Second drabble written for the same prompt #3: white for susancaspian on LJ.
Disclaimer: All rights to CS Lewis and Walden Media.
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.library.
The texture of the books sent a jolt of pleasure through her fingertips, and the ridges brushed against the edge of her nails. Thirteen hundred years of Narnian history lay organized before her, any documented year available to quench her thirst to know. She wanted to know everything. Everything that went on while she had been living someone else's life, someone who wasn't quite the Queen she was.
She had missed a year. She had missed thirteen hundred years, and she wanted every year, every month, day, hour, second-- she wanted it all back.
Standing on her toes and bending to the lowest shelf, Susan lingered from book to book, not knowing where to start. Her fingers hovered over the spine of a pearly white volume. She noticed how oddly out of place it looked being among ones of dark covers. Biting her lip, she--
"Browsing the works, I see." The voice startled her, and she immediately retreated from the mighty shelf. Doctor Cornelius sounded again, voice gentle. "No, no. It's quite all right, your highness. Very rarely do they receive such attention these days."
Susan warmly received his friendly smile, and gave him a polite bow for all who were scholarly were to be respected. Cornelius flushed, humbled that such a Queen should bow before him. "There's so much here," she said. "It's a bit overwhelming."
"I seem to remember that legends spoke of Queen Susan having a vast library of her own," his tone was light and admiring as he made his way swiftly to her side. "I imagine this is a mere bookstand in comparison."
Susan smiled shyly, confirming the tale. "I was quite fond of the library, but it was so long ago…" She lied, finding herself in an awkward moment. She remembered her dear library, and she missed it most strikingly when she wanted a good novel but she had read all of her 'new'ones. Wanting to seem as if occupied, she picked out a book and starting skimming through it.
"Ah-- that one. That's a special one." Cornelius spoke, evidence of reminiscence in his eyes. "That was the first book Caspian ever picked up from here. He was a rather young boy then, not quite seven. Walked straight into my study and plucked it right off the shelf when I wasn't in here. It was only a few days later that he came into the door, looking quite serious and put the book on my desk and said, 'There are no princes in that one.'"
The lady of the room laughed with mirth as she listened to the story, and turned through the book noticing its heavy emphasis on Telmarine military tactics and administration of colonies throughout the land. Susan shook her head. Definitely no princes in this one.
Cornelius shared her laughter and continued, "He had gotten into reading all sorts of books, and eventually, before he even turned eleven, he had read them all."
"No boy would willingly read all these, professor." She deftly placed the volume back. "I'm sure a friendly nudge from you was quite common. And it looks like you've done an excellent job teaching him. He's grown to be a fine, young man and a fine young King he will be." She said it with a certain, distant fondness of the Telmarine she had only met a few weeks prior.
Cornelius didn't miss it of course, and he could confess that he first thought it fruitless. She was the High Queen of Old, he was a diamond in the rough. It would have never worked. But the war was won, and the queen had proved to Cornelius, perhaps all in this one moment, that she was very much as gentle as the title befitted her. Now, he would confess that he saw a splendid match in her for his royal charge.
"Professor?" The inquiring voice brought his attention to her. "If I may… what is this book? The pages are blank." Cornelius glanced down at the object in her hands, and saw that it the only one masked in a pearl white color. He gave her a genuinely helpless look.
"I'm afraid I don't know, your Majesty." He said, and took the book from her. "It had appeared on my desk only a few days after Caspian's escape from the castle. I was just as puzzled as you are. The pages were, as it is now, without words."
She glanced curiously down at the binding, and saw that there were repetitive patterns of a lion's head, mane fanned in high volume. She heard the professor speak again, the tone of his voice reminding her of a certain professor back home in England.
"Perhaps," he gestured to the book intermittently between brushing the white waterfall that was his beard. "Perhaps, dare I say, He contributed to this library?"
Susan eyed him, confused. "He? You mean Aslan?"
Cornelius nodded, "When young Caspian blew your Majesty's horn, it has created a much different history than it would've if he had not done so. It may be that He means for you to begin your own history again, my Queen. Perhaps a history that should include a rich marriage?" At this, Susan blushed, embarrassed that all had known of her and Caspian's shameless flirtations but would not deny that the hopeful idea did not send anxious butterflies through her stomach.
He smiled knowingly at her, his twinkling eyes teasing her as a father would. He handed the book towards her, and bid her a good day. "This study is free for your use, your highness. I should hope it will be satisfactory to your needs."
"I should think it already has been, my dear professor. Thank you." Susan gave a polite nod as the scholar bowed and left, shutting the door behind him. She looked back down at the closed cover of the book, and brushed a gentle hand over it.
She had missed all those years, months, days, hours, seconds-- and now, she was determined to not miss any more.
