*~To Narnia And Back~*~Chapter Eight~*~The Army Arrives~*

"So, from what I could see, you and Caspian were getting rather close." Susan told me, as we made our way through the tunnels of the How, heading towards the outside so that we could have a long walk and a chat, which we haven't really been able to do the entire time that we've been here, which feels like months, not just a week.

I just grinned and looked down, not saying anything. Susan grinned also as we reached the entrance and started to walk around the field. Caspian was no longer on the upper level, so he was probably walking around the How thinking about the same thing that I am.

"If I hadn't walked in, which I'm really sorry about by the way, do you think that you guys would have gone ahead with the kiss?" Susan asked.

I waited a couple of seconds, and then I nodded my head. "I think so, yeah. Well, I know that I certainly wanted to kiss him." I then realized something, and the smile vanished from my face and my tone of voice changed to a much more solemn one. "But I think it might have just been in comfort."

"What do you mean?" She asked, as we started to walk on the edge of the forest, not really wanting to be interrupted by anyone.

"Well, we were both really upset. I was almost crying, and he was really upset too. He was telling me about how he just wants to take his revenge upon Miraz for what he did to his father." I looked down at the ground. "And then, I started talking about how I know exactly how he feels about wanting to have revenge and kill someone. I feel like that almost everyday." I took a deep breath. I hadn't really talked about my mum and dad to anyone before, apart from Caspian now. "There isn't a day that goes past that I don't want to find the person who took my parents from me. And, I think that Caspian and I have finally found someone that we can talk to about it as we are feeling the same thing. Plus, I don't want to depress the rest of you. Or take advantage, considering you guys took me into your family in a heartbeat."

"You know we don't mind you talking about your parents. They are your parents after all, and I know that if I was in your position, I would always wonder what happened to them. You're not a bad person for thinking that."

I nodded, and decided that I should lighten up the mood. "Well, I've been thinking about it in a different way since we've got here, and since I've got close with Caspian."

"How so?"

"Well, if my parents hadn't gone missing, then I never would've experienced the amazing life of being a Pevensie, and of course, most probably never would have come to Narnia."

"And met Caspian." Susan added, and we both laughed, and I went a little red, and she linked her arm through mine. "You are completely smitten by him."

"Oh my God, I so am. I'm acting like a teenage girl with a crush!"

"Alex...you are a teenage girl with a crush!"

We both laughed, and the atmosphere had completely turned around; we were both bubbly and happy again.

"I guess I am." I said, grinning.

"Well, I can say that he definitely suits you. You guys seemed to just click straight away. And you know that that doesn't happen very often."

"I can say that it's never happened with me. I know this is going to sound a little cheesy, but I can honestly say that I have never felt this way before. When I'm around Caspian, I just feel so happy and content...okay that does sound really cheesy!" I laughed.

"But, it's so true. I can tell that you suit each other just by looking at you when you're together. Even if you're just standing next to each other. You just fit, you know. And they way he looks at you. You're one lucky girl."

I just smiled and looked towards the field. I saw Peter in the middle, having a friendly showdown with Edmund. My heart gave a tug and the smile faded from my face. I also stopped walking, and so Susan had noticed my change in mood.

"Alex?"

I didn't answer, just kept looking at Peter. But Susan then looked where I was looking, and most likely saw that I was looking at Peter, or Edmund I guess as they were in near enough the same space.

"Alex?" She repeated, coming to stand in front of me, making me snap out of my trance as Peter was no longer in my line of sight.

"Are you okay? Your mood just rapidly changed."

I looked down and contemplated. Should I tell her or not? I tell her everything. And this was the one thing that I've never told anyone before, and I had a good reason not to: I was scared because I knew that they would have a different opinion if they knew about my feelings for Peter. I looked back up at Susan.

"Come over here." I said quietly, and grabbed her hand, leading her over to a tree that had fallen over in the forest, forming a kind of bench. We sat down on it, and she was looking at me with heavy curiosity. I took a deep breath. This is going to go one way, or the other. I'm hoping it's not 'the other'.

"Susan, if I tell you something, will you promise not to judge me, or to tell anyone else?"

"Of course! You're my best friend, you can trust me with anything. You know that."

I nodded. "I couple of years ago, I realized that I had feelings for a boy that I had known for a while. Nothing heavy, just a little crush. But, as the weeks and months went on, they got really strong. I then thought that they had gone away a few months back, but a week away I realized they hadn't..."

"A week away? But we were in...Narnia...then..."

I bit my lip as I looked at her. She looked over at the field and back to me with her mouth open. Then back to the field, then back to me.

"You like Peter?" She shout-whispered.

"It's not a huge deal, really. Just something that happened-"

"For two years?"

Oh crap, this wasn't what I wanted to happen.

"Susan, please, let's not make a huge deal out of this."

"But it is a huge deal!"

Well, she didn't look angry at least. Just really surprised. Which I expected her to be. I would if I were her. I didn't say anything, hoping that she would take it in, and realize that it really wasn't a huge deal...even though it kinda was...

She took a few minutes to regain herself and take it in, but she hadn't appeared angry, or anything bad, just still a bit surprised.

"Okay, sorry, that was uncalled for. It was just a bit of a shock is all."

I nodded. "I expected that."

"Well, I guess you can't help who you like. And he isn't your biological brother...but, what about Caspian?"

"This is why it's all so strange. I've liked Peter, that sounds so weird out loud, for a couple of years, yet I've known Caspian for the better part of a week, and I feel so much more strongly for Caspian than I ever did for Peter. That's why it's so weird for me. And, also, I feel kind of guilty because I don't think that I feel anything for Peter anymore. But feelings don't just go away that quickly..."

