Susan Was Always First

Kings and Pawns

"Where could she be?" Lucy sobbed, her eyes wet with tears, cheeks stained with the liquid that had been her constant companion since the news of her sister's disappearance reached her.

Eight hours. Eight hours with no news, no sign of her. Small patrols of scouts had searched the nearby forests while the royal family spread through every corridor of the castle. Now, they were in crisis mode, heavy fear hanging in all their hearts. Gathered in Peter's study, they were offering each other comfort and creating a new search strategy as well.

Caspian pulled his sister-in-law into a tight embrace. "I wish I knew... She has to be okay..."

How could she just vanish, only the rose hair clip she wore left behind? How could his wife be taken without him knowing, snatched out of their bed without his waking? He was worried, and beyond that he was upset with himself, for not being able to stop this abduction and protect his wife and unborn child.

"Two lives are at stake... should we take up arms?" Edmund asked, though the first part of his words caught both Lucy and Peter by surprise.

"Susan is- I knew it..." Lucy said, her nose sniffling. Her sister was taken, and now to have her suspicion confirmed that Susan was with child... the tears fell faster, concern growing even more in the Valiant queen's heart.

Peter, silent until this point, placed a hand on Caspian's shoulder. "I swear that we will have everyone searching. Not a stone will be left in place until my sister and future niece or nephew are found safe. Edmund, take a patrol of soldiers out immediately. Check all nearby villages. I'll send contact to our allies to see if they have heard anything and make sure the border is closed at all main roads. Lucy and Caspian, wait here in case Susan should return."

"I should be out searching." Caspian replied quickly. "She is my wife, carrying our child, and I will not sit idly doing nothing in hope she will return!"

His voice wavered with emotion as he staggered to his feet. He would not remain idle while she was out there in harms way, would not let her abductors hold onto her a moment longer.

Lucy wiped a hand across her eyes, nodding as she did so. "I agree, Peter. I can wait here alone should she return. You need everyone out looking."

"Lucy, him remaining with you is a necessity. Until we know what happened to Susan, we cannot risk leaving you alone should they target you next." Peter replied in a quiet tone, as if he were sorry to have to explain his reasoning.

Edmund shook his head, realizing now that they were all perhaps in danger, that Susan might not be the only target they were after.

"I'll stay with her, then." He watched Peter until the blonde gave a nod of affermation. Then turning to his brother-in-law, Edmund spoke again. "Caspian, you should get some men gathered up and start searching. Time may be crucial."

Caspian nodded curtly and exited the room, determination in his eyes. He would find Susan. He had to.
---

"Oh, look who is joining us," a deep voice purred as Susan stretched, beginning to wake up.

That voice sounded like the one from her dream that the red color had used...

Groggy, she blinked her eyes open slowly, and then snapped awake when she realized she was not in her bed.

The walls were bare, no windows in sight but there was a thick door to the side of her, which she saw was locked from the inside and guessed locked from the outside as well. There was a bucket in the corner for what she could assume to be a toliet, and the cot she was on was small and hard.

"Calm down, beautiful. We aren't going to hurt you...yet, that is." The 'red' voice came from a man at the foot of the small cot she woke on.

He was a handsome man, she noticed, with black, enticing eyes and hair to match. His skin was softly tanned, and she would have placed him as a Telmarine if not for the accent that sounded more Scottish than any of the Narnian dialects. He must have noticed her studying him for he winked at her.

"If it were up to me, I wouldn't dare risk damaging a pretty face like yours, but what the boss says goes, so..." he trailed off with a shrug.

Susan was too confused to speak, wondering how she had been snatched without her awaking, where she was, and who in Aslan's name these people were.

The orange voice soon reached her ears, a woman's tinkling laugh that sounded much too creepy to put Susan at any sort of ease. "Not flirting with the queen, are you Lust?"

Susan's eyes went towards the doorway, where a tall woman was entering. She was slim, and her gaze seemed deadly, icy blue eyes piercing all they took in. Orange locks were cut short in a more boyish style, and she wore a tunic and leggings.

The man called Lust shook his head, though his words didn't match his action. "Can you blame me? Just look at the pretty face... You're not jealous of the Gentle Queen's beauty, are you Wrath?"

"She won't be very pretty once I get to have some fun." The woman grinned maliciously at Susan, winking. "But don't worry. I'll try to be as gentle with you as possible."

The mocking tone of that last sentence caused Susan to shiver with fright. Pulling back as far as she could from these strangers, she rested a hand protectively over the small swell of her stomach.

"Who are you? Where have you taken me?"

"So many questions... just relax." Another voice floated into the room, the purple sound reaching her ears.

It was another woman, petite and curvy. She looked positively relaxed and calm, and also a bit drowsy. Her eyes shown purple, and her skin was a pretty dark color. Black locks flowed down her back and trailed behind her on the ground, and Susan wondered if the woman had ever bothered to trim her hair.

"So I take it the boss won't be joining us since you're here, Sloth."

"Nah. Too busy going after that blonde king to show up here." The woman called Sloth yawned. "I only came to see if she woke up, and she did. So I can be going soon."

Something rattled at the back of Susan's mind, and she realized with dread that the names the people had given so far were those of some of the seven deadly sins and not their real names, giving her nothing to work with for trying to discover their identities. But why use those names, and why go after her family. Why were they after Peter? Was he to be their next target?

"I can just see question after question pooling behind those gorgeous eyes of yours, but I'm afraid we aren't at much liberty to discuss our plans with the little pawns we capture, and that's you, darling." Lust spoke, and his tone would have been apologetic had Susan not saw a gleam in his eye.

Wrath let out a laugh, her eyes narrowing. "Not even a queen in our match... how does it feel to be a measly pawn?"

Drawing close to the queen, Wrath nodded, which seemed to be a signal for the others to leave as they quickly exited the room. Then, with a dark grin filling her face, she spoke.

"Now, how about we have some fun?"