The Next Four Months

Chap four

(Edmund)

It didn't take Susan too long to recover, the concusion she had but she wasn't the same. She didn't have the same drive she used to. I'd been advised she was just starting to get tired, she was six months and two weeks pregnant now but that didn't seem to be her problem. She was good at brooding over things and there was something on her mind, something bad. She was late for her first council after Tibberus had said it was safe for her to go back to daily duties. She had penguin waddled in about ten minutes later than usual, her balance still off more than usual. Tibberus had advised that she should use a cane to walk with since her balance had been bad after her injury but Susan was Susan and didn't do what she was told as usual.

She sat through the council listening to the advice each member had to offer on the situation in Owl Wood but she wasn't really listening she sat stiffly in the throne that belonged to her husband- even if I didn't really consider Caspian my brother-in-law- and watched with glazed eyes. She didn't even notice as I closed the meeting, no further forward with the issue than we had been before, only ending up with an argument between Glenstorm and Reepicheep.

"Susan," I called to her at the end, waving me hand in front of her, it took her a while to blink and swat at my hand,

"Ed!"

"Where have you been all morning?" I spoke down to her, hands on my hips like a newspaper cartoon.

"What?" She said softly, very confused.

"Well your head certainly wasn't in this room,"

"Oh, yeh sorry. I'm just, my heads a little manic at the moment."

"Well come on," I rolled my eyes turning to walk from the hall.

"Uh... Ed?" Susan asked quietly, slowly holding her arms out for me.

"I swear these armrests get closer together every week," she muttered as I gave her a little pull, helping her up in the awkward way she'd adapted which meant pushing her hips up first since her spine couldn't bend very far any more.

"Ah cheer up Su, your not quite as bad as Mrs Baker yet." I laughed. Mrs Baker or Mrs Pudding was an extreemly large lady who lived near the local park at home. She thought we called her Mrs Pudding because before the war she was always handing out treats, in reality it was because she looked like a Christmas pudding.

"Nah, the amount she thinned out with rationing I bet I am!"she huffed before going suddenly silent, a glare of pain licking her face as her skin bunched tightly together.

"Su?"

"I'm ok, I stood up too fast. The worlds got flashy white lights." She stood for a moment before it passed and her blue eyes opened up again.

"Let's go," she said, her voice sounding sort of breathless.

"If you say so penguin." I grinned to myself, quickly stepping out of the way of her hand.

"Oi!" She exclaimed but she was laughing too much to keep up an angered demeanour.

We walked down the corridor towards the dinning room in silence, it had taken a few weeks for us to find the shortcut without the guidance of Caspian who had lived here his entire life but we soon learnt the way. Susan broke the silence first.

"Edmund. Am I a good Queen?"

"What? Why wouldn't you be?"

"No, don't treat me like a sister. Edmund if you were to go to Archenland and I was Queen there, what would you think of me?"

That took some thought. Of course Susan had her faults, she was too kind, fell for anyone's sob stories. She was no general and she really couldn't care less for the petty behaviour of some while being oblivious to the behaviour that could endanger her life.

She was the people's Queen, the one everyone wanted to see and talk to. She was the person who would fight beyond the death for what she believed in.

What bothered me more was where that idea was from, where that notion that she might not be good at her job had came from.

"But why do you want to know? You know the Narnians adore you, you know everyone listens and cares for you. We all know your strong when you need to be. Has someone brought it up?"

She shook her head, her pace quickening a little in her discomfort. This meant that I'd got out the truth from her someone had been tapping ideas into her skull.

"Oh no, it's just. It doesn't matter." And that was the end of the conversation.

"Sire," a small voice called to me when I got up from the table at lunch. Reepicheep moved away from the edge of Susan's skirt, she was engaged in a conversation with Lucy and didn't even notice. He looked back at Susan then at me again, silently asking for permission to leave her. I nodded and continued to walk from the room, the mouse knight at my side.

"I have some concerns your majesty, about the Queen," the well-spoken mouse began, standing on his back legs as he continued along at my side. I said nothing, hoping he would continue.

"I believe one of her ladies-in-waiting is causing her harm,"

"What?" Reepicheep sighed in response to my question,

"You see, your highness I am not entierly sure if the actions, or words rather, of Susca are intentionally there to hurt the Queen but they are causing her some mental pain, or so I believe. The Queen seems to have aquired the idea, as you have seen yourself, that she is useless to us all."

I didn't have anything to say, I agreed with his concerns but Susca, she was always so kind and loyal for a telmarine.

"There is other evidence to show that she may be in danger, when her bow was restrung it was made clear the old string had been weakened, for it has never faltered and snapped before so I hear. There had been a knife taken to the string."

So someone was actually trying to endanger Susan? But why would they do that, Susan never did anyone any harm she was a nice person, the model of what most people would love as a daughter or a fairytale heroine, what could she do that would offend someone?

"Your highness, there is a good chance the coming child could cause uprising and rivalry. The telmarines, those who stay true to their cause, want the boy in line to their thrown to be a strong fighter and a cruel man. The telmarines know that your sister is not the Queen they need for that to happen. The uprising in Owl Wood, the weakening of the bow string, possibly even Susca's behaviour, they're trying to weaken the Queen at least and at worst, Aslan forbid it, her death."

"What do we do?" I asked, finding I had to admit I had no idea what should happen in a situation like this. Reepicheep sighed sadly, showing his age as he rarely did,

"I don't know."

(A/N) sorry this is so short but I've been thinking and I don't know what to do in VDT Edmund imagines the Kraken and that's why they face it in the waters of dark island but what would happen if Peter and Caspian were there? I'd really appreciate any help!

Also I thought I'd be cruel and give you inside knowledge.. Hehe.

Susan's symptoms, tierdness, dizziness, headaches, pain in her stomach, swelling- all normal symptoms right?

Wrong, she doesn't know it because its not actually been discovered in England yet but Susan's suffering from preeclampsia, which if untreated can prove deadly for both mum and baby....... Oh and merry Christmas everyone lol.

Ps welcome my new readers, sorry I didn't have a chance to find your names before but you know who you are. :)