Disclaimer: I still don't own anything.

A/N: Wow! I was completely blown away by the amount of support I got from everyone who reviewed the opening chapter. Thank you so much! Readers who haven't cast a vote yet are welcome to do so in their reviews until I reach the end of the story – which, hopefully, won't be for several exciting chapters to come. :) So, I guess without further ado, let's move onto the next chapter!

Happy reading!

Chapter Two: Unexpected Reunions

"What in the name of Aslan are you wearing, Susan?" Trumpkin wondered, staring at the Gentle Queen's 1940s dress like it was slimy Frog that just came out of a swamp.

Still in a tremendous amount of shock from realizing she was in Narnia again, with absolutely no idea how she got there, Susan lightly brushed her midnight blue day dress with her hands to make herself feel a little more presentable in front of her old friends and replied, "It's a dress from my home world. You don't like it?"

"No, you look beautiful, Your Majesty," Doctor Cornelius commented just before the Red Dwarf could make another remark of disgust. "We were both just surprised to see you here after Aslan said you would not return. Please excuse our rude behaviors."

"No, it's all right. I'm quite surprised to be here myself. How much time has passed in Narnia since I left?"

"Three years, my Queen."

"Then I presume Caspian is still the king."

"He is, and what a fine king he has become," the professor beamed with pride. "You and your siblings would be so proud."

"I already am," Susan smiled, thinking fondly of the handsome young man with the Mediterranean accent who caught her eye the first time they met in the Shuddering Woods.

"And speaking of your siblings," Trumpkin interrupted, "Caspian just came back from a voyage he's been on with Edmund and Lucy for several weeks."

"Edmund and Lucy?" she repeated, almost as if to make sure she heard the DLF correctly. "You mean they were just here in Narnia?"

"Sailing through the Lone Islands onboard the Dawn Treader, to be exact."

"Your younger cousin Eustace was also said to be with them," Cornelius added. "In fact, he turned out to be quite the hero."

"Eustace, a hero? The same cousin of mine who used to lock us inside closets and get us in trouble for naughty things he had done?"

"If it's not too bold to say, Your Majesty, it seems that being in Narnia taught him the error of his ways. He's a much better person now because of the obstacles he had to overcome in order to help save the land from evil."

"Just as we did from our adventures," Susan breathed out in just above a whisper.

"You look like Mum," Lucy commented upon seeing her older sister in a pretty evergreen dress.

"Mum hasn't had a dress like this since before the war."

"We should bring her one back. A whole trunk full!"

"If we ever get back…" Susan spoke forlornly, then turned to notice Lucy's sad facial expression. "I'm sorry I'm like that. We used to have fun together, didn't we?"

"Yes…before you got boring," the young girl chuckled.

"Oh, really?" the brunette smiled, surprising her sister when she started splashing water on her gray-blue dress.

"Surely you must be tired from your travels, my Queen," Doctor Cornelius said when he noticed the gloomy look spread across Susan's pale features. "Shall I send up one of the guards to escort you to your bedchambers and make sure they've been properly prepared for you?"

"Thank you, Professor, but it's not necessary. I'm sure they will already be lovely."

"I'll go with you," Trumpkin insisted.

Susan smiled at him in appreciation, then began walking out of the library with her DLF until the red Dwarf soon stalled his forward movements and walked back over to Cornelius to whisper, "You better tell Caspian he's got a new guest in the castle."

"I will inform him of Queen Susan's arrival first thing tomorrow morning, not to worry."

"Good," Trumpkin nodded, leaving the king's tutor and most trusted advisor alone in the library with his thoughts.

Still alone in the woods, Lilliandil shivered from the cold breeze blowing through the dark trees. The night's sky was beautiful, but, without the magic from her previous form, she was freezing and needed to find some sort of warm shelter soon. Furthermore, trekking through a whispering forest on foot with absolutely no idea where she was going was something the beautiful Star had never done before. She was frightened, unsure of what was going to happen to her out in the wilderness all alone. Was this some kind of test her father wanted her to pass? Had she done something wrong or disappointed him in some way? Lilliandil didn't know, but she had a strong feeling that when she did finally find someone who could tell her where she is, she would also find the answers she's been seeking.

Sitting in front of her vanity in her private bedchambers, Susan brushed her chestnut brown locks with an elegant looking silver comb while Trumpkin stood near the bedroom door, staring at her as she quietly prepared to go to bed. With the help of her two private handmaidens earlier, the Gentle Queen rid herself of the simple day dress she was wearing before and was now dressed in a creamy white and sky blue nightgown made of satin that went down to her ankles, and a matching robe to keep herself warm against the cold night inside Caspian's castle. She washed off all of her makeup, placed her mother's old heels with her dress in a large drawer inside the fine oak side table next to her bed, and put her grandmother's pearl earrings inside the diamond-studded silver jewelry box set on top of her vanity.

