Adoration

Epilogue

England 1999

"You can't end it like that!" The outraged child spoke loudly.

A seventy-one-year-old Susan Pevensie was sat against the wooden wardrobe in Digory Kirke's old home. She pressed her hand against the wardrobe, smiling at the rough wood beneath her wrinkled fingers.

After they returned to their own world all those years ago, Susan moved into Digory's house and had lived there ever since.

"Why can't I?" Susan questioned, giving a fond smile to her two grandchildren.

The eldest sighed, raising her arms before lowering them. "Because you can't end a story without all of the characters being happy."

"Prince Caspian and the High Queen need to end up together." The younger added.

Susan chuckled. "But that did not happen."

"It's not real, grandma. Just change the story."

She shook her head. "Change the story," she repeated. "If only it were that easy."

"Mom." Susan's daughter – Lily – spoke as she entered the room. Shocking her siblings greatly, Susan had named her daughter after Lilliandil. Though, she had to thank the star for being there for Caspian when she could not.

"Mother, tell grandma to change the story." Her eldest grandchild implored.

"It isn't a story." Lily spoke, repeating what Susan had always told her whenever she questioned the famous story. "And don't bother asking for a happy ending, she won't provide you with one."

Susan tapped the wardrobe behind her, looking at it fondly. "If you believe that the story did not have a happy ending, then perhaps you were not listening properly."

"Where was the happy part?" One whispered to the other.

"You should've listened closer." Susan teased.

"Then you must tell it again." The youngest spoke, crossing his legs and shuffling himself closer.

"She will later." Lucy interrupted. "It's lunch and you two haven't eaten since breakfast."

They groaned but pulled themselves up anyway. Lucy turned to her mother before leaving: "I hope you do get your happy ending, mother."

"I have gotten it." Susan replied. It wasn't supposed to go like it had, she should have had her happy ending with Caspian. However, her happy ending had happened – without him.

She had fulfilled her promise: she had fallen in love more than a decade after the promise was made, she had had a daughter, who gave her two beautiful grandchildren. She had gotten her happy ending, and she was content with the life that she had lived.

And with that, she allowed the darkness of death to overtake her. She welcomed it. It had been a friend throughout her life after all.

Her life had been fulfilled. She had loved and lost and, with that thought, she allowed death to take her.