six months that I've been missing. I missed one or two of my targets the other day. I hit the tree branch instead of the apple and the other time I missed the apple completely."

"Yet, despite that, you are still a far better archer than myself and I practice frequently." He dismissed the servants after they placed the food down and turned back to Susan. "Why don't you go riding today? A horse can be made ready for you easily enough and it is a beautiful day for you. I can have two of the guard escort you."

"Oh, that's a great idea! I haven't been riding in forever! But don't bother with the guard: I can go by myself." She ate a bite of her breakfast and couldn't help but smiling. Caspian's cook made the most delicious food she'd ever had in her life.

"I don't like the idea of you going alone. There has been a lot of rebel activity and I don't want to think about what it would mean if the rebel party got a hold of the Queen of Narnia."

"I'm not a Queen of Narnia," she reminded him.

"'Once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen of Narnia,'" Caspian quoted.

"Perhaps, but not an important queen of Narnia. It would not be the same as if you were kidnapped."

"It would be worse," Caspian said without thinking. Susan didn't miss the tone in his voice.

"I used to ride alone or with my siblings all the time and I never fell into any harm."

"You also reigned during the most peaceful time in Narnia. Just take a few members of the guard. I'm not asking you to take an entire battalion, just two bodyguards."

"There is no point, Caspian. I can take care of myself. It's not as dangerous as you imagine in your head."

"Imagine! Susan, you have not even been in town to see the dangers that you face. I not only see them, I hear of them every day from my subjects. If something happened to you, I couldn't-" he cut off abruptly. He sunk back into his chair with a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, a habit they both seemed to have. Neither he nor Susan said a word but eventually Caspian looked to the woman across the table from him. He turned his head to the outdoors and saw the beautiful day. He knew that with both beautiful woman and weather outside of his castle he would not be able to concentrate much anyways.

"If you will not take a guard, then I will accompany you."

Susan's head shot up, surprised. "Caspian, you can't. You have things here that need to be done. You can't abandon them all because I have a whim to go out horseback riding on my own. Stay, if it really makes you feel that much better, I'll take a guard."

Caspian refrained from rolling his eyes. Now she agreed to the guard. "I don't have anything that can't be pushed to a later date. It's a beautiful day and I would like to be out in it. I don't take civilian audiences today and my meeting with the military heads is tomorrow. They have finally found the head of the rebel army and they are setting a meeting up with him. I can afford one day off."

"Are you sure?" she asked hesitantly. She would love to spend the day with Caspian but he was always so busy and she didn't like to disturb him. She knew what it was like to be a reigning monarch. His responding smile was all the reassurance that she needed.

"I'll have a basket made up and we can eat lunch while we are out. In fact, why don't we visit Cair Paravel today? We can make it there and back in a day."

"I'd love to go see Cair Paravel! I'm going to go get ready to leave. I'll meet you at the stables in an hour." She leaned over and hugged Caspian and placed an excited kiss on his cheek. "It's such a great idea, thank you!" She let him go and ran out of the room, full of excitement about their day.

ooOOoo

"It's not much further. Getting tired?" Susan glanced to her right to see Caspian smiling. "We could take a rest," she suggested, more to tease him than because she actually thought that he needed a rest. Cair Paravel was within their sights and they would reach it within a few minutes.

"Rest? Why would I need a rest?" he said, returning her jibe. "I haven't even used a fraction of my energy. In fact, I will race you the rest of the way, but only if you think that you can handle it."

"I have an even better idea," she challenged. "I'll race you to the north tower. You'll have to get off your horse and run the last stretch to win."

"I accept the challenge," he answered, laughing. "Ready, set-" Susan took off before he said go. "You cheated!" he yelled after her, spurring his horse on. Caspian's horse was faster but Susan was a more skilled and lighter rider. Despite her head start they were neck and neck when they dismounted and raced towards the base of the northern tower. They kept pushing each other aside, one trying to gain the advantage of the other. Caspian saw that she was about to win so he grabbed her by the waist and lifted her clear off her feet. However, the extra weight of the squirming, surprised queen unbalanced him and they both fell into the soft grass, Caspian slightly on top of Susan. They were both laughing as Caspian started to sit up, supporting himself on his arms. Their laughter died as he looked at her, both of them laying there, the most at ease that they had been since she came.

Caspian didn't think. He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. It was better than he remembered. There was less restraint this time, now that they had no audience, less self-consciousness. It was also longer, giving Caspian time to move his hand to the nape of her neck. He enjoyed every minute of it like he hadn't been able to the last time. Last time, she took him by surprise giving him no chance to respond. He wasn't going to make that mistake again.

