1/1/2021
Happy New Year Everyone!
Chapter .8.
Susan hugs her siblings tight hardly believing they were here. That they have arrived in time too save her and her fellow warriors.
She could already tell that Peter wasn't likely too let her out of his sight anytime soon. And she didn't need to think on Caspian doing the same. As he was watching her as if she might disappear.
The four Pevensie siblings let go each other. But Peter, Edmund and Lucy were looking at Susan like they were trying to memorize her face. It was both familiar and different too them.
Susan turns too Glenstorm.
"My friend I am glad to see your alive", Susan says moving to hug her friend.
"You too my friend it is good to see you whole and well after leaning you were basically dead", Glenstorm replies hugging her back.
Susan laughter fills the Camp making her soldiers and just about everyone smile.
"The White Witch will have to try harder then that too kill me Glenstorm", Susan replies smiling happily now she was reunited with her husband and siblings.
"Lets not give her another chance shall me my Qu…", Glenstorm starts.
"Glenstorm", Susan states pointily and warningly.
Caspian and the others looked confused.
Glenstorm smiles, "Susan she shall not get another chance"
"Better old friend", Susan replies smiling.
Susan turns too Reepicheep.
"Reepicheep my dear little friend", Susan says too the mouse who looked too be in tears.
"My Queen", Reepicheep says with a flawless bow.
"I think I will have to work on you calling me Susan too", Susan comments.
Susan then turns to the boy who was hanging nervously back. It takes a minute for Susan too place him. As her memories of England were distant at best. But family were easy too remember but the Scrubb's weren't what you call family.
"Eustace Scrubb", Susan states with certainty that made the others shocked.
How was it that Susan had spent 13 years in Narnia and still remembered parts of England when before they didn't? That's what had Peter, Edmund and Lucy wondering.
Eustace bows nervously, "Your Majesty"
"Eustace I'm your cousin. You have the right too call me Susan. But if you need it I give your permission too call me Susan", Susan replies.
"Yes Your Majesty", Eustace replies still nervously about facing his 'alive' cousin after believing her dead for so long.
Susan sighs why did they insist on formality?
"Why don't we go into the war tent and we each tell our stories. As I REALLY want too know yours my Husband. And I want too know how you're here Peter and Edmund and Lucy too!" Susan declares.
Caspian smiles and wraps his arm around his wife's waist. Relieved too have her alive and in his arms again.
"I think we ALL have interesting stories too tell my Queen", Caspian replies kissing his lovely wife's lips.
"Mine is not that interesting", Susan states.
Peter and Edmund snort at that and Glenstorm holds in a snort.
"Fine I'll tell it. But I would like food bought too us. After the soldiers get their fill", Susan replies with care looking over her men and women who she fought behind.
That reminded her she didn't know who died and who was injured! How thoughtless she was!
"How many dead and injured Lu?" Susan asks her sister.
"30 dead and 60 injured", Glenstorm replies seeing that Lucy was reluctant too tell her.
Susan sighs sadly those men and women will be remembered. She saw the moral of the Camp was still quite low.
She needed too do one thing before she talked with her beloved Husband and Siblings.
Susan pulled away from Caspian and walked too the front and waited for her soldiers too notice her. Which doesn't take long. Caspian, Peter, Edmund, Lucy and Eustace all wondered what she was doing and moved too join her but Glenstorm held them back.
"Warriors! Here my words, not the words of your Queen, but the words of your fellow warrior and solider!" Susan says in a strong and powerful voice that she had used in battle just some hours ago.
Soldiers get up and turn their full attention too the Queen who had been with them since the beginning and had fought alongside them and nearly died for it.
"Yes I called you warriors but your also ALL heros. What you did today took courage, countless amounts of courage and self-sacrifice. Those that perished on the fields of Battle WILL be remembered their names will go down in history of those that helped defeat the wicked and evil White Witch. Their names will be on the roll of the GREAT Narnian Army as will YOURS! When history is told of this day your names and the names of those who gave their lives will be said. This is not a promise of a Queen, but the promise of a fellow solider!" Susan booms giving another speech for the ages.
