Susan sat back in her chair and closed her eyes as Nary, her naiad lady-in-waiting unwove the yellow and chocolate cosmos flowers some dryad had woven though the eldest queen's hair during the day. It felt so relaxing to have those smooth watery fingers sliding through the silk that was her hair, and Susan needed to relax. The past month had been a sorrowful one.

As it had turned out, all her siblings had indeed been at home when the golden eagle Onca sent had arrived at the Cair and they had ridden out immediately. Susan was so thankful that they would not have to miss saying farewell to their dear friend and that the two friendly Houses could spend time together in their shared grief. She was also thankful that they were at Anvard when the next events happened. She sighed and shook her head at the memory and wondered what Aslan must be thinking to allow such strain to come to King Lune.

"Hold still, your majesty," Nary gently admonished, for she knew bits and pieces of what had transpired.

Now with her eyes closed and in the comfort of her own bedroom at Cair Paravel, Susan's mind floated back to the events that had happened. Alina's funeral cortege had been long and sorrowful, and all of Archenland seemed to line its route to say farewell to their beautiful gracious Queen and toss flowers along the road ahead of them and on the simply oak casket as it passed by. The tetrarch had ridden just behind King Lune and Susan and Lucy had been privileged to hold the young princes as they proceeded through the streets. Afterward, Lune, the twins, and the Pevensies had retired to pass several quiet days together.

But then an unexpected scandal rocked Anvard.

It was found that funds had mysteriously disappeared from the King's treasury, and Lune had asked Edmund to lead an independent investigation, as those that handled the Treasury were some of his closest confidants. Edmund discovered, relatively quickly, that Lord Bar, Lune's Lord Chancellor, was the prime suspect and the Pevensies had attended the trial, in which Edmund gave evidence. Bar was convicted of embezzlement, although they were disappointed that he never told who he had worked for. He was stripped of his titles, but in the end Lune had allowed him to stay at Anvard. Not long after that the Pevensies had returned home, where they had been for just over a week now. Susan hoped that the worst was behind her friends and they could all slowly begin to pick up their lives.

"There now, your majesty," Nary's voice bubbled like a gentle stream, "I'm all done, although you looked so happy with them woven up there, I'm almost sorry to take them out—it seems to me that you need a bit of happiness right now."

"Well, I'm sure things will start to look up now—what else could happen so soon after everything that already has? I'm certain that I'll be fine with a good night of sleep in my own bed."

"Good night, your majesty." Nary said, as she glided to the door and slipped out into the hall.

"Good night, Nary."

Susan climbed into bed and for a moment simply relished the feeling of being under the familiar lavender silk sheets. Then she lit a candle and picked up Swanwhite's dairy—the same one that she had carried to Archenland, bond in red cloth with a maple leaf stencil—and turned to the next entry. It was becoming a familiar habit.

She read.

What a horrible day I've had! Of course, it wouldn't have been so horrible if I'd made better choices, but I can't use that for an excuse. You see diary, I made the most wretched mistake and in so doing, I broke my promise to my very dear friend—in fact, she's not just my friend, she's more than that—she's my dear nurse's only child, and I promised to look out for her after her dear mother died. Only today I didn't and because of me she lies very gravely ill. I wish I had known ahead of time that those berries were poisonous, and quite honestly, I really feel that I should have known.

My dear daddy tells me that it wasn't my fault that she ate them. He even tells me that it wasn't my fault for not knowing those berries were poisonous, but I really don't think I can believe him this time.

I wish there was more that I could do right now, but there isn't, so I suppose all I can do is wait to see if Aslan will restore her to me, but oh, how hard it is to wait on Him sometimes!

The next day, Susan was in her office, writing out various orders for things the palace staff needed to buy or order—getting back to business after a month and a half away wasn't easy—when she heard a thunder of running feet come down the hall and her door burst open. She half expected to see a Centaur standing before her, what with all the racket that was made in the hall, but she found only her younger sister. Lucy was pale and panting, and her golden braid was askew from her run. She made wild gestures for Susan to follow her, since she had no breath to speak just yet.

"Good gracious, Lucy! If we're not under siege than you really ought to sit down and catch your breath before you talk."

"Can't." The younger queen finally managed some hoarse words while furiously shaking her head, "Something dreadful—where's Edmund? Peter said—he looked white as death—he wouldn't say until—"

Susan was on her feet now, and her eyes were wide with alarm. "Who's white as death? Peter?"

Lucy nodded, "Where's Edmund?"

"Where's Peter?" Susan retorted.