Susan thought for a moment. "I think feelings can go away that quickly in certain situations, and that's if you really feel something strong and special for someone else. And in your case, that's definitely what's happened." We both looked back over at Peter and Edmund, who had now been joined by Caspian. "Okay, now looking at both of them together, who're you looking and thinking about?"

I was looking at Caspian. I hadn't even glanced over at Peter. "Caspian. Always Caspian."

Susan put her hand on mine. "There's your answer."

For some reason I wanted to cry, and Susan could see that. She scooted right next to me and gave me a hug.

"Thank you so much for understanding." I said, holding onto her tightly.

"What're sisters for?" She replied, and I smiled at her when we let go of each other. I looked back over at Caspian, and saw that he, Peter, and Edmund were laughing around. At least he was happier now. Something I couldn't say for myself as something else had just popped into my mind. Something so obvious that I should've thought about it days ago.

Most of us had woken up at midday the next day, as we had lost out on a night's worth of sleep from the night raid. We had lunch together, and then when I had finished, I made my way up to the outer upper level of the How, as I just wanted to be alone. I sat down crossed legged on the grassy patch and started thinking.

I had been upset and depressed since I realized something yesterday after the talk with Susan. It sounds obvious, but when you're developing strong feelings for someone that you're around almost every minute of the day, you forget about the obvious. And what I realized yesterday, was that Caspian and I could never be together. I don't belong in this world, and I have to go back to England sooner or later. Realizing this made me not want to look at him, but I had to so that he would see that nothing was wrong. At least I hoped that I had covered it up well because I didn't want him to think that it was anything to do with our almost kiss yesterday.

Susan then sat down next to me and I smiled at her in greeting. She smiled back, but then said,

"Don't try to cover it up, Alex. You know I can tell when you're upset."

"Right."

"Is it the same thing from yesterday?"

I shook my head, looking down at my hands in my lap. "No, it's something that I realized after our talk yesterday."

"What is it?"

"Something obvious." I ran my thumbs repeatedly over each other, trying not to get too upset again. "I can never be with Caspian."

There was a pause. "Why not?"

I looked up at her. "We're from two separate worlds. And we'll have to return to England sooner or later. You guys did."

"Only by accident. After we were crowned, we stayed and ruled in Narnia for fifteen years. Earth became a dream, even a dream of a dream. It wasn't reality, and Narnia makes you forget about those things, because you're in such a magical and different land that you forget about any other lives you have lived. And who says that you'll be going back to England any time soon? You could be here for fifteen years, or more than that for that matter. No one knows. You just have to live in reality and not think about the future." She had a good point, but I still think that Caspian and I could never be together, but then, I never thought Narnia was real and definitely that I'd never see it for myself. I smiled and nodded, feeling a little better I guess. "And besides," Susan carried on, "Even if we do go back to England sooner than we want to, I know that you'll come back here. We've all come back twice. Who's to say that you won't too?"

She smiled at me and I felt much better. She was the expert about Narnia after all, having ruled in it for fifteen years.

I'm very glad that we had stopped talking at that moment because Caspian and Edmund then rounded the corner, all geared up in their fighting outfits, equipped with their weapons as well.

"Are we off to battle already? I'm still recovering from the last one." I grinned, trying to add a sense of humour into my tone, which they all thankfully understood.

"Not yet. We were just wondering if you girls wanted to get in some more practise. We have some free time." Caspian asked, looking at both of us, but then his eyes rested on mine, and I instantly smiled without even realizing it. I then looked at Susan and she looked at me, both deciding whether we were in a fighting mood. I looked back up at Caspian.

"Maybe in a little bit. We just wanted to sit a talk for a while. Haven't really had much peace around here in the last couple of days."

"Mind if we join you, then?" Edmund asked, not really waiting for an answer as he already took his seat.

"No, course not." Susan said, and Caspian took his seat too, and we were all kind of sitting in a circle now.

We must have talked for what seemed like hours, about many things, mainly fighting tactics, and Edmund and Susan wanted to know more about Caspian as they didn't know him that well. Caspian asked about their lives back in England, as he practically knew everything about me from our talk that we had the first night we met each other. Although, he didn't disclude me from the conversation as he had thought up many new questions for me to answer. It was a lot of fun just sitting around and talking about non-serious things, which we didn't find often to do with the situation that we're all stuck in at the moment. Edmund, Susan, and I found ourselves talking a lot about our childhood, and the stupid and silly pranks and tricks we used to play on each other, and the trouble we used to get into when we were all together and causing a riot. Lucy of course was always the innocent one in all of these situations as she was much younger than us and was only following our examples, which were quite bad ones because that's just kids all over. Edmund was of course the trouble maker and the little monster in the family, and Susan and I told Caspian that Edmund used to pour various substances all over us, such as orange juice, cranberry juice, and sometimes milk, all of which were so hard to get out of our hair. But, it was all good fun at the end of the day as we had all enjoyed ourselves as we were playing together as a family, and it's quite rare that you get young boys and girls getting along with each other as well as we did.

But, just as we were all enjoying ourselves and telling ridiculous stories, Caspian looked towards the forest, and then his facial expression just completely changed.

"In the name of..." He trailed off and jumped to his feet, facing the forest and not taking his eyes off of it. The rest of us looked, and all followed in Caspian's footsteps of jumping to our feet and looking at what was emerging from the forest.

Miraz' army was here. And it was in the thousands.