Disclaimer: I AM RULER OF THE UNDERGROUND. MUAHAHAHA. Yeah…that's because I basically just own them. Sooo…this is awkward. On to the story!
The cool darkness of night was beginning to creep slowly into the city of New Telmar, inching its way to the castle. It had been seven hours since the departure of councilman de la Moreno in pursuit of the High Queen.
The news of the Underground, and the deal that they had proposed to Caspian, had snaked its way to the general public, and now energy and adrenaline pulsated freely through the kingdom, every soul awaiting the councilman's return.
None was more anxious than the king, who had taken to his study once he returned, and hadn't come out since. He sat inside the spacious room, racking his brain over floor plans, methods of entering the compound, and other such things. He couldn't let this go wrong.
He had been sitting there for hours, and was beginning to go stir crazy. By now, he had certainly burned the image of the floor plan into his brain, and then some. Deciding that he couldn't sit in that room anymore, he got up from his desk, and walked out.
The air was sweet and warm, the twilight settling nicely in the atmosphere. The moon had already been pulled into the sky, pale in the presence of the oncoming night. Slowly but surely, the creatures of the night began to emerge, and take their place in their kingdom of darkness. All this, the king observed from a suspended open hallway, high above the rest of the palace.
Leaning against the stone railing of the hallway, Caspian took a moment to calm himself, and try to refocus. He had looked out from this angle many times before, but for some reason, tonight was different. His kingdom looked beautiful as always, but tonight it was veiled by both fear and evil, something the land hadn't been accustomed to since the reign of Miraz.
Heaving a small sigh, the king finished gazing, and began his short walk to the west tower's armory. He felt so on edge now. Even the slightest movement out of the corner of his eye would cause him to look over and see what it was. Paranoia was beginning to set in, and all the king wanted to do was be on his way to rescue his queen.
He eventually reached the end of the hallway, which was a dead end. He paused only for a moment, but then began to push on the rock wall. It gave way to reveal that it was actually a door, two parts of the enormous stone slab swinging open to reveal the king's armory. Few knew of this place-only the king and his most trusted.
Sitting inside were four young men, who all stood as Caspian entered the room. He stopped them with a wave of his hand.
"Not now, gentlemen."
He then proceeded to collapse in a huge, throne-like chair in the center of the room. The four then began to take their places in a semicircle in front of him, each putting on his armor, and checking his weapons.
These were Caspian's most trusted soldiers, as well as his best friends. The one sitting to the direct right of him was Javier, the oldest out of the four. With short, curly black hair, and matching eyes, Javier was the only one out of them that was married, with his first child on the way. Next, the scruffy faced, auburn haired Roberto, only a few months older than Caspian. Sitting beside him was Antonio, the prankster of the group, and also the same age as the king. He was the ever flirtatious bachelor, with his deep green eyes. Lastly, directly to Caspian's left, sat the youngest of them all, Dominic. He was younger than the king by almost two years, and was closest to him than all the others. His long dark hair was pulled back into a sloppy ponytail, half of it still covering his face.
The five of them sat in silence for a little while, each of them not quite sure what to do. Finally, Roberto got up and walk past Caspian to the wall behind him. There, mounted on the wall was the king's armor and sword. Gently, he took them off, and carefully brought them over to his king.
"Do not fear, compadre," he consoled in his native Spanish, "we will find her. You'll see. No te preocupes." A charming smile graced his features, followed by a low chuckle, causing Caspian to crack a smile for the first time that evening.
"Si, mi amigo," Antonio agreed, muffled by the chainmail that he was trying to get over his head, "She's going to be fine."
"I have no doubt that the queen is more than capable of handling herself. She knows what she's doing. And sometimes, Caspian, that's the most important thing," Javier said, laying a comforting hand on the king's shoulder. "You best start putting all that armor on."
Looking around at his friends, Caspian felt calm for the first time all day. He smiled at all of them, and then took his armor from Roberto.
"Looks like the king will be able to fight after all," Dominic chuckled, piping up for the first time that evening.
"And better than you, too," Caspian came back with a smile.
"But we all know that I'm the best fighter here," Antonio announced, standing in the middle of their small circle. He was beginning to pose triumphantly, but then Roberto swung his arm back, and punched him right in the stomach. The weaponry erupted with laughter, four men watching the fifth writhe on the floor in pain.
Once everyone had calmed down, they all sat back down in their chairs, putting the last of their armor on. Suddenly, there was a distant bell toll that Caspian immediately recognized as the north tower's. De la Moreno was back.
Every single person in the armory jumped up from where he was standing, and looked at all the others with the same wild look in his eye. Then, in a blink, everyone who wasn't ready was rushing at incredible speeds to be ready. They were all about ready to head out the door, until a rather frazzled Caspian spoke.
