The Changing of Fate
Summary: When Susan's boat to America is caught in a storm that brings it to Narnia, Susan must figure out why she was brought back to Narnia when told it was her fate to never return and deal with her revived romance with Caspian. Set three years post PC.
A/N: I'm taking liberties with the ages of the characters in this story. Susan was 15 in Prince Caspian, Caspian was 16. In this story she is 17, Caspian 18. Peter is 18, Edmund is 15, and Lucy is 13.
Lucy, Edmund, and Eustace never went back to Narnia, but Caspian did go on the Dawn Treader to find the seven lords. I didn't read DT so I don't know much about it, so all I will pull from that will be the lords at the most.
This chapter is dedicated to bookswalower, my first reviewer and for putting The Changing of Fate on your story alert. Thank you for your kind words and critique.
Also, thank you to Eric J. Alderson, , and Lissie1994 for putting me on their story alert. I really appreciate it!
The Changing of Fate
Chapter 2: Back to Narnia
Susan woke to shouts of the crew around her. It was still night and it seemed as if they had hit a sudden storm. Waves splashed up on deck, and Susan pulled the blanket around her to ward off the cold water. A crewman pulled her up and across the deck and then through the door that led to the cabins. Fellow passengers, roused by shouts, poked their heads through their doors and, drawing the calm reassurance she had gained while queen, Susan told the passengers there was nothing to worry about, they had only hit a storm.
Susan made it to the cabin she shared with her parents and sat down quietly, while her father paced the room and her mother fretted. Not bothered by the choppy water, having experienced the same in Narnia, Susan assured her mother calmly that there was nothing to worry about.
Her parents glanced at each other in surprise and Susan quickly realized that she still was acting like her other, true, self and dropped back into what she called her "normal teenager mode". They were not reassured. Before they could question her, shouts of disbelief and a sudden loss of violent waves alerted the family to a change. They hurried, along with other passengers to the deck.
On the deck the passengers could only see clear blue skies and water along with a stone palace on top of a cliff, a white sand beach below it. This scene looked familiar to Susan before she realized that it was familiar.
The ship was in Narnia, the palace was Cair Paravel!
"Oh Aslan!" came her cry and the surrounding passengers, especially her parents, turned to look at her in confusion. Tears were coming to her eyes, but she pushed them back in order to assess the situation. For some reason she was needed back in Narnia, along with the entire ship she was on. She refused to believe she had come accidentally to Narnia. Aslan was too powerful for that to happen.
The crowd of people were quiet on the deck when the old captain's question came. "Where are we?" Susan didn't know why she was here and, apparently, neither did anyone else. But she knew where they were and that was more than everyone else on board. Not only that, this was her home and though in England she would never have been looked to for leadership, they weren't in England anymore. No, they were in Narnia, her home, and she was the one with the knowledge and power now. Susan was determined to make sure they all survived their trip to Narnia. This is what propelled her to the bow of the ship once again.
Stepping up on the padded bench, Susan was now taller than all of the confused passengers. Quietly waiting for their attention, a trick that worked while queen in the Golden Age to quickly bring attention to her, she surveyed the crowd until they all turned to her.
Taking a deep breath, Susan began. "I do not know why we are here, but I do know where. We are in a different world, a place called Narnia."
The passengers and crew were incredulous. Was this young girl mad? Had she hit her head in the storm? Other worlds didn't exist but in fairy tales. But Susan, the young woman who had made a good impression with them all, and a girl all were rather fond of, stood there silently, waiting for their reaction. They didn't believe, but Susan was radiating a calm façade and noble bearing. She was the youngest of them all, but the crowd could not help but look to her for guidance. Susan continued again.
"I know you will not believe me now, but I have been here before. You must all trust me in this, though I am the youngest person aboard, I will get us safety in this world."
The young lord and lady Susan had made friends with recognized the bearing of a powerful noble. While they were frightened with the sudden change in scenery, the couple recognized this was not the same world they had been in. Content with this fact, Lord Jeffrey announced to the crowd and Susan, "I believe this is not our world and since you say you have been here before I will trust you. Can you tell us more about this place though?"
Susan sighed in relief, if the Lord Jeffrey had handed her this leadership, the others would be willing to follow his lead.
Smiling beatifically Susan began, "First, Captain Thomas, would you be so kind as to sail us towards the beach under the palace. That is where we will be finding help."
The Captain hastened to fulfill her wishes and Susan began again, "I must ask you all to just listen to what I have to say, it will be hard for you to believe but you will find proof soon enough,"
With the answering nods of her fellows Susan said, "As I said before this place is called Narnia. It is one of the countries in this world, created by the Great Lion Aslan, Lord and Creator of this World. The first time I came with my siblings through a wardrobe and the second on a train. This country is one of magic and there are many creatures of magic including sprites, nymphs, mermaids, dwarfs, centaurs, fauns, and several other species. The last visit alerted my siblings and I to the presence of man in our country. The Telmarines came from our world on a ship hundreds of years ago, just like we did recently. They conquered Narnia for their own and only recently stopped the persecution of the Old Narnians and learned to live in peace. Aslan sent the Telmarnians who didn't want to stay back to our world and my siblings as well."
