𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐄, 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓 ✯ 𝑛𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑎 𝑓𝑎𝑛𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 ✓

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐎: 𝐒𝐔𝐒𝐀𝐍

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I hold Caspian with both of my hands around his waist. From time till time, I hear him breathe deeply in and out, like he is nervous. My left leg is still hurting so much. But I keep my mouth shut. I don't want to whine.

Salvador is riding next to Caspian and is holding Lucy with one hand steady. My little sister is still out and I see the blood in her hair. I look behind me, Edmund has a grim face, looking at me and Lucy while Peter is sitting behind Elvira.

The magnificent king is crunching his teeth, probably from the pain at his side. My mind is all over the place as we ride through barren plains and finally the Narnian woods are in sight. When the forest sounds and smells around me, I feel more at peace. More at home than I have felt in a year.

I lay my head against Caspian's back and close my eyes. I sigh happily.

We are home at last.

With the sound of thunder, the horses gallop through the gate of what looks like Cair Paravel. Has Caspian rebuilt it?

'Welcome home, Susan,' Caspian whispers as he pulls the reins and Destier comes to a halt. Caspian mounts off and I have to let him go. Suddenly without my arms around him, I feel less safe. But his arms wrap around my waist again and he pulls me off Destier. My feet touch the ground, but I am not steady yet and I collide with his chest. And it feels rather muscular. I feel my cheeks heat up. But when I look up, Caspian smirks at me. His dark eyes are narrowed, does he still feel something for me after three years?

'Susan!' Edmund is holding Pete up, having his hand around his waist and Peters arm around Ed's shoulders. Salvador is carrying Lucy inside.

'Come,' Caspian mumbles as he guides me inside the palace, my brothers on our heels.

'I want them in separate rooms,' Elvira orders us as she follows Salvador up the stairs.

I quickly look around; Cair Paravel is as it always was. Magnificent.

When my left foot hits the stairs, I fall towards the ground. But Caspian has a firm grip on me.

'Easy, Su,' he whispers in my ears. He puts a hand on my lower back and another under my knees as he swiftly lifts me up.

'Susan?' I hear Peter groan.

'I am okay, Pete,' I assure him as Caspian rushes up the stairs with me. Edmund and Peter follow us and when we are in the corridors of the first floor, I can just see that Salvador brings Lucy inside a room. Elvira closes the door behind them.

'I stay with Peter,' Edmund tells us as he chooses the room next to Lucy's. My brothers smile at me as they close the door behind them.

I know we are safe, that I am safe. But that is all because of the man holding me. Caspian easily opens the door at the right side of Lucy's room and walks inside. There is a window and from there I can see the ocean.

Caspian closes the door and walks towards the bed where he gently lays me down. He wants to turn around, but I quickly grab his arm.

'Can you stay?' My plea is a whisper on my lips but the seafarer king smiles happily as he sits down on the bed next to me.

'Will you hold me?' I hear myself say. I see him look at me, a mixture of want and love?

I don't understand.

When he touched my back minutes ago, a shiver went through my wounded body. I know I still like him. Love him even. But does he feel the same after three years? Lucy had told me that, when they came back on the ship with him. Caspian told her that no one could compare to me. But was that a lie? Just to make my sister feel good?

But my plea is heard. Caspian slides on the bed next to me and holds me silently in his arms. I let my head rest against his chest and hear his fast heartbeat.

'Are you okay?' I ask him after a couple of seconds. I feel him nod in my hair, a slight kiss on the top of my head. It makes my heart beat faster than ever before.

'I am now,' he says and I just can feel him smile against my hair. He holds me tight against him.

'Your leg?' he asks me in return. I certainly don't want to complain. I never did and I never will. But I think I am still losing blood, because I feel a little light-headed.

'Hmm,' I mumble and snuggle more against him.

'Susan?' His voice sounds tight and panicking. 'Please groan if you are awake.' His voice is thick. Like he is holding back tears.

I do what he says.

He kisses the top of my head again. I notice that I zone in and out. Sometimes hearing him say things to me, footsteps in the hallway. Servants and soldiers talking, I think.

'Hmm,' I groan again and Caspian pulls me even tighter against his chest.

'Aslan.' I suddenly hear him gasp. He lifts himself slightly up.

'Elvira!' he yells with anger and fear in his voice. I hear running footsteps and the door being pulled open. Someone rushes inside my room.

'My king?' A soft female voice sounds. I bury my head more against his chest, ashamed of how we lay in this bed together. Luckily Peter and Edmund don't see me like this.

I hope.

Caspian slowly releases me and gently turns me on my back.

'Look at her leg' His voice is a panicked whisper. I hear her gasp.

'Dear Aslan,' she says. They say something I cannot hear. But I can feel her presence next to me.

'My Queen?' she asks worriedly.

'Hmm,' I groan as an answer, knowing the power of speaking has left me.

'I have to stop the bleeding and stitch your leg. It is probably going to leave a scar, I am sorry.'

I don't care! I just want the pain to end. . .

I try to hold my tears in, but on the moment Elvira only touches my legs I cry out already. My eyes fly open and I see Caspian, his eyes wide with fear.

'Elvira,' he urges the girl. But it sounds so calm, not as an order.

Friendly.

Are they lovers?

No, then he wouldn't have been holding me like that.

'How are the others?' I hear Caspian ask her.

'Lucy has a heavy concussion and a bleeding on the back of her head. She has lost a lot of blood, but she is all right now. And Peter is also stitched up. He has a large gash at the right side of his body. Heavy bleeding, but I managed to stop it and stitch him up,' she tells detailed and I hear Caspian breathe out.

'Thank Aslan!' he says and I hear the relief in his voice.

'Do you want to stay?' she asks him. I do not hear what he says but I can feel him sliding his hand in mine and squeeze.

'You are going to be alright, Susan.' He wipes my tears away and kisses my forehead. I hear myself sigh and fall in and out of a black hole every time Elvira is touching my leg.

'You love-,' I hear Elvira say.

Blackness.

'I do,' says Caspian's voice and he touches my hair. Again blackness but I don't fight it anymore. I give in and let it consume me.

'Su?' Edmund. I groan and I hear my younger brother laughs.

'Are you all right?'

'Hmm, I am. How did we get away from the house?'

It stays silent for a while and I manage to open my eyes. Looking in the brown ones of Edmund. He is dressed in a blue Narnian tunic, decorated with silver beats. He is clean and the gash on the left side of his face looks better. Elvira stitched it up nicely.

'We are not in London aren't we?'

He nods, but smiles nonetheless. 'We're home, Su. He brought us home.'

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