"Gentlemen, tonight marks one of the most important nights in our lives. We cannot let the Underground hold the queen for much longer. I fear for her survival, and quite frankly," he paused, unsure of what to say next, "I would really rather...not." He looked at his men, and knew that he really needed to tell them what he felt. "Boys...Queen Susan means so much to me. I don't know what I would do with the knowledge that she's hurt-or being hurt for that matter. Please," He paused again, trying to swallow the unexpected lump in his throat, "please..."
He knew that he wasn't going to be able to get anymore out, so he just looked at his men, who all smiled reassuringly at him.
"We've got this, Caspian," Javier said with a wide grin, and then walked out, with Caspian in the back of the line. Just as Caspian was about to exit the room, however, he noticed that Dominic wasn't with them. He looked back inside, to see him standing over a gold chest that was underneath where the king's armor used to hang. He walked slowly over to him, wondering what he was doing.
"Dominic? What are you..." his question trailed off into the air, as he looked at what his best friend had been looking at. Resting in his hands was an ornately carved wooden box, speckled with precious stones of various sizes. Slowly, Dominic opened it, already knowing what he would find.
There, lying in plush velvet, was the famous ivory horn of Queen Susan the Gentle. Dominic gently brushed his hand over it, before taking it out of the box completely, and holding it out to the king.
Caspian stood there, the feeling of having her horn so close to him bringing back exhilarating memories of things past. Finally, he gently grabbed ahold of the ancient artifact, and attached it to his belt.
"I thought it might help you tonight," the young man stated to his king, who smiled at him gratefully.
"Thank you, Dominic." He stated, placing a hand on the soldier's shoulder. They shared a smile, and then carefully put the box back in the chest, closing it. With one last look, they both knew what was about to happen, and dashed out of the room.
He was angry. He was very angry.
How dare the king refuse his offer? Did he not care about the queen anymore? No...no, that couldn't be it. He had seen them together down on the battlefield. He saw his reluctance to lose her again. Then why had he let her go?
Torin, along with all the other Underground members, had arrived back at the compound, the queen still in their custody.
He had no idea how this had slipped through his fingers. He was so sure that Caspian would have taken Susan with him that he hadn't planned for anything else.
Scara, his new fiancée, sat beside him, on her horse, thinking the exact same question in her head. She had seen the way that Susan had clung to the king, and she knew that she wouldn't have left so willingly.
Torin looked over at his future bride, noticing the look of frustration etched into her features. He knew that the both of them were turning over the same thought in their heads.
"Go for a ride with me," He beckoned, causing the knight to leave her thoughts. She nodded to him, to which he alerted the guard behind him that they were going ahead. The two of them then took off, leaving their party to usher the queen inside.
Once they were at a far enough distance away, the Thief Lord let out a loud grunt of frustration. His beautiful companion reached over to him form her horse, and laid a hand on his armored shoulder.
"How could this have happened?" He questioned in a raised voice, "Everything was going according to the plan."
"I know it was. It would be like Caspian to refuse our offer, though."
"I don't think he understands what he's just given up, Scara. I don't think he knows. He believes that we're going to take her back...and what? Send her home? Let her go back to him? What does he expect?"
"I don't know, Torin. I wish that I had an answer for you." She replied, trying to comfort her master.
"Well whatever he wants us to do with the girl, I shall not oblige. It is my goal to take over Narnia. And one of the only ways that I can do that is by attaining the king's throne. And since he won't give it to us through negotiation, I see no other way of getting it than by sending a message that he won't like very much. And neither will the rest of the world."
"And what is that?"
"Tomorrow morning, I am going to have Queen Susan tortured and executed. She will be killed here, but then I will have one of our men drop her body off in Telmar."
Scara stopped her horse abruptly, causing Torin to stop as well. She looked at him incredulously.
"You want to kill her?" Was the first thing that came out of her mouth.
"I see no problem with doing so," he replied cooly.
"And...you want to put her body in Telmar?" He nodded, "Don't you think that's a little unethical?"
"Why on earth would you think that?"
"It's just...the people don't need to see the bad things that the Underground is responsible for, I don't think. The general public wouldn't be prepared to see one of the most iconic persons in Narnia's history beaten and killed."
"All the bad things that we've done? Scara, the king now knows that we've kidnapped her, and we're currently holding her hostage. I'm more than sure that he has announced that to his people. And besides. It's not about maintaining our reputation. It's about sending a message to the people of Narnia. A message that clearly says that we are here to win the throne."
The five young men ran frantically through Caspian's palace, trying to get to the stables as fast as they possibly could. Finally, they were there, standing in front of an exhausted de la Moreno. Caspian was the first to greet him, with a brief handshake.
