Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Authoress's Note: The first part takes place in Aslan's Country. Just a note.
Her Only Friend's
Chapter 2. A Surprisingly Welcome Gift
Peter sighed and watched as Caspian and his son Rilian sparred on the training field. Peter wasn't really watching, he was really thinking of his two youngest siblings. But he knew someday he'd see them again, and that's the only thing that kept him from going absolutely mad. Suddenly Caspian stopped and was starring at something behind Peter, a smile spreading across his face. Rilian looked confused, but didn't say anything.
"What is it?" Peter asked.
"Turn around." Caspian replied, his smile growing even wider.
Peter became confused and turned around as Caspian had said and when he did, tears came to his eyes.
"Hullo Pete." Edmund said, tears in his eyes as well. Peter swallowed hard and walked over to him. "Sorry to say your heroic act didn't help too much." Edmund said. Though at this moment, Peter didn't care. He pulled Edmund into a tight embrace, letting a few tears slide down his cheeks. Edmund hugged him back tightly, trying to hold the lump in his throat down.
When they pulled apart Peter sighed. "Lucy?" he asked, knowing his brother would understand.
"I was able to talk to her, before I, well, you know." he said.
"Kicked the bucket?" Peter joked, tyring to lighten the mood.
Edmund snorted. "Yeah, that's it." he said.
"I know, it's strange saying your dead. I just got used to the idea of it myself." Peter said. Edmund nodded. "So, what happened?" Peter asked.
"I told her what you told me." Edmund replied.
"And?" Peter asked.
"I don't know how long she'll be able to stay strong." Edmund replied sadly.
Peter sighed. "Did you see Susan?" he asked.
"For about 5 minutes. But she left crying like I've never seen her cry before." Edmund replied.
"Did she say anything?" Peter asked.
"She said she wished this wasn't happening. And mumbled something about never saying the things she needed too." Edmund replied.
"And what did you say to her?" Peter asked.
"I couldn't say much. I was too weak. I was barely able to tell Lucy what I needed to, and it's only by Aslan's grace I survived long enough too." Edmund replied.
"How much pain were you in?" Peter asked.
"Alot. But I knew I had too tell Lucy. It was worth it." Edmudn replied.
"I wish I could see her again." Peter sighed.
"You will someday." Edmund said.
They became silent, unable to speak.
Caspian cleared his throat and walked over. "Hello Edmund." he greeted.
Edmund looked up at him and smiled. "Hullo Caspian. It's good to see you again." he said.
"It's been a while, hasn't it." Caspian said.
"Longer for you than me." Edmund said. Caspian nodded his head. "So, did you ever get back to Ramandu's Daughter, huh, huh, huh?" Edmund said smirking, giving Caspian a poke in the sides with his elbow.
Caspian chuckled and blushed slightly. "Yes. Hense the reason he's standing over there." he said looking over at Rilian.
Edmund looked over and smiled. "Aahh." he said making Caspian blush even more.
Peter stiffled a chuckle as he watched the two friends reunite. "You should have figured he was going to do that. He's as much your little brother as he is mine. And he does turn into that typical little brother every now and again." Peter said.
"Yeah, I guess I should have seen this coming." Caspian said.
Edmund snorted and rolled his eyes. But his eyes shot wide open a second later as a familar purring came from behind him. He whipped around only to be starring directly into Aslan's eyes.
"You got bigger!" Edmund exclaimed.
"Every year you grow, as do I." Aslan replied. Then Edmund became silent. Half of him wanted to throw his arms around the Lion's neck, but the other half thought it disrespectful, so he bowed instead. But Aslan rubbed against him, moving in a way the Edmund had no other choice but to burry his head into the Lion's mane. Edmund pulled his arms tight around Aslan's neck. "I've missed you!" he said, though it was muffled.
"I was always with you, and I always will be." Aslan said gently. Edmund nodded and after a moment's pulled away and stood up. "Peter, Edmund, I need to speak to you." Aslan said. Peter and Edmund exchanged a worried glance before following the Lion.