The Throne Room—with Lord Orb."

"Ed's in his study."

Lucy was gone the next moment, running like a cyclone again, and Susan, now in distress, picked up her skirts and dashed toward the Throne Room. She stormed through the huge double doors that led from the tetrarch's office wing into the Throne Room, the same doors they entered through when they held court, and was greeted by grave looks from both her elder brother, sitting on his throne, and Lune's ambassador and their good friend, who was standing before him. It seemed as though both the older man and the teenaged king had aged a hundred years since she'd seem them that morning.

"Peter what in the world happened?"

Her brother held up his hand and said in a short voice, "Not till Edmund and Lucy get here."

Susan looked to Lord Orb, but his gaze fell to the floor and he didn't speak, it would be Peter delivering whatever the news was, although, she thought she saw the glimmer of tears in the older man's eyes.

Her heart beat quicken a bit. What in the world happened? She was becoming almost desperate to know.

Suddenly the doors that Susan had just stormed through were thrown open and Lucy followed by Edmund sailed through and came to a screeching halt in front of the little group that was already there.

The three younger siblings talked all at once.

"What in this world? Lucy came in my study like a whirlwind—"

"Okay, Peter—I got them—you'd better tell—"

"Now will you tell us?"

Peter held up a hand and their voices were silenced.

"It seems," Peter's voice was grave and hoarse when he spoke after a minute of quiet to collect himself, "that Prince Cor has been abducted."

He looked at each sibling in the eye, hoping perhaps, to give them some of his strength, even though he didn't really think that he had any. The younger royals stood transfixed, as if they were all waiting for him to say that it was all a joke and that gave him a chance to continue uninterrupted.

"It seems to have happened not long after we left," He began listing the details as if he were reading a list, "He was taken by sea—Lord Bar—King Lune gave chase as soon as he could—they retook Bar's ship. Bar was killed. Cor was not found. A life boat was missing—they searched the waters, but never found even a trace. They arrived back at Anvard just a few days ago."

Susan didn't really trust herself to speak; all she felt was the rocks that hit the bottom of her stomach as the details hit her like the blows from an enemy's sword. All she thought of was her promise to Alina—to watch over the youngsters—smashed into a trillion pieces. She'd failed her friend!

"Where did they catch up with Bar's ship?" Edmund asked, and if she'd thought about it, Susan would have been impressed with his particularly cool-headed question.

"Off the southern tip of Calormen, your majesty," Lord Orb answered.

"The Tisroc." Lucy whispered, her voice was as soft as a breath of air.

"It looks like that's a possibility, your majesty—I can't imagine why Bar would act alone."

"But do you really suppose the Tisroc would do that?" Lucy asked, "Why in the world would he—I mean, of course, neither of our countries are best buddies with Calormen, but to abduct a Crown Prince? That's crazy!"

"I afraid the Tisrocs of the past have done crazy things, your majesty," Lord Orb gently told her, "Of course, I'm sure he will deny it on his deathbed and possibly beyond, and, unfortunately, we have no proof—Bar is dead—and Cor is gone."

Susan hadn't spoken during all of this exchange, and she couldn't seem to make her brain work, but the words 'Cor is gone' broke her trance and she spun around and ran from the room. Peter rose from his throne to go after her, but Lucy clutched his arm.

"Don't—I'll go. You boys stay here and figure out what needs to be done. Susan is not herself right now."

And with that, Lucy spun on her heels and hurried after her sister.

When she reach the wing of the castle where their four bedrooms were, Lucy found Nary standing outside Susan's room. The Naiad had tears running paths down her already watery-looking face. Onca was there too, with his ears pinned back in dismay as he paced the hallway.

"Oh good, I was hoping it would be you that came," Nary looked relieved, "Something dreadful must have happened—it isn't like her majesty to be in such a state."

"Prince Cor was abducted," Lucy volunteered dryly before, slipping through the door to find Susan stretched out on her bed, her raven hair spilling around her, as she sobbed into her pillow.

Lucy climbed onto the bed without invitation and sat, collecting her thoughts, for what seemed like a long time before Susan spoke.

"I failed her," she moaned, "I told Alina that I'd watch out for those boys and I didn't."

"Well, I don't know about that." Lucy gently countered.

"What more proof do you need? He got abducted!"

"Well, I don't know, it's just…"

"Just what?"

"Well, I might not be as eloquent at these explanations as Edmund seems to be, but maybe we're thinking about it the wrong way."

"And what other way is there?"

