-Chapter 13-
A/N: You know, I've always wondered why people have writer's block. One minute you have your entire story in your head, just waiting to be written out, and the next, you're wondering, 'What was that big fight going to be about again?' or, 'Who's marrying who?' Anyways, I wrote this chapter as a filler chapter, in a way. It's basically just what happened the day after the wedding and Analiese giving Edmund advice about Avaline. Oh yeah! For all you Suspian fans, here's some for ya! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Narnia.
Analiese woke to the sound of water running in the bathroom. She moved into a sitting position on the huge bed, pulling her legs beside her. Her first thought was, Maybe I should be taking a shower soon, which then led to, Why is Peter in the shower? He washed last night.
Suddenly, the bathroom door opened and a faun came out of it, her back to Analiese as she quietly closed the door back. When the faun turned around, she was shocked to find Analiese staring back at her.
"My-my Queen," the female faun said, bowing. "My apologies. I did not mean to wake her Highness." She bit her lip nervously.
"It's fine, I needed to wake up anyway. Peter is already awake, apparently, so I suppose I should be, too," Analiese replied kindly.
"Y-yes, your Majesty, he left for breakfast nearly three hours ago. That clock over there," the faun pointed to a clock on the dresser, "says it is eleven o'clock in the morning."
"Oh," Analiese said quietly. "I suppose I should get ready for lunch, then."
"Actually, my Queen, the High King has requested that you meet him in the library as soon as you are dressed. I'm supposing he wants to speak to you alone." The faun paused. "I thought it was so sweet how he kissed you after your first dance yesterday evening. I can tell that he really loves you."
Analiese was taken aback. "N-No, i-it's not like that. He doesn't—" She stopped in the middle of her sentence, wondering if she was supposed to keep up the act in front of everybody. Did everyone truly think that Peter was in love with her?
"I-I mean, do you really think so?" the Courteous Queen asked.
"Yes, your Majesty. Now, go ahead and get dressed, for King Peter awaits you in the library."
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A half hour later, Analiese stood before the long mirror on the back of the bathroom door, wondering if Susan could've gone any farther with the preparations. The first thing that Analiese saw when she walked into the closet was a long, white dress made of pearls with little diamonds in the neckline with silver stitching and a hem of the same thing. The second dress she saw was a red-violet-colored dress with rubies along the hem, neckline, and scattered over the top.
So far, Analiese had not set her eyes upon a dress that was even slightly casual. It was made apparent to her that the last thing Susan wanted was for people to notice herself, Lucy, and Avaline more than Analiese, therefore giving her a great reason to have such extravagant gowns made. Nonetheless, the nineteen-year-old had chosen the red dress with the rubies on it. She had turned around to walk out when a yellow piece of parchment caught her eye. Picking it up, she read it.
Analiese-
Susan asked me to tell you to try and match your accessories accordingly. I'm not quite sure what that means, but 'm sure that you do. She also wanted to let you know that if you have any trouble doing your hair yourself, ask one of the dryads to help you. There's a cherry blossom tree just outside our bedroom window, and the dryad there is great at doing hair, Susan says.
I expect the faun told you I'm waiting in the library.
-Peter
Analiese smiled down at Peter's small, careless cursive. It wasn't sloppy and unreadable like Edmund's, but it wasn't exactly neat, either. However, of the three kings, Caspian's was probably the best with penmanship. But Analiese loved Peter's handwriting. It made her feel... happy, in a strange way that she couldn't describe.
So when she opened the jewelry box, she picked out nothing but two bobby pins with tiny rubies embedded in them and pinned her straight, blonde hair back. She then chose some flats that matched her dress, slipped them on, and was about to walk out of the door to find Peter when she remembered her wedding ring. She ran back into the bedroom, snatched it off her night stand, slid it on her finger, and went back into the hallway.
To her surprise, Analiese found Edmund walking quickly down the corridor just in front of her. "Edmund," she called out, waving with a smile when he turned around.
"Oh, good afternoon, Analiese," he greeted. Analiese walked over to where he stood a few feet in front of her. "I trust you slept well?"
"Yes, I did. Peter's bed is much softer than the guest room bed!"
Edmund raised an eyebrow. "You... slept... in the same bed as him?"
"No, no, no!" Analiese exclaimed, eyes wide.
"Then how—?"
"Edmund, your brother is much nicer than you give him credit for. He slept in one of the armchairs so I would get to sleep comfortably on the bed. He even told me that he'd do it for the rest of his life if he had to. You really shouldn't jump to conclusions like that, though."
"I won't next time. Trust me, I really would rather have not had the mental image I got just then,?" the Just King said with a shudder.
"Perv," Analiese said, happily flicking her new brother on the head.
"Hey!" he exclaimed, running to catch up with the High Queen, who had begun to walk again. "So where are you headed?"
"To the library. Peter sent a faun to tell me he was waiting for me there."
