PART TWO
Peter gradually rose up from his seat, and then began walking back to the house. By this point he couldn't feel anything anymore. With the sharply cold rain in addition to all the pain he was feeling, his whole body had become numb. He couldn't feel the heavy rain drops falling on his shoulders or the amount of misery growing within him.
As he clutched the metal door handle, he glanced behind. He was giving Susan one last chance…he was giving himself one last chance before he did what he did. He sighed as the empty driveway remained empty, and opened the main door.
As he entered the house, he saw Lucy and Edmund with their tutor in the study. Peter, being the eldest, didn't have his tutor until later. He slowly walked up the wooden steps, and didn't look back. He walked into his room, grabbed a pair of scissors, and walked out. He sighed before he grasped the frayed rope that hung from the ceiling. As he tugged, the overhead ladder came falling down, opening up the attic. Peter let go of the rope, and continued upstairs.
He took heavy breaths, and looked behind him. As he approached the box he began to feel emotional. And when he saw Susan's scarf in his hands, and the pair of scissors next to it, he lost it. He tried to cut the scarf to shreds, but he couldn't. Even though he almost fully believed she was in the past, he couldn't just get rid of her, he wanted this memory, this one memory. Rain drops fell from the old ceiling, and the breeze created goosebumps on his skin. He was feeling light headed, and began to remember the very day that had started everything. The day that he blocked out of his mind for so many years, he bit his lip, and let the memories flush back into his mind.
Rain had just begun to fall when there came a knock on Susan's door. Susan put down the book she had been reading, and stood up. Another knock. Susan approached her door, and when she swung it open, her friend Maxwell came running in. His clothing was wet, and his hair was soaked to his skin.
"Max!" She yelled as she quickly fetched a towel. "What's wrong!" She asked anxiously. Max sighed. He looked up at her with his bright blue eyes, and he frowned.
"They kicked me out!" He yelled. Susan sighed. "I couldn't take it any longer, I had to tell them Susan, I HAD TO!" Susan patted Max's back and smiled.
"Its okay, it's okay." Max was hysterical, practically hyperventilating.
Max was a long friend of Susan's. He has been homosexual for almost 4 years now, but tonight was the night that he told his parents.
"I told them everything. About their affect on me, about how I felt….about Henry…" Susan frowned. "They just kicked me out, they had nothing to say, and they just pointed towards the door." Susan hushed him. "So… I was wondering…could I… spend the night here?" He asked, and Susan nodded.
"Of course! You are always welcome. First, let me get you some clothes."
Susan walked up from her bed and towards her closet. She had a spare t-shirt and a spare pair of pants that Peter had left the last time he spent the night. She smiled as she picked them up.
"Here you go." She said as she handed the clothing over to Max. He quickly stripped off his clothes, as Susan slipped on her slip. The two got into Susan's bed, and she hushed him cradling him with her body, letting them fall to sleep.
The high king quickly slipped on his red robe, and hurried downstairs. He walked into the kitchen, and saw the maids cooking breakfast. He approached one of them and whispered into her ear.
"Breakfast will be delayed an hour this morning." The maid acknowledged Peter's request as he walked outside. The grass was dewy, but the sky was clear. He roamed the garden, until he saw bluebells, Susan's favorite flower. He picked a dozen bluebells, and when he went back into the castle, he tied them with a purple ribbon. Morning was his favorite time in the day. Lucy and Edmund slept well past ten, so it gave him and Susan a chance to catch up, a chance to be with one another.
Peter hastily walked into the castle, and up towards Susan's room. It was these little surprise visits that made Susan like Peter even more. He would show up at all types of times: during her riding lesson, in the morning, just before she went to bed, when she was outside, you name it, and Peter was there. Peter stood outside Susan's door, and quietly nudged it open. As he did, he saw a pair of pants near the door. Confused, he widened the door. As he saw Susan's clothes on the ground too, with a pale green shirt that must belong to a man, he looked towards the bed.