"Well, do you remember our coronation? And Aslan told us to follow Him—no matter how crooked and narrow the path is, no matter how dark the days and nights are—He told us to follow Him and if we did, He would make fools of our wisest opponents, He would make our most terrible foes cower in the shadows, and He would break the backs of our strongest enemies."

"What does that have to do with this?"

"Well, everything, I think—and if you'd just think about it, you'd see."

Lucy continued, "Lord Bar—and whoever he's working for—must have thought they were pretty smart to abduct the child who is suppose to save Archenland from the greatest threat it will ever face, but I don't think prophecies can be turned on and off depending on the situation—so really what they did just might turn out to be pretty stupid. I'm sure Aslan is working behind the scenes and doing things that we may never know about, and Cor's abduction is just a dark part in the path that we have to walk down, but we know that He's walking ahead of us—and well, I don't hardly know if I'm making any sense."

She finished by scrubbing away the tears that were spilling down her face.

"Makes good sense to me; what do you think, Pete?" Edmund's voice came from the doorway, and Lucy whirled around to see their brothers standing there with serious, if not somewhat sheepish looks on their faces.

"How long have you been standing there?" she demanded.

"Long enough to know that you think I'm more eloquent than you." Edmund shot back with a smile.

Lucy crossed her arms and almost rolled her eyes but Peter held up his hand, and said, "If we could please get to the business at hand here—Lord Orb gave us letters from King Lune—one for each of us—and we came up to give you girls yours."

He stepped through the doorway, meeting Lucy halfway with her letter, then moved to sit beside Susan, who was still face down on her bed.

"You ought to get up and read your letter, Su," he counseled gently, as only he, her older brother could ever do.

He continued, "We've all looked to King Lune—and, of course, Alina—for advice and friendship, ever since we met them, and I suspect that this letter won't be any different, so I think you should read it."

"Come on, Su," he put an arm under her shoulder and hauled her upright, "You're not yourself right now, but you will be again someday—soon, I hope—and what Lucy said is true. We don't know what Aslan has planned for us—or Cor—but we do have Narnia, and King Lune, and Corin—all of them need us—perhaps more than ever now. And, well," he handed her the letter, "please read it soon."

Susan took it numbly, staring at it as if she couldn't really comprehend what it was.

"You'll read it, won't you?" Peter asked.

She nodded.

"Good."

He kissed her cheek and gave her a squeeze before getting up to join the others in the hallway.

Susan continued to stare numbly at the folded paper with her name, written in Lune's beautiful script, and his royal seal marking it. She could hardly imagine what he'd written—this day had been so unbelievable already. Finally, she unfolded it and read.

My Dear Susan,

I dearly hope Lord Orb can give this to you before you've climbed aboard your filly and ridden all the way here, although I daresay, he might have meet his match to try and stop you!

I write to you with all seriousness to say, don't come to visit us just now chiefly for the sake of comforting my house—for we will be fine and you have your own duties to look after—or out of some mislead notion that you failed to keep your promise to Alina—for you have not.

I have come to believe that our first reactions to these latest events are merely a case of us Humans misunderstanding what the Lion has in store for us and Cor. If we did understand then we would not find cause to be the least bit surprised at all that has happened. As it is, rather than worry about Cor's fate for years and years and perhaps our whole lives, shall we not commend him to the care of the One who knows his fate—the One whose paws are bigger than all our hands, the One whose eyes see furthest though time and deeper than any soul, the One whose ears are attuned to the squeaks of the tiniest mouse, and the One whose roar is so mighty that the Witch herself fled from it. How will it be, my dear, if we leave Cor to Him, and carry on about our lives until that joyous day when my boy is returned to us—whether in this world or the next.

Your friend,

Lune

Susan brushed aside a few more tears, smiled down at King Lune's letter—a few of the words now smeared by the tears that had slipped though her hands as she read—and almost giggled. It was so much the same thing that Lucy had talked about, and, of course, they were both right. Cor was beyond their help for now, but what assistance could they hope to muster that would be better than the protection the Lion would give him anyway? She took a few deep breaths to let her real self come back to her, and then she went out to find her siblings.

A/N This one comes to you courtesy of Rom. 1:22 and 1 Cor. 1:25-27, 2:9.

Isn't it interesting how both Cor and Corin can be found in Corinthians? I just thought I'd mention that.

And, yes Psyche, I thought of you when I dreamed up Lord Orb. I thought you'd get a kick out of it. Orb would make a fantastic noble, wouldn't he? He kind of is already anyway.