All too soon Susan pushed him away, her hands placed firmly on his chest. She shook her head fervently and sat up causing Caspian to sit next to her.

"We can't do this. I, I can't do this." She stood up and ran out of his sight, probably to some hidden part of Cair Paravel. She knew this castle better than he did and he knew that he would never find her if she didn't want him to. Caspian sighed and flopped backwards into the grass. What had he done wrong? She seemed like she had wanted to kiss him. She didn't stop him when he had leaned down and when she did push him away it hadn't been immediate. Caspian put his hands on his face, muffling the frustrated scream that came from him seconds later. He had moved too soon, kissed her before she was ready. He just didn't want to risk her leaving before he had the chance to tell her.

Caspian just lay there, staring into space. After a few minutes he decided that he should get up and look for her. The whole point of coming was so that she wouldn't be alone. He wasn't that worried about it out here; superstition still hung heavily around Cair Paravel, but it was his excuse nonetheless. He pulled himself to his feet and walked in the direction that she had run, expecting to have to search for her. He was surprised when he reached what had previously been the throne room and there she sat, exactly where her old chair had been. The chair was long gone but Susan sat cross-legged, her skirt spread around her. She looked every bit a queen of Narnia and he wished that he could have seen her when she reigned as Queen Susan the Gentle. He walked over to her and fell to one knee, bowing.

"May I approach, Queen Susan?" he asked, the same as any visiting monarch should. Susan sighed.

"Stand up, Caspian. You look ridiculous." She ignored his grin, the one that he seemed to reserve for her. When he sat next to her, all traces of laughter had disappeared from his face. He just looked at her, confused and a little hurt. She realized out here, with her, he was just Caspian, man who obviously cared for her. "I'm sorry," she told him. "I didn't mean to take off like that."

"I should also apologize. I should have asked you before I kissed you."

"I didn't ask you," she reminded him, a small smile on her lips. "Turnabout is fair play and all that."

"But I didn't push you away."

"Caspian, I just… I can't do it."

"Why? Can you at least tell me that?"

"Who knows how long I'm going to be here? I don't even know why I'm here, only that I shouldn't be. If I made a life for myself while I was here, allowed myself to-" She couldn't say it. If she told him she loved him out loud, it would be true. For now she could just pretend that it wasn't. She took a deep breath, trying to control her emotions. "If I had to leave all that again and go back to England, I don't know how well I would handle that, if I could handle that."

"I have had the same thoughts everyday since you arrived," he confessed. "And everyday, for the five years between your visits, I thought about nothing but what I would say to you if you returned. When you did, I couldn't find the courage to say anything to you." He turned to her, taking her face in his hands.

"I love you. I have been enamored with you since you showed up in Narnia five years ago. When you kissed me, when I knew that you cared for me too, I wished more than anything that you would return to me. Three days before you returned again, I went into the woods and blew your horn and then you turned up in my chambers. I understand your feelings; I feel the same thing everyday. If I loved you and then you left me…" he paused, trying to make her understand. "Susan, I would rather love you everyday and have you returned to your world, then have you here forever and never have loved you."

Susan was stunned. She knew he cared about her, but to love her so fiercely for so long, thinking that she would never return. She had only been away from him for six months. She couldn't imagine what five years would have been like. All her emotions and thoughts were hitting her at the same time and she couldn't think clearly.

"Caspian, I can't… I have to think."

He nodded, understanding. "Let's go eat lunch. You must be starving." He stood up and helped her to her feet before wandering off to find the horses.

ooOOoo

It had been a long day and Susan was glad to finally sink into her bed. She couldn't stop thinking about what Caspian had said, about loving her despite the real chance of losing her. Though she was tired, she had so much on her mind that it took her awhile to finally fall asleep.

Her dreams were erratic, chaotic. She was running around the castle, trying to escape something, trying to find Caspian. She had to protect him; she just didn't know what she had to protect him from. She ran without going anywhere, never really attaining any of her goals. There was a loud piercing scream that she knew was Caspian.

She jolted upright when her dream let her go. She had to remind herself it was a dream and that Caspian was fine. She breathed deeply, trying slow her heart when she heard the piercing scream again; only this time she realized that it wasn't a scream, it was an alarm.

The castle was under attack.

Susan responded immediately. She threw on an easy gown that she knew she could move in, threw her hair into a pony tail, grabbed her weapons and horn and ran out the door. She made for Caspian's room, needing to know that he was alright. She ran into one of his generals on the way.

