The castle was stunning, with the richest colours and textures Susan had ever even imagined. There was a long hallway leading into what was clearly the throne room. In there, were four thrones up on a large dais in front of a series of elegant stained-glass windows. In a small corner window off to the side of the thrones, there was a single silver-coloured apple resting on the sill.

"Do you like it?" The white bear asked Susan.

"It's very nice..." Susan stammered, knowing it was an understatement. "But I really must-" She didn't have a chance to finish speaking before she was tackled to the floor by someone behind her. "Ow!"

"Ed!" The white bear growled, looking very displeased. "Control yourself."

"Sorry," Susan heard a young, almost sulky, voice say as whomever was on top of her got up.

"How many times have I told you not to run in the throne room?" The white bear groaned as the boy helped Susan to her feet.

The boy rolled his eyes.

Now that he was standing in front of her, Susan could see what he looked like. He was only a few years older than Peter's sister, Lucy. He was raven-haired with a wise, pale, slightly freckled, thin face. There was a lop-sided silver crown resting on his head (The force of the tackle had nearly knocked it off).

"Edmund." The white bear pointed his nose towards the boy. "This is..." He paused realizing he'd never actually gotten her name.

"Susan." Susan sighed. "Susan Pevensie."

"Susan, this is my brother, Edmund," the white bear introduced him. "He's going to show you to your bed chamber. I've have to run back and get Lucy before the sun sets."

"I'm not staying here," Susan insisted, actually losing her cool for a moment and stamping her foot.

"Pete..." Edmund gave the white bear a worried glance.

"It's alright, Ed," The white bear said softly. "She'll get used to it. She has to."

"What if she can't?" Edmund whispered.

"Then all is lost," the white bear sighed in such a tender voice that Susan felt sorry for him and calmed down a bit.

Would it really be so bad to humor them for a bit? Just stay with them for a little while until they came to their senses and let her go back? Really, they didn't seem all that bad. Of course there was always the worry that sooner or later Mrs. Macready would realize she was missing and tell the Professor who'd have to write to mother... Susan shuddered at the very thought. Wouldn't mother be so frightened! And, oh, maybe they'd get the police out looking for her! They'd never know she'd just slipped into the wardrobe and been taken against her will to some strange castle and was staying to try and make a sad white bear feel better. No, she couldn't stay. Not even that tender voice coming out of the deep rumbling body of the bear would convince her to spend another minute here.

"I have to go home," Susan said, tapping Edmund on the shoulder.

He brushed her hand away and went back to talking to the white bear. "Where did you leave Lucy?"

"She's with Tumnus, she's perfectly safe," the white bear assured him.

"I should have known." Edmund smiled, patting the bear playfully on the head. "The perfect big brother."

"He's a bear!" Susan blurted out unable to keep her thoughts to herself anymore.

"Oh hush up," Edmund said, before adding -to the white bear, "Should we leave her there for the night?"

The white bear looked horrified. "Have you lost your marbles?"

"I just mean... Can you make it back before the sun sets?" Edmund explained. "You haven't much time."

"I can if I hurry," he said, rushing out of the throne room like a white flash of lightning.

"Come on." Edmund started walking out of the room and motioned for Susan to follow. "Your chamber's this way."

"Look here," Susan said firmly as she fast-walked to keep up with him. "Prince Edmund?"

"It's King Edmund actually," Edmund said, slowing down the pace a bit realizing that she was having a hard time keeping up and was falling behind.

"But I thought that the white bear was the king," Susan said before she could stop herself. What am I saying?

"Yes, he's the high king," Edmund explained. "I'm just a regular king. I know, it's confusing."

"Very," Susan agreed as they made a left turn down the corridor.

"Well, being a bear, Peter can't do all of the things that he needs to do, so I fill in. I'm a sort of understudy king I guess you could say," Edmund told her. "Does that make any sense?"

"A little," Susan admitted. "But you can't possibly be old enough to rule a kingdom on your own... What happened to your parents?"

"They're gone," Edmund said gravely. "Father died two days before mother gave birth to Lucy. He had a heart attack. As for mother, I don't know what happened to her. Only a week after Lucy was born, she went missing. We sent out search parties to find her but they never found so much as a trace. It was as if she'd vanished into thin air."

"I'm sorry," Susan said softly. These poor children. No wonder they were insane. They didn't even have a mother. Putting and two together, it must have meant that they had no one except that white bear who thought he was a high king to raise them. And that was just plain sad. "My father died too. In the war."

"I'm so sad for you," Edmund said sympathetically as they came to a stop in front of a double-door with little white jewels stuck around the borders. He flung the doors open. "This is where you will sleep."

Susan's mouth dropped open. She couldn't help it. It was the biggest, most luxurious, room she'd ever laid eyes on. There were two bay windows with dark purple velvet curtains on either side of the room. A gloriously warm well-lit and very clean fire place to the left of a large soft-looking bed piled with wool blankets and down-feather pillows.

"Will it do?" Edmund's mouth twitched with a deep sense of humor about the situation.

Susan nodded. It would do alright.

"Make yourself comfortable," Edmund told her, leaving the room. "There are a few nightgowns and dressing-gowns in the wardrobe, feel free to use them. I'll send one of the dryads up with some food for you. You must be hungry."

Susan felt her stomach growl. She hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. And now the sun was almost setting. Even if she couldn't (and wouldn't) stay, she could at least have a meal. If the meals here were even half as fancy as the rooms were, she could hardly wait.

Early that night, Peter (now a human) walked into the throne room where Edmund was waiting up for him. He had just put Lucy to bed and was feeling rather sleepy. Now that he wasn't in his bear form anymore, he felt very tired from running back and fourth across Narnia.