Peter dropped the flowers to the floor. There.was.a.man.in.Susan's.bed. Peter took another step forward as he saw just who it was. It was Maxwell! The boy he formally introduced to his family! How dare he! Then he saw the position they were in. Susan and Max's bodies looked like they were one person. Susan was behind Max, holding him in her arms. Tears began to form in Peter's eyes as he clutched his fist so hard you could see blood as he began to dig his fingernails into his palm.
Peter ran out of the room as thoughts paced into his head. They started out rational, but as the hand on the clock turned and turned, they slowly became words of hatred. He was pacing up and down the hallway, thinking of how she could've done this to him. He thought she loved him, and he definitely loved her. His vision turned blurry, and his steps became erratic. Without thinking, he ran downstairs to the phone and called for June.
"Hello? Yes, this is the High King Peter I was wondering if Princess June was in?" He asked calmly. He wiped his tears away from his face.
"Yes, I am June. How are you Peter? This is such an honor I must tell you." He heard June say on the other line. Peter didn't smile.
"Yes well, I was wondering…" Peter took in a deep breath. This was the part where deep in his heart he was telling himself not to do what he was about to do, but he couldn't get the image of Susan and Max out of his head. "…would you like to come away with me for a while?" As the words slipped out of his mouth, he heard excitement on the other line.
"Wow Peter I never knew! I…yes! Of course… yes!" There was a pause. "..So when shall you be by?" She asked quickly. Peter knew she was smiling on the other end.
"Today. In forty minutes. See you then." Peter hung up the phone and walked down the hall towards the guard.
"I will be out for a couple of days on personal business." The guard nodded, and Peter walked back upstairs. He walked past Susan's room, with anger filling within him. He glided into his own room and walked into his closet. He dragged out a small box, and opened it. Inside was a green silk scarf that he took from Susan on one of their first rides to the creek together. He clutched it to his chest and forced back his salty tears.
The next hour was all a blur to Peter. It wasn't him that was acting, it was the anger he felt deep within himself. He mounted on his horse, and galloped to June's castle which was 20 minutes away. Every step of his horse, another tear fell onto Peter's cheek. When he arrived to June's palace, he quickly wiped them off his face, and approached her door. When he saw her standing there in the doorway, dressed in a pale pink gown, he smiled. She did look lovely. He grabbed her waist, and pressed his lips against hers. She hesitated at first, but relaxed and enjoyed it. For Peter, it was unnatural. She didn't kiss like Susan, she didn't smell like Susan, but her lips did feel like Susan's. When he parted from her, he could see the daze in her eyes, but he frowned. He wasn't happy, but it would have to do.
Peter then helped June onto her horse, and mounted his own. They traveled for almost an hour before Peter stopped at a house that was hidden in the forest. He helped her down, and walked her into the house.
Meanwhile, at Cair Paravel, Susan just opened her eyes. She was at first startled when she saw a man in her bed that wasn't Peter, but then recalled what had happened the night before. She sighed as she separated from Max and she tied up her robe as she slowly and quietly walked out of her room. As she passed her door, she saw a flower, lying on the wooden floor. Curious, she picked it up, and chuckled as she stuck it in her hair.
When she walked downstairs, she expected to see Peter reading near the fireplace, or relaxing on the deck. And when she searched all of downstairs and couldn't find him, she became confused. She pulled her robe tighter as she approached the main guard.
"Um…Excuse me?" The guard turned and nodded. "Do you know where Peter is?" She asked calmly.
"The High King Peter said that he would be away on personal business for some days." Susan stood for a second. Personal business?
"Thank you." The guard nodded, and Susan went into the living room, to think.
The next couple of days were hell for Susan. Every second of every moment seemed too long without Peter. Every morning, she would wake up to a empty bed. She would look out her window and find that the love of nature she once held…was slipping away. Sometimes she would walk to Peter's room and lean on his door. She would picture him on his bed smiling, and she got happier for a second. She did have Edmund and Lucy to accompany her, but they weren't nearly as much fun as Peter. She didn't laugh with them like she laughed with Peter, and she didn't enjoy spending her time with them as much as she did with Peter. Another day would go by, without anyone knowing where he was. There was talk of a kidnapping, and that only made Susan worry. At least when he went to battle, she was sure where he was. This was a new pain, a heart wrenching kind of pain where she thought that any moment; she could lose him forever, and not know why.