"What's happening?" Susan asked him over the din.

"The rebels are attacking the castle with a stronger force than we ever anticipated. All soldiers are being directed to the courtyard where there is the highest concentration. They are attacking from the front gates."

"And Caspian?"

"Out there fighting. He sent servants to find you and keep you safe. You should return to your chamber."

"I'm coming with you," she told him and then took off in the direction of the courtyard before he could object.

There were people everywhere. No one had anticipated that there would be this many rebels, that this many people would be so angry that the Narnians had returned to their home. She didn't realize how much animosity that her siblings and she had left behind. Perhaps the kings and queens of old had been sent home too soon. This must be why she had been sent back; to bring peace to Narnia.

She just watched the chaos for a moment, not quite knowing where to start. Suddenly she heard a scream to her right. A man came barreling towards her, sword drawn. Susan easily side stepped him, drew an arrow and used it to slit the man's throat. She then strung it into her bow and let it fly into a nearby enemy. It all came back to her so easily. She moved with grace, avoiding all the weapons that tried to hurt her, letting her arrows fly. They all hit with dead accuracy. She looked for Caspian, trying to pick him out in the crowd. She thrust an arrow into the larynx of a nearby rebel before hoisting herself up so she could see the yard from above.

"Tauren, take your men over there! We need more coverage at the gate. Why hasn't the bridge been drawn yet? Bring it up! Close the gates!" Susan looked and saw Caspian shouting his orders. She jumped down, bringing another rebel down in the process. She fought her way over to Caspian, releasing one arrow after another, unsheathing the knife on her belt when she needed it.

"Caspian!" she screamed, not knowing if she was close enough for him to hear. "Caspian!" This time he turned, his eyes wide with shock. He ran to her side and began fighting with her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked as his sword took down one of their opponents. "You were supposed to hide inside of the castle."

Susan gave him an incredulous look before ducking under the swing of an enemy and taking out his legs. She stuck an arrow in his eye, pulled it out and shot it into another rebel across the yard. He died before he was able to land a blow on the soldier he had been about to attack from behind.

"I have never hidden from a fight in my life. I'm certainly not going to begin now. Behind you!" She strung her bow and let loose an arrow before Caspian could turn. The man fell down inches from Caspian.

"Thanks," he said before burying his sword once again into the enemy.

They fought all night, taking out rebels in hordes. The enemies kept finding ways in until finally the bridge was lifted and the gate lowered, cutting off most of their reinforcements. Caspian kept an eye on Susan the entire time, afraid that something would happen to her. He knew she was more than adept at handling herself in battle but it was still hard to watch her fight. She was graceful and powerful and more skilled than his entire army. The morning finally came and their enemies dwindled being no match for Caspian's castle guard. Caspian spotted Susan fighting off two men, both much larger than her. Caspian looked up and saw a third man about to drop down on her. Susan couldn't see him, didn't even know he was there and the man was already pulling out his sword, intent on a kill.

Caspian ran for everything he was worth, screaming her name along the way, easily killing every enemy who tried to stop him. He watched as Susan finished off the men that she was fighting, still unaware of the enemy above her. The man jumped just as Caspian reached her. Caspian slammed into her, rolling them both safely out of the way just as the man fell heavily onto the hard surface. He was speared by the swords of Caspian's guard before he could even get up. Caspian got to his feet and pulled a winded and stunned Susan up. He turned to one of the captains, next to Caspian after he saw what happened.

"Capture who you can and kill who you have to," Caspian commanded. "If you find the leader, lock him up separately and I will deal with him later. If you have any more problems, take care of it. Come find me only if you absolutely have to."

The captain nodded, already turning to distribute Caspian's orders to the appropriate people. Caspian retreated into the castle, Susan's hand in his own. He pulled her through the castle, ignoring everyone around him. The danger had passed, for the most part, and Caspian was no longer needed in the courtyard. They came to his room and he ushered her in.

"Caspian, what-" She didn't get a chance to finish as Caspian's lips caught her own. He pulled her to him, holding her as if he thought that she would disappear. He was kissing her the same way. It wasn't like earlier in the field, which was seductive. No, this was filled with fear and need and relief all wrapped together. Caspian broke the kiss but didn't let go of her. Susan didn't want him to.

"I thought that I was going to lose you. He would have killed you without a second thought and I was across the courtyard. I didn't think that I would make it. I thought that I was going to be too late."