"Did you make it back alright?" Edmund asked him.

"Yes." Peter yawned. "We were just in time. Did you show Susan to her room like I asked?"

"Aw, man." Edmund pretended to look shocked. "I knew I was forgetting something! Do you mean I wasn't supposed to leave her in the garden with an extra pillow?"

"Very funny, Ed." Peter laughed, messing up his little brother's hair.

"Yes, I showed her to her room," Edmund assured him.

"What do you think of her?" Peter asked.

"A bit high-strung." Edmund shrugged.

"Yes, I'd noticed that too." Peter agreed with him. He smiled a little and added, "She's very pretty."

"Peter?" Edmund said cautiously. "What if she can't break the spell?"

"All we can do is hope for the best." Peter sighed. "But won't it be wonderful when I can run around on a beach in broad daylight without having pounds of fur to carry with me? And to never have to kill a seal again would make me the happiest man alive."

"You killed a seal?" Edmund raised an eyebrow at him.

"It wasn't a talking seal," Peter protested. "And I was starving. It's dreadful having a bear's appetite."

"I'll bet," Edmund said supportively.

"Alright, I'm going to bed now. Did you make sure they put out the fire in her room?" Peter asked.

"Yes, of course," Edmund assured him.

"All of the curtains are shut?" Peter checked.

"Yes."

"All candles blown out?" Peter double checked.

"Peter, I assure you, there is no light in that room." Edmund said, feeling rather tired himself. "I know what could happen if she sees you."

"Alright then." Peter took a deep breath and walked out of the throne room. "Goodnight, Edmund."

"Night, Peter," he called after his brother as the sound of his boots traveled down the corridor.

Susan had never been more comfortable in her life. Sleeping on that bed was like sleeping on a cloud. It was impossibly soft and yet it was firm enough that it never sagged even a little. And it was just so big! She wondered why they'd given such a large bed that was clearly made for at least two just for her. Maybe they wanted her to like them so she'd stay. Well it wasn't going to win her over but she'd be sure to get a goodnight's rest all the same. She rolled over to the other side and bumped into something.

The something was actually a someone. There was someone in the bed with her! She had no doubts it was a man or at least a boy. Even in the horribly weak lighting, she could figure out that much.

Whomever he was let out a grunt and mumbled something before waking up.

Susan was so startled that she let out a scream.

The stranger climbed out of the bed and took a step towards her.

Susan was completely terrified. Here she was in this strange land, forced to stay in some castle where the only humans were children raised by bear, in a room that while beautiful wasn't familiar, and now there was a stranger in it! She had no idea what he might do to her. She made a dash for the doors and tried to get them open. Much to her horror, they wouldn't budge. It was as if they were locked and sealed together. She let out a whimper followed by another scream, much louder this time.

The stranger raced over and put his hand over her mouth. It was so dark that even at this close range she couldn't see anything besides the faint outlines of a human boy, his face was completely hidden in the shadows "Will you stop that? You're going to wake the whole castle!"

Susan let out another whimper. As soon as he let go of her mouth she started to cry.

"Don't cry...shh..it's alright..." The stranger tried to comfort her.

"Who are you?" Susan gulped back the lump in her throat, still feeling very frightened.

"Don't you recognize my voice?" he asked gently.

"No," Susan said softly. A few more tears escaped and ran down her cheeks.

"It's me, Peter," he whispered.

"Don't be ridiculous," Susan huffed. "Peter is a bear and even though I can't see your face, I can tell you aren't."

"I turn back into myself every night," Peter explained.

"Good for you," Susan said feeling a little angry with him now for scaring the living daylights out her at this ungodly hour. "But what in the world are you doing in here?"

"Well I was sleeping," Peter said, his voice a little less gentle now. "That's when people lie quietly all night without making noise and get the rest they desperately need; a concept you don't seem to understand."

"Well excuse me for being surprised to discover that you were in my bed." Susan glared at him even though it was so dark that he probably couldn't see her do it. "Go sleep somewhere else."

"This is my castle, I'll sleep anywhere I like," Peter insisted.

"Not with me you won't." Susan stood her ground.

"I'm not leaving this room," Peter told her.

"Fine then." Susan turned to the door again. "I'm leaving." She found she still couldn't get it open. "Why won't this door open?"

She got the feeling that he was smiling even though she couldn't see it. "Night, Susan." He climbed back into the bed.

"I hate you." Susan grabbed a pillow and dropped it on the floor.

"What are you doing?" Peter laughed.

"Sleeping on the rug in front of the fire, that's what," Susan told him. "It's sort of cold in here." She tried to light the fire.

Peter jumped back up out of bed and grabbed her by both wrists. "Don't you even think about lighting that!"

"Let go of me!" Susan tried to pull her wrists away from him.

"I will," Peter promised, slowly loosening his grip. "But you can't light that fire."

"Can I at least have a candle?" Susan asked. "It's too cold not to have anything."

"It's not cold in the bed," Peter pointed out. "And no, you cannot have a candle."

"Fine," Susan huffed, storming back towards the bed as he finally let go of her wrists. "But you stay on your own side."

"Same to you," Peter said, climbing into bed again. "By the way, you snore."

"I do not," Susan retorted, pulling the covers up to her chin.

"Do too." Peter tried to yank some of the covers back into his half of the bed. "Don't hog all the blankets."

"I thought you wanted to sleep."

"I do."

"Then go to sleep."

"I was asleep."

"Goodnight, Peter."

"Goodnight, Susan."

AN: Please review!