Happy Tuesday.
The following morning Peter went to the practice fields rather early hoping to get a decent day's work in. As he picked up a sword off the rack he felt a flood of adrenaline course through him. He took a few practice swings getting a feel for the sword before practicing some basic maneuvers. A few hours later Peter felt fully confident and back into the groove that he once knew. As he continued to practice he felt a set of eyes upon him. He stopped and turned around to see the servant from the day before.
"Sorry I didn't mean to interrupt you Your Majesty." She said quietly lowering her eyes as a slight pink hue rose to her cheeks.
Peter looked at her and tried to sheath his sword, but missed because he wasn't actually wearing a sheath and ended up stabbing the ground; eliciting a small giggle from the servant. Peter blushed severely and tried to play it off as he leaned using his sword as support. "Is there something you came here for?" he asked, not rudely, but in a way as to distract her from his rather ungraceful moment.
The servant approached and Peter noticed the pleasant swishing sound of her long dress that covered her feet. She extended a basket towards Peter and said, "I thought that you might have been hungry so I made you some lunch." Peter took the basket and thanked her, as he was getting quite hungry.
The servant turned to leave. Peter watched her as she left. "Wait!" he called after her. She turned and looked. Peter shifted, "I didn't get your name yesterday."
The servant smiled politely, "Fawna, Your Majesty" she said and then turned and left.
Susan and Lucy had gone to the town in the morning and were just trying to find out how their beloved Narnia was doing, but what they had found had disturbed them greatly. Just like the previous day there were no children, and no acts of merriment as there should have been. There were far less vendors than normal and almost no business at the vendors. Susan approached a vendor that sold clothes.
"Excuse me," Susan got his attention, "But may I ask where everyone is? Shouldn't there be festivals around this time in Narnia?"
The merchant looked at her with a sad expression. "There used to be yes, but far too many people are sick for there to be any sort of merriment. Between that, the hunger, and the grief Narnia just doesn't have time to celebrate and be happy. I'm sorry that you have come to Narnia at such a time like this." He looked up as if remembering something, "Narnia used to be a great land, especially around the spring. The naiads and dryads would dance while we fauns would play the happiest of tunes." He shook his head sadly, "Maybe one day the happiness will return to the land."
Susan looked sad. "I'm sorry. But why is Narnia so sad now?" she asked.
The faun shook his head, "The King... well" he paused, "Well it's just not polite to speak of the dead."
Susan looked puzzled. Caspian wasn't dead? "Dead?" she said "But..." right as she was going to question him Lucy ran up to her.
"Susan! Come over here, there's something that you should see."
Susan took one more look at the vendor and turned to Lucy, "Alright Lucy." They both left the vendor staring after them with wide unbelieving eyes.
Lucy led Susan around the corner into a small building. The building was dimly lit, with just the rays of sun poking through the window illuminating the room. Susan squinted trying to adjust to the lack of lighting in the room. What she then saw made her gasp. All around her were people who looked incredibly sick and gaunt. Lucy was kneeling next to a young girl who was probably only 5 or 6 years old, but clearly very sick. Standing next to Lucy was a young centaur boy, who was taking care of the sick girl, trying to get her to drink some water. Susan walked slowly around the room. In every corner of the room there were people lying around. Men, women, children, dwarves, fauns, centaurs, it seemed that the sickness affected everyone regardless of age, gender, or even species. Susan went up to one of the centaurs that was clearly a lead healer.
"What has affected so many?" Susan asked the lady centaur.
The centaur stopped and looked down at Susan shaking her head and answered, "We do not know. But more and more come in everyday."
Susan looked precariously around at everyone, "What are their symptoms?"
"They seem to be extremely nausea, vomiting, abdominal pains, and passage of fluids from... ehh the other end. Sometimes they get better, but as soon as they get sent off they end up coming right back."
Susan nodded. "How long ago did this hit?"
The lady centaur thought back, "The first major cases started about a week after the borders got closed; so perhaps a year back."
Soon looked puzzled, "The borders are closed? Why would King Caspian do that?"
"I do not know why, but with the borders closed we cannot get the proper help or enough food for everyone."
Susan nodded and thanked her. "Lucy!" Susan called, "Come on let's head back." Lucy got up and followed Susan back to Cair Paravel thoroughly stunned by the events they had discovered that day.
When they got back to the castle the low sun was being concealed with storm clouds rolling in. Susan and Lucy met Peter and Edmund in one of the sitting rooms in the royal hall. When they got to the room they saw Edmund putting bandages on his hands, and Peter staring out the window at the setting sun over Narnia. "What happened Ed?" Lucy questioned his torn up hands. Edmund tried to hide them from his worrying sisters, "It's nothing, just some rope burn" he said dismissively.
Peter turned towards the girls, "So what did you find out about Narnia today girls?"
Lucy looked down at the ground, "Something is very very wrong Peter. Everyone is getting sick."
