"There. Perfect! You look absolutely wonderful Lucy. Now just look at how beautiful you are? Certainly you will be the bell of the ball tonight!" Susan said proudly as she put her hands on Lucy's shoulders and twirled her around in her chair to face the mirror. After their little discussion, Susan had absolutely insisted the ladies in waiting take the night off getting themselves ready for the ball and joining in the festivities. The ladies were quite pleasantly surprised at the turn of events and hurried off to their quarters to get ready, gossiping girlishly about this guard and that stable hand.
Susan had been bustling about in her under things for the last hour, adding a little rogue there, a little eyeliner there and pining and twisting her sister's long curls till her scalp ached. She wanted so badly for her sister to see how beautiful she really was and when Susan got an idea in her head regarding her family, watch out. It had taken nearly an hour but Susan had finally pinned the last curl in place, buttoned the last button and Lucy was ready. She stepped back and admired her work alongside Lucy, who merely touched her face and hair as if in a dream. Lucy really was a masterpiece.
Somehow Susan had managed to weave beautiful beads and pearls through her wavy hair and twist Lucy's fiery orange locks up in a messy bun at the top of her head and. Long tendrils of perfectly curls framed her cheerful face. She put on just enough makeup to really make Lucy sparkle and show off her natural beauty but not enough to make Peter have a heart attack. Lucy's dress was beautiful, soft sea foam green with long, lacy sleeves trailing just past her elbows. Sparkling white embroidered flowers and designs dotted the full skirt of her dress that hugged her torso slightly and flared just a little at her narrow hips and trailed down to the floor in soft waves. Lucy was a vision. The bubbly youn queen was rendered speechless by her laughed her merry twinkling laugh and hugged Lucy from behind. "You're welcome you silly little goose.'' Susan glanced at the clock and took a double take.
"Goodness it's nearly six o'clock! We should already be greeting the guests! Edmund is not going to be very happy if we aren't down there in about thirty seconds. Come on Lucy hurry let's go, get your shoes on." She said as she snatched her crown off the bed and hastily threw it on her head. She jabbed a pair of earrings through her ear lobes and threw the door open. She was half-way down the hallway when she heard Lucy's uncontrollable giggle. "Aren't you going to put some clothes on Su?" she said as she poked her head through the door and pointed to Susan's dress sprawled out on the bed. Her grin widened "I'm sure Caspian would have no problem with it but I'm pretty sure Peter wouldn't be too happy if you showed up to the ball in you without any real clothes on..." Susan immediately looked down and blushed furiously as she scurried back into her room and shut the door behind her quickly.
Lucy stifled a giggle as Susan ducked her head in embarrassment and plucked the gorgeous dress off the bed. Lucy smiled apologetically "Here, let me help you with your corset. I am so glad I don't have to wear one of those yet. They're ghastly. "Susan stuck her tongue out at Lucy.
"Just you wait Lucy, just you wait."
"Where are those girls? They were supposed to be down here twenty minutes ago!" Peter seethed to Caspian. "This is breakfast all over again," Edmund moaned as yet another lord and lady were announced. Their cheeks were starting to burn from smiling at all the subjects. They had been announced almost a half-hour ago and now they were forced to greet nearly 300 important courtiers on their own while waiting for the girls.
"How can it possibly take this long to put on a dress? It can't be that complicated,'' the youngest king whined, tugging mutinously at his collar. Peter sighed melodramatically and turned to his brother and frienemy. "It's not just the dress Edmund; first you have to do your hair in twenty different styles, even though you're just going to end up wearing it down anyway, then you have to pick out a lipstick that matches your eyes, then you have to find eye makeup that doesn't clash with your dress, then you have to pick out shoes and make sure your earrings match, then you have to tie you're dress so tight you can't breathe…and then you hate it and have to start all over again" Caspian and Edmund laughed so hard they almost fell over.
