Further Up & Further In

Prompt: Who dated first?

Prompt: Out of the Pevensie kids, who dated first, and how did it go over? (via @awfullybigwardrobe44 on Tumblr)

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Peter was 13 and Susan was 12 when they found themselves king and queen of Narnia. Surely neither of them were too far off from thinking about dating at the time, though immediately there were more pressing matters to attend to. Remnants of the Witch's army, foreign relations, and most of all, just learning the ropes, were a constant strain on their minds. It wasn't Narnia that had forced them to grow up too fast - the war had done that - but being grown-up in Narnia was about as different from being grown-up in England as a snake is from an apple. There was a lot they had to learn.

First, the roles they had taken up as necessity in England suddenly felt far more literal now that they were in Narnia. Edmund had called them out on it more than once - how they tried to act like Dad and Mum - but the concept wasn't nearly so silly now that they were in a world without their parents entirely. And while they all clearly remained brothers and sisters, Peter and Susan took hold of their parental roles as best they could. Their first instinct - always - was to look after Edmund and Lucy.

Second, they had an entire country to govern. Suddenly they were learning about taxes and travel and neighbouring countries and Narnian history, and that wasn't to mention constant training. One war didn't make a soldier, as Peter found out. He'd have to keep working. He'd have to, if he wanted to defend his people. And he did.

Which brings us to the third point: there were still enemies to be dealt with. The Witch may have been defeated, but not all her followers had been, and they still had to track them down and dispose of them. They couldn't know what would happen if they let those enemies alone, so on top of everything else, they were constantly concerned about that danger.

Peter took this hardest. He took it all to heart. His people first, himself second. Or, perhaps, his family, his people, and then himself. (That wasn't to mention Aslan, who he felt must be above all, but he wasn't called to defend Aslan against any physical threats. No, that worry was saved for his country. His faith, his own King, was another matter.) And so, even as they began meeting with nobles and dignitaries and diplomats from other countries, and even as he got old enough that some of the ladies he met caught his eye, he couldn't be bothered to pursue them. His family, his people, and then himself; heaven help him if he added a girlfriend to the mix. He danced with them sometimes. He chatted. He wondered. But when it came down to it, he couldn't make himself settle at all. He was entirely too serious about his job, and it became a constant distraction.

And it wasn't that Susan wasn't serious about being Queen; indeed, she did her job reverently and gracefully. But as her brothers worried about threats, and her sister worried about nothing at all, and as the stress began to get at her, she found herself delighted by the company of the young men who wanted to pursue her. So, undoubtedly, Susan was the first to begin courting. Men chased her, and she was happy to be chased, and she had plenty of energy and time to spend on them. Some were very nice. Others were not.

Her siblings had mixed reactions. Peter, as always, was protective. He didn't do much, if anything, to interfere, but he kept a watchful eye, and didn't hold back in telling Susan his thoughts. (Not that she listened, but it was a grace to know someone was looking out for her.) Edmund, somehow becoming more like Peter every day, was also protective, but he didn't like to interfere, either. Instead, he also watched out for her, and if anyone overstayed their welcome, he was quick to step in. (Susan kept learning this: some were nice, but others were not. Some weren't used to hearing the word, "no.") And Lucy, sweet Lucy, was often the best judge of character of the four of them. She knew the nice ones nearly by sight, and she made sure to get to know them, in case they stuck around. As for the others? Well, she could get away with veiled threats easier than her brothers could. Everyone knew to be careful around them; they never thought to watch out for her. It was, perhaps, her greatest blessing.

So Susan courted first in Narnia, and her siblings were wary. How could they not be? They were nearly constantly worried about one thing or another, so how could they not worry when their sister was being chased by all kinds of men? Some were nice. They liked those ones, and they were hospitable. But others, well, others were not. That's why they had to take care of her. Susan wasn't foolish, not truly, but she made mistakes, like anyone else. And the Pevensies? They were family. They'd watch out for each other. They'd take care of each other. So Susan forgave them when they overstepped bounds, (though she told them off first,) and she made sure to do her own share of meddling when they started developing interests of their own. It turned out, after all, that she couldn't help worrying about them, either.