That's when, when there was talk of the High King returning, Susan beamed with happiness. She put on her most beautiful dress, and let her hair fall down onto her back. She applied a light gloss to her lips and a light shade of purple to her eyelid. She wanted to look beautiful when Peter came home.
When he was in plain view, Edmund, Lucy, and Susan gathered around the main entrance, ready to greet their brother. Susan was ecstatic, there were so many butterflies in her stomach, she had a hard time keeping a 'queen like' face. She watched in anticipation as the door knob slowly opened. She held her breath, and she was about to go give Peter a great big hug…when she realized something was in her way. The color from Susan's face suddenly drained as she saw what was in front of her. June was latched onto Peter, and Peter was acting romantically towards her. Susan felt her heart shatter as if it was glass and she had to bite her lip so that she wouldn't cry. She tried smiling but she couldn't. The site was too much for her to bear. Peter left with June. Why? Why? WHY! She needed answers! But the man she loved seemed so much further away then two feet in front of her. He seemed like a different person as Edmund and Lucy individually gave him hugs. Susan sighed and felt a hole in her chest, leaving her without words.
When Peter saw Susan's face as he walked in, he almost felt like forgiving her. He didn't look at her twice, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw her biting her lip, and fumbling with her dress. She did look beautiful. She knew that Peter loved the color purple on her. But why was she wearing it, if she had slept with Max?
As the group moved into the living room, June had kissed Peter twice. Susan felt anger rise within her. Now she was just furious. Why would Peter do this to her? She wanted more than anything to get up and hit June and Peter right in the face. That's when, the two announced the wedding, Susan had to blurt out something.
"Married!" She said as the group turned towards her. She at first stared at Peter, but found it too hard to focus on him, so she turned to June.
"Yes." Peter said, staring at Susan. "In one week from tomorrow." He turned to June, and she kissed him again. He saw Susan out of the corner of his eye, and what he thought looked like a tear. A tear? He was so confused.
"Well, I'm happy for you." Susan said as she stood up. "I must go meet Maxwell, have a nice day all of you." She gave Lucy a little kiss as she walked out. Peter flinched. So she was still seeing Max. Then he really had done the right thing, and Susan really had hurt him.
The next week, Susan spent most of her time with Maxwell, which made it easier for Peter to spend all of his time with June. Susan would just lay in Max's arms, crying and crying. She felt so hurt and a pain that was tearing her up inside more everyday. Edmund and Lucy had both noticed that their sister was in pain, but they didn't know why. They decided that it was best if they didn't do anything about it, because staying with Max seemed to be working alright.
When the wedding day had finally come, it was the most marvelous thing to see. There were flowers everywhere, Dryads, Centaurs; tons of creatures had come to witness the High King's marriage. Susan and Lucy were dressed in a pale pink gown, each holding a bouquet of pink roses. They slowly walked down the aisle as bridesmaids; Susan felt a growing pain with every step. For a moment she thought that she was the one going down the aisle, the one marrying Peter, so she smiled. Peter saw that smile and he smiled back. That's when he realized that he wasn't marrying Susan…he was marrying June…the wrong woman.
When June walked up the aisle in her gorgeous, extravagant dress, Peter expected to feel even just an ounce of happiness, but none came to him. The two said their vows, and then, the final part had come.
"If anyone should appose to this marriage, speak now or forever hold your peace…"
Susan bit her lip. Inside her head she was talking to herself. "Do it Susan! Just object. One word…object!" But nothing would come out of her mouth.
Peter clenched June's hands tighter. He didn't want her, he wanted Susan! "Susan please…just say you object…please……"
"I now pronounce you husband and wife."
