"Who are you and why are you looking for me?"

Once she got over her startled fright, she turned around to meet with the owner of the demanding voice. Hadn't he already revealed to her he was the Prince, she could have easily guessed he was royalty. There was an aura of nobility and superiority about him, but not in the arrogant manner Miraz's or any other Telmarine's was, and his proud, still stature was definitely one of a young man's who had been raised in a palace or a castle. His dark, demanding eyes and his hard, tanned face showed his Telmarine origins but there was something else, she couldn't exactly name it, something that was making him different than the other Telmarines. She could spot no threat or menace as hard as she searched in his beautiful, chocolate orbs and that intrigued and surprised her. His slender, tense body was quite muscular, fit for a Prince who had been trained by the finest in the Telmarine army and of course, his garments didn't seem as rough and well-worn as those of the troops.

"I asked you a question." He pressed narrowing even more his fiery eyes in question and it was then that she noticed him holding a sharp object in a defensive position, pointing at her but not in a menacing manner. "You are a maid in Miraz's castle." He spoke again, his dark orbs traveling up and down her silhouette, reminding her of the clothes she was wearing and that her green dress was on the horse that had abandoned her. "So I can only presume he sent you and that-"

"No, no. Please. It's not Miraz who sent me and I'm not a maid either!" she hurried to cut him off before he jumped in false conclusions. "And this isn't mine." She chuckled a little as she swayed her dress's skirt. "My dress was on my horse. And my horse has ran away so…"

"But you still have not given me an answer." He spoke more calmly but just as suspiciously. He also lowered his weapon which was nothing more than one of the tools the two Narnians had by their fireplace. "However, you do not sound Telmarine. Nor do you look like one…" he observed puzzled, placing his weapon back to its place beside the fireplace.

"And that's because I'm not." She practically exclaimed in genuine relief and nuisance at the same time. She was tired of being called names she had never heard of before, or things she didn't actually remember, if she had even known them. "Look, I have no memories, I woke up in the middle of a forest wounded and with amnesia. The only thing I know is my name."

The young man's eyes widened with impatience and expectation. "Which is…?"

"Oh, right!" she exclaimed, placing a hand on her forehead in order to not smack her head with it for forgetting the most important of all. "I'm Susan. Dr. Cornelius said that-"

"The Professor!" the Prince suddenly proclaimed, his tanned face lighting up in affection and concern. "He is the one who sent you after me? Is he all right?"

"Yes, he's fine. He was the one who helped me escape. He told me that probably you called me back but I have no idea what this means." She explained, suddenly feeling exhausted and probably looking tired. She felt her eyelids heavier than before and her brain shutting out but she resisted the urge to run to the bed she could see behind the Prince and jump on it. She saw him exchange a meaningful regard of secrecy with the two Narnians which intrigued her. "Look, all I want is to have my memories back, to remember who I was and he said you'll help me. Please…can you?"

Prince Caspian looked deep in the girl's big, pleading eyes. She was truthful, that much he could tell, and the way her cerulean orbs were pleading him silently helped him see the despair and hope she was straining to hide but failing. It would have been impossible for him to refuse such beautiful, pleading eyes, she seemed to really needing his help and after all, it was his Professor who sent her to him. Not to mention that by the little she told them she could be the one. "I don't know if I can" he started saying, his features softening and his voice was gentler, making a grateful, small smile form on her full, luscious lips. It was then hard for him not to smile back. "but I promise, I will try."

Susan smiled wider, a sigh of relief escaping her chest, and she brought her hands on her heart, thanking him silently. He, in return, inclined his head ever so little, a grin of acceptance and recognition playing at the corner of his lips. The shy side of her personality got the best of her and she had to look away for a moment, feeling her cheeks suddenly heated up. But she told herself it was because of the roaring fire she was standing next to, trying to forget the Prince's intrigued stare on her.

