A/N: Hullo, and welcome back to yet another chapter of Victory Does Not Make Us Conquerors!
Exams are soon over, and I'm feeling relieved that I get the time to write more frequently, then it won't be so long in between chapters.
Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please, read on!
Soundtracks:
"House of Black and White"- Ramin Djawadi
"I'm Sorry for Today" – Ramin Djawadi
"A Gift of A Thistle" – James Horner
The news of the Pevensies' return spread like wildfire at court, and even though most were joyed to learn the news, some were not equally thrilled. Why had they returned, when the Great Lion had told them himself, that they were not ever to return? What was the outcome of this? Was Narnia and her people in danger?
Some of these thoughts lingered amongst the Telmarine Lords and advisors at court, where they murmured amongst themselves. Lord Etesian and Lord Sebastian, both serving as loyal advisors to the King were addressing Caspian with their concerns in a meeting, where present around a table sat, Peter, Edmund, Lucy, Susan, Trumpkin, Glenstorm, a Narnian advisor, and in the head, Caspian. Having initiated a meeting to inform the counsel of the Pevensies' return, Caspian could understand the initial feeling of fear. Having discussed back and forth for an hour or so, the Telmarine Lords spoke out their fears;
"What of the people? The Kingdom? Surely, we are not the only ones with these thoughts, your majesty," Lord Sebastian spoke as he exchanged glances with Lord Etesian.
"No, I would not think so, Lord Sebastian, and I don't blame you for pondering on that. But I must inform you, and you should remember so yourself, that there is peace across Narnia. With that knowledge, the return of the High Kings and Queens of Old may be a mere coincidence," Caspian told them with a firm voice as he gazed upon the doubtful Lords. They did not look satisfied with that answer.
"My liege, forgive me for being assertive, but haven't the Kings and Queens of Old arrived only in times of peril?" Lord Etesian asked, lifting his hands to address the rest of the table, looking from face to face. Some nodded, others looked away. Now, a dark-haired and fair-faced faun named Phereus straightened up in his seat and spoke;
"You seem to forget, the arrival of the Kings and Queens was foretold in the ancient prophecy, and despite many fearing this prophecy, as they did not understand it, it did indeed end the hundred-year winter." Lord Etesian stood up abruptly, his eyes darkening as he addressed the faun.
"The Witch has been dead for a millennium! Their return has nothing to do with her, she is gone! Unless they failed to end her unrightful reign in the first place," he spoke coldly as his temperament empowered his feelings towards the matter.
Now, it was Caspian's time to rise from his seat;
"Lord Etesian, I suggest you either stand down or leave this room. It's apparent that you will not come to an agreement with the council today." Caspian voice turned dark and firm, and yet earnestly true. Peter and Susan exchanged glances of concern – they knew Caspian were right to dismiss Lord Etesian, but at what cost?
Lord Etesian considered sitting down, but once he saw the look upon his King's face, he decided to leave. He would not tolerate to be spoken in such a manner to by man two decades younger than him, politics be damned.
Etesian abruptly pushed his chair back, shot the royals a look of disdain, and strode out the room. The council did not look after him, only at their King and the Kings and Queens of Old.
With an exhale through his nose, Caspian sat down and addressed the remaining counsel;
"I provide the same offer to those who wish not to support the return of the Kings and Queens. We are here today to gather thoughts as to why they might have arrived, not spread insecurity amongst the rest. You have a right to feel whatever you might feel, but disrespect will not be tolerated."
The counsel said nothing.
Peter, however, was next to speak;
"Gentlemen, I must share my regret that me and my siblings have become a symbol of danger, and I am certain I speak for every one of us when I say that I wish it would not be so. But know this; why simply do not know why we have returned. Three days ago, we were thrown back here from our own world, lost and wandering to find civilization, with no apparent quest," Peter told them. Susan too, followed in his speech;
"But all the same, we ask you not to live in fear. Knowing that there are no political matters threatening to evolve into something beyond your King's control, there might not be reason to fear disastrous outcomes."
The counsel looked upon Susan with easy eyes. She was speaking truthfully, indeed. But the question still did stand. Why had they come back?
"I agree with the High King and Queen – live your lives as per normal, do not live in fear, and most importantly, life at court will go on as usual. Nothing will change considering everything that has happened these last couple of days, apart from the fact that the High Kings and Queens will now take part in the counsel and during audiences from here on, should they wish it." Caspian said as he looked from Edmund to Lucy, to Peter and Susan. Nodding in agreement, there was little left to be said.
"Any objections?" Caspian asked. The men shared few whispers but ended up with having none to share.
"Then I call the meeting closed. Good evening, gentlemen." Caspian dismissed.
The assembly stood, bowed to the royals, and exited the room. Phereus gathered his parchment with notes and report of today's assembly, and he too, left the room after bidding the royals a good evening.
