The High Queen of Narnia
Disclaimer: Lucy Pevensie, along with Narnia and all associated characters are the creation of C. S. Lewis. I own only the plot
Chapter 8: An Embarrassing Conversation
"I suppose we should stop and rest for awhile." Lucy said, reigning in her horse.
Bringing her own steed to a halt, Susan nodded. Although she did not say anything she looked rather relieved.
The two Queens had been riding without a break for hours and they were now well outside Narnia and into the Western Wild. The country they were now travelling through was very different in terrain to Narnia. There were few woods and it was mostly sparse scrubland with a handful of trees dotted here and there. They both dismounted and tethered their horses to a nearby tree.
As Susan took food and water bottles from her pack, a large bird of prey landed on the back of Lucy's horse.
"Swiftwing!" Lucy addressed the Talking Falcon who was the third member of their expedition. "Could you scout ahead and try and catch sight of the High King and Ravanna; see how far ahead of us they still are?"
Of course, Your Majesty!"
Swiftwing took flight and headed west, quickly disappearing from sight. Lucy sank onto the ground beside her sister, who passed her a water bottle and venison pasty.
"Thanks!" Lucy took a large bite out of her pasty, then a gulp of water.
The two Queens ate in silence for a while, but Lucy noticed that Susan looked far from at ease as she ate. Her face was rather flushed and she kept shifting uncomfortably.
"What's wrong, Su?" There was a knowing smirk on the younger Queen's face. "Riding astride so long got you all hot and bothered, has it?"
Susan blushed furiously. "Well I…"
"No need to be embarrassed about it." Lucy told her with a chuckle. "It happens to us all. I suppose that's why so many people think it's improper for ladies to ride astride. But you do get used to it eventually." She gestured vaguely to her left. "I think there are some thick bushes over there if you want a bit of privacy to take care of yourself."
"I couldn't!" Susan protested, blushing an even deeper shade of red. "Not with you here!"
"Well it's not as though you'd be doing anything that I and every other girl doesn't do sometimes." Lucy said with a shrug.
Susan just shook her head again and resumed eating. She looked thoroughly mortified by this conversation so Lucy took pity on her and dropped the subject. A silence fell between them that lasted for a few minutes as they continued eating but Lucy was surprised when it was Susan who finally broke it.
"Lucy?"
"Yes Su?" Lucy looked curiously at her sister, wondering what she was going to say.
Susan bit her lip nervously. "Have you ever, you know, been with a man?"
Now it was Lucy's turn to blush. She was starting to wish she had never started this conversation but was too honest not to answer.
"No, I haven't." She admitted, feeling herself blush even more violently. "I've had a fair number of suitors over the last couple of years, but I've never done much with any of them beyond kissing, although I've often wanted to." She took another gulp of water. "What about you?"
"Much the same," Susan said, now blushing again herself. "I haven't done much except kissing with any of my suitors either, although like you I've sometimes wanted to. But I've been too scared to do that."
"Oh I wouldn't say I was scared exactly," Lucy said with a frown. "I'm just not very comfortable with the idea of doing that before marriage, and of course I'm very mindful of the possible consequences."
Susan looked thoughtfully at her sister and seemed to hesitate a moment before speaking.
"Lu, you do know that there are ways you can…?"
"Yes I know!" Lucy interrupted. "I know there are ways to prevent pregnancy, but none of them are infallible and I'm just not prepared to take the risk, even leaving aside the issue of personal morals. For a Queen of Narnia to be with child out of wedlock would be a dreadful scandal, one that could undermine confidence in the monarchy and destabilise the entire country." Lucy quickly took another sip of water before continuing. "We're Queens Su, and we have to put the welfare of Narnia before our own desires. We can't just please ourselves as though we were private persons."
"I suppose not." Susan agreed with a sigh.
To Lucy's relief, any further discussion on that topic was interrupted by the return of Swiftwing, who after circling overhead a couple of times landed on the ground between the two Queens. The report the Talking Falcon made had the sisters looking at each other with expressions of grave concern.
"We haven't gained on Ravanna at all?" Susan asked, looking rather dismayed.
"I'm afraid not, Your Majesty." Swiftwing replied. "And they've changed direction, they're now heading north-west."
"They must be intending to skirt around Telmar." Lucy guessed.
"Probably," Susan agreed. "But that doesn't help us much. We need to avoid Telmar too!"
"But do we?" Lucy asked thoughtfully.
Susan stared at her sister incredulously. "Lu, you know how hostile the Telmarines are towards Narnia!"
"Yes, I know!" Lucy said impatiently. "But according to our scouts the outskirts of Telmar are thinly populated, with only a few scattered villages. The bulk of the population lives nearer the centre of the country. If we pass through the outlying parts quickly, we might just get through Telmar before they're really aware of our presence."
"It's a big risk." Susan said, looking anxious.
"I know it is!" Lucy agreed, giving her sister an encouraging smile. "But without taking that risk I don't think we have any chance of catching Ravanna and rescuing Peter. We'll just have to hope for the best and trust in Aslan."
The mention of Aslan seemed to stiffen Susan's resolve and she nodded in agreement.
"All right," she said. "Well, we'd best get started."
Without further words the two of them mounted their horses. Swiftwing once again took flight, circling overhead, and in moments all three were again heading west.