Susan wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly. It had been close. She didn't even notice the man above her until Caspian knocked her out of the way and she saw him land at her feet. She could have been killed just that easily. She didn't know what would happen to her if she were killed in Narnia, whether that meant that she would never go back to her own world. Would England go on without her or would it freeze indefinitely because of her absence? Every time she returned home from Narnia no time had passed no matter how long they had been away. She didn't want to think about what would happen if she couldn't return.

"I'm fine. Everything is fine. The rebels are subdued and you really had minimal losses considering," she reassured him. Caspian gave her another squeeze before letting her go.

"Do you need to see my physician? You took a hard fall when I knocked into you."

"I'm fine," she told him, shaking her head. "I'll just have a few bruises. Nothing that won't be gone within a few days." She smiled at him to show that there was nothing wrong, that despite the close call she was here and breathing. She had never seen him look so worried.

"I'll escort you back to your room," he said to her.

"You don't have to. I can find my way."

"Susan, please," he pleaded with her. He wanted to stay with her as long as possible, make sure that she was really okay, that he wasn't going to lose her. His simple request was all it took for her to concede. She didn't really want to be parted from him either. She nodded and he escorted her to her room. He kissed her on her cheek, about to leave her at her door when she stopped him, her hand on his arm.

"Stay," she said simply. Caspian gave her a confused look. She took a deep breath and asked again. "Please, just stay for now. It's been a long night and I-" Her eyes closed as she collected herself. "Just stay."

She didn't need to say more to convince him. He opened her door and followed her quietly into the room.

ooOOoo

The fire was already burning in her hearth and two chairs were set up at a comfortable distance from it with a table in between. Susan would have to call a servant to get Caspian and her some dinner, or rather, some breakfast at this point. Dawn had come and it was already nearing seven in the morning. She also needed a bath, badly. The dust, blood and dirt from the fight had settled into her clothes and skin. She could probably shake enough dirt loose from her hair to fill a large hole. Though they had won this battle, Susan wondered how many more were to come and if she would even be there for all of them. Things were in worse shape than Caspian or she had ever imagined. She didn't think that they would try to attack the castle with so few numbers. Perhaps, though, that is what they were meant to think; that the rebel army had seriously depleted their numbers with this attack. It could be unsettlingly more likely that there was a much larger army just waiting for Caspian to let down his guard.

She rubbed her temples, trying to dispel the headache that she could feel coming. Her whole body ached, another reason for a hot bath, and she could tell that tomorrow her aches would be worse. She felt hands on her shoulders, slowly massaging away the worst of the pain. She leaned slightly against Caspian, relaxing into his hands.

"You are very tense. The fighting seems to have taken much out of you," Caspian comment, trying to work a particularly hard knot out of her shoulder. She just nodded in consent, starting to relax for the first time in days. She had been nothing but stressed out since she got here. Between being afraid of going back, to what had happened yesterday in the ruins of Cair Paravel, and the battle she had just fought all night, she barely had the energy to take the bath she knew she so desperately needed. She turned and looked at Caspian, feeling his hands fall to her waist.

"I need a bath," she told him. She didn't want to leave him but she couldn't not wash either. She needed the warm water to relax her muscles. "Can I have about an hour?" He leaned down, pressing his lips softly, but briefly to hers.

"Take all the time you need. I'll be here when you are finished."

He was true to his word. Just over an hour later, Susan emerged, dressed in her nightgown and robe, and Caspian sat by the fire. He had bathed and dressed into clean clothing, obviously much quicker than she had, and he had food brought up for the two of them. Looking at it sitting on the table she realized how hungry she was. Sitting down she ate till she was full and then finally relaxed into her chair, glass of warm wine in her hands. She was so tired that she could have fallen asleep but she forced her eyes open. She had asked Caspian to stay and now she had to figure out what to say to him.

"Susan, why did you ask me to stay tonight?" His voice surprised Susan. She hadn't expected him to speak up, to ask the one question she was so desperately trying to answer herself. She decided to give him the most honest answer she could think of.

"Caspian, just because I am unsure of my future here doesn't mean that I don't care for you, don't lo-" she stopped herself from saying she loved him. Did she? Yes, desperately but she had only just admitted that to herself, how could she tell him? She looked up and met his eyes and it nearly undid her. He looked so hopeful but so hurt at the same time. He loved her, it was so obvious and he had told her with little hesitation. Why couldn't she return the favor? What if she woke up in London tomorrow and he never knew how she really felt about him?

She knew she would be just as miserable as she had been the first time she had returned without telling him, probably more so. In fact, just before she woke up in Narnia she had been bemoaning that very thing, thinking to herself that she would tell him were she ever given the chance. She thought it an interesting coincidence that Caspian was doing the very same thing before she appeared.

