A/N: First off, I just want to say WOW! I'm completely amazed. you guys are truly awesome! this is the most reviews I ever received for one chapter, and I can't thank you all enough for putting in the time to read and send in your reviews. I apologize for the wait. I am currently taking summer school, so it will take awhile for me to update. But I'm doing the best I can and with the reviews it's definitely motivating me to stay up and work on getting the chapters in as soon as possible. With that said, this chapter was a tough one to write, and...I guess, well... you'll have to see and find out ;) R&R. Enjoy!
Chapter 10
"Susan?" Lucy softly whispers as she rolls on her side adjusting her eyes to the dark with the full moon shining through the pane windows as their only source of light. The weeping suddenly stops as she could hear uncontrollable sniffles on the other end of the room. "Are you alright?" She asks worriedly while hearing Susan adjusting her position under the sheets.
"I'm fine." She mumbles trying so hard to keep her voice normal as she takes a deep, shaky breath.
Lucy sighs. "You're crying, Susan."
"No, I'm not." She retorts stubbornly as Lucy reaches over and suddenly switches the lamp on causing the both of them to immediately shut their eyes and adjust to the light.
"Lucy," Susan groans despondently while covering her face with a pillow. Lucy sits up on the edge of the bed while snatching the pillow from over her. Her lips slightly parted as she looks at Susan worriedly—her sad eyes swollen from relentless tears that continue to fall down her pale face.
"Oh Susan…" Lucy frowns sadly as she walks over to her bedside and sits down next to her. Susan reluctantly sits up on her bed as she quickly wipes away the tears with a free hand.
"I'm sorry, Lucy. I didn't mean to wake you."
"I know." She weakly smiles as she places a hand on top of hers for comfort. "Everything will be alright, Susan."
She scoffs. "I don't know about that, Lu." She spoke as a light sob escapes from her lips. Lucy looks up at her questionably and sighs. "Peter and Edmund are still getting into fights; Dad still isn't coming home and Caspian—" Susan cuts off in mid-sentenced as his name causes her to slightly shiver. She looks down solemnly. "Everything is a mess."
Lucy purses her lips as long silence fell upon them. "We'll get through this."
"And what if we don't, Lu?" She asks weakly while turning to face her. "What if we fail? What if he never remembers?"
Lucy stares at her intently as her eyes harden with determination. "Then we'll keep trying."
The sound of a bell awakened Peter from his deep thoughts as he looks up and watches the boys gather in a uniform fashion towards the exit of the lecture hall. Sighing, he turns back to the empty seat in front of him and idly begins placing his books in a messenger bag.
Once outside, more boys started to appear from their classrooms as the hallways start to fill up with indistinct chattering and noise. Peter quickly scans the hallway, looking at familiar faces and others he don't seem to recognize, when he suddenly spotted Edmund coming down the stairs—allowing him to make his way towards him through the busy crowd.
"Ed!" Peter yells over the loud noise while waving a free hand in mid-air. "Edmund!" He calls once again causing his younger sibling to finally look up, disoriented.
"Peter."
The two met half-way in the hall and soon after headed towards one of the exits in the building. "Should we go look for Tristan?" Edmund suddenly asks once outside, eager to continue their plan in hopes to help their dear friend remember.
"He wasn't in class today." Peter answers as Edmund looks up at him in bewilderment.
"You think he got sick from Susan's cooking?" He thought while rubbing his stomach, frowning. "I know I did."
"You got to be joking." Peter slightly chuckles in response as they begin walking across the newly fresh cut grass. "I thought it was delicious. You need to start eating your vegetables, Ed." He says causing Edmund to make a face from behind.
As they stepped onto the pavement, Peter and Edmund both took a seat at a nearby bench and begin taking out their lunches. Edmund sighs. "I do hope Susan's peanut butter and jelly sandwich is edible."
"Ed," Peter groans irritably and with some hint of amusement. "Perhaps you should start making your own lunch then." He pauses to read his face while an amused smirk crept over his facial features. "I wonder what Susan would do to you when I tell her."
Edmund's face immediately fell, leaving a sense of fear behind his eyes. "I…was just joking." He weakly utters knowing Susan would cause some damage to him if she ever found out.
Peter's laughter slowly subsided as his eyes suddenly fell to the shadow of a figure on the ground. He furrows his eyebrows when suddenly his thoughts were cut-off.
"High King Peter?" Came that familiar voice as Peter and Edmund's eyes suddenly sprung open. The two exchange surprised looks as they slowly turn around to face him. Tristan.
"Wh-what did you call me?" Peter mumbles softly while meeting his intense gaze. There was something different about the way he stood before them. He carried himself in such a different matter than what they are used to. He smiled, but it wasn't just any smile. It was a smile anyone gives to a good old friend; a smile of respect and admiration.