Once the five royals were alone in the room, Edmund groaned.
"Well, that was slightly painful," he said, meeting Caspian's tired gaze. Said King sighed heavily.
"I agree. My apologies for that, I had a feeling Etesian might've reacted this way. He is very… decisive, and true to his people. I admire that, but now I've had enough," Caspian told them while crossing his arms in his seat.
"You did well to throw him out." Peter added as he nodded his way.
"Well, wouldn't be the first time I've dismissed councilmembers." Caspian admitted with a wry smile.
"I had a feeling he was a piece of work, he kept giving me the hairy eyeball," Lucy added, making Edmund guffaw from his seat beside her.
"I aim to have a conversation with him later on, but for now, he will not attend meetings unless he proves to be loyal to all of us," Caspian assured them, receiving nods and sounds of agreement in return.
. . .
Once the sky turned a beautiful hue of orange and purple, and crickets began their song, the Gentle Queen rode out on her horse the Castle stablemaster had provided for her. A Friesian mare, stunning and black, she carried Susan through the woods in a fresh canter. They wisped past the ancient trees, and the sound of drumming hooves against the dry forest bedding was music to Susan's ears. She had truly missed hacks on horseback.
She needed to get away from all the ruckus at the castle for a while – after the meeting, so many people wanted to give their regards and welcome back's, and even though it was very nice, talking to so many people could be draining and emotionally tiring, especially after a day like this. And besides, why waste a perfectly good sundown like this inside?
Riding through the forest, she crossed the river of Beruna, and continued up a rocky hill, before finding a perfect spot on the top with view over the ocean. The wind blew softly here, and the lush grass danced in the breeze.
"Good girl, Iris," Susan cooed as she petted the mare's neck before sliding off the saddle. The horse bent down to graze greedily by the young Queen's side, who sat down to enjoy the view from the top. Below them the grassy, steep slope disappeared into the woods on each side with a tundra in front over her.
Sitting with crossed legs, Susan leant her cheek into her hand as she gazed at everything and nothing, lost in her own thoughts and musings. The wind whistled in her ears, together with the peaceful sound of Iris' grazing.
She sat there for a while in the peaceful silence, feeling quite content with herself, until she heard a horse neighing from afar.
Iris perked up and responded with a neigh of her own, standing tall as she looked down the direction they had come. Susan knew they had company.
"Who is it, girl?" she asked rhetorically, leaning back on her hands to get a view of whomever was coming up the hill.
Her heart made a funny jump when she recognized the rider; Caspian.
He had tied his hair back now, and looked ever so gallant on top of Destrier, who came up the hill in a slow canter.
Was it a mere coincidence that he had found her here? Or would he want to speak with her? Well, it mattered little, for she enjoyed his company ever the same.
"Good evening, your grace," Caspian called from atop his horse as he pulled the stallion into a walk.
"Evening," she replied tenderly.
He gazed down at her as Destrier walked over to the horse and Queen, who was sat in the grass looking like her very beautiful self. Her white dress had a simple look, but it was perfect on her as it hugged her curves in the right places. Her raven-black hair fell in free, wavy locks, apart from the locks on the sides of her head, which were braided back behind her head. Her blue eyes captivated him as they always had as she met his gaze.
"I… Destrier noticed your horse, and recognizing you I just wanted to see if you were alright after today," he said, rubbing a hand behind his neck. Was he nervous?
"That's kind of you. Yes, I'm fine, thank you Caspian," she told him, grateful he would come up to talk to her. Giving her an understanding nod, he shifted in his saddle.
"Mind if I join you?"
Susan offered a coy smile.
"No, not at all, please," she said, patting the spot beside her. Giving her another nod, Caspian dismounted and left Destrier grazing beside Susan's horse. Walking over, he noticed the young Queen had returned to admire the view. Her hair danced gently in the wind, and he felt a sudden urge to run his fingers through the long locks.
"So, what are you doing out here?" Susan asked him gently as he sat down beside her, leaving a small space between them.
"Well, same as you, I suppose… Getting away for a while. Clearing my head. It's needed after days like these," he explained in a calm voice. He drew one leg up against his chest, leaving the other tucked in front of him as he turned to watch the view in front of him. The breeze felt nice against his face.
"I agree. I'd almost forgotten how beautiful it is here," Susan mused as she too enjoyed the breeze across her face.
"Nothing like this in your world?" Caspian asked as he gestured towards the terrain with one hand. Susan shifted in her spot.
"I'm from the city, there's only… concrete and tall buildings and bright lights that block out everything else. It is quite peaceful on the countryside, but even then, it's nothing like this," she explained. She heard him 'hmm' beside her.
