Please review and ask questions if any pop up; I'll try to improve on any feedback given. Context is that it's a story from after Susan forgets Narnia, but before LB. A whole bunch of girls, including Susan and Lucy, and not Jill or Polly, are sitting around a fire telling stories. The only canon divergence (apart from incidental stuff in LB) is that Lucy tells the story as if they were under four different names then told Aslan their true names (or he knew) and they got changed before the coronation.
Please read any partial quotations (not noted within the text) as coming from the time they come from. Case in point: the description of Queen Lucy. Please don't read any perversion into her description. I took it from Lewis, and he sure didn't mean it. Gay = happy, not perverted.
The first line of Lucy's story comes from an early draft of LWW, and it just seemed to work.
"Your turn, Lucy." The girls sitting around the campfire leaned slightly forward, staring at the golden-haired girl in eagerness; her stories were always good.
Lucy looked around the circle, her eyes briefly meeting the shrouded dark ones of a girl she had once known. "I have a tale, then, if you will." A smile, and then she stared into the fire and seemed to lose herself.
"Once there were four children, and their names were Ann, Martin, Rose and Peter."
Her stories were always good, but tonight she seemed to surpass herself. The fire died, and no one moved to replenish it. The stars looked down at her and approved, their faint light touching her hair; across the circle, the black-haired beauty seemed full of darkness. The sky lightened and the moon began to sail, but no one noticed, as Lucy Pevensie, with all the hidden fire of her nature, told of the story of a Lion, a Witch and a Wardrobe, and of four children whom she called Ann, Martin, Rose and Peter. Perhaps once she attributed to the wrong person the words of Peter, but other than that her story was flawless.
And Susan, hidden by the shadows, wept quietly.
Then Lucy - lioness that she was - flung her gaze around the circle, her eyes briefly meeting Susan's once again, and continued, "Then Peter spoke. 'These pseudonyms are not good. It makes me feel like a traitor again.' And the others agreed with him. And thus, thus they were crowned by their true names, these Four, the Royal Children by the blessing of Aslan.
"The first, Martin, was crowned, and he grew into a great and deep-chested warrior; and he was called High King Peter the Magnificent."
Someone whispered something. Lucy shot her a deep, significant glance and continued.
"His brother, the once-traitor who had been known as Peter, was quieter, and great in council and judgement, and his name was King Edmund the Just."
Further stirring.
"The youngest of the Queens, Rose, was always gay and golden-haired, and her own people called her Queen Lucy the Valiant."
Someone else whispered something. The deepest part of the spell Lucy had laid on them dispersed, and one of the girls went to get more wood - staying in earshot, of course.
Susan wondered if Lucy had forgotten her, and pain shot through her heart. She almost couldn't believe she'd forgotten Narnia, though her experiences during the installing of Caspian and her reluctance to believe Aslan should have warned her.
"And the other, the second sibling, she who was called Ann, grew to be tall and gracious, with black hair that fell to her feet. And her name was Queen Susan - the Faithless."
At that moment the fire flared up with the addition of more wood; the light was cast fully onto Susan's face and she cried out without thinking, "Unsay those words, royal sister!"
She looked every inch Queen Susan, fire flashing in her eyes as she stared at Lucy.
There was an instant's shocked silence, then Lucy broke it, saying with strong feeling, "By the Mane, can you deny that you have broken faith with Aslan?"
Susan bowed her head. "I have made mistakes, Queen Lucy, and yet I have time to repent."
"You have indeed made mistakes." Lucy was staring at her in amazement. "Yet you are willing to remember Narnia, to believe that it happened all as we say?"
"Aye, Queen Lucy."
"And Aslan?"
"I must make my peace with him."
"You admit that he is real, royal sister."
"I - I could have all along, deep down, you know." She looked up, and Lucy's gaze was full of pity.
"You have been listening to fear, child."
Susan did not resent Lucy's appropriation of Aslan's words; they were true, so very true. She tried to answer, but could not. She sensed that someone else spoke, but - a skill learned in the Golden Age - blocked it out as a murmur, as if heard underwater. Lucy obviously did the same.
At last Susan was able to answer. "I know." And she wept again, without shame. Lucy moved at last, came and put her arms around the elder sister who had always been the one to comfort her.
Thus Queen Susan the Gentle was comforted by Queen Lucy the Valiant. Susan looked up eventually, noticing with surprise that dawn paled the sky, touching it gold like the colour of the Lion's mane.
"Thank you, Queen Lucy."
"I am glad to do it."
"But..." She bit her lip and rose to her feet, a part of her already thinking about leaving and returning home. After a long silence, she said, "Don't tell the others."
"Why not? Su - "
"No." It was all too new, too fresh and real. She had to realise it herself before the rest knew.
"But they're going on a mission to get back to Narnia."
Susan stilled. "We can't."
"We've got to. We - we were talking the other day, about Narnia, and a - a - well, something came and asked for our help. And Peter told it to tell us things, but it faded away. It - Su, it looked like Caspian."
"Caspian is dead; Jill and Eustace said so." Her voice was filled with grief as she thought of the Horn he had tried to return to her. Although she scarcely knew the young man, having almost never talked to him, the idea of one she'd known as a young man having died was upsetting.
"But maybe he was speaking from Aslan's country."
"There would be no need of help there."
"Maybe you're right. And it only kind of looked like Caspian. I mean, he had black eyes, not blue. And his hair was probably darker, but I can't tell because there were shadows all around him."
"Perhaps it was Rilian."
"So you have been listening!" Lucy's voice rang with triumph.
"Hearing, not listening." Susan knew her own voice had become heavy with sadness and regret.
"It can't have been Rilian; he looked around the same age, but Eustace and Jill both said it wasn't."
"Perhaps it was one of his descendants."
"Perhaps."
"We need to go," said Susan firmly. "When are they going?"
"Tomorrow night; I'll meet them at the station in the morning. Do you want to come?"
Susan hesitated. Part of her wanted to very much, but she knew she couldn't just duck out on her obligations. "I've got to help a friend decorating a room for the ball that night," she answered regretfully. "I'd love to, though."
Lucy studied her for a moment, then answered softly, "We'll meet you at home afterwards, I guess."
Susan took a breath, and considered her options. At last she replied, already turning away, "And then I'll tell them the truth. Goodbye, Queen Lucy, Valiant one." Who knew a story like that could change so much? She was a completely different person to the one who'd sat down at the fire and prepared for a time of boredom.
A spark lit up Lucy's face. "Goodbye, Queen Susan, once Faithless, but now and forever Gentle!"
