Disclaimer: I do not own The Chronicles of Narnia. All characters, places, and objects therein belong to CS Lewis and his representatives. This story is purely for non-profit, entertainment purposes.
This Desperate Youth, Chapter 4
July arrived in the midst of a cloud of oppressive heat and sudden, violent storms that seemed to reflect the turbulent atmosphere at the palace. Lucy's 15th birthday was but a few days distant and the preparations were already in full swing, somewhat hampered by Lucy's abject refusal to participate. Under normal circumstances Susan would have felt compelled to prod her into compliance, but they'd all been walking on eggshells around Lucy since the Grand Vizier's departure.
Susan was once again in the state of frenzy from which she worked best, furiously ordering gowns, reupholstering ballrooms, planning menus, drawing up seating charts, and assigning chambers to guests. Edmund and Peter made themselves scarce during this period, often finding themselves ducking around corners and behind bits of tapestry when Susan and her entourage swept by. More often they simply snuck out into the forest or had a drink in the library to rule out any chance encounters.
They were in the midst of the latter, only hours before the Birthday Banquet, when the heavy library doors swung open, admitting Susan, who slammed them shut and leaned against them. Edmund shared a look with Peter then turned to the sideboard to pour Susan a drink. Peter rose and escorted his rather frazzled sister to a chair. After taking a sip of her drink she turned haunted eyes on her brothers.
"She won't come down," she said hollowly.
"Who?" Edmund asked, furrowing his brow.
"Oh, don't be thick, Ed," Susan said sharply. "Lucy. Lucy refuses to come to her own banquet." She breathed out a sigh and brushed her hair back from her forehead. Peter and Edmund shared helpless looks and Susan looked as if she might cry.
"I knew something was wrong. She's been moping around these last two months, but she hasn't been out of her rooms in a week," Susan said mournfully.
"Do you...do you think it's something to do with Tumnus?" Edmund asked hesitantly.
"Of course it's to do with Tumnus," she said scathingly. "She swore she never wanted to see him again, but she's put out that he's held up in Calormen when she'd expected him here for her birthday, only her pride will never let her admit it." Susan stood abruptly and began to pace, muttering to herself.
"I had a new gown made up all in amethyst for her, with ribbons and lace, and new slippers with those jeweled buckles she wanted so much last month..." Susan looked from Edmund to Peter with a lost expression on her face. "I just don't know what else to do," she moaned, collapsing on a couch. The tears that had been threatening welled up in her eyes and began to fall in earnest.
"There, there, Susan," Peter said, patting her awkwardly on the back. He looked at Edmund and made a "do something" gesture with his other hand. Edmund ran a hand through his hair and knelt in front of her.
"Look," he said finally. "Why don't you just finish getting ready and if she hasn't come down by the time the banquet starts we'll tell them she's...got a cold."
"A cold?" Peter mouthed incredulously from behind Susan.
"A cold?" Susan sniffed hesitantly, biting her lips. "Y-yes. I suppose...it's a bit weak, but if we call a doctor the guests might at least pretend to be convinced..."
"She might come down," Peter suggested weakly.
"Yes," Edmund agreed quickly but Susan only twisted her mouth into a grimace and shook her head.
Lucy stared into the mirror, dangling her legs over the edge of her high bed. She was sulking, if anyone cared to notice, and when one was sulking one did not attend banquets, even birthday banquets, even when one had a new dress. She bit her bottom lip and glanced at the beautiful gown her maid had laid out on the bed. Right before she had overturned the washstand and caused the young maid to flee the room in her vehement declarations against attendance.
Lucy glumly examined her reflection, noting with increasing despondence the plain brown eyes, dark, wavy hair and her non-entity of a nose. She was just so inescapably, boringly, pretty, she thought. Susan and Peter were both so handsome and regal, and Edmund still had that delicate, boyish beauty that reminded them all of their mother, but she... she was simply unremarkable.
She was roused from her vat of self pity by a sharp knock at her door. With a sigh Lucy threw herself backwards onto her bed and crossed her arms.
"I already told you, I'm not coming down." She was startled by the sound of the door being kicked open. Sitting up sharply she stared open mouthed as her lady's maid swept into the room, arms draped with cloths and carrying a tray laden with cups and platters. She threw a look in Lucy's direction before depositing her burden on the wide dresser and heading into the closet.
"Zelphie? What...I said, I'm not coming--" Lucy began confusedly. The only reply was a scraping sound from the closet. Lucy pulled her legs beneath her and grasped one of the bedosts.
"Zelphie?" she called again. "What are you doing?" Zelphie inched into view, straining to heave a heavy porcelain tub into the room. Lucy once again found her mouth gaping open as the tiny woman pulled the tub before the fireplace and pulled the bell for hot water. She turned around, hands on her hips and surveyed the room with pursed lips.
