Disclaimer: I still own nothing.
A/N: I am so sorry about the delay, you guys. I feel so bad that yet another two weeks went by before I was able to update my story, but that's how hectic things are for me in school right now. I just can't escape my schoolwork responsibilities. :( Anyways, the ideas for this next chapter has been on my mind for about a month now, so I'm really hoping all of you will be just as pleased with it. :) Thanks for reading!
Chapter Eight: When You Say Nothing At All
It wasn't until about a week after Caspian's almost-kiss with Lilliandil occurred that the handsome king finally got to speak—and make eye contact—with Susan again. She had spent the last seven days avoiding him at all costs by either refusing to speak with him whenever he tried visiting her in her private bedchambers, excusing herself from dinner as quickly as she could, or doing anything else she could possibly think of not to see Caspian. The Gentle Queen spent most of her free time either with Lilliandil, exploring the kingdom and all the wonderful adventures it had to offer in the marketplace, or with her older brother, reminiscing the happy times they spent together in Narnia with Edmund and Lucy during their reign in the Golden Age.
But tonight would be different.
Upon learning that the High King and Queen of Old had returned to Narnia, Caspian's people insisted on celebrating their magical return with a ball. Unable to refuse them, he agreed, furtively hoping some good may come of it since Peter and Susan had to be present throughout the entire occasion, thereby giving him an opportunity to speak with them.
"…And now presenting the guests of honor…" Trufflehunter announced towards the end of his introductory speech, "…I give you Peter the Magnificent and Susan the Gentle, High King and High Queen of Narnia."
Velvet red curtains spread open in the great hall and the eldest Pevensie siblings entered the large room arm in arm with bright smiles on their faces. Thunderous applause erupted as Peter bowed to Caspian's faithful subjects and Susan curtsied. Once the clapping and cheering had died down several moments later, they made their way across the dance floor to officially begin the ball by dancing with one another. Soft music soon filled the room and everyone quietly watched while the two royals started to dance.
Standing towards the front of the large, circling crowd, Caspian stared at them with a look of dejection written across his face. It should have been him dancing with Susan, not her brother, he thought.
Wearing an off-the-shoulder, lilac purple satin dress with long sleeves and matching satin slippers, the Gentle Queen was without a single doubt the most beautiful woman in the room tonight. Of course, she was usually the most beautiful woman in every room any day of the week anyway. With her smooth, supple skin, flirtatiously coy smile, sparkling blue eyes, exquisitely curled hair—everything about the way she looked tonight was stunning…breathtaking…perfect. She was a goddess in human form.
After Susan and Peter finished the first dance, couples who had been previously standing off to the side now stepped onto the dance floor. A young man in his early twenties with curly brown hair and hazel green eyes approached the royal siblings and politely asked Peter if he could dance with Susan. The High King threw his younger sister an expression of discontent, but she brushed it off by wordlessly assuring him that it would be fine.
"Yes, I suppose that would be all right."
"Thank you, Your Majesty," the young man smiled, looking like a kid who just been given his favorite toy at Christmas.
"I will see you in a bit," Peter promised Susan, who nodded her head agreement, then he walked away so they could begin dancing.
Meanwhile, Caspian watched the entire scene from a small distance, instantly becoming jealous of the young man who had been granted permission to dance with his beloved Susan. He knew the Gentle Queen could dance with whoever she wanted—after all, she was a single and very attractive woman—yet the mere thought of another man holding her in his arms was enough to make his insides burn with envy.
He took a quick look around the room and spotted Lilliandil chatting with Doctor Cornelius near the doorway. She was wearing a long, white dress with chiffon sleeves and white satin slippers. Her platinum blonde hair was in a braid and her smoky blue eyes were lighting up as she conversed with his wise tutor. She, too, was a breathtaking sight to behold. Then Caspian took another look around the great hall and caught Peter speaking with Trumpkin and Trufflehunter, a golden goblet most likely filled with red wine in his right hand. More importantly, though, since the Magnificent King was distracted and busy talking to their Narnian friends, the handsome Telmarine realized this was the perfect time to try and speak with Susan.
