A/N: Thanks for the reviews, guys. It's nice hearing from all you new readers. I know it was evil of me to leave a cliffhanger, but like I said, i'll do my best to update as soon as I can. This is another short chapter, but I hope you all enjoy it nonetheless. :)
Chapter 7
Susan's eyes widen at the last words uttered from Edmund's lips as her aching heart begins to race with hope. Silence filled the room with only the sounds of shallow breathing coming from the four siblings when suddenly Susan reaches for the door and hastily leaves the room. Peter, Edmund and Lucy exchange looks of bewilderment as they follow her briefly outside.
"Susan!" Peter yells out to her as she effortlessly climbs up the bike and begins pedaling up the small hill to the pathway without acknowledging their presence. A wave of panic filled his features as he turns to Edmund and Lucy anxiously. "You two stay here. I'll go and follow her."
"No," Edmund retorts, "we're coming with you. If we're lucky, there are probably a few bikes left in the storage room."
With no time to argue, Peter simply nods his head as the three begin running towards the storage room.
Meanwhile, Susan continues pedaling as hard and fast her legs could go--the wind drying up the tears of grief that still remain. Emotions begin to run high, her heart beating so fast it is as though it is going to erupt in any second. There is no time to waste as the park finally comes to view from the distance. Susan races down the pathway while looking around to find the one person she seeks, and as soon as her eyes fell upon him chasing after a ball with a few other guys on the grass, she pulls on the brakes and makes an abrupt stop. Susan easily gets off the bike, leaving it on the ground as she begins running towards his direction no matter how much her legs were hurting at the moment.
"Where do you think she's heading to?" Edmund asks curiously as he catches up to Peter on the bike with Lucy trailing not too far behind.
"Looking for Tristan," Peter responds surely while turning his head quickly to the others. "Come on, we must hurry."
"Tristan!" Susan yells out while running desperately towards him. "Tristan!"
He stops during the middle of the game and looks over his shoulder. A small smile appears on the corners of his lips as he excuses himself from the others to join her.
"I didn't expect to see you again so soon." He grins while approaching Susan, his eyes gleaming with excitement. Tristan's face immediately fell in concern once he notices her swollen sad eyes. "You've been crying. What's wrong?" He asks worriedly as Susan stops in front of him, catching her breath while staring at him in astonishment. "Susan?"
"You're not who you think you are." She spoke weakly as he wrinkles his forehead in bewilderment.
"I'm sorry?"
"Susan!"
A cry calls out her name as she turns around to find her siblings standing in a distance. Peter.
She avoids them and quickly turns back to Tristan.
"You are King Caspian, the tenth; King of Narnia. Your Uncle Miraz killed your father and tried to kill you for your thrown. You called us back to Narnia with my horn to help you restore peace between the Narnians and the Telemarines. You--"
"Susan!" Peter grabs her shoulder as their eyes meet in an intense stare. "What do you think you're doing?" He exclaims as he turns his gaze over to Tristan who look so lost, so confused as ever.
"What is going on here?" He asks, looking between Peter, Edmund and Lucy quizzically as they approach and then glancing over at Susan. "Is she alright?"
Peter turns around to face his younger siblings. "I want you two to take Susan home and look after her while I'm gone."
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to take care of this."
Edmund and Lucy both nod their heads as Peter takes Tristan aside. Susan watches on as her older brother and Tristan begin walking away from them towards the bridge.
"Where are they going?" She asks while being dragged by Edmund in the opposite direction.
"Separating you from him," Edmund mutters irritably as they reached their bikes that were left on the ground. "Come on, we're going home."
"No." Susan retorts stubbornly. "I'm staying here." Edmund sighs in defeat as her hopeful eyes soften. "I'm not leaving him again…"
Edmund and Lucy exchange looks as they both nod their heads understandingly. "Very well," he responds while turning back to Susan. "But you stay here."
"But I must tell him."
"Peter will take care of it." Edmund groans, grabbing her shoulder as she looks at him despondently. "Please, Susan." He begs of her as his eyes soften with mere concern. "Just let us help."
Without protest, Susan let's out a sigh and simply nods her head.
Tristan stares at Peter blankly, blinking a few times and allowing it all to sink in. After a moment of silence, Tristan breaks his gaze from him and burst out in hysteric laughter. Peter narrows his eyes in response. "What's so funny?"
He chuckles, leaning back against the wooden bridge post and facing his male companion. "Nothing, it's one hell of a story I'll say." Tristan responds as his laughter slowly subsided. "You should definitely write a book about it."
"This is not a joke." Peter retorts seriously. "What I told you is the truth."
Tristan reads him carefully as silence filled the air. "You're telling me that you found this magical land called Narnia in a wardrobe which you and your siblings ruled as Kings and Queens for years. And I—Caspian," he says rather awkwardly and with some hint of amusement, "used Susan's magical horn to call you all back to Narnia because the Telemines--"
"Telemarines," Peter corrects him as Tristan simply rolls his eyes.
"Whatever, so the Telemarines invaded Narnia and my evil uncle Miraz tries to take my thrown. With your help, we were able to restore peace in Narnia…you left, and four years later I was killed. Now you're telling me that this Aslan character has brought me here as Tristan with no memories of Narnia to grant me a second chance in life?"
Peter groans. "I know it sounds strange--"
"Ridiculous is more like it." Tristan retorts without letting him finish as he runs his free hand through his hair out of frustration and looks out into the open water. He turns to face Peter. "Look, my father is at war. I have no uncle of the name Miraz, and I'm certainly not royalty."
Peter sighs. "Susan really cares about him—you! And it's really hurting her." He pauses, searching his eyes carefully. "It's hurting all of us."
"I'm sorry." He responds whole-heartedly with a deep sigh. "I'm afraid I can't do anything about it."
"Can you at least think about what I just told you?" He exclaims urgently.
Before Tristan could answer, he was cut off by Susan who begins walking up the bridge towards them. Tristan lips slightly parted as she stood before him, staring deep into his eyes for some kind of hope—or what's left of it.
"Caspian?" She utters, holding her breath for a few seconds upon approaching him, her eyes intently resting on his as a light groan escapes from his lips.
"For the last time...my name is Tristan," he responds straightforwardly, his gaze hard on Susan as her lips slightly parted in hurt disbelief. "I grew up in Greenwich my entire life. I'm the youngest in my family with two sisters. My mother died soon after I was born, and my father is currently at war. I want to go to America someday to visit my younger sister in New York. I enjoy playing chess, rugby, and soccer. I'm not fond of horses or sword fighting." He adds as Susan slightly winces in response. There is a short pause as their eyes linger on each other fixedly. Tristan sighs. "I'm not who you want me to be."
"But you are Caspian." She exclaims desperately while searching his eyes for answers. "I knew it since the day I first saw you at the train station."
He shakes his head in disappointment, sighing. "Look, I am sorry for your loss. But I'm afraid I can't help you." Susan's eyes grew larger as her heart dropped at the dreadful words. "I'm sorry." He finally says with hint of guilt in his voice. Tears begin to fill her eyes as she watches the man she holds dear to her heart turn around and walk away.
Peter slowly approaches his sister with concern evident in his features as he places his hand on her shoulder for comfort. She looks up at him, tears streaming down her puffy cheeks. "Susan…" He whispers, but was suddenly cut-off as she falls into his embrace and cries uncontrollably on his chest.
"Caspian is really gone, Peter." She weeps between uncontrollable sobs, unable to contain her emotions. "He's really gone…"
A/N: Thanks for reading. Don't forget to leave a review. Thanks!