"Ahem!" the intended, quite indiscreet coughing of the grumpy dwarf made them both look at him startled and perplexed. "Sorry for the interruption" he said mockingly, Susan did not miss his friend's eyes rolling in exasperation, "but we've got more important things to do than staring at one another."

"Ah, you do want me to sit on your head again, then, huh?" the badger's scolding made the dwarf grimace in disgust and sit silently at the table, returning to chopping his bread in pieces. "Now, we have a lot to tell both of you. You said your name is Susan and that he called you-"

"Oh, please, Trufflehunter! You can't possible think that she's one of the Queens of Old!" Nikabrik yelled again incredulously.

"Wait." The girl said suddenly, gaining all their attention. "His Professor, he…he was calling me Queen. Why?"

Trufflehunter sighed and gestured to her and the Prince to sit beside them. Of course, no chair could hold their weight so they just kneeled on the ground around the table. Susan felt as if she had lived a similar moment before but not with those three. She felt as if she had been knelt beside a small table like that one and by her side were…? She couldn't remember, nor could she remember those talking to them. Annoyed with herself, she shook her head lightly, clearing it from any other such thoughts and focusing on the kind badger before them.

"Around 1300 years ago, two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve ruled in Narnia for fifteen years. Their time is called the Golden Age for they brought peace and prosperity to the kingdom. But one day, the four Kings and Queens left and never came back. It wasn't long after the Telmarines attacked Cair Paravel –the castle where they had been ruling from- and conquered Narnia."

"Caspian the Conqueror…?" she muttered more to herself than to the others, remembering her conversation with General Glozelle. Her half question made them all look at her in wonder and surprise, especially the Prince and she shrugged her shoulders.

"Precisely." The badger replied kind-heartedly. "Most of the Narnians were slaughtered or captivated during the attack and the few who survived retreated to the woods. The trees buried so deep in themselves they had not been heard from since."

"Whoa." The girl exclaimed silently. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"They used to talk and dance, during the Golden Age." Trufflehunter said naturally as if he was stating the obvious and he was surprised to be asked that.

Susan chuckled a little and saw the Prince beside her doing the same thing. "But they're trees…!" Caspian said laughingly. "Trees do not dance or talk or whatnot!"

"Then why do you Telmarines fear them so damn much?" the dwarf suggested sarcastically.

Caspian was surprised. He had never thought of that but it seemed quite impossible. Well, he had actually met Old Narnians, a talking badger! Anything was probably possible. "Well, I do not fret them."

"How brave!" the dwarf mocked again, making Susan somewhat annoyed by his rude conduct towards both her and the Prince. She thought it was strange how the Prince's pride had not been wounded yet by his comments and remarks. "But your friends do."

"Yes, thank you, Nikabrik, for your information but we have to get on with the story." The badger cut in before the little dispute between the Prince and the dwarf continued. "Anyway, those four Kings and Queens of Old had received certain gifts from Father Christmas."

"From who?" Susan cut in again, unable to hold her thoughts to herself. "This is ridiculous! Father Christmas is a children's fairytale!"

"You still believe that's her?" Nikabrik got in the conversation again.

"Yes!" Trufflehunter practically yelled annoyed. "And she can't remember because she has lost her memories. But with our help, she will remember everything again. Now, he gifted them with three important, magical presents. The High King received his great sword, Rhindon, and a shield. The Valiant Queen was gifted with a dagger and healing cordial that could cure any injury. And the Gentle Queen with a quiver that never missed and a horn that called help wherever she was."

Susan restrained herself from rolling her eyes. Could she believe what she was listening? Everything seemed irrational…not…logical. But then again, she was talking to a badger, an animal, a talking animal. Should she trust in his words or think she has probably gone mad?

"Those gifts were found and hidden away. But the Telmarines somehow discovered the Queen's Horn. Fearing the Narnian tales to be true, they hid in the mountains the Horn but apparently his Professor discovered it. And now the Prince has it."

