Author's Note: Stand-a-lone piece. This was done by a request from blackcathollow at livejournal. Pure fluff and not much anything else. AU. Susan/Caspian.
Disclaimer: All rights belong to CS Lewis & Walden Media.
.visitation invitation.
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"How could you have gotten the time wrong, Edmund?" Peter shouted behind him as they ran across the street to the train station. Edmund and Lucy trailed him, each lugging their own baggage.
"It's quite easy actually, see." Edmund started. "When I was checking the tickets, Emily Wilkenshire said something or other about a good right party which she invited me to. It was supposed to be at---."
"Four-thirty, we know." Peter and Lucy grumbled out. Edmund fell sheepishly silent.
"Actually, we might've been able to make it on time if you hadn't thought Mulberry Road was Millberry, Peter." Lucy piped and slowed abruptly behind Edmund to show the man at the booths her ticket.
Edmund grinned, "Lucy's got a point."
"I knew where I was going!" Peter protested and took up his bags again to go into the tunnel. "It was a shortcut!"
"Mum's going to be mad if she found out we took a shortcut and got here late!" Lucy said. They heard the distant sound of the train's engine and turned the corner to board. Peter skidded to an immediate halt when he rounded the corner and saw no train. He dropped his bags and looked back behind to see Lucy and Edmund looking equally surprised. When he glanced behind them, he didn't see the other end of the tunnel --- well, he saw the other end of a tunnel just not the tunnel.
"So… we never would have caught the train anyways. It's not my fault anymore, is it?" asked Edmund, dropping his bags and taking a look around. They were still in a tunnel, that was for sure. But this one was made of uneven stone, and there were torches along the wall instead of refined lighting.
Peter walked a few ways down the other side, but there were no more torches and all he saw was complete darkness. He turned around and looked at Lucy, "Well, Dorothy? The cowardly lion suggests we go that way." He pointed to the end where Edmund had already departed to.
Lucy laughed, but grabbed her bags again to follow after Edmund. Peter did the same, grabbing Edmund's as well.
"Edmund?" Lucy called as she hurried along the corridor. She couldn't quite see her Just brother anymore. Peter scrambled quickly to get in front of her just in case something might pop out. He didn't exactly like the idea of leaving her open to anything behind them either though.
They were startled when they heard a sudden, "Oh bloody----. What in the name of Aslan's mane?" They saw Edmund rushing back to them, dusting off his pants and kicking his feet.
"Edmund, what is it?" Peter asked, pulling Lucy behind him. She squirmed and pushed him aside so that she could see what was wrong with Ed.
"I-I don't know. But it was hairy and…. Wet." Edmund wiped his face with a disgusted look on his face. He looked back down the dark tunnel and jerked away to hide behind Peter when the beast came charging towards him. "Ah hell." He muttered when he got a clear look at the dastardly vermin.
"Oh, he's so cute!" Lucy exclaimed and bent down to pet the puppy on his head.
Peter made a face at Edmund, "The great Edmund the Just threatened into retreat by a single, four-pawed pup. I'm shocked, Ed."
"He was much more menacing in the dark," the Just king defended.
The 'beast' lolled his tongue and viciously wagged his tail as he propped his forelegs onto Edmund's knees. He patted it neatly on the head embarrassingly.
The dog seemed to be satisfied with this and moved in circles in front of them until leading them back down the tunnel. The three Pevensies looked at each other and shrugged. "Looks like we've found Toto," Peter allured and moved to follow the pup first.
They followed their four legged guide down the dark tunnel after Edmund grabbed a torch from off the wall, something he probably should've done in the first place to save him the humiliation.
"Where do you think this leads?" Lucy asked to which her brothers simply shrugged.
"Wherever it is," Peter started. "Let's hope there's no true beast at the end of it."
Edmund held the torch steady ahead of them, "Do you think we're in Narnia again? It's only been a month after we've gotten back to England though."
"Might be. But what time in Narnia? Last time we were thirteen hundred years in the future from when we defeated the White Witch. Is it another thirteen years from when we left… you know, Susan." Peter ended awkwardly.
"Thirteen hundred years since then? So… you might think that maybe… they're all dead? Even Su?" Edmund asked.
Lucy made a horrified face at his implication, and Edmund quickly corrected himself. "But we might be wrong of course," he said hurriedly. "I mean, what if we might've even gone back in time? Maybe we're back to before the White Witch took over and we have to sto--." At Lucy's even more terrified expression, he sighed. "I'll just… shut up and walk."
