NOTES: Hello, everyone!

I've finally finished this chapter!
I can hardly believe it myself, This one took a while... I lost many pages on it earlier on, and that got me in a terrible block... Fortunately the block is over and it's time for more!

Thank you so much for all the amazing comments and all the support.

This hasn't been beta-read, so -as usual -let me know if the mistakes are too bad.

TRIGGER ALERT! There's the discussion of a past rape attempt. There's no graphic description, but I understand it's a traumatic experience that some might want to avoid reading about. I'll mark said passage with XX and if you wish you can just jump it. Once again, it's not a description of said attempt, but the fact is mentioned.

Also, I took A LOT of liberties with the Narnia story in this chapter. A lot, seriously. I've mentioned this before, and though I respect and admire Lewis's work, this is fanfiction. So I took part of the story and changed it to fit this.

I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 12

As soon as the hunting party crossed the gates, Lucy knew something was wrong. Not "bad" wrong -like some kind of accident where someone had gotten hurt -just some other type of wrong. It was something in the air. Edmund looked like he smelled a pile of shit, Arya had the careful blank face that meant she was up to something, and Tormund seemed beyond amused. Jon's frown was more pronounced than normal and Susan…

Ah Susan… She had that pinched look on her face, the one that normally meant problem to someone. Lucy knew that when she was like that it was because she was trying to keep her feelings under control, and those things only happened when Susan was particularly on edge.

That all begged the question: what had happened during this hunt?

Susan was the first to dismount her horse and throw the reins to a boy close to her.

"Susan, are you…" She didn't let Lucy finish her sentence, she just grabbed her younger sister by the arm and pulled her along. "Susan!"

It was quite clear that Susan had something on her mind, and she'd drag Lucy until she found a place where she could talk about it.

Lucy didn't fight her sister as she was pulled through corridors, until Susan finally reached her room, pulled Lucy inside then barred the door behind them.

"Is the Dragon Queen flying here right now? Are you trying to save my life?" Lucy asked calmly.

"I did something monumentally stupid."

Lucy looked bemused. "I feel like we have had this conversation before."

"No, because I did something far worse than flirting with the King." Susan groaned.

"And that would be?" Lucy prompted, barely able to hold in her curiosity.

Susan sat on her bed, took a deep breath and seemed to fortify herself. Lucy was almost dying of curiosity, but she couldn't spook her sister into…

"I kissed him."

"YOU DID WHAT?"

"Lucy! Don't scream!" Susan hissed at her sister.

"Well, pardon me if I'm shocked that my prim sister is going around kissing a man that, as far as I know, annoys her." Lucy threw back, hands on her waist.

"Don't play coy; you know he doesn't annoy me." Susan huffed, then fell back on the bed. "I am so stupid."

"I will be the judge of that once you explain it better to me." Lucy offered.

Susan raised her head just enough to glare at her sister. "You're just curious for the details." She accused.

"That too."

XxX

Sansa had watched Susan dragging Lucy away, then the faces of everybody who'd just arrived. However, she knew there was only one person that could make Susan lose her posture like that.

Therefore, she turned to Jon, her eyes snapping to him. "What happened?"

Jon opened his mouth only to click it shut again. Tormund snickered.

Peter narrowed his eyes, now obviously aware something did happen. "Edmund?" He demanded.

Edmund groaned. "Why do you have to ask me?"

"Because you're my brother and you'll tell me right now what…"

"They kissed." Tormund informed everybody present without an ounce of delicacy.

There was absolute silence for a minute. Curiously, nobody needed to ask who "they" were.

"Peter, don't kill the King." Edmund hurried to say.

"I will just break his jaw." Peter snarled.

Edmund got in between them before Peter could even reach Jon. "Think of how angry Susan will be if you punch him to defend her honor!" He threw in, a bit desperately.

"I can deal with that." Peter insisted, trying to get past his brother.

"Calm down, lad." Davos put a hand on Peter's shoulder. "Let him explain it."

"What is there to explain?" Arya scoffed. "I think 'they kissed' explains the whole thing."

Davos gave her a look that made it quite clear it was not the time for wisecracking.

Jon sighed. "I know this look bad…"

"It looks bad?" Peter repeated incredulously. "This very morning you were telling me to keep distance from your cousin, and now I hear you kissed my sister?"