Susan wanted badly to see said Horn but she bit her tongue, not wanting to make them think she wanted to be part in whatever they were up to. But she needed not for the Telmarine Prince got up and took in his hands a small object wrapped up in an old fabric. He passed it silently to her and she reluctantly accepted it. Uncertain, she started unwrapping the rough fabric until it revealed an ivory white Horn, its end had the shape of a roaring lion. She gasped at its sight, provoking the interest and wonder of her companions. She thought it was one of the most beautiful objects she had ever held and somehow, seeing filled her heart with that known warm feeling of familiarity and affection or nostalgia. She gulped and placed gently the Horn on the table. "And what does all that have to do with me?"

It was the Prince's time to give an answer, remembering in genuine happiness what Trufflehunter had told him just that morning. "It was said that by blowing the Horn, help would come, meaning the Kings and Queens of Old. King Peter the Magnificent, King Edmund the Just, Queen Lucy the Valiant and Queen Susan the Gentle."

Susan's lips parted in shock, realization hitting her hard like a rock. "And you think that's me?" it was more of a statement than a question, again the feeling of a déjà vu invading her mind.

"Well, it's been two days since the Prince blew Queen Susan's Horn. You share the same name with her and probably you've been in Narnia for no more than two days. Am I correct?" Trufflehunter said kindly making her stand on her feet in protest. He was right, she had been in…Narnia for two days now.

"I think you've made a mistake! I'm no hero or Queen!" she yelled in shock. "I'm from Finchley!" she added, surprising even herself. Apart from the fact that it sounded awfully lot familiar and rang bells in her head, she couldn't exactly remember anything more concering that…Finchley.

"Finchley, you say?" the Prince stood on his feet as well, looking more excited than before. "That's where the Kings and Queens came from! Some place called…England…?"

"The boy is right…" Nikabrik took them all by surprise by siding in a way with the Telmarine. "That book you have, it does mention those names." He addressed the kind badger who without a word turned his furry back on them and got in another room. He soon came back holding a book quite large but not difficult for Trufflehunter to carry.

"This is the book. Read it if you like. Like Nikabrik said, the book mentions those two locations as the place Their Majesties came from but this information is inaccurate. However, hearing from your own lips…well…that changes things." His warm voice trailed off meaningfully.

Susan was about to protest again when the Telmarine raised his hand in a request for silence and spoke gently. "Please, before you deny it again, just read the book and think about it. Give it a chance." He suggested kindly, the soft, begging look in his eyes making her curse him for she that moment knew she wouldn't refuse. "Please, just do that and we will talk again in the morning. How does it sound?"


Susan couldn't sleep. It had been a long and exhausting night for her and what she had learned were torturing her mind, keeping her from even closing her eyes. And she felt so very tired. She had convinced the Prince, despite his protests, to sleep in the bed he had been given, and sleeping on the floor wasn't very appealing to her, nor did it seem comfortable. That's why she accepted she wouldn't get any sleep that night.

She sighed gazing in the now weak flames of the fire. What if it were true? What if she was that Queen they were all speaking of? What would happen next? She knew she didn't feel like one but maybe being a Queen wasn't something you feel. Maybe even Queens feel ordinary and unimportant when exhausted and injured. So if she were a Queen, where were her siblings? Maybe they were those standing beside her in that déjà vu she had before? It was possible. But where were they? Were they dead? Lost? Had they abandoned her?

She sat up and buried her face in her palms. It felt awful not to have any memories of your past and to hear from somebody else you were a Queen of Old. But wait, if 1300 had passed since she and her supposable siblings had left, how was she still alive and young? Was it because of a spell, of magic? Well, if animals could talk and trees used to dance then it seemed possible. But again, illogical.

