Chapter Two

The group dashed up the castle steps in the midst of thunder and lightning tearing up the sky. They saw Caspian, Trufflehunter, and Twilight running toward them.

"What's wrong? What happened?" said Caspian, taking the weeping Susan in his arms.

"Lucy's sick," cried Susan. Peter shoved past Caspian and carried Lucy into the castle, Edmund, Susan, Caspian, and the badgers following.

It was very warm inside and there was a roaring fire, but they took little notice.

Peter put Lucy down gently on the infirmary bed and Twilight swooped down on her.

"What happened?"

"There's some red berries in the woods," said Susan, her voice choked up. Caspian put an arm around her.

"We picked them, and Lucy ate some."

"She started having a sort of seizure," said Peter. "Lucy was crying and writhing and all sorts of dreadful things."

"Red berries?" said Twilight, looking alarmed. "Those are extremely poisonous! It's a wonder she isn't dead!"

"Well, Edmund used something called yew-"

"Yew?" said Trufflehunter.

"Yeah," said Peter. "She threw up most of them, I think."

Edmund couldn't speak. He sat, staring stiffly at Lucy's motionless little figure.

"Well that's good at least," said Twilight, her paw around Lucy's limp wrist. "You did exactly the right thing, Edmund."

Edmund didn't reply, although a shadow of a smile appeared on his face.

"She will be all right, won't she?" said Caspian. Twilight sighed.

"I don't know. And I don't know how long until she's fit to talk. But I will say that her chances are better because Edmund administered the yew. Lucy will still be very sick and weak. She is very young, and she needs a lot of time to recover. And she's going to need support from her family."

"We won't leave her side," said Susan and Peter. Edmund, once again, said nothing.

"I have some medicine that might help, but there's no guarantees. She might live, she might not. Now you all need to get to bed. I know you said you'd stay," she added, as Peter and Susan stood up to protest. "But you need sleep as well as her. Now, go on."

Peter kissed Lucy's head then left. Susan did the same, except she said "Sleep well."

Edmund didn't move.

Peter tried to pull him out of the chair. "Come on, Ed."

Finally, Edmund got up, planted a kiss on Lucy's sweaty forehead, then left.

No one slept well that night. Peter could not get the day's events out of his head, and all Susan did was cry.

But no one saw Edmund get out of bed, sneak back down to the infirmary with a blanket and a pillow, and sit back down in the chair next to Lucy's bed.

He wasn't letting her out of his sight. His job as the older brother was to protect her. And if they didn't like it, they could all go to you-know-where.

In the morning, Twilight came in with Trufflehunter. They found Lucy asleep in her bed, and Edmund asleep in the chair.

--

For several days, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and even Caspian went nowhere else. They only left Lucy's room to eat and go to bed, and some days they slept there.

They hardly ate either. Perhaps it was fear that their food too would be poisoned, or that they just weren't hungry. But whatever the reason, at dinner no one ate much. They just sat stiff-jawed and expressionless at the table.

Their lack of food and sleep was nearing serious. Peter was most unlike himself, becoming irritable with everyone and everything. Susan became very weak from not eating and from losing so much weight, and had to sit down all the time. And Edmund didn't even speak anymore. Without sleep, large circles formed under each pair of eyes.

One day, all they did was sit there and watch Lucy's silent but heart-wrenching struggle against the sickness. She tossed and turned and often cried out in her sleep, with her sister stroking her hair and her brothers looking on worriedly.

Twilight came in often and tried to get them to leave, but they wouldn't. They couldn't.

But then that same day Trufflehunter came in.

"Some creatures are threatening the border. Glenstorm and Trumpkin require your assistance."

Peter and Edmund, surprisingly, got up and left without a word.

Susan was left with Lucy, having to listen to Lucy's labored breathing. Guilt washed over Susan.

She was the one that had let Lucy eat the berries. If she had stuck with her refusal this would never have happened.

Caspian ducked his head in silently. Susan was in there alone.

He ducked back out, looking a little scared.

"I don't know if I can do this," he said to the badgers.

"Just grit your teeth and do it," said Trufflehunter. "Fear will get you nowhere."

"No, I mean I don't think this is the right time while her sister is so sick."

"Well, give it a try," said Twilight. "In all likelihood it may not be. But you never know how someone's going to react to what you say."

So Caspian walked in quietly. Susan had just wet a cloth and put it on Lucy's head when she heard Caspian enter.

