She Dreamed of Paradise ❈ Suspian

Stripped

"Come with me
Into the trees
We'll lay on the grass
And let the hours pass
Take my hand
Come back to the land
Let's get away
Just for one day."

- Stripped (Depeche Mode cover) by Shiny Toy Guns.

Susan's eyes were closed as she leaned her head back to relax in the sun, taking in the heat. The weather in Narnia was warmer than England, and Susan took full advantage of that, it was a shame she didn't have her sunglasses or another book to read since she couldn't read Land of Dusk where anyone could be watching her and know how the story ends – she'd read all the science fiction novels, she knew how doomed they'd all be if they knew that they lived inside a book and knew how the story would end.

By now, the mist would settle in in two days' time and Susan was no closer to making Caspian see the true horror that was about to fall upon his kingdom. She'd tried everything she could think of but nothing seemed to be working. If Caspian could see Aslan or even hear him speak, maybe that would make him see the danger everyone was in.

Slowly but surely, Susan became used to her life in Narnia but she knew she couldn't get too attached; it would only make going back to her normal life in Finchley a lot harder to deal with. Although, she felt more at home in Narnia, as if she had lived there her whole life rather than appearing inside it a few days beforehand.

While Susan wasn't trying new ways to convince Caspian that everyone in the castle could be dead by next week, she spent her time in one of the many extravagant castle gardens. There, she could think about everything that had happened to her in peace and quiet and she wouldn't have to worry about anybody disturbing her.

Currently, she was in her favourite garden she had found. It was a mini maze of sweet smelling flowers and beautiful ponds, with a bench in the middle that was covered in petals that had been painted on by very careful and precise hands. But the best part of the garden was that it leads directly to the woods that surrounded the castle and the gardens. Susan could easily walk into the woods and be back before anyone would notice she had gone.

The woods became her saving grace, the one place where she didn't need to speak in a whisper to talk to Aslan and she didn't need to worry about anyone listening to her conversations with him – the one place she didn't need to hide away from what she knew for the Narnians protection.

Taking a deep breath, Susan opened her eyes and walked carefully through the maze of flowers and ponds towards the edge of the maze and into the thick woods to have one last talk with Aslan to try to convince him to tell Caspian since Caspian won't listen to her anymore.

As soon as Susan came into the woods, she felt a lot colder and it became darker due to the thickness of the trees and the leaves around her. Releasing a long held breath to reassure herself, she carried on into the woods; just to make sure she was out of earshot of the castle so nobody would hear her talks with Aslan about the danger every single person in Narnia was in.

Once she was sure she was a safe distance away from the castle, she licked her lips to call out to Aslan. "Aslan, are you here? I need to speak with you, it's urgent." She called out into the emptiness, praying that he was there so she could have a chance to talk to him.

A cold breeze blew through the trees, blowing Susan's hair all around her with only one clear thought inside her head. He's here. Smiling to herself, she took a seat down on a large tree stump to wait for Aslan to show himself to her so they could start their conversation.

She felt a presence beside her and a hand on her shoulder. Turning to face the person beside her, Susan sighed to herself. Of course it was Aslan, however he was in the form of her bother again, like she had asked and had grown comfortable with over time. "I did everything you said and told him about what you've told me but he still won't listen. I don't understand."

Aslan's eyes met hers, the light almost dancing inside his sky blue eyes. "Sometimes, the truth is thrust upon us and we do not want to admit defeat and acceptance until the truth is proved to them, we then admit our mistakes. It is an important part of being human, young one."

Susan frowned, licking her lips as she shook her head. "Does that mean people have to die in order for Caspian to see the danger?"

Aslan didn't say anything for a long time, his gaze moving away from Susan to look at the trees that stood before them. "We may never know, but if Caspian stays with this state of mind; yes, people will die."

Susan couldn't even ask Aslan more questions before she heard a stick crack from behind her, her body turning around as soon as she heard the sound. "Caspian," she whispered as her body relaxed once she realized it wasn't someone who would cause her harm. "What are you doing here? How did you even get here?" She demanded, standing up from the tree stump with her hands on her hips.

"I was about to ask you the same thing." Caspian replied in a heartbeat, taking a step towards her, his eyebrow slowly rising. "Why are you out in the woods talking to yourself, Susan? The woods aren't a safe place for the unprotected."

Susan frowned, licking her lips as she took a step towards Caspian, their bodies inches apart by this point. "I was not talking to myself; I was talking to a friend, someone who might actually save our lives. You know, the friend I've been telling you about for the past few days." She was getting angry by this point, ready to start a fight her brothers tried so hard to protect her from. But sooner or later, she knew that she'd crack and someone was going to get hurt when she did – it was just inevitable.

Shaking his head, Caspian moved away from Susan to lean against a tree, the anger inside him reaching boiling point. "When will you get it into your mind; there is no mist or monsters or even lions! Narnia hasn't seen a wild lion in over three hundred years, they're extinct, Susan."

Before Susan had a chance to answer, a lion's roar echoed through the woods, stopping both of them in their tracks. "So much for being extinct, Caspian." Susan muttered to herself as she took a step towards the sound of the roar. "You heard that too, right?" She whispered, a hand resting upon a tree branch as she looked through the woods to find the supposed lion.

Caspian simply nodded his head, taking a slow step towards Susan as he placed his hand on his sword; all trace of anger was completely gone – he was now in protection mode; all his senses on overdrive to try to find the lion.

The forest was quiet now. Too quiet, even. The wind stopped blowing through the trees, the animals and bugs had gone silent and everything just stopped. The only sounds were their thundering heartbeats and the sound of their heavy breathing.

Slowly, Susan backed away from the tree and towards Caspian who held her arm as tightly as he could. None of them dared to move or say anything, out of fear of attracting a dangerous predator. After what felt like an eternity, the only thing the pair saw was the fog slowly and unnaturally roll its way towards them.