Stepping onto the dance floor, Caspian dodged every couple swaying to the soft music until he was in front of Susan and her current dance partner. He cleared his throat to make his presence known, slightly surprising the pair when they turned their heads and saw him.
"May I cut in?"
"Of course, Your Majesty," the young man replied and gently pulled away from Susan.
Afterward, he bowed, bid them goodnight, and walked away, leaving Caspian alone to dance with the woman who still held his heart. But as soon as he looked into her eyes, and saw the resentment she still felt towards him, Susan walked away without saying a word and retreated to the outdoors for some privacy. Not willing to give up that easily, however, he followed her outside. Once there, he and Susan found a young couple around their ages laughing and giggling about something until they saw the royals staring at them. The pair apologized and made a quick exit through the velvet blue curtain closing the indoor festivities from the small courtyard Caspian and Susan were now in.
Sensing his presence behind her, she coldly said, "I thought I told you to leave me alone."
"I don't care anymore," he shot back. "This has gone on too long, Susan. You haven't spoken to me in a week—"
Spinning around, she fervently interjected, "With good reason."
"I made a horrible mistake almost kissing Lilliandil so soon after being with you. I wish I could say that I just got caught up in the moment while I was with her, but even if that was true, it is still no excuse."
"No, it isn't."
"I love you…" he confessed in a tone that was soft but filled with desperation at the same time.
The Gentle Queen's heart nearly skipped a beat upon hearing those three words. The tenderness in his voice and pleading, puppy dog look in his eyes was enough to make her believe him. And she did believe him. She knew he loved her. The problem was—
"Last time I checked I wasn't the only one you were in love with."
"Don't shut me out, Susan," Caspian begged, stepping towards her. "Let me—"
"Let you what? Let you tell me how much you care about me? How much you love me and want to be with me right before you run off and try to kiss Lilliandil again? No, I will not play part in this outrageous love triangle anymore, so just leave me alone, marry Lilliandil, and allow everyone get on with the rest of their lives."
Saying no more, the brunette made an attempt to leave until she heard the handsome king say—
"I can't."
Secretly pleased to see that his words had so much effect on her, Caspian slowly moved closer as he said, "I cannot marry her until I know she's the one I want to spend the rest of my life with."
"You fancied Lilliandil the moment you laid eyes on her. She's the one you would have wanted to become your future wife and queen if Aslan hadn't sent me back."
"That is exactly my point."
Not following what he was trying to say, a perplexed expression spread across the eldest Pevensie girl's face while she turned back around, only to find that they were now standing a few feet away from each other.
"Yes, I was taken with Lilliandil the moment I met her on Ramandu's Island. I was captivated by her beauty, her grace, and her kindness…just as I was with you. And, yes, I admit there was a part of me that wanted to make her my future bride and Queen of Narnia, but all of that changed the moment Aslan told me he was bringing you back. That is why I cannot do what you have requested of me. Not until I know in my heart that my affections towards her are as strong as they are for you, if not stronger, so that we can be happily married for all our years to come."
"And what if they aren't? What then?"
Finally closing the small gap between them, Caspian raised his right hand and stroked her face lovingly with his thumb. Unable to resist his warm, tender touch, Susan closed her eyes and almost gasped out in pleasure when she felt his fingertips caress the base of her neck. His fingers were like magic, starting small fires in every place they came in contact with her pale skin. This only encouraged him, motivated him to please her more. He cupped her cheek with his right hand and drew his face so close to hers that their lips were just centimeters away from clashing…so close that she could feel his warm breath on her skin….
"No," she whispered, slowly backing away, for the spell he had on her was broken. "This isn't real. This isn't right."
"What can be more right than love?"
Susan looked him straight in the eye and said with a hint of anger around the edges of her tone, "Do you know what happens in these types of situations, Caspian?" Seconds of silence went by until Susan finally answered for him. "Someone always gets hurt."
"I would never intentionally hurt you, my Queen."
"It doesn't matter, because no matter what you mean or don't mean to do, eventually one of us will end up getting hurt. So I am drawing the line here and removing myself from the equation before that can ever happen."