Susan put a comforting arm around her sister, "Not only that but apparently the Narnian borders have been closed for almost a year so now Narnia is suffering from a lack of food and supplies as well."
Edmund looked up sharply from his bandaged hands, "Surely Caspian must know about this." he assured.
Peter shook his head, "I don't know about that Ed. He sure doesn't seem like himself really. Drinian was probably right. Advisor Anwir probably does a lot more ruling than his title implies. I doubt Caspian even knows that Narnia is sick."
As the siblings were contemplating Fawna walked into the room bringing them a nice warm dinner.
Lucy looked at Susan eyes filled with sadness, "I wonder what's wrong with Caspian?" The moment those words left her lips they all heard a loud guttural scream that was clearly from Caspian, come from down the hall.
"What was that?!" they all asked alarmed as they all looked towards the doorway. Fawna looked out the window and shook her head. "Don't worry. Everything's alright" she assured the worried Pevensie siblings. "It's a cloudy night out. He always gets very upset when he can't see the stars." Peter looked at Fawna, "What's so important about seeing the stars?" Fawna looked at Peter, sadness in her eyes, "It's the only time he can see her" she said quietly and left, leaving the Pevensies staring out the window, an air of sadness that they didn't understand among them.
Susan had been walking through the halls in a daze. It was sometime well after midnight, but Susan simply couldn't sleep. The day's events and the storm outside kept her well awake. This was still way too surreal for her. Being back- being in Narnia, it felt so wrong to her...yet at the same time... Susan smiled as she shook her head, dragging a finger lightly against the wall. She couldn't believe she was back in Narnia. Not only that but she was back, and everyone she knew was still alive. The last time they were here 13,000 years had gone by. Everyone that she knew growing up was gone-dead. Her brothers knew that Lucy was devastated by that news, but Susan was too. She had made attachments in Narnia, just as Lucy had. Susan and Mrs. Beaver had become very good friends, and were anticipating the newest member of the Beaver family... Susan stopped, and closed her eyes as she remembered; she never even got to say goodbye. At least the last time she was here she got to say goodbye. Susan shook her head. She was just a child, barely 13 years old. She had once read in some womanly magazine that children in their early teens were the most impressionable. Susan continued walking aimlessly, she found that walking and thinking were doing her well. She laughed at her own thought, how very reasonable of her to explain why she was walking barefooted around a castle that once was hers in a magical land thinking about a boy she kissed once when she was 13. When Lucy and Edmund came back from Narnia a little over three years ago, they said that Caspian had grown, but still hadn't found anyone for queen. Susan had hoped, albeit a bit ridiculously so, that maybe they would all go back; or at least she would. Everyone always thought of Susan as being unreasonably reasonable, but she was still a girl after all, and had silly dreams and wishes. She always pictured Her return to Narnia, with Caspian waiting for her - his magnificent hair waving in the wind as he looked out upon the ocean. He would slowly turn around and they would run to each other. Susan laughed at her own silliness. Such a thing would never have happened, but it was always something her younger self had imagined. That vision seemed so real too. But now here she really was in Narnia, closer to him than she's been in 4 years and yet he's so far away. He's become so reclusive, that even the Narnians in town have started to question him. Some act as if he is dead, others act as if he's not even King. Susan felt a wave of disappointment rise within her. Even though she wasn't always here, she just knew that Caspian was a good king. How could he not be? He had vision, and the blessing of Aslan. How he just leave the Narnians to feel as if they have no king? Susan decided that it was time for bed. Turning around she saw Caspian himself walking down the hall towards her. Susan blushed realizing that she was only in her night gown.
Caspian lifted his head, rubbing his eyes and saw somebody down the hall way, he stopped. A voice from his dreams, but much older sounding haunted the hallways, "What are you doing up so late, couldn't sleep either?" the voice spoke.
Susan shifted uncomfortably as she waited for a response, any response really, to her question. Caspian just stood there frozen in place with wide eyes staring blankly at the ground. She heard him mumble something and then turn and walk away. Susan rubbed her arm, feeling slightly hurt and ignored and went back to her room.
Caspian stared into the ground, "Uh.." he mumbled. Caspian turned and walked, although he felt like running, back. He walked straight past his room, he never went there, and walked straight for the library. The past three years that's where he spent the most time anyways. Professor Cornelius spent a majority of their time together here studying and planning, and mostly avoiding boring meeting and dry officials from the neighboring countries. But now he wasn't even here... But Caspian didn't blame him for leaving. Even he knew that he hadn't been the same ever since... Caspian shook his head. He couldn't get upset now, she was gone and he knew it. Before the thought crushed him, but on this night he felt... free? Caspian gave a confused expression into the mirror. He didn't feel sad at all, he felt relieved.
I hope you enjoyed. I know I've been kinda vague in these chapters but that's mostly because I'm really terrible at mystery. All will be revealed in time. So please leave a review! It makes me want to write more :)