She gazed at the book resting unmolested on the small table. She decided to take Prince Caspian's advice, she should indeed give it a chance. Because if it all were true, then she had to know. And apparently that book held all the answers. She silently took and placed it on her lap, blowing the dust off its front cover. It was wrapped in blood-red leather, just like her Horn's lace, and it read in big, golden letters Tales of Old Narnia. It looked old and used quite a lot of times, probably the kind badger had memorised it by heart, she thought with a chuckle.

"I'm glad you took my advice." A soft, thickly accented voice said. Susan could listen to the smile in his voice but she didn't turn to look at him. At least, not until she felt him sitting by her side, supporting his back on wall like she was. She looked timidly and smiled nodding a little before turning her attention to the book again, opening it to its first chapter.

"Who is this Aslan, for whom they have dedicated a whole chapter?" she asked naively as she went through the pages of the book, marveled by the beautiful, artistic pictures, small or large, decorating the corners of pages. "He seems rather famous and important."

"Well, He is." The Prince chuckled. "He is the Highest of all Kings of Narnia, the King of Beasts, son of the Emperor-Over-the-Sea. He is the creator of Narnia."

Susan took a breath of enlightened understanding, and despite her mind's cries of it being illogical and impossible she said again. "And they're identifying him with a lion?"

Caspian stared at her in surprise and when he realized she wasn't joking but was actually serious, he couldn't help laughing at her demureness, causing her to raise a quizzical brow. "Forgive me, Queen Susan, but I never thought to be asked that, especially from a Queen of Old! Even we Telmarines know that Aslan is a lion, the Great Lion they are calling him."

"Have you forgotten, Prince, that I have lost all of my memories?" she replied somewhat dryly but not in an offended manner. "And how can you be so sure that I am the Queen you all so fondly speak of? It might all be a coincidence. Just a girl being in the wrong time at the wrong place."

"Let's just say that the rumours about you were true." He simply said with a clever, charming smile that made the young woman blush and bite her lower lip, looking back down at the book. "Have you found anything that interests you?"

"Everything in this book interests me, Prince!" she exclaimed funnily in a whisper. "Another thing that interests me is how you know so much about Old Narnia?"

"I have to thank my Professor for that." A melancholy smile formed on his lips, making her heart cling on her chest out of compassion for the young Prince. He seemed to be extremely close and bond to him and probably being away from the one person who understood and cared for him in that castle was quite painful for him. Susan thought that he and his Professor were the most kind and caring Telmarines she had met. "You see I was forbidden to be told Narnian stories, Telmarines are very superstitious you know, but late at night, Dr. Cornelius would secretly come to my bedchambers and take me to his study and tell me all those fascinating stories about Narnia or to the highest tower in the castle and together we would watch the falling stars and the galaxies."

"You must be really close to him." she observed, voicing her thoughts, with a soft, compassionate smile. "You must be missing him greatly."

"I do miss him very much." The Prince agreed, the sorrowful smile disappearing from his lips replaced by a sad frown. "After my father's death, he is the only one who truly cared for me and treated me like family. Uncle Miraz cared only to give me the proper instructions so to be a good King, to be worthy to ascend on the Telmarine throne. But I've always been a disappointment for him, a disgrace even. As for Aunt Prunaprismia, well, I hardly ever spent time with her but she was a good woman."

Susan pursed her lips in understanding and placed a comforting hand on his arm, her intimate gesture startling him a little but in a pleasant way. He smiled gratefully and patted gently the back of her palm while gazing in her crystal eyes once again, feeling the more he locked eyes with her the more enchanted and bewitched he was by her foreign beauty. "I suggest you get some sleep, my Queen. It's going to be a long day tomorrow."

"I'll try." She half joked but he only gave her a hard, joking look, side glancing at the bed behind him. "Prince Caspian, I told you, I cannot accept getting you out of the comfort of your bed-"

"And I cannot accept being the reason of a lady, a Queen even, sleeping on the cold floor because of me." he cut her off, raising a finger to his lips when she was about to protest again. "Even if you don't accept it, I'll still sleep on the floor. So you might as well accept my offer and lie down."

