Set A bit before SC

I do not own The Chronicles of Narnia. I wouldn't be writing fan fiction if I did, now, would I?

Susan smiled contentedly, practically floating across the dance floor in the arms of her partner. They danced, a perfect picture of grace and loveliness, as the crowds around them watched jealously.

Her eyes traveled down and she admired the silky, rose-colored dress. Her head felt slightly heavier with the thin, golden crown adorning it, but the weight almost felt natural. Then she let her eyes wander over the other faces surrounding her. The other boys looked jealous of her partner. Susan stifled a laugh—they all wanted to dance with her. They all envied Queen Susan's partner.

She almost stumbled in her steps. Queen Susan? Where did that come from? she wondered. Then she remembered the games she and her siblings had played when they were younger. They had been four monarchs in a faraway land called… Oh… What was it called?

She shrugged. No matter—they were silly games anyway. But the familiarity she felt from the crown's weight and the way her dress brushed against her skin still nagged at her mind. Had it been a game or something more?

Susan had to stifle another laugh. Someone must have put something in your punch, she scolded herself. You're full of silly ideas today.

She allowed herself to smile as she continued the dance, leaving her foolish ideas behind her. This was more real than any fairy-story.

As the dance ended and Susan curtsied to her partner, she felt sad eyes heavy on the back of her head. She turned around, expecting another reproachful partner to dance with, but instead she saw an enormous Lion. He met her gaze with golden eyes so full of love and sadness that she had to choke back the lump in her throat. "Aslan," she whispered. The Lion didn't even twitch a whisker.

Then Susan's more "sensible" side kicked in and she ran, screaming, "There's a lion!"

Most of the other children responded by screaming and following her example of running. A few fainted and some ran to get help; the one that caught Susan's attention was a little boy who stepped toward the Lion. Susan remembered seeing him off in the corner after Susan's friends shamed him for actually coming to the dance. His eyes were wide as he stumbled toward the creature and he fell on his knees in front of it. The Lion's eyes were soft, still full of absolute love as he breathed on the boy. The boy smiled and stepped back from the Lion, his face now much more peaceful.

At that moment, an adult ran in with a gun. Susan squinted at the face. The adult appeared to be a tall, dark-haired lady with a terrible expression of victory written on her face. Her lips moved and a voice echoed in Susan's mind. "And now, who has won? Fool, did you think that by all this you could save the human traitor?"

Susan blinked, and the adult's face shifted back into a red-haired man, yelling at the other boy to move. She turned to face the scene in front of her as the man pulled the trigger…

She felt a sick sense of déjà vu as the Lion fell, his eyes finally breaking from hers, and she felt an emotion similar to grief. Susan shook herself. It was just a stupid lion, she thought, but that didn't stop the tears from falling.

Susan woke with tears still sliding down her face. She stood, making sure the other girls in her room weren't awake, and tiptoed over to the sink. After she was sure she had scrubbed her face enough, she went back and sank into her bed. She shook her head at herself for crying at a dream.

She blamed her tears on her tender-heartedness toward animals, nothing more.

Author's Note:
Chapter TWO! And so quickly, right? Well, I have gotten some reviews, and that makes me very happy!
I think I'll write Eustace next. Just review and tell me which one you want to read. I'll be happy to oblige.

Review Thanks for:
Sentimental Star
eustacegirl
Jessica