"You are High King Peter are you not?" He spoke with such grace and humility causing Peter and Edmund to exchange looks in disbelief. "I've been looking for you."
Edmund turns curiously from Peter to their male companion. "And who am I?" He challenges as it simply brought a smile on his face.
"You're King Edmund of course."
Edmund's eyes grew larger in response, suddenly at a lost for words. He gulps down nervously, shaking his head to make sure he's not only seeing and hearing things. "Prince…Caspian?"
There is a brief pause as the Pevensie brothers rise to their feet and stood before him in anticipation.
"Well, it's King Caspian now." He corrects him with a slight, playful grin when just moments later he lowers his head down solemnly and in deep thought. Peter and Edmund were so thrilled and completely amazed they didn't seem to notice. "It's a pleasure to see you both." He says while studying them carefully. "You two haven't really changed much."
Peter slightly chuckles. "Well, it's only been about three months here."
He smirks.
"So you finally remember?" Edmund spoke with enthusiasm as Caspian simply nods his head. "How? When did this happen?" He asks simultaneously as questions begin running through his head.
"Just last night," Caspian responds vaguely as an uplifted smile appear on Edmunds lips.
"This is the best news!" He exclaims while staring from Peter to Caspian. "Just wait till we tell the girls. And Susan--" Edmund trails off, unable to contain his excitement. Peter, on the other hand, peers at Caspian from the corner of his eye, immediately noticing the solemn, regretful look in his eyes at the mentioned of her name.
"Is there something wrong?" Peter asks curiously with hint of genuine concern in his voice.
Caspian simply turns to him with a serious face. "Someone tried to kill me and succeeded, Peter." He retorts causing Peter and Edmund to stare at him in surprise due to his sudden abrupt behavior. He shamefully looks down, heaving a deep sigh as they simply nod their heads understandingly. "Look, my people think I'm dead. I must find my way back to Narnia." His eyes soften as he stares between Peter and Edmund anxiously. "Will you help me?"
Peter and Edmund exchange looks before nodding their heads in agreement, "of course we'll help."
Caspian smiles gratefully in response. "Thank you. But first…" he trails off as his eyes suddenly fell to the ground. "There is…something you two should know."
Susan and Lucy arrive at the house after picking up groceries along the way from school. As they enter the house through the back door connected to the kitchen, Susan begins compiling the fruits, vegetables, bread and canned beans on the table.
"When did Peter say they'll come back?" Lucy asks while picking up the note their older brother left behind that morning before heading for school.
Susan simply shrugs her shoulders. "I'm sure they'll be home soon."
Lucy purses her lips while watching Susan at work, "Anything that I can do?"
She stops unloading groceries to face her young sister. "You can take out the dry laundry from outside. When you're done you can help me with dinner."
"Alright," Lucy smiles excitedly at the thought of cooking alongside with Susan as she hurriedly rushes out the backdoor.
After gathering clothes that were hanging dry outside, Lucy heads back inside the house and begins folding, just as her mother used to show her, in the livingroom. A few moments have passed as she heads upstairs and begin filling up the boys' drawers with clean and neatly folded laundry and towels in the bathrooms. Lucy finally finishes up after putting clothes in the drawers in the room she shares with Susan as she begins ascending the stair steps. Just as she is about to turn at a corner towards the kitchen, she stops dead in her tracks as the front door of the house begins to creak open.
"Hello?" Came that familiar voice that immediately brought a smile to her face. He lightly knocks while opening the door, "Anyone home?"
"Yes," she responds as Peter sticks his head in and opens the door wide. Lucy watches on as her brothers slowly walk in, weakly smiling at her way. She too smiles at Peter and then at Edmund when her eyes suddenly looks past them to the figure entering from behind. A welcoming smile reappears at the sight of him. "Well hello, Tristan. Glad to see y--"
"Queen Lucy." He greets her pleasantly and with awe.
Her mouth fell open in surprise as a sudden gasp escapes from her lips. She gulps down nervously, almost afraid to say his name. "Caspian?" She utters meekly causing him to grin in response. Lucy smiles, "Oh, Caspian!" She squeals as she runs over to him with open arms. He kneels down in eye-level with her and accepts her warm embrace. "I knew it! It's really you!"
As they slowly pull apart, Lucy stares deep into his eyes—smiling ecstatically. He chuckles. "It's really nice to see you again, your majesty."
She slightly blushes under his warm gaze. "I miss being called that."
Lucy suddenly looks up at her brothers standing nearby as their eyes remain fixated on the floor. She furrows her eyebrows, wondering what's going through their heads when momentarily her thoughts were cut off by a familiar voice coming from the kitchen.