The soldiers cheer at their Queens words. It lifted moral up and the flame in the middle of camp seemed too flare at her words. As if Aslan wanted everyone too know that what Susan said was true.
Caspian and the others were in shock just who the Gentle Queen had turned into one of the fiercest Generals and Leaders of an Army.
Peter, Edmund and Lucy would go as far to say that Susan was now more fierce then they had ever been.
"Rest now my comrades, heal and eat. I will see you all soon after I catch up with our Kings and Queen", Susan says more gently now.
Susan smiles and then goes into the War tent with others following her. She sees her maps and plans around the room.
"You have been studying them", Susan states noticing some of her markers had been moved.
"Of course Su", Peter replies not taking his eyes of his younger or was it older sister.
"Good. It is good to be prepared. I hoped the plans I had made survived the battle so you would not be caught without at least some of the facts", Susan replies taking a seat.
Caspian comes over and sits down besides her and draws her close too his side. He finally had her back in his arms, and she was fine, she was alive and talking and he wouldn't be letting her out of his sights anytime soon.
Peter, Edmund and Lucy knew it would take time too get used too seeing Susan so much older than them. They were still in their teens while Susan was closing in on her thirties. And had a more mature aura around her and a more fierce aura around her as well. Not like the gentle aura she once had around her.
"Did you find the maps and plans helpful?" Susan asks as she takes some tea the Trumpkin had some in with.
The Pensieve's all share looks. Did that mean Susan made those maps?
"Did you make those maps?" Edmund asks.
Susan smirks at them, "I have found I am pretty good at maps Ed. And I have made sure to keep them as updated as I can"
"She has. She would work late on nights we weren't fighting on them", Glenstorm confirms.
"Are they good?" Susan asks.
"There brilliant my Queen", Caspian praises his wife, "You have done well too hold the line. We can even tell on the maps where the battlelines have moved back and forward"
Susan nods at that, "For every inch of ground we gain we lose three inches. Even our archers were having trouble keeping her archers back. And her army as seemed too be growing. As I have shown on the notes of the creatures I have counted she has gained alliances with and on those notes I have noted her fighting style and…"
Peter, Edmund and Lucy were struggling too see there once Gentle sister as a military leader.
"What can you tell us about the White Witch?" Caspian asks, "I mean how and why she is fighting now"
Susan's face turns serious her crystal blue eyes like fire and hard diamonds all at once.
"Jadis wants the Pevensie line dead. She wants them exterminated. She won't stop till we are dead or at least I am, if she finds out I still live", Susan replies her eyes like fire.
"That won't happen. As we will take over", Peter declares.
Susan's temper flares and Glenstorm winces at her look and so does Caspian, Reepicheep and Trumpkin. Eustace flinches as well.
"Peter I am not some kid you can boss around. I have lived and have grown up. You Peter are just a child too me. Not much older then my eldest. If anyone should be banned from this battle I would start with you, Ed and Lu. As Jadis has new tricks up her sleeve and a grudge too settle with our family", Susan rants.
"Su do you know how SHE is alive?" Edmund butts in so Peter won't make Susan any angrier.
"No I do not Ed. But she has been…dare I say it more powerful. More powerful than last time and she could match ME in fighting something that not many can do these days", Susan tells them truthfully.
That shocked the others too the core. Peter, Edmund and Lucy remembered how hard it was to fight her last time. But to think she was more powerful now? How had Susan battled her so many times and survived when Edmund nearly lost his life last time? How did she become a swordsman when her chosen weapon was a bow?
To be fair Susan was basically dead when they found her. But she had fought many battles one on one against the White Witch by the tales the soldiers and Glenstorm told. When Edmund only really fought one, one on one.
