Author's Note

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Chapter II : Wishes

When Edmund went back in to see his broken sister after learning what she had suffered, he stood for a time just looking at her still, silent body lying in the bed with a eyes open, but wholly vacant. The young, naïve king had not the faintest idea on how to be around his sister when she was so despondent and meek, instead of the bubbly, feisty woman she was normally. Edmund's only thought was of his older brother, who would have known what to do, had he not been fighting a war in the northern province of Narnia. What would Peter do? Act!

Edmund slowly approached the bed and perched on the edge, "Susan?"

The Queen could have been dead but for the slow, steady rise and fall of her chest. Her eyes were glazed and distracted, as if she had painstakingly bricked her eyes and mind off from the cruel reality of the world, which she had been so violently crucified by.

Edmund placed his hand gently over both of hers and squeezed, "Susan, what do you want me to do? Help me out here. I'm trying to find a way to get us out of here and back home. The problem is…" Edmund heaved a sigh, "Rabadash has us trapped."

Upon hearing the name of her violator, Susan's eyes became alert and afraid. Edmund watched as she mustered the strength to speak, but she found the word, "Trapped?"

Edmund explained how the Calormens had made it clear that until Susan consented to be Rabadash's wife, the Narnian delegation would not be free to return home. After Edmund had reassured Susan that in no world would she be forced to stay here with that monster he told her that until they could conjure up a plan to escape, their only option was to sit tight.

Susan's only desire was to be in the comfort of her rooms at Cair Paravel far away from this awful place. Once Edmund left her in solitude again, she thought to herself how differently she thought of everything now. Edmund was her brother and though they'd never been that close, she'd always cared for him as a kind of mothering sister, but now he was a man who was part of what had beat her and used her in the worst possible way. She had had to process her instinctive feelings towards him in the time as she was being carried here, but she had realised there was no need to feel fearful of her brother, for he would protect her to the ends of the earth and now that she truly needed him, as her only family in this god-forsaken city, he would not fail her.

Her thoughts then turned to the others in her family and what would happen when she returned to them and they realised what had befell her in Tashbaan. Lucy, always the sweetest and dearest of the Pevensies, would be concerned and attentive as a sister should be but there would be no possibility of her comprehending in the slightest the true meaning and importance of what had happened to her. Peter, on the other hand, was the High King and her older brother and the sibling with whom she had always had the strongest bond. They were the core of their family; they were the protectors of their younger brother and sister and two halves of a whole. Susan was smart, wise and gentle, whereas Peter was impulsive, strong and stern. They were the perfect rulers together.

Susan knew that she would never be the same as she was before. The fire and courage she used to feel she had, now had been stolen from her. Only Aslan knew how she would be able to go back to her old self, but Susan wasn't sure she ever wanted to be as she was, if it meant that this kind of thing happened to her.

Two days later…

Edmund was going to lose his mind if he had to remain here dealing with Susan on his own for a single day more, "Tumnus! We have to go, I don't care how perilous the task is, it has to be done! Susan needs to be at home with all of her family, not just stuck here in this city with Rabadash only a stone's throw away. She's retreating from people every hour that passes and I don't know what to do," Edmund put his head in his hands, as the pressure mounted above him sure to plummet and drown him entirely, "so have you got any ideas?"

"Well, sire, I think we should throw a banquet for Prince Rabadash."

Edmund slowly raised his head to stare at the faun, "Tumnus, if this is a joke, I highly recommend that you apologise and reassess…" Edmund made a sarcastically flamboyant gesture, "shall we say the general mood of the room."

Tumnus only smiled and trotted over to his king, "No, my lord, you mistake me, for I am going to go and purchase provisions and luxuries for the feast to celebrate the union of our Queen to their repulsive Prince," Edmund was about to interrupt Mr. Tumnus in a fit of raging anger, but he was batted down, "on board the Splendour Hyaline."

Understanding crept into the King's expression as he fully grasped what plan the faun had devised. "Mr. Tumnus, you are a bona fide genius!" Edmund frowned, "We must be sure though, not to tell Queen Susan of this, for it would distress her, just to take her with us and get her aboard the ship."

"I am in total agreement! Let us to work, then sire. I shall prepare His Highness of Archenland for the journey tomorrow." With that, Mr .Tumnus headed into another part of the vast house where they had been staying. The building was full of luxurious and extravagant colours, but Edmund found the entire décor painful and he also longed for home and familiar surroundings...and a very long lie down.

The plan had been put into play and when Edmund had received the reply from the Calormen prince, he had been sorely tempted to storm the Tisroc's palace, find the despicable monster and run him through.

My friend, King Edmund,

It would please me greatly to accept your magnanimous invitation to dine aboard your splendid vessel. I am full of anticipation for your sister's answer to my suit, which no doubt has excited her greatly. I suspect this is the reason for such a festive occasion, thus I will be sure to bring Her Majesty a small trinket for the occasion, so she will think kindly of me.

I look forward to the day with great enthusiasm,

His Highness, Prince Rabadash, son of the Mighty Tisroc (May He Live Forever)

The Prince's cocksure, inconsiderate reply to his false invitation had aggravated the Narnian king's growing hatred of the Calormen people even more. There was an unsaid custom among the peasants and lower classes of Calormen to take first and marry later, which Edmund had been fully aware of when coming here, but it was unheard of among Tarkhaans and especially the family of the Tisroc. Rabadash's stupidity knew no bounds, for Edmund would have sworn on Aslan's mane that he would feel the sting of the consequences of his actions if it killed every soul in Narnia.

He had visited Susan in her chambers earlier that day to tell her of the plan to leave, but he had informed her only of the basics. She knew that they were going to buy some items in the bazaar and take them onto the Splendour Hyaline and then set sail under the cover of darkness for Narnia and the North.

They had visited the bazaar to buy sweets, wine, sherbet and extravagant meats to maintain the façade of a grand party, but all the while, Susan remained close to her brother, engrossed in her own thoughts and wary of everyone around them. She ignored all attempts that the local vendors made to talk to her and almost cowered behind Edmund right until she had locked herself into the royal bedchambers on the Splendour Hyaline, and then she curled up and silently wept and dreamt of home.