"In Jon's defense…" Edmund offered. "She was kissing him back."

Peter glared at his younger brother.

"You're awfully quiet about this, Sansa." Arya observed. "What is your opinion?"

They all turned to Sansa, but she wasn't there anymore.

XxX

"Oh my…" Lucy murmured, once Susan finally finished her tale.

"I know." Susan groaned.

"This is…" Lucy paused. "I didn't think women were kissed like that unless they were in a novel."

"Lucy!" Susan gaped at her sister.

"I'm sorry, it's just… Is it good?" Lucy asked, barely able to contain herself.

"I can't believe you're asking me that." Susan grumbled.

Lucy blushed a bit. "But… What now?"

"I have no idea." Susan sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "This is something I've never expected. I know there was some flirting, and I did my fair share of it, but I've never thought this would happen."

Lucy sat beside her sister. "Don't lie to me, Sue. What do you want to do now?"

"I don't know, Lucy." Susan sighed once again, this time hiding her face in her hands. "This is complicated for so many reasons. I wish it was just a question of how much we annoy each other, but it is not. He is a King here, and I'm a Queen in Narnia. And…"

Someone knocked on the door, and the two sisters stopped talking. Before Susan could ask who it was, the door opened and Sansa came through.

There was a minute of total silence, Sansa's face devoid of anything.

"You and Jon?" She asked, her voice dry.

Susan, for the first time, felt more concern than embarrassment over what happened. Sansa had become a dear friend to her, and she hoped they could remain so. However, now she was thinking that Sansa might not like what had happened between Susan and Jon; her friend might not like the fact she was kissing her cousin.

Susan would rather never look in Jon's direction again than losing Sansa's friendship.

"I can assume by this…" Sansa started, her chin tilted up. "That we can stop looking for a bride for Jon."

The Pevensie sisters looked at Sansa in shock, until Lucy exploded in giggles. The Stark smirked.

"Heavens above, Sansa! You frightened me!" Susan protested, a hand on her chest. "I thought you were angry at me."

"For kissing Jon?" Sansa scoffed. "It happened faster than I thought it might, but I'm hardly surprised."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I agree with Sansa." Lucy offered. "It was obvious."

Susan scoffed and refused to answer that.

"What are your intentions with my cousin, Susan?" Sansa teased.

"I have no intentions, thank you very much." She replied primly. "I would like to remind all of you that he was the one to kiss me."

"Oh yes, I can just imagine you there, completely helpless, being ravaged by the brute." Sansa snorted.

Just like that, the whole mood of the room changed. Susan and Lucy traded looks, and Sansa covered her mouth. "Susan, I am so sorry. This was terribly unsensitive of me."

"Sansa." Susan raised a hand to stop her friend, then looked at Lucy. Without needing to be told, Lucy nodded to her sister, got up and left.

"Susan, I am…"

"Sansa, it is fine." Susan assured her. "Come sit with me. I want to tell you something."

Sansa agreed, but it was clear she felt terrible by what she had said. Susan wanted to explain something to her, even though she knew it would open wounds on both of them. However, it was time Sansa knew she was not alone in this world.

XxX

It took a while for Jon to get rid of everyone that insisted on giving an opinion on the matter. Once they realized Sansa had left, Jon tried to do the same, but Tormund wouldn't leave him alone. Peter was still quite angry at the whole thing, but Edmund took his brother away. Arya gave him one more amused glance, before going somewhere.

As a matter of fact, he wasn't exactly alone. Davos had followed him to the King's solar, but the older man was a quiet sort, and he wouldn't intrude in Jon's businesses, even if he had an opinion on the subject.

Actually, his opinion was the only one Jon trusted at this time. He wished the man would just say something, but Davos wasn't the type to do that; Jon would have to ask him.

This was embarrassing.

"Was I stupid?" Jon finally broke down and asked.

Davos cleared his throat. "What do you mean?"

"Davos…"

"I am not teasing you, Jon." Davos told him calmly. "But if you want me to tell you what I think, you will have to be a bit clearer."

One of the things Jon appreciated the most about Davos was that, when they were alone, he dropped the titles and just talked to him. Not many people gave him the same courtesy nowadays. He knew it didn't mean Davos disrespected him as a King; he just understood that Jon was also a man.

