Narnia – Bad News, There's Been an Accident.

By Allyson

(A/N – Set during The Last Battle, all of Narnia belongs to C. S. Lewis)

Susan picked up her hairbrush from off her dresser and looked at her appearance in the mirror before she started to brush her hair. She gave a startled gasp as she realized there was somebody stood behind her, standing in front of her bedroom door.

"Peter," she scolded, forcing her fingers to unclench their grip on her hairbrush. "What are you doing here? You'll miss your train."

Peter smiled sadly back at her as he moved towards her. His reflected expression caused Susan's heart to freeze and a cold lump of dread to settle in her stomach.

"I'm sorry, Su, but I've got some bad news," Peter apologized, standing behind her so that he could lock eyes with her in the mirror. "There's been an accident."

"An accident?" repeated Susan, in a small worried voice. "Has something happened to Lucy? Or Edmund?"

"In a way," responded Peter, looking uncomfortable. "But I want you to know that there was nothing you could have done and we have always loved you."

"Peter," interrupted Susan, slowly and firmly. "What's happened?"

Peter let out a sigh as he saw his sister's determined look.

"There was a train crash," he told her, after a moment's tense silence. "Not everyone survived."

The colour drained from Susan's face as what he had said sank in and she understood what was implied. Slowly, she turned in her seat to face her brother properly.

"Are they-?" She choked on the word, tears pooling in her eyes.

The look of grief on Peter's face was her undoing and she sobbed in despair. Mascara streaked down her cheeks but she didn't notice.

"It can't be true," she pleaded, desperately.

Peter knelt down in front of her, nodding his head reluctantly. "It is, Su," he croaked, emotionally. "I'm so sorry."

He reached out a comforting hand close to her cheek but not close enough to touch. The cold that radiated from his hand seeped into Susan's skin and caused goose-bumps to prickle across her cheek. An icy lump formed in her throat as grief took over.

Dragging her eyes up to meet the familiar blue gaze of her brother for the last time, Susan managed a broken whisper, "Y-you didn't . . . survive . . . either, did you?"

Peter smiled softly and shook his head. Susan closed her eyes in despair as Peter leaned over to kiss her forehead. All she felt was a breeze ruffle her fringe.

"I just wanted to make sure that you would be okay," she heard Peter speak in her ear, as if from a distance. "Everything will be fine, I promise. Go on living knowing that we've always loved you. Don't worry about us, we're fine. Susan, we found our way back to Narnia."

"Narnia?" Susan could hear the grin in her brother's voice as he pronounced that word. Her eyes snapped open, a dismissive retort automatically on her tongue, when with a startled gasp she realized Peter had gone and she was once again alone.

"Peter?" she called out, her voice raw with anger at being left very much alone. "Peter, come back! Noooo-!"

Susan bolted up, sweat and tears pouring from her and her mouth still open in a scream. Panting, her heart racing in her ears, Susan looked around wildly and found she had fallen asleep on the sofa while reading her book.

"It's a dream, just a dream," she murmured shakily to herself, as she sat up. But she still felt wretched.

The room echoed with lonely silence. Even the clock on the mantelpiece seemed to have stopped ticking. Frozen to the spot, Susan jumped in shock as the telephone in the hallway rang impossibly loud and foreboding. A second ring forced her feet to move and Susan ran to answer the telephone.

"Hello?" she gasped, slightly out of breath.

"Is that Miss Susan Pevensie?" asked a clipped authoritative voice on the other end of the receiver.

"Yes, it is," she responded, fear crawling up her spine.

"This is the Police," came the apologetic reply. "I'm afraid we have bad news, Miss Pevensie. There's been an accident . . ."

The End.