A/N: Sorry, life is catching up to me.
Keacdragon – I'm glad you like it.
Skipper – Yes, I'm trying to combine book and movie verse, because they both do something good for the stories. Movies give the characters more dimension, while Lewis' stories are wonderful. Your review was helpful even if you don't think it was.
Disclaimer: Narnia is not mine.
Chapter 7
Sound Off
Edmund wondered which group was more confused. Group 1: Caspian, Lucy, and himself – they knew that it was Peter and Susan, but they weren't supposed to come back. Group 2: The ball guests – they were pretty much freaking out over the ghosts in the mirror who they didn't know was the High King and Queen. Group 3: Peter and Susan – they obvious couldn't see the other three monarchs, and probably had no idea where they were.
Everyone saw the two figures look at each other with confused looks on their faces. They saw the male offer his hand to the female and she took it. Then something happened, and no one was quite sure if they saw it correctly. The two ghosts stepped through the mirror. Everything about them intensified. Their skin was clearer, the colors of their clothes brighter, their hair shiner, and Susan's makeup was more pronounced. There was no noise besides a few gasps and the shuffling of feet. Edmund saw that his sibling's faces changed. Peter's went from confused to noble. The High Kingliness was coming back. Susan's face went from confused to scared, though it was only a very slight second and you would have only saw it if you were looking for it like Edmund was, to regal. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that the two teenagers held themselves like they were royalty.
Caspian then started walking toward his party crashers. Lucy was about to bounce after him, but Edmund held her back and put his finger to his lip. Lucy didn't understand why, but she accepted it. After all, Edmund was the Just King.
Edmund knew that this was, unfortunately, Caspian's territory. He was king now, and he had every right to go to the guests. Edmund had planned that he was going to do something similar to the tactics he had tried on the Little Pair earlier. I really must teach him some other ideas. Or at least have Susan teach him the ways of the court.
"Hello there." Caspian said as he walked right up to the Big Pair. Edmund was in the perfect spot – he could see both his sibling's and Caspian's face.
"Greetings." Peter said with a curt smile. Susan merely said "Hello."
"I do believe you've crashed the party." Caspian said the all-knowing, slightly annoying grin on his face. The one that made Edmund want to punch his lights out in the beginning without knowing who he was.
"Our invitations were lost in the mail." Peter said briskly. His tone was light, but coated in venom. It was perfectly dangerous and inviting in balance.
"We're terribly sorry to have interrupted your entertainment for the moment." Susan said. Her renowned gentleness was masked, normally she was very kind and sweet, but this was business. Her voice was as musical as always, but it had the tension of an arrow pulled back ready to fire. (Edmund always wondered if her voice was like that because of her archery or if she got the archery kit because of her voice.) The Just King was wise, but Susan was wise, smart, and logical – a deadly combo for diplomacy. Edmund had to smirk at his older sister's cleverness. She hadn't said they were sorry, because to say so would admit inferiority, she merely said that they were sorry that they had stolen the show away from Caspian, whom she had correctly guessed the host and therefore the main attraction.
"You think that I'm the host of this party? Whatever gave you the impression?" Caspian said obviously well-versed in the art of words. Edmund knew he'd lose. He and Susan were a deadly team, but she pulled the weight on twisting words. He was good at the technical stuff like how the laws would work in their favor and such – she was Machiavelli's prodigy in ambassadorship. He also knew that Peter was good at knowing when to keep his mouth shut. This was not his fight. The four siblings had split up responsibilities, taking what came most natural for them, though the other's had say. The Magnificent King took warfare as he was a skilled strategist and fighter, the Gentle Queen took court life as she was quite adept for her diplomacy and word twisting, the Just King took the more technical aspects such as constructing and laws, while the Valiant Queen took on the animals of Narnia, she had always made friends easily and liked it when she had her sessions to fix the animal's problems.
"Would not the host be brave enough to speak to two unusual figures that've strangely appeared? Would not the host be arrogant enough to assume the position of authority? And lastly, what guest would be so foolish as to embarrass themselves and disgrace their host by boldly confronting said people?" No one could deny the utter look of triumph in Susan's eye.
Caspian was caught off guard, he was clearly outmatched.
"Perhaps you could enlighten me as to who you are?" Caspian said.
Peter smiled; it was slightly cruel, but only slightly. "Your body language gives you away. You're standing as though you're the inferior. You know who we are or at least you think you know." Peter had been around soldiers long enough to know.