"So. Where was it?" the king questioned, unable to contain his curiosity.
"It's actually not as hidden as we thought that it was," Moreno answered, leaning up against his horse, "You all know where the Golden River is, yes?" All of them nodded, "It's really only twenty minutes north of the river basin. If you leave right away, you should get there early enough for most to still be asleep."
"Thank you, Moreno," Caspian said gratefully, giving him a quick embrace. To this, the councilman nodded, and then gestured them to the horses.
All five of them mounted their own horse, and then quickly rode out of the stable. They were actually doing this.
Susan, after being carried inside by one of the Underground's henchmen, was now being shoved back into her old cell. She fell on her knees, at which point, one of the men cut the bonds around her wrists. They then walked out, leaving her alone in the cold cell that she remembered so well.
As frightened as she was to be back in the custody of the Underground, as well as Torin and Scara, she couldn't bring herself to feel sad or scared. Caspian, as well as both of her brothers, were alive and mostly well. And she had actually seen the king wither her own two eyes. She had been cradled in his arms. This alone was enough to make her unafraid of what the two Underground leaders might do to her. But then, she now also had the knowledge that he was coming for her. This brightened her spirits to the point of unbreakable.
She looked around at the floor, and found the place where she had scratched the name of the king into the stone. Letting out a small laugh, she went over to where the small white stone lay, and began to go over her previous scratch marks.
The magnificent parade procession that had just made their way through the streets of New Telmar was finishing up, now back at the front of the palace. Caspian dismounted his horse, in the hopes of catching up with the famous siblings that had ridden behind him.
He had just given his horse to the stablemen, when he turned around and was met by the most interesting sight. Peter and Edmund were surrounded by most of the city's women, as well as the others that were interested in meeting the legendary kings of old. Lucy was just talking with everyone, herself drawing a crowd. And Susan...she was being swarmed by the young men of the kingdom.
Seeing the woman that he held very strong feelings for being hit on by multiple guys at once made something in the king twinge. Looking onward at his queen, he could see her throw her head back in laughter, her dazzling smile flashing to all of the young men around her. Was she enjoying this? He suddenly felt very angry and jealous of every one of his subjects that surrounded her.
Slyly, he entered the back of the group, wanting to see what was going on. He could see one cocky man in the front produce a single flower from his hand, and offer it to her. She smiled graciously, took the flower, and then tucked it behind her ear. He could hear all sorts of compliments fly around him, directed towards her. "You look beautiful today, Queen Susan!" "She always looks beautiful!" "You're such an inspiration to us, my queen!"
He was trying his hardest not to intervene, and ruin her moment, but when one of the men broke free of the others, came up to her, and put his hands around her waist, he knew that he had to. He began to frantically push his way through all of the other men, who became increasingly annoyed with him.
Finally, he reached the center of the circle, where Susan was trying to politely shove the man away. When the rest of the crowd saw him emerge, they all quieted, and backed up a bit. His sudden jealousy feeding his adrenaline, he tapped the man who held his queen on the shoulder. He turned around, ready to kick whoever had just killed his moment with the queen. His threatening look dissolved in an instant, seeing who had interrupted him.
"Excuse me, but I believe the queen was with me. I would appreciate it if you would get your hands off of her."
The gentleman did as he was told, releasing her from his grasp. She tried to conceal her relieved smile as she walked, gracefully and unfazed, to Caspian. The group dispersed, grumbling about how the king had spoiled their fun.
Caspian watched as they left, and then turned his back toward Susan, trying to drain his body of the frustration that he had just experienced.
"Hey," the queen said, walking over so that she could face him, "impeccable timing on that one. Thank you."
Caspian glanced up at her, her beautiful features telling her truthfulness in her statement. All he could do was smile slightly, and nod. She could tell that something was bothering him, just from that glance.
"Are you alright, Caspian?"
"No," he answered honestly, feeling like a vulnerable child under her gaze.
"Whatever is the matter?"
"It just bothers me, the way that they were treating you back there."
"And how were they treating me?"
"Like you were a prize or something. It was just a big game of 'you're so beautiful, you should notice me' and I don't like it. You're so much more than that, Susan."
"They were just having fun, Caspian. But thank you for your concern," she said quietly, moving her hand up to his cheek, "It really does mean a lot." She then proceeded to smile at him, to which he couldn't help but smile back.
Caspian and his men could hear the rush of the water flowing through the Golden River fade behind them, as they continued the quick journey. Now, however, they slowed down, so that they could deal with their strategy. Night had fallen, making their goal to stay unnoticed a little bit easier.