"Oh," Edmund paused before taking a deep breath and speaking again. "Analiese, I need to ask you something."
"Okay," she replied, matching his quiet tone.
"Not here!" He took his sister-in-law's hand and led her down a dark corridor that she had never seen before.
"Where are we?" she asked.
"We're in the corridor that leads to the north tower. It's not used anymore, actually, all of the rooms on it are deserted and the servants believe it's haunted, so we can talk and not be overheard."
"Well, go ahead and tell me what you want to tell me," Analiese said.
"You have to promise that you will repeat what I am about to tell you to no one. Not even Peter." Analiese nodded in agreement. "Okay. Well, me and Avaline have been fighting for a while now, and we haven't even been able to look at each other for days. She won't listen when I try to apologize, and-"
"Wait, apologize for what?" she asked.
"Hold on, I'm getting there."
"Sorry," Analiese apologized.
"It's fine. Now, where was I? Oh, yeah, so whenever I say I'm sorry, she doesn't listen. I think she's still upset about me admitting that what we did was a mistake, but even then I apologized. She told me that we didn't do anything wrong and that if I really loved her then I would believe that, too, but I somehow can't find it in me to think so when I ruined her life"
"What do you mean?"
"Take a guess, An."
Analiese gasped, her eyes wide. "Y-You mean—?"
Edmund nodded sadly. "And I have no idea what I can do to make it up to her."
"Edmund, you took away from her something that she can never get back. There is nothing in this world that is worth as much as a girl's innocence and purity. But if you really want to make it up to her, there's nothing you can do but give her time."
"But-"
"Ed, you're a smart boy, and I'm sure you can figure out what the right thing to do here is. The best thing to do is just give her time to think about what she did. And when she's ready, she'll come to you."
"But Lady Morgana told me to apologize."
"Are you going to listen to Lady Morgana, or are you going to listen to me, Ed? Because there's only one way that you're going to get Avaline back, and it's by waiting. Trust me," Analiese said.
Edmund nodded.
"Now go find your sisters and Caspian. I'm sure they can distract you from Avaline," Analiese told him, patting his shoulder. She was watching him go when she suddenly called his name. The Just King turned around to look at her questioningly. "I love you."
The nineteen-year-old king smiled at her before walking away to find his family and friends.
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"Caspian!" Susan called from across the library. She knew he was on the other side of the gigantic room somewhere, hidden by the large bookshelves.
"Yes, milady?" he asked, coming up behind her and tapping her shoulder gently.
"Ah!" Susan screamed, spinning around to find Caspian's face only inches away from hers. They froze, looking into each other's eyes. She saw the smirk of satisfaction on his lips, proud that he had successfully scared the Gentle Queen. His lips, Susan could kiss them all day if he'd let her.
The dark-haired queen's face grew beet red, and so did Caspian's, for he was secretly thinking the same thing as Susan. Though, unlike her feelings, he only stared at her mouth because... well, he didn't really know why. But it wasn't love. He could never, ever allow himself to be in love. No, that simply wouldn't work. So as they scrambled away from each other in embarrassment, he couldn't help but watch as she looked down at her lap and bit her lip.
Caspian chuckled. "Did I scare you, Susan?"
Susan looked up at him. "What do you think?" she asked with a smile.
"I think you need better hearing. These boots make such a loud noise, a deaf man could hear me coming up behind him!" Caspian replied jokingly.
"I'll get you back for that," she warned after playfully slapping his arm.
"Not if I don't get you back first."
"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked, but it was too late, for the Dissentient King already had his hands on her sides, tickling her. She giggled and writhed, trying to slither her way out of his grasp.
"You can never escape the wrath of Caspian X!" Caspian announced joyfully, a large smile on his face as he moved to tickle her stomach.
"Caspian, no!" Susan squealed. "No!" She continued laughing.
"I see that's your sweet spot," he said, removing his hands from her body. "I'll have to use that against you someday."
"What does that mean?"
"You'll see."
"So you're going to tickle me again?" she asked, both fear and joy in her eyes.
"Not now-unless you want me to," he grinned at her. He loved how close he and Susan had become over the time they had known each other. The Pevensies had returned to Narnia nearly six months ago now and though they still had no idea why they had been sent back, especially since the eldest of the four were never meant to return, Caspian was glad they had.
"No, please don't," Susan replied with a smile. "I'd like to save a little bit of laughter for later," she joked.
"If you say so." Caspian shrugged. They sat in silence for a moment, simply smiling at each other. "Say, would you like to go for a walk with me later, after lunch?"
Susan's smile dropped from her face in surprise. She couldn't quite grasp the fact that Caspian was asking her out for a walk. The Dissentient King was beginning to worry that she didn't want to, so he continued his offer.
