Disclaimer: I do not own the Chronicles of Narnia.
A/N: This is the day after the last chapter.
Susan would never develop at taste for weapons the way Peter and to some extent Edmund had. She understood why Peter insisted on self defense lessons for her and Lucy, and the drills that she ran through with her guards. She did it, but in return, she spent an hour every day with her bow, practicing her skill as an archer under the patient tutelage of a dwarf archer.
The targets were set up on an open field across the Great River, near where the core of the army had begun to build. Susan went there by boat, her own escape from Cair Paravel. With her went the sleek panthers of her guard, and that made her smile a little, because Peter got Griffins and a smart mouthed snow leopard, but Susan got panthers, black and sleek, death with claw and fang, but beautiful as well.
Today, however, Susan had been invited to be the first to try the archery field in Cair Paravel, finally restored from the damage of the Long Winter. This particular field was far safer than crossing the river, Peter had commented at breakfast.
Susan would later regard that memory as highly ironic.
The archery court was lined with high white walls, with a gallery behind her being the sole entrance to the area. Susan used a faun bow for practice, learning the true ins and outs of archery instead of depending on the magic of her Christmas bow. Carefully, she began to shoot, tracking the different targets and letting the world fall away for her.
One of the panthers roared as pain blossomed in Susan's left shoulder. With little conscious thought, she fell. Sitting in the dirt of the court she stared at the fletching now embedded in her shoulder. One of the panthers, Susan dimly thought it was Cathal, showed up in front of her. A second panther appeared beside her; Susan saw the silver collar and knew it to be Nola. "Majesty," she said, "we must move."
Susan nodded dumbly and started to push up only to scream as pain ripped through her shoulder, "I can't," she whimpered, curling forward.
"Put your arm around my neck," Nola said, "I'll see what I can do."
Susan wrapped her good arm around Nola and managed to get on her knees. Whimpering and sobbing with pain, she crawled beside the panther. Just as they reached the gallery, Peter and Edmund came in with bared swords. "What happened?" Peter demanded.
"Archer on the roof, sire," Nola said as Susan leaned against her side. "One of the hawks went up after it."
"Susan!" Lucy said, Susan saw her and two fauns hovering in the doorway, "I brought my cordial."
"Right," Peter said, he slid his sword back in its sheath as Lucy knelt beside Susan.
"We have to get the arrow out first," one of the fauns said. "Majesty, if I may?"
"Of course," Peter said, "Lucy, come here."
The faun knelt beside Susan, "This is going to hurt a lot," he told Susan. "I'm sorry." Then he nodded to Nola, "Hold her, please."
Nola carefully draped her upper body over Susan, who closed her eyes as the faun took a firm grip on the arrow and snapped it. The jolt made Susan scream again before she finally surrendered to blessed oblivion.
A cool feeling moved through Susan's body, she coughed and opened her eyes to find her siblings leaning over her, "What," she asked hoarsely and coughed again, "What happened?"
Peter's face hardened, a queer, flat and cold quality came into his blue eyes, "Archer assassin," he said. "He's been taken care of."
Susan carefully sat up and looked down, her dove gray dress now had a stain and a hole and she flashed back to the pain that had ripped through her. "Is everyone ok?" She asked, looking around.
"You were the only one hit," Peter said, standing. He offered his hand and helped her up. "Not that that's a consolation, but still."
Susan smiled weakly and gripped his arm as she became light headed for a moment. "What was that you were saying this morning about the archery court?"
Peter smiled, his eyes the warm blue of the sky. "I guess I'm the one eating crow tonight." He slid his arm around her waist. "Let's get you sitting down, Su."
Susan leaned into Peter and let him steer her through Cair Paravel. "Majesty," Swiftwing said as he joined them. "I spoke with Captain Patrouse; he is enacting an aerial patrol as we speak. He wanted to wait until he had permission before setting patrols."
"Thank you," Peter said.
They entered Susan's chambers and Peter handed Susan over to the two faun maidens who served her. As she changed, she listened as Peter explained the plans for their guards. "Why don't you want to call them Royal Guards?" Lucy asked.
Susan held up her hand, stilling the maids, she wanted to hear this. "Lucy, remember how you got homesick when we had chicken for dinner."
"Yes," Lucy replied.
"Well, England has Royal Guards. We have to have guards, I hope you know that." He paused, "Every time someone says Royal Guards, it makes me homesick. Since we need the protection that the Guards can give us, the most important thing to do is give them a special name; something that speaks of their duty, to protect us and Cair Paravel. Can you understand that?"
"I understand," Lucy replied.
Susan smiled and nodded at her maids, who finished lacing her up. Carefully she stood and walked back into her front room. "I was listening," she said as soon as they noticed her. "I say that what Patrouse has in mind is fair. I'm not the expert, but I can live with the idea." She sat down on one of the chairs and smiled as Nola laid down beside her.
Edmund coughed, "I agree," he said from the couch he'd sprawled on. "I'd rather not have guards at all, but since we need them, this is the best way to go about it."
"All right," Peter said from where he stood by the fireplace, "and what do you say, Lucy?"
Lucy, who had half curled up on a footstool, shrugged, "If you think it's a good idea, Peter."
"Then we shall formally employ Patrouse as Captain of our Guard and set him the task of protecting us, Cair Paravel and those who reside within," Peter said looking at them. "So we speak."
"So we intend," Susan, Edmund and Lucy chimed in.
"So let it be done," they finished in a ragged harmony.
Susan remembered when Edmund had told them of the traditional manner of enacting a royal command; it had been one of the first things he'd shared with them from his law library.