However, they all immediately stopped laughing as the trumpets blared and a loud, deep voice rang across the ballroom. "Announcing her royal majesty Queen Lucy the Valiant." The room shook with thunderous applause as a very happy Lucy glanced around shyly and made her way down the stairs. All three kings took a step back and blinked rapidly. When had that happened? Of course, the three kings always thought Lucy looked nice but tonight she looked… stunning. She stopped in front of them and twirled happily. "Well? What do you think?" she asked, glee dancing in her eyes."Wow... you look...just.. wow. You look really pretty Lu," Peter finally said as he hugged his little sister who laughed merrily and moved on to hug Edmund and Caspian.
"Wait til you see Susan. She was pretty excited, especially after her walk in the garden." she whispered knowingly to Caspian with a mischievous smile. Caspian's eyes widened and his face turned a spectacular shade of red as his head jerked down to look at the giggling queen. "How did you know about that?" he demanded. Lucy only laughed and put a hand on her brother- in- all -but- blood's arm "Susan's my sister Caspian; I have my ways. Don't worry, I won't tell Peter;I'd actually like you to be alive while we're here." Caspian was just about to respond when once again he was cut off by the obnoxious trumpeter and the announcer.
He never did hear Lucy's fabulous comment about his redness, for that was that moment the doors were thrown open and a collective gasp from every man in the room filled the air. He had never seen anything so... dazzlingly beautiful. He couldn't even find the words to describe her she was so breathtaking.
Her soft dark brown hair settled around her bare shoulders and tumbled down nearly to her waist in long loose waves, her golden crown perched neatly on the top of her head. Her dress was the most beautiful shade of lavender imaginable and hugged her body in all the right places. The off the shoulder dress swooped in to a moderate v-neck, (Caspian had to try very hard to focus on her face) and hugged her curvy torso all the way down to her hips where it flared out and tumbled down in soft waves that swirled around her legs with every move. Sparkling, deep purple embroidery and designs danced across the bodice of her dress, as well as the lace sleeves, crawling up her arms and across her back. Professor Cornelius always told stories of Queen Susan's legendary beauty and how she was rumored to be the most beautiful woman in the world but Caspian could never believed it until he had actually met her. He couldn't even speak as he watched breathlessly as she glided over to her brothers and sisters.
The speechless Telmarine king watched stupidly as she hugged both of her brothers and laughed her merry twinkling laugh and blushed at something Edmund said (probably about the way every man in the room was drooling). She stopped in front of the stunned Caspian expectantly. Try as he might, he couldn't stop smiling like an idiot. Susan only laughed as Caspian fumbled around with his words, trying to find something charming and non-idiotic to say. Giving up on telling her how beautiful she looked, with a huge grin on his face he took a step towards her and reached his hand up to cup the side of her face and just started to lean down to kiss her but caught Peter's furious, wide eyed death-glare out of the corner of his eye and quickly reared his head back, dropped his hand in mid-air and quickly took a huge step away from Susan. He was suddenly very aware of the sword on Peter's hip.
Susan looked at him puzzled and slightly hurt but then caught her older brother's furious expression and immediately sighed and rolled her eyes at him. Hiding his evident blush, Caspian quickly bent down and kissed her hand politely, not daring to look at the high-strung older brother he knew would quite enjoy personally punching him in the face. Caspian hadn't really done anything wrong but whenever Susan was around, the looks Peter gave him made him feel somewhat...ashamed of himself. He could feel Peter's eyes buring holes in the back of his head while they greeting the never ending list of guests.
Luckily, the music started playing and it was time for the royals to begin the festivities with the first dance before Peter could get a hold of Caspian. The five rulers all made their ways onto the dancefloor to begin the traditional first dance. Edmund offered Lucy his hand immediatlely and the two curtseyed and bowed politely, winking at Caspian over their shoulders. Caspian could feel his heart beating faster along with the music at the thought of finally dancing with Susan after all those horrible years without her. His heart beat quickened and he started walking towards her confidently, still smiling. Just as her was about to offer her his hand Peter swooped in out of nowhere and cut right inbetween the two, grabbing hold of Susan's waist right as the music started up and started twirling her across the dancefloor, leaving Caspain to stand there stupidly in the middle of the dancefloor without a partner. It was Caspian's turn to glare at Peter.