Although wearing things like makeup and high heels brought a lot of attention to Susan in her home world, it was nice and even felt quite refreshing to take her makeup off without having to worry about putting it back on the following day in Narnia. It was simple things like this that made her miss the enchanted land most. In Narnia, she didn't have to worry about having all of the extra accessories just to get a boy's attention. She didn't have to worry about feeling out of place in a crowd. During her reign as High Queen of Narnia in the Golden Age, Susan was considered the most beautiful woman in the world with her natural beauty alone, and it was once again proven to still stop men in their tracks when she caught Caspian's double take the first moment they met.

Thinking of the handsome prince-turned-king once again, she couldn't help but wonder how he had been since she and her three siblings left last time. Did he have a queen now? Was he happy? How would he react once he knew she was in Narnia again?

"You're still surprised to be here, aren't you?" Trumpkin observed after watching the Gentle Queen comb through her hair in the same place for more than a minute.

Turning around in her chair, she replied with a grin, "It's not like you can tell me you weren't surprised when you and Doctor Cornelius found me in the library. You both looked like you saw the White Witch come back from the dead."

The Red Dwarf chuckled, "Can you really blame us for reacting that way after—"

"After Aslan said Peter and I would never return again because we were too old?" she finished for him in a low voice. "No, I guess not."

"And yet here you are," he reminded her. "Got any idea why that is or how it happened?"

"I wish I knew, but Aslan must have brought me back for some important reason. I mean, the only times Peter, Lucy, Edmund and I were ever called here was when Narnia was in great peril."

"Well, I'm grateful to say that's not the case this time," said Trufflehunter, the wise Badger who had just entered the room with a golden goblet half full of herbal tea that he just brewed himself. "It's good to see you again, Your Majesty."

Susan smiled, "It's good to see you again, Trufflehunter. I've missed you."

Once he handed her the hot drink, she bent down to hug him hello and thanked him for making her something to calm her nerves.

"Narnian and Telmarine alike, King Caspian has served all of his people well since your departure, my Queen, so you needn't worry."

"I'm not worried," she assured him. "I have complete faith in Caspian."

"However, I must say he has yet to find himself a queen who can match your beauty, grace and fighting spirit."

Susan blushed upon hearing this. After years of endless suitors showing up at Cair Paravel unannounced and uninvited, requesting Peter's permission to seek her hand in marriage, the Gentle Queen was no stranger to these types of compliments. Nevertheless, they still made her pale cheeks turn rosy pink every time she heard them.

"Hasn't stopped those blasted Telmarines from demanding he get married to someone else," Trumpkin grumbled to himself.

Even though he spoke in a low voice, Susan heard every word he said and turned around to focus her attention on him again. "His people have demanded he get married?"

"Yes, I'm afraid it's true," Trufflehunter nodded sadly. "Since Caspian has already been King of Narnia for three years now, the people have decided it's time he settle down and choose someone to be his bride."

Saying nothing in return, the brunette set her goblet of hot tea aside, rose from her seat, slowly walked away from her friends to the closest window in her bedchambers, and looked through the clear glass to stare at her own reflection.

"I can only imagine how much this must upset you, Your Majesty, but we all knew this day would eventually come, for a king can never provide an heir to claim his throne without a queen."

While she knew Trufflehunter's words were true, they brought no comfort to her whatsoever. After being away from Narnia so long and accepting that she would never come back, Susan was finally beginning to move on with her life. She had already been on a few dates with American soldiers who fancied her and thought she was beautiful. But to return to Narnia and come to find out that Caspian, the first boy she ever really had feelings for, had to select a woman from his kingdom to become his queen was something she was neither prepared for nor ready to face yet. But could it be possible, especially considering her sudden return to the magical land, that she was the one Caspian hoped to spend the rest of his life with? Was that why Aslan had brought her back?

Turning around, she calmly replied, "There's no need to explain, Trufflehunter. He's a king without a queen, so it's only natural for his people to want him to find someone to love and continue his family's legacy."

"But he's still in love with you, Susan," the Red Dwarf interjected, the sound of his voice was laced with more emotion than usual. "And if that pretty boy had it his way, you would be the only one he'd want to spend the rest of his life with."

Despite that his declaration made the Gentle Queen's heart soar, how could she be sure he would still feel the same way about her after they had been apart for three years in Narnia? Furthermore, how could she be sure her stay here wasn't temporary like the previous two times? What if she was only brought back to help defeat another great evil? Then daydreaming about a possible life together with Caspian would be fruitless, for she would once again return to England and he would go on living here, eventually find someone new to love, start a life with her, and build a family together. Perhaps that's what's meant to happen, and she was sent her to put her feelings for Caspian completely behind her. The only thing Susan did know was she had to see him as soon as possible. She couldn't explain it, but something was telling her Caspian would know exactly why she was here.

