I am very sorry for the long waiting - but I am learning day and night for my final exams this year ... Enjoy reading! :)


"Please, Susan, can you stop chasing around? It makes everybody nervous." Caspian asked in a low voice, watching the gentle queen as she strode through the tunnels.

Susan stopped and looked around, "There's nobody here but the two of us."

Caspian approached her, "Well, it's making me nervous." he laid one hand on her shoulder and tried to comfort her, "I am sure Lucy's fine. Peter will find her."

"And what if not? What if something happens to her?" Susan asked, not looking like the warrior queen, Caspian used to know, but rather a fragile young woman, "I just can't lose her as well."

Caspian couldn't stand seeing her like that, that sad and sorrowful. "Well firstly, Lucy knows the woods like no one else here; she has the dryads and the animals helping her, Aslan watching over her. Nothing is going to happen to her. And secondly, you haven't lost anyone so far, your brother is still out there, somewhere."

"But I am going to lose everything. Even if we win this war, I am losing everything. My home, my friends, you..." Susan looked up at Caspian with tears in her eyes.

Caspian embosomed here, stroking her hair gently, "As you said, as long as we love each other, we will always carry each other in our hearts. All you will have to do is look into your heart and you will find me there. And all I have to do is look into mine to find you."

"And what if that's not enough for me?" Susan asked, pulling back from him to look into his eyes.

As Caspian looked into Susan's face, the face that he had seen every night in his dreams for the past few years, the face he had seen everytime he had closed his eyes, with those gorgeous sapphire blue eyes, the pale skin as soft and white as snow, the full lips as red as blood, he noticed that it wouldn't be enough for him either. He noticed that he didn't want to spend any minute of his life without her again.

And so he did the one thing, he had thought about since the first time, they had met. He dropped on his knee and took Susan's hand with one hand.

Susan gasped for breathe, her eyes widened. Was he really doing what she thought he did?

"If I could have just one wish, I would wish to wake up every day to the sound of your breath on my neck, to the warmth of your lips on my cheek, the touch of your fingers on my skin,
and the feel of your heart beating with mine. If I could have just this one wish, I would wish for a life with you, for I don't want to spend it without you." Caspian took a deep breath, "I am not doing this because I am desperate but because I love you with all my heart. Susan Pevensie, Queen of Narnia, queen of my heart, will you marry me?"

Susan could feel her heart beating faster at his words, she felt how she couldn't breathe anymore, she felt how the tears ran down her cheek faster than before, she felt how she withdrew her hand from his, not able to bear his touch and she felt how her heart battled with her mind, fighting for her love. But she knew this was a battle she couldn't win. A battle against fate, against destiny without any chance to win it.

And so she did the one thing that she thought was best, not only for herself but for everybody. Even if she would break the hearts of two persons in the process, she knew that in the long run this would cost less hurt for everybody.

"I am sorry, but I can't."


"Edmund!" Lucy cried, running into the arms of her older brother.

Edmund hugged his sister tightly and grinned, "And who saves the day? It's King Edmund, the Just, always there to save young beautiful maids."

When he heard one of his companions clearing his throat behind him he added, "And of course his brave assistant, Eustace, and their fellowship."

Lucy ran over to her cousin to hug him as well, jumping joyfully, "Oh thank Aslan. You're fine. We were so worried. What happened? How did you get here?"

Before her older brother could explain any further, they heard horses approaching and Edmund quickly hustled his sister and himself behind the next tree, covering her mouth with his hand. Eustace and the others immediately took cover as well.

But when Edmund heard a familiar voice calling Lucy, the smile on his face grew even wider. He popped out from behind the tree, shouting, "SURPRISE!"

Peter's horse reared up, surprised by the sudden stranger in front of him. Peter, surprised and shocked as well, lost his grip on the reins and fell back with a startled cry, clattering painfully onto the forest ground.

Still lying on the ground, the High King rubbed his eyes not believing what he saw. "You're... you're really....Is that really you?" he stammered.

Edmund approached his brother, holding out one hand to help him up, "Hello Pete, do you find the normal way to get off a horse too boring?"

Peter just stared at his younger brother for a second speechless then he took his hand, stood up and smiled, "Well, I thought I give you a little show for a welcome."

"It's good to see you." Peter hugged his younger brother, trying to hide the tears in his eyes.


"What?" Caspian couldn't believe, what he had just heard. For such a long time he had dreamed of this moment, of their marriage, of a live with the woman he loved. But he had never imagined it like that. He had always known that it would never come true, because they were not destined to be together, because they had different worlds to live in, but he had never thought that, if they had the opportunity, even if the chance was that little that they would be able to be together, that she would say no.

Nothing in his life had ever hurt him that much as her last answer. Susan saw the plain hurt in the eyes of the man she loved and closed her eyes to repeat, what was the hardest thing she had ever had to say, "I cannot marry you."

"But why? I thought you loved me?" Caspian whispered unbelievable, still on his knees, not able to rise from the ground.