"Is something wrong?" Edmund asked.
"No, but I have something to give you." Aslan replied.
"Both of us?" Peter asked.
"Yes." Aslan replied. He then looked over at the field of flowers to their right. "Peter, do you see that flower in the middle of the field, the purple one?" Aslan asked.
Peter looked over and noticed the purple flower that stood out from all the other bright yellow one's. "Yes." Peter replied.
"Go and pick it." Aslan said. Peter did as he was told and brought it back to Aslan. Aslan breathed on the flower, and it began to shape into what seemed like a mirror, though it still had the purple around the edge. Peter gasped. "What would you most like to see?" Aslan asked.
"Lucy." Peter replied. As soon as the word was out of his mouth, the mirror took on a watery look and as it cleared up Lucy came into view. Edmund's eyes went wide and he stood close to his brother so they could both look at the image of their little sister. "Aslan, what is this?" Peter asked.
"Whenever you wish to see your sister, either of them, all you need is to say their name." Aslan replied. Peter looked back down at Lucy. "You will not be able to go to her, but even seeing is better than nothing, is it not?" Aslan asked.
"Much better than nothing." Peter replied, still looking at Lucy. She was asleep, on his bed it seemed.
"I have made her dreams pleasent. Watch her while you can, for when she awaken's you may not recognize her." Aslan said.
"Why not?" Edmund asked.
Aslan didn't respond, but instead a gust of wind came by, making the mirror ripple like water, and Aslan dissapeared. They looked back down at the image, and when they saw the door open, they knew they'd soon find out what he meant, whether they wanted to or not.
Susan walked into the room, and smiled when she saw Lucy. She was sleeping, and she hated to wake her. She stood there, watching her for a while, and when she looked at the clock, she realized she had been watching her for longer than she needed to. She shook Lucy gently, trying not to make her sister anymore upset than she already would be when she woke.
Lucy found herself waking up, and disliked it immediately. She wanted to go back into her dreams. Her wonderful dreams of her brother's still being alive. He wonderful dreams of messing around with them, acting like complete children. Her wonderful dreams of her sister... being her sister agian. She opened her eyes, and Susan stepped back when she did. Lucy's eyes were no longer tear filled, but they were emotionless. Not a hint of saddness, not a bit of happiness, and not a hint of belief, only numbness.
Edmund stepped back from the mirror. "Aslan was right." he said.
"She doesn't even look like Lucy anymore." Peter agreed.
"She looks like Lucy, but... she's not anymore." Edmund said.
"We can only hope she goes back to being Lucy soon." Peter sighed.
"What is it Su?" Lucy asked sitting up.
Susan shook herself. "Grandma and grandpa are coming over in a bit. You need to get dressed." she said.
"Why are they coming?" Lucy asked.
Susan sighed and sat down beside Lucy. "Do you remember what happened yesterday?" she asked.
Lucy looked down. "I remember you coming home, and crying. I remember... I remember..." then Lucy broke down "they're gone!" she sobbed.
Susan pulled her arms around her baby sister, feeling suddenly motherly towards her. "Sssh, it'll be ok." she said, beginning to wonder if things really would be ok. Then a thought came to her. "Would Peter and Edmund want you to be like this?" she asked.
Lucy looked up at her. "No, but I can't help it." she said.
"Come on Lu..."
"No Susan! Just leave me alone, ok! You may be able to get over it just like that, but not me! You didn't love them anymore! You didn't listen to their advice anymore! You never spent time with them anymore! I did! I was there when they needed me! I loved them! I listened to their advice and followed it! And I spent time with them! And that's a heck of alot more than you can say! So just leave me alone!" Lucy yelled, running from the room. She quickly changed into a black dress, slipped her coat on, an walked out the door, the cold only adding to the numbness she felt.
She walked down the street, not really knowing where she was going. A moment later she bumped into someone. "Sorry." she mumbled.
"No, it was my fault." someone else mumbled.