"Okay. So ideally, I would like this whole operation to go like this," Caspian announced, as they urged their horses forward slowly, "I want to be as quiet and under the radar as possible. I know that they'll have some guards out on patrol, and unfortunately, I think the only way that we're going to get in is by shooting them. I think that I'll be the only one that goes into the compound, and I want all four of you keeping guard of the entrance. I'll go in, get Susan, and then get out. Sound good?"
All of them nodded, knowing the importance of their work tonight.
They rode quietly and slowly, keeping their pace, until finally, they reached it.
It didn't look like much at first. It was a simple mound that rose up from the ground about fifteen feet or so, with grass covering the whole thing. There was a small opening near the base of the mound, which served as an opening. And, as the king had suspected, two armed guards stood watch near the entrance.
Caspian knew that he couldn't fail her now. Not while he was so close. He veered to the left, where there was some spotty tree coverage. His men followed him, Javier and Antonio drawing their crossbows, and loading them quietly.
Everyone got out of the way, as the two archers got off of their horses, and moved toward the front of the trees. They watched as they took aim at the soldiers, one soldier per one archer.
"On three," Javier whispered to Antonio, who nodded his head, "one...two...three!"
The sound of the crossbows firing mixed with the hiss of two arrows, each zooming toward its target. Finally, the group could see the two guards fall, both hit.
"Well done, boys," Caspian whispered excitedly, still sitting on his horse, "Okay. Here's the plan. I'm going to go in, and once I go through that door, I want you all to come in and cover the door. Alright? Here we go."
With one last smile toward his men, the king spurred his horse, and then breached the safety of the trees. He rode quickly and quietly down to the entrance, where he dismounted his horse, drew his sword, and then ran in without a second thought.
The inside of the compound was unlike anything that Caspian had ever pictured the Underground living in. It was much like the caves that composed Aslan's how. The walls and floors and ceiling were made out of solid rock, and he thought that he could hear the faint sound of waterfalls. He stood there a moment before he realized that he had no idea where he was going.
He shut his eyes for a moment, bringing up the floor plan that he had spent all day imprinting in his memory. Letting his feet wander while he thought, he now knew where he was going. He knew that the queen wouldn't be in the regular prison cells-she was too important of a prisoner. He was going to have to look in the cells that were closest to where the great hall was, along with the two leader's rooms.
Sword in hand, he dashed through the tunnels, every second that passed making him want to find her more. Finally, he reached a dead end hallway, with a single door at the end. He could see the flickering light of a torch from a small crack under the door. She had to be in there.
The only problem was, there was a guard standing in front of the door. Looking closely, the king noticed that there was a solitary key hanging from his neck, on a long golden chain. There was no way that he could get by him undetected, so it was now up to improvising.
He jumped out in front of the guard, and automatically started slashing at him. The guard had very little time to react before Caspian kicked his legs out from underneath him, causing him to fall to his knees. Without warning, the king took the hilt of his sword, and hit the top of the guard's head, rendering him unconscious.
He carefully lifted the chain off of the man's neck, palming the heavy key in his hand. Quietly, he slid the key into the lock, and turned it to the left. The massive door heaved a groan, and opened.
There, sleeping on a bench, was his lovely queen. Silently, he walked over to her, and knelt by where she slept. With a soft smile, he brought his hand up to her arm, and gently placed his hand on it. This caused her eyes to flutter open, and look at him somewhat groggily. It took her a moment to realize who it was, and the situation she was in, but when she did, jumped up from her bench, and gave her king a hug that almost knocked him over.
He smiled, kissing her head lightly.
"Come. We must go. They don't know that I'm here yet." Caspian said, trying to focus. He was finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate with the beautiful Susan by his side. She took his hand, and he led them out of her cell, and into the labyrinth of tunnels.
They were able to figure their way towards the entrance without very much trouble, and finally the door was in sight. Suddenly, though, an all too familiar voice rang out.
"Leaving us so soon, Queen Susan? And with the enemy, too? Shame."
The Thief Lord's voice could be heard from all directions, making it very hard for either the king or the queen to pinpoint exactly where it was coming from. Caspian pulled Susan behind him, and drew his sword.
"Torin," he called out to the emptiness, "Torin, where are you?"
"Do you really think that I wouldn't know that you were here? You come into my world, and try and take my own prisoners from me? Oh, Caspian. That's not how things work."
In the light of the torches on the walls, both Susan and Caspian could see a flash of silver, so fast that they almost didn't see it. They then saw the sparks that emerged from one of the stone walls as the silver streak hit it. It was a sword. Torin was armed.
"Susan," Caspian whispered, still shielding her, "I want you to run outside as fast as you can, when I say to, alright? There are soldiers out there. They're loyal to me. Wait with them, okay?"
