Author's Note: Hi, everyone! I'm actually writing this while waiting for my dental appointment to be called. I really-really-really DO NOT LIKE dentists. They're like the necessary 'evil' we have to put up with. I don't mean any offense to dentists or anyone who loves going to dentist. It's just I haven't had the best experience concerning this issue.

So, while trying to put my mind at ease and TRYING to lower my anxiety level to somewhat the normal range, I'll write this chapter out. It's almost there, the "finish" in sight.

Once again, thank you so much for reading!

Background music: OST of CoN: LWW Only the Beginning of the Adventure (the tune that plays out from when Edmund is revived with Lucy's fire-berry juice, their coronation, Lucy-Tumnus scene, and when all four of them are grown-up and riding through Western Wood after the White Stag.)

Enjoy!

Chapter 20

New Narnia spread out before me like a blanket. But it was bigger, much-much bigger from what I recalled. It was like staring at one's own self, not through a looking glass or a mirror. The image true, raw, and real, it breathed and exhaled with the vibrancy of LIFE.

"It's beautiful," I whispered as we raced through woods and fields. "These woods! They look exactly how I remembered them," I craned my neck to see all around, wonderstruck.

"New Narnia is the true Narnia," explained Orieus. "It is how each individual sees it, but better, for Aslan roams these lands freely. One moment you see the Narnia of King Gale, the next, you see the Narnia of King Frank and Queen Helen's days."

"So it's constantly changing?" I asked, seeing a spring in the wood I knew wasn't there when I was queen.

"New Narnia is like a river: it ebbs, flows, never stagnant. In the simplest of terms," he stopped and turned to look at me, "Each monarch who has ever ruled over Narnia is given the fortune of seeing the Narnia they had in their time."

"So, it's like a cycle? Each one is given their turn?" I tilted my head to the side, trying to understand. "So, all of the kings and queens of old have had their 'turn' already, so to speak?"

"Not all," Orieus shook his head, continuing on with an easy gallop. When I didn't ask anymore, he twisted his torso to look at me. "Can't you guess who else will sit on the thrones once they arrive?"

I looked up at him and smiled. "The Golden Prophecy," I sadly laughed. "Two sons of Adam, two daughters of Eve," I whispered. "How strange that sounded to our ears when we heard Mr. and Mrs. Beaver address us as such." My eyes widened. "The beavers, they're here, aren't they? And Mr. Tumnus?"

"Of course," nodded Orieus, letting out a round guffaw. "Thinking of Queen Lucy?"

"She'll be quite pleased," I agreed. Cair Paravel was already in sight, a shining white edifice against the roaring Easter Sea. "Orieus, stop." His hooves stayed. I slipped off his back and began walking toward the sea instead of the castle.

"Is something wrong, my queen?" he asked, keeping pace with me.

The words I wanted to speak were burning my throat. Already I could feel the prickling sensation of tears at my eyes.

"My queen?" repeated Orieus. I looked up at him.

"You said each monarch of Narnia," I began.

"Yes, I did," said Orieus. "Ah," he stood in front of me and bent his legs so his torso was level with me. "I know what you speak of. Of us," he touched my face tenderly with his hands. "And of King Caspian."

"It's so complicated…confusing. You are my husband, Orieus," I closed my own hands over his.

"My queen –"

"Please, Orieus, call me Susan, or must I deliver that speech about being too formal around me again?" I joked, recalling the time I had warned Orieus that if he called me "My Queen" when we spoke in private, I'd ban him from seeing me. It was meant in good humor.

"Susan," he began again, his expression both happy and sad, a strange mix on his chiseled face. "We both know that's not true."

"What are you talking about? We are married!" I cried. Orieus shook his head, the sadness spreading to his eyes.

He only took my face in his hands and held me so gently. He choked on his tears and closed his eyes.

"But –" I backed away, the familiar sting of an ache spreading across my chest. "The forest, at the Dancing Lawn!" I labored through the memory, "Wasn't that our wedding? With the dryads, the nymphs, the music, the dancing, everyone was there! We said our vows, our promises…" it was getting difficult to breathe. Why was he denying we were ever married?

"It was a celebration, yes, but not a wedding, not in the ways and customs of New Narnian Law," said Orieus.