She looked up and saw a boy about her age, but he seemed sad. And once she saw that, Lucy the Valiant took her place in Lucy's mind. "Are you alright?" she asked.
"No." the boy replied.
She blinked a few times. And when he finally looked her in the eyes, she saw the same sadness and numbness she had felt only second's before.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"I've lost nearly everything." he replied.
"I can relate." she said sadly.
"Michael!" she heard someone call.
The boy sighed and turned around. A boy, slightly older than this one, walked up. "Mike, it's not going to help running." the other boy said.
Lucy turned around, but the boy, apparently Michael, stopped her.
"Micahel, what are you..."
"Dan, shut up for a minute." Micahel interupted.
Lucy stiffled a giggle, remembering Edmund doing that exact same thing to Peter once.
"What did you mean, you can relate?" he asked.
She sighed. "I have lost everything. My parents, close friends, brother's, and even if she doesn't realize it, I've lost my sister too. I have lost everything." she replied looking at the ground.
The other boy, apparently Daniel, seemed to stop breathing.
"Lucy!" she heard Susan call. She looked over. "Lucy, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Susan sobbed, pulling Lucy close against her.
"For what?" Lucy asked going stiff. Maybe a day ago she could have hugged her back, but not now.
"Everything! I've been such a horrid sister! Ignoring you! Forcing you to date! And even now at the worst time in your life I'm ignoring the most important thing to me." Susan replied.
"What's that?" Lucy asked, loosening up.
"You." Susan replied.
Lucy smiled and buried her head into Susan shoulder. "I missed you." Lucy said.
"I know. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have forgotten what was right in front of me." Susan said, rubbing Lucy's back.
"Do... do you remember?" Lucy stuttered.
"Remember what, Lu?" Susan asked, smiling slightly, knowing exactly what Lucy was going to ask.
"What we were. Our home." Lucy said.
"Yes, I do." Susan replied. Lucy beamed and hugged Susan tighter. "Now if only Peter and edmund knew." Susan sighed, tears in her eyes.
"Peter meant this for Ed and I, but now that your back, he said 'Stay strong, stay together, and never forget." Lucy said.
"And I'm taking a guess Peter risked his over-protective butt for Edmund, right?" Susan asked.
Lucy giggled. "Yep. To bad it didn't work." she sighed.
"Is everything alright now?" Mike asked.
Lucy and Susan looked up. "Yes." Lucy replied.
"Then back to you." Daniel said, turning Mike around.
"Daniel, I'm fine!" Mike whined.
"Over-protective brother?" Lucy asked.
Mike snorted. "He goes waaay past that." he replied.
"Once again, I can relate." Lucy said.
Mike snorted again.
Susan smiled. "I still don't see why Peter was so bloody protective." she said, making a face.
Lucy shrugged. "That's why he was so... magnificent." she said.
Susan smiled. "Yes, I suppose he wouldn't be magnificent if he let his little siblings to their doom." she said.
"Though I'm sue Ed put up a fight when Peter risked himself." Lucy said.
"Oh, no doubt." Susan said nodding her head, knowing their other brother too well.
"He was always trying to take the weight off Peter's shoulder's." Lucy said.
"To bad it never worked." Susan mumbled.
Lucy snorted. "He was able to trick him once." she said.
"When, I'm sure I missed it." Susan said.
"You never knew, but we ended up drugging him." Lucy said.
"Lucy!" Susan scolded.
"And that's why." Lucy said.
Susan glarred at her.
"There's Susan the Gentle." Lucy joked, smirking at the glare.
"Shut... up." Susan growled.
Lucy giggled and shook her head. "Alright, sorry, had to say it." she said.
Susan smiled. "It's alright Lu, come on, let's get home. Grandma and Grandpa will be there any minute." she said.
Lucy nodded and looked over at Mike and Daniel. "It was nice meeting you both." she said.
"Likewise." they replied.
And even though she was back, Susan couldn't help but catch the quick glance Lucy gave Mike and likewise.