"Okay, she whispered back, squeezing his hand gently, "please be careful."
"As always, my queen," he replied with a small smile, "Ready? Go!"
She ran, as fast as she could out the opening to the cave, but not before hearing a fearsome battle cry from Torin, and the clashing of steel.
"Torin," Caspian yelled, "why are you doing this? Why can't we just come to some sort of agreement...like decent men?"
"You know, Caspian," came the chillingly calm voice of the Thief Lord, "you think that we can be decent men, in an indecent world. There is no more room for flaws. I've come too far to simply talk it over with you."
With that, he lunged into the light, sword gleaming. Caspian looked at him, his blonde hair flowing behind him, blue eyes storming with fury. He slashed at Caspian more, the king able to block all of his attempts.
Suddenly, there were footsteps coming from the corridor in front of them. Both men turned and looked to see who was coming. Then, from the shadows, came the slender figure of a woman, with long, silver hair streaming down her face.
"Torin...darling, what's going on?" A still groggy Scara asked her fiancee. She was dressed in nothing but her simple silk nightgown, with no sort of weapon whatsoever.
Caspian took advantage of this distraction, and began to slowly back away. Torin saw this, however, and grabbed onto the back of the king's armor, which sent Caspian crashing into him.
Flustered, he pulled himself away from the Thief Lord, only to hear the horrified cry of Scara. He looked at Torin, who was now wide eyed, and slowly sinking to the floor. Looking down, Caspian could see his own sword, protruding from the other man's abdomen.
Oh my god. I kept my sword up when I ran into him. Oh my god. I might have just killed Torin.
Scara had flung herself onto the ground, next to her dying fiancee. She carefully removed the king's sword, and flung it on the ground at his feet. All she could do was try and comfort him, and he faded.
Caspian quickly grabbed his sword, and ran out, horrified.
Susan, Javier, Dominic, Roberto, and Antonio were all outside the compound, anxiously awaiting the sight of Caspian.
Finally, the king walked out, bloody and flustered. Susan immediately jumped off of his horse, and ran over to him. She put her arms around his torso, and looked up at him. He looked as if he was going to cry. She felt his knees give out from underneath him, and she struggled to hold him up.
It was then that Javier and Dominic both dismounted their horses, and helped get him off her, and then threw him over his horse.
"I wonder what happened," Susan questioned softly, as she mounted Caspian's horse with him.
"Alright, men," Javier announced happily, "Well done. Welcome to the group, Queen Susan-we're very glad that you're alright. We need to find a place where Caspian can rest for the next couple of hours, he's had quite a strenuous day. As soon as we get out of detectable range from the compound, we should set up camp. Agreed?"
The rest of the men, as well as the queen, nodded, and then began their journey back to New Telmar.
After an hour of riding, the group came across a nice grassy area in the Northern Woods. A small creek flowed to the side of the grass, making it an excellent spot for fresh water.
"My lady," Dominic came up to Susan, as the other men were getting Caspian off of the horse, "If you could keep an eye on the king, we'll be able to set up a fire, and get some food. If that's alright."
"Of course it is. But...no tents?"
"It's only about three hours till dawn, your highness." He stated with a grin.
"Ah. Thank you," she laughed, "Of course I'll watch him."
As the rest of the men bustled about, getting firewood, water, and food, Caspian was sitting against a tree, just now regaining consciousness. He tried leaning forward, but was met by a blitzing headache. Grunting in pain, he leaned back and closed his eyes.
"Oh, darling, be careful," a gentle voice said from beside him. He could feel hands gently massaging his temples, cool and smooth. Opening his eyes, he found himself staring into the face of an angel. Susan sat in front of him, her hands roaming his face, a worried expression on her features.
"Susan..."
"Shhh. You've been through a lot the past couple of hours."
It was then, that everything that had happened prior to him passing out came back to him. Rescuing Susan, running through the caves, fighting Torin...killing Torin.
"Oh my god," he breathed, his eyes beginning to mist over.
"Caspian?" Susan asked worriedly, "Caspian, what's wrong?" She scooted herself closer to him.
"I killed him. I...I killed him."
"Killed who?"
"Torin," he admitted, his voice breaking, "I killed Torin. That was the first person who I've ever killed that I've actually watched...watched die."
A single tear fell from his eye, and he didn't even bother to wipe it away.
"Oh, Caspian," Susan breathed blinking away her own tears, "I'm sorry. I..."
All she could do was move even closer to him, and wrap her arms around him in a hug. He buried his head into her shoulder, shaking with silent tears. She ran her fingers through his hair lovingly, and rubbed his back.