But Edmund had been a good swordsman. But not great as he became in the years after that battle. And not like now.
Was Susan really that good with her swords? They had noticed the swords next too her on the battle field. Double bladed dual swords. Difficult too weld and learn how too coordinate them. And they weren't light either. Edmund had picked them up from the fields of battle and were surprised by their weight not just the fact that Susan was wielding swords instead of a bow.
Peter couldn't even see his sister welding those two swords they had found near her. He didn't really believe it when Glenstorm told them they were indeed Susan's swords. That had actually taken blood from the White Witch. He just couldn't picture his gentle sister a general and sword welder. She was his little sister.
Edmund didn't have that problem Peter had. Susan had always been older then him. It just had extended 13 more years. But he remembered just how fierce Susan had been not just in England but in the times of the Golden Age. He was sure somehow during the Golden Age that Susan just didn't feel like it was right too follow them into battle. Or maybe she just didn't have the confidence then. But Edmund saw the TRUE confidence now in the Ancient High Queen of Old. He saw a Queen that would fight too defend her lands and people. Who cared deeply for them. She was no longer the Queen she used too be. She was now the picture of a perfect Queen. A figure all Queens should take notes from. As a matter of fact a figure all RULERS/MONARCHS should take notes from.
Lucy studied her sister. Worried still about her health. As she had treated Susan's injuries and she had many then the fatal wound in the abdomen that almost killed her. It was a wound similar too what Edmund had in the first war. But it seemed the White Witch had learned and had struck at a place that it was near impossible for Susan too have survived. So how come she was still alive? How was she even moving right now? How was she able too give these soldiers reassurance they needed and that speech was something she had never heard Susan sound like. It had normally been Peter, Edmund or her making those types of speeches. But now Susan was a warrior just like them and Lucy didn't know how she felt about it. Susan was still her older sister and she loved her and was so, so thankful Aslan saved her after the Car accident.
Lucy's insecurities were acting up like they had done on the Dawn Treader. How could Susan change so much? And would she hold Lucy in the same place in her life as she did before? Would Susan still be close too her or will they remain 'worlds part' even in Narnia?
Caspian was just happy his wife was alive. But he still felt guilty for leaving his wife along to fight when he promised not to. As he had promised her on their wedding day too be by her side in 'war and in peace' to 'fight by her side' and 'stand by her in time of strife'. Not that he would knowingly leave her to fight on her own.
Caspian could see Peter, Edmund and Lucy's surprise at Susan's choice of weapon.
He wasn't all that surprised by her swords or that she was fighting. As he had been the one too teach her sword fighting. But at the time she had surprised him with just how much she had already learnt from watching her brothers and Orieus during the Golden Age. Caspian remembers he was shocked when Susan request those swords be made. He wondered at the time and now what made her choose those double-bladed dual swords as her secondary weapons. He had hoped too never have to find out.
Caspian saw things and knew he might just have too keep the peace between his beloved Queen and her older/younger brother.
Susan saw things just as Caspian did. She hadn't ruled for 15 years in the First Golden Age then another 13 years too be told what to do by Peter or anyone. She would heed council of Caspian, Glenstorm, and the others. But she wouldn't be bossed around anymore.
He just couldn't see past her title as the Gentle Queen. He didn't know what she had done or how much experience she had gained.
But he soon would learn. They ALL would.
Susan looked at Edmund and saw he understood her and he admired her. It was probably easier for him too adjust too her being older since she had ALWAYS been older then him.
Susan saw in Lucy that she had grown into some insecurities. And Susan knew she would have too nip that in the butt quick. Susan knew Lucy had never been insecure in the Golden Age so what had changed in the years since she had 'died'?
She didn't expect things too be perfect overnight. But she hoped this could work.
'Aslan this/Peter might even test MY legendary patience!' Susan thinks.
Author's Note: What do you think? Please Review:)