"Look, is that-- Do you see that? It's a light." Peter pointed ahead of them.
"There's something oddly unsettling about all of this," Edmund said looking at their guide. "You had better not be some sort of Reaper."
The dog in question merely tilted his head back and barked.
"Quib?" The new voice startled them, not only because it seemed to come from no where, but how high pitched and young it sounded.
Their guide barked once again and rushed forward disappearing into the dark. The Pevensies bolted as well just to see what was going on. They were only vaguely aware that the light they had seen was a flickering of a torch and was getting bigger and bigger as they moved forward. The two torches met and the first thing they saw was their guide slobbering up the face of a little girl. Peter would guess that she looked about four, maybe five.
The girl in question looked up at them with wide eyes and Peter reverted his own to the figure carrying the lighted torch. The man looked oddly familiar.
"King Peter?" He asked.
Peter raised his eyebrows, "Caspian!"
Lucy moved forward and launched herself into Caspian's arms, "Caspian!"
The man before them was definitely their Caspian. Everything about him screamed of the young Telmarine they had met only a month ago. From his eyes, to his stature, down to the lion-crested hilt of the sword at his side.
"The beard's coming in well," Edmund noted. Caspian instinctively brushed his hand across his cheek where the stubble was coming in.
"Poignant as always, King Edmund." The Telmarine responded with a grin.
"Caspian?" A voice came behind Caspian and they hadn't noticed the third source of light joining their circle. The Pevensies brightened at the sight of their sister, Susan, who looked well, alive, and as beautiful as they had left her.
"Susan!" Lucy tore herself from Caspian and went to hug her sister, "You're not dead!"
"I should hope not," Susan nervously said, but delightfully returned the hug before greeting her brothers in the same fashion. "When did you all get here?" She noticed their luggage, but they didn't have their uniforms. "How long as it been for you all?"
Before the Pevensies could answer, the girl they first met piped up and they noticed that she had gotten up from petting 'Quib' and tugged at Susan's green dress. "Mommy, who are these people?"
Peter, Edmund, and Lucy proceeded to develop eyes the size of saucers and looked at Susan.
"Wh-- How did tha--?" Peter stumbled over his words.
"Mum still not have that talk with you?" Susan quipped. She bent down to pick up the four year old. "This is our daughter, Helen. Helen, these are your aunt and uncles."
"Like Uncle Trumpkin?" Helen asked, once more as wide-eyed and fascinated as she was before.
Edmund laughed out loud at the idea of Uncle Trumpkin.
Lucy beamed, "You named her after Mum?"
"Perhaps we should head back to the castle and have everyone settled?" Caspian suggested and Peter thought it was a good idea. He had some talking to do with Susan. He wasn't sure he approved of Helen quite yet.
"Where are we anyways?" Edmund asked, swatting away Quib from his knee again.
"You're at the How," Helen chirped. "Aslan's How!"
"Seems a bit less lively than what I remember," said Peter.
"Well, we're not exactly leading a rebellion against the Telmarine army," Caspian gave a wry smile. "Come on. It's getting dark outside and we best be heading back."
"We were having a picnic outside and Helen wanted to explore the How," Susan said, shifting her daughter in her hold. "For the fourth time, may I add."
"It's cool!" The dark haired princess exclaimed. Her mother simply shook her head and gestured for Peter, Edmund, and Lucy to follow them out.
~*~
"It's been six years since we left?" repeated Edmund as Susan sat back down in her seat after getting them all tea. She had sent Helen and Quib off to get Trumpkin. Caspian leaned casually against his chair.
"Six, according to our time." Caspian said.
"It's only been a month since we were back in the train station." Lucy said, "And the boy was asking for you, too. The one with the glasses."
Susan laughed at the distant memory of him and even more so when she saw the inquiring look on Caspian's face.
"He wasn't the only one." Peter said solemnly. "You're dead, Su. In England. There was an accident outside the train station. You were crossing and there was a faulty car… But you died."
Edmund nodded at this, "We didn't find out until we arrived at school and got a letter. Mum asked for us to come home and so we did. Mum and Dad were really upset and they were upset with us because we didn't seem to care, but we did! It's just…"
"We knew you weren't dead, obviously, so we couldn't really… you know." Lucy trailed off.
Susan had fallen silent and her face was pensive, "So… are they all right? Mum and Dad?"