They sat in silence for a moment or two until Caspian broke it;
"How are you feeling? I mean, after coming back?" he asked her as he looked upon her face.
"Frankly, I'm not sure… I'm thrilled to be back, but at the same time, it's a little frightening to not know why. Aslan did in fact tell us we were never to return," Susan told him. She turned to look at him, and found that he was already looking at her, scanning every aspect of her naturally beautiful face.
"Maybe it's because you were meant to stay?" he mused coyly. She looked down upon the grass. He watched as her long eyelashes kissed the skin below her eyes.
Unsure of what to respond, she turned away to look ahead once again. "May be," was her response.
"Peter has been so angry after last we were here… Angry at Aslan, angry at everything. He told me it felt like he was playing with us, only throwing us back when we were needed… I can understand why he feels that way, but I don't feel that way myself. Neither does Lucy, or Edmund," Susan said, confiding in the man beside her.
"What do you feel?" Caspian asked, locking gaze with her.
Blue gaze meeting brown, she replied; "I will simply try to enjoy it while I can," with a small smile. Feeling disheartened at the "while she can," he was truly hoping she could for the rest of her life. Nevertheless, he was glad she felt joy at being back.
"No matter what happens, know that I'm glad you're back as well," Caspian said earnestly, giving her the lopsided smile her heart skipped a beat at. She returned his smile.
They locked gazes for what felt like a long time before a muzzle appeared behind Susan's head, sniffing her hair. Both looking back, they discovered that Destrier had found his way over to them and were now ardently smelling Susan's neck and hair. Caspian chuckled heartedly at the scene.
"Hullo, there," Susan greeted with a smile as she brought up her hands to stroke Destrier's cheeks. He was playfully lipping at her nose from above her. She giggled at his behaviour and gave his muzzle a kiss. Caspian looked at the scene adoringly. Lucky horse, was his initial thought.
"He still remembers me, why, I'm charmed," Susan said under her chuckles, making the King grin.
"Well, you do make an impact, your majesty," he said warmly. She shot him an unreadable look, but he could tell it was a positive reaction to his words.
Trying to push away Destrier's face from her own so she could breathe (he had a lot of mane), Caspian noticed her bruised and cut hand as she was pushing against the horse's cheek.
"What on earth happened to your hand?" Caspian asked, and couldn't help himself but to take her small hand in his own to inspect the injury.
She had cuts around the root of her fingers and around her palm, with a large bruise covering the inside of the palm. The cuts were healing, but he felt worried nevertheless. He simply couldn't help feeling so around her… Susan didn't pull away her hand as he first feared she would, but instead looked at it with him.
"Oh… When I first came here, I found Astraea on the shore. She was caught in a net, and had been so for a while, and would probably drown once the tide came in. She was so badly caught in it, but I had nothing to cut her loose with, so I had to use a shard of rock and my hands to free her," Susan explained calmly. Caspian's affection for her grew even more after hearing this.
"You should get Lucy to heal this," he told her gently, to which she shook her head.
"No, that's alright. I don't feel them, and they're healing already; a truly harmed person needs that drop more than I do," she explained. So unselfish and kind, he couldn't understand why such a precious thing could feel that way. But, he wasn't going to quarrel with her.
Instead, he continued to hold her hand in his, stroking the back of her palm with his thumb in a soothing caress.
Susan allowed him to do so, merely because she felt a warmth spread in her heart that she hasn't felt in a long time, and she let him do so until they decided to return to the castle when darkness overcame them, because she wanted him to know she appreciated him. She appreciated his company, his very being, and his affection.
Once they had returned home and tended their horses, the two royals entered the castle.
Just then, Lucy passed a corner not far from the double set of great doors. She spotted her older sister and friend walking until they had to part, and watched Caspian turn to face Susan. Hiding, Lucy did not want to disturb the two just yet. She was on her way to bed herself but figured she could find company in Susan on the way, as their chambers were in the same wing.
"Goodnight, my Queen," Caspian said tenderly as he brought both of Susan's hands up to his lips, and kissed them both warmly, holding her gaze with his own as he did so.
"Goodnight," she wished him back with a twinkle in her eyes before they parted. His gaze lingered on hers as he turned to leave for his own wing, making her heart jump funnily once again.
Making her own way downwards the hall, Lucy stepped out from her corner;
"Susan!" she called before joining her sister who greeted her with a smile. They walked to their chambers together, and as they did so, Susan thought in between Lucy's ardent chatter, how nice it truly was to be back.
A/N: Ooooooh, fluff! Well, I like fluff. Fluff is nice, cute and warm!
I hope you feel the same!
Hopefully it won't be too long until my next update!
Until then, I want you to know I read and love every review I have gotten so far! I appreciate every follower and favourite, and know that I heart all my readers!
Until next we meet,
Dragon