"Lucy," Susan suddenly walks inside from the other room causing the others to look at her direction, "what's going on in th--"
She stops in front of the kitchen door as her eyes fell upon their male companion. He lets go of Lucy and slowly rises up to his feet. Their eyes meet in a long glance as the sight of her took almost his breath away.
"Tristan," she spoke softly in surprise, "I did not expect you--"
"Susan!" Lucy yelps excitedly as she walks over to her. "You wouldn't believe who it is."
Susan furrows her eyebrows at her sister before turning back to him. He continues staring at her in mere disbelief, completely awe-struck by her beauty and elegance. "Susan…" he mutters breathlessly as he slightly bows his head in respect, "we meet again…your majesty."
Her lips parted at the last bit of words as her eyes widen in shock. "Caspian?" She says in a faint whisper as his name caught the back of her throat. He weakly smiles and nods.
"Yes," he spoke carefully, "it's me." He slowly looks over at Peter and Edmund as they lower their heads sadly. He then reluctantly turns back to Susan whose astounded eyes continue to linger on him.
"It is you." She says breathlessly as she slowly approaches him, studying every inch of his facial features. There is a moment of awkward silence as she stood a few inches before him, staring deeply into his dark eyes. "I dreamed about this moment everyday." She smiles causing him to avert from her intense gaze. Lucy looks up at Peter and Edmund quizzically, noticing something odd about Caspian that her brothers already seem to know about. But before she could ask, she turns back to Caspian and Susan who continue staring fixedly at each other. Just then, Susan surprises Caspian as she lifts her hand up, slowly reaching for him as he immediately steps back.
"I'm aware that you all know what happened to me in Narnia." He finally spoke, addressing everyone in the room leaving Susan in a state of bewilderment. Caspian then meets her eyes again and notice the pain of rejection in them, but that didn't seem to falter him as he continues on. "I must find my way back to Narnia."
Her lips slightly parted. "Narnia?" She spoke weakly while slowly moving closer to him. "But I just found you."
"Susan, please." Caspian cuts her off as he shuts his eyes. "My Queen, don't make this harder for me than it already is."
She blinks her eyes a few times, taken aback by his response. "You have no idea how hard it has been for me." She scoffs as Caspian listens intently. "Ever since the day I left Narnia these past two months have been nothing, but pure torture and all I could think about was you!" She exclaims as the room suddenly fell silent. The others watch on worriedly as the intensity of the room begins to rise. "Then when I found out you were dead," she trails off as the dreadful words caught her throat and brought some painful memories, "everything just stopped." His eyes soften as tears begin to stream down her cheeks. "Now here you are," she weakly smiles up at him, "standing before me, alive and well and I couldn't be anymore happier."
He lowers his head and sighs. "Susan…"
"And after all that we've been through, all this time of being apart you want to go back?" Susan retorts, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Narnia is my home. My people think I'm dead." He spoke sternly while searching her piercing blue eyes carefully. "They need me, Susan."
"And how would I know you'll be safe?" She snaps as frustration becomes evident in her tone of voice. "What if they are still out there for your blood, Caspian? Then what?"
"I can't leave my people behind." He argues back. "You know that as much as I do."
Peter, Edmund and Lucy exchange worried looks as Susan proceeds.
"Does it ever occur to you that things happen for a reason, Caspian?" She questions, her eyes filled with so much emotion it seemed impossible to deny them. "Aslan granted you a second life here with all of us. Of all places he sent you here. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"
He looks down, pondering on her words. "Do you expect me to abandon the Narnians and my people, Queen Susan?"
"No," she scoffs taken aback by his response, "of course not!" She pauses, searching his eyes carefully. "I missed you, Caspian." He shot her a look of surprise as he slightly parts his lips in response. "Do you ever think of me at all?"
He pauses for a brief moment before nodding his head. "Well yes, of course."
She smiles. "I never thought we'd see each other again." Caspian suddenly looks down, shaken up by her genuine words. He shuts his eyes in defeat, trying all he can to contain his emotions. After giving some time to recollect his thoughts, the room fell silent once again with just the ticking sounds coming from the grandfather clock that stood near the fireplace and simply aggravating everyone else in the room. He then opens his eyes to meet with her passionate blue ones as she suddenly parts her lips to speak and breaks the silence. "Caspian--"
"There is someone else, Susan." He finally spoke as Peter and Edmund immediately shut their eyes unable to stand the shock and heartbreaking look on Susan's face as Lucy's mouth fell open in surprise. Meanwhile Susan stood frozen, unable to breathe as she could feel his words piercing through her wounded heart. Caspian slowly meets her painful gaze—one that will surely haunt him forever. "I love her." He says without hesitating. "And I'm marrying her when I return to Narnia."
A/N: Please don't forget to review. Thanks! ;)