"Customs, rites, they're all just actions! Marriage is the union of husband and wife, of man and woman," I took his hands, "Orieus, to me that was our wedding. I thought you thought so, too," I fought through my tears. I felt so weak. I slid to the ground.

"Aslan rules above us all, and he has laws to which we must all abide and bend to. Marriage, Susan, is one of them," his voice sounded almost as wound-jagged as mine.

"What of love? Does Aslan have laws over that as well?" my body shook with emotion and tears. After all these years of believing that Orieus and I were husband and wife, we were not. It was much worse than the feel of a whip to the face; it was a rip to my core, my heart.

"Love is something no one has dominion over, except Love itself," said Orieus, joining me on the floor. "And for that I believe it was why he chose Caspian to save you."

"I don't understand," I shook my head. "Wasn't our love strong enough?" even as those words came out, I knew my answer.

"You chose your world instead of Narnia, that one year you were in your world," said Orieus.

"I was just being practical, being realistic, not wanting to chase after a dream and realizing it was just an illusion, the harshness of reality a torture after having such a beautiful dream…" guilt and shame washed through me. "I'm so sorry, Orieus!"

"Be not, my queen," he wiped the tears away from my cheeks with his thumbs. "It was a test, and it proved to Aslan that someone else would be your savior, someone you loved beyond me."

"But I loved you too!" I sobbed, attempting to convince Orieus that I did. "Why did he choose Caspian instead of you?"

"We never question his will," smiled Orieus. "Besides, how would a centaur look wandering in your earth?" he chuckled.

"After all that's happened," I shook my head at him in wonder, "You're not angry at me."

"Aslan has a way of explaining the unexplainable," he bent and planted a kiss on my forehead. "Perhaps he should be the one to question about the 'changings of New Narnia,' as you so put it. No doubt he can put forth enlightenment."

"Orieus?"

"Yes, my queen?"

"What becomes of us? Does this mean…this is the end of our story?" I held on to his hand.

"Susan," he said my name with such emotion it made my heart move. "I do love you, our love has grown, and I'm glad for it. But now, you must be with your true husband."

"Were you not also my husband, Orieus?" I squeezed his hand, knowing that once our conversation ended, these kinds of moments would cease to exist. I held them as long as they lasted.

"Once upon a time, I was," he squeezed my hand in return.

"How do you define 'true husband'?"

"You risked all to find him," Orieus said. "And it was through him that you too were saved. You saved each other. That kind of love cannot be denied."

"I still care for you, Orieus, whether you are my husband or not, that kind of love cannot be denied either," I inched closer till I could wrap my arms around him.

"I don't doubt that, my queen," he softly laughed into my hair. "Now," he said as we pulled apart. "I believe Aslan and the Seven Friends have already arrived at Cair Paravel. No doubt Aslan is explaining to the High King, King, and Queen that it is their rule over New Narnia at this very moment."

"Wait," I said as Orieus got up. He helped me to my feet. "What of Caspian? How am I to face him? His wife-queen is surely at Cair Paravel," I bit my lip in worry. "Ramandu's Daughter."

"The time will come for such exchange of thoughts on that matter," said Orieus, already helping me get on his back. "For now, the kings and queens await."

The remaining distance was shortly crossed, and I soon found myself walking down the familiar aisle of the cavernous throne room. On either side of the aisle were thrones, and in each throne kings and queens smiled as they watched me approach the dais. I looked and saw that Peter, Edmund, and Lucy were standing in front of their own thrones, with their crowns glowing upon their head.

When I stopped just before the steps of the dais, I caught each of my brothers' and sister's gazes. No words were needed. Lucy and Edmund helped me up the steps and engulfed me in their arms. I hugged them back with the same fierceness they gave me. When they let go, I faced Peter.

"High King," I bent into a deep curtsy. I remembered the words I had thrown at Peter and the judgment he had passed on me. Suddenly I felt warm hands on my arm, nudging me to stand straight. It was Peter.

"Queen Susan," he smiled. "I take back the words I delivered to you, the words I spoke when we were on the other side of the wardrobe."

I let out a laugh. "At a time such as this, you can still joke about it?"