Susan pursed her lips to keep from smiling and rolled her eyes. "Fine!" she said surrendering. "But I'll keep the book and read it."

"Do not hesitate to voice any questions you might have. I will not be bothered." He informed her and before she started to the bed, he surprised her by taking her hand and placing a quick kiss on her knuckles. "Pleasant dreams, my Queen."

Grinning shyly, she nodded, withdrew her hand and stood on her feet, leaving a smiling Prince staring at the back of her figure. She sat on the bed she was given, supported her back against the wall placing the pillow between her and the stones. She opened her book once more, placing it on her lap, and searched for a very particular chapter. The Prince had spoken works that had intrigued her and as much as she hated it, she was extremely curious and she knew if she didn't satisfy herself with getting an answer she wouldn't get sleep all night. It wasn't hard to find the chapter she had been looking, The Kings and Queens of Old Narnia, and she eagerly started searching the words for the answer she wanted. And she did.

Queen Susan the Gentle, otherwise known as Queen Susan of the Horn, crowned to the Radiant Southern Sun as by Aslan, The great Lion. [...] The Gentle Queen was a tall and gracious woman with black hair that fell almost to her feet and the kings of the countries beyond the sea began to send ambassadors asking for her hand in marriage for rumours of her beauty were spread across the countries. Her loveliness was as fair as to be the reason of war breaking between the lands of Narnia and Calormen. Upon Their Majesties visit in Calormen, Queen Susan was asked to marry the Calormene Prince Rabadash. Her rejection of him and her subsequent escape from Calormen lead the Prince to seek the secret approval of his father, the Tisroc, for his plan to attack Archenland, where the Queen and her brother King Edmund the Just had found refuge, as a means of capturing Queen Susan, and in the hope of conquering Narnia at a later date.

Susan felt her heartbeat increase just a bit though she knew not why. But that was the effect Prince Caspian's words had on her, now she understood what he meant, but what she didn't understand was whether he really did mean those words and what that implied. But was it worth thinking of it so pensively?

"Let's just say that the rumours about you were true."


"My Queen, words cannot explain how overjoyed I am that you have agreed to follow us."

Susan smiled gently at the words of the good-natured badger even though he could not see her for he was leading the way. Almost two or maybe three hours ago, the four of them left the Narnians' house in quest of the Narnians who were hiding in the mountains. Trufflehunter was more than eager to go contrary to his dwarf friend who would not stop complaining and grunting about the getting in trouble for nothing. And usually the two humans would regard each other holding back their chuckles while the good badger would scold him and threaten him to sit on his head.

"I decided to give it a chance. Perhaps I may be this Queen, perhaps I may not. Either way, I have nothing to lose and I hope this…quest will help me find my true identity. Whether it's a royal one or not!" she replied laughing a little causing the Prince to chuckle and roll his eyes. But this time he did not repeat again his certainty of her being a Queen of Old since she already knew it. "But I still do not understand where we are going. You said the Narnians retreated to the woods and mountains though we are heading south. Isn't the sea to the south?"

"Quite right, my Queen." Trufflehunter turned to look at her with his warm, welcoming eyes. "But I won't be telling you yet our exact location. I want to…test something…"

"I'm afraid you're speaking in riddles, my good badger." The Telmarine said in his accented, deep voice. Despite him finding it funny not knowing their destination, he too was curious and uncertain.

"Just wait and see, Majesties." The badger reassured. "We're almost there."

"We'd better be! My feet are not trained for long period walks in the woods and in the middle of the day!" Nikabrik's complaining voice was heard again making them all roll their eyes. But both Susan and the Prince were enjoying their company, it was comforting to have those two as companions, and they were both eager to help, even the dwarf.

"That's because, unlike Trumpkin, you rarely leave the house. Not to mention your feet are short." Trufflehunter sort of reminded and teased him, making him huff in nuisance.