"Well, Dad has taken the blow but Mum's the one crumbling." Peter explained, "He decided to take her to America to try and get her to take her mind off of it. They didn't want us along so they sent us to Aunt Muriel's."
The Gentle Queen furrowed her eyebrows, "We have an Aunt Muriel?"
"That's exactly what I asked," added Edmund.
Peter gave him a look. "You don't remember her? She… well, she's older than Dad, which means she's well… old. She had all those cats? We only met her once and you were sneezing all over the place until we realized that you were allergic to cats, Su."
Susan remembered the massive stinging in her nose. "Oh! Aunt Muriel! With the horrible green cardigan?"
"That's the one," Peter nodded. "We were on our way there when we… appeared here."
"At the How," Caspian finished.
Lucy made a face at Edmund when she saw him stuffing his face with the pastries that their sister had laid out. He merely gave her a shrug in return, mouthing 'I'm hungry.'
"So what all has happened in the last six years after we left?" Lucy asked, propping her chin on her hands.
"After you left through the tree, Aslan left as well," answered Susan. "We haven't seen him since that day. Caspian and I married and I really had wished that you were all there."
"You could have waited six years." Edmund said, "We would've been there."
Caspian gave a small cough and Susan smiled sheepishly in his direction. "Caspian was rather impatient." Peter quirked his eyebrows at him, his disapproving frown still marring his face.
"Afterwards, Caspian and Cornelius worked on evening out all the wrinkles in the kingdom. Some of the Telmarines that stayed started causing some protest. Apparently they felt a lot more brave after Aslan disappeared," continued Susan. "We tried talking to them but it didn't work much, until Caspian had Reep spy on one of the members and found their hideaway and gave them a good roughing up. That seemed to work beautifully."
"When all else fails…" said Caspian. "A year later, Susan changed quite a bit. She started demanding so many things. Chocolates, pastries, and something called… baggers?"
"Bangers," corrected Susan.
"Bangers. Sausages, Caspian." Edmund said shoving another pastry in his mouth.
"… That's what they were?" Caspian asked incredulously.
"It's not at all difficult," said Susan. "And I only had those cravings for a month ---"
"--three--"
"-- when I was pregnant with Helen."
"We named her Helen both for your mother, as Susan told me, and in honor of the first Queen of Narnia." Caspian said.
"That's great!" Lucy exclaimed.
"So," Peter said slowly. "Is there any trouble now? I mean… does there happen to be a war going on? Evil witch on the rise?"
Caspian and Susan looked at each other and mimicked, "No."
"Are you sure?" Peter pressed, "Why would Aslan bring us back then?"
"What does it matter, Peter?" Lucy said, "He gave us an opportunity to see Susan and Caspian again!" The youngest Pevensie launched herself at her sister in another embrace.
"I don't suppose you run out of hugs nowadays," a new voice sounded through the room. Everyone turned to the door and saw Trumpkin standing there with an expecting expression on his face. Helen and Quib entered as well, heading straight towards her mother and father. "About time you lot got here."
"Trumpkin!" Lucy proceeded to maul the dwarf in a giant hug. "It's so good to see you! I didn't think I would ever get to see you again!"
"It's been a long six years," Trumpkin returned the gesture. "You haven't changed a bit."
"Well, it's only been a short while for us." Lucy shrugged. "A month or so."
Trumpkin paused and just shook his head, "I won't ask how that works."
"We don't," Edmund interjected from his spot at the table. "You're looking swell, Trump."
"Thanks," the red dwarf bowed his head at the youngest king. "And what's this I hear about a monstrous beast named Quib?"
Edmund frowned.
Trumpkin turned to Caspian and Susan, "Your Majesties. The caravan from Archenland have arrived carrying your requested packages."
"Excellent!" Susan clapped her hands together and they both stood. "Oh, you all must try these cakes. I've been waiting for them for weeks!"
"A day ago, she didn't really want them anymore, but we couldn't exactly tell the King of Archenland that. It was a gesture of good faith from him, I'm sure." Caspian said.
Peter looked at them suspiciously, his frown permanently sticking to his face. "You're saying she's pregnant again? As in… right now?"
Susan nodded happily at her brother, oblivious to the crippling glare that he was giving her husband. "We've only found out a few weeks ago, most unpleasantly, I may add." Caspian stayed silent, suddenly feeling that his life was in danger. He picked Helen up just in case he needed a safeguard.
Edmund swallowed, "We might have a war after all."
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Fin.