"I think we've said enough to Queen Susan for one night, Trumpkin, so why don't we leave so she can retire to bed?" the wise Badger suggested. "Sleep well, Your Majesty."

With that, he respectfully bowed to her and left the room in silence.

Unable to leave just yet, Trumpkin walked up to her with a saddened expression etched across his face and said, "No matter what anyone else says to convince him otherwise, he couldn't find a better woman than you."

Giving her DLF a weak smile of appreciation, she whispered, "Thank you."

"Susan…" Caspian whimpered in his sleep, tossing and turning. "No, don't leave me. Susan, no… Susan!"

In a flash, he shot up from his bed with sweat dampening his white nightshirt. Panting, the handsome king removed his ruby red silk covers and cotton sheets, and then swung his legs over so they were now dangling off the side of the bed. He cupped the back of his head with his hands after lowering it and shut his eyes tightly, doing his best to slow down and regulate his breathing after another intense dream he just had of finding Susan in a navy blue dress along the shore by the Eastern Sea. Together, they spent hours on the beach, talking, laughing, flirting constantly. Everything was perfect until the waves suddenly parted and Aslan appeared, telling them it was time for Susan to leave again. Caspian begged her to stay with him, but the fantasy soon turned into a nightmare when she smiled, planted a chaste kiss on his cheek, said her goodbyes before walking through the portal, and disappeared from his life again.

A soft knock at the door quickly cut Caspian off his thoughts and he rose from his bed to answer the door. Once opened, he found Doctor Cornelius in front of him, out of breath and wearing royal blue nightwear underneath his robe.

Beginning to worry, he said, "Professor, what's wrong? Are you all right?"

"A thousand apologies for the late-night intrusion, my King, but I knew this news couldn't wait until morning."

"What news? Has something happened?"

"It's Queen Susan. She's here, Your Majesty. Trumpkin and I found her earlier tonight in the library and she—"

Not needing to hear anything else, Caspian ran past his tutor and darted through the corridors of the castle in lightning-fast speed. His heart was pounding in his chest, a cold chill of anticipation was running down his spine, his breathing was heavy and irregular, his eyes were constantly moving to make sure none of the guards would follow him. He didn't want anyone disturbing them when they finally met again face-to-face. So as he kept moving, kept reaching closer to the bedchambers that were previously occupied by the Gentle Queen during her brief stay in the castle last time, it suddenly dawned on him that everything Aslan said he would do was coming true. And if Susan was already here, Lilliandil couldn't be too far behind her, which meant he would eventually have to choose between them. But following the great Lion's will was the least of his concerns right now. The only thing that mattered to Caspian at this very instance was finding Susan and proving to himself he wasn't going crazy.

Just as he was about to make his final turn into the hallway that leads directly to Susan's bedchambers, Caspian saw two guards at the other end of the hallway laughing about something ridiculous. Reacting fast, he immediately stepped backwards and pressed his body against the adjacent wall so he was no longer in their sight. As king, he knew it was foolish and quite silly for him to be hiding like this, especially since he was in his own castle, but he didn't want anyone to know where he was going or what he was doing. Even if she was sound asleep, he wanted his first moment with Susan to be private…special…a moment he'll treasure forever and always…anything except interrupted by unwanted company.

About a minute later Caspian heard the guards' voices become more distance, so he poked his head around the corner to make sure they were leaving, and sure enough they were walking away. Once he was alone again, he soundlessly made his way down the hall until he reached Susan's door. With his right hand firmly gripping onto the handle, he took one deep breath in and exhaled slowly to prepare himself before turning the brass knob. Having to assume that the beautiful queen was asleep during this late hour, he made sure to open the door as quietly as possible. But when he opened the door wide enough to look inside her dimly lit bedchambers, instead of finding the Gentle Queen fast asleep in her bed, he found her standing just beside it, as if she was about to climb in. Her bedding was pulled back halfway and she was dressed in a blue and white satin nightgown that hugged her curves in all of the right places. Her chestnut brown hair was longer, but it was just as soft and even more tempting to run his fingers through the silky threads than before. Her pale skin was as smooth and supple as he remembered it. He could hardly believe it was possible, but if it was at all, she had never looked more beautiful. And it was then that reality stuck him like a lightning bolt. His love was here…standing right in front him like she had never left. She was standing so close to him that he was almost afraid, afraid that if he was given the chance to reach out and hold her in his arms again, he'd never let go this time.

Upon noticing that her bedroom door had been opened by someone, the brunette turned her head to see who was there, only to feel her heart nearly skip a beat when she saw Caspian standing in the doorway, just a few feet away from her.

Eyes now locked in an impenetrable gaze, several moments of tension-filled silence went by between the pair before one of them could finally breathe out a single word to break the ice.

"Susan…"

A/N: In the next chapter, the couple's reunion quickly heats up…until Caspian realizes they need to find Lilliandil.

With that said, is the story still worth continuing?

Please review! And remember to keep voting for who should end up with Caspian!