He clung to her, one hand around her waist, and the other rubbing her arm. Even though the events that he had just been through terrified him, he hadn't felt so comforted since his mother had died. Everything seemed so...right...when he was with Susan. As he sat there with her, he felt her calmness wash over him, like a cool breeze.
She finally pulled away from him, her smile melting his anxiety. Cupping both sides of his face, she used her thumbs to brush away the last couple of tears. With a small laugh, she stood up, observing the last of the blankets being laid down for them to catch a bit of sleep on.
"Come on, darling," Susan said, pulling the king to his feet, "You need to get some rest." He smiled at her, took her hand, and then walked over to where the other men were finishing setting up their beds.
"Well, look who decided to join us," Antonio laughed, while getting into bed, "Welcome back, Caspian."
The other men smiled and nodded, all already under the covers of their "beds", which were nothing more than a pile of blankets on the ground. They were laid out in a circle, a blazing fire in the middle. Caspian and Susan found a set of beds next to each other, and both laid down.
It had been a long day.
Her hands were covered in the blood of her fiancee. Strands of her hair clung to her wet face, stained with tears. She hadn't moved in more than an hour, cradling her love in her arms. His eyes were closed, the world no longer fit to see the dark blue in them.
Scara couldn't move. She couldn't cry anymore. She sat there, frozen, waiting for someone to come and find her. Torin had died about an hour ago, in a great amount of pain.
This is the second time that this has happened to me, she thought, Fiancée. Dead. Killed by a Caspian.
She let out a scream of pure anger and hatred, the sound reverberating off the stone walls. She could then hear the footsteps of other people rushing through the hallways, to see what was going on.
Eventually, her two henchmen, Hagar and Jyre, arrived, carrying their weapons. They looked at her, and then looked at Torin.
"Oh my god," was all that either of them managed to say.
"What happened here?" Jyre asked, staring at his master's dead body.
"Susan and Caspian," the knight answered, not looking at either of them, "He came to get her. They were on their way out when Torin stopped them. He and Caspian fought...and Caspian won. They're long gone by now."
By then, more and more people were beginning to show up to the scene, each one gasping as they witnessed the sight. It was then that Scara finally looked up at everyone.
"Take him...and clean him up. Dress him in the finest clothes that he owns," she commanded, looking at a group of soldiers. They did as they were told, and gently lifted him from her arms. She then turned to the rest of the group.
"From this moment forward, I will be exhibiting twelve days of mourning. In those twelve days, there will be no fighting, unless provoked to do so. Understood?"
The people standing in the small entry way stood there, flabbergasted, but agreed silently. One of her generals, however, objected.
"Scara, you are now the leader of the Underground. It is our goal to take over the throne, and we can't very well do that while we're sitting here doing nothing. It's just not logical to stop everything now."
Scara turned to him, fire in her eyes. She took hold of the general's nightshirt collar, and slammed him into the wall behind him.
"I don't give a damn about logic right now, General Ramirez," she said quietly, each word dipped in poison, "And you wouldn't either, had you known what I've just lost."
She released him, holding back a fresh wave of tears, and then ran back into the darkness of the tunnels.
He woke to the delicious smell of something cooking. Cracking his eyes open, he could see that Javier and Roberto were awake, Roberto stoking the fire, and Javier tossing herbs into what appeared to be a cauldron hanging over it.
Rolling over to his right, Caspian could see Dominic and Antonio, still fast asleep. He rolled back over to his left, and smiled. There was Susan, still asleep, curled up in all her blankets.
He was so happy that she was alright. A few cuts and bruises, but other than that, she was here, and okay. He couldn't imagine what she had to go through to get to this point, though. The tactics that the Underground used on its prisoners were feared throughout Narnia. He shuddered at the thought.
"What are you thinking about?" Questioned a sweet voice next to him.
He turned around to see Susan, her million dollar smile making her face glow beautifully. Had he been standing, Caspian knew that he would be weak in the knees.
"Just about how glad I am you're okay," he admitted unashamedly, reaching over to take hold of her hand. She laughed softly.
"I'm glad, too," she sighed, rubbing her thumb over his knuckles, "What smells delicious, by the way?"
"I think the boys have prepared breakfast for all of us," he replied, standing, "Let's have a look, shall we?"
She stood at the head of a makeshift alter, in the throne room, dressed in a beautiful black ball gown. A sheer veil covered her face, masking her features in a soft black tint. She stood there, with her followers around her, and watched as a group of soldiers brought their slain leader out on an ornate stretcher.
He was wearing a flowing green shirt, with an elaborately decorated white coat. His wounds had been cleaned, and his hair washed. They placed him onto the altar, in front of his now widowed fiancée.