"Hi," she said, smiling.

Caspian sat next to her. "Hi."

They were silent for a minute, partly because both were afraid they'd say something stupid in front of the other.

Caspian decided to take a brave stab at conversation, and his eyes fell on Lucy. "How is she?"

This apparently was the wrong thing to ask, for Susan's eyes filled with tears.

"No wait-" said Caspian hastily, but Susan waved her hand at him, wiping her eyes.

"It's fine," she said. "I just feel so guilty. I let her eat the berries. I let her eat them. And now-"

She gestured wordlessly at Lucy's pale little face, and started to cry.

Caspian hugged her.

"It's not your fault."

Susan let him hug her while she cried. She needed someone to lean on.

Finally Susan pulled herself together.

"I'm okay now," she said. "Thank you."

"Can I ask you something?" said Caspian suddenly.

"Of course," said Susan. "What?"

This was the moment that Caspian had been practicing for, the single shining moment that he had been planning to tackle with such confidence.

But when he looked into Susan's beautiful face, he suddenly felt all the words in his throat die instantaneously. Caspian fingered the ring in his pocket nervously.

"Will you, er, well, would you want to...that is to say, would we-"

Susan looked confused. "I'm sorry?"

"Would you...would you...would you excuse me for a moment?"

"Yeah," said Susan, still looking a little bewildered.

Caspian ducked out of the room, where Twilight and Trufflehunter had been listening.

"Well?" They both said.

"I couldn't do it," said Caspian. "I just..."

"Just get in there and ask her!" said Trufflehunter encouragingly. "For heaven's sake, you were in a battle for an entire country!"

"Good point!" said Twilight. "Get in there and talk to her!"

So Caspian took a deep breath and went back in.

Susan stood to meet him and peered into his face. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," said Caspian. "I just wanted to ask..."

He paused, then said "If you were okay. I hope Lucy feels better."

Good save. He thought to himself. I'll have to try later.

Caspian turned away briefly to see the badgers give him understanding and slightly exasperated nods.

"Yeah, I'm okay," said Susan. "I hope she gets better too."

Then suddenly there were small sounds coming from Lucy's bed. Susan and Caspian rushed toward it.

For the first time in over a week, Lucy was opening her eyes. She blinked dazedly.

"Susan..." she said, in an exhausted and faint voice. "Where..."

But she didn't even get to finish (she probably wouldn't have in a while anyway) because Susan and Caspian both threw their arms around her.

"Twilight!" called Caspian. "Lucy's awake!"

Twilight almost fell in her attempt to get through the door.

"Oh, you're awake!" she cried, joining in the hug.

Words failed them all as they looked at her. Twilight adjusted Lucy's pillows so she could sit up, and Lucy did so, beaming back at them.

"You're okay," said Susan finally, her voice choked up, tears spilling out of her eyes.

"What happened...to me?" said Lucy.

"Do you remember anything?" said Twilight. "Anything?"

Lucy's eyes clouded with confusion.

"I remember we were in the woods, and then Susan told me I could eat some berries. They looked delicious, but I started to feel sick after I ate them. And then..."

"Then?"

"I can't remember anything else," said Lucy. "That's really all except waking up here."

Then Lucy had a small coughing fit and closed her eyes: talking was exhausting for her.

"Those berries are extremely poisonous," said Twilight. "You must never, ever go near them again."

"Well I know that now," said Lucy, her eyes still closed. Susan and Caspian laughed and Twilight smiled.

"Oh, your brothers are going to be so happy to see you awake!" said Twilight.

Lucy's eyes sprang open.

"I just remembered something else! Edmund...I saw him leaning over me."

"He saved your life," said Susan shakily."You're alive because of him."

"I must remember to thank him," said Lucy faintly. "Who got me back?"

"Peter did," said Caspian. "Trufflehunter, Twilight, and I ran outside and we saw Peter carrying you."

"Lucy!" said a voice, and Trufflehunter came forward and hugged her.

"You're awake! Your brothers have been so worried-"

"Where are they?" said Lucy.

"They're back dear," said Trufflehunter, his face grave and relieved at the same time.

"They're back?" said Susan.

"And in bad shape," said Trufflehunter. "They had to ward off a patrol of some of the White Witch's former followers. But I think Lucy was on their minds the whole time, because when they fought, their hearts just weren't in it. They're going to be in here a while. We're not sure if they'll make it."