"You, get in da tub," she said to Lucy, then, "What you waiting for?" towards the still-open door. Lucy turned to see two nervous maids curtsey into the room, arms full of boxes and containers. The two girls scurried across the room to the vanity and began unloading the boxes which turned out to contain various cosmetics, oils, and other beauty implements. Lucy's eyes widened and she shook her head.
"No...wait a moment. I thought I told you I'm not-"
"And I told you. Get. In. Da. Tub. And don't ya be givin' me no mouth. I got a lot a work to get you ready fer da party." Lucy narrowed her eyes and considered her options. She might be able to make a run for it and hide out in the palace until it was too late...
Zelphie was berating one of the maids and overseeing the water that had just arrived for the bath. It was now or never. Taking a deep breath, Lucy dived for the door.
Lucy sat at the head of the table, in honor of her birthday. She twinkled and charmed and smiled at everyone around her until the ache in her face almost rivalled her burning scalp and throbbing hip. She had been halfway to the door before Zelphie had even realized what was going on.
"No you don't!" she had cried, springing after Lucy. Lucy had reached the doorway and was swinging around the corner when she was suddenly jerked backwards by the hair. Screaming and thrashing, she did her best to avoid being dragged across the floor to the tub. Ultimately, she only succeeded in banging her hip on the rim of the tub.
She was then stripped, scrubbed, soaped, rinsed, brushed and dried in record time. Zelphie forced her into a chair and proceeded to work her magic and when Susan knocked on her door fourty five minutes later Lucy was (grudgingly) ready to head downstairs. Susan had actually gotten teary and kept hugging Zelphie and thanking her effusively, calling her "a miracle worker" and "a true artist," both of which Lucy rather resented.
And so it was she found herself being pulled onto the dance floor by Peter to open the dancing. The orchestra sprang up and Peter gave Lucy a courtly bow before sweeping her into the steps of the dance. Susan swept by on the arm of a young Calormene, beaming at Lucy as she passed. Lucy ground her teeth and simultaneously mashed Peter's foot.
"Oh! I'm sorry Peter!" she said, instantly contrite. "My mind was wandering." Peter smiled graciously and carried on dancing with his youngest sister, ignoring the throbbing of his left foot. As the song ended, Lucy found a nervous young man waiting to ask for the next dance, and another after that so that she was never forced to sit out a single dance.
When she finally retired to the edge of the room to catch her breath she found that Susan had been wanting a word with her.
"I've been wanting a word with you," Susan said, guiding her to a pair of chairs hidden behind a column and a large potted plant. Susan grasped Lucy's hands in her own and looked into her eyes searchingly.
"I've noticed you've not been entirely happy these last few months," she began tentatively. "and I couldn't help but feel that part of that is due to the lack of people your own age." Susan waved away Lucy's protest before it was uttered. "I don't mean Talking Animals or..." she hesitated for a moment, "or fauns, Lucy. I mean humans, human girls to gossip with and dress with and young men to..."she trailed off staring down at their hands.
Lucy heard the sound of the small orchestra tuning and craned her head to see them. Edmund had mentioned earlier that a centaur famous for her beautiful voice was to perform an exhibition sometime that evening and Lucy sighed, wondering if she would be forced to spend the rest of the night trapped behind a giant palm tree, holding her sister's hand whilst everyone else enjoyed the concert.
"Lucy," Susan finally said. "I thought you might like a change of scenery."
"Mmm," Lucy replied, her attention firmly on that corner of the musicians' platform visible to her. She was sure that whatever sisterly advice Susan felt inclined to impart could not be more interesting than the spectacle about to take place.
"I thought you might like a change of scenery," Susan repeated more firmly, "so I've arranged for you to visit the court at Galma!" Lucy blinked and shook her head.
"I'm sorry?" she asked in disbelief. Susan beamed and tears welled up in her eyes.
"Oh Lucy, I knew it was just the thing!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around Lucy's shoulders. As the first deep notes of the centaur's song rolled over the room, Lucy began to think that she might have been better served listening to Susan after all.
A/N: I apologize for taking so long to get this chapter out. I went through a severe bout of near-to-finals depression that I've only just come out of. Just in time for school to get back in. This was a tough chapter for me to write for some reason, probably because it was mostly filler with a dollop of plot thrown in at the end. Everyone felt terribly out of character whilst I was writing, and the feeling persists even now. But. I am tired of this chapter and so I'm posting it with the sincere hope of never bothering with it again.
Thanks to everyone who has reviewed up to this point, it was reading those over and over that finally got me motivated to finish this chapter.