Chapter 9 – The Letter

Disclaimer: I now own the blue satin scarf in my hair with all the cute little daisies on it that one of my bestest friends brought home for me from Germany! I only now own it, because she bought it so she owned it, but then she gave it to me so I guess now I own it… I don't own Narnia, though… Heh, big surprise…

Author's Note: I know everyone wanted to hear about Ed, but I feel like Susan has been shorted out lately…

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Narnia – June, Year 1009

-During the time in which Peter was 22, Susan was 21, Edmund was 19, and Lucy was 17.

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My dearest Lucy,

Today has been quite an average day. Nothing of much importance has occurred here on the Lone Islands of late, and I won't talk about the weather because there is nothing spectacular about it and I know that you aren't one for small talk.

The point is, I really have nothing to say in this letter, but I felt I had to write you. I miss you so much, every day.

I miss the way you could always light up a room; make everyone feel better; put a smile on every face. I miss hearing you laugh, and seeing you smile. I miss our long talks and I miss stargazing with you at night from the deck of the ship.

One year seems like such a very long time. Well, eleven months now, and I am most certainly counting. Eleven months until you and your siblings visit the Lone Islands and I get to see you.

Hopefully you will not have forgotten me by then, although I know you won't have. You are the most caring, thoughtful girl I have ever met and I know that you wouldn't forget me, no matter how many suitors you have in line for your hand. And I hope upon hope that by the time you return, you will still love me as much as I will still love you.

However, do not forget what I said to you when we parted one month ago. I want you to move on, and to find other men, because as a Queen and just as the amazing person that you are, I know that you can't linger on me forever. No matter how much I despise it, my home and my work is in the Lone Islands now and yours is at Cair Paravel.

I have never been good with long distance relationships, probably because I have lived in Narnia all my life and have never had one. However, I have learned over the past month that they are very hard.

I miss you so much, Lucy.

I also miss your siblings, King Peter and Edmund and Queen Susan and please pass that on to them. I miss how brotherly Peter always was to me, over the few months I knew him. He was always there with advice for me, just like an older brother, and his advice was almost always right. I miss Edmund, his sense of humor and also his seriousness, and he was certainly someone that I could talk to about anything. And I miss Susan, in all her elegance and grace. She could always set us straight when we were being slightly rash, and she looked pretty even then.

But most of all I miss you, Lucy. I miss everything about you.

Only eleven months. And by the time you get this, less than that. Until then, I will be missing you.

I know that as a Queen, you must be terribly busy, but if you find the time, please write back to me.

Love, Forever yours,

Tyerrin

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The letter slipped out of Lucy's hands and fell to the floor as tears welled up in her eyes.

It was the first letter that she had received from Tyerrin since returning to Cair Paravel, and it made her realize even more how much she missed him.

He was quite possibly the most wonderful man she had ever met, and her first love. He was kind and generous and selfless, and also vibrant and energetic, full of life and spirited.

She had fallen in love with him quite fast, and he her. It was a relationship that thankfully all her siblings approved of, and agreed with. Everyone said that he was perfect for her.

And everything had been perfect, Lucy thought…until the day that a big ship with orange and blue sails sailed in and docked near Cair Paravel.

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Tyerrin had come to Cair Paravel originally in mid-February, around the time of Susan's twenty-first birthday party. He was a man of Archenlandish descent, but had lived in Narnia all eighteen years of his life, and his mother had sent him off saying that he was old enough to find his place in the world.

That place was in the Lone Islands, he had decided. He was the type that needed to explore, that needed to get away from home. So he had booked a place on a ship and journeyed to Cair, which was near where the ship would be departing from.

When he arrived, he discovered that the ship was blown off course in a storm and had to be repaired before completing its journey to Narnia, a task that could take over a month. So Tyerrin had asked for work at Cair Paravel, and Peter had provided him with a job.

Tyerrin stayed in the castle for a month, which eventually became two months, and then almost three, and it wasn't long until he had all but forgotten about his trip to the Lone Islands and the ship that would soon be arriving. Lucy fell in love with him and all was well – until almost three months after his arrival at Cair, when Tyerrin got word that his ship would be arriving in a week.

Lucy pleaded for him not to go, and he didn't want to. But his grandparents in the Lone Islands were expecting him, and his place on the ship was already booked. He knew that his grandfather was getting old and would need his help with the family business that year, and there really was no escaping it, despite how much he wanted to – Tyerrin had to leave.

In the end, Lucy decided to journey with him to the Lone Island on the ship, so as to have a little more time with Tyerrin. But after the couple weeks it took to get to the Islands, they had to say goodbye, and Lucy returned home to Cair.

And now, over a month later, she sat reading the first letter that she had received from Tyerrin and she began to cry.

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Lucy wasn't sure how long she had been lying on her bed, silent tears falling from her eyes, when she heard the door open.

"Please go away," she whispered quietly, not looking up to see who it was.

She felt the bed shift slightly as someone sat down next to her. And then there was a hand on her forehead, smoothing her hair away from her brow gently.

"Oh, Su…" she said softly. While wanted to be alone, at the same time wanted Susan to stay.

"Don't tell me to leave, Lucy, because I won't," Susan said with a rueful smile. "I'm your sister! And Aslan knows I've been in love before, and ended up like you did… Lu, I've been in situations like yours before, and I'm here to help. I'm not going to let you be alone through all this!"

"Oh, Susan…" Lucy said quietly. And, after a moment's pause, "Thank you."

"It's no problem," replied Susan with a smile. She stroked Lucy's hair for several more minutes, until she stopped crying. And then she said, "Now, Lucy, what do you say? How about we go for a little ride in the woods?"

"Alright," said Lucy, sitting up, with a smile. "I'll race you!"

And before Susan had even processed what her younger sister had said, Lucy was already out the door and rushing down the stairs to the stables.

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That afternoon, riding through the woods with Susan, Lucy started to realize she was going to be alright. She would see Tyerrin again after all, and until then she would have her big sister, Queen Susan the Gentle, right by her side to help her through. No matter what the trouble, she knew her sister would stick through it with her, with a gentle hand to stroke her hair back and kind words all along the way.

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Author's Note: …I'm thinking that you'll probably either really love it or really hate it. Also, I apologize for both the way late update (I actually had to rewrite the opening page to this five times before I came up with an idea and a beginning I liked) and for the shortness of this chapter.

As always, super thanks a million and one to the reviewers, the anonymous of those being: Narnian Jesus Freak, J.D., LadySu, Rosebud, Lady of Narnia, and, as always, Samantha. Y'all are fantastic!