Susan's heart fell. She had really lost him. The worst thing was, she had no idea why. What had she done? She hadn't done anything, maybe Peter was the one to blame. She didn't know, but she definitely knew that this was not right.
As June and Peter walked down the aisle married, Lucy hugged Susan, and Susan forced out a smile for her little sister. That's when Susan saw a man standing a couple meters away from her. She slyly approached him, and slid her arm through his. The man turned to her, and smiled. They walked out together.
The night that followed would not be considered a honeymoon to Peter. He and June were upstairs in the master suite of the castle. They couldn't have sex because June was still under the age of 21. She was in the shower, while Peter was on the bed, head in his hands. He let his head fall onto his pillow as his eyes widened. He heard Susan in the room below him. He listened harder, and heard the sound of a bed squeaking, and moans of another man. He sat up appalled. Susan was having sex with another man! Again! Peter felt the tears forming in his eyes, sat up, and walked out of the room.
During the next three years, nothing had improved with Peter and Susan. Susan would continue to ease her pain with men, and Peter would continue to be with June, ignoring Susan, and the men she brought with her. They once had a love…… and now it was lost.
When Peter awoke from his daydream, tears were streaming down his face, and his legs were shaking. HE had hurt Susan. HE was the reason for everything. HE was the one that made Susan turn against him. HE caused it all. Peter dropped everything he was holding, and turned to the window. The rain had begun falling harder; mud was forming in the ground. Just as he was about to turn away, he saw something shimmer in the distance.
He bit his lip, and pressed his face against the window. He saw what he thought looked like…a green dress.
Peter ran downstairs, nearly falling off the ladder. He galloped down the main stairs, and flung open the main doors. Then he saw her. Susan. Susan had come back. She was standing two meters in front of him, crying. The rain had soaked her to the skin and she was panting. Her dark hair cradled her shoulders, and her cheeks had turned rosy. Peter was drawing in deep breaths that burned his nostrils, but he didn't care…Susan was back.
Not one of them said anything. They just stood there. They hadn't looked each other in the eyes in so long, Peter's heart felt weak.
"…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…" Peter heard himself say. Susan smiled, and began to cry harder. She stepped towards him. "…I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Susan nodded, and stepped closer to Peter. Peter sighed as he felt Susan's hand touch his cheek.
"…I'm sorry too…"
Peter grabbed Susan, and passionately kissed her. It felt so right and so good. Peter wrapped his arms around Susan, and Susan had wrapped her arms around Peter. This moment…was perfect.
He pressed his hand against her back, pressing her closer into him. Susan rested her hands on his neck, as she gently pulled away. Peter took a moment to brush her hair behind her ear. Susan quickly, however, engaged right back into the kiss.
When the two separated, they stared into each others eyes. Peter smiled, and sighed.
"I love you." Susan smiled. Peter had never said that before, he had never gotten a chance.
"You don't know how long I've been waiting to hear you say that." She said as she leaned on his shoulder. Peter brought her head up and gently kissed her on her lips.
"…You don't know how long I've been dying to say that." Susan smiled, and kissed him back.
"I love you too…by the way." She laughed, and Peter stroked her rosy cheek. Peter nodded, as a tear fell from Susan's eye.
The two walked to their creek, holding each others hands. Susan's heart swelled with each step, and Peter's old self began to shine through. As the two layed down on the wet dewy grass, Susan stopped the kiss to look into Peter's eyes.
"…Don't leave me again…" She said as Peter stroked her cheek.
"I'll stay…" Peter kissed her lips. "…with you…" He kissed her again, "…forever."
Susan smiled, and rested her head on Peter's chest. As they closed their eyes, they felt something they hadn't felt in a long time. They both knew what they were feeling was what they were supposed to have. A love, a friendship, and a bond that would last for eternity. They lay in each others' bodies, holding each other close. Susan and Peter didn't mind if they stayed in that one moment forever, because they both had what they needed...
…Susan had her King, and Peter had his Queen…