The Next Four Months

Chap six

(Susan)

"Ow!"

" Su? Su what's wrong," Edmund looked worried. I was supposed to be listening, thing were getting scary. It turned out we'd only came up against a tiny portion of the vast telmarine revolt. This wasn't good, there were only three of us, I was in no position to fight. Peter and Caspian could be days away.

My mind wasn't even on that, as if I was trying to hide my fear but there was more I had started to feel a strange aching pain. A full pain much like the pain I was used to experience each month but stronger. It had been on and off for a little while. That had been a good one, my head was starting to pound alongside my belly.

"I'm fine it's just another twinge, I think I should go lie down,"

Edmund got to his feet and came across to pull me out of Caspian's throne in the council room. I tried to pull my hand back but she shook his head,

"No I'm coming too, you look like you're about to faint." I didn't bother arguing I really didn't feel good at all.

Edmund walked slowly with me, letting me go at my own pace. He knew and I knew something was really wrong.

"Su, you are going to be ok right? I mean Mrs Jenks that Mum knows, she wasn't like you. Your not, you know, giving birth are you?"

"I don't think so, but I don't know." My voice gave into tears, it all came spilling out I was terrified, was I in labour? It was too soon. I just wanted my Mum, really wanted my Mum, someone who knew what they were doing, someone who could give me a hug. I could here her voice, 'it's alright my darling, everything will be fine. I'm not going to leave you but you've got to be my big girl Susan, you need to be nice and strong for me.'

"It's too soon Ed, I want, I want-,"

"Ssh, Su. It'll be ok, I promise."

(Caspian)

"We don't have any way to get home! My wife is heavy with child IF she survived the injury to her head and because of YOU and your hero complex we're stuck on this damn island, this is all you!" I was furious, my wife was alone in such an awful way. I knew by what Peter had said that there was still plenty time before the baby came along but still there were risks. I was stuck on this damn island. My left arm still barely moving from severed nerves. I would need a lot of time for them to recover, if ever, till then I could barely move my fingers. I was useless, there wasn't any chance I could construct a rowing boat let alone a dingy! It was entirely useless. If Susan gave birth before I got home then I'd never see her again, maybe not my child either.

I'd learned we were on Ramandu's island once more, that the beautiful Liliandil was tending to us. I'd heard that Peter was trying to look after the poor little child. I felt I should be looking after her, I was her king but what could I do? It wasn't even a little fair to expect Susan to take on another's child when she was expecting her own some time soon. I couldn't think of any way we could help her but we would, she would come back to Narnia and she would live with a good family.

Still that didn't solve my problem!

"Caspian, I know it's not enough but I'm sorry," I laughed, we were not children it wasn't as simple as a word. I needed to get home, did he really not understand she could be dying? That I might never see her again, our time together had been so short, she was too young for this! Too perfect and amazing and unlike any other woman I had ever met and I had let her die.

"Excuse me," a very soft voice entered the cave, the voice of a woman but light enough to belong to a girl. The blue light she gave out lit the cave slightly and made it very clear who she was.

Liliandil sashayed straight up to us,what she wanted I didn't really care I just wanted home and Susan and I doubted she could give me that!

But it was me she walked to, her eyes were so calm and innocent and pure that I felt I shouldn't be mad in her pressence.

"I think, your highness, I may be able to help."

(Susan)

I must have fallen asleep eventually because I was rudely awoken, my eyes and limbs crying, aching from fatigue cause by a large bump sticking out of my abdomen. I fumbled around, moving as quickly as I could away from the hand that grabbed my shoulder.

A torch light snapped on, making me groan and blink in the strong light. The torch, Edmunds torch shone at me for a brief moment before the one holding it turned it to the floor.

"Susan, it's me!" Lucy hissed in a stage whisper. The light from the open curtains showed she was dressed in her own nightgown, her cloak slung over her shoulders. I wondered what on earth meant I needed to be woken up, the dark sky an obvious indicator it was the middle of the night! Then I heard noises. The clang and swish and screech of metal on metal, the whip of bow strings, yells of fury and death all muffled by the thick castle walls. We were under siege.

"We have to get out of here," she hissed again pulling on my arm,

"Come on, remember the plan." I nodded even though I hadn't heard any plan, I'd been too worried to hear anything during our emergency council. Lucy must have seen it in my eyes.

"We've to get to Caspian's room and from there outside the castle walls through the secret passageway." I nodded, getting to my feet totally bewildered by what was going on around us.

Then, I felt it. It was strong almost rippling pain in my belly, the same dull ache as before but this time it was serious, it wasn't hiding any more I knew it couldn't just be a twinge. It was far too soon, a whole month and a week too soon but oh it was not joking around. That was definitely a contraction.

"Susan?"

"Lu, I think, I think the baby's coming."

I watched as my little sisters eyes widened in horror, totally disbelieving the situation. This was ridiculous, it was like an overly dramatic novel. She knew it wasn't good and I knew it wasn't exactly brilliant. At least I knew it took hours for a baby to be born, they didn't just pop out between scenes like in Christmas nativity scenes. That was all the comfort I had, the baby wouldn't be here as of yet.

"What do we do?" Her large blue eyes asked me- I wasn't exactly the body of knowledge on this topic but I could always try.

"We stick to the plan."

My legs felt weak with nerves and from the clicking ache that ran up my back, the feeling of lifting a lot of heavy boxes. I tried to hide it, tried not to let Lucy see how much it really hurt me, but she'd see soon enough.