"I'm High King, I can joke whenever I please," he let out a laugh as well, the other kings and queens joining in. "You are indeed a friend of Narnia, Queen Susan the Gentle."

"Long live, Queen Susan!" came the cheers and shouts from the court. I turned and gave them a deep curtsy in gratitude.

"Aslan explained most your story," said Peter, "though he didn't mention how you got here, that's what I would like to hear."

"We would all like to hear it!" chimed in a Queen with long black hair. Her garments reminded me of the Disney-version of Aladdin, this queen an image of Princess Jasmine.

"That's Aravis," said Peter, "Queen of Archenland, wife of King Cor. You remember her, don't you?"

"Yes, indeed," I nodded. "I shall tell my story, though I cannot tell it alone."

"Then I shall tell it with you," came a very familiar voice. From the court a king stood up from his throne. He walked down the aisle until he stood at the foot of the dais. "If her majesty will so allow it?"

I looked at Peter, Edmund, Lucy, and then the rest of the court. My eyes locked onto the woman he had sat next to, and she nodded. I turned to the king and smiled.

"Of course, King Caspian, it's your story as well."

Before dinner that night, I sought out Aslan. His name barely left my lips when I heard his soft growl behind me.

"Daughter of Eve," he purred. I ran across the wet sand and hugged his mane and neck when I reached him.

"Oh, Aslan!" I cried.

"Many questions have you, I see," he chuckled, taking his seat. I sat on a nearby log along the shore. Aslan's warmth and size kept the sea's breeze at bay.

"You sent Caspian to save me," I began, and he nodded. "But I don't understand Orieus. He said Caspian is my true husband, but how can that be? He's wed to Ramandu's Daughter."

"What did Orieus tell you of your marriage to him?" Aslan asked suddenly. The change of subject caught me off guard.

"That we weren't really married. But I thought we were? In the Dancing Lawn," my brows furrowed. "I know we were married!"

"What else did he say?" pushed Aslan, persistent yet gentle.

"There are laws to be followed, New Narnian laws, especially about marriage, but…how do New Narnian laws affect our marriage back then?" I leaned my head on Aslan's mane. "I don't know what to think."

"What Orieus said is true, but I believe you're asking for the plain explanation. Here it is," he began. I lifted my head and faced him. "Marriage rites in Narnia are null in New Narnia."

"What?" my jaw dropped to the floor.

"As I said," continued Aslan. "Those who wished to remain married to their spouse of Old Narnia renew their vows here, and those vows are never broken."

"But…but Caspian would have remarried his wife, right?" I gasped, hoping my words were wrong.

"The choice is his, as this choice is yours," said Aslan.

"Is this why Orieus is pushing me away?" I inhaled, the sea-salt air stinging my lungs. When I heard no reply, I turned and found that I was already alone. I stood up, ready to return to the castle.

All of a sudden a great white flash appeared before me. When the light abated I recognized who stood before me.

"Your majesty," I curtsied.

"Queen Susan," she replied with her own bow. In New Narnia her glow was brighter, crisp, and warm. Ramandu's Daughter.

"I have spoken with Caspian, as I am sure your Orieus has parted words with you," she smiled. Few words needed to be spoken between us. We were women, women who loved with all our hearts, and risked much for Aslan and Narnia. We understood each other.

"I didn't understand Orieus at first, but Aslan explained to me in the end," I said, resuming my seat on the washed-up log.

"New Narnia has many laws, many of which we're still getting accustomed to. Fear not," she smiled, "these marriage rites were quite a shock to many of the monarchs. Many chose to remain with their spouses. Others decided to grant their counterparts freedom."

"Others," I repeated. "You speak of Orieus," I sighed.

"And myself," she added.

"You?" I gasped, standing up. "You set Caspian free?"

"Dear one," she took my hands in hers. "You both have risked so much for each other. I'm sure during dinner when you tell the court of how you found each other in your world, the court will understand why you belong to each other." With that she drew me into a queenly embrace, both of our hearts going out to the man we both loved.

"Thank you, your majesty, Daughter of Ramandu," I pulled away and curtsied.

"Hm… it does seem apparent that no one knows my true name," she mused. She smiled, "No matter, at dinner it shall be revealed!" and with she was engulfed in a bright ray of light and disappeared.