A man in the back, who looked quite angry shouted, "This is ridiculous. Magic, I've never been so insulted in my life. Do you really expect us to fall for this, this story?"
Susan replied calmly, "Of course I don't expect that you'll believe me, though I do hope so. It matters not, however, because soon you will all have the proof you need to believe me. I would suggest you stay with me as well because you do not know the dangers of this world."
By this time Captain Thomas had dropped anchor a couple hundred feet from the beach. The passengers were still in a bit of shock, so it was quiet getting into the small boats that would transport them to the shore. Susan looked at her parents who seemed to be in the most shock, which was understandable considering they just found out their children had made several trips to another world. The young woman knew that eventually she was going to have a hard conversation with them once they were over their shock.
Once everyone was on the beach Susan quietly asked them to follow her and they began to make their trek up to the Cair Paravel palace. This was really when Susan realized that most of her followers, including herself, were all in their night clothes. Susan blushed at the impropriety, but thanked Aslan that she had her long velvet emerald green dressing gown on over her white nightdress. She supposed it mattered not, once in the palace there would no doubt be clothes for her to wear from her previous ventures to Narnia as well as other clothes for her shipmates.
These internal thoughts stopped once she realized their hike had brought them to the top of the hill, a small distance from the open front doors of the palace. Susan looked around and saw a young servant boy coming in from the grounds surrounding the palace. She waited until he was closer before stepping forward. The boy, previously confused by the large group of people outside the palace, was completely shocked by her presence. Susan realized that the young boy obviously recognized her and she seemed to vaguely remember his face from her last visit.
"Excuse me, young man," Susan began. "Could you tell me where the king is?"
The boy dazedly replied, "He's training on the practice field with the soldiers, m'lady."
The travelers from England glanced at each other at this honorific from the boy who seemed to recognize Susan, though she did not know him.
With a regal nod of her head, Susan replied, "Then will you go and tell the king of my arrival. Tell him that apparently Aslan has seen fit to transport a ship of around thirty people, including me, from my world to Narnia. Also let the king know that I will be waiting in the Grand Hall with my fellows."
"Yes, lady," the boy replied astounded, turning to run back where he had come from, tripping several times in his dazed haste.
Susan said nothing to her fellow travelers but to gesture for them to follow her, still overwhelmed by the fact that she was in Narnia when she believed she would never return. Not to mention, it seemed that he had rebuilt Cair Paravel exactly to its former glory.
So caught up in her racing thoughts, Susan did not look at the paintings or tapestries on the walls or the statues, though the other travelers certainly did. What they saw shocked them. There were paintings of Susan on the walls along with several of what seemed to be her siblings.
Oblivious, Susan reached the Grand Hall and pushed open the doors to the empty room. It was almost exactly how she remembered it on her coronation day. Her white marble throne, along with the thrones of her brothers and sister, were up on the dais at the end of the hall, the open windows at their back. One new thing was another throne; one that Susan assumed belonged to him, one of gray marble that sat on a raised stone floor in front of and slightly below those of her siblings.
The English travelers followed Susan into the Hall and looked around in wonder at the splendor. They too noticed the thrones, though most were wondering why on earth there were so many and wondered if it meant that this king Susan spoke of may possibly have four wives or several ruling children.
Ignoring them, Susan took dainty and halting steps towards the thrones. Realizing she must be feeling overwhelmed, the others were quiet and did not disturb her or were cowed into silence by those who realized this, in the case of the vocal man who had not believed Susan's story. Instead they preferred to sit down on the wooden benches on one side of the Hall, tired from their trek and long night. They watched as Susan made her way to the thrones, wondering what she was remembering.
Susan passed the new throne, continuing on to her siblings' thrones, tracing her had along the backs of them, flooded with memories of the Golden Age. She stopped in front of her own throne. It was exactly the same as when she had sat in last, the same wear and carvings as before, banishing the thought that they could have been new and based off of a forgotten picture of them.
Still lost in thought, Susan did not realize that others had burst into the room until one deep and familiar voice called, "My Queen?"
Susan whipped around startled, though she knew this meeting was coming, and was frozen in place by the chocolate brown eyes of him.
Eyes still locked, Susan whispered a name that nonetheless echoed throughout the whole hall, "Caspian."
He started, "I didn't believe the boy when he told me you had returned, but I raced here anyway. My Queen, how is it that you are here? Aslan said you would never return, are your siblings with you?"