And that's when Caspian gave up. Edmund saw the look of utter defeat in his eyes. Susan had outsmarted him, and Peter had outwitted him. Caspian turned and look over at the two young monarchs. Lucy sprung out of Edmund's grip, and practically skipped to her older siblings. Then of course she tackled them to ground in a very unroyal-like fashion.
"LUCY!" Both siblings sounded so glad, though there was the slightest tinge of annoyance in Susan's voice. Lucy had wrinkled her dress.
After helping them up, Peter bear hugged Lucy shooting off a million questions a second.
"Where's Edmund?" Susan asked suddenly and worriedly.
"Oh don't get your knickers in a twist." Edmund said smiling and the four siblings group hugged.
"Oh, oh, oh Peter Susan! This is-" Lucy said unhinging herself from Peter's body.
"Caspian." He said slightly smiling.
"Prince Caspian?" The Big Pair asked at the same time.
"King Caspian the Tenth." Edmund added in a mockingly royal tone.
"You're big?" Peter said looking at his now peer. He was quite bewildered.
"Very eloquent Peter." Susan said rolling her eyes, and flashed a smile at Caspian as if saying she was sorry.
"My dear king, this looks so much like our home Cair Paravel." Susan said quizzical.
"It is indeed, for I have rebuilt it." Caspian said smiling. He hoped the queen's comment was a complement.
"Everyone's staring." Lucy whispered and buried her head in Peter's chest, acting less than her age.
"Indeed they are. How wonderful." Susan said brightly. Only Susan would be glad people are staring. I wonder if she realizes it's because one: everyone's utterly confused as to who you are, why you're here, and what the joke is, and two: you're dressed funny. Edmund thought mentally rolling his eyes.
"Yes of course," Caspian cleared his throat and spoke to his guests, "My fellow guests please allow me the honor of introducing two very unexpected guests – High King Peter the Magnificent and Queen Susan the Gentle." There was a collective gasp. From that moment forward Lucy had trouble remembering the rest of the ball. Everyone wanted to ask questions, to get closer to the royals, to talk to them, to see them, and frankly Lucy didn't like the attention. Lucy had realized the irony; she did not like being the center of attention, but yet wished to have Susan's beauty. The four Pevensie's were separated the rest of the night, but it went by like a blur.
Lucy vaguely remembered Caspian saying he hadn't the rooms' ready, so they'd have to double up. Lucy could almost remember getting ready for bed with her maids around her and Susan, while her older sister prattled on and on and on about the ball, the clothes, the boys, the gossip, the dancing, the food, Caspian, and how many of the court ladies thought her scandalous for her clothes and makeup. Susan had not a kind word for them either, and especially for "that horrid being of a girl, the Duke of Galma's daughter, Adrienne. She acts as though she were Queen. Ha! She's worthy of the station of Kitchen Girl. That bobble head ought to be knocked over the head. How dare she insult me, and to my face? To my face! Frankly her dress was cut far too low with that ugly color, and she sauntered around like she's the bee's knees. To put it simply it made her look, well, how does one put this? It made her look easy. There I said it, and I won't take it back. Of course Edmund would be attracted to her, he has no taste. I think Peter acknowledged her looks, but he didn't talk to her. I'll set him straight of course. Thank goodness that at least one of the boys' has a good head on their shoulders; Caspian practically avoided her the whole time. Smart fellow, I'll have to teach him a thing or two so he can be a better king. Speaking of Caspian, what do think about him being older? I know you two were friends, must have been a shock eh? Of course he's grown so much didn't even recognize him until you said something. I can kind of see the younger version in him now. Oh, he has grown up to be looker hasn't he? Very kingly, and he's not that scrawny little kid anymore. I remember practically shoving food down his mouth he was so tiny. Oh dear, I hope he doesn't hold that against me. But now, he's so fit and gorgeous and he's really grown into himself, right Lu? Lu? Yes, well I understand why you don't want to answer after all he was your friend, strange to think of him like that I suppose? Though he really is good looking…" Susan finally stopped her train of uninterrupted talking and was apparently in deep thought about something. Lucy had drifted off into sleep as soon as she hit the bed which was before Susan had even gotten to name the Duke's daughter. Susan had had her back to Lucy, but it didn't matter. Susan didn't care if anyone was actually listening, though she pretended to, she mostly wanted to voice her opinion and liked to hear the sound of her own voice. What Susan didn't know was that a war was soon to be waged in her head with logic and reality colliding. So for now it was better that she focus on vanity, gossip, petty items, and a certain attractive young king, because when she woke up she was going to be half insane.
A/N: I had a lot fun writing Susan both as a monarch and as a regular seventeen year old girl. Review please.