Stepping down from the front of the altar, Scara came down beside her former lover. Suppressing the last of her tears, she took a gloved hand, and gently placed it on the side of his face. She then took a single, long stemmed, red rose from behind her back, and placed it in his grasp. Taking a step back, she let the rest of her followers pay their last respects.
Eventually, the crowd whittled down to just her and her, and the other leaders in the Underground. Sitting down in Torin's throne, the knight ripped the veil off of her face, revealing a very sickly looking woman underneath.
Her face was streaked with tears, and it looked hollow. The light was gone from her eyes, as she sat there, looking at her leaders. They sat in silence for a few moments, until one of them spoke up.
"My lady," the middle aged man started, "don't you think, that as Torin's right hand, it would be proper for you to take the lead of the Underground at this time?"
Turning her head slowly towards the man who spoke, the knight shot him a look that would frighten death.
"No. I will not take the throne of the Underground until my twelve days have expired. If I am going to mourn, I must not have the job that he had when he died. It still feels like stealing it from him. So, no."
"So…we will be doing nothing then, my lady?" The same man pressed again, "Because that's what you seem to suggest."
"That's exactly what I'm suggesting. I don't want any battle preparations, any weaponry made…I just want everyone to note what they've lost." She replied, gritting her teeth.
"You mean…what you lost," said the man quietly. Scara heard him, though, and flew up from her seat.
"How dare you?" she seethed, on the verge of exploding with anger, "You mean to tell me that Torin never did anything for you? Anything? Come on, Anthony. You know you can't say that," he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "You can't say that because he was the one that hired you here. He was the one that allowed you to keep food on the table for your family. He was the one who helped you when you needed it!"
She was yelling now, unable to help it. Anthony was shrinking, farther and farther, into his seat, wishing that he hadn't said anything.
"GET OUT!" She screamed, wanting nothing more than to be left alone. All the men that were in the room were suddenly running toward the door, trying frantically to get out. Finally, the last one ran out the door, shutting the heavy brass doors behind him.
She was alone, for the first time in the past couple of hours. She welcomed the silence, like an old friend. Walking back over to where Torin lay, she smoothed out his clothes, and ran her fingers through his hair.
It was then that the torches that lit the room flickered such that the light caught her engagement ring, making it sparkle. She looked down at it, heartbroken.
"Why did you have to leave me?" she whispered to the man before her, wishing he would answer her.
She knelt down, at the altar, feeling an oncoming of tears in her eyes. Leaning over, she placed her head on Torin's chest, and began to cry.
Caspian was going to pay for this with everything that he was.
They had been traveling for six hours now, after having spent most of the day at their campsite, recuperating. It was close to dinner, so they decided to set up camp. They decided to spend the night on the grassy shores of Beaver Lake. There were a few old trees scattered around the area, and a huge lake in front of them.
"Alright you two," Roberto said to the king and queen, while unloading tents and blankets from his saddlebag, "You have to set up your own tents today."
"Or maybe the man could be chivalrous, and set up his woman's tent for her!" Antonio yelled from the inside of his tent, overcome by a fit of laughter.
"He does have a point, Caspian," Javier smirked, walking by with an armful of blankets.
"Would you like me to set your tent up for you, my lady?" Caspian asked, laughing, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.
"We can do it together, good sir," she came back with, before giving a light chuckle.
Together, they took two tents from their saddlebags, and walked over to where the rest of them were setting up. Caspian then ran back to get some blankets, and by the time he came back, Susan had her tent half way set up.
"Would you like some help?" He asked, still holding a stack of blankets in his arms.
"No thank you, I think I'm alright," she said with a smile, hard at work getting the last half of her tent up.
He smiled, and then walked over to where his own tent lay, ready to be put up.
Rolling over for what felt like the thousandth time that night, Susan sat up in bed, unable to sleep. She fluffed her pillow some more, and then laid her head back down, to no avail. She let out a frustrated groan, and sat back up.
She could see the dim light of the waning fire through the fabric of her tent, knowing that the boys were getting ready to go to bed. Deciding it best not to bother them, she remained in bed, not sure of what to do.
It was then that she could see the silhouette of a man walk past her tent, down toward the shore. Now curious, she gently swung her legs off of her bed, and stood up, walking toward the flaps of her tent.
Peeling the right flap up just enough for her to see, she noticed that the fire was little more than embers, but still, Caspian's men sat around it. She then turned her gaze to the beach, where a solitary figure was laying a blanket down on the grass. She watched, as the man sat down on the blanket, turning his head up to look at the stars. She knew that the man on the beach was Caspian. What is he doing?
Grabbing her light cardigan and putting it on over her nightgown, she quietly exited her tent, making her way down to the beach.
