C. S. Lewis

The Chronicles of Narnia

Redeeming Ruby

A fanfiction by Silent Cobra

AN: CoN is property C.S. Lewis and Disney and Walden Media. All recognizable characters were used without permission for the sole purpose of entertainment. This story begins after five years of mourning and forced forgetting for Susan. It will not focus on the time after the crash or what Susan went through.

Remember, Reviews feed my soul.

Prologue: The Statue in the Square

When we left the Pevensie children, they were to live happily ever after in Narnia. But there was one Pevensie we did not talk about. She was, as her brother the High King said, no longer a friend of Narnia. What happened to dear Susan Pevensie?

As you are well aware, there really was a train accident in which the Pevensies (all of them, parents included), along with Eustace, Jill, Professor Kirke, and Polly, really did die. Susan was seventeen when she received the news that she was the last Pevensie.

That was five years ago now. How time moves so slow when you are the only one left! Susan Pevensie grieved, and slowly began to move on. But as she moved on, or attempted to, she was always trying to forget a single word: Aslan.

Today is Susan's twenty-third birthday, and this is where our story begins.

Susan Pevensie glanced wearily at the cloud-laden sky. The grey clouds reflected her mood. We all have times when it seems that we will never be happy again, and that is how Susan had felt for the past five years.

"Susan! Hurry up, we're going to be late!" Susan look up, her sapphire eyes quickly finding her friend Mary Stifler. Susan tugged her collar up against the cold and joined her.

"We're going to that wonderful little pub, The Lions Den," Mary said excitedly. "Justin will be there!"

Susan smiled tightly as they began to walk. Justin Rectin was her sometimes boyfriend.

"So how does it feel to be so old?" Mary asked. Susan was two years older than her, and yet Susan felt about ninety around Mary sometimes.

"The same as I felt yesterday, Mary."

"Oh poo. (Can you believe she uses words like this?) I was hoping it felt different. I wanted something to look forward to."

Susan glanced at the darkening sky again. "It's going to rain," she whispered softly.

"Oh yuck. Let's get to the Den before that happens. I just got my hair done, and I don't want it ruined."

They rounded the corner to the square in the town when they saw it.

"Will you look at that, Susan? That wasn't here last year!" Mary exclaimed.

Susan felt an odd swooping sensation in her stomach. There was a statue in the center of the square. A huge, regal lion. It stood on three legs, its fourth lifted from the ground. The lion's head was turned towards them.

"Hey Su!" Susan turned sharply. Justin Rectin bounced up to her and kissed her sloppily on the lips.

"Happy birthday, babe. Whatcha lookin' at?" he turned and followed her gaze to the lion statue.

"Creepy. It looks like it's looking right at us."

He's not looking at you Justin, He's looking at ME.

A word came to Susan's lips, unbidden and unwanted. A word she had forgotten, and a word we all remember from our previous adventure.

"Aslan."

Justin and Mary turned. "What did you say, Su?" Justin asked.

Susan's eyes narrowed. "I've asked you before, Justin. Do not call me Su."

Justin took a step back. "Sorry."

Susan shook her head, her eyes riveted to the statue. "The Den is just over there, you guys go ahead, I'll be there in a second."

"You sure, Susan?" Mary asked, glancing up at the sky.

"Yes. I'll be fine."

Justin leaned in to kiss Susan again, but she turned her head, and to Justin's great disappointment, he only kissed her cheek. Mary and Justin glanced at each other and headed towards The Lions Den. Susan took a hesitant step towards the statue, then another, and another, until she was practically running to the great lion.

A statue as great as the one in the square is incredibly hard to describe. One has to see it in order to know its majesty. The lion was situated on a large, circular pedestal. The pedestal was surrounded by benches for the weary, but no one was using them now.

Susan paused at the bench, staring up at the great lion. Again, the word came from her lips. "Aslan…"

She placed her foot on the bench and stepped up. Her chest was now level with the top of the pedestal. She reached up and gently caressed the lion's paw.

"Aslan…"

Again, unbidden.

Tears suddenly rushed to Susan's eyes as the sky spilt open and began to rain.

Memories flared into her mind. Words, flashes of her siblings, a great battle, and above all, the voice of one, a great Lion, Aslan.

"Oh Aslan," she sobbed against the statue's paw, "I remember, I remember everything! I remember the sun, the snow, the coronation, and oh, Aslan! I remember you!"

Now you might think that in the middle of a town square, a person would notice a beautiful young woman clinging to a lion statue, sobbing her heart out. And yet, no one seemed to notice. Or if they did, they did a wonderful job covering it up. No one looked at Susan.

At this moment, Susan heard a soft growl. She looked up, cold rain washing warm tears away from her face.

"Aslan!" she exclaimed. For now the statue was indeed the Great Lion Aslan.

"Daughter of Eve."

"Oh Aslan, I remember everything!"

"Daughter of Eve, the matter is not whether you remember, but if you believe in Narnia."

"I believe, Aslan…as I did before. You said it…Once a King or Queen of Narnia…"

"Always a King or Queen of Narnia," Aslan finished. "However, you turned your back on Narnia. You forced yourself to forget; to stop believing. Your siblings never stopped believing in Narnia, in me."

Susan looked down, more tears flooding her eyes as they always did when someone spoke of her brothers and sister. Aslan leaned down and his whiskers brushed her ear.

"Your siblings live, Daughter of Eve."

Susan's breathe caught in her throat.

"They live in Narnia."

"I want to see them…please Aslan! I must see them!"

"If you go, you must do something for me before you join them at Cair Paravel. Are you willing to do this?"

"Yes. I am miserable here, living a life I am not suited for. I was a Queen. Peter…" her voice choked, "Peter tried to remind me before…before he died. I refused to see."

"Close your eyes, Susan Pevensie."

Susan closed her eyes. She felt Aslan's breathe across her face. Her breath caught in her throat. She tried to inhale, but found she could not. I'm sure you have experienced that moment of panic when you surface from holding your breath too long; this is what Susan was experiencing, only far worse.

She suddenly felt as if someone was pulling on her hair, and she was being dragged through the sky. She fell into unconsciousness.

NARNIA

Mary checked her watch and looked outside. "I'm worried about Susan. Why is she taking so long?"

Justin shrugged and returned to his beer.

"I'm going to go check on her." Mary stood up and quickly ran outside. The rain was coming down in heavy sheets, obscuring her view. She could just see the lion statue and her frowned increased.

It was in a different pose. It seemed to be embracing something. She walked forward and froze.

Susan was in the statue's grasp. Her eyes were closed, and her face was peaceful. But something was horribly wrong. She was a pale blue.

"Susan…" Mary whispered in horror.

She reached out and touched Susan's hand. Her hand recoiled violently. Her hand was ice cold.

Susan Pevensie was dead.

TBC? Tell me what you guys think!