Susan took a deep breath and nodded, "Yes, I do and I would like to be with you the rest of my life. But this is not about what I want, this is about what I can. And I am not supposed to be with you, I am not supposed to live in this world. Sooner or later I am going to leave Narnia and it won't help pretending anything else. If I say yes now, how long would it be until we get separated again? And getting separated then will hurt even more than ruling it off now."

"We don't know what the future holds for us. We've to live for today and not fear tomorrow." Caspian tried to convince her, "Our love can overcome everything. I know this. Please, have trust in our love."

Susan hesitated and looked into Caspian's chocolate brown eyes and Caspian could see how she battled with herself, how her heart battled with her mind once again and when he saw the love she felt for him flickering in her glassy blue eyes, he thought that he had won. He thought that their love had won but within the next moment all his hopes were destroyed.

Susan withdrew her hand from his and shook her head, "No. I am sorry but I just can't." And with this she ran out of the tunnel crying, leaving a desperate Caspian on the ground.

When she came out of the tunnels, she suddenly bumped into somebody and when she looked up, she caught glimpse of a person that had been missing for too long.

"Hello Su." Edmund said, smiling at his sister, "I am back." Susan said nothing, but just threw her arms around him and hugged him, sobbing into his chest.

"Well, I hoped for a warm welcome, but all those tears really aren't necessary." Edmund joked, pulling back from his sister to look into her eyes, "Is everything alright, Su?"

"Did anything happen?" Peter stepped next to Edmund, looking alarmed.

Susan wiped away her tears and tried to smile, "No, no. I am just so happy to see you again." she assured them, "I thought you were dead." she added whispering.

"Well I am not that easy to get rid of." Edmund grinned, "Besides what should have become of little Eustace here if I had died."

"Hey! I rescued you." Eustace pointed out, clearing his throat.

"I didn't need your rescue." Edmund answered back, still grinning.

Susan looked surprised at the person that was now standing next to Edmund, not able to believe that this was her whining, annoying, little cousin Eustace. He looked calm and confident with himself, the sword resting in his hand, like it had always belonged there.

She gave her cousin a big smile and hugged him as well, "It's good to see you, cousin."

Suddenly Caspian appeared from the tunnels to look what was going on, having heard the loud voice and when he caught sight of Edmund and Eustace his face suddenly light up, even though his eyes still looked sorrowful.

"Hey, Caspian!" Edmund shouted, "Your live-saver is back."

Caspian approached Edmund and Eustace, looking a bit embarrassed, "It's good to see you well and back."

"And who are these people?" Susan asked as she noticed one older, noble-looking man and three rather young soldiers behind her siblings.

"They are friends from Archenland." Edmund stepped back next to the older man, "Su, may I present to you King Nain, King of Archenland."

Susan looked stunned at the king, who greeted her with a nod. He was tall, his hair short and grey, his face full of wrinkles and around his smiling mouth there was a white beard. And as she looked at him she noticed his familiar deep green eyes.

"So you're ... you're Cora's ... eh I mean Corinne's father?" the gentle queen asked, looking at Peter, who nodded.

"Yes I am, your majesty. And I am very thankful for your help in freeing my country."

"Your majesty!" they suddenly heard an approaching soldier shouting, "Our negotiator is back."

Caspian was the first to stand next to the horse, the negotiator was on. "We need the cordial!" he shouted as he helped the injured man off the horse. The soldier had a severe wound at his side, his arm was bent, his face scarred.

Lucy was immediately at his side, taking care of his wounds with the cordial. The man looked immediately better, but still weak. "He needs to rest, but he'll be okay." Lucy said, smiling at the soldier.

"Thank you, your majesty." He breathed out, still too weak to talk and handed over a paper roll to Caspian before two of his comrades helped him up to take him to the healer's tent.

Caspian opened the paper roll and began to read it out loud.

"Narnians, surrender and swear an oath to follow the Tisroc of Calormen and your lives will be spared. Otherwise we'll destroy you. Long lives the Tisroc, Prince Cain of ..." Caspian stopped and reread the last words, not believing who had signed the note, "Prince Cain of Archenland..."

Everybody looked stunned at King Nain, who lowered his head and looked to the ground. Edmund stepped next to his new friend and patted him on the bag, "Did I forget to tell you that Prince Cain of Archenland is leading the Calormen army?"


Well Prince Cain of Archenland - any guesses concerning him? :) ... As always I would love to hear your thoughts ...

And I hope that you don't dislike Susan after this chapter ... and that you don't think it annoying that she is constantly changing her mind about Caspian and so on .. but I just want to show how insecure she is about all this - how much she was hurt the last time and that she don't want to ever feel like this again ...Actually I thought a long time about deleting the engagement part but yeah ... if you don't like it just delete it from your memories and pretend it never happened ;) ...

Anyway I am trying to update soon - but I can't promise anything for I have much to study ...

Oh yeah and reviews would motivate me to update sooner - thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter - everytime I was sick of studying I looked at them and they motivated me once more .. :)