Susan pushed her emotions at seeing her lost love aside and straightened up, pulling from her time as Queen. The other Narnians, as well as Caspian, recognized this change and were reminded of her power and ancient rule. The Englishmen were shocked at this obvious change in bearing and the fact that apparently here, Susan was a Queen.
"I know not how I was brought here, but the whole ship I was travelling on ended up in Narnia. My siblings are not here, though I would not be surprised if, considering my presence, they are brought here too. Now, Caspian, I was wondering if we might find shelter here until we find out why Aslan has brought us back."
"Of course my Queen, you are always welcome here. I shall send servants to make up rooms, if some of your guests do not mind sharing," was Caspian's reply, briefly looking over to the crowd for their nods, and flicking his eyes back to stare at Susan.
"Oh where are my manners," Caspian said, reluctantly taking his eyes off of the Queen to look at her companions. "I am King Caspian X, king of Narnia. I welcome you to Cair Paravel; any friend of Queen Susan is a friend of mine.
By this time, the English were getting very confused, especially the Pevensie parents. They now had confirmation of Susan being a Queen in this new place called Narnia. But, their new host had called himself King Caspian. Was Susan married to this man?
Now Caspian was introducing them to the people he has run into the hall with. It now dawned on the crowd as one that some of these people were not people at all. There were a few centaurs, a dwarf, a badger, and even a sword-wielding mouse among the few men accompanying the king.
Lord Jeffrey took this time to stand in front of the young king and bowed slightly, "I am Lord Jeffrey from England, and my wife Lady Margaret," he introduced himself Caspian bowed back and took Lady Margaret's had to kiss. "We thank you for your generous hospitality."
Susan bit back a faint stab of jealousy when Caspian's lips touched the hand of Lady Margaret.
"Think nothing of it Lord Jeffrey," was Caspian's reply.
By this time Susan had descended from the thrones gracefully and came to stand near Caspian, once again pulling his eyes to her lovely form. "Caspian, I would like you to meet the rest of my family, my parents George and Helen Pevensie."
Caspian turned to her parents and bowed once again. "It is such an honor to meet the parents of the vaunted Kings and Queens of Old."
Susan blushed slightly at Caspian's words and the looks her parents, as well as the looks rest of the travelers, were giving her.
"There was a large gap in time from our first visit to our second. Aslan crowned Peter, Edmund, Lucy, and I kings and queens of Narnia. We ruled here for many years from Cair Paravel. When we left we were gone for a year and when the four of us returned again it had been 1300 years and the Telmarines had invaded Narnia. We worked to overthrow Caspian's uncle Miraz, the usurper and placed Caspian, the rightful king on the throne before we left for England again."
Now, Susan blushed at what had happened when she left Caspian. Her eyes darted to his, the same time his went to hers. Susan found that Caspian, too, was blushing slightly, though it was considerably less noticeable with his darkened skin. This did not go unnoticed by the English travelers or the Narnians, though the Narnians at least knew the monarchs' history.
Forcing herself to reply, Helen said, "We thank you for your hospitality, your majesty."
George said instead, "How is it that you are still Queen then Susan," though he could not quite wrap his mind around her being a queen to being with.
"I am one of the monarchs of the Golden Age. When Peter, Edmund, Lucy, and I returned to Narnia we found ourselves called the Kings and Queens of Old who were prophesized to come back and help Caspian become King. I suppose people still called us Kings and Queens though we were no longer ruling monarchs. We were more of symbolic monarchs representing the return of the Old Narnia."
"Of course," was George Pevensie's reply, though it really made no sense to him.
"Caspian, are there still clothes from our last trips? I'm afraid I am not dressed appropriately, and the clothes on our ship will stand out too much. Maybe there are clothes for the others as well, at least temporarily," asked Susan, turning to face the young king.
Caspian found his eyes once again on Susan, this time noticing that she only had a thin nightgown, covered by a robe, blushing he replied, "Yes, the others will have to wait a bit until their rooms are ready and clothes could be found. However, your rooms, as well as those of your siblings, are kept ready in case of your sudden arrival. Come, I will escort you there," he said, holding his arm out for Susan to take.
Susan slipped her arm into his, but before she left she turned to the travelers and said, "Rooms are being made up and there will be clothes for you, we can also send people out to the ship for your suit cases if you would like. I will see you all in a while."
Caspian turned as well and said, "You may of course explore the castle and the grounds, find food in the kitchens, but I would advise you not to wander too far, there are dangers here."
With that, Caspian escorted Susan towards the doors, but they could hear her asking, "Caspian, why would you keep my rooms up if you knew I was never to return again? Aslan himself told us this."
"I never gave up hope, my Queen, that I would see you again," the king said, voice now faint and the couple walked down the halls of Cair Paravel, out of the sight of occupants of the Grand Hall.
A/N: I hope I'm doing ok with my story. This is all I have written so it will probably take longer time to get the next chapter out. Thank you for reading and please review!