Caspian watched Susan twirling across the dancefloor over the rim of his cup; infatuated. They had been back for almost three and a half weeks already and a thrill of elation still shot up his spine every time he looked at her, which was embarrassingly often. He really just couldn't take his eyes off of her, much like every other man in the room, he thought angrily. So many other bloody lords and embassadors and knights had asked her to dance this evening that he hadn't even had the chance to speak to her all night, all though he hadn't let her out of his sight for one moment to make sure all the lords treated her right and kept their hands to themselves. Susan looked calm and like she was enjoying herself on the outside but he could tell something was bothering her very much while she danced with some Calormen ambassador. She had this apprehensive, nervous, almost wild look in her eye and her clear blue eyes kept darting discreetly down to the respectful hand on her waist although she kept a diplomatic face.
He immediatly bristled and slammed his wine down on the table. He wasn't liking this at all. He looked a bit closer. The young man seemed to be very kind, polite and didn't seem to be being rude at all. In fact, he had spoken to the man not an hour about how appalled he was at the treatment of women in Calormene for the last 1200 years and how determined he was to fix the twisted system from the inside out now that he was embassador. He quite liked this man but clearly something was making Susan very umcomfortable.
"Having fun mate?" his best friend asked jovially as he plopped down in the chair next to him and propped his feet up on the edge of table. Caspian merely gave Edmund a dirty look. "Ah, you're peeved cause that Calormene embassador or whoever he is is stealing my sister away from you eh? Don't worry Cas, soon enough you'll have my sister all to yourself again," the dark haired king teased. Caspian glared at him once more. "She's not a trophy," he growled, drinking deeply from his cup. "I couldn't agree more," he replied sullenly and for the first time Caspian saw the many years Edmund had lived longer than himself but in a blink it was gone.
Edmund elbowed Caspian in the ribs, "Go cut in"
"I can't! That would be extremely... rude and... impolite and...rude"
"So? This is you castle, your country, your love; he can wait. " Caspian stood up and set his wine down again. ''You know what, you're right. I'll be right back." he said with a grin as he strode across the dancefloor and politely tapped the embassador on the shoulder and smoothly cut in. Susan's anxiety and nervousness instantly melted away and was replaced by warmth and joy. "I thought you would never come," she said with a huge smile and a suggestion of a laugh. "I'm sorrylove but I was waiting til I was out of reach of your brother's fist" he countered cheekily as he wrapped a his arm tenderly around her waist and pulled her close so she was pressed against his chest. She threw her head back and laughed her beautiful melodious laugh. He decided he quite liked that sound and wanted to hear it much more often.
"Ugh, it's this whole over-protective alpha-male thing. I'm surprised he hasn't been following me around. I swear somedays he just won't let me out of his sight. It's maddening."
Caspian laughed heartily as he twirled Susan across the dancefloor and pulled her back into him smoothly. She sighed happily and rested her head on his shoulder as the song slowed down, sending a shudder through his body. "You are so beautiful Susan," he whispered into her hair. She stopped dancing and twisted up to look up at Caspian's smiling face. She softly traced his jaw and ghosted her fingers through his hair. "I missed you so,so much,'' he whisperd again as he pulled her even closer and kissed her softly. Her fingers twined through his hair while the other wrapped around his neck. He pressed his palm to the small of her back and gently tipped her head up to deepen the kiss, not caring whether Peter or Edmund was watching (they werent, thank Aslan) and held his one true love perhaphs too closeclose to him, her soft dress swishing against his legs and curling aroun his feet. He eventually pulled back and grabbed her hand leaving the other around her waist and started swaying from side to side across the dancefloor. The song had long ended and a faster song was starting up but they didn't care and just swayed back and forth across the dance floor, their hearts fluttering and their spines tingling. If this was how it felt to be in love, happily ever after may just be in reach.
Oh my gosh i am SO SO sorry for the long wait! this chapter is kinda short but hopefully its the last filler chapter before i can get this plot up and running.:) kinda lacking in the Suspian department. well school is out for me in 2 days so i will be able to spend most of my time writing to my heart's content! i can't wait! plz review and let me know what you think