"And we can take a walk through town and shop for a bit, then go to the cliffs and have a picnic overlooking the beach. We can bring whatever food you want for the picnic, and we don't have to go to all those places. I mean, it's your choice and—"
"Shhh," Susan hushed, placing a finger to his lips. She loved how soft they were against her skin. "I would love to. But I'm afraid neither of us can have a picnic this evening. If you remember, Lucy wants us to all eat together tonight for Analiese's first dinner at home, married to Peter."
"That's right," he nodded, remembering Lucy saying that. "But we're still on for that walk, correct?"
"Correct," Susan agreed, a smile on her lips and a twinkle in her blue eyes. Caspian loved her eyes. They were blue like the sky on a clear, spring morning. They were so clear, so open, and so gentle—just like her.
And so both smiled at each other at their small agreement. Susan was so happy that she could barely speak. So when Caspian announced that he had to go freshen up before lunch and kissed her hand gently, she could do nothing but smile and know that she was completely and utterly happy.
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Susan smiled to herself as she walked hand-in-hand with the most perfect man in the world, or at least in her eyes. She and Caspian were strolling along the path that led to town from Cair Paravel. Since Caspian and Avaline's reign in Narnia had begun two years ago, a whole town area had been made for the Narnians. There were tiny shops lining the streets, run by people and creatures of all kinds, and there were always tons of Narnians out and about to socialize with there.
She thought back to after lunch, when she had asked Analiese about Peter again. The pretty nineteen-year-old had told Susan that she hadn't gotten the chance to talk to Peter, but that she was going to meet him in the library in a few minutes, and she'd tell her how it went later that night. And of course, Susan agreed, because there wasn't much else she could do.
"We're here," Caspian said, his mouth leaned in to her ear. She blushed, but smiled at him. They continued walking. "So what do we do first, boss?"
Susan laughed. "I don't know. I thought you had this planned out and, come to find out, you're relying on me for instructions," she said with a chuckle.
"Well, you accepted to go with me, so it's the least I can do," he replied with a shrug.
"Hmm," Susan muttered, looking around. She spotted a nice dress shop that she, Lucy, and Avaline had shopped in a few times before and grinned evilly to herself.
"What's that look for?" Caspian asked suspiciously.
"Pay back," was all she said as she led him over to the shop. As soon as they reached the door and he could read the sign, he groaned.
"Are you seriously going to make me go dress shopping with you?"
"Hey, don't look at me like that. You told me to pick where we went, and here we are," she responded, stretching her arms out to gesture to where they were.
Caspian sighed. "Fine, but make it quick."
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Three hours and fifteen purchased dresses later, Caspian and Susan were walking out of the same dress shop they had been in since they arrived in town.
"I just love that shop," Susan commented, looking around her and smiling at her subjects as they passed by. "They sell such pretty things!"
"Uh huh," Caspian replied, sounding dead. Then he said sarcastically, "That's why you tried on forty-three dresses and only came out with fifteen."
"Hey!" Susan said defensively. "Not every dress is the right one for me. And these aren't all mine! I bought some for Avaline and Lucy; they've been complaining that their choices are running low for weeks now."
"Whatever," Caspian groaned, looking up to the sky. 'Why, Aslan? Why me? What did I do to deserve dress shopping?!' When he received no answer, he grumbled, "Figures. You ask a girl out and they torture you."
"What was that?" Susan asked.
"Nothing," he said a bit too quickly. The Gentle Queen raised a dark brown eyebrow. "I was just wondering why in the world I had to go dress shopping?!" he wailed.
"Because you scared me in the library, and I'm getting my revenge," she explained, smirking all the while.
"You know what? I don't care," Caspian told her. "I'm enjoying spending time with you, and I'm not going to let a bunch of dresses ruin that."
Susan smiled at him. "You're really having a good time?" she asked hopefully.
"I always have a good time with you," he murmured, and neither of them saw it coming when Caspian leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.
It was their second kiss, only this one felt as if it actually counted. They weren't theoretically going to be separated from each other for the rest of their lives. The tension wasn't running high, causing misconstrued emotions. No, this was their true first kiss.
Their first kiss when Caspian was in love.
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A/N: Avaline and Edmund used to be my favorite couple to write, and they still are, but I have certain moods when I only feel like writing them or when I only feel like writing Peter and Analiese. Today, I felt like neither, but then I remembered that you all have been asking for some Susan and Caspian, so I wrote them, and I can honestly say that I love it! Their personalities in this story are just exact opposites, but they go together so well. They don't in the movie, though. *shudder*
I hope all of you Suspian fans liked that. Cute little surprise at the end, huh? ;) I wasn't even planning to write that, actually, but it just felt right. And all you Edaline fans, hang in there! It might be another chapter or two, but things will go back to normal... for a little while, anyway. MWAHAHAHAHA! *evil grin* Peter/Analiese fans, it wasn't much, but it was something... kind of. I'll try to write a flashback in the next chapter about what happened in the library.
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