Susan never thought she would smell him again. But she did. Many years later.
Right after coming back from Narnia, she would see his face everywhere, she would feel his hands on her body and most importantly - she was able to smell him everywhere.
Her body was soaked with his scent, her clothes lined with this strong, masculine musk. She savoured that for many months, before memories started to fade away. Before the scent vanished.
Her adult life took every naive, every best memory she had from Narnia. She matured really early, but she was supposed to be older, wiser. As every woman of her time should be. A perfect fiancee, wife, mother.
And after years, Narnia didn't even seem like a memory, becoming so distant, so hard to touch, to… remember.
And life went on. She finished school and being barely eighteen, she was engaged. That was right, that was how her life was supposed to look.
Susan didn't love him, marriage was more an economic proposition, the reality of her times.
They got married and within one year she was expecting her first child.
A few days before her planned labour, Lucy was with her, in Susan's new home. They found all the old chests with their old stuff. She opened one and found a lot of memories from her childhood.
Smell of happiness, even though it was during war. Smell of history with those all old books, old notes, yellow scraps of the past.
Susan felt tightness in her throat, so many emotions.
"Susan, look." Lucy said and opened the chest that had something she didn't expect. But at the same time she felt a contraction and her water broke.
"Lucy, please go for someone. I think I'm in labour."
Hours later her daughter was born and Susan was overwhelmed. She was a mother, that was a milestone in her life.
Her daughter was a really tiny, pink puff, with small hands reaching for her. She smelled like a newborn, although Susan noticed something else.
It was that nappy that Lucy gave her, saying she found it in the chest.
But the point was it wasn't nappy at all.
Susan held her breath when her fingers felt an embroidered name - Susan, the Gentle. And this scent…
Susan never thought she would smell him again. But she did. Now.
Caspian .
This name of her childhood love froze on her lips and she needed a moment to take a breath. She wasn't even sure if this scent was real or maybe the hormones and memories caused this.
Her little daughter whimpered, Susan touched her cheek to calm her a little. Once fed, her small human being drifted away.
One week later Lucy decided she needed to leave. Her tickets were bought her train was in about one hour, so Susan walked her sister to the door. It was so hard to say goodbye, but she knew, she was sure, Lucy will be back next week.
After Lucy was gone, Susan took her little one in her arms and was sitting and singing until the moment she fell asleep. She woke up in the middle of the night and saw Aslan, gleaming in gold, smiling at her.
"Queen Susan The Gentle, and your unnamed Daughter of Eve, it's a pleasure to see you."
"Aslan," she whispered, frightened, "Has something happened?"
His golden mane was weaving and he nodded, saying, "I am here to invite you and your child to Narnia. Everyone else is waiting for you."
Susan was sure he was not serious.
"Are we… dead?" His eyes, wide open, glittering, said it all. Susan stood up and came closer to him, that was a good decision, she knew .
"This time, Susan, you will meet someone who has waited for you for centuries. And this time, you wouldn't need to go back." His voice, fearless, gave her strength she needed. She was ready.
Susan saw Ker Paravel, sandy beaches and the beautiful landscapes of Narnia. Aslan was gone, but someone else appeared instead.
Caspian .
He had grown up, so had she.
"Susan." Her name on his lips was unreal and once he took a step, a wind blew.
Susan never thought she would smell him again. And this time his scent was different, he was no longer a young adult, a young king.
"Caspian," she replied, but her voice broke down. Her daughter also was awake and started to cry. Susan started rocking her. When Caspian came as close as he could, he was smiling, at her, at her pinky puff daughter.
She realized the difference, it was like a thunder strike - he smelled like home. Like coming home.
Like being back home.