"It was Aslan's will that brought you and Lilliandil here in the first place, so whether you like it or not, we're stuck in this situation together until I've made my final choice. You can't escape what's already been set in motion."
With all the courage she could muster, she replied in just above a whisper, "I won't let you break my heart again…and more importantly, I refuse to be the reason why you break Lilliandil's heart...so this ends here."
Walking away for a second time, Susan almost reached the royal blue velvet curtains to go back inside the castle when she felt Caspian's hand on her right shoulder—his soft touch instantly stopped the Gentle Queen from taking another step forward. He lifted his other hand and touched her left shoulder, preventing her from going anywhere.
"You're right…" he trailed off, almost lost in his own thoughts as he stared down at her, "…I have wronged you. I have done unforgivable things since the moment I learned you and Lilliandil were coming here, including lie and almost kissing her only hours after I had just told you I still love you. I do not blame you for being angry with me. Peter and Lilliandil for that matter, either. But if you truly want me to stop all of this, there's only one thing you have to say."
Turning around, "And what would that be?"
Their eyes now locked in a gaze she hadn't felt since the night she returned, it took no more than a moment for Susan to realize Caspian had trapped her, made her his prey, for with that one wistful look in his eyes—a look so penetrating it could reach the depths of her very soul—she was powerless to escape.
"Tell me you don't love me."
Her heart skipped a beat.
Unable to breathe a single word, she stood in stunned silence, playing right into his hand. And with her heart pounding a mile a minute, tension building at an overwhelmingly rapid rate, the eldest Queen of Old averted her ocean blue eyes from his chocolate brown ones. She racked her brain in attempt to make an excuse to leave, but nothing could come to mind. Caspian had paralyzed her into sheer silence with a request she never thought he'd ask her in a thousand years.
How could she possibly say she didn't love him when they both knew she still did?
Delighted by the internal struggle Susan was dealing with and knowing she wouldn't be able to say the words, the handsome king gently lifted her chin, thereby forcing her to look up at him.
"Say it."
"I…I can't…"
"Because you love me," he smiled. "You love me as much as I love you."
Then in one swift move, before she could make any sort of reply, Caspian cupped the back of her neck and pulled her into a passionate kiss. Susan tried to resist his bold advances initially, yet the longer she felt his lips on hers, the more she found herself giving in and responded by kissing him with just as much urgency.
Caspian knew in the back of his mind that he was betraying his love for Lilliandil by doing this; he was betraying Peter's authority and respect; he was even betraying Susan's request to leave her alone, but he couldn't stop himself. Not now. Not when he still loved the Gentle Queen so much. She was everything a man could want in a wife and more. She was beautiful, intelligent, kind, and always thinking of others before herself.
Brushing his tongue across her bottom lip, he wordlessly asked for permission to deepen the kiss. Susan immediately obliged, parting her lips in full anticipation, as a combination of love and lust had drowned out any and all rational thoughts she previously had. Caspian invaded her mouth, tasting her sweet cravens until he had them completely memorized by heart. He placed his other hand on the small of her back, pulling her even closer to him, and a feeling of warmth—her warmth—washed over his entire body. Susan ran her hands up and down his clothed back, wishing his current attire wasn't there so she could feel every inch of his tanned, smooth skin. He tore his mouth away from hers, tilted his head, and began trailing soft, sweet kisses down her neck. His breathing was ragged and unsteady, yet the sound of it only drove Susan closer to the edge of pleasure.
"Caspian…" she moaned out his name, causing his insides to purr with satisfaction.
Bringing his head back up to hers, he recaptured her lips in a hot, searing kiss, eliciting a small moan from the back of her throat. He kissed her desperately, fervently, fiercely…wanting her more than anything. Desire, however, soon came to a halt when they heard the curtains opening. The pair abruptly stopped kissing, and in their hazy, breathless state, looked across their shoulders to find the murderous glare of Peter Pevensie.
A/N: So should Caspian beg for mercy at the start of the next chapter, or just run for the hills? LOL!
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