Chapter 7-A Formal Introduction

After allowing Edmund back into his own room, Peter had to think quickly. Letting the girls know Caspian was here was going to prove difficult. He knew Lucy would be overjoyed at seeing Caspian, but Susan probably wouldn't be. That's what he was guessing at least.

"Hey, what happened to the game we were playing?" Edmund asked referring to the checkers game he and Caspian had been playing moments before Peter had walked in.

"We put it away." Peter told him firmly. "You can play later." He added at the look of shock on Edmund's face.

"Fine. But how come you weren't surprised to see Caspian when you came in?"

"What do you mean? Of course I was shocked!" Peter told him defensively.

"But I got the impression that you knew he was here before." Edmund said.

Peter had crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged as he said, "okay, so I admit, I found him at school."

"Wait…" Edmund said, coming over to him, "you found him at school?"

"Yes."

"What do you mean by that?"

"It means he was sitting in my class when I got there!" Peter told him.

Edmund suddenly turned to Caspian who had been sitting quietly on Peter's bed. "What were you doing at our school?"

Caspian shrugged and said, "I didn't really know at first. All I know is that a pack of girls were surrounding me and I wanted to escape them, so I found myself on this long…I don't know what it was, but it transported me to this…place where I saw a lot of boys dressed up the way I was. So, I decided to get off because maybe one of them knew you two. I was fortunate enough to find Peter in the same room though. Aslan said I would find you if I went to your—what is it, skool?"

"Yes," Peter and Edmund answered simultaneously.

"So, I did." Caspian finished.

Edmund then looked at Peter, "then…when you told me you had stuff to do after school, that was just a cover story?"

"Look, Ed, I'm sorry, but I wasn't sure how to say 'look, Ed, it's Caspian!' without you bothering him with questions and such."

"Bothering him with questions?" Edmund asked, infuriated. "And what did you do, play hop-scotch with him?"

"Look, I said I was sorry. It's just…" Peter was lost in his own thoughts again, thinking about his true feelings why he had told the lie to Edmund. He wanted Caspian all to himself. He wasn't ready to share him to everyone else. He still wasn't. He wasn't comfortable with Caspian seeing everyone else. That meant less time with him. And if Caspian wasn't planning to stay terribly long, he needed as much time with the prince as he could get.

"What?" Edmund demanded when Peter didn't finish his sentence.

"I admit I was in the wrong." Peter said, "I should have told you right away. But he's here now, so ask him anything you want."

Edmund glared at Peter for a moment, but then turned to Caspian as he asked what had been bothering him since he had first seen him. "Why are you here, Caspian?"

Caspian had been sitting quietly while the two brothers quarreled and looked up at the younger of the two and said, "Aslan told me to come."

"He did?" Edmund asked excitedly. "How is he?"

"As well as ever." Caspian said. "Though, I think he does miss seeing you. But nevertheless, he asked me to come to England because of Lucy's illness. I was asked to check on her to make sure she'll be all right for her next journey…"

While Caspian explained all the details to the anticipating Edmund, Peter couldn't help but feel sort of lonely as he stood by the door. He suddenly felt envious toward Edmund and Lucy for going off again to Narnia, only to spend more time with Caspian. It angered him. Why did he have to meet Caspian on his last voyage to Narnia? Why couldn't the prince have been there when he actually grew up to be a king? But then, he remembered what happened when they had returned. Practically everyone they had known all that time was gone. He was somewhat glad that he had met Caspian on their return, but it didn't help matters that Caspian would be going back and he would never see him again.

"So, have you not seen Susan then?"

Peter's heart thumped loudly at the mention of his oldest sister. He was fully alert now as Caspian was about to answer.

"No," Peter cut in, "he hasn't seen her yet."

Edmund looked at his brother oddly at his sudden interruption and then said, "well, shouldn't she know that Caspian's here?"

Peter fumbled over his words to answer the question. He wanted to say 'yes' and 'no' at the same time, but knew that Edmund already thought him weird for keeping Caspian's presence secret.

"She doesn't need to know right away." Peter finally said.

Edmund stared at him, then came closer to him where he whispered, "Peter, you know how Caspian looked at her before she left Narnia. He loves her."

These words were torture for Peter to hear. Why did Edmund have to keep reminding him about what happened before they left Narnia?

"You know she's moved on." Peter whispered back. "If she sees Caspian now, she'll go nuts. Would you rather she keep her sanity or lose it by seeing him again?"

"Pete, she needs to at least know he's here—even if she doesn't care for him anymore. She deserves to know."

That's what Peter didn't like. If Caspian had really been longing to see her and she broke his heart, Peter couldn't bear to see him cry over her. The prince's heart wasn't an easy one to mend, he imagined. Nevertheless, Edmund had a point. Even if Susan was no longer interested in Caspian, she at least deserved to know that he was in their house.

"Okay." Peter finally admitted.

Edmund and he looked up at Caspian and Peter asked the prince, "You ready to see the girls?"

Caspian practically leapt off the bed, an enthusiastic move Peter was not very content to see, and said, "yes."

Edmund led the prince down the hall while Peter trailed behind. The younger brother rapped on the girls' door and heard Susan's voice behind it telling whomever it was to come in.

Edmund opened up the door and said triumphantly, "ladies, I have a surprise for you. Someone you never thought you'd see here."

After his little introduction, he stepped aside to allow Caspian to show himself in the doorframe. Immediately, Peter saw two faces say completely different things. Lucy's transformed into a joyous smile while Susan's dropped slightly, keeping a straight face, but giving off an inconceivable look nonetheless.

"Caspian!" Lucy called from her bed. "What are you doing here?"

Caspian allowed himself to come further into the room as he faced Lucy, smiling as he knelt beside her and said, "Aslan sent me to see you."

"Really?" She asked, her face lighting up euphorically. "How is he?"

"He's good. He misses you though. He's also sorry you don't feel well. He had no idea how serious your illness was, so he sent me to make sure you get through whatever it is."

Lucy smiled at him and held her arms out and they hugged gently. Peter watched all this happen, but then turned to look at his other sister and noticed she was looking at Caspian rather coldly, but not saying anything. He felt his fist clench a little unconsciously at seeing her unimpressed face.

After they broke apart, Caspian turned to look at Susan and smiled wryly. "Susan," he breathed, "how have you been?"

Susan got up from her chair she was seated in, looking at him with lost eyes, but instead of answering, she ran past her brothers and into the hall. Peter watched as she locked herself in the toilet. Well, that went well, didn't it? He thought sarcastically.