"I was impulsive." Jon sighed. "Can you believe she was scolding me?" A chuckle escaped. "Telling me I was an idiot for going off alone, for not waiting. And I…"

Davos arched a brow. "You kissed her while she was angry at you?" There was a certain bemusement on his voice.

"I promise I didn't force myself…"

Davos held up a hand to stop him there. "Jon, I know you didn't. Not only because you're not that kind of man, but also because I don't think Lady Susan would let that stand, King or not. I'm just surprised you'd be this impulsive."

"There's something about her." Jon grumbled.

"Something that drives you a bit mad, isn't it?" Davos offered.

"Aye."

Davos let out a soft chuckle. "Some women are soft and kind, they will be by your side through any storm, but they will never raise their voices. Other women will always raise their voice, because they are the storm. Now, there are others that will challenge you, because they are a mix of both, soft hearts, but burning spirits. Women that will be beside you in the storm, not only holding your hand, but battling the winds too."

Jon gave Davos his full attention. "I am not saying that any of these women is better than the other, because they all are good in their own way. Some men prefer women that are quiet and just hold their hands. You are not that type of men, Jon. You don't need someone to be your calm, or to be constant fire. You need temperance."

"She drives you a bit mad because she doesn't let you get away with things, Jon." Davos continued. "This is why you are attracted to her, this is why you kissed her."

Jon pulled the leather that held his hair together, so he could run his hands through it. He felt like pulling his hair off, but that might be a bit too dramatic, especially for him. "So what now?"

"Now you should talk to the lady." Davos indicated. "You didn't have the chance before, and it is necessary. Susan is a lady, and she is a part of this keep and a great friend of your cousin. Talk to her and make things right."

"Should I tell her to forget it?"

Davos gave Jon a pitying look. "Can you forget it?"

That was what Jon feared.

XxX

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Sansa offered softly, as she sat beside Susan on the bed.

"I think some things might be easier to understand if I do." Susan gave the other a comforting smile. "I need advice, and I believe this part of my story is relevant."

"Take your time." Sansa said, holding Susan's hand.

Susan breathed in, then let it out slowly. "A few years ago, there was a tournament in Narnia. It was a time to unite our allies and raise morale. This is where I first met Prince Rabadash from Calormen." She closed her eyes for a minute, before opening them again. "At first, he looked gallant and charming, and he was clearly interested in me. I couldn't say I was in love with him, but I didn't find any faults in him at the time. Peter asked me to consider a political marriage to him."

"I decided to visit Tashbaan -Calormen's capital -with Edmund to make a decision. Peter was busy preparing to fight giants in the north, and he decided he didn't have time for this type of thing."

"This is why he feels so guilty." Sansa guessed.

"Peter likes to carry the world on his shoulders." Susan shook her head. "But yes, that is why. However, Edmund and I also didn't think it was necessary for him to come. It was supposed to be a friendly visit."

"Once we got there, we could see that Rabadash wasn't the man we thought he was; he was cruel and proud. We had already agreed that there would be no marriage, when one of our spies came to us."

The four siblings hadn't revealed that the animals in Narnia could talk. At the time they'd arrived at Winterfell it seemed like something that would get them locked up, and now it just didn't seem relevant anymore. Susan knew that if she said a Raven had told her about the prince's plan, she'd have to explain things to Sansa. She just wished to finish this story.

"He'd overheard the prince saying he'd have me any way. It became quite clear he wasn't concerned about my opinion on the matter, so we decided to leave."

"At the time, Edmund thought it was better if we escaped in secret, because we feared what could happen if we declared our intentions. So we sneaked out of the palace in the middle of the night. Our plan was to get as fast as possible to Archeland, a friendly kingdom that was closer, to seek refuge in case Rabadash sent his men after us."

"We were close to our destination, when they caught up with us." Susan paused once again, her eyes on Sansa's hand. "There was a fight, many of ours were hurt badly, including Edmund."

Susan turned to Sansa, tears in her eyes, as she remembered that night. "As I was dragged away by guards, I could see his body on the ground, and I had no idea if my brother was dead or alive. I've never felt a pain like that before."

"He's here now." Sansa remembered her gently, holding her hand tighter.

"He is." Susan nodded. "At the time I didn't know he'd survived and was sending for help."