Suddenly everything seemed to make a lot more sense. Perhaps it wasn't a coincidence after all. Perhaps Aslan had brought them both here so that they could finally tell each other and even have some time to relish in that fact. It would explain so many things: why she had come back when she wasn't supposed to, why it had been her and not one of her younger siblings and why she was still here despite the rebellion taking a hard blow. Caspian could have easily defeated his foes without her return and could definitely do so after tonight. She knew that her siblings and she only returned in times of great need but she didn't realize that included every kind of need.

Caspian had needed her and so she here she was.

"I can't believe I didn't see it before," she said out loud to herself.

"Excuse me?" Caspian was so confused by her answer that he could only ask her to repeat it. Susan looked at him and smiled, happier and more at peace than Caspian had ever seen her in his life.

"It all makes sense now, Caspian. I know why I was brought here, why I'm still here. Narnia has a great need, or rather, you have a great need and you are the ruler of Narnia. I was sent here because of you, because you love me and because," she took a deep breath, "because I love you."

Stunned didn't begin to cover the look on Caspian's face and it took all of Susan's efforts not to laugh. Instead she decided to do something that she hadn't done for six months, or five years, depending on who you were. She stood up, walked over to Caspian, leaned down and kissed him. This time he didn't let himself be taken by surprise. When she pulled away he grabbed her by the waist, pulled her into his lap and took her face in his hands.

"Marry me, Susan."

"What? Caspian, I don't even know how long I'm going to be here. I could end up back in-" He pressed his lips to hers, silencing her.

"I do not care if you are here for fifty days or fifty years. I know that I will not find another like you, never love someone like I love you. Marry me, Susan," he said, repeating his plea. Susan responded, giving him the answer she so desperately wanted to.

"Okay."

ooOOoo

She did marry him, a month later, in all the glory befitted to a Narnian Queen. Months passed, and then years and soon Susan almost forgot altogether that she had belonged to another place, another world. She remembered her siblings and her family but she thought of them little. She had a family of her own, a son, Rilian that grew up right before her eyes. Susan never saw Aslan in all the time that she was there, though she knew that it was he who had brought her there and grew to such an old age it was unimaginable. Caspian and she lived and ruled longer than any other King and Queen of Narnia. In his old age, Caspian and Rilian began to build a boat that Caspian and Susan planned to spend the remainder of their lives on. One last adventure.

A few months before its completion, Susan walked out to the gardens like she had so many times in her long life. As she wandered, she saw a green serpent and was bitten by it, plunging her into unconsciousness. When Susan woke up she was disoriented, needed to take a moment before she remembered what had happened. She stretched herself lazily, feeling better and younger this morning than she had in more years than she could remember. She opened her eyes expecting to see the canopy of her bed.

Instead she found a white ceiling. She sat up and noticed that she slept in a twin bed and was in a square room that had white walls and was completely unoriginal. There were none of the tapestries and rugs that had covered her room most of her life. She looked down and realized why all the aches of her age had disappeared. Susan was seventeen once again and back in her dorm room in London. She had left Narnia for what she knew was the final time.

Tears instantly welled up in her eyes and she sobbed into her blanket. She was back in London and it was as if the past eighty years hadn't happened. She would never see her son and husband again, nor would she go on that last trip with Caspian. She couldn't handle the misery and pain that came with this knowledge. Susan did the only thing she could to survive.

She tried to forget, to pretend that it had never happened. She denied Narnia when her siblings would speak of it, pretending that it was just a play world that they dreamed up as children. She never told them of her experiences there and therefore they never understood how she could believe that all the years she spent there never happened. Every year it got harder and harder to fight with them about it until, one year right before the holidays, she decided that she was going to tell Peter everything. Of all her siblings she knew he would understand the most. She waited at school for everyone to come. They would arrive on the train together and then pick her up before driving the last bit of distance home. She looked at her clock. It was an hour past when the train should have come and the station was only ten minutes away. The train must be running late. The phone rang almost simultaneously with the thought.

"Hello, Susan speaking."

"Is this Susan Pevensie?"

"Yes, who is this?"

"Susan, this is the London Police Department. There's been an accident."

~Fin.

ooOOoo

I know it's a really sad ending but about half way through it I realized that it wouldn't be NEARLY as good if the ending wasn't sad. Also, I *think* I got the timeline and book details right but don't burn me if I'm a little off. It's been a little while since I read the books but I did Wiki it for the details that I needed.