"Do you mind if I join you?" She asked quietly, bringing him out of his thoughts. He looked to see who wanted to join him, and grinned brightly.
"But of course, my queen," he said sweetly, scooting over on the blanket. She smiled at him, and sat down next to him. After a while, he laid down, one hand behind his head, the other outstretched on Susan's side of the blanket. She followed suit, lying down on Caspian's arm, which he didn't withdrawal.
They looked up at the skies, getting totally lost in the moment.
"Look!" She suddenly whispered excitedly, while pointing to the heavens. He smiled as he watched a star streak across the night, its tail blazing. "You never see shooting stars in London…there are always too many lights on!"
"You mean those funny looking torches?"
She laughed out loud. "Yes."
They both watched as more and more falling dots of light danced around in the sky, amazing both of them.
"You know," Susan began, a little quieter than before, "In London, there's a silly saying that if you wish on a shooting star, your wish will come true."
"Would you wish…if you saw one?" Caspian asked, casting his head down to lightly kiss the top of her head.
"Well. Seeing as its childish, illogical, and just an urban legend," she began, feeling him tense slightly, "of course I would." She ended with a small laugh.
"What would you wish for?" he asked, relieved that she hadn't thought him stupid for asking about wishes.
"Oh, you know. Passing grades…a good job…you."
The last part of her sentence came out so quietly that it was almost a whisper, but he heard it. It took all of his strength to maintain some boundaries with her, with his new commitment that he had to uphold with the other woman in his life. But her answer didn't just tug at his heartstrings-it sliced them clean in two. He wanted nothing more than to shrug off his marriage to Ethine like it was a bad dream, and then take Susan as his queen.
"Well, I'm here with you now," he said, grinning down at her, his thick Spanish accent melting her brain into a puddle of mush.
"Yes, you are, and I'm very grateful for that."
She knew full well that as they were talking with each other, their faces were getting closer and closer together, until his mouth was dangerously close to her own. The logical part of Susan was screaming at her that there were too many unknown variables at this point with Caspian, and that she needed to wait off on him until she was able to sort out everything. But the queen in her head told her to run with her heart, not from it. She had been, and to this day, was, in love with the king, why deny her feelings now?
Whereas in Caspian's head, the noble and honorable king in him was telling him that he was married to another woman, and even though his feelings for Susan were strong, they shouldn't overpower the feelings that he should have for his wife. But then, the prince that he was three years prior to today was overwhelming the king, and urged him to move along and love her.
A loud splash interrupted both of their thoughts, and they both looked around to see Caspian's men diving into the lake, and tackling each other once they were all in the water.
Both Susan and Caspian started laughing as they watched them, until he gently placed his hand on her chin, and turned her to face him again.
"Maybe this time, you won't have to leave me," he said, delicately running his thumb over her collar bone. She closed her eyes slowly, and gave into her warm touch.
"Maybe," she opened here eyes to see him smiling at her. She couldn't help but smile back at him; he was just too much for her. She leaned over to him, and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek, deciding that it was the farthest she would go without getting them into any trouble. He held her to him for a moment, before he let her go, and stood up.
"Caspian?" She questioned, sitting up confusedly. He looked down at her with a mischievous grin on his face.
"If you'll excuse me, my lady, I have some business to attend to."
"Business? What kind of…" She stopped dead, mid-sentence, as the dashing king that stood before her began to take off his flowing white blouse. Her mouth was dropped open as the rest of the shirt came off, showing off his beautifully tan, well sculpted torso, as well as his toned arms. He noticed her staring, and smiled to himself; she drove him up the wall. He looked back at her, gave her a small wink, and then took off running towards the lake.
She stood up from her place on the blanket, and laughed as Caspian dove into the water, and then began to wrestle around with his best friends. She shed her cardigan, and then ran over to the sandy beach, in front of the king and his friends.
"Boys!" She yelled, laughing, "Don't kill each other, please!"
She looked around at the boys splashing around in the water, and did a head count. There were only four. She scanned the surface of the lake, and noticed that the one missing was none other than the king.
"Caspian?" She yelled out his name above the laughs and the splashes of the men. They were all now turning to laugh at something behind her. Before she even had time to turn around, she felt a pair of strong, wet arms come around her waist from behind her. She was then lifted off of the ground, and tossed into the lake.
A/N: Holy goodness on toast. Wow, this chapter has taken a LOOOONG time to put up. I am so sorry, you guys. Haha. But I made a goal that I was going to get you all a Christmas present, so here it is! What did you think? Sorry for the plot being all jumpy-I was trying to juggle 3 character's stories at once. Crazy. :) Well. That's all I have to say for right now…I hope that you enjoyed the chapter, and I wish you all a very merry holiday season. Love you!
~Gabby 3