"If you want to stop…"

Susan shook her head. "Rabadash kept me drugged the whole trip back; I remember flashes of it. When we got back to his palace, he brought a priest and ordered him to celebrate the wedding. The man was in panic and refused to do it. I was more alert and begged him to help me, so one of the guards poured more of the potion that was keeping me sedated down my throat."

"I don't remember anything that happened after that. I don't know if the priest actually celebrated the ceremony; he claims he didn't, Rabadash's men say he did." Susan shook her head again, like it was just a detail that wasn't important.

"The next time I became a bit more conscious I was on a bed alone. I didn't know if something had happened already, because I couldn't focus enough to figure it out, I could hardly feel my own body." Her voice rose an octave in her anxiousness over the story.

"Susan…" Sansa started gently, but the other woman didn't even hear it.

"I didn't know if he'd back soon, or at all, and I knew I couldn't get far with the way my legs were barely working. But I saw a tray on the table, and I went to it, hoping to find a knife. I fell twice and almost had to crawl to get to this table, but I managed it. There were no knives, but I got a fork and hid it on my sleeve."

XX
She got up from the bed and started pacing. "That was when Rabadash came back. He threw me on the bed, and I begged him like I've never begged anyone before. I cried and I told him he could stop all of this now; we could still make things right. He ignored me, he told me I belonged to him, and now they'd all have to accept that."

Sansa got up as well, and cupped Susan's face in her hands. "Susan, breathe. I am here, not him."

Susan's eyes focused on Sansa's. "He ignored me."

"I know he did." Sansa murmured softly.

"And he kissed me, and said he loved me and that I'd love him in time." Now there were tears running down Susan's face. "I couldn't stand it."

"I know."

"So I pulled the fork from my sleeve and sunk it into his neck. I can still remember his wide eyes, as he looked at me in shock, like he couldn't believe I'd do that to him. And he bled all over me and I wasn't strong enough to push him off me. I had to lay there, covered in his blood, feeling the weight of his body over me. I still wake up sometimes, feeling that, and it feels as if I can't breathe."

Sansa pulled Susan to her in a crushing hug.
XX

"I know exactly what you feel." She confessed on Susan's ear.

Susan hugged her back. "I know you do. And that pains me even more; knowing I'm not the only one. I know I escaped, and many women don't have that luck. It hurts me to think that many women go through that." She gently pushed Sansa away. "That you went through that."

"But I survived." Sansa indicated. "And so did you."

"Yes."

"What happened after?"

"My siblings came for me. Broke into the palace, came crashing through the door." She sighed. "At this point I had finally enough strength to get out from under him, but I couldn't move. And this isn't even the worst part."

Sansa gave her one long look before guessing it. "Politics."

Susan gave a hollow laughter. "It's always the politics."

"What did they make you do?" Sansa asked, prepared for the worst.

"There were hearing and testimonies that lasted hours." Susan explained, her eyes on the ground. "The priest claiming the marriage never happened, the soldiers saying it did. My siblings traded accusations with the Tisroc -Rabadash's father- who claimed he didn't know what his son had been doing. However, his so-called Grand Vizier wanted someone to confirm if the marriage had been consummated or not."

"Oh Susan…"

"There was the threat of war, the Tisroc wanted compensation for losing his only son and heir… Those were horrible times."

"How did you settle it?" Sansa wanted to know.

"We had a mediator." Susan explained in an over-simplistic way, she knew, but it was better like this.

How could she explain to Sansa that Aslan had intervened to help them reach a peaceful agreement? And even then, it hadn't been easy, because the Tisroc kept insisting he had no idea about his son's action, until Aslan roared on his face and demanded the truth.

"However, the relationship between the kingdoms became extremely tense. It already wasn't that good, but after that… We've been waiting for an attack since then."

Sansa sighed and held both of Susan's hand on her own. "Thank you for trusting in me and telling me this. And you're not alone, you won't ever be, not while I am here. If you need anything, please, ask me."

A single tear rolled down Susan's cheek, and she hugged Sansa. "Thank you so much."

They held each other for a minute.

"Oh Heavens." Susan pulled back and took a deep breath.

"I don't mean to tease you right now, but… What about Jon?"

"Well, I think I'll need that favor you just offered."

NOTES: Oh Jon... Oh Susan...

It felt very important to me to have the ladies supporting each other in this moment.

I hope you enoyed it.

Next chapter we'll have Jon and Susan talking, and Lucy and Bran discussing the future as well.

Let me know your feelings.