"You're one to talk…"

"You do sound like him nonetheless!" the badger continued. "Complainers, stubborn as mules in the morning both of you! At least, his archer skills are not a failure!"

Susan giggled silently, receiving a warning look from the Prince as he placed a silencing finger on his lips. "Don't let him hear you. Or we wouldn't hear the end of it…!" Susan covered her rosy lips with her palm and tried to stop giggling by looking away and focusing her attention on the environment around them. They were walking through tall trees but she could see from afar the deep, blue of the ocean, she could even smell it, a smell hat made her want to get on the beach as fast as possible, remove the bag she had over her shoulder and get in the sea.

Her blue eyes following a small canary flying chirping up on a tree's highest brunch, she did not notice a quite large stone and she tripped on it, losing her balance, and hadn't the Prince been as quick and his reflexes as trained and developed, she would have found herself lying on the cold, damp ground yet again.

"Are you all right, Queen Susan?" Caspian asked with eyes full of worry and alert but she reassured him she was fine. She did not bother asking him again to quit calling her Queen for no matter how many times she had begged already, he would not listen but insist she deserved that title and that it would be rude of him to call her by her first name. However, she had made a deal with herself to make him call her Susan by the end of the following day.

"I was wrong." The badger said but not in a worried, perplexed voice, but actually almost smiling satisfied. "We are already here."

Even the dwarf looked at him puzzled as he ran, as quick as his small legs allowed him to, through the wild vert and dense bushes. They hesitantly followed his footsteps and all stopped perplexed and in wonder when they found themselves surrounded by marble, timeworn rocks around them and what was left of a probably quite large mansion built from stones and marbles.

Instantly, a familiar feeling hit the girl, the sense of déjà vu more intense than ever before, as she looked enchanted and intrigued the area around her. As if in a reverie, she studied the ruins around her, leaving her three companions watching her puzzled but not following her as she headed to one ruined, marbled flight of stairs. She climbed it until she was standing on what used to be the middle floor of the stairs and she studied from above the place. She wasn't sure what that place was but it looked abandoned for over a 1,000 years, she could tell by the dense, savage plans that were now covering the floor and by the plants snaking around the old, destroyed columns. She soon noticed a clearing, something looking like a marbled scaffold in the middle of what she supposed it was once an enormous room. Descending hastily the stairs, she soon found herself standing in the middle of the clearing staring curiously at the scaffold that now seemed as a stone circle on the ground with four strange small ruins on it, made of stone as well. Hesitantly, she walked and stood on it. She then turned and looked at the clearing before her, her three companions looking at her through curious, narrowed eyes.

"Imagine walls…"

She gasped at the sound of a chirping but not joyful voice. She gazed around her searching for the owner of the voice but saw only Caspian and the two Narnians. No, that was the voice of a little girl, she made no mistake. But there was no little girl anywhere around. They were alone.

"My Queen, are you all right?" the badger's warm eyes and words held a hint of hope in them. But she only nodded and turned her attention to the place around her.

"And columns there." The voice said again but this time she did not gasp. She only turned her attention to where said columns were supposed to be. Her lips parted in shock when she saw small stones in a circling shape spreading before her, probably along the walls.

"And a glass roof!" She tilted her head fully back, her wide eyes almost seeing everything the little voice was indicating. She could now picture it fully, a massive room, that could have been a banquet hall, with a glass roof high above their heads, letting the playful rays of sun lighten the room while guests and hosts would dance merrily on the marble floor.

"Where do you suppose we are?" A new, male voice of a boy no older than fifteen or fourteen asked in her head but this time she was not surprised.

"Cair Paravel…"


Was it good? I hope you liked the Suspian parts ^^

Next Chapter: Susan discovers a very beloved object of hers. Trumpkin's rescue. The beginning of the quest of the Old Narnians :D

Thanks for reading and please review! (darn, I hate begging XD)